Foreign policy of Svyatoslav Igorevich (964-972)

1.1 External portrait of Svyatoslav Igorevich

Svyatoslav's appearance, according to the Byzantine historian Leo the Deacon, matched his character: wild and harsh. His eyebrows were thick, his eyes were blue, beardless, snub-nosed. The prince used to shave his hair and beard, but he had a long drooping mustache and a bun of hair on one side of his head - a sign of the nobility of the family. Not tall and slender in body, he was distinguished by a powerful muscular neck and broad shoulders. A strong back of the head, wide chest and all other parts of the body are quite proportionate. He looked sullen and wild.

Svyatoslav did not like luxury, and only in one ear he had a gold earring adorned with two pearls and a ruby. He wore the simplest clothes - his clothes were white and differed from the clothes of others only in cleanliness.

Svyatoslav grew up with the soldiers of his squad. Growing up together, they got used to a single common life, and Svyatoslav never distinguished himself from the army, sharing with everyone the hardships and campaigns, hunger, cold and lack of comfort.

But behind this outward simplicity and carelessness, relying only on military happiness, there was a brilliant cold calculation when everything was verified: the direction of the campaign, the duration, factors that could drag it out, the amount of provisions. Svyatoslav's campaigns were always precisely planned, prepared by deep, multipurpose reconnaissance.

Svyatoslav too early began to adhere to the harsh truth of military and sovereign tricks, and the child's soul rejected the lie, even if it was for salvation. But on the other hand, he accepted with all his heart the idea that the main strength lies in the word preceding the act, in the act, the herald of which is the word, in the indissolubility and indivisibility of word and deed. He said - do as you promised. Let everyone see: your words are not a light fluff in the wind, but a gravestone on the yoke of your opponents. Armed with the knowledge of this simple and great wisdom, he will travel far to the east, south and west, multiplying and multiplying his countless victories.

Svyatoslav died as he lived - not hiding behind other people's backs and boldly looking danger in the face. He died the way the Russian princes who followed him, his descendants, family after family, would be. Too brave to bow their heads in front of anyone, too proud to consider at least something unattainable, these warrior rulers always fought ahead of their squad, their army with those who became their enemies.

The reign of Svyatoslav is assessed differently by researchers:

some consider him a talented commander and statesman, others argue that he was an adventurer prince, life purpose which was the war. Svyatoslav was destined to become one of the most outstanding commanders of his time. The whole life of this prince was spent in campaigns and battles.

The Greeks, Khazars and Pechenegs had to fight with this man.

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Name: Svyatoslav Igorevich (Svyatoslav Rurikovich)

Date of Birth: 942 BC

Age: 30 years

Date of death: 972 BC

Activity: military leader, statesman

Family status: was married

Svyatoslav Igorevich: biography

Prince of Novgorod and Kiev Svyatoslav Igorevich ruled the Russian state from 944 to 972. The ruler is known for his military campaigns and conquests, battles against the Bulgarian state and Byzantium.

Svyatoslav became the only son of Prince Igor and Princess Olga. Exact date the birth of the future ruler is still unknown. According to the Ipatiev list, Svyatoslav Igorevich was born in 942 (some sources indicate 940). The event record is missing from the Laurentian list. This raises a lot of questions among researchers, since the information is contradictory. In literary sources, 920 is declared, but historians consider this to be fiction, not true.

The upbringing of the prince's son was entrusted to the shoulders of the Varangian Asmud, who focused on basic skills. Young Svyatoslav received knowledge that was useful in military campaigns: the art of combat, control of horses, a boat, swimming, the skill of disguise. Another mentor, voivode Sveneld, was responsible for the art of leadership. The first data about Svyatoslav, which can be seen in the Russian-Byzantine treaty of Prince Igor, began to appear in 944. A year later, the prince dies.

The dissatisfaction of the Drevlyans about the collection of too much tribute led to the death of the ruler. Since Svyatoslav Igorevich is still a child, the reins of power are transferred to his mother, Princess Olga. A year after the murder of her husband, Olga goes to the lands of the Drevlyans. As befits the head of state, 4-year-old Svyatoslav begins the battle together with his father's squad. The young ruler won the battle. The princess forced the Drevlyans to obey. To prevent similar tragedies from happening in the future, the regent introduces new system board.

The annals say that in childhood Svyatoslav Igorevich did not part with his mother and permanently lived in Kiev. Scientists have found evidence of the incorrectness of this judgment. The Byzantine Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus told the following:

"The monoxylae coming from outer Russia to Constantinople are one of Nemogard, in which Sfendoslav, the son of Ingor, the archon of Russia, was sitting."

Researchers believe that Svyatoslav moved to Novgorod at the request of his father. There was a mention in the annals of Olga's visit to Constantinople. At the same time, they talk about the future prince without naming the title of Svyatoslav Igorevich.

The beginning of the reign

The "Tale of Bygone Years" says that the first campaign of Svyatoslav Igorevich happened in 964. The main goal of the ruler was to strike at the Khazar Kaganate. The prince did not become distracted by the Vyatichi who met along the way. The attack on the Khazars came a year later - in 965. The chronicle says the following about this:

“In the summer of 6473 (965) Svyatoslav went to the Khazars. Hearing, the Khazars went out to meet him with their prince Kagan and agreed to fight, and Svyatoslav the Khazars defeated in the battle, and took their city and Belaya Vezha. And he defeated the Yasov Ikasogs. "

It is interesting that a contemporary of Svyatoslav presents events in a different way. Ibn Haukal claimed that the prince dealt with the Khazars later than the time indicated in the chronicle.

