In the vastness of the East European Plain, the Slavs, our direct ancestors, have lived since ancient times. It is still not known exactly when they arrived there. Be that as it may, they soon settled widely throughout the great waterway of those years. Slavic cities and villages arose from the Baltic to the Black Sea. Despite the fact that they were of the same clan-tribe, relations between them have never been especially peaceful.

In constant civil strife, the tribal princes were quickly exalted, who soon became Great and began to rule the entire Kievan Rus. These were the first rulers of Rus', whose names have come down to us through an endless series of centuries that have passed since that time.

Rurik (862-879)

There is still fierce debate among scientists about the reality of this historical figure. Either there was such a person, or it is a collective character, the prototype of which was all the first rulers of Rus'. Whether he was a Varangian, or a Slav. By the way, we practically do not know who the rulers of Rus' were before Rurik, so everything in this matter is based solely on assumptions.

The Slavic origin is very likely, since Rurik could have nicknamed him for the nickname Sokol, which was translated from the Old Slavic language into Norman dialects precisely as “Rurik”. Be that as it may, but it is he who is considered the founder of the entire Old Russian state. Rurik united (as far as it was generally possible) under his hand many Slavic tribes.

However, almost all the rulers of Rus' were engaged in this business with varying success. It is thanks to their efforts that our country today has such a significant position on the world map.

Oleg (879-912)

Rurik had a son, Igor, but by the time his father died, he was too small, and therefore his uncle, Oleg, became the Grand Duke. He glorified his name with militancy and the luck that accompanied him on the military path. Particularly remarkable is his campaign against Constantinople, which opened up incredible prospects for the Slavs from the emerging opportunities for trade with distant eastern countries. His contemporaries respected him so much that they called him "prophetic Oleg".

Of course, the first rulers of Rus' were figures so legendary that we most likely will never know about their real exploits, but Oleg was certainly an outstanding personality.

Igor (912-945)

Igor, the son of Rurik, following the example of Oleg, also repeatedly went on campaigns, annexed a lot of lands, but he was not such a successful warrior, and his campaign against Greece turned out to be completely deplorable. He was cruel, often "ripped off" the defeated tribes to the last, for which he later paid the price. Igor was warned that the Drevlyans did not forgive him, they advised him to take a large squad to the field. He disobeyed and was killed. In general, the series "Rulers of Rus'" once told about this.

Olga (945-957)

However, the Drevlyans soon regretted their act. Igor's wife, Olga, first dealt with their two conciliatory embassies, and then burned the main city of the Drevlyans, Korosten. Contemporaries testify that she was distinguished by a rare mind and strong-willed rigidity. During her reign, she did not lose a single inch of land that was conquered by her husband and his ancestors. It is known that in her declining years she converted to Christianity.

Svyatoslav (957-972)

Svyatoslav went to his ancestor, Oleg. He was also distinguished by courage, determination, directness. He was an excellent warrior, tamed and conquered many Slavic tribes, often beat the Pechenegs, for which they hated him. Like other rulers of Rus', he preferred (if possible) to agree "amicably". If the tribes agreed to recognize the supremacy of Kyiv and paid off with tribute, then even their rulers remained the same.

He attached the hitherto invincible Vyatichi (who preferred to fight in their impenetrable forests), beat the Khazars, after which he took Tmutarakan. Despite the small number of his squad, he successfully fought with the Bulgarians on the Danube. Conquered Andrianople and threatened to take Constantinople. The Greeks preferred to pay off with a rich tribute. On the way back, he died along with his retinue on the rapids of the Dnieper, being killed by the same Pechenegs. It is assumed that it was his squads who found the swords and the remains of equipment during the construction of the Dneproges.

General characteristics of the 1st century

Since the first rulers of Rus' reigned on the Grand Duke's throne, the era of constant unrest and civil strife gradually began to end. There was a relative order: the princely squad defended the borders from the arrogant and ferocious nomadic tribes, and they, in turn, pledged to help with warriors and paid tribute to the polyud. The main concern of those princes was the Khazars: at that time they were paid tribute (not regular, during the next raid) by many Slavic tribes, which greatly undermined the authority of the central government.

Another problem was the lack of uniformity. The Slavs who conquered Constantinople were viewed with contempt, since at that time monotheism (Judaism, Christianity) was already actively established, and the pagans were considered almost animals. But the tribes actively resisted all attempts to interfere with their faith. "Rulers of Rus'" tells about this - the film quite truthfully conveys the reality of that era.

This contributed to the growth in the number of minor troubles within the young state. But Olga, who converted to Christianity and began to promote and condone the construction of Christian churches in Kyiv, paved the way for the baptism of the country. The second century began, in which the rulers of Ancient Rus' did many more great deeds.

Vladimir St. Equal to the Apostles (980-1015)

As you know, between Yaropolk, Oleg and Vladimir, who were the heirs of Svyatoslav, there was never brotherly love. Even the fact that the father, during his lifetime, determined his own land for each of them did not help. It ended with the fact that Vladimir destroyed the brothers and began to rule alone.

The ruler in Ancient Rus', recaptured red Rus' from the regiments, fought a lot and bravely against the Pechenegs and Bulgarians. He became famous as a generous ruler who did not spare gold for giving gifts to people loyal to him. First, he demolished almost all Christian temples and churches that were built under his mother, and a small Christian community endured constant persecution from him.

But the political situation developed in such a way that the country had to be brought to monotheism. In addition, contemporaries speak of a strong feeling that flared up in the prince for the Byzantine princess Anna. No one would give her away for a pagan. So the rulers of Ancient Rus' came to the conclusion that it was necessary to be baptized.

And therefore, already in 988, the baptism of the prince and all his associates took place, and then the new religion began to spread among the people. Vasily and Konstantin married Anna to Prince Vladimir. Contemporaries spoke of Vladimir as a strict, tough (sometimes even cruel) person, but they loved him for his directness, honesty and justice. The church still extols the name of the prince for the reason that he began to massively build temples and churches in the country. This was the first ruler of Rus' to be baptized.

Svyatopolk (1015-1019)

Like his father, Vladimir during his lifetime distributed land to his numerous sons: Svyatopolk, Izyaslav, Yaroslav, Mstislav, Svyatoslav, Boris and Gleb. After his father died, Svyatopolk decided to rule independently, for which he issued an order to eliminate his own brothers, but was expelled from Kyiv by Yaroslav of Novgorod.

With the help of the Polish king Boleslav the Brave, he was able to take Kiev a second time, but the people accepted him coolly. Soon he was forced to flee the city, and then died on the way. His death is a dark story. It is assumed that he took his own life. In folk legends, he is nicknamed "cursed".

Yaroslav the Wise (1019-1054)

Yaroslav quickly became an independent ruler of Kievan Rus. He was distinguished by a great mind, did a lot for the development of the state. He built many monasteries, contributed to the spread of writing. His authorship belongs to "Russkaya Pravda", the first official collection of laws and regulations in our country. Like his ancestors, he immediately distributed allotments of land to his sons, but at the same time he strictly punished "to live in peace, not to intrigue each other."

Izyaslav (1054-1078)

Izyaslav was the eldest son of Yaroslav. Initially, he ruled Kiev, distinguished himself as a good ruler, but he did not know how to get along with the people very well. The latter also played a role. When he went to the Polovtsians and failed in that campaign, the people of Kiev simply kicked him out, calling his brother, Svyatoslav, to reign. After he died, Izyaslav again returned to the capital city.

In principle, he was a very good ruler, but rather difficult times fell to his lot. Like all the first rulers of Kievan Rus, he was forced to solve a lot of difficult issues.

General characteristics of the 2nd century

In those centuries, several practically independent (the most powerful), Chernigov, Rostov-Suzdal (Vladimir-Suzdal later), Galicia-Volynskoye stood out from the composition of Rus' at once. Novgorod stood apart. Ruled by the Veche following the example of the Greek city-states, he did not generally look at the princes very well.

Despite this fragmentation, formally Rus' was still considered an independent state. Yaroslav was able to expand its borders to the very river Ros. Under Vladimir, the country adopts Christianity, the influence of Byzantium on its internal affairs increases.

So, at the head of the newly created church stands the metropolitan, who was directly subordinate to Tsargrad. The new faith brought with it not only religion, but also a new script, new laws. The princes at that time acted together with the church, built many new churches, and contributed to the enlightenment of their people. It was at this time that the famous Nestor lived, who is the author of numerous written monuments of that time.

Unfortunately, things didn't go so smoothly. The eternal problem was both the constant raids of nomads and internal strife, constantly tearing apart the country, depriving it of strength. As Nestor, the author of The Tale of Igor's Campaign, put it, "the Russian land groans" from them. The enlightening ideas of the Church are beginning to appear, but so far the people have not accepted the new religion well.

Thus began the third century.

Vsevolod I (1078-1093)

Vsevolod the First could well remain in history as an exemplary ruler. He was truthful, honest, contributed to the education and development of writing, he knew five languages. But he was not distinguished by a developed military and political talent. The constant raids of the Polovtsy, pestilence, drought and famine did not contribute to his authority in any way. Only his son Vladimir, later nicknamed Monomakh, kept his father on the throne (a unique case, by the way).

Svyatopolk II (1093-1113)

He was the son of Izyaslav, he was distinguished by a good character, but he was extremely weak-willed in some matters, which is why the specific princes did not consider him to be the Grand Duke. However, he ruled very well: having listened to the advice of the same Vladimir Monomakh, at the Dolobsky Congress in 1103 he persuaded his opponents to undertake a joint campaign against the "cursed" Polovtsy, after which in 1111 they were utterly defeated.

The spoils of war were enormous. Polotsk in that battle, almost two dozen were killed. This victory resounded loudly throughout all the Slavic lands, both in the East and in the West.

Vladimir Monomakh (1113-1125)

Despite the fact that by seniority he was not supposed to take the throne of Kiev, it was Vladimir who was elected there by unanimous decision. Such love is explained by the rare political and military talent of the prince. He was distinguished by intelligence, political and military courage, was very brave in military affairs.

He considered each campaign against the Polovtsy a holiday (the Polovtsy did not share his views). It was under Monomakh that the princes, who were overly zealous in matters of independence, were severely curtailed. Leaves to posterity "Instruction to children", where he talks about the importance of honest and selfless service to his homeland.

Mstislav I (1125-1132)

Following the precepts of his father, he lived in peace with his brothers and other princes, but raged at the slightest hint of rebelliousness and desire for civil strife. So, in anger, he expels the Polovtsian princes from the country, after which they are forced to flee from the discontent of the ruler in Byzantium. In general, many rulers of Kievan Rus tried not to kill their enemies unnecessarily.

Yaropolk (1132-1139)

He is known for his skillful political intrigues, which ultimately turned out badly in relation to the "Monomakhoviches". At the end of his reign, he decides to transfer the throne not to his brother, but to his nephew. The matter almost comes to confusion, but the descendants of Oleg Svyatoslavovich, the "Olegovichi", nevertheless ascend to the throne. Not for long, however.

