Kievan Rus Vernadsky Georgy Vladimirovich

2. Internecine struggle of the sons of Vladimir (1015-1036)

2. Internecine struggle of the sons of Vladimir (1015-1036)

After the death of Vladimir, a bloody feud between his sons began. The lack of brotherly love between them can partly be explained by the fact that they were only half-brothers. Before his baptism, the Grand Duke had had many wives, and there was no doubt great tension in relations between different families. Of his numerous offspring, Yaroslav, Mstislav and Izyaslav are considered the sons of Rogneda. Svyatopolk is of dubious origin, the son of Yaropolk's widow, whom Vladimir married when she was already pregnant, according to the chronicler. Svyatoslav's mother is the Czech wife of Vladimir, Boris and Gleb are the sons of a Bulgarian woman, according to The Tale of Bygone Years. However, as described in the “Tale” about the sufferings of the last two, who were later canonized as saints, Gleb was just a child at the time of the murder (1015). If so, then he must have been the son of the prince's first Christian wife, the Byzantine princess Anna.129

Apparently, Vladimir intended to transfer his state to Boris, one of the youngest sons, to whom, during his last illness, he entrusted the command of the troops sent against the Pechenegs. Boris was already returning from the campaign and had just reached the banks of the Alta River when he received news of the death of his father and the seizure of the Kyiv throne by Svyatopolk. The squad urged Boris to oppose the latter, warning that otherwise Svyatopolk would kill him. Boris' position was typical of that thin upper stratum of Russian people who accepted Christianity in all seriousness. He did not want to resist evil with violence, he hated the thought of a war with his older brother, so he dismissed the vigilantes and calmly waited for the killers. He was killed, but by his very death, Boris remained forever alive in the memory of the people as a symbol of brotherly love. Boris and his brother Gleb, also killed by Svyatopolk's mercenaries, became the first Russians canonized by the Church. Another brother, Svyatoslav from the Drevlyane land, fled to the west, but was intercepted by Svyatopolk's envoys on their way to Hungary. Izyaslav Polotsky remained neutral and was not annoyed, Mstislav Tmutarakansky also did not see himself as a threat from Svyatopolk. It can be assumed that there was some kind of agreement between them, perhaps a non-aggression pact. In any case, Mstislav was busy expanding his possessions in the Azov region. In 1016, with the help of Byzantine troops, he fought against the remnants of the Khazars in the Crimea.130

The only brother who dared to rise up against Svyatopolk was Yaroslav of Novgorod, the reason for which the Novgorodians saw in their dissatisfaction with the Kievan supremacy over them. The war between these two people was more a struggle between Novgorod and Kiev than just a personal enmity between the brothers. It lasted four years (1015-1019), and both opponents used mercenary troops from other countries. Yaroslav hired the Varangian detachments, and Svyatopolk the Pechenegs. After the first defeat, Svyatopolk fled to Poland and made an alliance with King Boleslav I. Together they were able to recapture Kyiv from Yaroslav (1018), who, in turn, fled to Novgorod. Deciding that the danger was over, Svyatopolk quarreled with his Polish ally, and Boleslav returned home, taking with him two of Yaroslav's sisters and the boyars, who sympathized with Yaroslav, apparently as hostages. He also reunited the cities of Cherven with Poland.131 Svyatopolk's triumph, however, proved to be brief, because Yaroslav attacked him again some time later. Svyatopolk again hired detachments of the Pechenegs and lost again. This defeat became final, he died (1019), probably somewhere in Galicia, as he fled to the west. Now Yaroslav has a new opponent - his brother Mstislav. By this time, he was firmly entrenched in the eastern Crimea and Tmutarakan. In 1022, the Kosogs (Circassians) recognized him as their overlord after he killed their prince Rededya in a fight. This episode, apparently, is described in the epic, on the basis of which it is recorded in The Tale of Bygone Years.

Having strengthened his encirclement with the Khazars, Kosogs and, possibly, Yassians, Mstislav marched north and occupied the lands of the northerners, undoubtedly agreeing with the population, since they gave him soldiers. When he reached Chernigov, Yaroslav once again returned to Novgorod and again turned to the Varangians for help. Hakon the Blind responded by bringing a strong Varangian army to Novgorod.132

The decisive battle took place at Listven (near Chernigov), the victory went to Mstislav (1024). Yaroslav decided to compromise, and the brothers agreed to divide Rus' into two parts along the Dnieper. Although Kyiv at the same time went to Yaroslav, he preferred to stay in Novgorod. Mstislav made Chernigov his capital (1026). It should be noted that one of the Russian lands north of the Dnieper watershed - Polotsk - was not affected by the treaty. From that moment on, she was, to a certain extent, independent.

