Druzhina: Difference between revisions
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[[Image:Monomakh's hunting.jpg|right|300px|''[[Vladimir Monomakh]] Feasting with His Druzhina'', by [[Viktor Vasnetsov]].]] |
[[Image:Monomakh's hunting.jpg|right|300px|''[[Vladimir Monomakh]] Feasting with His Druzhina'', by [[Viktor Vasnetsov]].]] |
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'''Druzhina''', was a prince’s [[retinue]] in [[Kievan Rus|early Rus]], which helped him to administer his principality and constituted the area’s military force. The first druzhinniki (members of a druzhina) in Rus were the [[housecarl|housecarl's]] of the [[Norsemen|Norse]] [[Varangians]], whose princes established control there in the 9th century. Soon members of the local Slavic aristocracy as well as adventurers of a variety of other nationalities became druzhinniki. The term Druzhina is a [[cognate]] of the Germanic ''[[drott]]in'' ([[Proto-Germanic]] *''druhtinaz'') meaning "war band". |
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'''Druzhina''', '''Drużyna''' or '''Družyna''' ({{lang-ru/uk|Дружи́на}}, ''Druzhýna'' literally a "fellowship") in the history of early [[East Slavs]] and [[West Slavs]] was a detachment of select troops in personal service of a [[tribal chief|chieftain]], later ''[[knyaz]].'' Its original functions were [[bodyguard]]ing, raising tribute from the conquered territories and serving as the core of an army during war campaigns. For example, at the [[Battle of Lake Peipus]] the army of the [[Novgorod Republic]] had about 5000 men in all, and around 3000 men in both the cavalry and infantry, were part of [[Alexander Nevsky]]'s druzhina. The druzhina organization varied with time and survived in one form or another until the 16th century. The name is derived from the Slavic word ''drug'' ([[wikt:друг|друг]]) with the meaning of "companion, friend". |
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The druzhina was composed of two groups: the senior members (who became known as [[boyars]]) and the junior members. The [[boyars]] were the prince’s closest advisers; they also performed higher state functions. The junior members constituted the prince’s personal bodyguard and were common soldiers. All the members were dependent upon their prince for financial support, but each member served the prince freely and had the right to leave him and join the druzhina of another prince. As a result, a prince was inclined to seek the goodwill of his druzhina; he paid the druzhinniki wages, shared his war booty and taxes with them, and eventually rewarded the boyars with landed estates, complete with rights to tax and administer justice to the local population. |
The druzhina was composed of two groups: the senior members (who became known as [[boyars]]) and the junior members. The [[boyars]] were the prince’s closest advisers; they also performed higher state functions. The junior members constituted the prince’s personal bodyguard and were common soldiers. All the members were dependent upon their prince for financial support, but each member served the prince freely and had the right to leave him and join the druzhina of another prince. As a result, a prince was inclined to seek the goodwill of his druzhina; he paid the druzhinniki wages, shared his war booty and taxes with them, and eventually rewarded the boyars with landed estates, complete with rights to tax and administer justice to the local population. |
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By the middle of the 12th century, the characteristics of the two groups had begun to change. The [[boyars]], having acquired their own patrimonial estates and retinues, became less dependent on the princes and began to form a new landed aristocratic class. The junior members became a prince’s immediate servitors and collectively assumed the name dvoriane (courtiers). During the period of Mongol rule (after 1240), the term druzhina fell out of use.<ref>http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/172216/druzhina</ref> |
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==References== |
==References== |
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Revision as of 18:56, 1 May 2011
Druzhina, was a prince’s retinue in early Rus, which helped him to administer his principality and constituted the area’s military force. The first druzhinniki (members of a druzhina) in Rus were the housecarl's of the Norse Varangians, whose princes established control there in the 9th century. Soon members of the local Slavic aristocracy as well as adventurers of a variety of other nationalities became druzhinniki. The term Druzhina is a cognate of the Germanic drottin (Proto-Germanic *druhtinaz) meaning "war band".
The druzhina was composed of two groups: the senior members (who became known as boyars) and the junior members. The boyars were the prince’s closest advisers; they also performed higher state functions. The junior members constituted the prince’s personal bodyguard and were common soldiers. All the members were dependent upon their prince for financial support, but each member served the prince freely and had the right to leave him and join the druzhina of another prince. As a result, a prince was inclined to seek the goodwill of his druzhina; he paid the druzhinniki wages, shared his war booty and taxes with them, and eventually rewarded the boyars with landed estates, complete with rights to tax and administer justice to the local population.
By the middle of the 12th century, the characteristics of the two groups had begun to change. The boyars, having acquired their own patrimonial estates and retinues, became less dependent on the princes and began to form a new landed aristocratic class. The junior members became a prince’s immediate servitors and collectively assumed the name dvoriane (courtiers). During the period of Mongol rule (after 1240), the term druzhina fell out of use.[1]
References
See also
- Housecarl
- Voluntary People's Druzhina, a civilian organization in the Soviet Union
Names in italics are settlements whose Norse names are not recorded | ||
| Volkhov-Volga trade route |  | |
| Dvina-Dnieper trade route | ||
| Other locations | ||
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary (in Russian). 1906. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