A contemporary recalled other military actions against the Volga Bulgaria, but there is no such information in official sources. Here is what Ibn Hawkal said:

“Bulgar is a small city, there are no numerous districts in it, and was known for being a port for the above-mentioned states, and the Rus devastated it and came to Khazaran, Samandar and Itil in the year 358 (968/969) and set off immediately after to the country of Rum and Andalus ... And al-Khazar is a side, and there is a city in it called Samandar, and it is in the space between it and Bab al-Abwab, and there were numerous gardens in it ... there were neither grapes nor raisins left in the city ”.

In 965 Svyatoslav Igorevich arrives at Sarkel on the Don. Several battles were required to conquer this city. But the ruler did not celebrate the victory for long, since Itil, the main city of the Khazar Kaganate, appeared on the way. The conqueror got one more locality- Semender. This glorious city is located on the shores of the Caspian Sea.

The Khazar Kaganate fell before the onslaught of Svyatoslav, but this was not enough for the ruler. The prince tried to conquer and secure these lands for himself. Soon Sarkel was renamed Belaya Vezha. According to some reports, in the same years Kiev received Tmutarakan. It is believed that it was possible to retain power until the early 980s.

Domestic policy

The domestic policy of Svyatoslav Igorevich was active. The ruler set a goal for himself - to strengthen power by attracting military squads. Politics did not attract the young prince, therefore, there were no special changes in the internal activities of the state during the years of Svyatoslav's reign.

Despite his dislike for the internal affairs of Russia, Svyatoslav Igorevich made some adjustments. In particular, he formed a new system for collecting taxes and taxes. In different parts of the Old Russian state, special places were organized - churchyards. Here they collected money from residents. Svyatoslav Igorevich was able to overcome the Vyatichi, who now and then rebelled against the ruler. During the campaign, the prince pacified the violent people. Thanks to this, the treasury began to replenish again. Despite the work in this direction, Princess Olga took over most of the worries.

The wisdom of the reign of the Grand Duke is manifested after the birth of sons. Svyatoslav Igorevich needed to put loyal and devoted people on the thrones in different cities. In Kiev, Yaropolk ruled, in Novgorod, Oleg became the prince of Drevlyansky.

Foreign policy

Foreign policy became the passion of the young prince. He has several major wars on his account - with the Bulgarian kingdom and Byzantium. Many versions in history have these important events for Russia. Historians have focused on two variations of the struggle against the Bulgarian kingdom. The first opinion was that it all started with the conflict between Byzantium and the Bulgarian kingdom. In this regard, the Byzantine emperor turned to Svyatoslav Igorevich for help. It was his soldiers who were supposed to attack Bulgaria.

The second opinion is that Byzantium tried to weaken Kiev prince since the ruler was able to conquer their lands. And in the Byzantine state there was no peace: the ambassador who arrived to Svyatoslav decided to arrange a conspiracy against his emperor. He persuaded the Russian prince, promised him Bulgarian lands and treasures from the treasury of Byzantium.

The invasion of Bulgaria took place in 968. Svyatoslav Igorevich managed to overcome opponents and conquer Pereyaslavets, located at the mouth of the Danube. Relations with the Byzantine state began to deteriorate gradually. In the same year, the Pechenegs raided Kiev, so the prince had to urgently return to the capital of Russia. In 969, Princess Olga died, who was involved in the internal politics of the state. This prompted Svyatoslav Igorevich to involve children in the government. The prince did not want to stay in the capital:

“I don’t like to sit in Kiev, I want to live in Pereyaslavets on the Danube - for there is the middle of my land, all the benefits flow there: from the Greek land, gold, poultry, wine, various fruits; from the Czech Republic and from Hungary silver and horses; from Russia furs and wax, honey and slaves. "

Despite the fact that it was the Byzantine government that organized the raid on the Bulgarians, the latter turned to them for help in the fight against Svyatoslav. The emperor thought for a long time what to do, but then decided to strengthen his state with a dynastic marriage. At the end of 969, the sovereign dies, and John Tzimiskes ascended the throne. He did not allow a Bulgarian son and a Byzantine maiden to get engaged.

Painting "Meeting of Svyatoslav with John Tzimiskes". K. Lebedev, 1916

Realizing that Byzantium is no longer an assistant, the authorities of the Bulgarian state decide to conclude an agreement with Svyatoslav Igorevich. Together, the rulers go against Byzantium. Military tension between the empire and the Russian state was growing. Gradually, troops were brought up to the fortresses. In 970, there was an attack on Byzantium. On the side of Svyatoslav were Bulgarians, Hungarians and Pechenegs. Despite serious advantages in terms of the number of military personnel, Prince Svyatoslav Igorevich was defeated in a general battle.

The painting "Trizna of Svyatoslav's vigilantes after the battle at Dorostol in 971". Henryk Siemiradzki

A year later, the troops regained their strength and again began to raid the Byzantine state. Now the rulers clashed in battle. Again, the fighters of Byzantium were more successful. They captured the Bulgarian king and got close to Svyatoslav. In one of the battles, the prince was wounded. After that, the Byzantine emperor and the Russian ruler sat down at the negotiating table. Svyatoslav Igorevich leaves Bulgaria, but restores trade relations with Byzantium. Now the eastern part of the Bulgarian state is subordinate to the emperor. The western regions gained independence.

Personal life

Military campaigns became the main goal of the life of Svyatoslav Igorevich. The prince's personal life was going well. The ruler became the father of three sons - Yaropolk, Oleg and Vladimir. The young sons took care of the internal politics of the state while their father conquered new territories.