Vsevolod II (1139-1146)

Vsevolod was distinguished by good makings of a ruler, he ruled wisely and firmly. But he wanted to transfer the throne to Igor Olegovich, securing the position of the "Olegovichs". But the people of Kiev did not recognize Igor, he was forced to take monastic vows, and then he was completely killed.

Izyaslav II (1146-1154)

But the inhabitants of Kyiv enthusiastically received Izyaslav II Mstislavovich, who, with his brilliant political abilities, military prowess and intelligence, vividly reminded them of his grandfather, Monomakh. It was he who introduced the indisputable rule that has remained since then: if an uncle is alive in the same princely family, then the nephew cannot receive his throne.

He was in a terrible enmity with Yuri Vladimirovich, the prince of the Rostov-Suzdal land. His name will not say anything to many, but later Yuri will be called Dolgoruky. Izyaslav twice had to flee from Kyiv, but until his death he never gave up the throne.

Yuri Dolgoruky (1154-1157)

Yuri finally gets access to the throne of Kyiv. Having stayed on it for only three years, he achieved a lot: he was able to pacify (or punish) the princes, contributed to the unification of fragmented lands under strong rule. However, all his work turned out to be meaningless, because after the death of Dolgoruky, the squabble between the princes flares up with renewed vigor.

Mstislav II (1157-1169)

It was the devastation and quarrels that led to the fact that Mstislav II Izyaslavovich ascended the throne. He was a good ruler, but he did not have a very good disposition, and also condoned princely civil strife ("divide and rule"). Andrey Yurievich, the son of Dolgoruky, expels him from Kyiv. Known in history under the nickname Bogolyubsky.

In 1169, Andrew did not limit himself to the expulsion of his father's worst enemy, burning Kyiv to the ground along the way. So at the same time he took revenge on the people of Kiev, who by that time had acquired the habit of expelling princes at any time, calling to his principality anyone who would promise them "bread and circuses."

Andrei Bogolyubsky (1169-1174)

As soon as Andrei seized power, he immediately moved the capital to his beloved city, Vladimir on the Klyazma. Since then, the dominant position of Kyiv immediately began to weaken. Having become stern and domineering towards the end of his life, Bogolyubsky did not want to put up with the tyranny of many boyars, wanting to establish autocratic power. Many did not like this, and therefore Andrei was killed as a result of a conspiracy.

So what did the first rulers of Rus' do? The table will give a general answer to this question.

In principle, all the rulers of Rus' from Rurik to Putin did the same. The table can hardly convey all the hardships that our people endured on the difficult path of becoming a state.

History of Ancient Rus'- the history of the Old Russian state from 862 (or 882) to the Tatar-Mongol invasion.

By the middle of the 9th century (according to the chronicle chronology in 862), in the north of European Russia, in the Priilmenye region, a large alliance was formed from a number of East Slavic, Finno-Ugric and Baltic tribes, under the rule of the princes of the Rurik dynasty, who founded a centralized state. In 882, the Novgorod prince Oleg captured Kyiv, thereby uniting the northern and southern lands of the Eastern Slavs under one authority. As a result of successful military campaigns and diplomatic efforts of the Kyiv rulers, the new state included the lands of all East Slavic, as well as some Finno-Ugric, Baltic, Turkic tribes. In parallel, the process of Slavic colonization of the north-east of the Russian land was going on.

Ancient Rus' was the largest state formation in Europe, fought for a dominant position in Eastern Europe and the Black Sea region with the Byzantine Empire. Under Prince Vladimir in 988, Rus' adopted Christianity. Prince Yaroslav the Wise approved the first Russian code of laws - Russian Truth. In 1132, after the death of the Kiev prince Mstislav Vladimirovich, the Old Russian state began to disintegrate into a number of independent principalities: Novgorod land, Vladimir-Suzdal principality, Galicia-Volyn principality, Chernigov principality, Ryazan principality, Polotsk principality and others. At the same time, Kyiv remained the object of the struggle between the most powerful princely branches, and the Kiev land was considered the collective possession of the Rurikovichs.

Since the middle of the 12th century, the principality of Vladimir-Suzdal has been rising in North-Eastern Rus', its rulers (Andrei Bogolyubsky, Vsevolod the Big Nest), fighting for Kiev, left Vladimir as their main residence, which led to its rise as a new all-Russian center. Also, the most powerful principalities were Chernigov, Galicia-Volyn and Smolensk. In 1237-1240, most of the Russian lands were subjected to the devastating invasion of Batu. Kyiv, Chernigov, Pereyaslavl, Vladimir, Galich, Ryazan and other centers of the Russian principalities were destroyed, the southern and southeastern outskirts lost a significant part of the settled population.

background

The Old Russian state arose on the trade route "from the Varangians to the Greeks" on the lands of the East Slavic tribes - the Ilmen Slovenes, Krivichi, Polyans, then embracing the Drevlyans, Dregovichi, Polochans, Radimichi, Northerners.

Before calling the Varangians

The first information about the state of the Rus dates back to the first third of the 9th century: in 839, the ambassadors of the kagan of the Ros people are mentioned, who first arrived in Constantinople, and from there to the court of the Frankish emperor Louis the Pious. Since that time, the ethnonym "Rus" has also become famous. The term " Kievan Rus”appears for the first time only in historical studies of the 18th-19th centuries.

In 860 (The Tale of Bygone Years erroneously refers it to 866), Rus' makes its first campaign against Constantinople. Greek sources associate with him the so-called first baptism of Rus', after which a diocese may have arisen in Rus' and the ruling elite (possibly led by Askold) adopted Christianity.

Rurik's reign

In 862, according to The Tale of Bygone Years, the Slavic and Finno-Ugric tribes called the Varangians to reign.

In 862 (the date is approximate, like the entire early chronology of the Chronicle), the Varangians and Rurik's combatants Askold and Dir, who were heading to Constantinople, subjugated Kiev, thereby establishing full control over the most important trade route "from the Varangians to the Greeks." At the same time, the Novgorod and Nikon chronicles do not connect Askold and Dir with Rurik, and the chronicle of Jan Dlugosh and the Gustyn chronicle call them the descendants of Kiy.

In 879, Rurik died in Novgorod. The reign was transferred to Oleg, the regent under the young son of Rurik Igor.

The first Russian princes

The reign of Oleg the Prophet

In 882, according to chronicle chronology, Prince Oleg ( Oleg Prophetic), a relative of Rurik, went on a campaign from Novgorod to the south, capturing Smolensk and Lyubech along the way, establishing his power there and putting his people on the reign. In Oleg's army there were Varangians and warriors of tribes subject to him - Chuds, Slovenes, Meri and Krivichi. Further, Oleg, with the Novgorod army and a mercenary Varangian squad, captured Kyiv, killed Askold and Dir, who ruled there, and declared Kyiv the capital of his state. Already in Kyiv, he established the size of the tribute that the subject tribes of the Novgorod land had to pay annually - Slovene, Krivichi and Merya. The construction of fortresses in the vicinity of the new capital was also begun.

Oleg militarily extended his power to the lands of the Drevlyans and Northerners, and the Radimichi accepted Oleg's conditions without a fight (the last two tribal unions had previously paid tribute to the Khazars). The annals do not indicate the reaction of the Khazars, however, the historian Petrukhin suggests that they began an economic blockade, ceasing to let Russian merchants through their lands.

As a result of the victorious campaign against Byzantium, the first written agreements were concluded in 907 and 911, which provided for preferential terms of trade for Russian merchants (trade duties were canceled, ships were repaired, accommodation was provided), and legal and military issues were resolved. According to the historian V. Mavrodin, the success of Oleg's campaign is explained by the fact that he managed to rally the forces of the Old Russian state and strengthen its emerging statehood.

According to the chronicle version, Oleg, who bore the title of Grand Duke, ruled for more than 30 years. Rurik's own son Igor took the throne after the death of Oleg around 912 and ruled until 945.

Igor Rurikovich

The beginning of Igor's reign was marked by an uprising of the Drevlyans, who were again subjugated and subjected to even greater tribute, and the appearance of the Pechenegs in the Black Sea steppes (in 915), who ruined the possessions of the Khazars and ousted the Hungarians from the Black Sea region. By the beginning of the X century. the nomad camps of the Pechenegs stretched from the Volga to the Prut.

Igor made two military campaigns against Byzantium. The first, in 941, ended unsuccessfully. It was also preceded by an unsuccessful military campaign against Khazaria, during which Rus', acting at the request of Byzantium, attacked the Khazar city of Samkerts on the Taman Peninsula, but was defeated by the Khazar commander Pesach and turned its weapons against Byzantium. The Bulgarians warned the Byzantines that Igor started the campaign with 10,000 soldiers. Igor's fleet plundered Bithynia, Paphlagonia, Pontic Heraclea and Nicomedia, but then was defeated and he, leaving the surviving army in Thrace, fled to Kyiv with several boats. The captured soldiers were executed in Constantinople. From the capital, he sent an invitation to the Vikings to take part in a new invasion of Byzantium. The second campaign against Byzantium took place in 944.

Igor's army, consisting of glades, Krivichi, Slovenes, Tivertsy, Varangians and Pechenegs, reached the Danube, from where ambassadors were sent to Constantinople. They entered into an agreement that confirmed many of the provisions of the previous agreements of 907 and 911, but abolished duty-free trade. Rus' pledged to protect the Byzantine possessions in the Crimea. In 943 or 944 a campaign was made against Berdaa.

In 945, Igor was killed while collecting tribute from the Drevlyans. According to the chronicle version, the reason for the death was the desire of the prince to receive tribute again, which was demanded of him by the warriors, who envied the wealth of the squad of the governor Sveneld. A small squad of Igor was killed by the Drevlyans near Iskorosten, and he himself was executed. The historian A. A. Shakhmatov put forward a version according to which Igor and Sveneld began to conflict because of the Drevlyan tribute and, as a result, Igor was killed.

Olga

After Igor's death, due to the infancy of his son Svyatoslav, real power was in the hands of Igor's widow, Princess Olga. The Drevlyans sent an embassy to her, offering her to become the wife of their prince Mal. However, Olga executed the ambassadors, gathered an army, and in 946 began the siege of Iskorosten, which ended with its burning and the subjugation of the Drevlyans to the Kyiv princes. The Tale of Bygone Years described not only their conquest, but also the revenge that preceded this on the part of the Kyiv ruler. Olga imposed a large tribute on the Drevlyans.

In 947, she undertook a trip to the Novgorod land, where, instead of the former polyudya, she introduced a system of dues and tributes, which the locals themselves had to bring to the camps and churchyards, transferring them to specially appointed people - tiuns. Thus, a new method of collecting tribute from the subjects of the Kievan princes was introduced.

She became the first ruler of the Old Russian state who officially adopted Christianity of the Byzantine rite (according to the most reasoned version, in 957, although other dates are also proposed). In 957, Olga, with a large embassy, ​​paid an official visit to Constantinople, known for the description of court ceremonies by Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus in the work "The Ceremony", and she was accompanied by the priest Gregory.

