A Slavic or Russian fraternal organization, military brotherhood, or formalized association based on mutual loyalty and shared purpose.
From Russian brat (brother) plus the suffix -stvo (denoting a state or quality), creating a word meaning 'the state of being brothers' or 'brotherhood.' This concept was particularly strong in medieval and early modern Russia.
Bratstvo members took oaths as serious as military officers, living communally and defending their towns—some historians consider them Russia's first organized citizen militias, predating modern police forces.
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