Prince Rurik. (reign dates 862-879). The chronicle founder of the statehood of Rus', the Varangian, the Novgorod prince and the ancestor of the princely, which later became the royal, Rurik dynasty.
Rurik is sometimes identified with King Rorik from Jutland's Hedeby (Denmark). According to another version, Rurik is a representative of the princely family of Obodrites, and his name is a Slavic family nickname associated with the falcon, which Slavic languages also called rarog. There are also attempts to prove the legendary status of Rurik.
It was under this prince that tribal formations became part of Ancient Rus'. The Ilmen Slovenes, the Pskov Krivichi, the Chud and all retained relations under the treaty with Rurik. The Smolensk Krivichi and Merya were annexed by Rurik, who established his “husbands” - governors - in their lands. The chronicle reports the annexation of the tribes of the Northerners, who had previously paid tribute to the Khazars, in 884, the Radimichi in 885, and the subjugation of the Drevlyans in 883. The Croats, Dulebs (Buzhans) and Tivertsy probably took part in the campaign against Byzantium in 906 as allies.
At the same time - in 862 (the date is approximate, according to the early chronology of the Chronicle) the Varangians, Rurik’s warriors Askold and Dir, sailing to Constantinople, seeking to establish complete control over the most important trade route “from the Varangians to the Greeks”, established their power over Kiev. In the future, the center of the future Kievan Rus is formed.
In 879 Rurik died in Novgorod. The reign was transferred to Oleg, regent for Rurik’s young son Igor.
Oleg (Prophetic Oleg) (reign: 879-912) - Prince of Novgorod (from 879) and Grand Duke of Kiev (from 882). Often considered as the founder of the Old Russian state. The chronicle gives his nickname Prophetic, that is, one who knows the future, who sees the future.
In 882, according to chronicle chronology, Prince Oleg, a relative of Rurik, set off on a campaign from Novgorod to the south. Actually, the beginning of education is uniform for all Eastern Slavs state is the unification by Prince Oleg in 882 of two centers of nascent statehood - northern and southern, with a common center of state power in Kyiv, the capture of Smolensk and Lyubech. It was not for nothing that the Old Russian chronicler described Prince Oleg as “prophetic.” He united in his hands the priestly functions of the most revered pagan cults of the Ilmen Slovenes and the Dnieper Rus. The names of Perun and Veles were sworn by Oleg's ambassadors when concluding a treaty with the Greeks in 911. Having seized power in Kiev, Oleg declared himself a prince from the Russian family, thereby confirming his continuity from the power that preceded him and establishing the legitimacy of his reign as a Russian and not a foreign prince .
Another important political step of Oleg was the campaign against Constantinople. According to the chronicle source, in 907, having equipped 2000 rooks with 40 warriors each, Oleg set out on a campaign against Constantinople. The Byzantine Emperor Leo VI the Philosopher ordered the gates of the city to be closed and the harbor blocked with chains, thus giving the Varangians the opportunity to rob and plunder the suburbs of Constantinople. However, Oleg launched an unusual assault: “And Oleg ordered his soldiers to make wheels and put ships on wheels. And when a fair wind blew, they raised sails in the field and went to the city.” The frightened Greeks offered Oleg peace and tribute. According to the agreement, Oleg received 12 hryvnia for each rowlock, and Byzantium promised to pay tribute to Russian cities. As a sign of victory, Oleg nailed his shield on the gates of Constantinople. The main result of the campaign was a trade agreement on duty-free trade between Rus' and Byzantium.
In 911, Oleg sent an embassy to Constantinople, which confirmed the “many years” of peace and concluded a new treaty. Compared to the “treaty” of 907, the mention of duty-free trade disappears from it. Oleg is referred to in the treaty as the “Grand Duke of Russia.”
As a result of the victorious campaign against Byzantium, the first written agreements were concluded in 907 and 911, which provided for preferential terms of trade for Russian merchants (trade duties were abolished, ship repairs and overnight accommodation were provided), and resolution of legal and military issues. The tribes of the Radimichi, Northerners, Drevlyans, and Krivichi were subject to tribute. According to the chronicle version, Oleg, who bore the title of Grand Duke, reigned for more than 30 years. Rurik's own son Igor took the throne after the death of Oleg (according to legend, Oleg died from a snake bite) around 912 and ruled until 945.
Since ancient times, the Slavs, our direct ancestors, lived in the vastness of the East European Plain. It is still unknown exactly when they arrived there. Be that as it may, they soon spread widely throughout the great waterway of those years. Slavic cities and villages arose from the Baltic to the Black Sea. Despite the fact that they were of the same clan-tribe, relations between them were never particularly peaceful.
In constant civil strife, the tribal princes quickly became exalted, who soon became Great and began to rule all of Kievan Rus. These were the first rulers of Rus', whose names have come to us through the endless series of centuries that have passed since then.
Rurik (862-879)
There is still fierce debate among scientists about the reality of this historical figure. Either there was such a person, or he is a collective character, whose prototype was all the first rulers of Rus'. Either he was a Varangian or a Slav. By the way, we practically do not know who the rulers of Rus' were before Rurik, so in this matter everything is based solely on assumptions.
Slavic origin is very likely, since he could have been nicknamed Rurik for his nickname Falcon, which was translated from the Old Slavic language into Norman dialects as “Rurik”. Be that as it may, he is considered the founder of the entire Old Russian state. Rurik united (as far as possible) under his hand many Slavic tribes.
However, almost all the rulers of Rus' were involved in this matter with varying degrees of success. It is thanks to their efforts that our country today has such a significant position on the world map.
Oleg (879-912)
Rurik had a son, Igor, but by the time of his father’s death he was too young, and therefore his uncle, Oleg, became the Grand Duke. He glorified his name with his militancy and the success that accompanied him on the military path. Particularly remarkable was his campaign against Constantinople, which opened up incredible prospects for the Slavs from the emerging opportunities for trade with distant eastern countries. His contemporaries respected him so much that they nicknamed him “the prophetic Oleg.”
Of course, the first rulers of Rus' were such legendary figures that we will most likely never know about their real exploits, but Oleg was probably truly an outstanding personality.
Igor (912-945)
Igor, the son of Rurik, following the example of Oleg, also went on campaigns several times, annexed a lot of lands, but he was not such a successful warrior, and his campaign against Greece turned out to be disastrous. He was cruel, often “rip off” the defeated tribes to the last, for which he later paid. Igor was warned that the Drevlyans had not forgiven him; they advised him to take a large squad to Polyudye. He did not listen and was killed. In general, the TV series “Rulers of Rus'” once talked about this.
Olga (945-957)
However, the Drevlyans soon regretted their action. Igor’s wife, Olga, first dealt with their two conciliatory embassies, and then burned the main city of the Drevlyans, Korosten. Contemporaries testify that she was distinguished by a rare intelligence and strong-willed rigidity. During her reign, she did not lose a single inch of land that was conquered by her husband and his ancestors. It is known that in her declining years she converted to Christianity.
Svyatoslav (957-972)
Svyatoslav took after his ancestor, Oleg. He was also distinguished by his courage, determination, and directness. He was an excellent warrior, tamed and conquered many Slavic tribes, and often beat the Pechenegs, for which they hated him. Like other rulers of Rus', he preferred (if possible) to reach an “amicable” agreement. If the tribes agreed to recognize the supremacy of Kyiv and paid off with tribute, then even their rulers remained the same.
He annexed the hitherto invincible Vyatichi (who preferred to fight in their impenetrable forests), defeated the Khazars, and then took Tmutarakan. Despite the small number of his squad, he successfully fought with the Bulgarians on the Danube. Conquered Andrianople and threatened to take Constantinople. The Greeks preferred to pay off with a rich tribute. On the way back, he died along with his squad on the rapids of the Dnieper, being killed by the same Pechenegs. It is assumed that it was his squad that found the swords and remains of equipment during the construction of the Dnieper Hydroelectric Station.
General characteristics of the 1st century
Since the first rulers of Rus' reigned on the Grand Duke's throne, the era of constant unrest and civil strife gradually began to end. Relative order arose: the princely squad defended the borders from the arrogant and ferocious nomadic tribes, and they, in turn, pledged to help with warriors and paid tribute to polyudye. The main concern of those princes was the Khazars: at that time they were paid tribute (not regularly, during the next raid) by many Slavic tribes, which greatly undermined the authority of the central government.
Another problem was the lack of unity of faith. The Slavs who conquered Constantinople were looked upon with contempt, since at that time monotheism (Judaism, Christianity) was already being actively established, and the pagans were considered almost animals. But the tribes actively resisted all attempts to interfere with their faith. "Rulers of Rus'" talks about this - the film quite truthfully conveys the reality of that era.
This contributed to the increase in the number of minor troubles within the young state. But Olga, who converted to Christianity and began to promote and condone the construction of Christian churches in Kyiv, paved the way for the baptism of the country. The second century began, in which the rulers of Ancient Rus' accomplished many more great things.
Vladimir St. Equal to the Apostles (980-1015)
As is known, there was never brotherly love between Yaropolk, Oleg and Vladimir, who were the heirs of Svyatoslav. It didn’t even help that during his lifetime the father allocated his own land for each of them. It ended with Vladimir destroying his brothers and beginning to rule alone.
The ruler in Ancient Rus', recaptured Red Rus' from the regiments, fought a lot and bravely against the Pechenegs and Bulgarians. He became famous as a generous ruler who did not spare gold to give gifts to people loyal to him. At first he demolished almost everything Christian churches and churches that were built under his mother, and the small Christian community suffered constant persecution from him.
But the political situation was such that the country had to be brought to monotheism. In addition, contemporaries talk about strong feeling, which broke out among the prince towards the Byzantine princess Anna. No one would give her for a pagan. So the rulers of Ancient Rus' came to the conclusion about the need to be baptized.