The emperor calls Olga the ruler (archontissa) of Rus', the name of her son Svyatoslav (in the retinue listing are " people of Svyatoslav”) is mentioned without a title. Olga sought baptism and recognition by Byzantium of Rus' as an equal Christian empire. At baptism, she received the name Elena. However, according to a number of historians, it was not possible to agree on an alliance immediately. In 959, Olga received the Greek embassy, ​​but refused to send an army to help Byzantium. In the same year, she sent ambassadors to the German emperor Otto I with a request to send bishops and priests and establish a church in Rus'. This attempt to play on the contradictions between Byzantium and Germany was successful, Constantinople made concessions by concluding a mutually beneficial agreement, and the German embassy, ​​headed by Bishop Adalbert, returned with nothing. In 960, the Russian army went to help the Greeks, who fought in Crete against the Arabs under the leadership of the future emperor Nicephorus Focas.

The monk Jacob in the 11th century essay “Memory and Praise to the Russian Prince Volodimer” reports the exact date of Olga’s death: July 11, 969.

Svyatoslav Igorevich

Around 960, the matured Svyatoslav took power into his own hands. He grew up among his father's warriors and was the first of the Russian princes to have a Slavic name. From the beginning of his reign, he began to prepare for military campaigns and gathered an army. According to the historian Grekov, Svyatoslav was deeply involved in the international relations of Europe and Asia. Often he acted in agreement with other states, thus participating in solving the problems of European, and, partly, Asian politics.

His first action was the subjugation of the Vyatichi (964), who were the last of all the East Slavic tribes to continue to pay tribute to the Khazars. Then, according to Eastern sources, Svyatoslav attacked and defeated the Volga Bulgaria. In 965 (according to other data also in 968/969) Svyatoslav made a campaign against the Khazar Khaganate. The Khazar army, led by the kagan, went out to meet Svyatoslav's squad, but was defeated. The Russian army stormed the main cities of the Khazars: the city-fortress Sarkel, Semender and the capital Itil. After that, the ancient Russian settlement Belaya Vezha arose on the site of Sarkel. After the defeat, the remnants of the Khazar state were known under the name of the Saksins and no longer played their former role. The assertion of Rus' in the Black Sea region and the North Caucasus is also connected with this campaign, where Svyatoslav defeated the Yases (Alans) and Kasogs (Circassians) and where Tmutarakan became the center of Russian possessions.

In 968, a Byzantine embassy arrived in Rus', proposing an alliance against Bulgaria, which had then left Byzantium. The Byzantine ambassador Kalokir, on behalf of Emperor Nicephorus Foki, brought a gift - 1,500 pounds of gold. Having included the allied Pechenegs in his army, Svyatoslav moved to the Danube. In a short time, the Bulgarian troops were defeated, the Russian squads occupied up to 80 Bulgarian cities. Svyatoslav chose Pereyaslavets, a city on the lower reaches of the Danube, as his headquarters. However, such a sharp strengthening of Rus' caused fears in Constantinople and the Byzantines managed to convince the Pechenegs to make another raid on Kyiv. In 968, their army besieged the Russian capital, where Princess Olga and her grandchildren, Yaropolk, Oleg and Vladimir, were located. The city saved the approach of a small squad of governor Pretich. Soon, Svyatoslav himself arrived with a cavalry army, driving the Pechenegs into the steppes. However, the prince did not seek to remain in Rus'. Chronicles quote him as follows:

Svyatoslav remained in Kyiv until the death of his mother Olga. After that, he divided the possessions between his sons: Yaropolk left Kyiv, Oleg - the lands of the Drevlyans, and Vladimir - Novgorod).

Then he returned to Pereyaslavets. In a new campaign with a significant army (according to various sources, from 10 to 60 thousand soldiers) in 970, Svyatoslav captured almost all of Bulgaria, occupied its capital Preslav and invaded Byzantium. The new emperor John Tzimiskes sent a large army against him. The Russian army, which included Bulgarians and Hungarians, was forced to retreat to Dorostol (Silistria) - a fortress on the Danube.

In 971 it was besieged by the Byzantines. In the battle near the walls of the fortress, Svyatoslav's army suffered heavy losses, he was forced to negotiate with Tzimisces. According to the peace treaty, Rus' pledged not to attack the Byzantine possessions in Bulgaria, and Constantinople promised not to incite the Pechenegs to campaign against Rus'.

Governor Sveneld advised the prince to return to Rus' by land. However, Svyatoslav preferred to sail through the Dnieper rapids. At the same time, the prince planned to gather a new army in Rus' and resume the war with Byzantium. In winter, they were blocked by the Pechenegs, and a small squad of Svyatoslav spent a hungry winter in the lower reaches of the Dnieper. In the spring of 972, Svyatoslav made an attempt to break into Rus', but his army was defeated, and he himself was killed. According to another version, the death of the Kyiv prince occurred in 973. From the skull of the prince, the Pecheneg leader Kurya made a bowl for feasts.

Vladimir and Yaroslav the Wise. Baptism of Rus'

The reign of Prince Vladimir. Baptism of Rus'

After the death of Svyatoslav, a civil strife broke out between his sons for the right to the throne (972-978 or 980). The eldest son Yaropolk became the great prince of Kyiv, Oleg received the Drevlyansk lands, and Vladimir - Novgorod. In 977, Yaropolk defeated Oleg's squad, and Oleg himself died. Vladimir fled "over the sea", but returned two years later with the Varangian squad. During a campaign against Kyiv, he conquered Polotsk, an important trading post on the western Dvina, and married the daughter of Prince Rogvolod, Rogneda, whom he had killed.

During the civil strife, Vladimir Svyatoslavich defended his rights to the throne (r. 980-1015). Under him, the formation of the state territory of Ancient Rus' was completed, the Cherven cities and Carpathian Rus, which were disputed by Poland, were annexed. After the victory of Vladimir, his son Svyatopolk married the daughter of the Polish king Boleslav the Brave, and peaceful relations were established between the two states. Vladimir finally annexed the Vyatichi and Radimichi to Rus'. In 983 he made a campaign against the Yotvingians, and in 985 against the Volga Bulgarians.

Having achieved autocracy in the Russian land, Vladimir began a religious reform. In 980, the prince established in Kyiv a pagan pantheon of six gods of different tribes. Tribal cults could not create a unified state religious system. In 986, ambassadors from various countries began to arrive in Kyiv, offering Vladimir to accept their faith.

Islam was offered by the Volga Bulgaria, Western-style Christianity by the German Emperor Otto I, Judaism by the Khazar Jews. However, Vladimir chose Christianity, which the Greek philosopher told him about. The embassy that returned from Byzantium supported the prince. In 988, the Russian army besieged the Byzantine Korsun (Chersonese). Byzantium agreed to peace, Princess Anna became the wife of Vladimir. The pagan idols that stood in Kyiv were overthrown, and the people of Kiev were baptized in the Dnieper. A stone church was built in the capital, which became known as the Tithes Church, since the prince gave a tenth of his income for its maintenance. After the baptism of Rus', treaties with Byzantium became unnecessary, since closer relations were established between the two states. These ties were largely strengthened thanks to the church apparatus that the Byzantines organized in Rus'. The first bishops and priests arrived from Korsun and other Byzantine cities. The church organization within the Old Russian state was in the hands of the Patriarch of Constantinople, who became a great political force in Rus'.

Having become the prince of Kyiv, Vladimir faced the increased Pecheneg threat. To protect against nomads, he builds a line of fortresses on the border, the garrisons of which he recruited from the "best men" of the northern tribes - the Ilmen Slovenes, Krivichi, Chud and Vyatichi. Tribal borders began to blur, the state border became important. It was during the time of Vladimir that the action of many Russian epics telling about the exploits of heroes takes place.

Vladimir established a new order of government: he planted his sons in Russian cities. Svyatopolk received Turov, Izyaslav - Polotsk, Yaroslav - Novgorod, Boris - Rostov, Gleb - Murom, Svyatoslav - the Drevlyane land, Vsevolod - Vladimir-on-Volyn, Sudislav - Pskov, Stanislav - Smolensk, Mstislav - Tmutarakan. Tribute was no longer collected during polyudya and only on churchyards. From that moment on, the princely family with their warriors "fed" in the cities themselves and sent part of the tribute to the capital - Kyiv.

The reign of Yaroslav the Wise

After the death of Vladimir, a new civil strife took place in Rus'. Svyatopolk the Accursed in 1015 killed his brothers Boris (according to another version, Boris was killed by Yaroslav's Scandinavian mercenaries), Gleb and Svyatoslav. Having learned about the murder of the brothers, Yaroslav, who ruled in Novgorod, began to prepare for a campaign against Kyiv. Svyatopolk received help from the Polish king Boleslav and the Pechenegs, but in the end he was defeated and fled to Poland, where he died. Boris and Gleb in 1071 were canonized as saints.

After the victory over Svyatopolk, Yaroslav had a new opponent - his brother Mstislav, who by that time had entrenched himself in Tmutarakan and Eastern Crimea. In 1022, Mstislav conquered the Kasogs (Circassians), defeating their leader Rededya in a fight. Having strengthened the army with the Khazars and Kasogs, he marched to the north, where he subjugated the northerners, who replenished his troops. Then he occupied Chernigov. At this time, Yaroslav turned for help to the Varangians, who sent him a strong army. The decisive battle took place in 1024 at Listven, the victory went to Mstislav. After her, the brothers divided Rus' into two parts - along the bed of the Dnieper. Kyiv and Novgorod remained with Yaroslav, and it was Novgorod that remained his permanent residence. Mstislav moved his capital to Chernigov. The brothers maintained a close alliance, after the death of the Polish king Boleslav, they returned to Rus' the Cherven cities captured by the Poles after the death of Vladimir the Red Sun.

At this time, Kyiv temporarily lost the status of the political center of Rus'. The leading centers then were Novgorod and Chernigov. Expanding his possessions, Yaroslav undertook a campaign against the Estonian Chud tribe. In 1030, the city of Yuryev (modern Tartu) was founded on the conquered territory.

In 1036, Mstislav fell ill while hunting and died. His only son had died three years earlier. Thus, Yaroslav became the ruler of all Rus', except for the Principality of Polotsk. In the same year Kyiv was attacked by the Pechenegs. By the time Yaroslav arrived with an army of Varangians and Slavs, they had already captured the outskirts of the city.

In the battle near the walls of Kyiv, Yaroslav defeated the Pechenegs, after which he made Kyiv his capital. In memory of the victory over the Pechenegs, the prince laid the famous Hagia Sophia in Kyiv, and artists from Constantinople were called to paint the temple. Then he imprisoned the last surviving brother - Sudislav, who ruled in Pskov. After that, Yaroslav became the sole ruler of almost all of Rus'.

The reign of Yaroslav the Wise (1019-1054) was at times the highest flowering of the state. Public relations were regulated by the collection of laws "Russian Truth" and princely charters. Yaroslav the Wise pursued an active foreign policy. He intermarried with many ruling dynasties of Europe, which testified to the wide international recognition of Rus' in the European Christian world. Intensive stone construction began. Yaroslav actively turned Kyiv into a cultural and intellectual center, taking Constantinople as a model. At this time, relations between the Russian Church and the Patriarchate of Constantinople were normalized.

