GENESIS AND STRATEGIC FUNCTIONS OF RUS CITIES IN THE SCHOLARLY HERITAGE OF VASYL LIASKORONSKYI

Abstract

The figure of Vasyl Hryhorovych Liaskoronskyi (1859–1928) occupies a distinctive place in Ukrainian medieval historiography as a researcher who was among the first to synthesize the historical analysis of written sources with large-scale field archaeological and topographical surveys. In the context of the contemporary revision of state-building concepts and the decolonization of humanitarian knowledge, revisiting Liaskoronsky's legacy allows for a re-evaluation of the role of the military-strategic factor in shaping the settlement network of Old Rus. The study of his views on the nature of the hillforts (horodyshcha) in the Posullia and Pereiaslav regions is critically important for understanding the genesis of the city as an autonomous defensive and administrative hub that withstood the challenges posed by the nomadic Steppe. The aim of the article is a systematic reconstruction and comprehensive analysis of V. H. Liaskoronsky's scientific concept regarding the origin, functions, and morphological characteristics of Rus cities, as well as the determination of his contribution to the formation of national historical geography. The research methodology is based on the principles of historicism and objectivity. The study employs the historiographical method (to analyze the evolution of the scholar's views), comparative-historical analysis (to contrast his ideas with the theories of M. Hrushevskyi and V. Kliuchevskyi), and the method of structural-functional analysis (to study the typology of defensive structures proposed by the author). The article proves that V. Liaskoronskyi formulated a coherent "statist-strategic" model of urban origins. In contrast to representatives of the "trade school," the researcher substantiated the priority of the defensive function, viewing the city primarily as a result of deliberate princely policy aimed at strengthening frontier defense lines. The role of landscape determinism in Liaskoronsky's concept is revealed, where natural conditions (capes, ravines, river floodplains) were regarded as a fundamental factor in selecting sites for urban formation. It is established that the researcher's works laid the methodological foundation for modern historical urban studies by integrating the economic functions of urban hubs with their military roles. V. Liaskoronsky's scientific contribution allowed for overcoming the abstraction of "armchair" theories by providing material-topographical evidence to the study of Rus cities. The leading role of state initiative and defensive expediency substantiated by him remains fundamental to understanding the processes of sociopolitical consolidation of the Kyivan state.