Yaroslav Vladimirovich, in the historiographic tradition Yaroslav the Wise. Born approx. 978 - died on February 20, 1054 in Vyshgorod. Prince of Rostov (987-1010), Prince of Novgorod (1010-1034), Prince of Kiev (1016-1018, 1019-1054).

Yaroslav the Wise was born around 978. The son of the baptist of Russia, the prince (from the Rurik family) and the Polotsk princess.

At baptism he was named George.

Yaroslav is first mentioned in the Tale of Bygone Years in article 6488 (980) of the year, which tells about the marriage of his father, Vladimir Svyatoslavich, and Rogneda, and after that 4 sons born from this marriage are listed: Izyaslav, Mstislav, Yaroslav and Vsevolod.

Year of birth of Yaroslav the Wise

Article 6562 (1054), which tells about the death of Yaroslav, says that he lived for 76 years (according to the Old Russian count of years, that is, he lived 75 years and died at the 76th year of life). Accordingly, according to the annals, Yaroslav was born in 978 or 979. This date is the most commonly used in the literature.

However, it is believed that this year is erroneous. The chronicle article under the year 1016 (6524) refers to the reign of Yaroslav in Kiev. If you believe this news, then Yaroslav should have been born in 988 or 989. This is explained in different ways. Tatishchev believes that there was a mistake and should not be 28, but 38 years old. In the chronicles that have not survived to our time, which were at his disposal (Raskolnichya, Golitsyn and Khrushchev chronicles), there were 3 options - 23, 28 and 34 years, and according to the Orenburg manuscript, the date of Yaroslav's birth should have been attributed to 972.

At the same time, in some late chronicles, not 28 years are read, but 18 years (Sophia first chronicle, Arkhangelsk chronicler, Ipatiev list of the Ipatiev chronicle). And in the Laurentian Chronicle it was stated that "And then Yaroslav Novgorod would be 28 years old", which gave reason to S.M. Solovyov to assume that the news refers to the duration of Yaroslav's Novgorod reign: if we take 18 years correctly, then from 998, and if 28 years - that cumulative reign in Rostov and Novgorod since 988. Solovyov also doubted the correctness of the news that Yaroslav was 76 years old in the year of his death.

Taking into account the fact that the marriage between Vladimir and Rogneda, according to the now established opinion, was concluded in 978, and also that Yaroslav was the third son of Rogneda, he could not be born in 978. According to historians, dating at 76 years old appeared in order to make Yaroslav older. However, there is evidence that it was Svyatopolk who was the eldest of the sons at the time of Vladimir's death. An indirect evidence of this can be the words of Boris, which he said to his squad, not wanting to occupy Kiev, since it is Svyatopolk who is the elder: "He is brighter. Do not wake my hands on the elder brother. If your fathers die, wake up father's place ".

At the moment, the fact of Svyatopolk's seniority is considered proven, and the indication of age is considered evidence that the chronicler tried to present Yaroslav to the elders, thus substantiating his right to the great reign.

If we accept the traditional date of birth and seniority of Svyatopolk, then this leads to a revision of the chronicle story about the struggle of Vladimir and Yaropolk for the Kiev throne, and attributing the capture of Polotsk and Vladimir's marriage to Rogneda to 976 or to the beginning of 977, before his departure for the sea.

Additional information about the age of Yaroslav at the time of death is provided by the data of studies of the bone remains of Yaroslav, carried out in 1939-1940. D.G. Rokhlin indicates that Yaroslav was over 50 years old at the time of his death and indicates 986 as a probable year of birth, and V.V. Ginzburg - 60-70 years old. Based on these data, it is assumed that Yaroslav could have been born between 983 and 986.

In addition, some historians, following N.I. Kostomarov expressed doubts that Yaroslav is the son of Rogneda. However, this contradicts the news of the chronicles, in which Yaroslav is repeatedly called her son. There is also a hypothesis by the French historian Arrignon, according to which Yaroslav was the son of the Byzantine princess Anna, and this explains Yaroslav's intervention in internal Byzantine affairs in 1043. However, this hypothesis also contradicts all other sources.

Yaroslav the Wise (documentary)

Yaroslav in Rostov

In the "Tale of Bygone Years" for the year 6496 (988), it is reported that Vladimir Svyatoslavich put his sons in various cities. Among the sons listed is Yaroslav, who received Rostov as a table. However, the date indicated in this article, 988, is rather arbitrary, since many events fit into it. Historian Alexei Karpov suggests that Yaroslav could have left for Rostov not earlier than 989.

In the annals of the reign of Yaroslav in Rostov nothing is reported, except for the fact of sitting on the table. All information about the Rostov period of his biography is of a late and legendary nature, their historical reliability is low.

Since Yaroslav received the Rostov table as a child, the real power was in the hands of the mentor sent with him. According to A. Karpov, this mentor could be the “breadwinner and governor named Buda (or Budy)” mentioned in the chronicle in 1018. Probably he was Yaroslav's closest associate in Novgorod, but he no longer needed a breadwinner during the period of the Novgorod reign, so it is likely that he was Yaroslav's educator even during the Rostov reign.

During the reign of Yaroslav in Rostov, the foundation of the city of Yaroslavl, named after the prince, was associated. Yaroslavl was first mentioned in the "Tale of Bygone Years" under the year 1071, when it described the "rebellion of the Magi" caused by famine in the Rostov land. But there are legends that attribute the foundation of the city to Yaroslav. According to one of them, Yaroslav traveled along the Volga from Novgorod to Rostov. According to legend, on the way, he was attacked by a bear, which Yaroslav, with the help of his retinue, hacked to death with an ax. After that, the prince ordered to cut down a small wooden fortress named after him - Yaroslavl on an impregnable promontory above the Volga.

These events are reflected on the coat of arms of the city. This legend was reflected in the "Legend of the construction of the city of Yaroslavl", published in 1877. According to the research of the historian and archaeologist N.N. Voronin, the "Tale" was created in the 18th-19th centuries, however, according to his assumption, the "Tale" was based on folk legends associated with the ancient cult of the bear, characteristic of the tribes that lived in the modern forest zone. Russia. An earlier version of the legend is given in an article published by M.A.Lenivtsev in 1827.

However, there are doubts that the Yaroslavl legend is associated with Yaroslav, although it probably reflects some facts from the initial history of the city.

In 1958-1959, the Yaroslavl historian Mikhail Germanovich Meyerovich proved that the city did not appear earlier than 1010. This date is currently considered the founding date of Yaroslavl.

Yaroslav reigned in Rostov until the death of his older brother Vysheslav, who ruled in Novgorod. The Tale of Bygone Years does not report the date of Vysheslav's death.

In the "Book of Degrees" (XVI century) it is reported that Vysheslav died before Rogneda, Yaroslav's mother, whose year of death is indicated in the "Tale of Bygone Years" (1000). However, this information is not based on any documents and is probably a guess.

VN Tatishchev gave another version in the History of Russia. On the basis of some chronicle that has not survived to our time (probably of Novgorod origin), he places information about the death of Vysheslav in an article for 6518 (1010/1011). This date is currently accepted by most historians. Yaroslav replaced Vysheslav in Novgorod.

Yaroslav in Novgorod

After the death of Vysheslav, Svyatopolk was considered the eldest son of Vladimir Svyatoslavovich. However, according to Titmar of Merseburg, he was put in prison by Vladimir on charges of treason. The next oldest son, Izyaslav, had also died by that time, but he was actually deprived of the right to inherit while his father was still alive - Polotsk was allocated to him as an inheritance. And Vladimir put Yaroslav in Novgorod.