From that moment on, the Russian Church was headed by the Metropolitan of Kiev, who was ordained by the Patriarch of Constantinople. Not later than 1039, the first Metropolitan of Kiev Feofan arrived in Kyiv. In 1051, having gathered the bishops, Yaroslav himself appointed Hilarion as metropolitan, for the first time without the participation of the Patriarch of Constantinople. Hilarion became the first Russian metropolitan. Yaroslav the Wise died in 1054.

Crafts and trade. Monuments of writing (“The Tale of Bygone Years”, the Novgorod Codex, the Ostromir Gospel, Lives) and architecture (the Church of the Tithes, St. Sophia Cathedral in Kiev and the cathedrals of the same name in Novgorod and Polotsk) were created. The high level of literacy of the inhabitants of Rus' is evidenced by numerous birch bark letters that have come down to our time. Rus' traded with the southern and western Slavs, Scandinavia, Byzantium, Western Europe, the peoples of the Caucasus and Central Asia.

Board of sons and grandsons of Yaroslav the Wise

Yaroslav the Wise divided Rus' between his sons. Three eldest sons received the main Russian lands. Izyaslav - Kyiv and Novgorod, Svyatoslav - Chernigov and Murom and Ryazan lands, Vsevolod - Pereyaslavl and Rostov. The younger sons Vyacheslav and Igor received Smolensk and Vladimir Volynsky. These possessions were not inherited, there was a system in which the younger brother inherited the eldest in the princely family - the so-called "ladder" system. The eldest in the clan (not by age, but by line of kinship), received Kievi and became the Grand Duke, all other lands were divided among members of the clan and distributed according to seniority. Power passed from brother to brother, from uncle to nephew. The second place in the hierarchy of tables was occupied by Chernihiv. At the death of one of the members of the family, all the younger Ruriks moved to the lands corresponding to their seniority. When new members of the clan appeared, they were assigned a lot - a city with land (volost). A certain prince had the right to reign only in the city where his father reigned, otherwise he was considered an outcast. The ladder system regularly caused strife between the princes.

In the 60s. In the 11th century, Polovtsians appeared in the Northern Black Sea region. The sons of Yaroslav the Wise could not stop their invasion, but were afraid to arm the militia of Kyiv. In response to this, in 1068, the people of Kiev overthrew Izyaslav Yaroslavich and put Prince Vseslav of Polotsk on the throne, a year before that he had been captured by the Yaroslavichs during the strife. In 1069, with the help of the Poles, Izyaslav occupied Kyiv, but after this, the uprisings of the townspeople became constant during crises of princely power. Presumably in 1072, the Yaroslavichi edited the Russkaya Pravda, significantly expanding it.

Izyaslav tried to regain control over Polotsk, but to no avail, and in 1071 he made peace with Vseslav. In 1073 Vsevolod and Svyatoslav expelled Izyaslav from Kyiv, accusing him of an alliance with Vseslav, and Izyaslav fled to Poland. Svyatoslav, who himself was in allied relations with the Poles, began to rule Kiev. In 1076 Svyatoslav died and Vsevolod became Prince of Kyiv.

When Izyaslav returned with the Polish army, Vsevolod returned the capital to him, keeping Pereyaslavl and Chernigov behind him. At the same time, the eldest son of Svyatoslav Oleg remained without possessions, who began the struggle with the support of the Polovtsy. In the battle with them, Izyaslav Yaroslavich died, and Vsevolod again became the ruler of Rus'. He made his son Vladimir, born of a Byzantine princess from the Monomakh dynasty, the prince of Chernigov. Oleg Svyatoslavich fortified himself in Tmutarakan. Vsevolod continued the foreign policy of Yaroslav the Wise. He sought to strengthen ties with European countries by marrying his son Vladimir to the Anglo-Saxon Gita, the daughter of King Harald, who died in the Battle of Hastings. He gave his daughter Eupraxia to the German Emperor Henry IV. The reign of Vsevolod was characterized by the distribution of land to nephew princes and the formation of an administrative hierarchy.

After the death of Vsevolod, Kyiv was occupied by Svyatopolk Izyaslavich. The Polovtsy sent an embassy to Kyiv with an offer of peace, but Svyatopolk Izyaslavich refused to negotiate and seized the ambassadors. These events became the reason for a large Polovtsian campaign against Rus', as a result of which the combined troops of Svyatopolk and Vladimir were defeated, and significant territories around Kyiv and Pereyaslavl were devastated. The Polovtsy took away many prisoners. Taking advantage of this, the sons of Svyatoslav, with the support of the Polovtsy, laid claim to Chernigov. In 1094, Oleg Svyatoslavich with Polovtsian detachments moved to Chernigov from Tmutarakan. When his army approached the city, Vladimir Monomakh made peace with him, losing Chernigov and going to Pereyaslavl. In 1095, the Polovtsy repeated the raid, during which they reached Kyiv itself, devastating its environs. Svyatopolk and Vladimir called for help from Oleg, who reigned in Chernigov, but he ignored their requests. After the departure of the Polovtsians, the Kyiv and Pereyaslav squads captured Chernigov, and Oleg fled to his brother Davyd in Smolensk. There he replenished his troops and attacked Mur, where the son of Vladimir Monomakh, Izyaslav, ruled. Murom was taken, and Izyaslav fell in battle. Despite the offer of peace that Vladimir sent him, Oleg continued his campaign and captured Rostov. He was prevented from continuing the conquest by another son of Monomakh, Mstislav, who was the governor in Novgorod. He defeated Oleg, who fled to Ryazan. Vladimir Monomakh once again offered him peace, to which Oleg agreed.

The peaceful initiative of Monomakh was continued in the form of the Lubech Congress of Princes, who gathered in 1097 to resolve existing differences. The congress was attended by Kiev prince Svyatopolk, Vladimir Monomakh, Davyd (son of Igor Volynsky), Vasilko Rostislavovich, Davyd and Oleg Svyatoslavovichi. The princes agreed to stop the strife and not claim other people's possessions. However, the peace did not last long. Davyd Volynsky and Svyatopolk captured Vasilko Rostislavovich and blinded him. Vasilko became the first Russian prince to be blinded during civil strife in Rus'. Outraged by the actions of Davyd and Svyatopolk, Vladimir Monomakh and Davyd and Oleg Svyatoslavich set off on a campaign against Kyiv. The people of Kiev sent a delegation to meet them, headed by the metropolitan, who managed to convince the princes to keep the peace. However, Svyatopolk was entrusted with the task of punishing Davyd Volynsky. He released Vasilko. However, another civil strife began in Rus', which grew into a large-scale war in the western principalities. It ended in 1100 with a congress in Uvetichi. Davyd Volynsky was deprived of the principality. However, for "feeding" he was given the city of Buzhsk. In 1101, the Russian princes managed to conclude peace with the Polovtsy.

Changes in public administration at the end of the 10th - beginning of the 12th centuries

During the baptism of Rus' in all its lands, the power of Orthodox bishops was established, subordinate to the Kyiv Metropolitan. At the same time, the sons of Vladimir were installed as governors in all the lands. Now all the princes who acted as allotments of the Kyiv Grand Duke were only from the Rurik family. The Scandinavian sagas mention fief possessions of the Vikings, but they were located on the outskirts of Rus' and on the newly annexed lands, so at the time of writing The Tale of Bygone Years, they already seemed like a relic. The Rurik princes waged a fierce struggle with the remaining tribal princes (Vladimir Monomakh mentions the Vyatichi prince Khodota and his son). This contributed to the centralization of power.

The power of the Grand Duke reached its highest level under Vladimir and Yaroslav the Wise (then after a break under Vladimir Monomakh). The position of the dynasty was strengthened by numerous international dynastic marriages: Anna Yaroslavna and the French king, Vsevolod Yaroslavich and the Byzantine princess, etc.

From the time of Vladimir, or, according to some reports, Yaropolk Svyatoslavich, the prince began to give land to combatants instead of a monetary salary. If initially these were cities for feeding, then in the 11th century, combatants began to receive villages. Together with the villages, which became estates, the boyar title was also granted. The boyars began to make up the senior squad. The service of the boyars was determined by personal loyalty to the prince, and not by the size of the land allotment (conditional land ownership did not become noticeably widespread). The younger squad (“youths”, “children”, “gridi”), who was with the prince, lived off feeding from the princely villages and the war. The main fighting force in the 11th century was the militia, which received horses and weapons from the prince for the duration of the war. The services of the hired Varangian squad were basically abandoned during the reign of Yaroslav the Wise.

Over time, the church (“monastic estates”) began to possess a significant part of the land. Since 996, the population has paid tithes to the church. The number of dioceses, starting from 4, grew. The chair of the metropolitan, appointed by the patriarch of Constantinople, began to be located in Kiev, and under Yaroslav the Wise, the metropolitan was first elected from among the Russian priests, in 1051 he became close to Vladimir and his son Hilarion. The monasteries and their elected heads, abbots, began to have great influence. The Kiev-Pechersk Monastery becomes the center of Orthodoxy.

The boyars and the retinue formed special councils under the prince. The prince also consulted with the metropolitan, the bishops and abbots, who made up the church council. With the complication of the princely hierarchy, by the end of the 11th century, princely congresses (“snems”) began to gather. There were vechas in the cities, on which the boyars often relied to support their own political demands (the uprisings in Kyiv in 1068 and 1113).

In the 11th - early 12th centuries, the first written code of laws was formed - "Russian Pravda", which was consistently replenished with articles "Pravda Yaroslav" (c. 1015-1016), "Pravda Yaroslavichi" (c. 1072) and "Charter of Vladimir Vsevolodovich" (c. 1113). Russkaya Pravda reflected the increased differentiation of the population (now the size of the virus depended on the social status of the murdered), regulated the position of such categories of the population as servants, serfs, serfs, purchases and ryadovichi.

"Pravda Yaroslava" equalized the rights of "Rusyns" and "Slovenes" (it should be clarified that under the name "Slovene" the chronicle mentions only Novgorodians - "Ilmen Slovenes"). This, along with Christianization and other factors, contributed to the formation of a new ethnic community, which was aware of its unity and historical origin.

Since the end of the 10th century, Rus' has known its own coin production - silver and gold coins of Vladimir I, Svyatopolk, Yaroslav the Wise and other princes.

Decay

The first to separate from Kyiv was the Polotsk principality - this happened already at the beginning of the 11th century. Having concentrated all the other Russian lands under his rule only 21 years after the death of his father, Yaroslav the Wise, dying in 1054, divided them among his five surviving sons. After the death of the two youngest of them, all the lands were under the rule of the three elders: Izyaslav of Kyiv, Svyatoslav of Chernigov and Vsevolod Pereyaslavsky (“the triumvirate of Yaroslavichi”).

Since 1061 (immediately after the defeat of the Torques by the Russian princes in the steppes), the Polovtsy raids began, replacing the Pechenegs who migrated to the Balkans. During the long Russian-Polovtsian wars, the southern princes could not cope with the opponents for a long time, undertaking a number of unsuccessful campaigns and suffering painful defeats (the battle on the Alta River (1068), the battle on the Stugna River (1093).