Therefore, already in 988, the baptism of the prince and all his associates took place, and then the new religion began to spread among the people. Vasily and Konstantin married Anna to Prince Vladimir. Contemporaries spoke of Vladimir as a strict, tough (sometimes even cruel) person, but they loved him for his straightforwardness, honesty and justice. The church still extols the name of the prince for the reason that he began to massively build temples and churches in the country. This was the first ruler of Rus' to be baptized.
Svyatopolk (1015-1019)
Like his father, Vladimir during his lifetime distributed lands to his many sons: Svyatopolk, Izyaslav, Yaroslav, Mstislav, Svyatoslav, Boris and Gleb. After his father died, Svyatopolk decided to rule on his own, for which he issued an order to eliminate his own brothers, but was expelled from Kyiv by Yaroslav of Novgorod.
With the help of the Polish king Boleslav the Brave, he was able to take possession of Kiev for the second time, but the people received him coolly. He was soon forced to flee the city, and then died on the way. His death - dark story. It is assumed that he took his own life. In folk legends he is nicknamed "the cursed one."
Yaroslav the Wise (1019-1054)
Yaroslav quickly became an independent ruler of Kievan Rus. He was distinguished by his great intelligence and did a lot for the development of the state. He built many monasteries and promoted the spread of writing. He is also the author of "Russian Truth", the first official collection of laws and regulations in our country. Like his ancestors, he immediately distributed plots of land to his sons, but at the same time strictly ordered them to “live in peace and not cause intrigues to each other.”
Izyaslav (1054-1078)
Izyaslav was the eldest son of Yaroslav. Initially he ruled Kiev, distinguished himself as a good ruler, but he did not know how to get along with the people very well. The latter played a role. When he went against the Polovtsy and failed in that campaign, the Kievans simply kicked him out, calling his brother, Svyatoslav, to reign. After he died, Izyaslav returned to the capital city again.
In principle, he was a very good ruler, but he had some rather difficult times. Like all the first rulers of Kievan Rus, he was forced to solve a lot of difficult issues.
General characteristics of the 2nd century
In those centuries, several practically independent (the most powerful) stood out from the structure of Rus': Chernigov, Rostov-Suzdal (later Vladimir-Suzdal), Galicia-Volyn. Novgorod stood apart. Ruled by the Veche following the example of the Greek city-states, he generally did not look at the princes very well.
Despite this fragmentation, formally Rus' was still considered an independent state. Yaroslav was able to expand its borders to the very river Ros. Under Vladimir, the country adopted Christianity, and the influence of Byzantium on its internal affairs increased.
Thus, at the head of the newly created church stood the metropolitan, who was directly subordinate to Constantinople. The new faith brought with it not only religion, but also new writing and new laws. The princes at that time acted together with the church, built many new churches, and contributed to the education of their people. It was at this time that the famous Nestor lived, who is the author of numerous written monuments of that time.
Unfortunately, everything was not so smooth. The eternal problem was both the constant raids of nomads and internal strife, which constantly tore the country apart and deprived it of strength. As Nestor, the author of “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign,” put it, “the Russian land is groaning from them.” The enlightenment ideas of the Church are beginning to appear, but so far the people are not accepting the new religion well.
Thus began the third century.
Vsevolod I (1078-1093)
Vsevolod the First could well remain in history as an exemplary ruler. He was truthful, honest, promoted education and the development of writing, and he himself knew five languages. But he was not distinguished by developed military and political talent. The constant raids of the Polovtsians, pestilence, drought and famine did not contribute to his authority. Only his son Vladimir, later nicknamed Monomakh, kept his father on the throne (a unique case, by the way).
Svyatopolk II (1093-1113)
He was the son of Izyaslav, had a good character, but was unusually weak-willed in some matters, which is why the appanage princes did not consider him a Grand Duke. However, he ruled very well: having heeded the advice of the same Vladimir Monomakh, at the Dolob Congress in 1103 he persuaded his opponents to undertake a joint campaign against the “cursed” Polovtsians, after which in 1111 they were completely defeated.
The military booty was enormous. Almost two dozen Polotsk residents were killed in that battle. This victory resounded loudly throughout all Slavic lands, both in the East and in the West.
Vladimir Monomakh (1113-1125)
Despite the fact that, based on seniority, he should not have taken the Kiev throne, it was Vladimir who was elected there by unanimous decision. Such love is explained by the rare political and military talent of the prince. He was distinguished by his intelligence, political and military courage, and was very courageous in military affairs.
He considered every campaign against the Polovtsians a holiday (the Polovtsians did not share his views). It was under Monomakh that the princes who were overly zealous in matters of independence received a strict cut. He leaves to descendants “Lessons for Children,” where he talks about the importance of honest and selfless service to one’s Motherland.
Mstislav I (1125-1132)
Following the behests of his father, he lived in peace with his brothers and other princes, but became enraged at the mere hint of disobedience and desire for civil strife. Thus, he angrily expels the Polovtsian princes from the country, after which they are forced to flee the discontent of the ruler in Byzantium. In general, many rulers of Kievan Rus tried not to kill their enemies unnecessarily.
Yaropolk (1132-1139)
Known for his skillful political intrigues, which ultimately turned out badly for the Monomakhovichs. At the end of his reign, he decides to transfer the throne not to his brother, but to his nephew. Things almost reach the point of unrest, but the descendants of Oleg Svyatoslavovich, the “Olegovichs,” still ascend to the throne. Not for long, however.
Vsevolod II (1139-1146)
Vsevolod was distinguished by good makings of a ruler; he ruled wisely and firmly. But he wanted to transfer the throne to Igor Olegovich, securing the position of the “Olegovichs”. But the people of Kiev did not recognize Igor, he was forced to take monastic vows, and then was completely killed.
Izyaslav II (1146-1154)
But the residents of Kyiv enthusiastically received Izyaslav II Mstislavovich, who, with his brilliant political abilities, military valor and intelligence, vividly reminded them of his grandfather, Monomakh. It was he who introduced the rule that has remained indisputable since then: if an uncle in one princely family is alive, then the nephew cannot receive his throne.
He was in a terrible feud with Yuri Vladimirovich, the prince of the Rostov-Suzdal land. His name will mean nothing to many, but later Yuri will be called Dolgoruky. Izyaslav twice had to flee Kyiv, but until his death he never gave up the throne.
Yuri Dolgoruky (1154-1157)
Yuri finally gains access to the Kyiv throne. Having stayed there for only three years, he achieved a lot: he was able to pacify (or punish) the princes, and contributed to the unification of fragmented lands under strong rule. However, all his work turned out to be meaningless, since after the death of Dolgoruky, the squabble between the princes flared up with renewed vigor.
Mstislav II (1157-1169)
It was the devastation and quarrels that led to Mstislav II Izyaslavovich ascending the throne. He was a good ruler, but did not have a very good disposition, and also condoned princely feuds (“divide and conquer”). Andrei Yuryevich, the son of Dolgoruky, drives him out of Kyiv. Known in history under the nickname Bogolyubsky.
In 1169, Andrei did not limit himself to expelling his father’s worst enemy, simultaneously burning Kyiv to the ground. Thus, at the same time, he took revenge on the people of Kiev, who by that time had acquired the habit of expelling princes at any time, calling to their principality anyone who would promise them “bread and circuses.”
Andrey Bogolyubsky (1169-1174)
As soon as Andrei seized power, he immediately moved the capital to his favorite city, Vladimir on the Klyazma. Since then, the dominant position of Kyiv immediately began to weaken. Having become stern and domineering towards the end of his life, Bogolyubsky did not want to put up with the tyranny of many boyars, wanting to establish an autocratic government. Many did not like this, and therefore Andrei was killed as a result of a conspiracy.
So what did the first rulers of Rus' do? The table will give a general answer to this question.
In principle, all the rulers of Rus' from Rurik to Putin did the same thing. The table can hardly convey all the hardships that our people endured on the difficult path of state formation.
Hello friends!
In this post we will focus on such a difficult topic as the first Kyiv princes. Today we will present 7 original historical portraits from Oleg the Prophet to Vladimir II Monomakh, all of these historical portraits were painted with the maximum score and meet all criteria for assessing work on the Unified State Exam.
You see in front of you a map of Ancient Rus', or rather the tribes that lived on their territory. You see that this is the territory of present-day Ukraine and Belarus. Ancient Rus' extended from the Carpathians in the West, to the Oka and Volga in the East and from the Baltic in the North, to the steppes of the Black Sea region in the South. Of course, Kyiv was the capital of this Old Russian state and it was there that the princes of Kyiv sat. We will begin our study of Ancient Rus' with Prince Oleg. Unfortunately, no information about this prince has been preserved, but only the legend “The Legend of the Prophetic Oleg” has been preserved, which you all know very well. And so in 882, Oleg headed to Kyiv from Novgorod. He was a warrior of Rurik (862-882) and while Rurik’s son, Igor, was small, Oleg was his regent. And in 882, Oleg captured Kyiv, killing Askold and Dir, and from that moment his reign began.
Oleg the Prophet – Historical Portrait
Lifetime:9th century – beginningX century
Reign: 882-912
1. Domestic policy:
1.1. He made Kyiv the capital of Ancient Rus', so some historians consider Oleg the founder of the Old Russian state. “Let Kyiv be the mother of Russian cities”
1.2. He united the northern and southern centers of the Eastern Slavs by conquering the lands of the Ulichs, Tivertsi, Radimichi, Northerners, Drevlyans, and subjugating cities such as Smolensk, Lyubech, Kyiv.
2. Foreign policy:
2.1. He made a successful campaign against Constantinople in 907.
2.2. He concluded peace and trade agreements with Byzantium that were beneficial for the country.
Results of activities:
During the years of his reign, Prince Oleg significantly increased the territory of Rus' and concluded the first trade agreement with Byzantium (Constantinople)
The second ruler after Oleg was Igor Stary and about his reign modern history much is unknown and we only know about the last four years of his reign in Kyiv.