Painting "Grand Duke Svyatoslav kissing his mother and his children on his return from the Danube to Kiev". I. A. Akimov, 1773

In the official documents of that time, there is no information about his wife, who gave birth to two eldest sons. It is known about Vladimir's mother. The woman was not married to the prince, but was a concubine.

Death and memory

The biography of Svyatoslav Igorevich ends in March 972. The prince could not remain at the mouth of the Dnieper. Together with the army, the ruler tried to get through the ambush of the Pechenegs. This was a disastrous mistake, as the weakened fighters fell at the hands of the nomads. The Pechenegs brutally dealt with Svyatoslav:

“And smoking attacked him, prince of Pechenezh; and they killed Svyatoslav, and cut off his head, and made a cup out of the skull, bound the skull, and then they drank from it. "

During his reign, the prince expanded the territory of the state and received the nickname Brave. Svyatoslav is so called in historical references. The memory of Svyatoslav Igorevich still lives on. The image of the warrior prince was used in fiction and art. At the beginning of the 20th century, the first monument "Svyatoslav on the way to Tsar-grad" appeared. The sculptures are located in Kiev and the Ukrainian regions.

A kind of photo is available on the Internet. According to the descriptions of the prince's contemporaries, the masters created a portrait: a man of medium height, snub-nosed, with bushy eyebrows, blue eyes, long mustache, strong nape and wide chest.

Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation

Serero-Caucasian State Technical University

abstract

By discipline: "History of the Fatherland"

On the topic: "The first Rurikovichs: historical portraits (Olga, Svyatoslav, Vladimir)

Completed by a student

group TD-041

Sanko Natalia

Checked by: Prokopenko E.E.

Stavropol, 2004

Plan

1. Olga the Wise …………………………………………………… 3

2. Svyatoslav Igorevich ……………………………………………… 5

3. Vladimir I Svyatoslavovich .. …………………………………… .6

4. Conclusion ………………………………………………………… 9

5. Bibliography …………………………………………………… .10

Olga the Wise

V 945 year, having learned about the death of her husband, Olga (945-964) took the reins of government into her own hands, since her son and legal heir, Svyatoslav, with Igor, was still too small. But later, when he grew up, he was only interested in military campaigns, and the management of Russian lands was still in the hands of Princess Olga until her death.

Nobody knows anything reliable about Olga's origin. In the annals we read that Igor brought himself a wife from Pleskov in 903. There are different opinions about this "Pleskov" - whether it is Pskov, or the Bulgarian city of Pliskuvot. Her name is Varangian.

She belonged, says the Joachim Chronicle, to the family of the Izborsk princes, one of the forgotten ancient Russian princely dynasties that existed in Russia in the 10th – 11th centuries. not less than twenty, but which were all supplanted over time by the Rurikovichs or merged with them through marriages. Some of them were of local Slavic origin, others were alien, Varangian. It is known that the Scandinavian kings, invited to reign in Russian cities, invariably adopted the Russian language, often Russian names, and quickly became real Russians both in their way of life and in their outlook and even in physical appearance.

So Igor's wife was called by the Varangian name Helga, in Russian pronunciation - Olga, Volga. Female name Olga corresponds to the male Oleg (Helgi), which means "saint." Although the pagan understanding of holiness is completely different from the Christian, it also presupposes in a person a special spiritual attitude, chastity and sobriety, intelligence and sagacity. Revealing the spiritual meaning of the name, the people called Oleg Prophetic, Olga - Wise.

The beginning of Olga's reign was overshadowed by barbaric, truly medieval acts of revenge against the Drevlyans for the death of her husband. First, she ordered to bury the Drevlyan ambassadors alive in the ground, who had come to woo her for their prince. And she burned two of them in the bathhouse. Then, with the help of devilish cunning, she burned the capital of the Drevlyans, the city of Iskorosten. I must say that her own squad fully approved of these actions.

Her victory over the Drevlyans, despite the severity of the victor, was a victory of the Christian, creative forces in the Russian state over the pagan, dark and destructive forces.

Despite her advanced age, the princess during her reign traveled, as the chronicles report, the whole state and left traces of her economic activities everywhere. Already in the first years, she won the favor of the people by ending external military campaigns. Detachments of mercenary Varangians, who always found themselves work under Igor, Olga regularly sent to help Byzantium, thereby saving on their maintenance. Her extraordinary intelligence and energy allowed her to create the first efficiently working system of government for the principality in Russia. Olga was forced to organize the collection of tribute. She established "lessons" - the size of the tribute and "churchyards" - the places for collecting the tribute. The churchyards arranged by Olga, being financial, administrative and judicial centers, represented a solid support of the grand ducal power in the localities. Olgin's graveyards became the most important unit of the ethnic and cultural unification of the Russian people. Princess Olga put a lot of work into strengthening the country's defensive power. Historians attribute the establishment of the first state borders of Russia to the time of Olga - in the west, with Poland. In the reign of Igor and Olga, the lands of the Tivertsy, ulcers and finally the Drevlyans were annexed to Kiev.

The princess laid the foundation for stone construction. The first stone buildings in Kiev - the city palace and Olga's country house. (The palace, or rather its foundation and the remains of the walls, were found and excavated in 1971-1972.) The construction of temples began - the temple of Sophia the Wisdom of God in Kiev, founded shortly after Olga returned from Constantinople, and consecrated on May 11, 960. This day was subsequently celebrated in the Russian Church as a special church holiday.

In order to establish trade and diplomatic relations, the Kiev princess repeatedly visited Byzantium.