After the death of Svyatoslav in 1076, the Kyiv princes attempted to deprive his sons of the Chernigov inheritance, and they resorted to the help of the Polovtsy, although for the first time the Polovtsy were used in strife by Vladimir Monomakh (against Vseslav of Polotsk). In this struggle, Izyaslav of Kiev (1078) and the son of Vladimir Monomakh Izyaslav (1096) died. At the Lyubech Congress (1097), called to stop civil strife and unite the princes to protect themselves from the Polovtsians, the principle was proclaimed: “ Let each one keep his own". Thus, while maintaining the right of the ladder, in the event of the death of one of the princes, the movement of heirs was limited to their patrimony. This opened the way to political fragmentation (feudal fragmentation), since a separate dynasty was established in each land, and the Grand Duke of Kiev became the first among equals, losing the role of overlord. However, this also made it possible to stop the strife and join forces to fight the Polovtsy, which was moved deep into the steppes. In addition, agreements were concluded with allied nomads - “black hoods” (torks, berendeys and pechenegs, expelled by the Polovtsy from the steppes and settled on the southern Russian borders).

In the second quarter of the 12th century, the Old Russian state broke up into independent principalities. The modern historiographic tradition considers the chronological beginning of fragmentation to be 1132, when, after the death of Mstislav the Great, the son of Vladimir Monomakh, Polotsk (1132) and Novgorod (1136) ceased to recognize the power of the Kiev prince, and the title itself became an object of struggle between various dynastic and territorial associations of the Rurikovichs. The chronicler under 1134, in connection with the split among the Monomakhoviches, wrote down “ the whole Russian land was torn apart". The civil strife that began did not concern the great reign itself, but after the death of Yaropolk Vladimirovich (1139), the next Monomakhovich Vyacheslav was expelled from Kyiv by Vsevolod Olgovich of Chernigov.

During the XII-XIII centuries, part of the population of the southern Russian principalities, due to the constant threat emanating from the steppe, and also because of the incessant princely strife for the Kiev land, moved north, to the calmer Rostov-Suzdal land, also called Zalesie or Opole. Having joined the ranks of the Slavs of the first, Krivitsko-Novgorod migration wave of the 10th century, settlers from the populous south quickly made up the majority on this land and assimilated the rare Finno-Ugric population. Massive Russian migration during the 12th century is evidenced by chronicles and archaeological excavations. It was during this period that the foundation and rapid growth of numerous cities of the Rostov-Suzdal land (Vladimir, Moscow, Pereyaslavl-Zalessky, Yuryev-Opolsky, Dmitrov, Zvenigorod, Starodub-on-Klyazma, Yaropolch-Zalessky, Galich, etc.) often repeated the names of the cities of origin of the settlers. The weakening of Southern Rus' is also associated with the success of the first crusades and the change in the main trade routes.

During two major internecine wars of the mid-12th century, the Kiev principality lost Volyn (1154), Pereyaslavl (1157) and Turov (1162). In 1169, the grandson of Vladimir Monomakh, Vladimir-Suzdal Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky, sent an army led by his son Mstislav to the south, which captured Kyiv. For the first time, the city was brutally plundered, Kyiv churches were burned, the inhabitants were taken into captivity. Andrey's younger brother was planted to reign in Kiev. And although soon, after unsuccessful campaigns against Novgorod (1170) and Vyshgorod (1173), the influence of the Vladimir prince in other lands temporarily fell, Kiev began to gradually lose, and Vladimir to acquire the political attributes of an all-Russian center. In the 12th century, in addition to the prince of Kyiv, the princes of Vladimir also began to bear the title of great, and in the 13th century, episodically also the princes of Galicia, Chernigov and Ryazan.

Kyiv, unlike most other principalities, did not become the property of any one dynasty, but served as a constant bone of contention for all strong princes. In 1203, it was again plundered by the Smolensk prince Rurik Rostislavich, who fought against the Galician-Volyn prince Roman Mstislavich. In the battle on the Kalka River (1223), in which almost all South Russian princes took part, the first clash of Rus' with the Mongols took place. The weakening of the southern Russian principalities increased the onslaught from the Hungarian and Lithuanian feudal lords, but at the same time contributed to the strengthening of the influence of the Vladimir princes in Chernigov (1226), Novgorod (1231), Kiev (in 1236 Yaroslav Vsevolodovich occupied Kiev for two years, while his older brother Yuri remained reign in Vladimir) and Smolensk (1236-1239). During the Mongol invasion of Rus', which began in 1237, in December 1240, Kyiv was turned into ruins. It was received by Vladimir princes Yaroslav Vsevolodovich, recognized by the Mongols as the oldest in the Russian lands, and later by his son Alexander Nevsky. They, however, did not begin to move to Kyiv, remaining in their ancestral Vladimir. In 1299, the Metropolitan of Kiev moved his residence there. In some church and literary sources - for example, in the statements of the Patriarch of Constantinople and Vytautas at the end of the 14th century - Kiev continued to be considered as a capital city at a later time, but by that time it was already a provincial city of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Since 1254, the Galician princes bore the title "King of Rus'". The title of "great princes of all Rus'" from the beginning of the 14th century began to be worn by the princes of Vladimir.

In Soviet historiography, the concept of "Kievan Rus" was extended both until the middle of the XII century, and for a wider period of the middle of the XII - the middle of the XIII centuries, when Kiev remained the center of the country and the control of Russia was carried out by a single princely family on the principles of "collective suzerainty". Both approaches remain relevant today.

Pre-revolutionary historians, starting with N. M. Karamzin, adhered to the idea of ​​transferring the political center of Rus' in 1169 from Kiev to Vladimir, dating back to the works of Moscow scribes, or to Vladimir (Volyn) and Galich. In modern historiography there is no unity of opinion on this matter. Some historians believe that these ideas do not find confirmation in the sources. In particular, some of them point to such a sign of the political weakness of the Suzdal land as a small number of fortified settlements compared to other lands of Rus'. Other historians, on the contrary, find confirmation in the sources that the political center of Russian civilization moved from Kyiv, first to Rostov and Suzdal, and later to Vladimir-on-Klyazma.

Rurik(? -879) - the ancestor of the Rurik dynasty, the first Russian prince. Chronicle sources claim that Rurik was called from the Varangian lands by Novgorod citizens to reign together with his brothers - Sineus and Truvor in 862. After the death of the brothers, he ruled all Novgorod lands. Before his death, he transferred power to his relative - Oleg.

Oleg(?-912) - the second ruler of Rus'. He reigned from 879 to 912, first in Novgorod, and then in Kyiv. He is the founder of a single ancient Russian state, created by him in 882 with the capture of Kyiv and the subjugation of Smolensk, Lyubech and other cities. After the transfer of the capital to Kyiv, he also subjugated the Drevlyans, Northerners, and Radimichi. One of the first Russian princes undertook a successful campaign against Constantinople and concluded the first trade agreement with Byzantium. He enjoyed great respect and authority among his subjects, who began to call him "prophetic", that is, wise.

Igor(? -945) - the third Russian prince (912-945), the son of Rurik. The main direction of his activity was to protect the country from the raids of the Pechenegs and preserve the unity of the state. Undertook numerous campaigns to expand the possessions of the Kievan state, in particular against the Uglichs. He continued his campaigns against Byzantium. During one of them (941) he failed, during the other (944) he received a ransom from Byzantium and concluded a peace treaty that secured the military-political victories of Rus'. Undertook the first successful campaigns of the Rus within the North Caucasus (Khazaria) and Transcaucasia. In 945, he tried twice to collect tribute from the Drevlyans (the procedure for collecting it was not legally fixed), for which he was killed by them.

Olga(c. 890-969) - the wife of Prince Igor, the first female ruler of the Russian state (regent for her son Svyatoslav). Installed in 945-946. the first legislative procedure for collecting tribute from the population of the Kievan state. In 955 (according to other sources, 957) she made a trip to Constantinople, where she secretly adopted Christianity under the name of Helen. In 959, she was the first of the Russian rulers to send an embassy to Western Europe, to Emperor Otto I. His answer was the direction in 961-962. with missionary purposes to Kyiv, Archbishop Adalbert, who tried to bring Western Christianity to Rus'. However, Svyatoslav and his entourage refused to Christianize and Olga was forced to transfer power to her son. In the last years of her life, she was actually removed from political activity. Nevertheless, she retained significant influence on her grandson - the future Prince Vladimir the Holy, whom she was able to convince of the need to adopt Christianity.

Svyatoslav(? -972) - the son of Prince Igor and Princess Olga. The ruler of the Old Russian state in 962-972. He had a militant character. He was the initiator and leader of many aggressive campaigns: against the Oksky Vyatichi (964-966), the Khazars (964-965), the North Caucasus (965), Danube Bulgaria (968, 969-971), Byzantium (971). He also fought against the Pechenegs (968-969, 972). Under him Rus' became the largest power in the Black Sea. Neither the Byzantine rulers nor the Pechenegs, who agreed on joint actions against Svyatoslav, could come to terms with this. During his return from Bulgaria in 972, his army, bled dry in the war with Byzantium, was attacked by the Pechenegs on the Dnieper. Svyatoslav was killed.

Vladimir I Saint(? -1015) - the youngest son of Svyatoslav, who defeated his brothers Yaropolk and Oleg in an internecine struggle after the death of his father. Prince of Novgorod (from 969) and Kiev (from 980). He conquered the Vyatichi, Radimichi and Yotvingians. He continued his father's struggle with the Pechenegs. Volga Bulgaria, Poland, Byzantium. Under him, defensive lines were built along the rivers Desna, Osetr, Trubezh, Sula, and others. Kyiv was refortified and built up with stone buildings for the first time. In 988-990. introduced Eastern Christianity as the state religion. Under Vladimir I, the Old Russian state entered the period of its heyday and power. The international prestige of the new Christian power grew. Vladimir was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church and is referred to as Saint. In Russian folklore, he is called Vladimir the Red Sun. He was married to the Byzantine princess Anna.

Svyatoslav II Yaroslavich(1027-1076) - son of Yaroslav the Wise, Prince of Chernigov (since 1054), Grand Duke of Kiev (since 1073). Together with his brother Vsevolod, he defended the southern borders of the country from the Polovtsians. In the year of his death, he adopted a new code of laws, the Izbornik.

Vsevolod I Yaroslavich(1030-1093) - Prince of Pereyaslavl (from 1054), Chernigov (from 1077), Grand Duke of Kiev (from 1078). Together with the brothers Izyaslav and Svyatoslav, he fought against the Polovtsy, took part in the compilation of the Truth of the Yaroslavichs.

Svyatopolk II Izyaslavich(1050-1113) - grandson of Yaroslav the Wise. Prince of Polotsk (1069-1071), Novgorod (1078-1088), Turov (1088-1093), Grand Duke of Kiev (1093-1113). He was distinguished by hypocrisy and cruelty both towards his subjects and his inner circle.