The Novgorod reign at this time had a higher status than the Rostov reign. However, the Novgorod prince still had a subordinate position to the Grand Duke, paying a tribute of 2000 hryvnia annually (2/3 collected in Novgorod and the lands subordinate to him). However, 1/3 (1000 hryvnia) remained for the maintenance of the prince and his squad, the size of which was second only to the size of the squad of the Kiev prince.

The period of Yaroslav's reign in Novgorod until 1014 is as little described in the annals as the period in Rostov. It is likely that from Rostov Yaroslav first went to Kiev, and from there he already left for Novgorod. He arrived there, probably not earlier than 1011.

Before Yaroslav, Novgorod princes from the time of Rurik lived, as a rule, in the Gorodishche near Novgorod, while Yaroslav settled in Novgorod itself, which, by that time, was a significant settlement. His princely court was located on the Trade Side of Volkhov, the place was named "Yaroslav's Court". In addition, Yaroslav also had a country residence in the village of Rakoma, located south of Novgorod.

It is likely that Yaroslav's first marriage dates back to this period. The name of his first wife is unknown, presumably her name was Anna.

During excavations in Novgorod, archaeologists have found the only copy of the lead seal of Yaroslav the Wise, once suspended from the prince's letter. On one side of it is depicted the holy warrior George with a spear and shield and his name, on the second - a man in a cloak and helmet, relatively young, with a protruding mustache, but no beard, as well as inscriptions on the sides of the chest figure: “Yaroslav. Prince Russian ". Apparently, the seal contains a rather conventional portrait of the prince himself, a strong-willed man with a humped predatory nose, whose dying appearance was reconstructed from the skull by the famous scientist - archaeologist and sculptor Mikhail Gerasimov.

Yaroslav's speech against his father

In 1014, Yaroslav resolutely refused to pay his father, Prince of Kiev Vladimir Svyatoslavich, an annual lesson of two thousand hryvnias. Historians suggest that these actions of Yaroslav were associated with Vladimir's intention to transfer the throne to one of the younger sons, the Rostov prince Boris, whom he had brought closer to him in recent years and transferred the command of the princely squad, which actually meant the recognition of Boris as the heir. It is possible that this is why the eldest son Svyatopolk rebelled against Vladimir, after that he was imprisoned (he stayed there until his father's death). And it was this news that could induce Yaroslav to oppose his father.

In order to resist his father, Yaroslav, according to the chronicle, hired the Varangians overseas, who arrived led by Eymund. Vladimir, who in recent years lived in the village of Berestovo near Kiev, ordered to "take the path and bridge bridges" for the campaign, but fell ill. In addition, in June 1015, the Pechenegs invaded and the army gathered against Yaroslav, led by Boris, was forced to go to repel the raid of the steppe inhabitants, who, hearing about Boris's approach, turned back.

At the same time, the Varangians hired by Yaroslav, doomed to inaction in Novgorod, began to organize riots. According to the Novgorod First Chronicle: "the Vikings began to commit violence against their husbands."

As a result, the Novgorodians, unable to withstand the violence being committed, rebelled and killed the Varangians overnight. Yaroslav at this time was in his country residence in Rakoma. Upon learning of what had happened, he summoned the representatives of the Novgorod nobility, who participated in the rebellion, promising them forgiveness, and when they arrived at him, he cruelly dealt with them. It happened in July - August 1015.

After that, Yaroslav received a letter from his sister Predslava, in which she reported on the death of her father and the events that followed. This news made Prince Yaroslav make peace with the Novgorodians. He also promised to pay the virus for every one killed. And in subsequent events the Novgorodians invariably supported their prince.

Yaroslav in Kiev

On July 15, 1015, Vladimir Svyatoslavich died in Berestovo, who did not manage to extinguish his son's rebellion. And Yaroslav began a struggle for the Kiev throne with his brother Svyatopolk, who was released from prison and declared their prince by the rebellious Kievites. In this struggle, which lasted four years, Yaroslav relied on the Novgorodians and on the mercenary Varangian squad led by King Eymund.

In 1016, Yaroslav defeated the army of Svyatopolk near Lyubech and occupied Kiev in late autumn. He generously rewarded the Novgorod squad, endowing each warrior with ten hryvnias. From the chronicles: "And let them all go home - and having given them the truth, and having copied their charter, this is a rekshi to them: follow this letter, as if you have copied you, keep it as well."

The victory at Lyubech did not end the struggle with Svyatopolk: he soon approached Kiev with the Pechenegs, and in 1018 the Polish king Boleslav the Brave, invited by Svyatopolk, defeated Yaroslav's troops on the banks of the Bug, captured the sisters in Kiev, his wife Anna and Yaroslav's stepmother and, instead in order to transfer the city ("table") to the husband of his daughter Svyatopolk, he himself made an attempt to establish himself in it. But the Kievites, outraged by the fury of his squad, began to kill the Poles, and Boleslav had to hastily leave Kiev, depriving Svyatopolk of military assistance. And Yaroslav, after returning to Novgorod after defeat, prepared to flee "overseas".

But the Novgorodians, led by the mayor Konstantin Dobrynich, chopping down his ships, told the prince that they wanted to fight for him with Boleslav and Svyatopolk. They collected money, concluded a new treaty with the Vikings of King Eimund, and armed themselves.

In the spring of 1019, this army, led by Yaroslav, carried out a new campaign against Svyatopolk. In the battle on the Alta River, Svyatopolk was defeated, his banner was captured, he himself was wounded, but fled. King Eymund asked Yaroslav: "Will you order to kill him or not?", To which Yaroslav gave his consent: "I will not do anything of this: I will not set anyone up for a (personal, chest to chest) battle with King Burisleif, nor blame anyone if he is killed. "

In 1019, Yaroslav married the daughter of the Swedish king Olaf Schoetkonung - Ingigerde, whom the king of Norway had previously wooed Olaf Haraldson, who dedicated her to vis and later married her younger sister Astrid. Ingigerda in Russia is baptized with a consonant name - Irina. As a dowry from her father, Ingigerda received the city of Aldeygaborg (Ladoga) with the adjacent lands, which have since been called Ingermanlandia (Ingigerdy lands).

In 1020, Yaroslav's nephew Bryachislav attacked Novgorod, but on the way back he was overtaken by Yaroslav on the Sudoma River, defeated here by his troops and fled, leaving prisoners and loot. Yaroslav pursued him and forced him in 1021 to agree to peaceful conditions, assigning him two cities Usvyat and Vitebsk as his inheritance.

In 1023, Yaroslav's brother, the Tmutarakan prince Mstislav, attacked with his allies the Khazars and Kasogs and captured Chernigov and the entire left bank of the Dnieper, and in 1024 Mstislav defeated Yaroslav's troops under the leadership of the Varangian Yakun near Listven (near Chernigov). Mstislav moved his capital to Chernigov and, sending ambassadors to Yaroslav, who had fled to Novgorod, offered to divide the lands with him along the Dnieper and end the wars: "Sit down in your Kiev, you are an older brother, and let this side be for me."

In 1025, the son of Boleslav the Brave Mieszko II became king of Poland, and his two brothers, Bezprim and Otto, were expelled from the country and took refuge with Yaroslav.

In 1026, Yaroslav, having collected a large army, returned to Kiev, and made peace at Gorodets with his brother Mstislav, agreeing with his peace proposals. The brothers divided the lands along the Dnieper. The left bank remained for Mstislav, and the right bank for Yaroslav. Yaroslav, being the Grand Duke of Kiev, preferred to stay in Novgorod until 1036 (the year of Mstislav's death).

In 1028, the Norse king Olaf (later called the Saint) was forced to flee to Novgorod. He arrived there with his five-year-old son Magnus, leaving his mother Astrid in Sweden. In Novgorod, Ingigerda, the half-sister of Magnus's mother, Yaroslav's wife and Olaf's ex-fiance, insisted that Magnus stay with Yaroslav after the king returned to Norway in 1030, where he died in the battle for the Norwegian throne.

