structural:summarization
Rostov-Suzdal

At the 1097 Council of Liubech, Monomakh became prince of Pereyaslavl, including Rostov, for which he made an appanage for his sons. From that time onwards, the Rostov region was a point of contention between the Monomakhovichi of Pereyaslavl and the Sviatoslavichi of Murom. Control of the upper Volga river was particularly important, as it was the primary route for trade between Volga Bulgaria to the east and Veliky Novgorod to the west. Intercepting that commercial shipping for their own profit was tempting for the Monomakhovichi, but also risky, as it provoked hostilities with both the Bulgars and Novgorodians.

It seems that by the year 1108, Monomakh's sixth son Yuri Dolgorukiy, who resided in the town of Suzdal ', was the prince of Rostov. In the same year, he supposedly founded the fortified outpost of Vladimir (Volodimer) on the Klyazma, to control that river and defend against raids of the Volga Bulgars who had attacked in 1107. In 1120, Yuri conducted a military campaign against Bolghar territory.

During the 11th and 12th centuries when southern parts of Rus' were systematically raided by Turkic nomads, their inhabitants began to migrate northward. In the formerly wooded areas, known as Zalesye, many new settlements were established. The foundations of Pereslavl, Kostroma, Dmitrov, Moscow, Yuriev-Polsky, Uglich, Tver, Dubna, and many others were assigned (either by chronicle or popular legend) to G, whose sobriquet ("the Long-Armed") alludes to his dexterity in manipulating the politics of far-away Kiev. Sometime in 1108 Monomakh strengthened and rebuilt the town of Vladimir on the Klyazma River, 31 km south of Suzdal. During the rule of Yuri, the principality gained military strength, and in the Suzdal-Ryazan war of 1146, it conquered the Ryazan Principality. Later in the 1150s, Yuri occupied Kiev a couple of times as well. From that time the lands of the northeastern Rus' played an important role in the politics of Kievan Rus'.