Russian principality

End of the appanage period

The relative swiftness of the strengthening of grand princely power, when compared to contemporary composite monarchies, meant that regional identities remained weak. Not only were local elites absorbed, but the policy of gathering Russian lands meant that local self-government was also not tolerated, leading to the termination of the autonomies of Novgorod and Pskov in 1478 and 1510, respectively. Moscow's absorption of Ryazan, the last remaining independent Russian principality, was little more than a formality; it was dependent on Moscow until Oleg Ivanovich was deposed in 1520 and the principality was formally annexed the following year. However, according to the historian Andreas Kappeler, in the territories acquired through expansion—such as the southern steppe and Siberia—the Russian government, "centralist and autocratic, was confronted with the task of integrating societies which possessed a corporate organization, different estates and regional traditions". As a result, the government treated the oaths given by nomadic peoples and the indigenous Siberians as an act of eternal submission, which allowed them to remain largely undisturbed. The image of the Russian Orthodox community playing a unifying role helped ensure that Russia did not become a composite state.