In 1029, helping his brother Mstislav, he made a campaign against the yas, expelling them from Tmutarakan. In the next 1030, Yaroslav defeated the Chud and laid the foundation for the city of Yuriev (now Tartu, Estonia). In the same year he took Belz to Galicia. At this time, an uprising arose against King Mieszko II in the Polish land, the people killed bishops, priests and boyars.

In 1031, Yaroslav and Mstislav, supporting Bezprim's claims to the Polish throne, gathered a large army and marched against the Poles, conquered the cities of Przemysl and Cherven, conquered the Polish lands, and, capturing many Poles, divided them up. Yaroslav settled his prisoners along the Ros River. Not long before that, in the same year 1031, Harald III the Severe, King of Norway, half-brother of Olaf the Saint, fled to Yaroslav the Wise and served in his squad. It is generally believed that he participated in Yaroslav's campaign against the Poles and was a co-leader of the army. Subsequently, Harald became Yaroslav's son-in-law, taking Elizabeth as his wife.

In 1034 Yaroslav made his son Vladimir prince of Novgorod. In 1036, Mstislav suddenly died while hunting, and Yaroslav, apparently fearing any claims to Kiev reign, imprisoned his last brother, the youngest of the Vladimirovichs, the Pskov prince Sudislav, in a dungeon (cut). Only after these events did Yaroslav decide to move with the yard from Novgorod to Kiev.

In 1036 he defeated the Pechenegs and thereby freed Russia from their raids. In memory of the victory over the Pechenegs, the prince laid the foundation of the famous St. Sophia Cathedral in Kiev, artists from Constantinople were summoned to paint the temple.

In the same year, after the death of his brother Mstislav Vladimirovich, Yaroslav became the sole ruler of most of Russia, with the exception of the Polotsk principality, where his nephew Bryachislav reigned, and after the death of the latter in 1044, Vseslav Bryachislavich.

In 1038, Yaroslav's troops made a campaign against the Yatvingians, in 1040 against Lithuania, and in 1041 a water campaign on boats to Mazovia.

In 1042, his son Vladimir defeated the Yam, and in this campaign there was a large loss of horses. Around this time (1038-1043), the English prince Edward the Exile fled from Knud the Great to Yaroslav.

In addition, in 1042, Prince Yaroslav the Wise rendered great assistance in the struggle for the Polish royal throne to the grandson of Boleslav the Brave, Casimir I. Casimir married Yaroslav's sister, Maria, who became the Polish queen Dobronega. This marriage was concluded in parallel with the marriage of Yaroslav Izyaslav's son to Casimir's sister, Gertrude, as a sign of an alliance with Poland.

In 1043, Yaroslav, for the murder of "one famous Russian" in Constantinople, sent his son Vladimir, together with Harald the Severe and the voivode Vyshata, on a campaign against Emperor Constantine Monomakh, in which hostilities unfolded at sea and land with varying success and which ended in peace , concluded in 1046.

In 1044, Yaroslav organized a campaign against Lithuania.

In 1045, Prince Yaroslav the Wise and Princess Irina (Ingegerda) went to Novgorod from Kiev to their son Vladimir to lay the stone Sophia Cathedral, instead of the burnt wooden one.

In 1047, Yaroslav the Wise broke the union with Poland.

In 1048, the ambassadors of Henry I of France arrived in Kiev to ask for the hand of Yaroslav's daughter Anna.

The reign of Yaroslav the Wise lasted 37 years. Yaroslav spent the last years of his life in Vyshgorod.

Yaroslav the Wise died on February 20, 1054 in Vyshgorod exactly on the feast of the Triumph of Orthodoxy in the arms of his son Vsevolod, having outlived his wife Ingigerda for four years and his eldest son Vladimir for two years.

In the inscription (graffiti) on the central nave of St. Sophia Cathedral under the fresco of Yaroslav the Wise himself, dated 1054, it is said about the death of “our king”: “In 6562 February 20, we succeeded in in (Sunday) in (n) food (lu) (mu) h Theodore. "

In different chronicles, the exact date of Yaroslav's death was determined in different ways: either February 19, or the 20th. Academician B. Rybakov explains these disagreements by the fact that Yaroslav died on the night from Saturday to Sunday. In Ancient Russia, there were two principles to determine the beginning of the day: according to church accounts - from midnight, in everyday life - from dawn. That is why the date of Yaroslav's death is called differently: according to one account it was still Saturday, and according to another, church account, it was already Sunday. The historian A. Karpov believes that the prince could have died on 19 (according to the chronicle), and he was buried on the 20th.

However, the date of death is not accepted by all researchers. V.K.Ziborov dates this event to February 17, 1054.

Yaroslav was buried in St. Sophia Cathedral in Kiev. The marble six-ton \u200b\u200bsarcophagus of Yaroslav still stands in the Cathedral of St. Sofia. It was discovered in 1936, 1939 and 1964, and not always qualified research was carried out.

Appearance of Yaroslav the Wise

According to the results of the autopsy in January 1939, anthropologist Mikhail Gerasimov in 1940 created a sculptural portrait of the prince.

The growth of Yaroslav the Wise was 175 centimeters. The face is of the Slavic type, the forehead is of medium height, the narrow bridge of the nose, the strongly protruding nose, large eyes, the sharply defined mouth (with almost all the teeth, which was extremely rare then in old age), the sharply protruding chin.

It is also known that he was lame (because of which he walked poorly): according to one of the versions - from birth, according to the other - as a result of being wounded in battle. The right leg of Prince Yaroslav was longer than the left, due to damage to the hip and knee joints. Perhaps this was a consequence of a hereditary Perthes disease.

According to the Newsweek magazine, upon opening the box with the remains of Yaroslav the Wise on September 10, 2009, it was found that, presumably, only the skeleton of Yaroslav's wife, Princess Ingegerda, was in it. In the course of an investigation carried out by journalists, a version was put forward that the remains of the prince were taken out of Kiev in 1943 during the retreat of German troops and are currently at the disposal of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the United States (jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople).

Disappearance of the remains of Yaroslav the Wise

In the XX century, the Sarcophagus of Yaroslav the Wise was opened three times: in 1936, 1939 and in 1964.

In 2009, the tomb in St. Sophia Cathedral was opened again, and the remains were sent for examination. The autopsy revealed the Soviet newspapers Izvestia and Pravda, dated 1964.

Published in March 2011, the results of a genetic examination are as follows: not male, but only female remains are buried in the tomb, moreover, composed of two skeletons dating from completely different times: one skeleton from the times of Ancient Russia, and the second one thousand years older, that is, from the times of Scythian settlements ...

The remains of the Old Russian period, according to anthropological scientists, belong to a woman who did a lot of hard physical labor during her lifetime - clearly not a princely family. The first to write about the female remains among the skeletons found was M.M. Gerasimov in 1939. Then it was announced that besides Yaroslav the Wise, other people were buried in the tomb.

On the trail of the ashes of Yaroslav the Wise, the icon of St. Nicholas the Wise, which was taken from the St. Sophia Cathedral by representatives of the UGCC, who retreated along with the German invaders from Kiev in the autumn of 1943, can lead. The icon was discovered at Holy Trinity Church (Brooklyn, New York, USA) in 1973.

According to historians, the remains of the Grand Duke should also be sought in the United States.

Yaroslav the Wise - Monument "1000th Anniversary of Russia"

Personal life of Yaroslav the Wise:

First wife (before 1019) - presumably Norwegian by name Anna... In 1018, she was captured in Kiev by the Polish king Boleslav the Brave, together with Yaroslav's sisters, and was forever taken to Poland.

