Urbanizational Process in Polabia in 10–12 Centuries and it’s Features

Relevance. The system-forming factor of the civilization of the medieval West was the city, which from the moment of its emergence became the driver of socio-economic transformations and the center of administrative-political, ideological and cultural innovations. Despite the recently growing interest of domestic medievalists in the phenomenon of medieval urbanism in Ukrainian medieval studies, the problem of urbanization processes in Polabia in the early Middle Ages remains insufficiently studied. Meanwhile, its study makes it possible to clarify many important issues of the socio-economic and political development of the Slavic tribes of the Elbe and Oder interfluve, as well as the patterns and typological features of the genesis and development of early medieval cities in this region of Europe. The purpose of this article is to comprehensively analyze the urbanization process in Polabia in the 10–12 centuries on the basis of written and archaeological sources, as well as special historical literature and its features. Methodologically, the study is based on the principles of historicism, scientificity and authorial objectivity, as well as the use of general scientific (analysis, synthesis, generalization, comparison) and special historical (historical-typological, historical-systemic) methods. Results. During the study, it was established that the cities of the Polabian-Baltic Slavs were mainly formed by the beginning of the 11th century. It was found that the basis of the economic independence of the cities of the Trans-Elbe Slavs was the concentration of craft production and exchange in them. It is proved that the economic factors of the urbanization process in Polabia were closely related to the political ones. It is noted that the formation of early feudal relations among the Slavs of the Elbe and Oder interfluves led to changes in political organization, the emergence of new centers of social life, in which representatives of the emerging ruling class and religious cult were concentrated. It has been established that the topographic structure of the Polabian-Slavic cities in the 10–12 centuries. did not differ significantly from the western Elbe regions of the same period. Conclusions. Judging by the results obtained the early development of cities in Polabia in the 10–12 centuries. mainly took place in the sub-cities near the walls of the towns, which were inhabited primarily by artisans and servants, and in the most significant of them, in addition, merchants. It is emphasized that a negative role in the formation and development of the cities of the Polabian-Baltic Slavs was played by the eastern expansion of German feudal lords, during which in the second half of the 12 century. many urban centers in Polabia were destroyed.