Historical portrait of Igor Stary
Lifetime: end9th century –II quarterX century
Reign: 912-945
Main activities:
1. Domestic policy:
1.1. Continued the unification of East Slavic tribes
1.2. Was governor in Kyiv during the reign of Oleg
2. Foreign policy:
2.1. Russian-Byzantine War 941-944.
2.2. War with the Pechenegs
2.3. War with the Drevlyans
2.4. Military campaign against Byzantium
Results of activities:
He extended his power to the Slavic tribes between the Dniester and Danube, concluded a military-trade agreement with Byzantium, and conquered the Drevlyans.
After the murder of Igor by the Drevlyans for excessive collection of tribute, his wife, Olga, ascended the throne.
Duchess Olga
Lifetime:II-III quarterX century.
Reign: 945-962
Main activities:
1. Domestic policy:
1.1. Strengthening the central government through reprisals against the Drevlyan tribe
1.2. She carried out the first tax reform in Rus': she introduced lessons - a fixed amount of tribute collection and graveyards - places where tribute was collected.
2. Foreign policy:
2.1. She was the first Russian princess and ruler in general to convert to Christianity.
2.2. She was able to prevent the Drevlyan dynasty of princes from reigning in Kyiv.
Results of activities:
Olga strengthened the internal position of the young Russian state, improved relations with Byzantium, increased the authority of Rus', and was able to preserve the Russian throne for her son Svyatoslav.
After Olga's death, the reign of Svyatoslav Igorevich, known for his rich foreign policy, began in Kyiv
Svyatoslav Igorevich
Life time: second half of the 10th century.
Reigned 945 - 972
Main activities:
1. Domestic policy:
1.1. He led the further strengthening of the ancient Russian state, like his predecessors.
1.2. Tried to create an empire.
2. Foreign policy:
2.1. Conducted a military campaign against Bulgaria in 967.
2.2. Defeated the Khazar Khaganate in 965.
2.3. Conducted a military campaign against Byzantium.
Results of activities:
He established diplomatic relations with many peoples of the world, strengthened the position of Rus' on the world stage, removed the threat from the Volga Bulgaria and the Khazar Khaganate, expanded the possessions of the Kyiv prince, wanted to create an empire, but his plans were not destined to come true.
After the death of Svyatoslav, Prince Yaropolk (972-980) ascended the Kiev throne, who during the 8 years of his reign made a very small contribution to the history of Ancient Rus'. After his reign, Vladimir I, popularly nicknamed the Red Sun, ascended the Kiev throne.
Vladimir I Svyatoslavovich (Saint, Red Sun) – Historical portrait
Life time: 3rd quarter of the 10th century - first half of the 11th century (~ 960-1015);
Reign: 980-1015
Main activities:
1. Domestic policy:
1.1. The final annexation of the lands of the Vyatichi, Cherven cities, as well as the lands on both sides of the Carpathians.
1.2. Pagan reform. In order to strengthen the grand-ducal power and introduce Rus' to the rest of the world, in 980 Vladimir carried out the Pagan Reform, according to which Perun was placed at the head of the pantheon of Slavic gods. After the failure of the reform, Vladimir I decided to baptize Rus' according to the Byzantine rite.
1.3. Acceptance of Christianity. After the failure of the pagan reform, under Vladimir in 988, Christianity was adopted as the state religion. The baptism of Vladimir and his entourage took place in the city of Korsun. The reason for choosing Christianity as the main religion was Vladimir’s marriage to Byzantine princess Anna and the prevalence of this faith in Rus'.
2. Foreign policy:
2.1. Protection of the borders of Rus'. Under Vladimir, for the purpose of protection, a Unified Defense System against nomads and an Alert System were created.
2.2. The defeat of the Radimichi militia, the campaign in Volga Bulgaria, the first clash between Rus' and Poland, as well as the conquest of the Principality of Polotsk.
Activity results:
1. Domestic policy:
1.1. The unification of all the lands of the Eastern Slavs as part of Kievan Rus.
1.2. The reform streamlined the pagan pantheon. Encouraged Prince Vladimir to turn to a fundamentally new religion.
1.3. Strengthening princely power, raising the country's authority on the world stage, borrowing Byzantine culture: frescoes, architecture, icon painting, the Bible was translated into Slavic language...
2. Foreign policy:
2.1. The Unified Defense System against nomads and the Alert System helped to quickly notify the center of a border crossing, and, accordingly, of an attack, which gave Rus' an advantage.
2.2. Expansion of the borders of Rus' through the active foreign policy of Prince Vladimir the Saint.
After Vladimir, Yaroslav, nicknamed the Wise, turned out to be a very noticeable ruler.
Yaroslav the Wise
Lifetime: endX – middle11th century
Reign: 1019–1054
Main activities:
1. Domestic policy:
1.1. Establishing dynastic ties with Europe and Byzantium through dynastic marriages.
1.2. Founder of written Russian legislation - “Russian Truth”
1.3. Built St. Sophia Cathedral and Golden Gate
2. Foreign policy:
2.1. Military campaigns in the Baltic states
2.2. The final defeat of the Pechenegs
2.3. Military campaign against Byzantium and Polish-Lithuanian lands
Results of activities:
During the reign of Yaroslav, Rus' reached its peak. Kyiv became one of the largest cities in Europe, the authority of Rus' increased on the world stage, and the active construction of temples and cathedrals began.
And the last prince, whose characteristics we will give in this post, will be Vladimir II.
Vladimir Monomakh
INTime of life: second half of the 11th century - first quarter of the 12th century.
Reign: 1113-1125
Main activities:
1. Domestic policy:
1.1. Stopped the collapse of the Old Russian state. “Let everyone keep his homeland”
1.2. Nestor compiled “The Tale of Bygone Years”
1.3. Introduced the “Charter of Vladimir Monomakh”
2. Foreign policy:
2.1. Organized successful campaigns of princes against the Polovtsians
2.2. Continued the policy of strengthening dynastic ties with Europe
Results of activities:
He was able to unite the Russian lands for a short time, became the author of “Instructions for Children”, and managed to stop the Polovtsian raids on Rus'.
© Ivan Nekrasov 2014
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Similar materials
Kievan Rus is a medieval state that arose in the 9th century. The first great princes placed their residence in the city of Kyiv, which, according to legend, was founded in the 6th century. three brothers - Kiy, Shchek and Horeb. The state quickly entered a phase of prosperity and occupied an important international position. This was facilitated by the establishment of political and trade relations with such powerful neighbors as Byzantium and the Khazar Khaganate.
Askold's reign
The name “Russian Land” was assigned to the state with its capital in Kyiv during the reign of Askold (IX century). In The Tale of Bygone Years his name is mentioned next to Dir, his older brother. To date, there is no information about his reign. This gives grounds to a number of historians (for example, B. A. Rybakov) to associate the name Dir with another nickname of Askold. In addition, the question of the origin of the first Kyiv rulers still remains unresolved. Some researchers consider them to be Varangian governors, others trace their origin to the Polans (descendants of Kiya).
The Tale of Bygone Years provides some important information about Askold's reign. In 860, he made a successful campaign against Byzantium and even kept Constantinople under control for about a week. According to legend, it was he who forced the Byzantine ruler to recognize Rus' as an independent state. But in 882 Askold was killed by Oleg, who then sat on the Kiev throne.
Oleg's board
Oleg is the first Grand Duke Kyiv, who ruled in 882-912. According to legend, he received power in Novgorod from Rurik in 879 as regent for his young son, and then moved his residence to Kyiv. In 885, Oleg annexed the lands of the Radimichi, Slavens and Krivichi to his principality, after which he made a campaign against the Ulichs and Tiverts. In 907 he opposed the powerful Byzantium. Oleg's brilliant victory is described in detail by Nestor in his work. The prince not only contributed to strengthening the position of Rus' in the international arena, but also opened access to duty-free trade with the Byzantine Empire. Oleg's new victory in Constantinople in 911 confirmed the privileges of Russian merchants.
It is with these events that the stage of formation of the new state with its center in Kyiv ends and the period of its greatest prosperity begins.
Board of Igor and Olga
After Oleg's death, Rurik's son Igor (912-945) comes to power. Like his predecessor, Igor had to confront the disobedience of the princes of the subordinate tribal unions. His reign begins with a clash with the Drevlyans, Ulichs and Tivertsy, whom the Grand Duke imposed an unbearable tribute. This policy determined his quick death at the hands of the rebellious Drevlyans. According to legend, when Igor Once again came to collect tribute, they bent two birch trees, tied his legs to their tops and released him.
After the death of the prince, his wife Olga (945-964) ascended the throne. The main goal of her policy was revenge for the death of her husband. She suppressed all anti-Rurik sentiments of the Drevlyans and finally subjugated them to her power. In addition, the name of Olga the Great is associated with the first attempt to baptize Kievan Rus, which was unsuccessful. The policy aimed at proclaiming Christianity as the state religion was continued by the following great princes.
Svyatoslav's reign
Svyatoslav - the son of Igor and Olga - reigned in 964-980. He pursued an active aggressive foreign policy and hardly cared about the internal problems of the state. At first, during his absence, Olga was in charge of management, and after her death, the affairs of three parts of the state (Kyiv, the Drevlyan land and Novgorod) were managed by the great Russian princes Yaropolk, Oleg and Vladimir.
Svyatoslav made a successful campaign against the Khazar Kaganate. Such powerful fortresses as Semender, Sarkel, Itil could not resist his squad. In 967 he launched the Balkan campaign. Svyatoslav took possession of the territories in the lower reaches of the Danube, captured Pereyaslav and installed his governor there. In his next campaign in the Balkans, he managed to subjugate virtually all of Bulgaria. But on the way home, Svyatoslav’s squad was defeated by the Pechenegs, who were in cahoots with the Byzantine emperor. The Grand Duke also died in the oblog.
Reign of Vladimir the Great
Vladimir was illegitimate son Svyatoslav, as he was born from Malusha, the housekeeper of Princess Olga. The father placed the future great ruler on the throne in Novgorod, but during civil strife he managed to seize the Kiev throne. Having come to power, Vladimir streamlined the administration of the territories and eradicated any signs of local nobility on the lands of the subordinate tribes. It was under him that the tribal division of Kievan Rus was replaced by a territorial one.