Second wife (from 1019) - Ingegerda (in baptism Irina, in monasticism, possibly Anna); daughter of King Olaf Schötkonung of Sweden. Their children have dispersed throughout Europe.

Sons of Yaroslav the Wise:

Ilya (until 1018 -?) - Possible son of Yaroslav the Wise from his first wife, taken to Poland. The hypothetical prince of Novgorod.

Vladimir (1020-1052) - Prince of Novgorod.

(Dmitry) (1025-1078) - married the sister of the Polish king Casimir I - Gertrude. Grand Duke of Kiev (1054-1068, 1069-1073, 1077-1078).

(Nikolay) (1027-1076) - prince of Chernigov, it is assumed that he was married twice: the first time on Killikia (or Kikiliya, Cecilia), of unknown origin; the second time probably on the Austrian princess Ode, daughter of Count Leopold.

Vsevolod (Andrey) (1030-1093) - married a Greek princess (presumably the daughter of the Byzantine emperor Constantine IX Monomakh), from whose marriage Prince Vladimir Monomakh was born.

Vyacheslav (1033-1057) - Prince of Smolensk.

Igor (1036-1060) - prince of Volyn. Some historians give Igor the fifth place among the sons of Yaroslav, in particular, relying on the order of listing the sons in the news of the will of Yaroslav the Wise and the news that after Vyacheslav's death in Smolensk Igor was taken out of Vladimir ("The Tale of Bygone Years").

Daughters of Yaroslav the Wise:

Elizabeth became the wife of the Norwegian king Harald the Severe.

Anastasia became the wife of the King of Hungary Andras I. In the city of Tikhony, on the shore of Lake Balaton, a church is named after them and a monument is erected.

She married King Henry I of France. In France, she became known as Anna Russian or Anna Kievskaya. In France, in the town of Senlis, a monument is erected to Anna.

Holy relatives of Yaroslav the Wise:

The future Orthodox saint noble prince Yaroslav (king Yaritsleiv) was the brother-in-law of the common Christian future saint, the Norwegian king Olaf the Saint - they were married to sisters: Yaroslav to an older sister, the future Orthodox saint Ingigerd, Olaf to a younger sister, Astrid.

Before that, both saints had one bride - Princess Ingigerd of Sweden (in Russia, the noble princess Irina), who in the spring of 1018 agreed to marry Olaf of Norway and personally embroidered a cloak with a gold clasp for her groom, and in the fall of the same year, at the request of her father, gave consent to marry Yaroslav (the wedding took place in 1019).

The romantic relationship between Olaf and Ingigerd from 1018 to 1030 is described in three Scandinavian sagas: "The Saga of Olaf the Saint", "Strands of Eimund", etc. "Rotten skin."

In 1029 Olaf, while in exile in Novgorod, wrote a visu (poem) about Ingigerd; part of it has come down to the present day. According to the sagas, Olaf in Novgorod in the winter of 1029/1030 showed two miracles of healing: in particular, he healed the seriously ill nine-year-old son of Yaroslav and Ingigerd, the future Orthodox saint Vladimir (Valdemar). After the death and glorification of Olaf in Novgorod, b. In the capital city of Yaroslav, the Church of St. Olaf was erected, nicknamed by the people "Varangian".

After the death of his father, the young son of the future Saint Olaf, Magnus the Good, was adopted by the future Saint Yaroslav the Wise, was brought up in his family, and upon reaching adulthood, with the help of his adoptive father, he received back the throne of Norway and then Denmark.

Also Yaroslav the Wise is the brother of the Orthodox, the first saints glorified in Russia - the princes Boris and Gleb, the father of the Orthodox saints Vladimir and Svyatoslav Yaroslavich, the grandfather of the locally revered Orthodox saint Vladimir Monomakh and the Catholic Hugo the Great, Count of Vermandois.

Yaroslav was buried in St. Sophia of Kiev in the former six-ton \u200b\u200bProconnesian marble tomb of the Holy Roman Pope Clement, which his father Vladimir Svyatoslavich took from the Byzantine Chersonesos he had conquered. The tomb is still intact.

There is also a point of view that Yaroslav the Wise had another daughter named Agatha, who became the wife of Edward the Exile, heir to the throne of England. Some researchers question the fact that Yaroslav was the son of Rogneda, and there is also a hypothesis that he had a wife - Anna, who died around 1018. Perhaps Anna was Norwegian, and in 1018 she was captured by Boleslav the Brave during the capture of Kiev ... There, a hypothesis is put forward that a certain Ilya is "the son of the king of Russia" Yaroslav the Wise.

The origin of the wife of one of the sons, the German princess Oda, daughter of Leopold, is a controversial fact in terms of belonging to the Staden family (rulers of the Northern Mark) or to the Babenbergs (rulers of Austria before the Habsburgs). It is also controversial whose wife Oda was - Vladimir, Svyatoslav or Vyacheslav. Today, the prevailing point of view is that Oda Leopoldovna was the wife of Svyatoslav and came from the Babenberg family.

Yaroslav the Wise in culture

Yaroslav is a traditional character in literary works of the hagiographic genre - the Life of Boris and Gleb. The very fact of the murder serves as a favorite theme for the ancient chroniclers for individual legends. In total, the "Legend of Boris and Gleb" has survived in more than 170 copies, of which the oldest and most complete are attributed to the Monk Nestor and the monk Jacob Mnich.

It says, for example, that after the death of Vladimir, power in Kiev was seized by Vladimir's stepson Svyatopolk. Fearing the rivalry of the grand duke's own children - Boris, Gleb and others, Svyatopolk first of all sent the killers to the first contenders for the table in Kiev - Boris and Gleb. A messenger sent from Yaroslav gives Gleb the news of the death of his father and the murder of his brother Boris ... And so the grief-stricken Prince Gleb floats down the river in a boat, and it is surrounded by enemies who have overtaken him. He understood that this was the end and said in a humble voice: "Once you have already begun, having begun, do what you were sent to do." And Yaroslav's sister Predslav warns that their brother Svyatopolk is going to eliminate him too.

Yaroslav is also mentioned in the "Word of Law and Grace" by Metropolitan Hilarion and in "Memory and Praise to Prince Vladimir of Russia" by Jacob Mnich.

Since Yaroslav was married to Ingegerd - the daughter of the Swedish king Olaf Schoetkonung and arranged dynastic marriages of his daughters, including Elizabeth (Ellisiv) - with the King of Norway Harald the Severe, he himself and his name are repeatedly mentioned in the Scandinavian sagas, where he appears under the name “ Yarisleiva Konung Holmgard ”, that is, Novgorod.

In 1834, a professor at St. Petersburg University Senkovsky, translating The Saga of Eimund into Russian, discovers there that the Varangian Eymund, along with his squad, was hired by Yaroslav the Wise. The saga tells how King Yarisleif (Yaroslav) fights with King Burisleif (Boris), and in the Burisleif saga the Varangians are killed by order of Yarisleif. Then some researchers, on the basis of the saga about Eimund, supported the hypothesis that Boris's death was the "handiwork" of the Varangians sent by Yaroslav the Wise in 1017, given that according to the chronicles Yaroslav, Bryachislav and Mstislav refused to recognize Svyatopolk as a legitimate prince in Kiev.

However, Senkovsky's hypothesis, based solely on the data from the "Saga of Eimund", of which the historian and source historian IN Danilevsky is currently an active supporter, proves the possible "involvement" of Yaroslav only in the murder of Boris (Buritsleiv), but not Gleb, who is not mentioned at all in the saga.

At the same time, it is known that after the death of Prince Vladimir, only two brothers - Boris and Gleb declared their loyalty to the new Kiev prince and pledged to “honor him as his father” and for Svyatopolk it would be very strange to kill his allies. Until now, this hypothesis has both its supporters and opponents.

