trade with the
Orient and the Greek Empire, and like the Italian cities, its politics
were swayed by economic interests. Those in trade with the East
through the Volga desired a Prince from one of the great families about
that Oriental artery in the Southeast; while those whose fortunes
depended upon the Greeks preferred one from Kief or the principalities
on the Dnieper. When one party fell, the Prince fell with it, and as
the formula expressed it, they then "made him a reverence, and showed
him the way out of Novgorod"--or else held him captive until his
successor arrived.

Princes might come, and Princes might go, but an irrepressible spirit
of freedom "went on forever"; the reigns all too short and troubled to
disturb the ancient liberties and customs of the republic. No Grand
Prince was ever powerful enough to impose upon them a Prince they did
not want, and no Prince strong enough to oppose the will of the people;
every act of his requiring the sanction of their _posadnik_, a high
official--and every decision subject to reversal by the _Vetche_, the
popular assembly. The _Vetche_ was, in fact, the real sovereign of the
proud republic which styled itself, "My Lord Novgorod the Great." Such
was the remarkable state which played an important, and certainly the
most picturesque, part in the history of Russia.

The first thought of the new Grand Prince at Suzdal was to prevent the
possible rivalry of this arrogant principality in the North, by
conquering it and breaking its spirit. He was also resolved to break
thoroughly with the past, to destroy the system of Appanages, and had
conceived the idea of the modern undivided state. He removed his
capital from the old town of Suzdal, which had its _Vetche_ or popular
assembly, to Vladimir, which had had none of these things, assigning as
his reason, not that he intended to be sole master and free from all
ancient trammels--but that the Mother of God had come to him in a dream
and commanded him so to do! But an end came to all his dreams and
ambitions. He was assassinated in 1174 by his own _boyars_, who were
exasperated by his subversive policy and suspicions of his daring
reforms.

With the setting of the currents of Russian national life toward the
North, there was awakened in Europe a vague sense of danger. Not far
from Novgorod, on and about the shores of the Baltic, were various
tributary Slav tribes, mingled with pagan Finns. This was the only
point of