Vladimir II Vsevolodovich Monomakh(1053-1125) - Prince of Smolensk (from 1067), Chernigov (from 1078), Pereyaslavl (from 1093), Grand Duke of Kiev (1113-1125). . Son of Vsevolod I and daughter of the Byzantine Emperor Constantine Monomakh. He was called to reign in Kyiv during the popular uprising of 1113, which followed the death of Svyatopolk P. He took measures to limit the arbitrariness of usurers and the administrative apparatus. He managed to achieve the relative unity of Rus' and the cessation of strife. He supplemented the codes of laws that existed before him with new articles. He left the "Instruction" to his children, in which he called for strengthening the unity of the Russian state, living in peace and harmony, and avoiding blood feuds

Mstislav I Vladimirovich(1076-1132) - son of Vladimir Monomakh. Grand Duke of Kiev (1125-1132). From 1088 he ruled in Novgorod, Rostov, Smolensk, etc. Participated in the work of the Lyubech, Vitichev and Dolobsky congresses of Russian princes. He took part in campaigns against the Polovtsians. He led the defense of Rus' from its Western neighbors.

Vsevolod P Olgovich(? -1146) - Prince of Chernigov (1127-1139). Grand Duke of Kiev (1139-1146).

Izyaslav II Mstislavich(c. 1097-1154) - Prince of Vladimir-Volynsk (from 1134), Pereyaslavl (from 1143), Grand Duke of Kiev (from 1146). Grandson of Vladimir Monomakh. Member of feudal strife. A supporter of the independence of the Russian Orthodox Church from the Byzantine Patriarchy.

Yuri Vladimirovich Dolgoruky (90s of the XI century - 1157) - Prince of Suzdal and Grand Duke of Kiev. Son of Vladimir Monomakh. In 1125 he transferred the capital of the Rostov-Suzdal Principality from Rostov to Suzdal. From the beginning of the 30s. fought for southern Pereyaslavl and Kyiv. Considered the founder of Moscow (1147). In 1155 recaptured Kyiv. Poisoned by Kievan boyars.

Andrey Yurievich Bogolyubsky (c. 1111-1174) - son of Yuri Dolgoruky. Prince Vladimir-Suzdal (since 1157). Moved the capital of the principality to Vladimir. In 1169 he conquered Kyiv. Killed by the boyars in his residence in the village of Bogolyubovo.

Vsevolod III Yurievich Big Nest(1154-1212) - son of Yuri Dolgoruky. Grand Duke of Vladimir (since 1176). Severely suppressed the boyar opposition, which participated in the conspiracy against Andrei Bogolyubsky. Subdued Kyiv, Chernigov, Ryazan, Novgorod. During his reign, Vladimir-Suzdal Rus reached its peak. Nickname received for a large number of children (12 people).

Roman Mstislavich(? -1205) - Prince of Novgorod (1168-1169), Vladimir-Volyn (from 1170), Galician (from 1199). Son of Mstislav Izyaslavich. He strengthened princely power in Galich and Volhynia, was considered the most powerful ruler of Rus'. Killed in the war with Poland.

Yuri Vsevolodovich(1188-1238) - Grand Duke of Vladimir (1212-1216 and 1218-1238). In the course of the internecine struggle for the throne of Vladimir, he was defeated in the Battle of Lipitsa in 1216. and ceded the great reign to his brother Constantine. In 1221 he founded the city of Nizhny Novgorod. He died during the battle with the Mongol-Tatars on the river. City in 1238

Daniel Romanovich(1201-1264) - Prince of Galicia (1211-1212 and from 1238) and Volyn (from 1221), son of Roman Mstislavich. He united the Galician and Volyn lands. Encouraged the construction of cities (Kholm, Lvov, etc.), crafts and trade. In 1254 he received the title of king from the Pope.

Yaroslav III Vsevolodovich(1191-1246) - son of Vsevolod the Big Nest. He reigned in Pereyaslavl, Galich, Ryazan, Novgorod. In 1236-1238. reigned in Kyiv. From 1238 - Grand Duke of Vladimir Twice traveled to the Golden Horde and Mongolia.

Nicholas II (1894 - 1917) Due to the stampede that occurred during his coronation, many people died. So the name "Bloody" was attached to the kindest philanthropist Nikolai. In 1898, Nicholas II, taking care of world peace, issued a manifesto in which he called on all countries of the world to completely disarm. After that, a special commission met in The Hague to develop a number of measures that could further prevent bloody clashes between countries and peoples. But the peace-loving emperor had to fight. First, in the First World War, then the Bolshevik coup broke out, as a result of which the monarch was overthrown, and then shot with his family in Yekaterinburg. The Orthodox Church canonized Nicholas Romanov and his entire family as saints.

Rurik (862-879)

Prince of Novgorod, nicknamed the Varangian, as he was called to reign by the Novgorodians because of the Varangian Sea. is the founder of the Rurik dynasty. He was married to a woman named Efanda, with whom he had a son named Igor. He also raised his daughter and stepson Askold. After his two brothers died, he became the sole ruler of the country. He gave all the surrounding villages and settlements to the management of his close associates, where they had the right to independently create a court. Around this time, Askold and Dir, two brothers who were in no way related to Rurik by family ties, occupied the city of Kyiv and began to rule the glades.

Oleg (879 - 912)

Kyiv prince, nicknamed the Prophet. Being a relative of Prince Rurik, he was the guardian of his son Igor. According to legend, he died, stung in the leg by a snake. Prince Oleg became famous for his intelligence and military prowess. With a huge army for those times, the prince went along the Dnieper. On the way, he conquered Smolensk, then Lyubech, and then took Kyiv, making it the capital. Askold and Dir were killed, and Oleg showed the glades the little son of Rurik - Igor as their prince. He went on a military campaign to Greece and, with a brilliant victory, provided the Russians with preferential rights to free trade in Constantinople.

Igor (912 - 945)

Following the example of Prince Oleg, Igor Rurikovich conquered all the neighboring tribes and forced them to pay tribute, successfully repulsed the Pecheneg raids and also undertook a campaign in Greece, which, however, was not as successful as the campaign of Prince Oleg. As a result, Igor was killed by the neighboring subjugated tribes of the Drevlyans for his irrepressible greed in extortions.

Olga (945 - 957)

Olga was the wife of Prince Igor. She, according to the customs of that time, very cruelly took revenge on the Drevlyans for the murder of her husband, and also conquered the main city of the Drevlyans - Korosten. Olga was distinguished by very good ability to rule, as well as a brilliant, sharp mind. Already at the end of her life, she accepted Christianity in Constantinople, for which she was later canonized as a saint and named Equal-to-the-Apostles.

Svyatoslav Igorevich (after 964 - spring 972)

The son of Prince Igor and Princess Olga, who, after the death of her husband, took the reins of government into her own hands, while her son grew up, learning the wisdom of the art of war. In 967, he managed to defeat the army of the Bulgarian king, which greatly alarmed the emperor of Byzantium, John, who, in collusion with the Pechenegs, persuaded them to attack Kiev. In 970, together with the Bulgarians and Hungarians, after the death of Princess Olga, Svyatoslav went on a campaign against Byzantium. The forces were not equal, and Svyatoslav was forced to sign a peace treaty with the empire. After his return to Kyiv, he was brutally killed by the Pechenegs, and then the skull of Svyatoslav was decorated with gold and made from it a bowl for pies.

Yaropolk Svyatoslavovich (972 - 978 or 980)

After the death of his father, Prince Svyatoslav Igorevich, he made an attempt to unite Rus' under his rule, defeating his brothers: Oleg Drevlyansky and Vladimir Novgorodsky, forcing them to leave the country, and then annexed their lands to the Kiev principality. He managed to conclude a new agreement with the Byzantine Empire, and also to attract the horde of the Pecheneg Khan Ildea to his service. Tried to establish diplomatic relations with Rome. Under him, as the Joachim manuscript testifies, Christians were given a lot of freedom in Rus', which caused displeasure of the pagans. Vladimir Novgorodsky immediately took advantage of this displeasure and, having agreed with the Varangians, recaptured Novgorod, then Polotsk, and then laid siege to Kyiv. Yaropolk was forced to flee to Roden. He tried to make peace with his brother, for which he went to Kyiv, where he was a Varangian. Chronicles characterize this prince as a peace-loving and meek ruler.

Vladimir Svyatoslavovich (978 or 980 - 1015)

Vladimir was the youngest son of Prince Svyatoslav. He was Prince of Novgorod since 968. Became Prince of Kyiv in 980. He was distinguished by a very warlike disposition, which allowed him to conquer the Radimichi, Vyatichi and Yotvingians. Vladimir also waged wars with the Pechenegs, with the Volga Bulgaria, with the Byzantine Empire and Poland. It was during the reign of Prince Vladimir in Rus' that defensive structures were built at the borders of the rivers: Desna, Trubezh, Sturgeon, Sula and others. Vladimir also did not forget about his capital city. It was under him that Kyiv was rebuilt with stone buildings. But Vladimir Svyatoslavovich became famous and remained in history due to the fact that in 988 - 989. made Christianity the state religion of Kievan Rus, which immediately increased the authority of the country in the international arena. Under him, the state of Kievan Rus entered the period of its greatest prosperity. Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavovich became an epic character, in which he is referred to only as "Vladimir the Red Sun." Canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church, named Prince Equal to the Apostles.

Svyatopolk Vladimirovich (1015 - 1019)

Vladimir Svyatoslavovich, during his lifetime, divided his lands between his sons: Svyatopolk, Izyaslav, Yaroslav, Mstislav, Svyatoslav, Boris and Gleb. After Prince Vladimir died, Svyatopolk Vladimirovich occupied Kyiv and decided to get rid of his rival brothers. He gave the order to kill Gleb, Boris and Svyatoslav. However, this did not help him establish himself on the throne. Soon, Prince Yaroslav of Novgorod expelled him from Kyiv. Then Svyatopolk turned for help to his father-in-law, King Boleslav of Poland. With the support of the Polish king, Svyatopolk again took possession of Kiev, but soon circumstances developed in such a way that he was again forced to flee the capital. On the way, Prince Svyatopolk committed suicide. This prince was popularly nicknamed the Accursed because he took the life of his brothers.

Yaroslav Vladimirovich the Wise (1019 - 1054)

Yaroslav Vladimirovich, after the death of Mstislav Tmutarakansky and after the expulsion of the Holy Regiment, became the sole ruler of the Russian land. Yaroslav was distinguished by a sharp mind, for which, in fact, he received his nickname - the Wise. He tried to take care of the needs of his people, built the cities of Yaroslavl and Yuryev. He also built churches (St. Sophia in Kyiv and Novgorod), realizing the importance of spreading and establishing a new faith. It was Yaroslav the Wise who published the first code of laws in Rus' called "Russian Truth". He divided the allotments of the Russian land between his sons: Izyaslav, Svyatoslav, Vsevolod, Igor and Vyacheslav, bequeathing them to live in peace with each other.

