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A veche was a popular assembly among some Slavs peoples during the Middle Ages. The veche is mentioned during the times of Kievan Rus', and it later became a powerful institution in Russian cities such as Veliky Novgorod and Pskov, where the veche acquired great prominence and was broadly similar to the Norse thing or the Swiss Landsgemeinde. The last veche meeting was held in Pskov in 1510, when the institution was abolished as part of the growing centralization of power in Russia.
The veche is thought to have originated in the tribal assemblies of Eastern Europe, thus predating the state of Kievan Rus'. Although most authors have adopted this view, the evidence is not abundant and is mainly based on the statement of Procopius and a few other communications from foreign authors such as Byzantine emperor Maurice's Strategikon, as well as a few chronicle mentions. The Poliane in Kiev, according to the Primary Chronicle, are said to have consulted among themselves ( s"dumavshe poliane) before deciding to ultimately pay tribute to the Khazars. The words duma and dumati are used in later instances to refer to the activities of the veche. The Primary Chronicle also indicates the recognition of the people as a separate political agent in a 944 treaty with the Byzantine Empire: "And our grand prince Igor and his boyars, and the whole people of Rus have sent us".
The earliest mentions of the veche in chronicles refer to examples in Belgorod in 997, Veliky Novgorod in 1016, and Kyiv in 1068. A central role of the veche is found in the Suzdal Chronicle under the year 1176: "From of old the people of Novgorod, of Smolensk, of Kiev, of Polotsk, and of all the lands have assembled for counsel in veches". Some scholars have used this quote in their argument that the veche was a universal occurrence and has immemorial origins. The assemblies discussed matters of war and peace, adopted laws, and called for and expelled rulers. In Kiev, the veche was summoned in front of the Cathedral of St. Sophia.
The majority of references to veche meetings during the Kievan period is connected with dynastic crises. There are not many references of a veche in towns in the 11th century, but there are significantly more in the 12th century, with such references mostly concerning Novgorod and Pskov. Medieval chronicles, such as the Primary Chronicle, and the Novgorod First Chronicle for Novgorod especially, are the basic source regarding the veche. The Primary Chronicle remains the main source for the early history of Kievan Rus', but its narrative ends at 1116. The next generation of chronicles, including the Suzdal Chronicle, are also important sources. Following the Mongol invasions, most references concern Novgorod and Pskov.
During the Mongol domination of Rus', there was little room for veche independence. The cities in the northwest were less affected by Tatar overlordship, and so the institution survived longer there. In 1262, veche meetings were held in Rostov, Suzdal, Vladimir and Yaroslavl, in which it was decided to throw out the tax collectors sent by the Tatars. In 1304, the citizens of Kostroma and Nizhny Novgorod rebelled against the local aristocracy at the veche meetings. There is also a final mention of a veche meeting in Moscow in 1382, when Tokhtamysh had launched a campaign against Dmitry Donskoy. The latter had fled to Kostroma while the former had captured Serpukhov near the city of Moscow. Nikolay Karamzin said that the people of Moscow "at the sound of the bells assembled for a veche, remembering the ancient right of the Russian citizens to decide their own fate in important situations by a majority of votes".
Historians debate whether the Novgorod veche consisted of entirely free males or was instead dominated by a small group of nobles known as . The Novgorod veche grew to become more structured in a way that it could be compared to similar bodies in Italian and Flemish towns during the same period. Traditional scholarship argues that a series of reforms in 1410 transformed the veche into something similar to the public assembly ( Concio) of the Republic of Venice; it became the lower chamber of the parliament. An upper chamber knowns as the Sovet gospod ( sovet gospod) was also created which oversaw the veche, with title membership for all former city magistrates ( and tysiatskii). Some sources indicate that veche membership may have become full-time, and parliament deputies were now called vechniki. Some recent scholars call this interpretation into question.
The Novgorod veche could be presumably summoned by anyone who rang the veche bell, although it is more likely that the common procedure was more complex. The whole population of the city, including boyars, merchants, and common citizens, then gathered in front of the Cathedral of Saint Sophia or at Yaroslav's Court on the Trade Side.
Of all other towns of Novgorod Land, the chronicles only mention a veche in Torzhok; however they possibly existed in all other towns as well.
The unification of Russia gave rise to a new political system characterized by the dominance of the grand prince, who viewed the country as his personal patrimony and dismantled traditional institutions like the veche. In the autumn of 1509, Grand Prince Vasily III visited Novgorod, where he received complaints from the Pskov veche against the Muscovite governor of the city. At first, Vasily encouraged complaints against the governor, but soon demanded that the city abolish its traditional institutions, including the removal of the veche bell. From that point on, Pskov was to be ruled exclusively by his governors and officials, and on 13 January 1510, the veche bell was removed and transported to Moscow.
One of the major types of wiec was the one convened to choose a new ruler. There are legends of a 9th-century election of the legendary founder of the Piast dynasty, Piast the Wheelwright, and a similar election of his son, Siemowit, but sources for that time come from the later centuries and their validity is disputed by scholars. The election privilege was usually limited to the elites, which in the later times took the form of the most powerful nobles (magnates, ) or officials, and was heavily influenced by local traditions and strength of the ruler. By the 12th or 13th century, the wiec institution likewise limited its participation to high ranking nobles and officials. The nationwide gatherings of wiec officials in 1306 and 1310 can be seen as precursors of the Polish parliament (the General Sejm).
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