He removed his capital from the old town of Suzdal, which had its _Vetche_ or popular assembly, to Vladimir, which had had none of these things, assigning as his reason, not that he intended to be sole master and free from all ancient trammels--but that the Mother of God had come to him in a dream and commanded him so to do! But an end came to all his dreams and ambitions.

He was assassinated in 1174 by his own _boyars_, who were exasperated by his subversive policy and suspicions of his daring reforms.
With the setting of the currents of Russian national life toward the North, there was awakened in Europe a vague sense of danger.

Not far from Novgorod, on and about the shores of the Baltic, were various tributary Slav tribes, mingled with pagan Finns.

This was the only point of actual contact, the only point without natural protection between Russia and Europe, and it must be guarded.

German merchants, hand in hand with Latin missionaries, invaded a strip of disputed territory, and, under the cloak of Christianity, commenced a--_conquest_.