Izyaslav Yaroslavich the First (1054 - 1078)

Izyaslav was the eldest son of Yaroslav the Wise. After the death of his father, the throne of Kievan Rus passed to him. But after his campaign against the Polovtsy, which ended in failure, he was driven out by the people of Kiev themselves. Then his brother Svyatoslav became the Grand Duke. Only after the death of Svyatoslav, Izyaslav again returned to the capital city of Kyiv. Vsevolod the First (1078 - 1093) It is possible that Prince Vsevolod could well have been a useful ruler, thanks to his peace-loving disposition, piety and truthfulness. Being himself an educated person, knowing five languages, he actively contributed to education in his principality. But, alas. Constant, incessant raids of the Polovtsy, pestilence, famine did not favor the rule of this prince. He held onto the throne thanks to the efforts of his son Vladimir, who would later be called Monomakh.

Svyatopolk II (1093 - 1113)

Svyatopolk was the son of Izyaslav the First. It was he who inherited the throne of Kiev after Vsevolod the First. This prince was distinguished by a rare spinelessness, which is why he failed to calm the internecine friction between the princes for power in the cities. In 1097, a congress of princes took place in the city of Lubicz, at which each ruler, kissing the cross, pledged to own only his father's land. But this shaky peace treaty was not allowed to materialize. Prince Davyd Igorevich blinded Prince Vasilko. Then the princes, at a new congress (1100), deprived Prince Davyd of the right to own Volhynia. Then, in 1103, the princes unanimously accepted Vladimir Monomakh's proposal for a joint campaign against the Polovtsy, which was done. The campaign ended with the victory of the Russians in 1111.

Vladimir Monomakh (1113 - 1125)

Regardless of the right of seniority of the Svyatoslavichs, when Prince Svyatopolk II died, Vladimir Monomakh was elected Prince of Kyiv, who wanted the unification of the Russian land. Grand Duke Vladimir Monomakh was brave, tireless and favorably distinguished himself from the rest by his remarkable mental abilities. He managed to humble the princes with meekness, and he fought successfully with the Polovtsians. Vladimir Monoma is a vivid example of the prince's service not to his personal ambitions, but to his people, which he bequeathed to his children.

Mstislav the First (1125 - 1132)

The son of Vladimir Monomakh, Mstislav the First, was very much like his legendary father, demonstrating the same remarkable qualities of a ruler. All the recalcitrant princes showed him respect, fearing to anger the Grand Duke and share the fate of the Polovtsian princes, whom Mstislav expelled to Greece for disobedience, and sent his son to reign in their place.

Yaropolk (1132 - 1139)

Yaropolk was the son of Vladimir Monomakh and, accordingly, the brother of Mstislav the First. During his reign, he came up with the idea to transfer the throne not to his brother Vyacheslav, but to his nephew, which caused confusion in the country. It was because of these strife that the Monomakhovichi lost the throne of Kiev, which was occupied by the descendants of Oleg Svyatoslavovich, that is, the Olegovichi.

Vsevolod II (1139 - 1146)

Having become the Grand Duke, Vsevolod II desired to secure the throne of Kiev for his family. For this reason, he handed over the throne to Igor Olegovich, his brother. But Igor was not accepted by the people as a prince. He was forced to take the veil as a monk, but even the monastic attire did not protect him from the wrath of the people. Igor was killed.

Izyaslav II (1146 - 1154)

Izyaslav II fell in love with the people of Kiev to a greater extent because with his mind, disposition, friendliness and courage he very much reminded them of Vladimir Monomakh, the grandfather of Izyaslav II. After Izyaslav ascended the throne of Kiev, the concept of seniority, adopted for centuries, was violated in Rus', that is, for example, while his uncle was alive, his nephew could not be a Grand Duke. A stubborn struggle began between Izyaslav II and Prince Yuri Vladimirovich of Rostov. Izyaslav was twice expelled from Kyiv in his life, but this prince still managed to retain the throne until his death.

Yuri Dolgoruky (1154 - 1157)

It was the death of Izyaslav II that paved the way to the throne of Kyiv Yuri, whom the people later called Dolgoruky. Yuri became the Grand Duke, but he did not have a chance to reign for long, only three years later, after which he died.

Mstislav II (1157 - 1169)

After the death of Yuri Dolgoruky between the princes, as usual, internecine strife for the throne of Kiev began, as a result of which Mstislav II Izyaslavovich became the Grand Duke. Mstislav was expelled from the throne of Kyiv by Prince Andrei Yurievich, nicknamed Bogolyubsky. Before the expulsion of Prince Mstislav, Bogolyubsky literally ruined Kyiv.

Andrei Bogolyubsky (1169 - 1174)

The first thing that Andrei Bogolyubsky did, becoming the Grand Duke, was to transfer the capital from Kyiv to Vladimir. He ruled Russia autocratically, without squads and vecha, pursued all those dissatisfied with this state of affairs, but, in the end, he was killed by them as a result of a conspiracy.

Vsevolod III (1176 - 1212)

The death of Andrei Bogolyubsky caused strife between the ancient cities (Suzdal, Rostov) and new ones (Pereslavl, Vladimir). As a result of these confrontations, Andrei Bogolyubsky's brother Vsevolod the Third, nicknamed the Big Nest, began to reign in Vladimir. Despite the fact that this prince did not rule and did not live in Kiev, nevertheless, he was called the Grand Duke and was the first to make him swear allegiance not only to himself, but also to his children.

Constantine the First (1212 - 1219)

The title of Grand Duke Vsevolod the Third, contrary to expectations, was transferred not to his eldest son Konstantin, but to Yuri, as a result of which strife arose. The decision of the father to approve the Grand Duke Yuri was also supported by the third son of Vsevolod the Big Nest - Yaroslav. And Konstantin in his claims to the throne was supported by Mstislav Udaloy. Together they won the Battle of Lipetsk (1216) and Konstantin nevertheless became the Grand Duke. Only after his death, the throne passed to Yuri.

Yuri II (1219 - 1238)

Yuri successfully fought with the Volga Bulgarians and Mordovians. On the Volga, on the very border of Russian possessions, Prince Yuri built Nizhny Novgorod. It was during his reign that the Mongol-Tatars appeared in Rus', who in 1224 in the Battle of Kalka first defeated the Polovtsy, and then the troops of the Russian princes who came to support the Polovtsy. After this battle, the Mongols left, but thirteen years later they returned under the leadership of Batu Khan. The hordes of the Mongols ravaged the Suzdal and Ryazan principalities, and also, in the battle of the City, they defeated the army of the Grand Duke Yuri II. In this battle, Yuri died. Two years after his death, the hordes of the Mongols plundered the south of Rus' and Kyiv, after which all the Russian princes were forced to admit that from now on they all and their lands were under the rule of the Tatar yoke. The Mongols on the Volga made the city of Saray the capital of the horde.

Yaroslav II (1238 - 1252)

The Khan of the Golden Horde appointed Prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich of Novgorod as Grand Duke. This prince during his reign was engaged in restoring Rus' devastated by the Mongol army.

Alexander Nevsky (1252 - 1263)

Being at first the Prince of Novgorod, Alexander Yaroslavovich defeated the Swedes on the Neva River in 1240, for which, in fact, he was named Nevsky. Then, two years later, he defeated the Germans in the famous Battle of the Ice. Among other things, Alexander fought very successfully with the Chud and Lithuania. From the Horde, he received a label for the Great reign and became a great intercessor for the entire Russian people, as he traveled to the Golden Horde four times with rich gifts and bows. Alexander Nevsky was later canonized as a saint.

Yaroslav III (1264 - 1272)

After Alexander Nevsky died, two of his brothers began to fight for the title of Grand Duke: Vasily and Yaroslav, but the Khan of the Golden Horde decided to give the label to reign to Yaroslav. Nevertheless, Yaroslav failed to get along with the Novgorodians, he treacherously called on even the Tatars against his own people. The Metropolitan reconciled Prince Yaroslav III with the people, after which the prince again swore an oath on the cross to rule honestly and fairly.

Basil the First (1272 - 1276)

Vasily the First was the prince of Kostroma, but he claimed the throne of Novgorod, where the son of Alexander Nevsky, Dmitry, reigned. And soon Vasily the First achieved his goal, thereby strengthening his principality, previously weakened by division into destinies.

Dmitry the First (1276 - 1294)

The entire reign of Dmitry the First proceeded in a continuous struggle for the rights of the great reign with his brother Andrei Alexandrovich. Andrei Alexandrovich was supported by the Tatar regiments, from which Dmitry managed to escape three times. After his third escape, Dmitry nevertheless decided to ask Andrei for peace and, thus, received the right to reign in Pereslavl.

Andrew II (1294 - 1304)

Andrei II pursued a policy of expanding his principality through the armed seizure of other principalities. In particular, he claimed the principality in Pereslavl, which caused civil strife with Tver and Moscow, which, even after the death of Andrei II, were not stopped.

Saint Michael (1304 - 1319)

Prince Mikhail Yaroslavovich of Tver, having paid a large tribute to the khan, received from the Horde a label for a great reign, while bypassing the Moscow prince Yuri Danilovich. But then, while Mikhail was at war with Novgorod, Yuri, conspiring with the Horde ambassador Kavgady, slandered Mikhail before the khan. As a result, the khan summoned Michael to the Horde, where he was brutally killed.

Yuri III (1320 - 1326)

Yuri the Third, married the daughter of Khan Konchaka, who in Orthodoxy took the name Agafya. It was her untimely death that Yuri Mikhail Yaroslavovich of Tverskoy treacherously accused, for which he suffered an unjust and cruel death at the hands of the Horde Khan. So Yuri received a label for reigning, but the son of the murdered Mikhail, Dmitry, also claimed the throne. As a result, Dmitry at the first meeting killed Yuri, avenging the death of his father.

Dmitry II (1326)

For the murder of Yuri the Third, he was sentenced to death by the Horde Khan for arbitrariness.

Alexander of Tver (1326 - 1338)

The brother of Dmitry II - Alexander - received from the khan a label to the throne of the Grand Duke. Prince Alexander of Tverskoy was distinguished by justice and kindness, but he literally ruined himself by allowing the people of Tver to kill Shchelkan, the khan's ambassador hated by all. Khan sent a 50,000-strong army against Alexander. The prince was forced to flee first to Pskov and then to Lithuania. Only 10 years later, Alexander received the forgiveness of the khan and was able to return, but, at the same time, he did not get along with the prince of Moscow - Ivan Kalita - after which Kalita slandered Alexander of Tverskoy in front of the khan. Khan urgently summoned A. Tverskoy to his Horde, where he was executed.

John the First Kalita (1320 - 1341)

John Danilovich, nicknamed "Kalita" (Kalita - wallet) for his stinginess, was very cautious and cunning. With the support of the Tatars, he devastated the principality of Tver. It was he who took upon himself the responsibility of accepting tribute for the Tatars from all over Rus', which contributed to his personal enrichment. With this money, John bought entire cities from the specific princes. Through the efforts of Kalita, the metropolis was also transferred from Vladimir to Moscow in 1326. He laid the Assumption Cathedral in Moscow. Since the time of John Kalita, Moscow has become the permanent residence of the Metropolitan of All Rus' and becomes the Russian center.