Many ethnic groups and peoples lived on the lands united by Vladimir. In such conditions it was difficult for the ruler to keep territorial integrity states, even with the help of weapons. This led to the need for an ideological justification for Vladimir’s rights to rule all tribes. Therefore, the prince decided to reform paganism by placing in Kyiv, not far from the place where the palaces of the great princes were located, idols of the most revered Slavic gods.
Baptism of Rus'
The attempt to reform paganism was unsuccessful. After this, Vladimir called to him the rulers of various tribal unions who professed Islam, Judaism, Christianity, etc. After listening to their proposals for a new state religion, the prince went to Byzantine Chersonesos. After a successful campaign, Vladimir announced his intention to marry the Byzantine princess Anna, but since this was impossible while he professed paganism, the prince was baptized. Returning to Kyiv, the ruler sent messengers around the city with instructions to all residents to come to the Dnieper the next day. On January 19, 988, people entered the river, where they were baptized by Byzantine priests. In fact, it was violent.
The new faith did not immediately become national. At first, residents of large cities joined Christianity, and in churches until the 12th century. There were special places for baptism of adults.
The significance of declaring Christianity as the state religion
Had a huge impact on the further development of the state. Firstly, this led to the fact that the great Russian princes strengthened their power over disunited tribes and peoples. Secondly, the role of the state in the international arena has increased. The adoption of Christianity allowed for the establishment of close ties with the Byzantine Empire, the Czech Republic, Poland, the German Empire, Bulgaria and Rome. This also contributed to the fact that the great princes of Rus' no longer used military campaigns as main way implementation of foreign policy plans.
Reign of Yaroslav the Wise
Yaroslav the Wise united Kievan Rus under his rule in 1036. After many years of civil strife, the new ruler had to re-establish himself in these lands. He managed to return the Cherven cities, found the city of Yuryev in the Peipus land and finally defeat the Pechenegs in 1037. In honor of the victory over this union, Yaroslav ordered the laying of greatest temple- Sofia of Kyiv.
In addition, he was the first to compile a collection of state laws - “The Truth of Yaroslav”. It should be noted that before him, the rulers of ancient Rus' (Grand Dukes Igor, Svyatoslav, Vladimir) asserted their power through force, and not through law. Yaroslav was engaged in the construction of churches (Yuryev Monastery, St. Sophia Cathedral, Kiev Pechersk Monastery) and supported the still fragile church organization with the authority of the princely power. In 1051, he appointed the first metropolitan from the Russians - Hilarion. The Grand Duke remained in power for 37 years and died in 1054.
Board of Yaroslavichs
After the death of Yaroslav the Wise, the most important lands were in the hands of his eldest sons - Izyaslav, Svyatoslav and Vsevolod. Initially, the great princes ruled the state quite harmoniously. They successfully fought against the Turkic-speaking tribes of the Torks, but in 1068 on the Alta River they suffered a crushing defeat in the battle with the Cumans. This led to Izyaslav being expelled from Kyiv and fleeing to the Polish king Boleslav the Second. In 1069, with the help of allied troops, he again occupied the capital.
In 1072, the great princes of Rus' gathered at a meeting in Vyshgorod, where the famous set of Russian laws “The Truth of the Yaroslavichs” was approved. After this, a long period of internecine wars begins. In 1078, Vsevolod took the Kiev throne. After his death in 1093, Vsevolod’s two sons, Vladimir Monomakh and Rostislav, came to power and began to rule in Chernigov and Pereyaslav.
The reign of Vladimir Monomakh
After the death of Svyatopolk, the people of Kiev invited Vladimir Monomakh to the throne. Main goal He saw his policy in the centralization of state power and in strengthening the unity of Rus'. To establish peaceful relations with various princes, he used dynastic marriages. It is thanks to this and the far-sighted domestic policy he managed to successfully control the vast territory of Rus' for 12 years. In addition, dynastic marriages united the Kiev state with Byzantium, Norway, England, Denmark, the German Empire, Sweden and Hungary.
Under Grand Duke Vladimir Monomakh, the capital of Rus' was developed, in particular, a bridge was built across the Dnieper. The ruler died in 1125, after which a long period of fragmentation and decline of the state began.
Grand Dukes of Ancient Rus' during the period of fragmentation
What happened next? During feudal fragmentation, the rulers of ancient Rus' changed every 6-8 years. The Grand Dukes (Kyiv, Chernigov, Novgorod, Pereyaslav, Rostov-Suzdal, Smolensk) fought for high altar with weapons in hands. Svyatoslav and Rurik, who belonged to the most influential family of Olgovich and Rostislavovich, ruled the state for the longest time.
In the Chernigov-Seversky principality, power was in the hands of the Olegovich and Davidovich dynasty. Since these lands were most susceptible to the expansion of the Cumans, the rulers managed to restrain their aggressive campaigns through dynastic marriages.
Even during the period of fragmentation it was completely dependent on Kyiv. The highest prosperity of these territories is associated with the name of Vladimir Glebovich.
Strengthening the Moscow Principality
After the fall of Kyiv the main role passes to His rulers borrowed the title worn by the great princes of Rus'.
The strengthening of the Moscow principality is associated with the name of Daniel (the younger He managed to subjugate the city of Kolomna, the Pereyaslav principality and the city of Mozhaisk. As a result of the annexation of the latter, an important trade route and the waterway of the Moscow River found itself within the territory of Daniel.
The reign of Ivan Kalita
In 1325, Prince Ivan Danilovich Kalita came to power. He marched on Tver and defeated it, thereby eliminating his strong rival. In 1328, he received from the Mongol Khan a label for the Principality of Vladimir. During his reign, Moscow firmly consolidated its supremacy in North-Eastern Rus'. In addition, at this time a close union of the grand ducal power and the church was taking shape, which played a significant role in the formation centralized state. Metropolitan Peter moved his residence from Vladimir to Moscow, which became the most important religious center.
In relations with the Mongol khans, Ivan Kalita pursued a policy of maneuvering and regular payment of tribute. The collection of funds from the population was carried out with noticeable rigidity, which led to the accumulation of significant wealth in the hands of the ruler. It was during the principality of Kalita that the foundation of the power of Moscow was laid. His son Semyon had already laid claim to the title "Grand Duke of All Rus'".
Unification of lands around Moscow
During the reign of Kalita, Moscow managed to recover from a series of internecine wars and lay the foundations for an effective economic and economic systems. This power was supported by the construction of the Kremlin in 1367, which was a military defensive fortress.
In the middle of the 14th century. The princes of the Suzdal-Nizhny Novgorod and Ryazan principalities are joining the struggle for supremacy on Russian soil. But Tver remained Moscow’s main enemy. Rivals of the powerful principality often sought support from the Mongol Khan or Lithuania.
The unification of Russian lands around Moscow is associated with the name of Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy, who besieged Tver and achieved recognition of his power.
Battle of Kulikovo
In the second half of the 14th century. The great princes of Russia are directing all their forces to fight the Mongol Khan Mamai. In the summer of 1380, he and his army approached the southern borders of Ryazan. In contrast to him, Dmitry Ivanovich deployed a 120,000-strong squad, which moved in the direction of the Don.
September 8, 1380 Russian army took up positions on the Kulikovo field, and on the same day the decisive battle took place - one of the largest battles in medieval history.
The defeat of the Mongols accelerated the collapse of the Golden Horde and strengthened the importance of Moscow as the center of unification of Russian lands.
Forbidden Rus'. 10 thousand years of our history - from the Flood to Rurik Pavlishcheva Natalya Pavlovna
Princes of Ancient Rus'
Princes of Ancient Rus'
Let me make a reservation once again: in Rus' there have been princes, as they say, from time immemorial, but these were the heads of individual tribes and tribal unions. Often the size of their territories and population, these unions exceeded the states of Europe, only they lived in inaccessible forests. What historians would later call Kievan Rus was a super-union of tribal alliances. And now the princes of the Rurikovich family, who were first invited and then received power by inheritance, appeared in it.
First the founder of the clan Rurik.
Historians have found only one prince with this nickname (this is not a name, Rurik means Falcon). And his mother’s name was Umila, and she was the daughter of the Obodritsky prince Gostomysl. Everything seems to fit, but the debate continues. Let's try to figure it out. First, about Rurik’s grandfather.
Gostomysl More than once he is called the Prince of Bodrite. What would that mean? After all, Ilmen lived with Slovenes, Chud, Merya, Vse, Krivichi, but no Obodrits. Sound familiar? “Tea, suitcase, cheburek, Cheboksary... There are no Cheburashki...” But there were. Just not near Novgorod, but where would you think? That's right, on the territory of what is now Germany! German annals of 844 tell about the campaign of King Louis the German (quite a historical figure, and there was a campaign) to the lands of the Obodrites, that is, the Baltic Slavs, one of whom was Gostimusl. Most of the Obodrite princes turned out to be cunning; they swore allegiance to Louis, and as soon as the danger had passed, they broke the oath without hesitation. This is not “our” Gostimusl! He died, but did not give up! Do you like this ancestor? Then read on.
If we accept that same inflexible Gostimusl as the Novgorod Gostomysl, then I wonder how he could manage to punish his fellow tribesmen about his grandson in the middle of a battle, and even before that consult with the wise men? During lunch break? But perhaps he did not die directly on the battlefield and still managed to punish. Then what does Novgorod have to do with it, which generally appeared much later than this most tragic incident? And yet there is a rational grain in everything (maybe the ancient Russian chroniclers saw it?). It is mentioned in passing in the manuscripts that Gostomysl’s grandson (not the one who had to be called, but the other, older one) Vadim, nicknamed the Brave, fled (apparently with the remnants of the undead tribe) to Ilmen and sat down there. This is where it once stood ancient city Slovenesk and Novgorod stood up.
But there is another opinion that Vadim is not connected with Gostomysl in any way, and Rurik was really called to encourage him, and he came to Ilmen not only without an invitation, but quite the opposite, as an invader. Maybe too. Who needed to make Gostomysl a Novgorod elder? Probably, I wanted to rehabilitate Rurik.