Also, historians, starting with S. M. Solovyov, suggest that the story of the death of Boris and Gleb was clearly inserted into the Tale of Bygone Years later, otherwise the chronicler would not repeat again about the beginning of Svyatopolk's reign in Kiev.

Old Russian chroniclers raise the topic of Yaroslav's wisdom, starting with the "praise for the books", placed under 1037 in the "Tale of Bygone Years", which, according to their legends, was that Yaroslav was wise because he built the temples of St. Sophia in Kiev and Novgorod, then has dedicated the main temples of the cities of Sofia - the wisdom of God, to which the main temple of Constantinople is dedicated. Thus, Yaroslav announces that the Russian Church is on a par with the Byzantine Church. Mentioning wisdom, chroniclers, as a rule, reveal this concept, referring to the Old Testament Solomon.

The oldest of the portraits of the Kiev prince was made during his lifetime on the famous fresco in the Cathedral of St. Sophia. Unfortunately, part of the fresco with portraits of Yaroslav and his wife Ingegerda has been lost. Only a copy of A. van Westerfeld, the court painter of the Lithuanian hetman A. Radzivil, made in 1651 from an entire fresco, has survived.

The famous sculptor and anthropologist Mikhail Gerasimov carried out the reconstruction of Yaroslav's face from his skull. The sculptural image of Yaroslav was created by M.O. Mikeshin and I.N.Shroder in the monument "Millennium of Russia" in 1862 in Novgorod.

In fiction: is a minor hero of the historical novels by Valentin Ivanov "Great Russia" (1961), Antonina Ladinsky "Anna Yaroslavna - Queen of France" (1973), in the historical story of Elizabeth Dvoretskaya "Treasure of Harald", as well as in the story of Boris Akunin "Fiery finger "(2014).

In cinema:

- "Yaroslavna, Queen of France" (1978; USSR) directed by Igor Maslennikov, in the role of Prince Yaroslav Kirill Lavrov;
- "Yaroslav the Wise" (1981; USSR) directed by Grigory Kokhan, in the role of Yaroslav Yuri Muravitsky, Yaroslav in childhood Mark Gres;
- "Yaroslav. A Thousand Years Ago "(2010; Russia) directed by Dmitry Korobkin, in the role of Yaroslav Alexander Ivashkevich.

Prince Yaroslav the Wise

It is better to endure resentment than to inflict it.

Plato

Prince Yaroslav the Wise was born in 978. His father was Prince Vladimir, who placed his young son on the princely throne of the city of Novgorod, which he ruled until 1019. After the death of Prince Vladimir, the Kiev throne was seized by Svyatopolk, who, blinded by his thirst for power, killed his three brothers: Boris, Gleb and Svyatoslav. Wanting to punish his brother, Yaroslav gathers an army for a campaign against Kiev. In total, the army consisted of forty thousand Slavs and thousands of hired Varangians. This campaign began in 1016. The confrontation with Svyatopolk lasted until 1019, and ended with the murder of the latter.

The beginning of the reign

So Prince Yaroslav the Wise began his reign, which lasted 35 years. This time can undoubtedly be called the golden time in the history of Kievan Rus. But initially, everything was not so smooth. The reign of Yaroslav, even after the death of Svyatopolk, was not unconditional. Mstislav Udaloy, who at that time held a princely post in the city of Tmutarakan, refused to recognize his brother as the sole ruler of Kievan Rus. Mstislav gathered an army and went to war against Kiev. The key battle of this confrontation took place on river Ruda in 1023... In this battle, Yaroslav was defeated and went to Novgorod to collect a new army. It should be noted that Mstislav showed rare generosity and decided not to challenge his brother's reign. He offered Yaroslav to rule over all the lands on the right side of the Don, leaving behind him the left side. Yaroslav refused.

Partition and unification of the country

However, after returning to Novgorod, Prince Yaroslav the Wise gathered a new army and went to a meeting with his brother, which took place near Kiev. The brothers agreed to conclude an alliance and divided the lands of Kievan Rus among themselves. Mstislav took control of all the eastern lands, Yaroslav - the western ones. The only border between the possessions of the brothers was the Dnieper. This event was truly a key one for Russia. For the first time, a country that had been constantly tormented by internal and external enemies has regained tranquility. The consent of the princes was complete and they did not dare to violate the terms of the signed peace. This continued until 1036, when Mstislav died. After the death of his brother, Prince Yaroslav the Wise became a full-fledged ruler. Now under his control was the whole of Kievan Rus: its western and eastern parts.

The year 1036 marks not only the reunification of the western and eastern lands of Russia. It was in this year that the battle with the Polovtsy took place near Kiev. The Russian army won a splendid victory, utterly defeating the enemy. From now on, they did not represent such a formidable force. Now the prince could concentrate on solving other pressing problems.

End of reign

Prince Yaroslav went down in history under the name Wise. This is what the people of Kiev called him, because it was under him that the first educational institutions were opened in the country, and the first written code of laws - "Russian Truth" was drawn up.

The last years of his life, this ruler directed the fight against a possible internecine war after his death. To do this, he himself decided to divide the country between his sons. So, Izyaslav, the eldest son, was bequeathed to the management of the city of Kiev, Svyatoslav became the ruler of Chernigov, Vsevolod succeeded Pereyaslav, Igor became a prince in the Vladimir-Volyn land, Vyacheslav became the ruler of Smolensk.

Yaroslav the Wise died in 1054, leaving a great country to his sons, which, after a long period of calm, declared itself as a strong power.

Yaroslav Vladimirovich the Wise (978-1054) - Rostov and Novgorod prince, Grand Duke of Kiev, son of the Baptist of Rus. After numerous battles with his brothers, he was able to secure the southern and western borders of the state. Also during the reign of Yaroslav, dynastic ties with European countries were established. It was under him that the "Russian Truth" was compiled. In addition, under this statesman, the Golden Gate, the Pechersky Monastery and the St. Sophia Cathedral in Kiev were built. To mitigate the dependence of the Russian Orthodox Church on Byzantium, the ruler sent his Metropolitan Hilarion to the church.

Family ties

There are discussions among historians about the years of Yaroslav's life, but most of them adhere to the version about 978 year of birth. He was born into the family of Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavovich, who christened Kievan Rus. The statesman's mother was Rogneda Rogvolodovna.

Already in 987 he received the title of Prince of Rostov. It was in this year that a city called Yaroslavl was founded. Since the boy was very young, a breadwinner and governor of Buda was assigned to him. He helped the ruler get used to it, later he became Yaroslav's closest associate.

After the death of Vysheslav in 1010, Yaroslav was recognized as the prince of Novgorod. In 1014, he first refused to pay tribute to Kiev, which led to disagreements with Father Vladimir, who at that time was the head of state. He became furious, began to prepare a campaign to punish his son. However, he later fell ill and died suddenly.

The task of pacifying the brother was taken over by the other sons of Vladimir. Since 1015, Yaroslav's conflicts with Svyatopolk the Accursed and Mstislav Tmutarakansky began. They lasted for several years. During this time, the borders of the state moved several times.

Conflicts with brothers

When Vladimir died, Svyatopolk took his place. He had to destroy three brothers in order to maintain power. Boris, Svyatoslav and Gleb died at the hands of the governor's assassins. This fate awaited his younger brother, but he managed to win the battle of Lubich. In 1016 Svyatopolk fled to his father-in-law Boleslav, two years later they tried together to attack Yaroslav. The battle took place in Volyn, on the banks of the Bug. For a while Boleslav managed to take possession of Kiev, but later he quarreled with his son-in-law and left. At this time, the Wise again attacks along with his Varangians and wins.

In 1019 Yaroslav managed to become a Kiev prince. He saw his main goal as protecting his native land from the Pechenegs and other conquerors. Under his rule, the ruler united almost all ancient Russian territories. But for full control, the man needed to deal with other relatives.

