The disintegration of vast, hurriedly established political conglomerates, such as Kievan Rus’, was a common phenomenon in the medieval period.

In the West, prior to the rise of Kiev, Charlemagne’s Carolingian empire enjoyed only a brief life span; and in the East, after the fall of Kiev, the huge realm of the Mongols, stretching from the shores of the Pacific to the Carpathians, broke up within a few generations.

Given the poor communications, great expanses, and strong particularistic tendencies, political fragmentation was a common phenomenon. Nevertheless, for historians of Kievan Rus’ it has been a depressing spectacle to observe. Gone were the grand designs, the broad sweep, and the wide horizons of the early Kievan empire builders. In their place came petty intrigues, local squabbles, limited objectives, and the narrow perspectives of feuding princelings. The imposing cultural achievements that resulted from the concentration of talent in one capital became a thing of the past, unmatched by the frequently admirable but usually isolated efforts of artists and intellectuals dispersed among the many regional centers. In most of the principalities, the boyar elites gradually abandoned their adventurous commercial ventures and turned to the mundane maintenance of their estates. As its political, cultural, and economic life broke down, Kievan Rus’ ceased to function as a whole.

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