The Kiev princess was the first of the supreme Russian rulers to accept the rite of baptism into the Orthodox faith. The sacrament of Baptism was performed on her by Patriarch Theophylact of Constantinople (933–956), and the emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus (912–959) himself was the recipient. She was given the name Helena at Baptism in honor of St. Helena Equal to the Apostles (Comm. 21 May), the mother of St. Honest Tree Cross of the Lord in the edifying word spoken after the ceremony. The patriarch said: “Blessed are you in the wives of the Russians, for you left the darkness and loved the Light. Russian people will bless you in all future generations, from grandchildren and great-grandchildren to your most distant descendants. " He instructed her in the truths of faith, church statutes and prayer rules, explained the commandments about fasting, chastity and charity. “She,” says the Monk Nestor the Chronicler, bowed her head and stood like a soldered lip, listening to the teaching, and bowing to the Patriarch, said: “By your prayers, Vladyka, may I be saved from the enemy's nets”.

But among the boyars and warriors in Kiev there were many people who "hated Wisdom", like the holy princess Olga, who built her temples. The zealots of pagan antiquity raised their heads more and more boldly, looking with hope at the growing Svyatoslav, who resolutely rejected his mother's persuasions to accept Christianity and was even angry with her for it. The insidiousness of Byzantium, which did not want to give Russia Christianity, played into the hands of the pagans. In search of a solution, Saint Olga turns her gaze to the west. Saint Olga belonged to the still undivided Church and hardly had the opportunity to delve into the theological subtleties of the Greek and Latin doctrines. The confrontation between the West and the East seemed to her primarily as a political rivalry, secondary in comparison with the urgent task - the creation of the Russian Church, the Christian enlightenment of Russia.

It turned out that over the past two years, as Olga had foreseen, a final revolution in favor of the supporters of paganism took place in Kiev and, having become neither Orthodox nor Catholic, Russia generally changed its mind to accept Christianity. The pagan reaction manifested itself so strongly that not only German missionaries suffered, but also some of the Kiev Christians who were baptized with Olga in Constantinople. By order of Svyatoslav, the nephew of Saint Olga Gleb was killed and some of the churches she had completed were destroyed. Of course, this was not without Byzantine secret diplomacy: opposed to Olga and alarmed by the possibility of strengthening Russia at the expense of an alliance with Otto, the Greeks preferred to support the pagans.

Her days were numbered, labors and sorrows undermined her strength. On July 11, 969, Saint Olga died, "and her son and grandchildren and all people wept for her with great lamentation." In recent years, amid the triumph of paganism, she, once a proud mistress who was baptized by the Patriarch in the capital of Orthodoxy, had to secretly keep a priest with her so as not to cause a new outbreak of anti-Christian fanaticism. But before her death, having regained her former firmness and determination, she forbade pagan feasts to be performed on her and bequeathed to openly bury her according to the Orthodox rite. Presbyter Gregory, who was with her in 957 in Constantinople, exactly fulfilled her will.

The Russian Orthodox Church canonized her and named her equal to the apostles, that is, equal to the apostles, companions of Jesus Christ himself. The memory of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga is celebrated on July 11. All of Olga's Russian girls are named after her.

Under the holy prince Vladimir, according to some sources in 1007, the relics of Saint Olga were transferred to the Tithe Church of the Assumption Holy Mother of God and put in a special sarcophagus, in which it was customary to lay the relics of saints in the Orthodox East.

Svyatoslav Igorevich

In the early 60s, Olga, after the death of her husband, was forced to transfer the reign to her son Svyatoslav.

“Remaining a three-year-old child after the death of his father, who was killed by the Drevlyans, Svyatoslav (964-972) increased among the vigilantes, - evidenced by the Russian Biographical Dictionary of 1904. Already in 946, he was at the head of a squad that opposed the Drevlyans with revenge for the death of Igor; a little four-year-old prince is put on a horse and given a spear in his hands, which he throws at his enemies; a spear thrown by a weak child's hand falls at the feet of the prince's horse; the squad, seeing at the head of the infant leader who has begun the battle, bravely rushes to the enemies and quickly overcomes them. "

The historian Lev the Deacon described Svyatoslav's appearance: "Of medium height, with thick eyebrows, with blue eyes, a flat nose and thick, long hair hanging on the upper lip. His head was completely naked, but a curl hung on only one side of it. hair, signifying the nobility of the family, thick neck, broad shoulders and the whole body is rather slender. He seemed gloomy and wild. "

In his mature years, Svyatoslav did not recognize and did not consider himself a Kiev prince, and in the 40s he lived in Novgorod.

Svyatoslav's tutor was Asmud, and the governor was Sveneld. As soon as Svyatoslav matured, he discovered the typical features of a prince-vigilante; Zemstvo affairs were of little interest to him; he was drawn to military enterprises in distant lands.

The chronicles preserved a description of the marching life of the prince and his squad: "... he walked easily on campaigns," like a pardus "(like a leopard), and fought a lot. Thinly chopping horse meat, or game, or beef, roasting it on coals, he ate it. ".

Svyatoslav was faced with the task of protecting Russia from the raids of nomads (Pechenegs) and clearing trade routes to other countries. Svyatoslav coped with this task successfully, which allows us to speak of him as a capable leader and commander.

In 964 Svyatoslav began a fierce struggle against the Khazar Kaganate, which posed a constant threat to Kiev. First, Svyatoslav frees the Vyatichi lands from the Khazars and subordinates the latter to Kiev. Then he won victories over the Volga Bulgars, the North Caucasian tribes of the Yases, Kasogs, Kabardians, Circassians and Adyghes. The victories of Svyatoslav so weakened the Khazar Kaganate that he was no longer able to revive his former power and soon disintegrated.