Yaroslav and Mstislav maintained a close alliance, and in 1031, using the death of King Boleslav and the troubles of Poland that followed, they recaptured the cities of Cherven and plundered the Polish lands. According to The Tale of Bygone Years, they also captured many Poles and sent them to different places. Yaroslav resettled his captives along the Ros River.133 It is interesting to note that during the period of cooperation between the brother-princes, Kyiv temporarily lost its dominant position in Russian politics. Now Novgorod and Chernigov acted as the leading political centers. Behind this political change, we can assume a change in the direction of the main trade routes. Novgorod, as before, controlled the northern part of the waterway of goods from the Baltic to the south, but from Chernigov goods were now sent along the steppe rivers and portages to the Azov region, and not along the lower Dnieper to the Black Sea and Constantinople. Perhaps this happened because the lower reaches of the Dnieper at that time were blocked by the Pechenegs. But the shift of the southern trade route could also be the result of a conscious policy of Mstislav, representing, in this case, the interests of the merchants of Tmutarakan. The Azov region lay at the crossroads of several trade routes: to Turkestan, to Transcaucasia and - through the Crimea - to Constantinople.

Without a doubt, it was precisely in order to establish complete control over the Azov region that Mstislav undertook a campaign against the Yasses, who lived in the lower reaches of the Don north of the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bAzov. They recognized his authority in 1029134

The chronicler describes Mstislav as “fat and red-faced, with big eyes, brave in battle, merciful and loving his squad, sparing no money, no food, no drink for her.” 135 As the ruler of Tmutarakan, Mstislav apparently bore the title of kagan. It is interesting to note that in the Tale of Igor's Campaign, the Chernigov prince Oleg, who also ruled Tmutarakan for some time, is also called a kagan. Thus, the reign of Mstislav is, in a certain sense, an attempt to replace the dominance of Kiev in Rus' with the dominance of Tmutarakan and to revive the ancient Russian Khaganate of pre-Kiev times. At that time, apparently, Tmutarakan was a kind of spiritual capital of Rus'.

Mstislav was a keen builder. During the fight with Rededea, he made a vow in case victory to build a church dedicated to the Mother of God in Tmutarakan, and kept his promise. When he moved the capital to Chernigov, he founded a majestic temple in honor of Christ the Savior. The chronicler notes that by the time of Mstislav's death the church was "higher than a rider, sitting on a horse, could reach with his hand." 136 It is significant that in their architectural style the churches of Mstislav followed the canon of Eastern Byzantine art (Transcaucasia and Anatolia). In this case, as in many others, artistic influences spread along trade routes.

It can be assumed that there was a migration of the population between Tmutarakan and the northern regions. Mstislav brought a large detachment of Kosozh warriors to Chernigov. Some of them may have settled in that part of the land of the northerners, which later became known as Pereyaslavl. Although this is not mentioned in the chronicles, the very name of the river in this area, Psol, is an indirect confirmation of this, since it is of Kosozh origin: in the Circassian language, psol means "water". The Psol River flows into the Dnieper from the east. Not far from this place, on the western bank of the Dnieper, there is a city called Cherkasy, which in Old Russian means "Circassians". This name is not found, however, in the sources of the Kievan period and was first mentioned in the 16th century. At that time, not only Kosogs were called Circassians in Russian, but also Ukrainian Cossacks; this suggests that, in the minds of the Russians of the Moscow period, there was a certain connection between the scythes and the Cossacks. Indeed, Ukrainian scientists of the 17th century believed that the word "Cossack" came from the word "kosog". From another point of view, the kozak (now usually spelled "kazak" in Russian) came from the Turkic "kazak", which means "a free inhabitant of the frontier land". In a word, the issue is not easy, and we cannot give it the necessary attention here.137 Suffice it to say that Mstislav's scythes may have settled where the Zaporizhzhya Cossacks appeared five centuries later as a strong military community.

Returning now to the policy of Yaroslav as the ruler of Novgorod, we must first of all mention the privileges granted to him by the laws of 1016 and 1019 to the northern capital in order to reward the Novgorodians for their support in the civil war. Unfortunately, neither the originals nor copies of these laws have survived. In some lists of Novgorod chronicles, their texts are replaced by the text of Russkaya Pravda. There is no doubt that the very compilation of the so-called "Pravda" of Yaroslav is somehow connected with the publication of these laws. The introductory article to Pravda proclaims the equality of the people of Novgorod and Kiev. Apparently, this was an important point of the Novgorod requirements.

Yaroslav's campaign against the Chud in Estonia was also obviously dictated by the interests of the Novgorodians. This campaign was an attempt to extend westward control of the Novgorodians over the southern shores of the Gulf of Finland and adjacent territories. In the conquered territory in 1030, Yaroslav founded a city named Yuryev in honor of his patron saint (Yuri is the old Russian form of the name George). After the German conquest of the Baltic provinces in the 13th century, the city became known as Derpt (now Tartu).

History of Russia from ancient times to the end of the 17th century Andrey Nikolaevich Sakharov

§ 2. The second civil strife in Rus'. Boris and Gleb - martyr princes

As mentioned earlier, at the time of Vladimir's illness, certain dynastic contradictions emerged, behind which stood big politics, religious, princely, boyar and retinue clans.

Yaroslav Vladimirovich resurrected.

