Tsar Yaroslav the Wise

Grand Duke of Kyiv (1016-1018, 1019-1054).

Yaroslav Vladimirovich was born around 978. He was the son of the Grand Duke of Kyiv and Grand Duchess Rogneda, daughter of the Polotsk Prince Rogvold.

Yaroslav Vladimirovich was placed by his father to reign first in, then in. In 1014, he stopped paying tribute to Kyiv, hoping to separate his possessions from Southern Rus'. began gathering troops in order to force his son to submit to his authority, but during preparations for the campaign he died.

After his death, the Kiev throne was seized by the Turov prince Svyatopolk the Accursed, half-brother of Yaroslav Vladimirovich. Wanting to eliminate possible rivals, Svyatopolk organized the murder of his brothers, Prince of Rostov Boris and Prince of Murom Gleb, as well as the Drevlyan prince Svyatoslav.

Having secured the support of the Novgorodians, Yaroslav Vladimirovich in December 1015, in the battle of Lyubech, defeated Svyatopolk and captured Kyiv. In 1018, together with his father-in-law, the Polish king Boleslav I the Brave, Svyatopolk invaded Rus', managed to defeat Yaroslav in the Battle of the Bug and recapture Kyiv. Yaroslav Vladimirovich fled to, from where he intended to go to Scandinavia. But the Novgorodians cut down the prince's boats and forced Yaroslav to continue the fight. In the Battle of Alta in 1018, Svyatopolk suffered a crushing defeat, and Yaroslav reoccupied Kyiv.

After the victory over Svyatopolk, Yaroslav Vladimirovich began a fight with his other brother, the Tmutarakan prince Mstislav, who also laid claim to the Kiev throne. Mstislav won the battle of Listven (near Chernigov) in 1024, but he allowed Yaroslav to reign in Kyiv. Nevertheless, Yaroslav did not dare to accept his brother’s offer and continued to stay in, sending his mayors to Kyiv.

According to the peace treaty of 1025, Yaroslav Vladimirovich received Russian land to the west of the Dnieper and with the center in Kyiv, and Mstislav - the eastern part, with Chernigov and Pereyaslavl. Only after the death of Mstislav in 1035 did Yaroslav Vladimirovich become an “autocrat” in Rus'.

In 1036, the Pechenegs were defeated near Kiev and stopped attacks on Rus'. In 1038-1042 Yaroslav Vladimirovich waged successful wars with Byzantium, Lithuanian and Finnish tribes.

The period of the autocratic rule of Yaroslav the Wise became a time of political power, cultural and economic prosperity of the ancient Russian state. This was evidenced by the marriages of Yaroslav's daughters with the kings of France, Norway, Denmark, and Hungary. He strengthened the internal position of the state by introducing a set of laws - the “Russian Truth”. The prince also helped strengthen his influence on the church by installing the Russian monk Hilarion as metropolitan. Under him, the first monasteries were created, and the majestic St. Sophia Cathedral was erected in Kyiv. The love of books, translations of Byzantine works into the Slavic language, and the development of chronicle writing are a brilliant expression of the flourishing of the entire ancient Russian culture. Under Yaroslav the Wise, the first Russian chronicle was written - the so-called. The oldest vault. The Tale of Bygone Years contains a commendable review of the educational activities of the Grand Duke.

Chronicle data regarding the death of Yaroslav the Wise are contradictory. It is believed that he died on February 2, 1054, but other dates are also given. Before his death, the Grand Duke bequeathed the Kiev throne to the eldest of his sons, the Novgorod prince Izyaslav Yaroslavich, and divided the remaining possessions into appanages, which marked the beginning of feudal fragmentation. Yaroslav the Wise was buried in the tomb of the St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv.

The reign of Yaroslav the Wise in Kievan Rus occurred at the end of the first and beginning of the second millennium (about 978-1054). He is rightfully considered one of the greatest rulers not only of Rus', but also of Europe. During the years of his reign, he brought the Principality of Kiev to a new stage of world development, his state reached a high level of political and military power.

The article describes the reign of Yaroslav the Wise. The main facts of his biography and the results of his reign are briefly mentioned.

Origin of the Grand Duke

Historians continue to argue about the exact date of his birth; many sources indicate the year of birth as 978. His father is the baptist of Rus', Vladimir Svyatoslavovich, and his mother is the Polonsky princess Rogneda Rogvoldovna, whom Prince Vladimir took by force. From this marriage he had three more sons.