In 967-968. in alliance with Byzantium, Svyatoslav fought with Bulgaria over the Danube. The brilliant victories of the Kiev prince frightened the Byzantine emperor Nikifor Foku - he reconciled with the Bulgarians, and then concluded a secret alliance with the Pechenegs. In the summer of 968, the Pechenegs laid siege to Kiev. There was no squad capable of repelling the enemy in Kiev. Olga with her three young grandchildren took refuge behind the fortress walls. Svyatoslav with the army was far away, but on the left bank of the Dnieper there was a small squad of the Kiev governor Pretich, capable of resisting the Pechenegs for a short time. No one young Kievite managed to get through the Pechenezh camp, swim across the Dnieper and notify Pretich about the invasion of nomads. When Pretich's squad suddenly appeared at the walls of Kiev, the Pechenegs, frightened by the military valor of the Russians, made peace and left the city.

In 969 Svyatoslav returned to Kiev. He divided his possessions between his sons: Yaropolk gave Kiev, Oleg - the land of Drevlyansk, Vladimir - Novgorod, and he again went to Bulgaria, intending to move the capital of Russia to the Bulgarian city of Predslavets, where, as he believed, “benefits from different »: Silk, gold, Byzantine utensils, silver and horses from Hungary and the Czech Republic, wax, honey, furs and captive slaves from Russia.

Returning to Bulgaria (970), Svyatoslav found there not subjects, but enemies, who had to be brought into submission with fire and sword. The Byzantine Emperor John Tzimiskes, fearing the consolidation of Svyatoslav's power, demanded that he leave Bulgaria. Svyatoslav refused, and a bloody war ensued. A decisive battle took place near the city of Adrianople. Before the battle, Svyatoslav said to his squad: “Flight will not save us. Let us not put the Russian land to shame, but let us lie down here on the bones, for the dead have no shame! Let's get strong. I go before you, and when I put my head on, then do what you want. " The small squad of Svyatoslav rushed at the Byzantines with such fury that the army of Tzimiskes could not resist and fled. After this battle, having met on the banks of the Danube, Svyatoslav and John Tzimiskes concluded an armistice.

In the next 971, the Byzantine emperor, breaking the truce, laid siege to the city of Pereyaslavets (headquarters of Svyatoslav). After a long siege and examples of desperate bravery of Russian soldiers, Svyatoslav concluded a peace treaty with Ion Tzimiskes and led his thinning army to Kiev.

However, the insidious Byzantine emperor, wishing to finally destroy Svyatoslav, let the Pechenezh khan Kura know that "... the Kiev prince is returning to his fatherland with small forces, but with great riches." In the spring of 972, at the Dnieper rapids (on the island of Khortitsa), Svyatoslav was ambushed and died along with his squad in an unequal battle. According to legend, Khan Kurya made a cup from Svyatoslav's skull and, as a sign of his military prowess, drank only from it.

According to pagan custom, Svyatoslav had several wives. The mother of princes Yaropolk and Oleg Drevlyansky was the Pechenezh (or Hungarian) princess Predslava, and the future Grand Duke Kiev Vladimir was born from the housekeeper Malusha (servant of Princess Olga).

Vladimir I Svyatoslavovich

Vladimir (980-1015)(ancient Vladimir) Svyatoslavich - the Grand Duke of Kiev, in baptism Vasily, saint and equal to the apostles, the son of Svyatoslav Igorevich and Malusha, the housekeeper of Princess Olga.

S.M.Soloviev wrote about Prince Vladimir:<...личный характер Владимира был способен.... возбудить сильную народную привязанность. Владимир вовсе не был князем воинственным, не отличался удалью, подобно отцу своему, в крайности решался на бегство перед врагом, спешил укрыться в безопасном месте; предание, сохранившееся в песнях, также не приписывает ему личной отваги, выставляет его вовсе не охотником до проявлений дикой силы. Но Владимир имел широкую душу, которая в молодости могла повести его к излишествам, освященным, впрочем, языческими понятиями, и которая в летах зрелых, особенно под влиянием христианским, сделала его красным солнцем для народа>.

Soloviev noted that<главная черта деятельности Владимира состоит в защите Русской земли, в постоянной борьбе со степными варварами>.

Traditional history reign of Vladimir, based on the "Tale of Bygone Years" (early XII century), is as follows: Svyatoslav, finally leaving for the Danube, divided his principality into three parts; Vladimir, at the request of the Novgorodians, he planted in Novgorod (970). After the death of Svyatoslav (972), there was a strife between Yaropolk and Oleg Svyatoslavich; the last one fell (977). Fearing the same fate, Vladimir fled to the Varangians across the sea, two years later he returned, occupied Novgorod, declared war on Yaropolk and took possession of Rogneda, the daughter of the Polotsk prince. Rogneda's refusal led to the capture of Polotsk, the death of Prince Rogvolod and the violent capture of Rogneda as Vladimir's wife. When Yaropolk died, Vladimir reigned in Kiev (980). The Varangians, who were helping Vladimir, demanded tribute, but Vladimir got rid of them, partly sending them to the cities, partly sending them to Byzantium. In 981

Having become the Grand Duke of Kiev and the sovereign master of the Russian Land, Vladimir led the campaigns against the Vyatichi, Radimichi, Poles and Yatvingians. In each of the conquered lands, Vladimir found himself a new wife (according to legend, he had more than eight hundred of them). His first wife, Rogneda, popularly nicknamed Gorislava, hated her husband for killing her father and her brothers. Once she tried to stab her sleeping husband with a dagger. But the accident helped Vladimir to avoid death. Rogneda's dagger was already brought up when the prince suddenly woke up and managed to ward off the fatal blow. Vladimir decided to punish Rogneda, who had encroached on his life, but his young son Izyaslav, entering the bedchamber, blocked his mother. “My parent! You are not alone here! ”He said. Vladimir threw down his sword and left. On the advice of the boyars, Vladimir sent Rogneda and Izyaslav from Kiev to the land of Vitebsk, where he built a new city for the disgraced wife and son, calling it Izyaslavl.