It is difficult to say exactly when this happened, before the illness or already at the time when the Grand Duke fell ill; "The Tale of Bygone Years" succinctly reports that "wishing Volodymyr itn to Yaroslav, Yaroslav, having sent overseas, brought the Varangians, fearing his father ...". But Vladimir fell ill, “at the same time Boris was with him,” the chronicle further reports. V.N. Tatishchev in his “History of Russia”, relying on unknown annalistic news, deciphers the last deaf mention of Nestor in this way: “Boris, named by his father for a great reign,” which in principle does not contradict the data of The Tale of Bygone Years, which reported that at that time Vladimir brought Boris closer to him, who had previously been sent to reign in Rostov. And one more event is taking place these days: another raid of the Pechenegs begins, and Vladimir directs Boris against the nomads, providing him with his squad and "wars", i.e. civil uprising. Then the chronicler reports that at the time of Vladimir's death, his eldest adopted son Svyatopolk ended up in Kyiv.

Thus, it becomes obvious that in the last weeks of Vladimir's life, perhaps already during his serious illness, another political crisis began to grow in Rus'. It was connected primarily with the fact that Vladimir tried to transfer the throne, contrary to established tradition, to one of his younger and beloved sons, born in a Christian marriage - Boris, which neither Svyatopolk nor Yaroslav could come to terms with. In addition, both had every reason to hate Vladimir. Svyatopolk could not but know that his true father, God-loving and gentle Yaropolk, died at the hands of his stepfather. Yaroslav, like other sons from the Polotsk princess Rogneda, could not help but know about the bloody massacre of Vladimir with the entire family of the Polotsk prince during the capture of Polotsk in 980, about the forcible coercion of their mother into marriage, as well as about her subsequent disgrace and exile after the appearance of the Byzantine princess in the grand ducal palace. There is a legend about the attempt of one of the sons of Rogneda to stand up for his mother at a young age.

By 1015, both eldest sons of Rogneda, Vysheslav and Ieyaslav, had died, and now Yaroslav, who had previously reigned in Rostov and then transferred to Novgorod, remained the eldest among all the grand ducal sons.

But one can hardly think that only personal motives prompted Yaroslav to oppose his father. The point was, apparently, in the fact that Yaroslav was seen behind the Novgorod elite, who stood on traditionally separatist positions in relation to Kyiv. It is no coincidence that the sources preserved evidence that Yaroslav refused to pay Kiev the due annual tribute of 2,000 hryvnias, and collect another thousand from Novgorodians for distribution to princely people. In essence, Novgorod refused to bear its previous financial obligations to Kiev. In practice, Yaroslav repeated the fate of his father, supported by the Novgorodians and the Varangians against Kyiv. His personal dynastic ambitions coincided with the desire of Novgorod to reaffirm its special position in the Russian lands and, relying on Varangian help, once again crush Kyiv. Now Yaroslav, who during the lifetime of his older brothers had no chance of succeeding to the throne, has a real opportunity to reign in Kyiv. In this sense, he also repeated the fate of Vladimir, who was the youngest and "unpromising" son of Svyatoslav Igorevich.

So, at the time of the death of the Grand Prince of Kiev, his official heir was on a campaign against the Pechenegs, the eldest of his sons Svyatopolk, relying on his boyars and part of the people of Kiev, was waiting for developments in Kiev, and indeed the eldest of his own sons, Yaroslav, had already gathered an army in Novgorod to oppose his ailing father.

By this day, Svyatopolk was 35 years old, Yaroslav, who was born somewhere in the mid-80s of the 10th century, was about 27 years old. It is difficult to establish the age of Boris, but, according to all sources, he was much younger than his brothers, since Vladimir's Christian marriage took place only in 988. Grand Duchess Anna died in 1011. If we accept the version that Boris and Gleb were born from the Byzantine princess, which can be indirectly confirmed by the desire of Vladimir to make Boris his heir, it can be recognized that in 1015 he was aged 20 - you with small years. In addition, a number of sources speak of him and Gleb as very young people.

If Boris was, as we would say today, “a completely prosperous child,” then Svyatopolk and Yaroslav carried colossal personal complexes in their souls.

Svyatopolk was not only the adopted son of Vladimir, i.e. a man who did not even have formal rights to the throne. His mother, the long-suffering beauty "Greek", was Svyatoslav's concubine, and then went to his eldest son Yaropolk as a military trophy. Judging by the fact that she was the only wife of Yaropolk at that pagan time, it can be assumed that she was loved by Yaropolk and had a great spiritual influence on him. Not without reason, a number of sources say that Yaropolk did not resist the Christians, and some historians suggest that Yaropolk himself, under the influence of his wife, became a hidden Christian, which doomed him among the Kiev pagan elements to defeat in the fight against the ardent pagan Vladimir. Then the "Greek" went to the woman-loving Vladimir. One can only imagine what passions boiled in the childish and youthful soul of Svyatopolk, how he treated his half-brothers, his father. It is no coincidence that he ended up in a dungeon with his Polish wife. Now his hour was coming and it was not difficult to foresee that he had to put all his energy, all the ardor of his soul, all his obvious and imaginary grievances into the struggle that had begun.