In 1021 he expelled his nephew Bryachislav of Polotsk, after which he divided the state along the Dnieper with his brother Mstislav. In 1036 he dies, and Yaroslav again becomes the only prince. At the same time, he sends his son Vladimir to the post of sovereign of Novgorod.

The wise preferred to solve all issues with the help of diplomacy, resorting to violence only as a last resort. Studies of his remains showed that the statesman's leg was almost completely severed. He could not do without outside help, because he was severely limping.

Some historians claim that the injury was received during civil strife with the brothers. Other scientists believe that Yaroslav was limping since childhood. The chronicles contain confirmation of the second version, allegedly in his youth, the ruler suffered paralysis of the legs. But this did not detract from his physical strength.

Management of Kievan Rus

The Wise ruled Kiev from 1019 to 1054, during which time Russia became the strongest country in Europe. The territory was surrounded by a stone wall, and the main gates of the city were named "Golden". The Church of the Annunciation towered above them. Thanks to this statesman in Russia, the first full-fledged code of laws "Russian Truth" was published. To strengthen the defense of the state, several fortresses were cut down along the Ros River.

He also founded several monasteries, including Yuryev and Kiev-Pechersky, as well as the Cathedral of St. Sophia. The foundation for the last of them was laid on the site of the enchanting victory over the nomads. Even now, the temple amazes the townspeople with its splendor, the frescoes and mosaics are perfectly preserved. The statesman invited the best craftsmen from Greece for the decoration. Not far from the cathedral are the monasteries of St. George and St. Irene.

The Emperor paid special attention to the church and the development of writing. He gathered numerous translators and book-writers to expand the library of Kievan Rus. Throughout the world, children were taught to read and write thanks to a school for boys opened in Novgorod. Yaroslav himself spent a lot of time reading. The specialists hired by him translated books into Old Russian and Church Slavonic languages.

In 1054, the prince feels the approach of death, so he divides all his lands between his sons, bequeathing them to live in peace. The Kiev throne went to Prince Izyaslav. The statesman died on February 20, 1054. He was buried in a marble coffin, the ceremony took place in the Church of St. Sophia.

Dynastic marriages

Yaroslav Vladimirovich was married only once in his life, however, two names of his wife are mentioned in the annals - Irina and Anna. The statesman's wife was named Ingigerde, she was the daughter of the Swedish king Olav. According to historians, at baptism, the girl received the name Irina, after taking the tonsure as a nun, they began to call her Anna.

To strengthen his power, Yaroslav gave all his daughters to the kings of other countries. Elizabeth became the wife of the Norwegian Harald, Anastasia married the Hungarian ruler Andrei. Historians have devoted a lot of time to studying the fate of Anna Yaroslavna, who became the wife of the French king Henry I.

The prince married the son of Vsevolod to a Greek princess, two more offspring tied the knot with German princesses. Izyaslav married the sister of the Polish prince Casimir, who, in turn, married the sister of the Wise. Her name was Dobrogneva. Yaroslav Vladimirovich strove to build a policy on love and diplomacy, avoiding the use of weapons. He hoped that his sons would continue his work, but the death of the sovereign was the impetus for the beginning of feudal fragmentation.

During his life, the statesman managed to do more than many other rulers. He had a strong character, constantly striving for enlightenment, for which he was nicknamed the Wise. The Russian Orthodox Church remembers and annually honors the memory of its prince. In a leap year, this date falls on March 4, at all other times - on the 5th.
 

One of the most revered ancient Russian princes is Prince Yaroslav the Wise, the son of the great (Baptist). He received the nickname Wise for his love of enlightenment and the creation of the first code of laws known in Russia, later called "Russian Truth."

He is also the father, uncle and grandfather of many European rulers. At baptism, Yaroslav received the name George (or Yuri). The Russian Orthodox Church venerates him as a faithful believer and even included the day of his memory in the calendar. In a leap year it is March 4th, and in a normal year it is March 5th.

Childhood and youth

The date of birth of Yaroslav Vladimirovich is still being argued about. But most historians and scholars are inclined to believe that the prince was born in 978, although no one has full confidence in this. His birthday is all the more unknown.

His parents were Vladimir Svyatoslavovich, who belonged to the Rurik family, and the Polotsk princess. Although there is no agreement here either. For example, the famous historian Nikolai Kostomarov doubted that it was Rogneda who was Yaroslav's mother. And his French colleague Arrignon believed that the Byzantine princess Anna gave birth to the prince. Supposedly, this circumstance explains his interference in internal Byzantine affairs in 1043.

But for the sake of justice, it should be noted that the rest of the historians are inclined to consider Rogneda as the woman who gave birth to the most famous of the ancient Russian princes.

All four offspring born in a marriage with Rogneda, Izyaslav, Mstislav, Yaroslav and Vsevolod, the Grand Duke Vladimir sent to reign in different cities. Yaroslav got Rostov. But since the boy was barely 9 years old, a breadwinner and governor Budy (in other sources of Buda) was assigned to him. Later, when the matured prince Yaroslav the Wise began to rule Novgorod, the breadwinner and mentor turned into the closest ally.

Governing body

This period is in the nature of legends and legends. The time of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, like the personality itself, some historians tend to idealize, others to demonize. True, as usual, somewhere in the middle.

The reign of Novgorod had a higher status than the government of Rostov. And yet the Novgorod ruler had a subordinate status in relation to the Kiev ruler, that is, Vladimir. Therefore, Prince Yaroslav the Wise obligatorily paid his father 2/3 of the tribute collected from the Novgorod lands every year. It was the sum of 2 thousand hryvnias. 1 thousand remained for the maintenance of the nobleman himself and his squad. I must say that its size was only slightly inferior to Vladimir's squad.

Probably, it was this circumstance that prompted his son to rebel and in 1014 refuse to pay a huge tribute to his father. Novgorodians supported their mayor, as there is information in the surviving chronicles. Vladimir became angry and began to prepare a campaign to pacify the rebels. But at that time he was in his advanced years. Soon he fell ill and died suddenly, without punishing his son.

The father's place was taken by the eldest son - Svyatopolk the Damned. To protect himself and keep power in his hands, he destroyed three brothers: Boris, whom the people of Kiev especially loved, Gleb and Svyatoslav. The same fate awaited the Novgorod mayor. But he managed to defeat Svyatopolk in a bloody battle near Lyubech and in 1016 entered Kiev.

The fragile truce between the brothers, who divided Kiev along the Dnieper, from time to time turned into a "hot" stage. But in 1019 Svyatopolk died, and Yaroslav the Wise began undivided rule of the Kiev throne.

A huge merit of Prince Yaroslav the Wise was the victory over the Pechenegs. This happened in 1036. As the chronicles say, the city was besieged by nomads during the period when the ruler left for Novgorod, where he took part in the foundation of the temple. But having received news of the danger, he quickly returned and defeated the Pechenegs. From that moment on, their devastating and bloody raids on Russia briefly ceased.

The "golden" time of Yaroslav the Wise has begun. After the victories won, the nobleman took up the grandiose construction. In place of the brilliant victory over the nomads, the St. Sophia Cathedral was laid. It was in many ways a copy of the cathedral in Constantinople. Decorated with magnificent frescoes and mosaics, the temple amazed with the beauty of its contemporaries and pleases the eye today.

The nobleman spared no expense for church splendor and invited the best Greek craftsmen to decorate the cathedral. And the famous Golden Gate appeared in the city, which was repeated the same in Constantinople. The Church of the Annunciation rose above them.

Domestic and foreign policy

The ruler made great efforts to break the dependence of the Russian Orthodox Church on Byzantium, which dominated over it. Therefore, in 1054, for the first time in the history of Russia, its church was headed by a Russian, not a Greek metropolitan. His name was Hilarion.

