Recorded in 1137 as Novgorod's, Bezhichi lay about 20 km north of the modern Bezhetsk (en.wikipedia); the town on the present site, Gorodetsk, was founded after raiders destroyed the old settlement in 1272.
It holds Novgorod's eastern march towards the Rostov-Suzdal land (Kashin, the Mologa).
Who holds it
- Name
- not named
- Title
- Novgorod's volost
- Confidence
- low
en.wikipedia Bezhetsk.
Lord in 1200
Novgorod.
How things stand that morning
Novgorod's.
Council
None recorded.
Communities
Russians and Ves.
Militia
None recorded.
Walls and castle
Not recorded.
Trade and crafts
Furs and farming of the upland; road to the upper Volga.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: One early notice.
On the map: The marker stands at modern Bezhetsk; the old site lay about 20 km north.
Primary sources for Novgorod
Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.
- The Chronicle of Novgorod (kept year by year; the Synodal manuscript written in the 13th and 14th centuries). Novgorod's own record, kept at St Sophia. Read online
- The Laurentian Chronicle (the Suzdal continuation kept in the late 12th and 13th centuries; manuscript 1377). The court record of Vsevolod III of Vladimir. Read online
- The Livonian Chronicle of Henry, Henry of Livonia (1225 to 1227). The chief source for the Baltic mission. Read online
- The birch-bark letters (11th to 15th centuries). Excavated letters and notes on birch bark, dated by the layer they lie in. Read online
- The law of the Gotlanders; The saga of the Gotlanders (Guta lag about 1220, Guta saga about 1220 to 1275; manuscript of about 1350). The law and the short history of the self-governing island. Read online
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.