Yaroslav was also a match for him, possessing the iron character of his father and the frenzied indomitability of Rogneda, who lost both her Polotsk relatives and honor because of Vladimir. It is no coincidence that a further branch of the Polotsk princes - Izyaslav Vladimirovich, Bryachislav Izyaslavich, Vseslav Bryachislavnch - became an enemy of Kyiv for a whole hundred years. “Rogvold’s grandchildren” (the father of Rogneda Rogvold, who was murdered by Vladimir) for a long time poured their ancestral grievances on Kiev, which, of course, were reinforced by the separatist tendencies of the Polotsk land itself, which, like Novgorod, kept somewhat apart as part of Rus'.

Svyatopolk, who at the time of Vladimir's death was either in Kyiv or Vyshgorod, remained closest to Berestov. However, people close to Vladimir, apparently supporters of Boris, at first decided to hide the death of the Grand Duke, gain time and send messengers to Boris. The messengers were still on their way, but Svyatopolk had already seized the initiative. He ordered the body of Vladimir to be transported to Kyiv and essentially took the reins of government into his own hands. Yaroslav, as you know, found himself in the north, and Boris galloped across the steppe at the head of the princely squad in search of the Pechenegs. All data speaks for the fact that the Holy Regiment skillfully disposed of the benefits of their position. The body of the Grand Duke was delivered according to the ancient custom on a sleigh to the capital. His death brought the people into grief and confusion. Immediately, Svyatopolk began to distribute the "estate" to the townspeople, i.e. essentially bribe them to your side. But already the messengers of the daughter of Vladimir and the sister of Yaroslav Predslava drove the horses to Novgorod. Predslava, who was a secret ally of Yaroslav, was in a hurry to inform him of the death of his father and the seizure of power by Svyatopolk in Kyiv. The messengers from Kyiv found in the steppe, on the Alta River, the squad of Boris, who, having not found the Pechenegs, was preparing to return back to Kyiv. People close to Boris persuaded the young prince to lead a squad to Kyiv and take the power bequeathed to him by his father. However, Boris refused to do this, either guided by moral motives and not wanting to violate the order of succession to the throne established earlier (the ancient sources insist on this, emphasizing the impeccable, truly Christian appearance of Boris), or fearing to storm Kiev, where Svyatopolk had already managed to gather enough strength and rally their supporters.

Speaking about the character of Boris, it should be noted that he was not such a non-resistance, as portrayed by later sources, created after the canonization of Boris and Gleb by the Russian Orthodox Church. His father entrusted him with the command of the army, trusted his squad, and this fact itself speaks volumes, in any case, it can introduce us to Boris, who, moreover, had been reigning in Rostov for a long time, as a decisive and experienced prince.

Having received a negative answer from Boris, the squad went home: for experienced soldiers and politicians it was clear that from now on all people close to Boris, and he himself, would be doomed.

Svyatopolk did not immediately go to organize a conspiracy against Boris, but only after he received information that the squad and the “howl” left Boris and he remained on Alta only with a small detachment of bodyguards, “with his youths.” Svyatopolk gathered his supporters in the Vyshgorod Palace; there was formed a detachment of assassins at the head with the boyar Putsha, who promised the prince to lay down their lives for him.

When Putsha's detachment appeared on Alta late in the evening, Boris had already been informed of Svyatopolk's intention to kill him. However, he either could not, or did not resist. The killers found him in a tent, praying in front of the image of Christ.

Boris was killed when he went to bed: the attackers rushed to the tent and pierced it with spears in the place where the bed of the prince was. Then they scattered the small guards, wrapped Boris's body in a tent and took him to Svyatopolk. In Vyshgorod, the killers discovered that Boris was still breathing. By order of Svyatopolk, the Varangians loyal to him finished off Boris. So Svyatopolk removed the most dangerous opponent from his path, acting decisively, quickly and cruelly.

But there was still Prince Gleb of Murom, born, like Boris, in Vladimir's Christian marriage from a Byzantine princess and now the only legitimate heir to the throne. Svyatopolk sent messengers to Gleb with a request to come to Kyiv, as his father was seriously ill. Unsuspecting Gleb with a small retinue set off - first to the Volga, and from there to Smolensk and then in a boat to Kyiv. Already on the way, he received news of the death of his father and the murder of Boris. Gleb stopped and landed on the shore. Here, halfway to Kyiv, on the Dnieper, Svyatopolk's people found him. They broke into the ship, killed the squad, and then, on their orders, the cook Gleb stabbed him with a knife.

The death of the young brothers struck the Old Russian society. Boris and Gleb eventually became symbols of non-resistance to evil, righteousness, goodness and martyrdom for the glory of the bright ideas of Christianity. Both princes were in the XI century. declared by the Orthodox Church the first Russian saints, much earlier than Princess Olga and Prince Vladimir.

