Serpukhov

Serpukhov stands near the Nara River's approaches to the Oka, south of Moscow, where a fortified town could protect important routes and river crossings. Farming, livestock, fishing, markets, and crafts supported its inhabitants and surrounding villages. Monasteries and churches contributed to landholding and cultural life, while the town's position gave it a role beyond local commerce. Defense depended on supplies and rural labor as well as on walls and soldiers.

Serpukhov appears in a testament of the Moscow prince Ivan Kalita, though scholars differ on the document's date. In 1374 Prince Vladimir Andreyevich began building a wooden fortress and founded Vysotsky Monastery. The town subsequently played a defensive role on Moscow's southern approaches, while its markets and crafts served the surrounding district.