Novgorod Part 2, Fall of the great city

Taking back from where we left in the last episode, Novgorod just survived the Mongol invasion by not fighting it. Now, let's turn to what must be the single most important historical section of the city, the Novgorod Republic.

The republic covered much of the western-northern section of modern Russia. Technically speaking, it started in 1136, when they dismissed (read: evicted) Prince Vsevolod Mstislavich for various reasons, including screwing up a couple of times. The expulsion was seen as the end of Kievan control over its northern regions, considering upcoming Princes of Kyiv couldn't truly control the region. Then the Mongols nuked Kiev, so this issue regarding their sovereignty over Novgorov was resolved by itself.

Novgorod controlled a large group of cities, including Staraya Russa, Staraya Ladoga or Oreshek (a golden star for originality to this one). The city of Pskov was initially part of the republic until they formed their government after joining the Hanseatic League in the 13th-14th century. The republic started exporting resources like fur, salt and other natural resources. From these trades, Novgorod grew highly wealthy. However, the republic had one major flaw that would soon cause its downfall. In the same way as Carthage, Novgorod focused too much on its trading power and neglected its military resources.

This weakness would come and bite it back when the Grand Duchy of Moscow (yes, the same Moscow as we now know) entered in a succession of conflicts over the natural resources under Novgorod's control. The republic ended up losing those conflicts, leading to the rise of the duchy of Moscow, then, under the Tsar Ivan the Terrible, into the birth of the Tsardom of Russia.

Novgorod's fate is rather dark, as what the Mongols didn't do in the 13th century. Ivan did it in 1570 by ordering the Oprichniki, his police force, to sack the city. Novgorod never regained its former glory.