Novgorod Veliky (the Great) was one of the earliest settlements in the northwest of what eventually became Russia. It emerged as a political center for Slavic and Finno-Ugric tribes in the mid-9th century, becoming a town in the middle of the 10th century.
The history of Novgorod is closely linked with all major stages of Russian history. When the state of Rus was just in the making, the Novgorodians invited Scandinavian Prince Rurik to keep law and order, thus giving rise to the Prince Rurik dynasty that ruled over all Russian lands for more than 750 years.
In the early 10th century, the Novgorodians staged war campaigns against Constantinople so as to secure equal trade with the Byzantine Empire. This ultimately resulted in an integration of East Slavic tribes into the Kievan Russian state.
The adoption of Christianity at the close of the 10th century turned Novgorod into a powerful ecclesiastical center.