Svyatopolk also destroyed another of the brothers - Svyatoslav, who ruled in the Drevlyane land and, fleeing from the merciless Svyatopolk, fled to Hungary. The killers overtook him on the way.

Now Kiev again stood up against each other, where Svyatopolk, who received the nickname "Cursed" among the people, and Novgorod, where Yaroslav Vladimirovich remained, finally established himself. Now he was leading a forty-thousand army to Kyiv. Before setting out on a campaign to the south, Yaroslav, according to the chronicle, quarreled with the Novgorodians. The Varangians, who appeared at his call even before the death of Vladimir, began to inflict violence and oppression on the Novgorodians, and they "cut off" part of the Varangians. In response, Yaroslav dealt with "deliberate men", i.e. prominent Novgorodians. What was the feeling of rivalry of Novgorod in relation to Kiev, if even after that, having received news of the death of Vladimir and learning about the reign in Kiev after the murder of other brothers of Svyatopolk, the Novgorodians responded to the call of Yaroslav and gathered a significant army. Truly, the North again rose against the South, as it happened more than once in the history of Rus'. Svyatopolk came out to meet Yaroslav with the Kyiv squad and the hired Pecheneg cavalry.

Opponents met on the Dnieper in the early winter of 1016 near the city of Lyubech and stood on opposite banks of the river.

Yaroslav attacked first. In the early morning, on numerous boats, his army crossed to the opposite shore. Squeezed between two already frozen lakes, the soldiers of Svyatopolk were confused and stepped on thin ice, which began to break under their weight. The Pechenegs, limited in their maneuvers by the river and lakes, could not deploy their cavalry in any way. The defeat of Svyatopolkov's rati was complete. The Grand Duke himself fled to Poland.

Yaroslav in 1017 occupied Kyiv. In the same year, he made an alliance with the German Emperor Henry II against Poland. However, the fight didn't end there. Svyatopolk the Accursed returned to Rus' together with Boleslav I and the Polish army. The decisive battle took place on the banks of the Bug. Yaroslav was defeated and fled to Novgorod with four warriors. And Svyatopolk with the Poles occupied Kyiv.

Polish garrisons were placed in Russian cities. The Poles began to "repair violence" against people. In response, the population began to take up arms. Under these conditions, Svyatopolk himself called on the people of Kiev to oppose their allies. Thus, the prince tried to save his own authority and maintain power.

Soon an uprising of the townspeople broke out against the Poles. Every house, every yard rose up, the Poles were beaten wherever they came across the armed people of Kiev. Besieged in his palace, Boleslav 1 decided to leave the capital of Rus'. But leaving Kiev, the Poles robbed the city, took a lot of people into captivity, and subsequently the question of these prisoners would become a stumbling block in relations between the two states for more than one year. Among those whom Boleslav took with him was Predelava, the sister of Yaroslav Vladimirovich. She became the concubine of the Polish king. The supreme hierarch of the Russian Church, the famous associate of Vladimir, the Greek Anastas, who remained faithful to the legitimate ruler, also left with the Poles. He left, taking with him all the valuables and the entire treasury of the Church of the Tithes. In the past, he was a Chersonesos church hierarch, who, during the siege of Chersonesos by Vladimir, went over to his side and helped the Russians capture the city. As you know, after the capture of Chersonesus, Anastas moved to Kiev and became the hierarch of the main cathedral of Rus' - the Church of the Tithes, the Church of the Holy Mother of God (“and instruct Nastas Korsunian and priests of Korsun to serve in it”).

It is striking that the Russian chronicles, having reported, albeit contradictory, about the baptism of Rus', except for this vague phrase, did not say a word about what the organizational basis of the Russian church was, its relationship with the Greek patriarchy, who was the first Russian metropolitan after the baptism of Rus'. All we have is a hollow phrase about Anastas as the head priest of the Church of the Tithes.

This gave rise to a two-century controversy in the world historical literature about the status of the Russian Church in the first years after its formation. Attention was drawn to the lack of news about the appointment of a metropolitan in Rus' in these years and to the fact that only under 1039 was the first Russian metropolitan mentioned in the annals - the Greek Theopemt, who consecrated the Church of the Tithes. In the discussion, it was noted that later Russian sources named various Greek church leaders as the first Russian metropolitans appointed after the baptism of Rus'. All these were just hypotheses. But none of the historians of the past paid attention to the entry in The Tale of Bygone Years about Anastas's flight from Kiev with the Poles and, in fact, about his robbery of the main Russian Orthodox shrine. And in this fact lies, perhaps, the key to unraveling the status of the Russian Church in the first years of its existence.

During the period of the establishment of Christianity in Rus', as we have seen, Vladimir was largely concerned that, along with the new religion, Byzantine political influence would not come to Rus'. In many respects, this is why he undertook a military action against Byzantium on the Crimean peninsula, this is why he was widely baptized in the defeated Chersonesus (which did not exclude his initial individual baptism earlier), this is why the Rus linked together the baptism and marriage of Vladimir to the Byzantine princess Anna who arrived in the captured Chersonesus . In the same connection, the question of the first highest Russian church hierarch should be considered. They could not be a metropolitan, appointed from Byzantium on Byzantine terms. And it is no coincidence that Ana stay appears on the scene, who during the whole life of Vladimir was probably the head of the newly organized Russian church. In any case, it is known that he was the head of the Church of the Tithes from the moment it appeared in a wooden version in 989 and before fleeing to Poland in 1017. This is almost 28 years.