But let's return to the first, which was the official version for a long time.
So, Gostomysl had four sons, some who died in battle, some while hunting, and three daughters. The son of the eldest of them, Beautiful, Vadim, although he was Brave, for some reason his fellow tribesmen did not really like him (“because he was worthless”). The middle daughter Umila married, according to some sources, King Ludbrant Bjorn from the Scandinavian family of Skjeldungs. She had two sons (although in general Ludbrant had much more), one of whom was the same Gerraud, nicknamed Rurik.
Does everything fit? It seems, but there is one “but” (these “buts” are full ancient Russian history). The Obodrites were Western Slavs and lived along the Oder and Elbe (Laba) rivers, therefore they are also called Polabian Slavs, later the Germans came to these lands, and Slavic history ended here (to continue at Ilmen?). One of the Obodrite cities was the city of Rerik. Historians agree that the city is large and rich, but there’s just one catch: they can’t find where it stood. Now they believe that this is Mecklenburg.
After visiting the glorious city of Rerik Tatiami, under the wise leadership of the Danish king Gottrick, merchants from this shopping center moved to another nice city Hedeby (before that he was called Slisthorp). They crossed on their own or under escort - history is silent about this, only Rerik began to wither after such injustice, until in 844 he was captured and ruined by another well-wisher, Louis. It is called "obodritskaya" theory.
By the way, in Mecklenburg there was a legend that the prince of the Obodrits, Godolub, had three sons: Rurik, Sivar and Truvar. They came to Russia and began to rule - Rurik in Novgorod, Sivar in Pskov, and Truvar in Beloozero. If you remember from school history textbooks, Rurik settled in Novgorod, and his brothers Truvor and Sineus in Izborsk (near Pskov) and Beloozero (on Onega). I just wonder if the legend was copied from our chronicles, does the chronicle repeat the legend, or are they really talking about the same event?
German chronicles report that King Ludbrant Bjorn from the Scandinavian family of Skjeldungs was married to the daughter of the Obodritic prince (or governor?) Gostomysl (probably not only her, but this is no longer relevant) Umila and had two sons from her - Harald and Guerrauda.
If you delve thoroughly into the Scandinavian sagas, then in the ancestors of Ludbrant Bjorn you can quite easily find not only legendary personalities from the history of the Scans (and the Skjeldungs are one of the oldest and most glorious families), but also the god Odin himself (!). There is nothing to be surprised here, we went through this (and are going through it now). How long ago was it that every horse (except perhaps zebras) in our stables certainly traced its ancestry back to Budyonny’s First Horse, and its owner was a hereditary farm laborer (read: “labor peasantry”) or a worker of the Kirov plant (read: “hegemon”). The wind of history changed, and the horses turned out to be descendants of the handsome men of the ceremonial dressage of the court of His Imperial Majesty, and the owners suddenly discovered their noble roots and began to attend balls in the Assembly of the Nobility. It all depends on desire. “Do you want to be happy? Be it!” – this is what the unforgettable Kozma Prutkov used to say. The same can be said about the pedigree, if you really want to, you can find any roots. But that's not what we're talking about.
So, somewhere in 780, a distant descendant of Odin, Ludbrant Bjorn from the Skjeldung family, was expelled from his native Jutland (for those who skipped geography at school, let me remind you: this is the peninsula on which Denmark is now, and not only it) was expelled, presumably , not for smoking in in public places, and became a vassal of Charlemagne, the one who gathered almost all of Europe into one big pile. The Great One also needs dashing people in his service, Vikings in the sense, so Ludbrant received from him in 782 a fief, that is, for external administration (read: “robbery”), Friesland. The land is rich, Umila’s husband lived with his large family, not so much in poverty, until 826, when he went to his god Odin, being called. The fief passed to the eldest son Harald.
This eldest was baptized that same year with his entire family (most likely, his younger brother with him) in Ingelheim and came under the protection of the heir of the Great Charles, Louis the Pious. For which, apparently, he received a richer fief - Rustingen in Friesland. Not surprisingly, the Vikings were baptized a dozen times, or even more, for the sake of rich gifts, while remaining pagans at heart. After his death, the flax went to the younger Gerraud, but in 843 it went to Lothair, another heir to Father Charles.
What did the Vikings do if they were deprived of feeding places? That's right, they went out for free robbery! Gerraud from the Skjeldung family, presumably, showed Lothair what he was capable of, since he backed down and returned Friesland to him on the terms of protecting the lands from the rest of the raiders. But either it became boring to stay at home, or flax gave little wealth, only in 850 Gerraud, whose nickname was Rurik, which means Falcon, moved his longships to the east of the Varangian Sea, that is, to Lake Nevo, where he plundered the ancient city Ladoga and took a good tribute from it. A Viking named Rolf also took part in this campaign, who was nicknamed the Pedestrian due to his heavy weight by his colleagues in the robbery (not a single horse could stand it, he had to move on his own two feet). Allegedly, this same Rolf nailed a white shield to the gates of Ladoga as a sign that the city surrendered without a fight. The case, in general, was ordinary, only Ladoga did not have any gates, since it was not a city. A city is, first of all, a fortress, and Ladoga at that time did not have a fortress.
We will talk about Ladoga itself later, but remember the name Rolf Pedestrian, this man may have played a huge role in the history of Rus'. After such a feat as nailing down a shield, Rolf became a friend of Gerraud-Rurik, this led to their kinship. It is believed that Rurik himself (for the umpteenth time!) married Rolf’s half-sister Efande, and Rolf did not spare his daughter Silkizif as his wife (why should we spare them?).
Apparently, for some reason Lothair did not like the behavior of Rurik, who suddenly in 854 replaced Friesland, dear to Falcon’s heart, with Jutland.
This “free Cossack” » Gerraud-Sokol Ludbrantovich Victorious Trustworthy and called Ladoga, “without remembering the insults,” to her (as a defender from other raids, one must think?) in 862 (870?), according to fellow monk Nestor, ruled by fellow abbot Sylvester. It’s not surprising, many did the same, but here it turns out that they even clicked on their prince’s grandson. Who else, if not him, would build fortresses and improve life so that trading boats could safely sail not only along the Volkhov, but also along the Varangian Sea? And he did! I staged it in Ladoga and Novo Grad. He strengthened, so to speak, the borders of the Slavic land.
One note. The chronicles say that Rurik settled first in Ladoga, and then in Novgorod, and his name was from Novgorod. If you remember, Veliky Novgorod stands in the place where the ancient Volkhov flows out of Lake Ilmen, heading towards Lake Ladoga (formerly Nevo). But archaeologists, no matter how much they look for traces Togo They cannot find Novgorod before the 11th century. And they cannot decide in relation to which city they called it new. To ancient Slovenesku? But it is unlikely that Rurik could remember this. To Ladoga? But it was not a city.
But in one of the chronicles Novgorod is named differently - Nevogorod, that is, a city standing on the Nevo (a lake, not a river). In the time of Rurik, the Neva River did not yet exist, I have already mentioned this, but on Lake Nevo (Lake Ladoga) there supposedly stood Big city in the area of present-day Priozersk, exactly where ancient lake poured into the Varangian (Baltic) Sea.
So, maybe, the name of Rurik from Nevogorod was called and Novgorod was called new in relation to him? Or was Nevogorod the name of ancient Ladoga, and in relation to it Novgorod was called “new”? History is waiting to be solved. Maybe it will be possible to unearth traces of ancient Nevogorod, this will explain a lot. One can also recall the testimony of the ancient Arabs that the capital, and indeed the entire land of the Rus, stands on a huge island with very wet soil and a damp climate. By the way, it is quite similar to the Karelian Isthmus. Now it is an isthmus, but before, in fact, it was a huge island. How do you like this mystery? The places, by the way, are the most beautiful and rich, although they are indeed damp.
And one more version on the topic of why King Rurik practically did not poke his nose further than Ladoga for some time and why Ladoga itself, which did not have protection in the form of a fortress, was rarely subjected to ruin by its northwestern neighbors who were eager for other people’s goods.
Not so long ago, scientists suddenly remembered that the Volkhov River, on which Ladoga stands, was not always quiet and calm. The fact is that the ancient Volkhov has rapids slightly higher and lower downstream than Ladoga. Now most of them are hidden under the waters of the reservoir for the Volkhov hydroelectric power station, but in the time of Rurik they looked very intimidating: a narrow passage between steep banks, a strong oncoming current and the impossibility of going around along the shore. In such places, even the strongest squad inevitably found itself under targeted fire from the aborigines. So, maybe the famous king sat in Ladoga for a long time until he reached an agreement with the Ilmen elders? Then his calling is really more like simple hiring.
The main objection of those who do not believe in the calling of this particular Rurik (although they do not know others) still remains that Gerraud-Rurik appeared every now and then in Skiringssal - the main city of the Vikings, where they quite successfully traded in looted goods and collected tribute . Even, they say, he went to Lothair and later, in 873, received a new flax from another Charles - the Bald (he was also called Tolstoy, this apparently depended on the height of the caller himself, whoever was taller saw a bald spot, whoever was shorter saw a belly), and or rather, the old one - Friesland. I begged for it!
So what? Why can you go on raids for a year or two and then return as master, but not from Ladoga? From Friesland it is much more dangerous, there are many rivals, and they are looking to grab it for themselves, and Ladoga is already beyond the Nevo and, again, under the supervision of Rolf, who received a new nickname in return for the Pedestrian. They began to call him Helgi, that is, the Wise Leader. Who said that this same Wise Leader ruled worse than the Falcon himself? We know that it’s better, much better, because this Helga Slavs Olga(and we are in Oleg) were remade and over time they gave their nickname - Prophetic!
And it is also clear that the German chronicles say nothing about his, Rurik’s, valiant deeds on the land of Ilmen. Maybe he didn’t shout in the squares about his conquests, so why reveal his secrets? Firstly, the places are rich, who knows? Secondly, maybe he was called up under an employment agreement, so to speak, and therefore is not the owner, which is also not appropriate to inform everyone about. Who will figure it out after so many years? In short, this Rurik was silent in his mustache and tried to sit on two chairs - not to miss the Slavs, and his Friesland too. It seems that we succeeded.
