Guo Kang's speech did not surprise everyone. Tuohuan couldn't help but laugh a few times, while Theodora showed a dumbfounded expression. As for Joanna, her Chinese proficiency seemed not enough to understand the word, so she had no reaction at the moment.
"You can call it whatever you want..." Mrs. Elena was also a little confused and continued: "In short, everyone has been using this set of laws since then. But by the time of my great-grandfather, it was already very outdated."
"After the beginning of the Mongol era, great changes have taken place in all the Russian countries, from the Norse style to the steppe style. In Ryazan, this change is especially obvious. Due to its geographical location, there are many people in the territory of Ryazan There are people who migrated from the grasslands, including Bulgars and Kipchaks. These people are not used to Nordic-style management, which makes the chaos even more serious."
"So, he invited a Greek jurist, hoping to refer to Roman law and formulate a "Law of Peoples" to manage all residents. With their efforts, Ryazan's own code was finally compiled."
"I see you have been emphasizing this. Does it have a big impact?" Tuo Huan asked.
"After all, it is just a document in itself, but the key point is that the legal thought of the Greeks has provided us with many ideas that are worth learning from." Mrs. Elena said: "For example, jurists not only brought laws , and also taught us the art of governance. They educated us in a simple way on the logic of governance and the nature of law. Looking back now, I think these ideas are the most precious."
"The Greeks tell us that the key to law is to 'make disputes legal, crimes punishable, and words, not weapons, to judge right and wrong.' The entire code is centered around these three purposes. The code must It should be made public so that anyone who needs it can check and quote it, and it needs to be strictly maintained with strong means to maintain order within the principality.”
"The key to governance is 'you are loyal to me and I will protect you'. This sentence is still the governing principle that we believe in until now."
"This is a typical feudal duty." Tuo Huan commented.
"That's true." Mrs. Elena nodded, feeling helpless: "But to be honest, in the Ross area, this is already a very advanced management method."
"That's true..."
"This law makes our society somewhat like the Franks back then. People in the villages are almost serfs, and the power and responsibilities of the nobility are clearer than before. However, my father thought that this was still too backward, so he carried out many more New attempts." Mrs. Elena said: "Our plan is based on these successful attempts."
"He is an energetic and strict man. After stabilizing the situation, he has been trying to restrain the boyars in the capital and cut them off from the territory. The daily affairs of the territory are left to retainers and retainers with more shallow roots. Rich peasants, let them centrally manage the farm industry.”
"In addition, he also attacked the local diocese and forced the church to pay taxes to the prince. He ruled for more than fifty years, so the current atmosphere in Ryazan...according to us, it is more secular and not quite like other principalities. Same. Of course, they scolded us for it."
Guo Kang nodded.
Thanks to the basic common sense of various countries that his adoptive mother had forced him to learn before, he had already made an impression at this point. Because Mrs. Elena’s father is too famous among these generations of Russians.
The word "harsh" she used was too euphemistic. In fact, the most appropriate adjective for both Ryazan's laws and her father, the former Grand Duke Oleg Ryazansky, is "cruel".
Ryazan's laws are so harsh that even other Rus principalities can't stand it. The Smolensk man next to him compared this law to being "written in blood."
There was order within Ryazan, which the Grand Duke maintained with terrible violence. Ryazan law completely prohibits traditional blood revenge and the use of force to resolve disputes. According to local tradition, those who fight with weapons will be executed by both parties. For this reason, some local wealthy families were forced to choose to hide their hatred, and when encountering conflicts, they would first compromise with each other by paying compensation, lest both parties would be wiped out by the brutal Grand Duke.
The entire codex is filled with such bloody rules. Not only Russians from all over the world during this era, but also Russian scholars in later generations believed that this law was so harsh as to be inhumane. Later, as the order stabilized and the law was revised several times, the penalties were slightly milder, but the principality was still famous everywhere for its harsh punishments.
And Grand Duke Oleg is a leader in using brutal methods. Not only that, he was also known for his cunning. He has been going back and forth between the Russian countries, Poland, Lithuania and the grassland forces, but all parties have been unable to do anything to him. Even Moscow and the Golden Horde have been tricked by him.
Domestically, he tried to use an iron fist to maintain control at the grassroots level and weaken the power of the boyars.
Not only that, he also extended his hands into the church's territory and essentially emptied the church by getting involved in the management of water sources and land, and in the adjudication of disputes. Even as Mrs. Elena said, it weakened the strong religious atmosphere in the Ross area.
The educated nobles were very afraid of his agility and lethality, and gave him the nickname "Venomous Snake".
However, perversely, under his governance, the lives of ordinary Russians improved.
During the more than fifty years of Grand Duke Oleg's reign, he promoted more advanced farming techniques, which tripled the principal's annual grain harvest. The quality of life of ordinary people has not declined as a result.
In name, most peasants became serfs of the state or the prince and were tied to the land. But after serfdom, forced labor and military service were reduced. Moreover, under the new law, taxes were clearly fixed, and farmers had to pay much less property. Later, the principality also learned to build relief warehouses for emergency use in times of famine.
Due to these changes, although Oleg's rule was bloody and brutal, the civilians welcomed him. The Grand Duke was also very aware of this. In order to deal with some stubborn nobles, he would even actively support the other's subjects to resist. The common people's trust and support for the Grand Duke made the nobles even weaker.
Under his rule, the feudal nobles, who were not powerful in the first place, became almost replaceable and could be replaced by the cold and unkind Grand Duke at any time due to unqualified performance.
After food production increased, cash crops such as flax and olives began to be grown on the noble lands that had been unifiedly managed during previous political changes. These newly introduced centralized management methods have brought in more revenue. In addition, there are already trade routes here, which makes the country's national strength increase faster, and even gives it the confidence to challenge the most powerful Moscow.
These situations are quite "anti-traditional". Other Russians were surprised to find that Ryazan farmers actually had the desire to actively increase production and were willing to work for more rewards.
As time passed, the local social atmosphere also changed.
The history of Smolensk describes that Ryazan people have no sense of humor and only know how to indulge in work, as if money is more important to them than God. Moreover, these people did not keep the Sabbath and even despicably sent nobles to collect taxes from the church.
Even the lifestyle of the nobles was restricted by severe punishments and laws. They live a relatively simple life, and their greatest pleasure is spending money and showing off in the capital's markets. The social atmosphere has become martial, advocating discipline, and advocating simplicity. Everyone is strict and lives a regular life, not daring to go out of the way for fear of touching the strict code.
Mrs. Elena should think that this condition is beneficial to the implementation of the new system. Moreover, there are indeed urgent problems on the ground that need to be addressed.
The biggest problem is that this system requires a powerful ruling machine to maintain it. However, the civilization foundation of the Ross region cannot provide so many high-quality managers.
Grand Duke Oleg single-handedly carried out this policy for half a century, but after his death, a very traditional Russian problem arose: the strongman has passed away, and his successor no longer has the same ability.
When the priests recorded it, they unanimously believed that Feodor, who came to the throne, inherited his father's cunning, but lacked the corresponding force. Therefore, he can only fidget and, with the help of supporters from all parties, barely maintain the status quo, but cannot promote reforms more effectively.
(End of chapter)