According to the chronicles, Yaroslav lived a long life and died at the age of 75. He became the ancestor of many rulers in Europe. For the first time, the reign of Yaroslav the Wise was briefly mentioned in the Tale of Bygone Years, written by the monk Nestor.

Rostov prince

The beginning of Yaroslav's independent rule is considered to be 988, when his father placed him as a child in the principality of Rostov. In reality, the power belonged to his mentor, who made all decisions, taking into account the very young age of the prince.

There is almost no historical evidence of the Rostov reign of Prince Yaroslav the Wise. In any case, in the chronicles of that time there is no mention of important historical facts related to the Rostov reign. Many historians believe that the reign of Prince Yaroslav the Wise in Rostov was marked by the emergence of a city named Yaroslavl in his honor. The year 1010 is officially considered the year of its founding.

Beginning of reign

In 1010 (1011), after the death of one of the eldest sons of Grand Duke Vladimir Vysheslav and contrary to the expectations of Yaroslav's elder brother Svyatopolk, Vladimir appointed Yaroslav to rule Novgorod. Compared to the Rostov princedom, the Novgorod princedom was considered higher, but the Novgorod prince was also subordinate to the Kyiv prince and was obliged to pay tribute to him.

Rebellion against father

In 1014, Yaroslav refused to pay tribute to Kyiv and rebelled against his father. The reason for this rebellion is Vladimir’s approach to his youngest son Boris and the intention to transfer the Kiev throne to him. For the same reason, the eldest of his sons, Svyatopolk, rebelled against Vladimir. For this he was imprisoned and remained in captivity until the death of his father.

To resist his father, Prince Vladimir, Yaroslav hires the Varangians, but the army remains inactive and engages in robbery in Novgorod itself, which causes the righteous anger of the Novgorodians. Prince Vladimir himself cannot engage in single combat with his son, since the Principality of Kyiv is threatened by an attack by the Pechenegs. And the army gathered against Novgorod goes to battle with the steppe nomads. Boris leads the army, since Vladimir by this time is becoming frail and old.

Brother on brother

The confrontation between son and father ends with the death of Vladimir Svyatoslavovich on July 15, 1015. But the battle of two brothers, Svyatopolk and Yaroslav, for the Kiev throne begins. Svyatopolk, popularly nicknamed the Accursed, killed three of his brothers on the way to the throne.

Several times Yaroslav and Svyatopolk the Accursed met in deadly confrontation. In 1018 a decisive battle took place. Svyatopolk and his father-in-law, the Polish king Boleslav the Brave, again invaded Kievan Rus. This time they defeated Yaroslav, who returned to Novgorod and wanted to flee to Scandinavia. However, the Novgorodians forced their prince to continue the fight. In the spring of 1019, on the Alt River, Svyatopolk was finally defeated and fled. According to some historical sources, on the way to Poland, Yaroslav’s soldiers overtook him and killed him. But Yaroslav is in no hurry to occupy the Kiev throne, since his nephew Bryachislav and brother Mstislav lay claim to it.

Fight for Kyiv

In 1019, Yaroslav married for the second time. His chosen one is the Swedish princess Ingigerda (in Orthodoxy Irina). It is believed that Yaroslav's first wife was a Norwegian, her name was Anna, she, along with the prince's sisters, was captured by the Poles and forever captured in Poland. Many researchers consider the alliance with Ingigerda to be a political move by Yaroslav in order to eliminate unstable relations with the Swedes.

The brothers continued to fight for the Kiev throne with varying degrees of success until 1026, when Mstislav defeated Yaroslav’s troops and moved the capital to Chernigov. He proposed to the prince to sit down in Kyiv and divide the administration of the lands along the Dnieper, leaving the entire right coast for Yaroslav. A peace treaty was concluded. But even being the master of the Kyiv throne, Yaroslav did not leave Novgorod until the death of Mstislav, that is, until 1035, confident that the Novgorodians would support him under any circumstances. Only after the death of Mstislav in 1035 did Yaroslav the Wise become the autocrat of Kievan Rus. The years of his reign became the heyday of Rus'.

To avoid claims to the Kiev throne from his younger brother, who reigned in Pskov, Yaroslav imprisoned Sudislav in prison.

Chronology of military actions

The history of the reign of Yaroslav the Wise contains numerous references to military operations. Here are just a few of them:

1029 - campaign to help Mstislav against the Yasses, expelling them from Tmutarakan (now Krasnodar region);
1031 - campaign together with Mstislav against the Poles, as a result the cities of Przemysl and Cherven were conquered;
1036 - victory over the Pecheneg troops and liberation of Ancient Rus' from their raids;
1040 and 1044 - military actions against Lithuania.

