4. free market: pskov was an important trading hub during the middle ages, benefiting from its location on trade routes between the baltic region and the interior of russia. as such, it developed a relatively open and competitive market economy for the time, particularly in the trading of goods like furs, wax, honey, and flax. merchants were a powerful class in pskov, and the city's economy depended heavily on commerce, both with other russian principalities and with european powers like the hanseatic league. however, while there was a degree of economic freedom, the state had significant control over certain aspects of the market. trade was regulated by laws, and taxes on goods were an important source of income for the city-state. additionally, feudal obligations often limited the economic freedom of peasants, who were required to provide labor or a share of their produce to their feudal lords. conclusion: the republic of pskov presents an interesting example of a medieval state with proto-democratic elements, a strong legal tradition, and an economy that blended feudalism with early market structures. while not a democracy in the modern sense, it gave its citizens more direct political involvement than many of its neighbors. the pskov judicial charter showed a commitment to the rule of law, private property was respected (at least for the upper classes), and the citys economy had a free market character, though with important limitations. this unique blend of features placed pskov as one of the more independent and self-governing medieval russian principalities before its eventual absorption into the centralized russian state under moscow.
Lithuania