The monograph, based on a wide range of Russian and foreign sources, examines the socio-political history of Galician-Volyn Rus in the 11th–13th centuries. The processes of formation of urban communities of Galicia and Volyn, their struggle for independence from Kyiv, features of political development, intercommunal contradictions and conflicts are studied. Considerable attention is paid to the socio-political role of the boyars, revealed in relationships with the princely authorities and ordinary citizens, the formation and activities of the boyar duma, and its place in the system of state institutions. The foreign policy relations of Southwestern Rus' are analyzed, primarily relations with Poland and Hungary, and the role of foreign policy factors in the development of the region. The problem of the influence of the norms of traditional consciousness, religious and mythological stereotypes of thinking and behavior, manifested in the political practice of the community, is raised.