The internal policy of Yaroslav the Wise was aimed at improving the education of the people and eradicating the remnants of the pagan faith. The Christian faith was instilled with renewed vigor. In this, the son continued the work of his great father, Vladimir the Baptist.

The son ordered to translate Greek handwritten books into the Slavic language. He himself loved to read and tried to instill a love of reading and enlightenment in his subordinates. The clergy began to teach children to read and write. A school for boys appeared in Novgorod, which accepted the first 300 students.

The number of books grew rapidly and book wisdom was elevated into a kind of fashion of the time. It became prestigious to be enlightened.

The Tale of Bygone Years speaks of a certain collection of books and documents, which is commonly called the Library of Yaroslav the Wise. Scientists talk about different quantities: from 500 to 950 volumes. According to some reports, the library was transferred by the prince (according to other sources - his great-grandson) to the Sophia Cathedral.

Since ancient books, which are a thousand years old, have not been found, there are many hypotheses where they can be stored. Some argue that it could be the dungeons of the St. Sophia Cathedral, others talk about the catacombs of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, and still others - about the Vydubitsky monastery. But there are also skeptics who believe that the priceless tomes could not survive after the devastating Polovtsian raids and fires.

Another version that has the right to exist - the Library of Yaroslav the Wise became part of the no less legendary Library.

Prince Yaroslav the Wise stood at the origins of the emergence of the first Russian monasteries, including the main one - Kiev-Pechersk. The monastery not only made a huge contribution to the promotion and popularization of Christianity and Orthodoxy, but also played a huge role in enlightenment. After all, chronicles were compiled here and books were translated.

And also at this wonderful time, "Russian Truth" by Yaroslav the Wise appeared. This is the first set of laws of Russia, which the followers added and multiplied.

Historians also highly appreciate the foreign policy of the nobleman, in which he also achieved great success. It seems that he was the first of the Russian princes to emphasize diplomacy, not force of arms.

At that time, dynastic marriages were considered the main way to establish relations with other states. And since Kievan Rus during the reign of the Wise turned into an enlightened and strong state, many rulers of European countries expressed a desire to "become related" with it.

The wife of Yaroslav the Wise was the daughter of King Olaf of Sweden - Ingigerd, who received the name Irina after baptism. From her father she got a rich dowry - the city of Aldeygaborg (later Ladoga). The adjacent lands were named Ingermanlandia (which translates as the lands of Ingigerdy).

The prince's son - Vsevolod - married a Greek princess. Two more offspring are on the German princesses. The son of Izyaslav married the sister of the Polish prince Kazimir, and Kazimir himself married the sister of the Wise - Dobrognev.

The same dynastic marriages were among the daughters of the Kiev nobleman. Elizabeth was married to the Norwegian king Harald, Anastasia - to the Hungarian ruler Andrew. But the most famous and revered was the daughter Anna Yaroslavna, who became the wife of the French king Henry I. As a result of such a foreign policy, Prince Yaroslav the Wise was linked by ties of kinship with many strong neighbors, near and far.

Founding cities

Prince Yaroslav the Wise founded Yuryev. This happened in 1030, when he went on a campaign against Chud. A new city named after its angel appeared on the shores of Lake Peipsi. Now called Tartu, it is the second largest Estonian city after Tallinn.

Another city of Yaroslav the Wise is Yaroslavl, although some historians consider the fact of its founding by the prince not indisputable.

There is another Yuryev, which was founded by the prince. This city turned out to be at the same time a fortress, which was part of the Poros defensive line. It was built to protect Kiev from nomads. In 1240, the Tatar-Mongols destroyed it, leaving only the ruins of the church. Around it, the city was revived, receiving the name White Church. It is called that today.

Personal life

Many historians agree that Ingigerd's wife, who became Irina after baptism, had a huge influence on her husband and left a noticeable mark on the history of Russia. In 1703, St. Petersburg was built on the lands she inherited from her father.

In Kiev, thanks to Princess Irina, the first women's monastery appeared. It was built at the Church of St. Irene. One of its columns "survived" until the middle of the 20th century. Now only the quiet Irininskaya street reminds of the existence of the temple.

How the personal life of Yaroslav the Wise and Ingigerda-Irina developed is difficult to say today. It is only known that 6 sons and 3 daughters were born in marriage with her. The wife shared the views of her husband and converted to his faith, doing a lot to promote it.

The great nobleman, it seems, was not handsome. A strongly protruding nose and the same chin, a sharply defined mouth and large eyes did not add attractiveness. He was also lame because of the different lengths of his legs. According to one version - due to the hip and knee joints damaged in battle, and according to the other - due to hereditary Perthes disease.

There is a historical puzzle-puzzle on which different historians have their own opinion. Some of them claim that Prince Yaroslav the Wise was married twice.

His first wife was allegedly Norwegian Anna. In this marriage, a son, Ilya, was even born. But in 1018, he and his mother were captured by the Polish king Boleslav the Brave and forever taken to Poland. This version is allegedly confirmed by the fact that Anna's name is found in some chronicles.

But there are also opponents of this controversial version. They argue that everything is much simpler. Anna is the monastic name of Ingigerdy-Irina. Allegedly, at the end of her life, she cut her hair as a nun, taking this name for herself. In 1439, Archbishop Euthymius canonized Anna. She is considered the heavenly patroness of Novgorod.

It is noteworthy that Prince Yaroslav the Wise himself was numbered among the saints only in the 21st century.

Death

Prince Yaroslav the Wise spent the last years of his life in Vyshgorod. He died on the feast of the Triumph of Orthodoxy in the arms of one of his sons - Vsevolod, having outlived his wife for 4 years and for 2 the eldest of his sons, Vladimir.

The date of death of the prince is considered February 20, 1054. He was buried in the St. Sophia Cathedral in Kiev, in a 6-ton marble sarcophagus. Unfortunately, the remains of the great ruler have disappeared. It is known that the sarcophagus was opened three times in the 20th century: in 1936, 1939 and 1964. And they did it not always skillfully and conscientiously.

After the autopsy in 1939, the remains of Yaroslav the Wise were sent to Leningrad, where scientists from the Institute of Anthropology confirmed for the first time that one of the 3 skeletons (male, female and child) from the opened burial really belongs to the prince. Anthropologist Mikhail Gerasimov was able to restore the appearance of the ruler from the found skull.

The remains were returned to Kiev. But in 2009, the tomb was opened again and it was discovered that there were no remains of the oldest of the Rurikovichs. Two female skeletons were found at the site - one from the times of Kievan Rus, the second even more ancient - from the Scythian period. And in the tomb they found the newspapers Izvestia and Pravda in 1964.

Many historians and researchers are inclined to believe that the remains should be sought in the United States. Allegedly, they were taken there in 1943, when the German troops were retreating.

(978-1054) had 6 sons: Vladimir, Izyaslav, Svyatoslav, Vsevolod, Igor, Vyacheslav. The eldest son Vladimir died during his father's life in 1052. He has a son Rostislav. It would seem that he should have inherited the princely throne in the city of Kiev. But according to the law or the order of Yaroslav the Wise, after the death of the Grand Duke, not his son, but the next oldest brother, became the heir. If the generation of brothers ended, then the son of the elder brother succeeded to the throne. And after his death - the son of the next brother, and so on.

Sons of Yaroslav the Wise say goodbye to their dying father

Therefore, in 1054, when Yaroslav the Wise died, the princely throne in the capital city of Kiev got second son Izyaslav (1024-1078). It should be noted that he did not enjoy the love of the people of Kiev. But they tolerated the unloved ruler until 1068.

In the specified year, the Polovtsians set out on a campaign against Kievan Rus. The sons of Yaroslav the Wise (Izyaslav, Svyatoslav, Vsevolod) set up their squads against the invaders. A battle took place on the Alta River, in which the Russian army was defeated.

