RELATIONS BETWEEN THE SHUYA AND SUZDAL AUTHORITIES IN XVII CENTURY

Abstract

The article discusses the relations between the Shuya and Suzdal provincial authorities in XVII century in the context of the relations between a “big city” and its suburbs in the late medieval Russia. The author analyzes different types of Shuya's dependence on Suzdal, such as tax and judicial dependence, as well as the obligation to help the people of Suzdal in constructing the city's fortifications. Shuya's taxable dependence on Suzdal administration was a result of the crisis of local government during the Tushino perod (1608–1610). Immediately after the reconstruction of the central administration, the Shuya residents tried to get rid of that dependence. However, the crisis in the country contributed to the arbitrariness of local administration; therefore they managed to become completely free from tax-paying claims of Suzdal only by the early 1620s. It is concluded that the Shuya residents perceived any attempt to limit their independence very negatively because it was associated with the implementation of commitments to the local administration. After their release from tax dependence, the Shuya people resolutely refused to carry all commitments, indicating that they had their own administration. At the same time, the remnants of Shuya's administrative dependence on Suzdal continued to exist during the XVII century. Moreover, it was supported by the Moscow administration because such dependence provided management flexibility in regions.