However, his flight abroad, to the enemies of Rus', and even to the “Latins”, as the Poles were perceived already after the split of the churches and, of course, at the time of the creation of The Tale of Bygone Years at the beginning of the 12th century, was a grave accusation against the first Russian prelate. It is quite possible that this is precisely why his name, as the first Russian metropolitan, or at least the bishop, appointed by Vladimir in Kyiv and having the status of a hierarch independent of Byzantium, turned out to be hidden by later chroniclers. The Metropolitan is a traitor and a thief - this was unbearable for the Russian Orthodox heart. This is how a vacuum of information arose in Russian chronicles about the first Russian metropolitan at the end of the 10th and at the beginning of the 11th century.

Leaving Rus', leaving Svyatopolk in Kyiv without support, the Poles simultaneously captured the Cherven cities. Thus, a new knot of sharp contradictions was tied up in relations between the two countries. At this time, Yaroslav in Novgorod was recruiting a new army. Wealthy townspeople supported him by donating large sums of money to hire troops. Gathering enough forces, Yaroslav moved south for the second time. Svyatopolk did not tempt fate. Too great was the indignation of the people of Kiev against him, who did not forgive him for bringing the Poles to Kyiv. He fled to the steppe to the friendly Pechenegs.

The rivals met again in open battle in 1018. The battle took place on the Alta River, not far from the place where Boris was villainously killed. This gave Yaroslav's army additional strength. The battle ended with the victory of Yaroslav. Svyatopolk fled to Poland, and then moved on, to the land of the Czechs, but died on the way.

An interesting touch is given by the chronicle about the last days of Svyatopolk already during his flight abroad. When the fugitives reached Berestye, bordering with Poland, and stopped to rest, Svyatopolk began to urge them on:

“Run with me, marry (i.e. chase) after us.” When the combatants who were with him objected that there was no pursuit, the prince insisted on his own, and the travelers again set off on the road. In the end, Svyatopolk was completely exhausted and was taken on a stretcher, but even in this position, standing up, he continued to repeat: “Marry the wasp, oh marry them, run away” (i.e. “They are chasing, oh they are chasing, run”) . So the fugitives "ran through" all of Poland, the Czech Republic, and only the death of a seriously ill, mentally broken prince stopped this crazy run.

In the latest Russian sources, as well as in the famous "Tale of Igor's Campaign", many curses fell on the share of Oleg Svyatoslavich, the grandson of Yaroslav the Wise, who more than once during the internecine wars of the late XI - early XII centuries. brought to Rus' faithful Polovtsians. However, Oleg “Gorislavich”, as “The Word” calls him, received these sad laurels in history undeservedly. The first in this sense was, of course, Svyatopolk, who more than once, in the fight against Yaroslav Vladimirovich, led the Pechenegs to Rus'. And later, long before Oleg, the children and grandchildren of Yaroslav the Wise used this dubious means in internecine wars, and Oleg Svyatoslavich was only one of them.

This odious tradition was preserved in Rus' later, when in the XII century. Russian princes fought each other, relying on the Polovtsian strength, and in the XIII - XIV centuries, when the Polovtsy were replaced by the Tatars, who were led against each other by the princes of North-Eastern Rus' more than once.

Princely civil strife - the struggle of Russian princes among themselves for power and territory.

The main period of civil strife fell on the 10th-11th centuries. The main reasons for the enmity between the princes were:

• discontent in the distribution of territories;
• struggle for sole power in Kyiv;
• struggle for the right not to depend on the will of Kyiv.

• the first civil strife (10th century) - enmity between the sons of Svyatoslav;
• the second civil strife (beginning of the 11th century) - enmity between the sons of Vladimir;
• the third civil strife (end of the 11th century) - enmity between the sons of Yaroslav.

In Rus', there was no centralized power, no single state, and no tradition to pass the throne to the eldest of the sons, so the great princes, leaving many heirs according to tradition, doomed them to endless enmity among themselves. Although the heirs received power in one of the large cities, they all aspired to become princes of Kyiv and be able to subjugate their brothers.

The first civil strife in Rus'

The first family feud broke out after the death of Svyatoslav, who left three sons. Yaropolk received power in Kyiv, Oleg - in the territory of the Drevlyans, and Vladimir - in Novgorod. At first, after the death of their father, the brothers lived peacefully, but then conflicts over territory began.

In 975 (976), on the orders of Prince Oleg, on the territory of the Drevlyans, where Vladimir ruled, the son of one of the governors of Yaropolk was killed. The governor, who learned about this, reported to Yaropolk about what had happened and persuaded him to attack Oleg with an army. This was the beginning of the civil strife, which lasted for several years.