Results of the reign of Yaroslav the Wise. Politics and state

The period in power is 37 years. The reign of Yaroslav the Wise is considered the period of the rise of the Principality of Kyiv, when many European states sought a military and political union with it. As a talented politician, Yaroslav the Wise preferred diplomacy to any military action. He pragmatically arranged marriage alliances for his ten children and other relatives with European rulers, which served the security purposes of the state. It is known that he paid a symbolic annual tribute to the Varangians - 300 hryvnia of silver, which was very little, but maintained peace on the northern borders.

Yaroslav the Wise did a lot for the state. He spent the years of his reign not only on strengthening military power, but also on organizing life in the state according to the laws. Under him, the Church Charter and the code of laws “Yaroslav’s Truth” were adopted, which is considered the most ancient part of the collection of norms of ancient law “Russian Truth”.

Being an educated man, Yaroslav also takes care of the education of his subjects: he also opens libraries. was opened by him in the St. Sophia Cathedral.

His plans included solving another important problem - the transfer of power. which flared up between receivers, plunged the country into ruin and disaster, weakened it and made it easy prey for external enemies. Often, contenders for the main throne, in their own selfish interests, hired foreign troops, which committed outrages and plundered the population. Yaroslav, as a talented politician, certainly understood the importance of improving the transfer of power, but this problem was never resolved in connection with his death.

Religious implications

The results of the reign of Yaroslav the Wise are not limited only to political achievements. He did a lot to strengthen Christianity in the state. In 1051, the Russian Church was finally freed from the influence of Constantinople, having for the first time independently elected at the Episcopal Council. A large number of Byzantine books were translated into Church Slavonic, and considerable funds were allocated from the treasury for their correspondence.

The reign of Yaroslav the Wise was marked by the founding of many monasteries and churches. The monasteries of Kiev-Pechersk and Yuri were revered not only as church centers, but also as social and cultural centers. In 1037, construction began on the famous St. Sophia Cathedral, in which Yaroslav’s ashes were subsequently buried. By his order in 1036-1037. The famous Kyiv Golden Gate was erected, which, according to Yaroslav's plan, was supposed to symbolize the movement of the center of Orthodoxy to Kievan Rus.

Yaroslav is the son of the Polotsk princess Rogneda and Vladimir Svyatoslavich. Already in 987, the Rostov lands were given to him to reign. But after the eldest son of the Grand Duke Vysheslav died, Yaroslav's reign in Novgorod began. The death of the Grand Duke of Kyiv Vladimir provoked a fierce power struggle between his children. The Kiev throne was seized by Svyatopolk, who received the popular nickname The Accursed. He killed his brothers Boris and Gleb, who reigned respectively in the Rostov and Smolensk lands, and Svyatoslav, who was planted by his father in the lands of the Drevlyans. Only Yaroslav, who after that became the Grand Duke, was able to defeat Svyatopolk. But he failed to cope with the prince of Tmutarakan Mstislav. All the lands of Rus' again came under the rule of Kyiv only after the death of Mstislav in 1036. The characteristics of Yaroslav the Wise and the entire period of his reign are ambiguous, but all historians agree that the prince fully justified his nickname.

The prince was married to Ingigerda, the daughter of the king of the Swedes. The chronicles mention two names of Yaroslav's wife - Irina and Anna. Historians conclude that she received the name Irina at baptism, and Anna after entering the monastery.

During the reign of Yaroslav the Wise (1019-1054), the state of Kievan Rus reached its peak. It became one of the strongest in Europe. The activities of Yaroslav the Wise were aimed at strengthening not only the capital city, but also all of its vast possessions. Several new cities were founded under him.

Thanks to the reasonable foreign policy of Yaroslav the Wise, the authority of the state in the international arena increased significantly. The prince was also successful in military affairs. His campaigns against Poland, the Principality of Lithuania, and lands that belonged to the Finnish peoples were successful. One of the most important for Rus' was the victory over the nomads in 1036.

The last time Kievan Rus under Yaroslav the Wise collided with Byzantium. The conflict ended with the signing of a peace treaty, supported by a dynastic marriage. Prince Vsevolod's son married the Byzantine princess Anna. Yaroslav used dynastic marriages as a means of promoting peace. Other sons of Yaroslav Vladimirovich the Wise: Svyatoslav, Vyacheslav and Igor - married German princesses. The eldest daughter Elizabeth was the wife of Harald, a Norwegian prince. Anna, his second daughter, married King Henry 1st of France, and Anastasia married King Andrew 1st of Hungary.

