Summary

The author analyzes the problem of political development of state formations in the regions of Volhynia and Galicia during the Early and Classic Middle Ages by using the theories of political sci­entists, sociologists, and historians on the development of a state and its institutions and on the developmental patterns in general.

Although one can trace elements of state structures in the life of many peoples who were part of the «Great Migration of Peoples» in the 4^,h - 7^th centuries, a large-scale state-forming process began among the Slavic population of Central Eastern Europe since the 8^,h - 9^th centuries. Early political formations, post-tribal states, emerged on the base of numerous tribal federations as a result of social transformation. In the middle of the 9^lh century «Rus’ Land» became the leader of the other Slavic unions. The gradual process of submission of all East Slavic tribes to the Kyivan political center started after the integration of Dnieper and Slovenian Rus’ in the late 9th century. In the 10^th century, Derevlyanians, Ulitchis, Tivertsians, Dulibians, Volhynians, Buzhanians, and Eastern Croats lost their sov­ereignty. The process of incorporation of East European Slavs into one great state-empire Rus^, lasted for almost two hundred years. Lands of the former tribal federations were reformed into dependent principalities. Accordingly, population of Volhynia and Pre­Carpathian region was incorporated into the Volhynian dependent principality with a center in Volodymyr.

The state-forming process in the state-empire Rus^, influenced the formation of the East Slavic ethnic political community with

princely, boyars (nobles), and retinue ruling clique as its most con­solidated part.

The process of transformation of dependent principalities into land-principalities began since the middle of the H^th century. In the 1080s, the Volhynian dependent principality was divided. Three practically sovereign principalities appeared in the Pre-Carpathian region with the centers in PeremyshF, Zvenyhorod and Terebovlia. Later, in the middle of the 12^th century, Pre-Carpathian principali­ties were consolidated into one Galician land-principality. Volhynia gained sovereignty only in the second half of the 12^th century, due to the long-lasting strife of various political forces. Meanwhile the Volhynian rulers were constantly present among the main pre­tenders for the all-Rus^, center, Kyiv. The transformation of the Old Rus^, political confederation into the confederation of land-principal­ities occurred with the beginning of the Appanage period.

In particular, this process resulted in the emergence of the unit­ed Galician-Volhynian state. Through its turbulent history during the 1200s—1340s, it regularly reemerged and thus proved its viability as a state. During the Middle Ages home political conflicts developed into the civil wars. There was such a war in South Western Rus’ in 1205-1245. Its course was affected by the intervention of other South Rus’ territorial principalities, and by the Kingdom of Hungary, Polish principalities, Baltic tribes and Cuman hordes.

The monograph shows the influence of external factors on the development of country’s state-political life. Mongolian expansion into the Eastern Europe resulted in the weakening of the state devel­opment of the North Eastern and Southern Rus’ lands. At the same time, in the middle of 13^th century, under the influence of eastern threat, the Galician-Volhynian principality ruled by Romanovychi princely dynasty revived rapidly.

The influence of the political centers on certain territories was uneven. For a long time Trans-Buh area and Pohoryna did not follow the pattern of state development in Volhynia, and the regions of Middle and Lower Trans-Dniester and Lower Danube areas did not follow the pattern of state development in Galicia. Some of these ter­ritories acquired the name «Ukraine» then.

Eastern Slavic society played a noticeable role in the interna­tional life of the medieval world. The mightiest rulers of Rus’ were considered in a world as sovereign monarchs - «kings». Being situat­ed on the frontier Ofagricultural and nomadic civilizations, Rus’ per­ceived crusades on a certain stage as a manifestation of Christian fight against «infidels».