He fought with the Pechenegs, this war went on with varying success: in 992 the Pechenegs attacked, Vladimir's troops met them near Pereyaslavl, the Russians stood on one side of the river, the Pechenegs on the other, and neither one nor the other was in a hurry to cross the river; in the end, the Pecheneg prince proposed to solve the matter by single combat: if the Russian wins, they will make peace for three years, and if the Pechenegs, they will fight for three years; the Russian defeated the Pechenegs and the Pechenegs fled; Vladimir's joy was so great that he ordered to build a city on this place and named it Pereyaslavl,<потому что боей (воин. - Ред.) русский перенял славу у печенежского>; in 995, Vladimir with an army was forced to flee from the Pechenegs near Vasiliev; in 997, when Vladimir went to Novgorod to collect an army, the Pechenegs attacked Belgorod (the city was miraculously saved). He fought with Volga Bulgaria (987 - news of Vladimir's first campaign against the Bulgarians; by the way, one curious detail is connected with this campaign: when the Bulgarians were defeated, Dobrynya, the uncle and adviser of Prince Vladimir, told him:<Такие не будут нам давать дани: они все в сапогах; пойдем искать лапотников>; there are also known successful campaigns for Vladimir against the Bulgarians in 994 and 997; in 1006, a trade agreement was concluded with the Volga Bulgarians, according to which the Russians could freely travel to trade in the Bulgarian cities). His wars with Byzantium and Poland (campaign of 992) are also known.

During his reign, defensive lines were built along the Desna, Osetr, Trubezh, Suda and others rivers. During his reign, stone development began in Kiev and the city was reinforced anew. This was largely due to the need to constantly defend against the Pechenegs. According to legend, Vladimir said:<Худо, что мало городов около Киева>- and ordered to cut (build) cities.

It was Vladimir who established the first schools for teaching literacy in Russia, but this was done under the influence of Christianity and in order to be able to train his own Russian priests.

Most of all, Vladimir became famous for baptizing Russia, that is, it was by his order that many people adopted the Christian faith. By birth and upbringing, he was a pagan. But gradually it turned out that the interests of the state demanded the adoption by all of one faith, a faith that could unite disparate tribes into one people, in order to oppose enemies together and earn the respect of allies. But the peoples who lived around Russia prayed to different gods. In 987, Vladimir's decision to abandon paganism and accept the true Faith finally matured. At the invitation of the Grand Duke, representatives of various faiths came to Kiev: Muslims, Catholics, Jews and Orthodox. In turn, Vladimir sent to different countries"... ten intelligent men for the collection of news about worship, rituals and miracles, performed by the will of one God."

By 988, following the example of his grandmother Olga and on the advice of the boyars, Vladimir made the final decision: to accept the Orthodox faith and baptize the entire Russian people. In the same year, with a large army, the Kiev prince approached the city of Korsun (belonging to Byzantium) and laid siege to it. As a condition for lifting the siege, he set the requirement that Anna, the sister of the Byzantine emperors Basil and Constantine, should become his wife. According to legend, Vladimir lost his sight, as soon as Anna, who arrived from Constantinople, entered the Korsun coast. “Only holy baptism can heal you, Prince of Kiev,” she said to Vladimir. As soon as the bishop of Korsun laid his hands on Vladimir, the sight returned to the Grand Duke. The boyars accompanying Vladimir immediately followed his example and accepted Holy Baptism.

Since 988, Orthodoxy has become the state religion in Russia. In Kiev, Vladimir baptized sons, servants, and townspeople. He dissolved his harem, leaving his only wife - the Byzantine princess Anna. In the same year, all the pagan temples were destroyed. The main Kiev idol, Perun, made of wood, with golden hair and a silver mustache, was beaten with sticks and thrown into the Dnieper. Having adopted Christianity, Vladimir became a merciful, generous and just ruler. It was then that the Grand Duke of Kiev was nicknamed the Red Sun by the people.

In 990, Vladimir divided the state between the children: he gave Izyaslav Polotsk, Yaroslav - Novgorod, Boris - Rostov, Gleb - Murom, Svyatoslav - Drevlyansky land, Vsevolod - Volynsky Vladimir, Mstislav - Tmutrakan, Svyatopolk (adopted nephew) - Turov. Historians believe that this was the biggest mistake of all possible, which subsequently led to the fragmentation of Russia into separate principalities and civil strife.

In the following years of his reign, Vladimir defeated the Croats, once again defeated the Pechenegs and prepared to go to war with the Polish king Boleslav the Brave. Svyatopolk Turovsky was married to Boleslav's daughter, whom his father-in-law stubbornly incited to accept the Catholic faith and seize the grand ducal power. Vladimir, learning about this (1013), imprisoned his son and daughter-in-law in prison. A year later, the son of Yaroslav, who reigned in Novgorod, rebelled against his father. Preparing for the campaign against Yaroslav, Vladimir fell seriously ill and died on July 15, 1015.

The flourishing of Kievan Rus is associated with the reign of the Grand Duke of Kiev Vladimir. Perhaps that is why the chronicle calls him great (in his honor in 1782 Empress Catherine II established the Order of St. Vladimir), the people - the Red Sun, and the church - saints (Prince Vladimir is canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church).