In 977 Yaropolk attacks Oleg. Oleg, who did not expect an attack and was not prepared, was forced, together with his army, to retreat back to the capital of the Drevlyans - the city of Ovruch. As a result of panic during the retreat, Oleg accidentally dies under the hooves of the horse of one of his warriors. The Drevlyans, having lost their prince, quickly surrender and submit to the authority of Yaropolk. At the same time, Vladimir, fearing an attack by Yaropolk, runs to the Varangians.

In 980, Vladimir returned to Rus' with the Varangian army and immediately undertook a campaign against his brother Yaropolk. He quickly retakes Novgorod and then moves on to Kyiv. Yaropolk, having learned about his brother's intentions to seize the throne in Kyiv, follows the advice of one of his assistants and flees to the city of Rodna, fearing an assassination attempt. However, the adviser turns out to be a traitor who entered into an agreement with Vladimir, and Yaropolk, dying of hunger in Lyubech, is forced to negotiate with Vladimir. Having reached his brother, he dies from the swords of two Varangians, without concluding a truce.

Thus ends the civil strife of the sons of Svyatoslav. At the end of 980, Vladimir becomes a prince in Kyiv, where he rules until his death.

The first feudal civil strife marked the beginning of a long period of internal wars between the princes, which would last for almost a century and a half.

The second civil strife in Rus'

In 1015, Vladimir dies and a new enmity begins - the civil strife of the sons of Vladimir. Vladimir left 12 sons, each of whom wanted to become a prince of Kyiv and gain almost unlimited power. However, the main struggle was between Svyatopolk and Yaroslav.

Svyatopolk becomes the first Kyiv prince, since he had the support of Vladimir's warriors and was closest to Kyiv. He kills the brothers Boris and Gleb and becomes the head of the throne.

In 1016, a bloody struggle for the right to govern Kiev between Svyatopolk and Yaroslav begins.

Yaroslav, who ruled in Novgorod, gathers an army, which includes not only Novgorodians, but also Varangians, and goes with him to Kyiv. After a battle with Svyatoslav's army near Lyubech, Yaroslav captures Kyiv and forces his brother to flee. However, some time later, Svyatoslav returns with Polish soldiers and recaptures the city, forcing Yaroslav back to Novgorod. But the fight doesn't end there either. Yaroslav again goes to Kyiv and this time he manages to win the final victory.

1016 - becomes a prince in Kyiv, where he rules until his death.

The third civil strife in Rus'

The third enmity began after the death of Yaroslav the Wise, who during his lifetime was very afraid that his death would lead to family strife and therefore tried to divide power between the children in advance. Although Yaroslav left clear instructions for his sons and established who would reign where, the desire to seize power in Kyiv again provoked civil strife between the Yaroslavichs and plunged Rus' into another war.

According to Yaroslav's testament, Kyiv was given to his eldest son Izyaslav, Svyatoslav got Chernigov, Vsevolod - Pereyaslavl, Vyacheslav - Smolensk, and Igor - Vladimir.

In 1054, Yaroslav dies, but the sons do not seek to win back territories from each other, on the contrary, they fight unitedly against foreign invaders. However, when the external threat was defeated, the war for power in Rus' begins.

For almost the entire 1068, different children of Yaroslav the Wise ended up on the throne of Kyiv, but in 1069 power again returned to Izyaslav, as Yaroslav bequeathed. Since 1069, Izyaslav rules Russia.

A fratricidal war begins between Yaroslav the Wise 1019-1054 Svyatopolk the Accursed 1015-1019 Mstislav Tmutarakansky 1010-1036 Boris 1015 Gleb

It is believed that Yaroslav Vladimirovich started the 2nd strife in Rus'. He gathered the Novgorod squad and gathered on a campaign against his father.

The initiative was intercepted by Svyatopolk. In essence, he took power into his own hands, despite the fact that he was Vladimir's stepson. Svyatopolk organized a conspiracy against Boris. A detachment led by the boyar Putsha went to the river. Alta, where the prince was. The conspirators found Boris praying in his tent, and at night they stabbed him with spears when he was sleeping.

There was still Prince Gleb of Murom on his way to Kyiv. Upon learning of the murder of Boris, he landed on the shore. Svyatopolk's people killed Gleb's squad on the ship, and the cook of the Murom prince stabbed him with a knife.

In 1072, Boris and Gleb were canonized The brothers are considered the first saints in Rus' Icon of saints XIV century Monument to Boris and Gleb at the walls of the Borisoglebsky monastery in Dmitrov (2006, sculptor - A. Yu. Rukavishnikov)

Svyatopolk also killed another brother - Svyatoslav For the murders of his brothers, he received the nickname "Cursed" Now there were only 2 opponents Svyatopolk Yaropolkovich In Kyiv, Yaroslav Vladimirovich In Novgorod

In battle, the brothers met near Lyubech on the river. Dnieper, standing on different sides. It was 1016. The result - the complete defeat of Svyatoslav. In 1017 Yaroslav occupied Kyiv. In 1018, the brothers fought again on the river. Alte. The result - Svyatoslav flees to Poland and dies on the way.