And the system of government with an invited prince, who could be turned away by the veche at any moment, took root in Novgorod; there were only such princes there. In general, our Rurik is even in some sense a pioneer. Know-how, so to speak.
Another note: the chronicler links the emergence of Rurik as a prince to the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Michael (who, by the way, had a fairly understandable nickname for us: “The Drunkard”). This is all because the Byzantine chronicles first mention the Rus in connection with their raid on Constantinople in 864–865. So, Emperor Michael III really reigned from 842 to 867, but the chronicler calls the first year of his reign 852, thus pushing back all dates by ten years. “And from the first summer of Mikhailov to the first summer of Olgov, Prince of Russia, 29 years; and from the first summer of Olgov, who was still gray in Kyiv, to the first summer of Igor, 31 years old; and from the first summer of Igor to the first summer of Svyatoslavl is 33 years,” etc. This is where all the official dates are taken: respectively, 852–881-912-945. By the way, not a word about Rurik here! It’s a strange forgetfulness, but it would be a sin not to mention the founder of the dynasty.
But if we start from the real beginning of the reign of Emperor Michael - 842, then we get real nonsense: 842-871-902-935. Later readers will understand why. I wonder if the chronicler got it wrong or deliberately distorted the dates? By the way, this gave rise to a great many hypotheses: about the existence of two princes Olegs, one of whom was connected with Rurik, and the second was not, about who Prince Igor was and what relation he had to everyone else...
It seems clear about Rurik Lyudbrantovich the Victorious, but what next? Well, he came, well, he corrected it with the help of a relative, well, he left... Either he sailed back to Friesland, or he died (or even died) - historians have not yet decided. The fact is that they cannot find graves with a golden coffin, like the prince apparently had. But that's not what we're interested in. By the way, in addition to the “Tale” itself, the mention of Rurik nowhere, it really seems that the news about it is simply far-fetched. According to Nestor, edited by Sylvester, Rurik left behind a son Igor under the supervision of that same Rolf-Oleg, who is the Prophet.
And this is where the real detective story begins.
The next ruler according to the official version is Prince Oleg. He ruled first Novgorod, and then Kiev as regent of the young Prince Igor, but essentially for himself. About this prince, too, countless copies have been broken; according to the chronicle, he was all positive (how could it be otherwise, after all, they entrusted an heir!), with one drawback - he was a pagan. For which he paid with death, predicted by his own wise men, from a snake bite. First, objections, and then about the real merits of the Grand Duke.
The chronicle says that he was simply a mentor to the prince because of his youth. Other historians object, they say, Rurik has nothing to do with it at all, Prince Oleg was on his own, and did not come to Kiev from Novgorod, but quite the opposite, from Kiev he subjugated a free city on the banks of the Volkhov (having established it first?). Regarding the uncle-mentor: it took a long time to instruct, because in the year of Prince Oleg’s death, “baby” Igor was at least 37 years old! And Rurik bequeathed Novgorod to his son, and Prince Oleg took Kyiv on his own initiative, he could have left his ward to be devoured by the Novgorod boyars, why take him with him? They would have reminded the prince of Rurik’s murder of Vadim the Brave. Once upon a time, the outstanding Russian historian Tatishchev noticed that the chronicler who wrote “The Tale” was not very knowledgeable in the history of the first princes of Kievan Rus. Well, it looks a lot like it...
But the Lord is with him, with where he came from, the main thing is that he captured Kyiv by deception: according to the chronicle, he sailed, masquerading as a merchant caravan, lured the Kyiv princes Askold and Dir to his shore and killed them. In Kyiv they still remember Askold’s grave. And it’s nothing that Dir, apparently, lived many years before Askold, was far-fetched - and that’s all. There is an opinion that Askold also lived long before the Rurikovichs, about a hundred years ago. Let’s not touch the story about Askold and Dir now, let’s return to Prince Oleg.
Oleg took Kyiv with a firm hand, it was not very difficult, the glades were distinguished by a calm and flexible disposition, they probably didn’t care whether Askold or Oleg. All one thing is that tribute was paid to the Khazars (Askold was a Khazar tadun - a tribute collector). They did not forget about the ruined prince, but perhaps only those who, ten years earlier, fled from Novgorod to Kyiv from Rurik, resisted. But the prince consistently tortured the surrounding tribes of the Drevlyans, Northerners, Ulichs, Tiverts, Radimichis and others. Some with fighting, like the Drevlyans (they never missed a chance for a century without kicking), and some almost peacefully. He imposed tribute, also not the same, whoever obeyed himself, reasoning that the Khazars were far away, and the prince and his retinue were nearby, the easier it was, and those like the Drevlyans, the heavier.
The poet noticed one thing correctly: the death of the prince was predicted by a magician. It is a magician, not a sorcerer. Is there a big difference? There are a few, the magicians are the priests of the Finno-Ugric tribes, they could not treat the invader prince with ardent love, they were the first to suffer from the rule of the Varangian squads on the Novgorod land. Could they have slipped the prince an asp? Quite, but something else is more likely. Prince Oleg was sick before his death, maybe they bullied him first, and then blamed everything on the poor snake?
This is about death. But the prince is famous for his deeds.
It was he who called Kyiv the future mother of Russian cities (practically declared it the capital); under him, for the first time, the words were uttered in an interstate agreement “We are from the Russian family...” The contract needs to be discussed separately.
As already said, the prince himself did not fight the Khazars, but he went to Constantinople, that is, Byzantium, and with great success.
A little “alien” history. The life of Rus' cannot be considered separately from its neighbors. No matter how some tribes were cut off by forests and swamps from the rest of the world, they still had to trade, and therefore enter into relationships with other peoples. Especially those who sat on navigable rivers.
The most famous chronicle, The Tale of Bygone Years, tells us about several trade routes. First of all, about the path "from Greek to Varangians." Exactly: from Greek, emphasizing that the Varangians went their own way to the Greeks. What is the difference? The Greeks sailed to the Varangians, that is, to the Varangian (and now Baltic) Sea, through Rus'. To do this, it was necessary to go from Constantinople (now Istanbul), which the Russians called Tsar-grad, the Black Sea to the mouth of the Dnieper, rise against the current to the portages to Lovat, sail along it to Lake Ilmen (this is all to the north, to the north), from Ilmen to Volkhov, along it through the rapids to Lake Nevo (Ladoga), and then to the Varangian Sea. The Neva River, which now connects Lake Ladoga with the Baltic Sea and on which Tsar Peter later cut his window to Europe - the city of St. Petersburg - did not exist then, the lake simply merged in a wide stream into the sea much further north, where there are now many small channels Vuoksa River. The Neva River is the youngest river in Europe, the bottom of Lake Nevo (Ladoga) simply rose, its waters remained locked for some time, but then they broke through a new channel and turned into a river.
And here Varangians to the Greeks they walked a different route - by sea around Europe, which they had tormented. Why? There were quite a lot of difficulties on the waterway from the Greeks to the Varangians. First of all, these were heavy portages, when the ships had to be placed on rollers and dragged along clearings, at the risk of being turned into a pile of firewood for the stove during this time. Secondly, the Dnieper rapids, the names can tell about the difficulty of their passage - Issupi, which means “don’t sleep”, Leandi - “boiling water”... And the rapids near Ladoga left little chance of getting out dry, or rather, alive.
The Russians went to the Greeks on one-tree boats, which the Byzantines called monoxyls. They were single-shafted not because they were shuttles, but because the keel was cut out of one huge tree, so it was stronger, and the sides of the boat were sewn with boards, they could be quickly disassembled and reassembled after passing the rapids. For Varangian heavy longships with a deep sea landing, such a journey is like death. It’s easier to go around Europe by sea.
True, the Scandinavians still sailed both Volkhov and Ilmen, and dragged ships, but only to the east, along the Volga to the Khvalynsky (Caspian) Sea and to the Arab Caliphate. It was difficult to get there through the Greeks; Byzantium always fought with the Arabs, just as the Arabs did with it.
This concerns trade routes. Now about the neighbors.
Word Khazars everyone heard. Who is this, what kind of country is Khazaria? Why does this name sound like a curse even to us, the distant descendants of those Russians who neighbored it in the 8th–10th centuries? Genetic memory, no less. By the time described, the Khazar Kaganate, with its capital city of Itil, located on the Volga, was one of the strongest in its region, its power extended to the entire Black Sea region from the Volga to the Dnieper (by the way, Scythian territories!). Hundreds of thousands of Slavic captives were sold in the slave markets of Khazaria. The Khazars were able to escape from power by moving to other lands, the Bulgarians, who created Danube Bulgaria, and the Ugrians (Hungarians), who fled beyond the Carpathians.
Khazaria waged constant wars with the Arab Caliphate for Transcaucasia and with Byzantium for the Crimea region. By the 8th century, a somewhat strange situation had developed in the state; Khazaria was clearly divided in two: the bulk of the population were Muslims, and the ruling elite were Jews. In the capital Itil, areas were not simply populated by religion, there were even courts, cemeteries, and markets separately for Muslims and separately for Jews (Karaites).
The heyday of Khazaria was the 8th century, when East Slavic tribes, rich in fast (furs), fish, honey, wax, timber, and most importantly, servants (slaves), paid tribute to it. In the 9th century, the Kiev prince Oleg, having tortured some of these tribes, forced them to pay tribute to themselves, and not to the Khazars. The Russians began to actively fight back against the weakening Khazaria, and in the 10th century, Prince Svyatoslav Igorevich completely defeated the Khazars, destroying the Khazar Khaganate as a state.
Khazaria either fought or went hand in hand with another neighbor of Rus' - Byzantium. Rus' did not border directly with Byzantium, but the tribute collected from Lake Nevo to the Dnieper rapids was sold primarily in the markets of Constantinople (Constantinople). And the Greeks themselves actively traded in Kyiv, Podol, in the markets in Novgorod, in Gnezdovo and along the entire waterway. Peace in Rus' largely depended on the change of power in Byzantium and on the ability of the Greeks to negotiate (simply bribe) with their neighbors.