Conclusion

Each historical era gives birth to outstanding figures of their time, progressive and reactionary. Their achievements are assessed in accordance with his age and conditions, and not from the position of today. Thus, the first Russian princes acted in the name of the interests of Russia, they were able to organize polyudye, military-trade expeditions in order to sell the goods received during the polyudya, they fought against nomads, expanded the territory of the state, capturing and uniting various tribes and peoples. And finally, Christianity was adopted, which strengthened the power and territorial unity of Kievan Rus. The adoption of Christianity was of great international importance, which consisted in the fact that Russia, having rejected "primitive" paganism, was now becoming equal to other Christian countries, relations with which had significantly expanded. Finally, the adoption of Christianity played a large role in the development of Russian culture. In the Orthodox tradition, it has become one of the determining factors of our further historical development.

So Olga, Igor's widow, established the norms of duties - smoke. Dates and places of collecting tribute: lessons and churchyards. Olga was the first member of the princely family to convert to Christianity around 955.

The son of Olga and Igor Svyatoslav paid more attention to foreign affairs. From 964 to 972 he wages almost continuous wars with the Volga Bulgaria and Khazaria. He founded the Tmutarakan principality on the Taman Peninsula. He fought with the Bulgarians on the Balkan Peninsula, with Byzantium and died in 972 in an ambush of the Pechenegs at the Dnieper rapids.

After the death of Svyatoslav, for 8 years there was a struggle between his sons for the Kiev throne. Vladimir became the Grand Duke. During the years of his reign up to 1015, Russia made a significant step forward in its development. The princely power was strengthened, a number of fortresses were built to the south of Kiev, which protected it from the raids of the kachevniki, the territory of the state was expanded. In 988 he converted to Christianity, and then introduced it to Russia for several years. After the death of Vladimir Svyatoslavovich in 1015, the struggle for the princely throne began again, in which Yaroslav the Wise won.

Bibliography.

1. Valentina Valkova, Olga Valkova "Rulers of Russia"

2. Orlov A.S. et al "Fundamentals of the course of the history of Russia", Moscow, Prostor, 2002

3. "The history of Russia in the faces of the V-XX centuries", Moscow, " Russian word", 1997

4. M.N. Zuev "History of Russia", Moscow, 1998

5. Edited by A.N. Sazarova, A.A. Novoseltseva "History of Russia from ancient times to the end of the 17th century", Moscow, AST, 1996

6. "Reader on the history of Russia", Moscow, "International relations", 1994

The reign of Svyatoslav (briefly)

The reign of Prince Svyatoslav - a short description

The Russian prince Svyatoslav spent the main part of his life in military campaigns. His first baptism of fire took place at the age of four. This campaign against the Drevlyans was organized by the mother of Svyatoslav, the Grand Duchess Olga, who thus decided to avenge her husband Prince Igor, whom the Drevlyans brutally killed. According to the Slavic tradition, only a prince could lead an army, and it was the four-year-old Svyatoslav who threw the first spear, thereby giving the order to the army.

Internal state political affairs did not interest Svyatoslav at all, and therefore he gave all the rights to resolve these issues to his mother. The prince was a real warrior, and his squad was mobile, since Svyatoslav did not take with him any tents or any comforts. In addition, the prince enjoyed authority even among enemies, since he never attacked stealthily, but warned the enemy about an attack.

In 964, Prince Svyatoslav went on a campaign to Khazaria. His route passes through the lands of the Vyatichi, who paid tribute to the Khazars. Svyatoslav makes them pay tribute to Russia and again sets out on the road (to the Volga). After the defeat of the Volga Bulgaria, the great warrior prince in 965 completely defeated the Khazars, capturing their main city, Belaya Vezha. This campaign was completed with the capture of the Caucasus.

The rest in Kiev from military labors was not long, since the arrived embassy of Nikifor Foki asked for help against the Bulgarians who lived on the Danube lands. This campaign was also crowned with success. Moreover, Prince Svyatoslav even wanted to move his capital from Kiev to Pereyaslavets.

In 968, during the absence of Svyatoslav in Kiev, the Pechenegs surrounded the city. Only thanks to the voivode Petich summoned by Olga did the nomads retreat. After returning to the Kiev lands, the prince was completely driven far beyond the borders of the state.

After the death of Princess Olga in 969, Svyatoslav left his sons (Yaropolk, Vladimir and Oleg) to rule, and he himself put forward a squad in a new military campaign against the Bulgarians, which ended very badly for the Russian squad, where, during the war with the Greeks, Svyatoslav concluded a peace treaty according to which he had to leave the land, hand over the prisoners and prevent any attacks on Byzantium.

At the same time, Kiev was again surrounded by the Pechenegs, who defeated the army of Svyatoslav, killing the prince. After him, his son Vladimir ascended to the Kiev throne.

Karamzin called Prince Svyatoslav "Russian Macedonian", historian Grushevsky - "Cossack on the throne." Svyatoslav was the first to make an active attempt at an extensive expansion of the lands. Legends are still circulating about his exploits ...

Svyatoslav's reign

After the death of his father, Igor Rurikovich, from the Drevlyans in 945, the three-year-old Svyatoslav formally became a prince, but de facto his mother, Olga, ruled the cities.
According to the Tale of Bygone Years, already at the age of four, Svyatoslav had the opportunity to demonstrate his courage: together with her young son Olga went on a campaign against the Drevlyans, and “Svyatoslav threw a spear at them, and the spear flew between the horse's ears and hit the horse in the legs, for it was Svyatoslav still a child. "

Having besieged the Drevlyansky Iskorosten, the cunning Olga did not take revenge for the murder of her husband, and offered the offenders an insignificant tribute, "from each yard, three pigeons and three sparrows." The Drevlyans rejoiced at such mercy, not recognizing the military cunning: according to the legendary description of Nestor, the army of Olga and Svyatoslav tied tinder to the birds, the city was in flames, after which it was completely ruined.