The reforms of Yaroslav the Wise covered almost all spheres of society. The Grand Duke gave great importance education, and the internal policy of Yaroslav the Wise was aimed at increasing education and literacy. The prince built a school where boys were taught “church work.” Under Yaroslav, a metropolitan of Russian origin appeared in Rus' for the first time. To strengthen the position of the church in Yaroslav's domains, the payment of tithes previously established by Vladimir was resumed. The prince's vigorous activity significantly changed Kievan Rus. Stone monasteries and temples were built, architecture and painting developed rapidly. The publication of the first set of laws, called . This document regulated under Yaroslav the Wise the amount of tribute (vira) and punishments for various violations. A little later, a set of church laws appeared - “The Helmsman’s Book” (“Nomocanon”).

The answer to the question why Yaroslav was nicknamed the Wise lies not only in the prince’s love for books and the church, but also in his great deeds, which made Rus' one of the strongest states. True, this nickname appeared relatively recently, in the second half of the 19th century. During his reign, the prince was known as Khromets. He really was lame, but this defect was considered a sign of special strength and intelligence. And a short biography of Prince Yaroslav the Wise confirms that these qualities were fully inherent in him. The prince lived a long life and died in 1054 at the age of 76. After his death, another bloodshed ensued.

One of the greatest princes of Kyiv Rus', the son of the Polotsk princess Rogneda and Vladimir the Great, is Yaroslav the Wise. A brief biography and all the facts of his life were taken by historians from the “Tale of Bygone Years” - a chronicle that has survived to this day. Yaroslav was born in 978-979 (the date of his birth is not reliably known). In 987, despite his young age, he was 9 years old, he was named Prince of Rostov.

After Vladimir the Great died, a bloody struggle for the rule of Kiev began between his sons. First, the capital was captured by Svyatopolk, one of the sons of Vladimir, killing Boris of Rostov, Gleb of Smolensk and Svyatoslav of Drevlyan. To gain power over the city, Yaroslav had to confront the Tmutarakan prince, brother Mstislav. Mstislav won this battle, but after his death in 1036, Yaroslav united all the Russian lands and became the prince of all Rus'. During the years of his reign, Yaroslav returned the lands lost during civil strife and conducted his political activities in the direction of centralization and strengthening of the Russian state.

Yaroslav the Wise was married to the daughter of the Swedish king Olav - Ingigerda. In the chronicles of ancient Rus' her names were mentioned such as Irina and Anna. It is believed that Ingigerda was given the name Irina at baptism, and she took the name Anna when she was tonsured as a nun. Prince Yaroslav the Wise had three daughters and six sons.

During the reign of Yaroslav the Wise, Kievan Rus reached its peak and became one of the most powerful states in Europe. To strengthen the territory of his country, Yaroslav the Wise built several new cities. A protective wall was erected around Kyiv, and the main gate in the city was called Golden.

The policy regarding foreign relations of Yaroslav the Wise was aimed at strengthening the authority of Rus' among European countries. He made several victorious military campaigns against the Principality of Lithuania, the Finnish peoples and Poland. Yaroslav finally defeated the Pecheneg troops in 1036, thereby winning the most long-awaited victory for the fatherland. The St. Sophia Church was built on the site of the victorious battle. Prince Yaroslav the Wise ended the confrontation between Rus' and Byzantium; after the battle in 1043, a peace treaty was signed between the countries, which sealed the dynastic marriage. The Greek princess Anna was given as a wife to one of Yaroslav’s sons, Vsevolod. Marriages between royal offspring helped strengthen peace not only with Byzantium, but also with many European countries.

The course of Yaroslav the Wise's domestic policy was mainly aimed at increasing the level of literacy and education of the population. He built a school where young men were taught church work. Yaroslav also cared about the enlightenment of citizens, instructing monks to translate holy writings and rewrite Greek books.

Colossal work was done by Yaroslav the Wise in the direction of the cultural development of Rus'. His reign was also marked by the construction of many temples, churches, and monasteries. The first Russian by birth, Metropolitan Hilarion, was elected at the head of the church hierarchy. In those days, architecture and painting appeared in Rus'. Holy chants, adopted from Greek chants, also develop. Kievan Rus changed noticeably during the reign of Yaroslav the Wise.

To strengthen the power and influence of the church, the church tithe, previously introduced by Prince Vladimir, was restored. A tenth of the established princely tribute complained about the needs and requirements of the church. The reign of Prince Yaroslav was marked not only by the cultural and economic rise of the state, but also by the introduction of the first set of laws, which was called “Russian Truth”. Also, during his reign, a set of laws for the Nomocanon church, also called the “Helmsman’s Book,” was issued.

