Integration in Muscovy: The Case of Ryazan Elite

Abstract

The integration of previously independent political entities into a single political unit was one of the main challenges facing European Medieval and Early modern rulers. The case analyzed in this study is the Ryazan region located in the southern part of Eastern Europe, which was ultimately annexed by the expanding Muscovite state in 1521. The first part of the article covers the main historiographical approaches to the problem of regionalism in the history of Early Modern Russia. The second part is devoted to a discussion of the methodology and results of the prosopographical study of the Ryazan service elite in the end of the 15th — first third of the 17th century. This case is one of the clearest examples of “soft” (non-violent) integration since the annexation of the Grand Duchy of Ryazan was not accompanied by either property confiscation or forced resettlement. The Muscovite government consistently preserved the local social structure. The members of the local elite were often involved in carrying out administrative and military service in their native region. The Ryazan community was significantly transformed by the Oprichnina confiscations, but the old local elite families preserved their traditional position in the local community. The Ryazan elite had a relatively low social status in the Muscovite ruling class hierarchy. The Time of Troubles opened a new page in the history of the Ryazan elite. Ryazan service people securely settled in Moscow, which led to a deep transformation of their career strategies and lifestyles.