In 955, Olga went to Constantinople to be baptized, but returning home, she could not persuade her son to do the same - he was faithful to paganism until the end of his days. “How can I alone accept another faith? And my squad will scoff. "

The chronicles describe Svyatoslav as a brave warrior who does not shy away from living in the same conditions as ordinary warriors: on campaigns he did not have his own tent, he did not carry with him "neither carts, nor cauldrons", frying the meat of animals caught along the way on the fire ...

Svyatoslav became famous for the fact that he sent a messenger with the laconic phrase "I want to go to you ..." In 965, he defeated the Khazar Kaganate, and established himself in the former Khazar territories, including in the cities of Belaya Vezha and Tmutarakan.

Hike to the Bulgarians

In 966, a conflict was brewing between the Byzantine Empire and Bulgaria. Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus called the Bulgarians a "godless people" and tried to promote internal political strife in Bulgaria, which by that time was a dangerous rival of Byzantium. In addition, Constantinople paid a shameful tribute to the Bulgarians, and in 966 the ambassadors who came for it were expelled from the city: this was the beginning of the confrontation.

Portrait of Svyatoslav Igorevich from the Royal Titular Book of the 17th century.

A year later, the emperor of Byzantium sent patrician Kalokira with an embassy to Svyatoslav in order to ask for help in crushing the Bulgarian kingdom - and the prince agreed, having received almost 500 kilograms of gold to arm the troops. However, Kalokir had his own, rather ambitious plans - he persuaded Svyatoslav to assist him in seizing the Byzantine throne after the Bulgarian campaign.

In 968 Svyatoslav defeated the Bulgarians and stayed in Pereyaslavets, where, presumably, he wanted to found a new capital of his state, "for there is the middle of my land, all the benefits flow there." After a successful campaign, Svyatoslav had to urgently return to Kiev, which in his absence was besieged by the Pechenegs. However, even the death of his mother due to illness did not delay him there for a long time: after defeating the Pechenegs, the warlike Svyatoslav again organized a campaign against Bulgaria.

War with Byzantium

Svyatoslav again managed to defeat the Bulgarian troops and firmly establish himself in the capital of the Bulgarian kingdom - Pereyaslavets, which seriously worried the Byzantine power. Having provoked the Russians to a war with Bulgaria, the Byzantine Empire somewhat miscalculated, since now the mighty army of Svyatoslav stood near its borders.

He was asked to leave there, according to a previously concluded agreement, but the prince refused, hoping to use the captured lands for the needs of his state, which had significantly increased in size. The clash of interests ended in a large-scale war between Russia and Byzantium: its results, however, are illuminated in different ways in the ancient chronicles.

The tale of bygone years speaks of the crushing victory of the princely warriors, who defeated the Byzantine army, which was ten times greater in number. According to Nestor, Svyatoslav's army reached almost to Constantinople itself, subsequently collecting a huge tribute.

But Byzantine historians give a completely different picture: during the battles, the Byzantine warrior Anemas "rushed forward on horseback, rushed to Sfendoslav (Svyatoslav), and hitting him on the collarbone with a sword, threw him head down, but did not kill him."

After this event, despite all the bravery of the Russian troops, Svyatoslav enters into peace negotiations with the emperor of Byzantium, and requires the following conditions: he gives the Byzantines Bulgaria, and in exchange, Byzantium will not pursue his army on the way to Kiev, and in particular, it will not attack “On them along the road with fire-carrying ships” - this meant the famous “Median fire”.

After the conclusion of the peace treaty, Svyatoslav met with Emperor John, and the Byzantine chronicle describes in detail all the details of this historical meeting, including the appearance of the prince: “Sfendoslav also appeared, having sailed along the river on a Scythian boat; he sat on the oars and rowed with his entourage, no different from them.

This is what his appearance was: of moderate height, not too tall and not very short, with shaggy, eyebrows and light blue eyes, snub-nosed, beardless, with thick, excessively long hair over upper lip... His head was completely naked, but on one side a tuft of hair hung down - a sign of the nobility of the family; a strong back of the head, wide chest and all other parts of the body are quite proportionate, but he looked sullen and wild.

He had a gold earring inserted into one ear; it was adorned with a carbuncle, framed by two pearls. His attire was white and differed from the clothes that were close to him only in cleanliness. "
Many historians are of the opinion that such a description is far from reality and was only a stereotypical visual characteristic of the "steppe", as the Byzantines saw the prince of the Russ. After the meeting, the sovereigns parted as allies - however, it is not known whether their truce was sincere.

Death of Svyatoslav

It is possible that Byzantium still did not leave Svyatoslav alone: ​​after the armistice, John sent messengers to the Pechenegs, a tribe that, according to the Byzantines, "devoured lice, carried dwellings with it and spent most of its life in carts."

Most likely, it was the emperor who ordered the Pechenegs to make an ambush, waiting for the approaching Svyatoslav; one way or another, while trying to cross the Dnieper, the Pechenegs attacked the prince and killed him, and then made a bowl out of his skull. Svyatoslav died, fighting along with his retinue, as it should be for a noble commander.

Prince Svyatoslav, with his numerous military companies, has become a real legend for Russian and Ukrainian historians. Karamzin called him the Russian Alexander the Great, and Grushevsky called him a Cossack on the throne. The memory of the great conqueror lives on well in our days: songs are composed in honor of the famous "Coming to You", novels are written about Svyatoslav and coins with his portrait are issued.

Sergey Zotov