A special period in the history of the Russian North is associated with the inclusion of the Old Russian state in the 11th - 12th centuries. vast northern territories and the first Slavic settlement. Rostov-Suzdal advance to the North At the first stage, a network of waterways was laid, linking Novgorod and Rostov the Great with the northern periphery of Eastern Europe. The local Finno-Ugric population was not exterminated or expelled - a gradual process of assimilation took place. In general...