By the time Prince Oleg came to power in Kyiv, the Slavs’ relations with Byzantium were not the best, that is, they did not exist. In 860, one of the Slavic princes made an exceptionally successful raid on Constantinople, taking a large tribute and leaving the Greeks with a souvenir of trembling knees at the mention of the word “Rus”. Historians cannot decide which of the princes it was. The chronicle states that Askold and Dir, but places the raid in 860, and the Greeks describe their horror at the appearance of Slavic rooks under their walls in 866.
Byzantium was able to simply buy itself off with gold, expensive gifts, and even baptize the prince of the Rus for money. Note that in those days baptism itself was not something out of the ordinary; for the majority it did not really mean anything. The Varangians were often baptized more than a dozen times in order to receive rich gifts, and after that they held funeral feasts for the dead, like ordinary pagans. In any case, information about the priests who were sent with the baptized prince to Rus' has not been preserved; no one knows where they went. Pagan Rus' was capable of grinding down even a smaller landing force to convert to a new faith.
Byzantium itself was famous not so much for its strength as for its wealth and ability to bribe everyone and everything. The Byzantine emperors manipulated neighboring countries according to the “bribe and conquer” principle. More than once they sent the same Khazars or Pechenegs against the Rus, pitted the Bulgarians against the Ugrians...
From time to time we will make small excursions into the history of Byzantium to try to explain certain events.
But let us return to Prince Oleg, who was not yet called the Prophetic. Let us recall that, according to the chronicle, he appeared in Kiev with little Igor in his arms, deceived the Kiev princes (or prince) onto the banks of the Dnieper, killed them and declared Kiev the mother of Russian cities (by the way, in Greek “demetria”, which is literally translated simply means capital). Apparently, the people of Kiev liked the prospect of becoming metropolitan things, they did not particularly resist.
Prince Oleg placed his governors in the Dnieper fortresses and took care of the surrounding tribes. Those who did not immediately recognize him as their superiors were subject to a large tribute, and those who did not seem to mind were subject to a small tribute. In addition, he began to pay tribute... to the Varangians, or rather, he instructed the Novgorodians to do this. The Ilmen people didn’t like this arrangement much, but, apparently, they had already experienced the heavy hand of the prince, so they agreed so that it wouldn’t get any worse.
Why did Prince Oleg pay (even from the pockets of the Novgorodians) tribute to the Varangians, with whom there seemed to be no war, as the prince himself said, “dividing peace”? The calculation is correct, it is easier to pay off the raiders so that others are not allowed in, than to scour the entire coast after them or keep a large squad in Novgorod for protection. This was a common practice of a strong state that did not want to waste precious forces on repelling small attacks. Rus' acted as a strong state.
But almost at the same time, Rus' was paying another tribute, as a defeated side asking for peace. Under the year 898, the “Tale” modestly mentions that, almost by accident, people suddenly found themselves under the walls of Kyiv Ugrians (Hungarians), standing up. And then they suddenly took it and left to the west to fight the Slavs, the Volokhs, sitting there, to push back the Greeks, Moravians, and Czechs. Why would it be necessary to leave from under the walls of an already rich city?
The enemies, roaming in a huge camp, stood in circles around the capital city. This was a mortal danger for Kyiv! And the Russian chronicler seems to accidentally miss the essence of the matter, did he not know or did he deliberately hide it? And what's the catch? The answer was found from a Hungarian chronicler. He paints the usual picture for such “courtesy visits”: the Hungarians went around the area, taking “estates”, plundered towns and villages, and finally stood near Kyiv. That's when a Russian embassy appeared in the camp of the Hungarian leader Almos. As a result of negotiations, the Rus sent hostages to the Ugrians, provided food, clothing, fodder and other supplies for the road, and also pledged to pay an annual tribute of 10 thousand marks. Almos and his nobles, having accepted the advice of the Rus, concluded a “strong peace” with them. Somewhat strange behavior - to leave on the advice of the besieged. And what kind of strong peace is this between the nomads (at that time the Ugric-Hungarians were still nomads) and the Russians?
If you follow further history development of their relationship, it becomes clear what the ambassadors of Prince Oleg were talking about in the Almosh camp. The Hungarians and Russians acted almost simultaneously against Byzantium for many decades of the 10th century, sometimes even waiting for each other. It is not for nothing that the Emperor of Constantinople, Constantine Porphyrogenitus, in his works more than once put the enemies of the empire - the Ugrians and Russ - next to each other. We will also remember as the story progresses about their union.
Judging by the events of the following years, Prince Oleg concluded such an agreement not only with the Ugrians, but also with the Bulgarians. About Bulgaria It’s worth telling in more detail.
The Byzantine emperors, in pursuit of spiritual power over everyone, warmed this asp on their chests. In Constantinople he studied at the Magnavra school for ten years. younger son Bulgarian Prince Boris Simeon(future Great). Bulgaria in those years was a serious friend-enemy of Byzantium and a very strong state. In Constantinople they hoped that, having learned to read and write in Greek, having gained intelligence there, Simeon would not forget his alma mater and, on occasion, would put in a word about it. I didn’t forget to say my word.
Simeon did not immediately become king. His father, Prince Boris I, under pressure from Byzantium, he baptized the Bulgarians in 864, and in 889 he voluntarily entered a monastery, leaving power to his eldest son Vladimir (not to be confused with ours, they had their own Vladimirs!). But unlike our Vladimirs, who are famous Christians, theirs turned out to be a pagan and tried to return everything to normal. The father did not watch this disgrace for a long time, took time off from the monastery, ran to Preslava (this is their capital), quickly blinded his son, declared his third son heir and returned back. Whether his absence was noted or not in the monastery, we don’t know, but Simeon became a Bulgarian prince, having escaped from the Byzantine capital for the sake of such a social burden and replacing the monastic schema with chain mail. Ten years later, in 903, Simeon was tired of being called a prince, he declared himself king.
But regardless of who he was called, having received power, he immediately began to fight with his teachers (they taught him well). Considering that Simeon knew well the weaknesses of the empire and its strengths, he fought successfully; the Bulgarians several times approached the very walls of Constantinople. And apparently, Prince Oleg had an agreement similar to the Ugric one with the Bulgarians.
Under 907, the Tale reports that the Kiev prince Oleg, leaving Igor in Kyiv, undertook a campaign against Constantinople. And not just a campaign, but the so-called Great Skuf, that is, he assembled a whole army of Varangians, Novgorod Slovenes, Krivichi, Drevlyans, Radimichi, Polyans, Northerners, Vyatichi, Croats, Dulebs, Tiverts, Chuds, Meris...
The Greeks, having learned about the approach of the Russian army, closed their harbor with a chain (they had such a technique) and locked themselves in Constantinople. The Russians, coming ashore, thoroughly plundered the area, and then put their ships on wheels and moved on dry land under sails to the walls of the city! Ours are no strangers to normal dragging, but the Byzantines were horrified. In addition, cavalry detachments joined the ships from land. They could only appear by passing through the territory of Bulgaria. Here the Greeks fully realized the treachery of the Bulgarian prince Simeon! If he had caught the eye of the Byzantine Emperor Leo and his co-ruler Alexander, he would have been incinerated by one glance from the monarchs, but the Bulgarian was far away, and the Russians stood under the walls. Panic reigned in the city.
The Greeks tried to resort to their favorite method - to poison the prince-invader, but Oleg, the Prophet, guessed about their treachery, did not eat the poison, which plunged the unfortunate Greeks into complete despondency. The poor fellows had to sprinkle the ashes of their hopes on their heads, that is, ask for peace and promise to pay tribute.
The Russians at first simply demanded a huge indemnity, which threatened to ruin the unfortunate Constantinople, but when the Greeks were ready for this, they suddenly changed their requests. The tribute remained large, but not so huge, but the Greeks undertook to pay it annually and to all Russian cities that took part in the skufi, Russian merchants received unprecedented privileges - they could trade in Constantinople duty free, they received “slebnoe”, that is, maintenance for the entire time stay, provisions and ship equipment for the return journey and the right to wash for free in the baths of Constantinople...
The Greeks breathed a sigh of relief, tomorrow is not today, the main thing is to fight back now, and we will see. They understood what they were doing, it was the Russians who swore before their gods Perun and Veles “by company,” their oath had no statute of limitations, but the Byzantine emperors habitually swore by kissing the cross. And for them, the oath was valid only as long as there was no new threat of attack; later Byzantium demonstrated this more than once; in addition, the death or death of one of the monarchs who entered into the treaty automatically meant its termination, and monarchs in Byzantium were often overthrown.
But at that moment the Greeks were ready to do anything just to send these unheard-of impudents away from their fortress walls. There is a legend that Prince Oleg nailed a shield to the gates of Constantinople as a sign that the city was taken without a fight. Nothing surprising, by the way, it seems that the Varangians did the same. Such information, like ships moving on land, caused a hysteria of denial among Western historians according to the principle “this cannot be, because it cannot be!” Moreover, the Greeks strictly forbade their chroniclers to record such an unsightly event for posterity. Nothing surprising either, remember the Ugrians under the walls of Kyiv, about whom the Russian chroniclers modestly kept silent. True, a renegade was found, he wrote, but the ancient censorship did not notice, they are far from Comrade Beria!
Since the time of the Prophetic Prince, historians have made countless copies about the likelihood and improbability of this campaign. There are tons of those who, in a brilliant demonstration by the Russians to the Byzantines own strength firmly believes, but no less than those who insist on the chronicler’s invention. What is in doubt, well, except for damaged gates and ships under sail on the bare shore?