Izyaslav returned to Kiev, where the inhabitants demanded weapons and horses from him in order to fight the Polovtsy again. However, the prince, knowing his unpopularity, did not dare to distribute weapons to the people. Then the people of Kiev revolted, and the Grand Duke, taking with him his son Mstislav, fled to Poland.

At this time, Prince of Polotsk Vseslav languished in the Kiev porch. The log house was a log house without windows and doors going into the ground. The prisoner was lowered there on ropes. Food and water were served to him in the same way. Imprisonment in a blockhouse was considered a harsh punishment. What was Prince Vseslav guilty of?

He was the grandson of Izyaslav Vladimirovich, the son of Vladimir the Baptist. He sat on the reign in Polotsk and led the opposition to the Yaroslavichs. In 1067 he captured and plundered Novgorod, but was defeated on the Nemiga River by the sons of Yaroslav the Wise. Inadvertently met with the winners, relying on the "kiss of the god", but was seized and thrown into the cut.

When Izyaslav fled from Kiev, the townspeople smashed a cut, freed Vseslav and proclaimed him the Kiev prince, since they believed that Vladimir's great-grandson had all the rights to the Kiev throne.

And Izyaslav and his son Mstislav who fled from Kiev enlisted the support of the Polish king. In 1069 the Polish army, led by Mstislav Izyaslavovich, moved to Kiev. Vseslav, proclaimed the prince of Kiev, did not have a large squad, so he did not fight the regular Polish army. Throwing Kiev to its fate, the prince fled to his native Polotsk.

Mstislav entered Kiev and perpetrated a brutal reprisal against the inhabitants of the city. Torture and executions forced the people of Kiev to turn to the other sons of Yaroslav the Wise - Svyatoslav and Vsevolod. They demanded that Mstislav stop the bloodshed. After that, the executions stopped, and the Poles began to be massacred at night. They left the Russian land and went home, and the Kiev throne was again occupied by Prince Izyaslav.

However, in 1073, the Kievites expelled the unloved prince again, this time concluding an alliance with his brothers Svyatoslav and Vsevolod. Izyaslav was again forced to flee to Poland. There he was robbed and deprived of all funds. But the Pope stood up for the disgraced prince, and the prince's jewelry was returned to him.

After the expulsion of Izyaslav in Kiev, he sat on the throne third son of Yaroslav the Wise, Prince of Chernigov Svyatoslav (1027-1076). He was fully supported fourth son Vsevolod (1030-1093). It should be noted that contemporaries characterized Svyatoslav as an intelligent, strong-willed and talented man in military affairs. He strove to establish good relations with the Polovtsy, but ignored the Western countries. The new Kiev prince also had a negative attitude towards Byzantium. As a result, he did not establish a real lasting peace with the Polovtsians and completely spoiled relations with the Byzantine Empire.

The elder sons of Yaroslav the Wise left a noticeable mark on the history of Kievan Rus. The same cannot be said about the two younger brothers Igor and Vyacheslav. Prince Igor (1034-1060) for the last 3 years of his life he was reigning in Smolensk. He died at the age of 24. Prince Vyacheslav (1036-1057) also reigned in Smolensk until Prince Igor. He died as a very young man at the age of 20.

Kiev prince with his retinue

After this small digression, let's return to the eldest sons of Yaroslav the Wise. Their further rule was characterized by the fact that part of the population of Kievan Rus began to return to paganism. The Slavs believed in the spirits of the dead and the spirits of nature. At that time, such views were not considered a religious cult, but were called dual faith. Subsequently, they began to call it superstition, which did not change the essence.

However, such worldviews became the basis for the outbreak of pagan fanaticism. It is noted in the annals in 1071. Magi appeared on Russian lands. They were real fanatics, fanatics, and their movement captured more and more new areas. Militant pagans on Beloozero entered into confrontation with the voivode Svyatoslav Yan. He turned out to be a determined and merciless man. With his retinue, he dispersed the rebels, and took the instigators prisoner. The next morning they were hung in the trees. The next night the corpses were gnawed by a bear, which is being cleaned off for the pagans by a respected beast.

Fanatical Magi appeared in Novgorod as well. Here they were opposed by the son of Svyatoslav, Prince Gleb. Hiding an ax under his cloak, he asked the chief magician if he knew the future. To this the sorcerer proudly replied: "I know everything." Then Gleb asked: "Do you know what will happen to you today?" The sorcerer nodded his head in agreement and said: "I will create great miracles!" Then the prince pulled out an ax and hacked to death the chief sorcerer, proving to everyone that he was a worthless prophet. After that, the crowd dispersed, the chronicler says. So energetically and mercilessly, the government suppressed the uprising of the pagans.

But in December 1076 the Kiev prince Svyatoslav died before he was 50 years old. His unexpected death upset the political balance that began to take shape in Kievan Rus.

Svyatoslav Yaroslavich has 5 sons left. And the question immediately arose: should the deceased Svyatoslav be considered the legitimate Grand Duke of Kiev or the usurper who seized the throne during the life of his elder brother Izyaslav? The fate of the sons depended on the solution of this issue, since there was a very cruel custom in Kievan Rus.

Guilty people were “expelled from life” in any way. They were not killed, but deprived of the right to do the business that fed their family, that is, they made them outcasts. In total, there were 3 categories of such people. These are the priest's sons who have not managed to master the letter. Debt merchants and peasants or smerds who deviated from the community.

There was also the 4th category of outcasts in Russia. Princes belonged to it. That is, the prince, orphaned before his father was able to occupy the princely table, was forever deprived of all rights of ownership of the throne. And therefore the sons of Svyatoslav were threatened with the fate of the outcast princes.

The fourth son of Yaroslav the Wise, Vsevolod, put an end to this delicate matter. He invited the disgraced Izyaslav to reign in Kiev. He motivated this by protecting the Russian lands from the Poles. Izyaslav in 1077 returned to the capital city of Kiev, and the reign of Svyatoslav was declared illegal. Thus, his sons became rogue princes. Vsevolod himself sat down to reign in Chernigov.

Outcast princes Oleg and Roman Svyatoslavich fled to Tmutarakan. Here they united with the same outcast Boris Vyacheslavich and moved to Russia in order to get their own towns by force. Their uncles Izyaslav and Vsevolod opposed them. A big battle took place in 1078 on Nezhatina Niva near Chernigov. Prince Izyaslav and the young man Boris Vyacheslavich were killed in this terrible cabin. Vsevolod, the last of the six surviving brothers, became the Grand Duke of Kiev.

He reigned in the capital city of Kiev from 1078 to 1093, that is, until his death. Vsevolod was the father of Vladimir Monomakh and Eupraxia, whom he married to the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, Henry IV.

Under the new great Kiev prince, Russia united for a short time. At the same time, relations with Byzantium worsened and improved with Western Europe. As for the steppe neighbors, the political situation here was extremely difficult. Two nomadic peoples lived in the steppe: Polovtsy and Turks. They were at enmity with each other, and if the Russians entered into an alliance with the Turks, they became enemies of the Polovtsians, and vice versa.

The situation as a whole was difficult, and the aging Vsevolod transferred the initiative and actual power into the hands of his son Vladimir Monomakh, who was reigning in Chernigov. The Grand Duke himself experienced "great sorrow" at the end of his life and died in 1093.

This is how the historical era ended in Russia, in which the sons of Yaroslav the Wise played the main violin. And the Kiev throne and the title "Prince of All Russia", introduced by Vsevolod, received Svyatopolk II Izyaslavich in accordance with the ladder order of succession to the throne. He was the son of Izyaslav, and before that he reigned in the city of Turov.

Alexey Starikov