Novgorod - one of the most ancient cities of Russia located in its North-West, near the site where the Volkhov river takes its waters from Lake Ilmen.The history of Novgorod is closely linked with all major stages in the life of Russian state. Novgorod is the motherland of russian democratic and republican traditions, an important spirit of orthodox Russia.
Novgorod was one of Russia's major centers of literacy and book production. Throughout many centuries, Novgorod was a firm fortress on the north and west borders of Russia. Original population of Novgorod was Fino-Ugric tribes. In the 6th century there came Slavic tribes.
The economic life and political cooperation was connected with international Baltic-Volga commercial route, passed through Volkhova, Il'men and Meta. The fight in the international trade against the scandinavian merchants assisted in acceleration of process in making national relationship. To the middle of the 9th century at the Volkhov river has formed a centre of political communication of tribes. Raise and pay of tribute founded the basis of state tax assessment. In 862 the Novgorodians invited Scandinavian prince Rurik to keep law and order, thus giving birth to the prince Rurik dynasty that ruled over all Russian lands.
In the early 10th century, war campaigns of the Novgorodians against Constantinopol to secure equal trade with Bizantine resulted in the integration of East Slavic tribes into the ancient Kiev Russian state.
Smolensk and Kiev were conquered, at the boundary of Wild field was put supporting bunch for further movement to Konstantinopol.
The campaigns of Igor and Oleg allowed to succeed — to break the trade way. In consequence of that was the union of eastslavic tribes and formation of oldrussian state with the capital in Kiev. The first Kiev knyazes were full owners of south-russian lands and were going to do military service in Novgorod. Knyaz Svyatoslav Igoreevich broke the existing tradition. In 970 Novgorodians made a request to give them a knayz, so the Svyatoslav's son and Vladimir's ancilla were sent there.After the death of Vladimir's father he was expelled from Novgorod, but in 980 he came back with scandinavian troops. In Novgorod was approved Christianity as a state official religion.
At the end of the 10th century there was built the cathedral of St. Sophia, the Holy Wisdom of God. Novgorodian Sophia impelled knyaz Yaroslav the Wise to build stone Sophia's cathedral in 1037 in Kiev. After Christianize Novgorod became the spiritual centre of Russia.
The life and actvity of Yaroslav the Wise is nearly concerned in Novgorod. He was throned twice in Kiev by Novgorodians. During 10 years Novgorod was his residence.
Under Yaroslav the Wise Novgorodian public veche resumed its work, novgorodian aristocracy got the special judiciary laws and tax remissions.
The most important stage in forming of republic traditions was the finding selfgovernment by the aristocracy. The Novgorodians began to elect the posadniks and then captains of the thousand. In 1136 the Novgorodians with pskoviches and ladozhans expelled the knyaz Vsevolod Mstislavich and declared its «liberty in knyazes». In 1169 great Vladimir knyaz Andrey Bogolyubskiy joined the retinues of south-russian knyazes and threw them into the battle against Novgorod. The town did not have a professional army, fortifications. Nevertheless Andrey's army was smashed and was captured. The Novgorodians associated this victory with the icon of the Holy Mother «Boding», since that times it is a national relic of russian people.
In the middle of the 13th century tartar-mongol invasion touched with Novgorod. The campaigns of Horde in 1238 ended in failure for conquerors. Nevertheless at will of Alexander Nevskiy Novgorod had to render tribute to the Horde, that reduced the menace of new destructive herships. In 1240 the Novgorodian home guard crushed Swedish military expeditions and in 1242 the Novrodians with vladimir retinue crushed the unitied forces of Livon and Teuton orders.The Novgorodian and pskovich efforts blasted the plans of catholic Europe. 
During centuries Novgorod has gathered the huge territories around itself. The town was fighting successfully against the armies of Michail Tverskoy and Dmitriy Donskoy during the fratricidal internal war at the begimmimg of the 15th century then sheltered its organisator Dmitriy Shemyaka.
The fights of two tendencies became strained when Novgorod violated an agreement with Moscow and called upon knyaz Kazimir to rule the province. In 1471 Moscow answered the Novgorodian «treason» with war campaign that was the result of split inside the Novgorodian society. When Moscow sovereign Ivan III was sure that Novgorodians did not will to plead aristocracy's cause he made the campaign. The town did not show resistance, so it was joined to Moscow that put the beginning to Russian State. THe 15th century was the new page in the history of Novgorod. All Novgorodian landowners were sent to another lands. The trade, culture, handicraft were going to develop. In 1570 tsar Ivan the Terrible put to the harshness the Novgorod.
The 17th century began from the new misfortunes. In 1611—1617 it was occupied by sweden. During the century Novgorod was the basic fortress at the north-west borders of Russia. The construction of Saint-Petersburg in the 18th century and moving the capital to the rivage of Neva brought to the loss of town's importance.
It kept just the role of the spirit town's centre. Today there are airport, railway station, river port and bus station. Nizhniy Novgorod is the town where everybody comes to admire the beauties from different countries .