In 1019, Yaroslav finally sat down in Kyiv. But in 1024, Yaroslav had to fight the last of his brothers - Mstislav Vladimirovich Tmutarakansky Yaroslav Mstislav

Yaroslav lost the battle of Listven to Mstislav. The country was divided into two parts: Novgorod and Kyiv, Chernigov and Tmutarakan for

The strife of 1024 ended in 1036 with the death of Mstislav Thus, Yaroslav Vladimirovich the Wise became the sole ruler only in 1036!

Civil strife is internal strife, a war between people living in the same territory.

Kievan Rus from the 9th to the 11th century quite often faced internecine wars; the cause of princely strife was the struggle for power.

The largest princely civil strife in Rus'

• The first civil strife of the princes (late 10th - early 11th century). The enmity of the sons of Prince Svyatoslav, caused by their desire to achieve independence from the authorities of Kyiv.
• Second civil strife (early 11th century). The enmity of the sons of Prince Vladimir for power.
• Third civil strife (second half of the 11th century). Enmity between the sons of Prince Yaroslav the Wise for power.

The first civil strife in Rus'

Old Russian princes had a tradition of having a large number of children, which was the reason for subsequent disputes over the right to inherit, since the rule of inheritance from father to eldest son did not exist then. After the death of Prince Svyatoslav in 972, he left three sons who had the right to inherit.

• Yaropolk Svyatoslavich - he received power in Kyiv.
• Oleg Svyatoslavich - received power on the territory of the Drevlyans
• Vladimir Svyatoslavich - received power in Novgorod, and later in Kyiv.

After the death of Svyatoslav, his sons received sole power in their lands and now they could manage them as they saw fit. Vladimir and Oleg wanted to gain complete independence for their principalities from the will of Kyiv, so they launched the first campaigns against each other.

Oleg was the first to speak, on his orders in the lands of the Drevlyans, where Vladimir ruled, the son of the governor Yaropolk, Seneveld, was killed. Upon learning of this, Seneveld decided to take revenge and forced Yaropolk, on whom he had great influence, to go with his army against his brother Oleg.

977 - the beginning of the civil strife of the sons of Svyatoslav was laid. Yaropolk attacked Oleg, who was not prepared, and the Drevlyans, together with their prince, were forced to retreat from the borders to the capital, the city of Ovruch. As a result, during the retreat, Prince Oleg died - he was crushed by the hooves of one of the horses. The Drevlyans began to obey Kyiv. Prince Vladimir, having learned about the death of his brother and the beginning of a family feud, runs to the Varangians.

980 - Vladimir returns to Rus' together with the Varangian army. As a result of battles with the troops of Yaropolk, Vladimir managed to recapture Novgorod, Polotsk and move towards Kyiv.

Yaropolk, having learned about his brother's victories, convenes advisers. One of them persuades the prince to leave Kiev and hide in the city of Rodna, but later it becomes clear that the adviser is a traitor - he conspired with Vladimir and sent Yaropolk to the starving city. As a result, Yaropolk is forced to enter into negotiations with Vladimir. He goes to a meeting, however, upon arrival, he dies at the hands of two Varangian warriors.

Vladimir becomes prince in Kyiv and rules there until his death.

The second civil strife in Rus'

In 1015, Prince Vladimir, who had 12 sons, dies. A new war for power began between the sons of Vladimir.

1015 - Svyatopolk becomes prince in Kyiv, having killed his own brothers Boris and Gleb.

1016 - the struggle between Svyatopolk and Yaroslav the Wise begins.

Yaroslav, who reigned in Novgorod, gathered a detachment of Varangians and Novgorodians and moved to Kyiv. After a bloody battle near the city of Lyubech, Kyiv was captured and Yaroslav was forced to retreat. However, the feud didn't end there. In the same year, Yaroslav gathered an army, with the support of the Polish prince, and recaptured Kyiv, driving Yaroslav back to Novgorod. A few months later, Svyatopolk was again expelled from Kyiv by Yaroslav, who gathered a new army. This time, Yaroslav forever became a prince in Kyiv.

The third civil strife in Rus'

Another civil strife began after the death of Yaroslav the Wise. The Grand Duke died in 1054, which provoked civil strife between the Yaroslavichs.

Yaroslav the Wise, fearing another enmity, himself distributed the lands among his sons:

• Izyaslav - Kyiv;
• Svyatoslav - Chernihiv;
• Vsevolod - Pereyaslavl;
• Igor - Vladimir;
• Vyacheslav - Smolensk.

1068 - Despite the fact that each of the sons had his own inheritance, they all disobeyed the will of their father and wanted to claim power in Kyiv. Having replaced each other several times as the Kyiv prince, power finally went to Izyaslav, as Yaroslav the Wise bequeathed.

After the death of Izyaslav and until the 15th century, princely strife occurred in Rus', but never again the struggle for power was so large-scale.

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