An old town on the point between the Velikaya and the Pskova, the gateway to Lake Pskov and Lake Peipus and to the Estonian land of Ugandi beyond.
It is Novgorod's 'younger brother': its men march with Novgorod's prince against the Estonians and Polotsk, and it fights its own lake war with the Estonians (in 1190 the Pskovians ambushed seven boats of coastal Chud who had portaged round the Narva rapids, let none escape and brought the boats to Pskov). Archbishop Nifont of Novgorod built the stone church of the Holy Saviour at Pskov (the Mirozh monastery) before 1153. Pskov has its own assembly, which in later times meets by the Trinity church in the fortress (Krom).
Who holds it
- Name
- Pskov's assembly and posadnik (not named)
- Title
- the Pskovians under Novgorod
- Confidence
- low
Novgorod chronicle under 6698, 6699, 6700, 6706.
Lord in 1200
No prince of its own and no posadnik named for these years; it serves under Novgorod's prince (Yaroslav sat in Pskov in 1192).
How things stand that morning
Under Novgorod; no prince of its own.
Council
The assembly of the Pskovians; posadnik not named.
Communities
Russians, with Chud (Estonian) and Latgalian neighbours and traders.
Fairs and markets
None recorded.
Militia
The Pskov host and lake boats.
Walls and castle
The fortress (Krom) on the point, with the Trinity church; timber and earth defences. The dating of its earliest stone wall is not settled. The Mirozh monastery stands across the Velikaya.
Trade and crafts
Lake and river trade towards Ugandi and the Daugava; fish; flax; crafts.
Places of note
- The Krom: fortress and Trinity church
- Mirozh monastery: stone church of the Holy Saviour, built by Archbishop Nifont
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Seen through the Novgorod chronicle only.
On the map: Pskov's near district only; Izborsk and the Velikaya valley belong to it too.
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
- The Chronicle of Novgorod 1016-1471 (Novgorod First Chronicle), tr. R. Michell and N. Forbes (1914): entries for 1164-1215 read through the archive.org full-text search (scan pp. 76-106)
- Wikipedia (en): Pskov Republic
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.