The Upper Principalities (Russian: Верховские княжества) is a term traditionally applied in Russian historiography to about dozen tiny and ephemeral polities situated along the upper course of the Oka River at the turn of the 14th and 15th centuries. Nowadays, the areas so designated lie within the bounds of the Tula Oblast and Kaluga Oblast of the Russian Federation. Historiography can refer to two separate notions about the study of history. ... Ока Length 1,500 km Elevation of the source  ? m Average discharge  ? m³/s Area watershed  ? km² Origin  ? Mouth  Volga River Basin countries Russia Oka (Russian: Ока́) is a great river in Russia, right confluent of Volga. ... Tula Oblast (Ту́льская о́бласть) is a regional subdivision of Russia. ... Kaluga Oblast (Калу́жская о́бласть)(29,900 km², pop. ...

Following the Mongol invasion of Russia, the formerly mighty Principality of Chernigov gradually degenerated to a point when there were dozens of quasi-sovereign entities ruled by the descendants of Mikhail of Chernigov. As the principalities were wedged in between the ever expanding Grand Duchy of Lithuania to the west and the nascent Grand Duchy of Muscovy to the north, their rulers were constricted to continually fluctuate between these two major powers. The Mongol Invasion of Russia was an invasion of the medieval state of Kievan Rus by a large army of nomadic Mongols, starting in 1223. ... Mikhail Vsevolodovich (Михаил Всеволодович in Russian) (1179? - September 20, 1246) was the last prominent ruler of Kiev from the bloodline of Oleg Svyatoslavich. ... The presumable banner of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania with the coat of arms, called Пагоня in Belarusian, Vytis in Lithuanian and Pogoń in Polish Another version of the Lithuanian banner The Grand Duchy of Lithuania (Lithuanian: Lietuvos Didžioji Kunigaikštystė, Belarusian: Вялі́кае Кня́ства Літо́ўскае (ВКЛ), Ukrainian: Велике Князівство Литовське (ВКЛ), Polish: Wielkie Księstwo Litewskie) was an... Muscovy (Moscow principality (княжество Московское) to Grand Duchy of Moscow (Великое Княжество Московское) to Russian Tsardom (Царство Русское) is a traditional Western name for the Russian state that existed from the 14th century to the late 17th century. ...

By the end of the 14th century, they were obliged to pay annual tribute to Lithuania. The strengthening alliance of Lithuanian rulers with Roman Catholic Poland caused shifts in the balance of power in the region. Most Orthodox rulers of the Upper Principalities, therefore, started to look to Moscow for protection against Lithuanian expansionism. Towards the end of the 15th century, most of these princelings had moved to the Muscovite court. In 1494, Lithuania finally renounced her claims to the region. The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... Events January 25 - Alfonso II becomes King of Naples. ...

The list of principalities (in order of seniority)

• Belyov - the seat of Princes Belyovsky until their early extinction
• Novosil and Odoyev - the seats of Princes Odoevsky, retained by them as an appanage until the Oprichnina
• Vorotynsk - the seat of Princes Vorotynsky, retained by them as an appanage until the Oprichnina
• Masalsk - the seat of Princes Massalski
• Zvenigorod-on-the-Oka - the seat of Princes Zvenigorodsky and Nozdrevaty
• Karachev - the seat of Princes Khotetovsky
• Kozelsk and Peremyshl, Russia - the seats of Princes Gorchakov
• Tarusa and Meshchovsk - the seats of Princes Mezetsky
• Boryatino - the seat of Princes Boryatinsky
• Obolensk - the seat of Princes Obolensky with their cadet branches of Repnin, Lykov, Dolgorukov, Shcherbatov, etc.

The system of appanage has greatly influenced the territorial construction of France and explains the flag of many provinces of France. ... The Oprichnina (Russian: Опричнина) formed a section of Russia ruled directly by the Tsar under Ivan the Terrible. ... The system of appanage has greatly influenced the territorial construction of France and explains the flag of many provinces of France. ... The Oprichnina (Russian: Опричнина) formed a section of Russia ruled directly by the Tsar under Ivan the Terrible. ... Karachev (Russian: Карачев, Polish: Karaczew?) is a very old town (1146) in Bryansk Oblast, but almost all its old architecture was lost during the Second World War. ... Kozelsks Coat of Arms Kozelsk (Козельск in Russian, also spelt Kozielsk in English) is a town in the Kaluga Oblast in Russia, located on the Zhizdra River (Okas tributary) 72 km southwest of Kaluga. ... Coat of arms of the Gorchakov family Gorchakov, or Gortchakoff (Russian: Горчаков) is a Russian princely family of Rurikid stock, descended from Michael Vsevolodovich, prince of Chernigov, who, in 1246, was assassinated by the Mongols in Karakorum. ... Coat of arms of the Repnin family Repnin (Russian: Репнин), the name of an old Russian princely family of Rurikid stock. ... Prince Vasily Lukich Dolgorukov Prince Vasiliy Lukich Dolgorukov (Василий Лукич Долгоруков in Russian) (1672 - November 8, 1739) was a Russian diplomat and minister who was the most powerful man in the country in the later years of Peter IIs reign. ...

References

• Lubawski M.K. Regional Division and Local Administration in the Lithuanian-Russian State. Moscow, 1892.
• Bazilewicz K.V. Foreign Affairs of the Russian Centralized State. Moscow, 1952.