Belozersk

Belozersk (Russian: Белозе́рск) is a town and the administrative center of Belozersky District in Vologda Oblast, Russia, located on the southern bank of Lake Beloye, from which it takes the name, 214 kilometers (133 mi) northwest of Vologda, the administrative center of the oblast. Population: 9,616 (2010 Census); 10,975 (2002 Census); 12,352 (1989 Census).

History

Known as Beloozero (Белоо́зеро, lit. white lake) until 1777, it was first chronicled in 862 as one of the five original Russian towns (the other four being Murom, Novgorod, Polotsk, and Rostov). According to the Primary Chronicle, Sineus, a brother of Rurik, became the prince of Beloozero in 862. However, most likely Sineus never existed. On several occasions, the settlement was moved from one bank of the lake to another.

In the 11th century, the region was still inhabited primarily by Finno-Ugric tribes who fiercely resisted Christianization. In 1071, local pagan priests rose in rebellion, which was put down by the Kievan commander Yan Vyshatich. The Primary Chronicle reports that the dead bodies of priests were suspended from an oak tree, until they were torn to pieces by a bear (regarded by pagans as a holy animal). In the 10th-13th centuries, the territory was controlled by the Novgorod Republic. Beloozero was the seat of a small principality between 1238 and the 1370s, but subsequently between 1380 and 1384 became subordinate to the Grand Duchy of Moscow. On July 10, 1612, Polish and Lithuanian vagabonds (Lisowczycy) captured Belozersk without a fight, looting the town.