Veche
Veche was a popular assembly in
medieval Slavic countries, and in late medieval period, a parliament.
Encyclopedia
Veche was a popular assembly in
medieval Slavic countries, and in late medieval period, a parliament.
Etymology of the word
The word 'veche/wiec' is derived from a
Proto-Slavic root
*vet-, meaning `council' or `talk' . The semantic derivation that yields the meaning of the word under consideration is parallel to that of
parliament.
Veche in Kievan Rus
The earliest mentions of
veches in Russian chronicles refer to examples in
Belgorod-on-the-
Dnieper in 997,
Novgorod the Great in 1016 and in
Kiev in 1068. The assemblies discussed matters of war and peace, adopted laws, and called for and expelled rulers. In Kiev, the veche was summoned in front of the
Cathedral of St Sophia.
Veche in Novgorod
The veche was the highest
legislature and judicial authority in the republic of
Novgorod until 1478. In its sister state,
Pskov veche operated until 1510. Starting with the Novgorod revolution of 1137 that ousted the ruling prince, veche became the supreme state authority, although prince's power was limited in Novgorod from the start and veche was operational perhaps from the moment Novgorod was founded.
After the reforms of 1410, veche was restructured on a model similar to that of
Venice, becoming the
Commons chamber of the parliament. ?n upper Senate-like Council of Lords was also created, with title membership for all former city magistrates. Some sources indicate that veche membership may have became full-time, and parliament deputies were now called
vechniks.
In Novgorod, the veche also elected
archbishops.
The Novgorod assembly could be presumambly summoned by anyone who rung the veche bell, although it is more likely that the common procedure was more complex. This bell was a symbol of republican sovereignty and independence. The whole population of the city - boyars, merchants, and common citizens - then gathered at Yaroslav's Court. Separate assemblies could be held in the districts of Novgorod. In Pskov the veche assembled in the court of the Trinity cathedral.
Wiec in Poland
According to the
Chronicles of Gallus Anonymus, the first legendary
Polish ruler, Siemowit, who began the
Piast Dynasty, was chosen by a
wiec. The idea of the
wiec led in 1182 to development of the Polish
parliament, the
Sejm.
In Yugoslavia
In
Yugoslavia this word was used for the houses of the Yugoslavian parliament.
See also
...
in
Poland,
Seimas in
Lithuania, Saeima in
LatviaNotes
- See the Slavic etymology of the word and the corresponding refernces in the following entries of the Max Vasmer's Etymological dictionary:
- of the particular word ,
- of the basic root ,
- and the possible further Indo-European etymology of this root in the entry
- all of them presented online in the etymological databases of .