The reign of Yaroslav the Wise is characterized by the implementation of many reforms in the religious, political and educational spheres.

Yaroslav died at the age of 76 in 1054.

Prince Yaroslav was nicknamed the Wise only in the middle of the 19th century. During his reign, his nickname was “Lame”, as he was lame on his right leg. In those days, it was believed that a person with physical disabilities was the owner of special powers and intelligence. Most likely, “Wise” is an echo of the nickname “Khromets,” which was confirmed by the actions of Yaroslav.

Thus, Prince Yaroslav the Wise can be considered one of the greatest rulers of Kievan Rus. This name sounds in many legends, and becoming the ego is immortalized in monuments. Many architectural structures that were erected by this ruler have survived to this day, one of them is the St. Sophia Cathedral in the city of Kyiv.

Since school years, from history lessons, for many of us, the name of Prince Yaroslav the Wise has been firmly associated with the first domestic code of laws -. In a sense, it is comparable to the laws of the Babylonian king Hammurabi, for both laws reflected the life, customs and traditions of our distant ancestors. In a word, contemporaries gave the Moscow prince the nickname “Wise” for good reason.

Biography of Yaroslav the Wise (978-1054)

Yaroslav was one of the many children of Svyatoslavich, the baptist of Rus', and his concubine and then wife, Princess Rogneda of Polotsk. When the sons grew up, the father granted them estates and set them up to reign. So, Yaroslav got Rostov. The legendary, apocryphal tale about the founding of the city, which was then named after the prince - Yaroslavl, dates back to this period. Allegedly, the city began with a wooden settlement founded by order of the prince to commemorate his fight with a bear, the image of which was reflected on the city’s coat of arms. Whether this is really so is difficult to say.

Considering the high infant and human mortality rates in general at that time, even taking into account temporary errors, Yaroslav lived a long life - more than seventy years. Was married twice. The fate of the first wife was tragic - she disappeared forever in Polish captivity. Thanks to his marriage to the Swedish princess Ingegerda, he is a distant relative of many monarchs of modern Europe. The marriage had nine children.

The prince was buried with St. Sophia Cathedral. The famous Soviet anthropologist (and today we would add also a physiognomist) Mikhail Gerasimov, shortly before the start of the Great Patriotic War, reconstructed the appearance of Yaroslav from the preserved skull. The current location of the prince's remains is unknown.

Domestic and foreign policy of Yaroslav the Wise

Neither the Rostov nor Novgorod reigns of Yaroslav found any detailed reflection in Russian chronicles and in the Tale of Bygone Years. Yaroslav began to play a prominent role in domestic politics when he dared to oppose his own father, as well as his brothers. Naturally, his goal was the Kiev throne. Yaroslav relied on the support of the Novgorodians and the hired Varangian squad. After the death of his father, Yaroslav's main strategic opponent turned out to be his brother Svyatopolk. It took several years of internecine strife for one of them to gain the upper hand. It turned out to be Yaroslav.

Together with another brother, Mstislav, they divided their possessions and no longer interfered in each other’s affairs. Until Mstislav's death, Yaroslav preferred to remain in Novgorod, formally already being the Grand Duke of Kyiv. Yaroslav achieved a final and decisive victory over the Pechenegs. The Cathedral of St. Sophia of Kyiv was founded precisely to commemorate this victory. He conquered the Chud tribes and founded the city of Yuryev (now Tartu in Estonia) in their lands.

Numerous marriages began to take place between Yaroslav's children reaching adulthood and the offspring of famous Polish, Swedish and Norwegian rulers. The total duration of the reign of Yaroslav the Wise is 37 years. This is the second longest tenure in power after Ivan IV the Terrible, who ruled much later.

The creation of the first Russian monasteries - Yuryev in Novgorod and Kiev-Pechersk - dates back to the reign of Yaroslav. Metropolitan Hilarion, author of the “Sermon on Law and Grace”, is a protege of Yaroslav the Wise. The number of literate people grew, the first schools were opened.

Fearing for himself and for his sole power, Yaroslav imprisoned the youngest of his siblings, Sudislav, in a cellar, who spent 23 years in captivity, outlived Yaroslav, and then abandoned the Kyiv throne for the sake of the monastic schema.
Being baptized by George, Yaroslav also established the day of St. George, which later became part of the saying “Here’s St. George’s Day for you, grandma!”