The monograph is devoted to the actual problem of the formation of city-states in ancient Russia. It examines issues related to the history of the emergence of Russian cities and their socio-political role in the second half of the IX-X centuries. The main attention is paid to the study of the development of city-states in Russia in the XI - early XIII centuries. At the center of the study is the history of urban communities, their acquisition of a state character. The book is intended for historians, as well as readers interested in the history of our country. Books by Topic:Sakharov A. M. Cities of North-Eastern Russia XIV-XV centuries . Bernadsky V. N. Novgorod and Novgorod land in the XV century . Nasonov A. N. History of the Russian Chronicle of the XI - beginning of the XVIII century