First of all, the Byzantines themselves lack records of the event (one literate traitor does not count). Secondly, the absence of the text of the treaty of 907, because only a translation was found from the Greek treaty of 911, which contains references to the previous one. In fact, it’s strange to refer to something that never happened, but this doesn’t bother opponents. But when a single record was discovered of an attempt to attack Constantinople in 904 by the Arab naval owner Leo of Tripolitania, this information was immediately declared absolutely reliable, and the defeat that the above-mentioned unfortunate hero suffered from the Byzantine admiral of Imeria was attributed to to the prince of Kyiv Oleg. They say that a little later the Ross-Dromites (Slavic-Varangian freemen who lived at the mouth of the Dnieper and along the Black Sea coast) also tried to attack Constantinople, but were saved only thanks to the supernatural abilities of their leader Ross, otherwise they would have been destroyed by another Byzantine naval commander - John Radin . This is what Nestor supposedly merged all together in his chronicle, only with the opposite result. What to believe?
But let's return to fellow monk Nestor.
An agreement was concluded with Byzantium according to all the rules, and it was in it that the phrase was first heard "We are from the Russian family." Somewhat later, the Russians noticed a flaw in the agreement, the Greeks granted them “chrisovul”, that is, they seemed to show mercy to the winners. Prince Oleg did not like this much, and he pretended that he was going to Constantinople again, the Greeks believed and the treaty was re-concluded in 911 without any chrisovuls, Rus' was recognized as equal to the arrogant Byzantium. True, so far only on paper, that is, parchment, real equality has not come soon!
Question. Usually, the Byzantines, when concluding an agreement with someone, wrote it in two copies in two languages - Greek proper and the language of the second party. Then a copy was made from the “stranger”, which was given to the contracting parties as a souvenir, so to speak... In what language was the second copy of the agreement with Oleg the Prophet written? In Russian, what else (naturally, Old Russian)!
This is understandable, but how did they write it? Cyrillic? Glagolitic? Or even runes? The prophetic Oleg was a tough prince and did not accept any Byzantine tricks; if his conditions were not met, he could again show such a “Kuzka mother” that the Byzantines would quickly learn runes too. He did not allow into Rus' either preachers of foreign faiths or those wishing to teach literacy invented by the holy brothers; perhaps this explains the absence for a long time in Rus' of books written in Cyrillic.
So how were the agreements with the formidable prince written? Isn’t this the secret of the absence of their copies among Byzantine rarities, because the arrogant Romans more than once declared that the Rus had no written language (we didn’t have sex in the Soviet Union, but for some reason children were born). Or rather, it was not until they (these stupid Rus) were made happy by the intelligent Byzantines. How then to explain to the world community the presence of some runes and signatures of Byzantine emperors under them?
And their own Russian princes, who also considered literacy exclusively a gift from Byzantium, were probably also not very keen to preserve such seditious evidence to the contrary. How else can we explain the fact that the text of such an important treaty was not found in Rus'? Did they let you light the stove?
It should be noted how well the moment of the campaign was chosen, as in 860. When, at the beginning of 907, Byzantine troops moved against the advancing Arabs, the head of the provincial Byzantine nobility Andronikos Dukas, who secretly contacted the same Arabs, rebelled. He was supported by the Patriarch of Constantinople, Nicholas the Mystic. In the city, as in the empire itself, discord reigned. Relations with Bulgaria were also turbulent (remember Tsar Simeon?). It's time to demand what's due from the proud empire, which is in a difficult situation; the Russians knew what they were doing. But this speaks of well-organized intelligence activities of the Russians and the ability to negotiate.
One interesting note. In the treaty(s) the Byzantines are called Greeks. We will not argue about the first treaty, but the second one, supposedly rewritten from Byzantine sources, sins in the same way. Why does he sin? The fact is that the Byzantines themselves called themselves Romans and “Greeks” was an offensive word for them, something like “Jew”, “Khokhol” or “chock”. What is this? Were the Russians so frightened that they even agreed to be called Greeks, just so that they would get out of sight? Or was it a later copyist who screwed it up? What then is the path from the Greeks to the Varangians? If you remember a little geography, you will inevitably agree that the Greeks themselves lived only in a small part of the huge Eastern Roman Empire, and this hardly gave reason to call them after the Byzantine rulers. By the way, the Slavs clearly called “theirs” and “theirs” with unequal respect; they had Polyans, Drevlyans, Vyatichi, Krivichi, Radimichi, etc., but the Finno-Ugric tribes were called Chud, Merya, all... A thousand years later we Following the chronicler, we do not hesitate to call the Byzantines Greeks.
According to the agreement with Byzantium, the Rus were supposed to help it military force if necessary, and the Greeks had this all the time. They loved to fight with someone else's hands! But even here, Prince Oleg managed to preserve his, or rather, Russian interests. How? Let's return to our friends the Khazars. Yes, yes, I didn’t make a reservation, which doesn’t happen in life for money, especially Greek money! The fact is that the Rus helped the Byzantines with military force, but in their own interests. The Greeks, as already mentioned, were at war with the Arabs, and one of the types of assistance could be the diversion of forces Arab Caliphate far from the Byzantine shores. But Rus' did not border anywhere with the Arabs! But she nevertheless made a raid on the lands subject to the caliphate, passing through the territory of... Khazaria! This was in 909-910.
A little bit of geography. To get to the coast of the Caspian Sea from Kiev, you need to either fly by plane, as now, or, as in the times of Rus', sail along the Dnieper to its mouth, then go by sea around the Crimea to the mouth of the Don, climb along the Don to the portages to the Volga (Itil), go down it to the Caspian Sea and only there sail to the desired cities. The most difficult and dangerous path, running through the lands of Khazaria, with portages on the site of the current Volga-Don Canal past the famous Sarkel (White Vezha) fortress, which the Khazars built with the help of the ubiquitous Greeks to protect against Russian squads...
And yet the Russians passed it by agreement with Byzantium, with the full support of the Khazars. With what pleasure would the Khazars destroy these new allies of their allies! But they were forced, gritting their teeth, to watch the Russian boats. The Russes attacked the Caspian coast as snow avalanche in the middle of summer! Well, who could wait for the sworn enemies of Khazaria beyond the mouth of the Volga?! Russian boats in the Caspian Sea - then it seemed like something out of science fiction. The cities of the Caspian region were plundered and burned. Tabaristan, lying on the southern shore of the Caspian Sea, long remembered the Russian raid. On the way back, the Rus, by agreement, shared their booty with the Khazars. Both liked it, and the next year the expedition was repeated. And Abesgun and Berdaa shuddered again, and the inhabitants of Tabaristan were horrified.
The Russians took a very large tribute, but they did not just go for tribute; the Caspian coast had to be developed, not destroyed, there were trade routes to the east, to the Arabs. That is why the boats from Kyiv went not to Asia Minor, where the Byzantine allies fought, but to Transcaucasia. A little later, Kyiv will undertake a new campaign against Tabaristan, but Prince Igor will make a lot of mistakes, and the attempt will end in failure. The story about this is ahead.
And then Russian ambassadors sailed to Constantinople again and again, straightening out the points of the agreement. Finally in 911 it was signed in Byzantium. The Greeks decided to show the ambassadors what Constantinople was. The embassy, which, by the way, consisted of 15 people, unlike the first small one (only five), was received by Emperor Leo VI in his magnificent Great Palace, then the ambassadors were shown the luxurious temples of Constantinople, the richest church utensils, masterpieces of art and luxury goods. Everything had to convince the ambassadors that they needed to be friends with the rich Byzantium, and even better, obey it. It is not known what the ambassadors were thinking, but they didn’t say anything out loud. Upon their return to their homeland, Prince Oleg also organized a large reception in honor of the heroes of the negotiation genre. Surely he was far from Byzantine splendor, but it was a reception on his native land, where water tastes better than expensive wines, and bread is sweeter than overseas dishes.
But the life of Prophetic Oleg was declining. Not only because he was old, because he probably came with Rurik to Ladoga not as a youth, and the prince ruled after Rurik for thirty years and three years. According to legend, Oleg died in 912 precisely from a bite in the leg of a snake hiding in the skull of a horse that had been slaughtered a long time ago, remember Pushkin? There were three graves of the Prophetic Oleg in Rus' - two in Kyiv and one in Ladoga. We must remember that the pagans burned their dead, and a grave was considered not so much the place where the remains were buried, but rather the place where they celebrated a funeral feast for the deceased. There could be several of these. These are necessarily mounds, but not always exactly burials. The prince was a real pagan, he practically did not allow preachers of other faiths into Rus', and under him even the new writing system, which the brothers Cyril and Methodius allegedly invented, did not become widespread.
After the death of Prince Oleg, the son of Rurik finally received power (according to the chronicles) Prince Igor. If we remember that in the year of his father’s death, in 879, he was four years old, then by the time of his mentor’s death he was already 37! Too much for the person under care. The prince was married (and, apparently, more than once, he was a pagan). Having taken power into his own hands, Igor tried to continue Oleg’s work, but you cannot step into the same river twice, the prince’s entire reign was marked by ups and downs.
The first failure was the new campaign against Tabaristan. Historians often and with pleasure accuse Prince Igor of short-sightedness, of greed, of all sins. Perhaps he was both short-sighted and greedy, but the failure of the campaign was not only his fault, but also a coincidence of circumstances. Here again you will have to make an excursion into the history of Rus''s neighbors.
If you trace the history of Byzantium and Rus' year by year, you get the impression that these two countries are strangely connected by the same fate. In Constantinople and Kyiv, power changed almost simultaneously! Judge for yourself, Oleg took Kyiv in 882, the Byzantine Leo VI became emperor in 886; Oleg died in 912, Lev in the same year; Prince Igor began to rule in 912, in Constantinople, Constantine Porphyrogenitus formally began in 913; Igor was killed by the Drevlyans in 944, Roman Lekapin, who seized power from his son-in-law Constantine, was overthrown in 944; Princess Olga, who ruled after her husband, gave power to her son Svyatoslav in 964, at the same time the new usurper Nikifor Phokas came to power to replace Constantine’s son Roman II; Olga died in 969, Phocas was killed in the same year by John Tzimiskes, who ruled until 976, in which the fratricidal war began in Rus' between the sons of Svyatoslav... And so on...
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