Simeon the Proud (1341 - 1353)

The Khan gave Simeon Ioannovich not only a label to the Grand Duchy, but also ordered all the other princes to obey only him, so Simeon began to be called the prince of all Rus'. The prince died, leaving no heir from a pestilence.

John II (1353 - 1359)

Brother of Simeon the Proud. He had a meek and peaceful disposition, he obeyed the advice of Metropolitan Alexei in all matters, and Metropolitan Alexei, in turn, was highly respected in the Horde. During the reign of this prince, relations between the Tatars and Moscow improved significantly.

Dmitry the Third Donskoy (1363 - 1389)

After the death of John the Second, his son Dmitry was still small, therefore the khan gave the label to the great reign to the Suzdal prince Dmitry Konstantinovich (1359 - 1363). However, the Moscow boyars benefited from the policy of strengthening the Moscow prince, and they managed to achieve a great reign for Dmitry Ioannovich. The Suzdal prince was forced to submit and, together with the rest of the princes of northeastern Rus', swore allegiance to Dmitry Ioannovich. The attitude of Rus' towards the Tatars also changed. Due to civil strife in the horde itself, Dmitry and the rest of the princes took the opportunity not to pay the usual dues. Then Khan Mamai entered into an alliance with the Lithuanian prince Jagiello and moved with a large army to Rus'. Dmitry and other princes met the army of Mamai on the Kulikovo field, (near the river Don) and at the cost of huge losses on September 8, 1380, Rus' defeated the army of Mamai and Jagello. For this victory they called Dmitry Ioannovich Donskoy. Until the end of his life, he took care of strengthening Moscow.

Basil the First (1389 - 1425)

Vasily ascended the princely throne, already having experience of government, since even during the life of his father he shared the reign with him. Expanded the Moscow principality. Refused to pay tribute to the Tatars. In 1395, Khan Timur threatened Rus' with an invasion, but it was not he who attacked Moscow, but Edigey, the Tatar Murza (1408). But he lifted the siege from Moscow, receiving a ransom of 3,000 rubles. Under Basil the First, the Ugra River was designated as the border with the Lithuanian principality.

Vasily II (Dark) (1425 - 1462)

Yuri Dmitrievich Galitsky decided to take advantage of the minority of Prince Vasily and claimed his rights to the Grand Duke's throne, but the Khan decided the dispute in favor of the young Vasily II, which was greatly facilitated by the Moscow boyar Vasily Vsevolozhsky, hoping to marry his daughter to Vasily in the future, but these expectations were not destined to come true . Then he left Moscow and assisted Yuri Dmitrievich, and soon he took possession of the throne, on which he died in 1434. His son Vasily Kosoy began to claim the throne, but all the princes of Rus' rebelled against this. Vasily II captured Vasily Kosoy and blinded him. Then the brother of Vasily Kosoy Dmitry Shemyaka captured Vasily II and also blinded him, after which he took the throne of Moscow. But soon he was forced to give the throne to Vasily II. Under Vasily II, all metropolitans in Rus' began to be recruited from Russians, and not from Greeks, as before. The reason for this was the adoption of the Florentine Union in 1439 by Metropolitan Isidore, who was from the Greeks. For this, Vasily II gave the order to take Metropolitan Isidore into custody and instead appointed Bishop John of Ryazan.

John the Third (1462 -1505)

Under him, the core of the state apparatus began to form and, as a result, the state of Rus'. He annexed Yaroslavl, Perm, Vyatka, Tver, Novgorod to the Moscow principality. In 1480, he overthrew the Tatar-Mongol yoke (Standing on the Ugra). In 1497, the Sudebnik was compiled. John the Third launched a large construction in Moscow, strengthened the international position of Rus'. It was under him that the title "Prince of All Rus'" was born.

Basil the Third (1505 - 1533)

"The last collector of Russian lands" Vasily the Third was the son of John the Third and Sophia Paleolog. He had a very impregnable and proud disposition. Having annexed Pskov, he destroyed the specific system. He fought twice with Lithuania on the advice of Mikhail Glinsky, a Lithuanian nobleman, whom he kept in his service. In 1514, he finally took Smolensk from the Lithuanians. Fought with the Crimea and Kazan. As a result, he managed to punish Kazan. He withdrew all trade from the city, ordering from now on to trade at the Makariev Fair, which was then transferred to Nizhny Novgorod. Vasily the Third, wishing to marry Elena Glinskaya, divorced his wife Solomonia, which turned the boyars against him even more. From the marriage with Elena, Vasily III had a son, John.

Elena Glinskaya (1533 - 1538)

She was appointed to rule by Vasily III himself until the age of their son John. Elena Glinskaya, having barely ascended the throne, very severely dealt with all the rebellious and dissatisfied boyars, after which she made peace with Lithuania. Then she decided to repulse the Crimean Tatars, who boldly attacked the Russian lands, however, these plans of hers could not be realized, since Elena suddenly died.

John the Fourth (Terrible) (1538 - 1584)

John the Fourth, Prince of All Rus' became in 1547 the first Russian Tsar. From the end of the forties he ruled the country with the participation of the Chosen Rada. During his reign, the convocation of all Zemsky Sobors began. In 1550, a new Sudebnik was drawn up, and reforms of the court and administration (Zemskaya and Gubnaya reforms) were also carried out. John Vasilyevich conquered the Kazan Khanate in 1552, and the Astrakhan Khanate in 1556. In 1565, the oprichnina was introduced to strengthen the autocracy. Under John the Fourth, trade relations with England were established in 1553, and the first printing house in Moscow was opened. From 1558 to 1583 the Livonian War for access to the Baltic Sea continued. In 1581, the annexation of Siberia began. The entire domestic policy of the country under Tsar John was accompanied by disgrace and executions, for which he was nicknamed the Terrible by the people. The enslavement of the peasants increased considerably.

Fedor Ioannovich (1584 - 1598)

He was the second son of John the Fourth. He was very sickly and weak, did not differ in sharpness of mind. That is why very quickly the actual control of the state passed into the hands of the boyar Boris Godunov, the brother-in-law of the tsar. Boris Godunov, having surrounded himself with exclusively devoted people, became a sovereign ruler. He built cities, strengthened relations with the countries of Western Europe, built the Arkhangelsk Harbor on the White Sea. By order and instigation of Godunov, an all-Russian independent patriarchate was approved, and the peasants were finally attached to the land. It was he who in 1591 ordered the assassination of Tsarevich Dmitry, who was the brother of the childless Tsar Fedor, and was his direct heir. 6 years after this murder, Tsar Fedor himself died.

Boris Godunov (1598 - 1605)

The sister of Boris Godunov and the wife of the late Tsar Fedor abdicated the throne. Patriarch Job recommended that Godunov's supporters convene a Zemsky Sobor, at which Boris was elected tsar. Godunov, having become king, was afraid of conspiracies on the part of the boyars and, in general, was distinguished by excessive suspicion, which naturally caused disgrace and exile. At the same time, the boyar Fyodor Nikitich Romanov was forced to take tonsure, and he became a monk Filaret, and his young son Mikhail was sent into exile at Beloozero. But not only the boyars were angry with Boris Godunov. A three-year crop failure and the pestilence that followed it, which hit the Muscovite kingdom, forced the people to see this as the fault of Tsar B. Godunov. The king tried his best to alleviate the plight of the starving. He increased the earnings of people employed in state buildings (for example, during the construction of the Ivan the Great Bell Tower), generously distributed alms, but people still grumbled and willingly believed the rumors that the legitimate Tsar Dmitry was not killed at all and would soon take the throne. In the midst of preparations for the fight against False Dmitry, Boris Godunov died suddenly, while having managed to bequeath the throne to his son Fyodor.

False Dmitry (1605 - 1606)

The fugitive monk Grigory Otrepiev, who was supported by the Poles, declared himself Tsar Dmitry, who miraculously managed to escape from the murderers in Uglich. He entered Russia with several thousand men. The army came out to meet him, but it also went over to the side of False Dmitry, recognizing him as the legitimate king, after which Fyodor Godunov was killed. False Dmitry was a very good-natured man, but with a sharp mind, he diligently engaged in all state affairs, but caused displeasure of the clergy and boyars, because, in their opinion, he did not honor the old Russian customs enough, and neglected many. Together with Vasily Shuisky, the boyars entered into a conspiracy against False Dmitry, spread a rumor that he was an impostor, and then, without hesitation, they killed the fake tsar.

Vasily Shuisky (1606 - 1610)

The boyars and townspeople elected the old and inept Shuisky as king, while limiting his power. In Russia, rumors arose again about the salvation of False Dmitry, in connection with which new unrest began in the state, intensified by the rebellion of a serf named Ivan Bolotnikov and the appearance of False Dmitry II in Tushino (“Tushinsky thief”). Poland went to war against Moscow and defeated the Russian troops. After this, Tsar Vasily was forcibly tonsured a monk, and a troubled time of interregnum came to Russia, lasting three years.

Mikhail Fedorovich (1613 - 1645)

The diplomas of the Trinity Lavra, sent all over Russia and calling for the defense of the Orthodox faith and the fatherland, did their job: Prince Dmitry Pozharsky, with the participation of the Zemstvo headman of Nizhny Novgorod Kozma Minin (Sukhoroky), gathered a large militia and moved to Moscow in order to clear the capital of rebels and Poles, which was done after painful efforts. On February 21, 1613, the Great Zemstvo Duma gathered, at which Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov was elected tsar, who, after long rejections, nevertheless ascended the throne, where the first thing he undertook was to pacify both external and internal enemies.

He concluded the so-called pillar agreement with the Kingdom of Sweden, in 1618 he signed the Treaty of Deulinsky with Poland, according to which Filaret, who was the parent of the king, was returned to Russia after a long captivity. Upon his return, he was immediately elevated to the rank of patriarch. Patriarch Filaret was an adviser to his son and a reliable co-ruler. Thanks to them, by the end of the reign of Mikhail Fedorovich, Russia began to enter into friendly relations with various Western states, having practically recovered from the horror of the Time of Troubles.

Alexei Mikhailovich (Quiet) (1645 - 1676)

Tsar Alexei is considered one of the best people of ancient Russia. He had a meek, humble disposition, and was very pious. He could not stand quarrels at all, and if they happened, he suffered greatly and tried in every possible way to reconcile with the enemy. In the first years of his reign, his closest adviser was his uncle, boyar Morozov. In the fifties, Patriarch Nikon became his adviser, who decided to unite Rus' with the rest of the Orthodox world and ordered everyone from now on to be baptized in the Greek manner - with three fingers, which caused a split among the Orthodox in Rus'. (The most famous schismatics are the Old Believers, who do not want to deviate from the true faith and be baptized with a "fig", as ordered by the patriarch - noblewoman Morozova and archpriest Avvakum).

During the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich, riots broke out in different cities, which they managed to suppress, and the decision of Little Russia to voluntarily join the Muscovite state provoked two wars with Poland. But the state survived thanks to the unity and concentration of power. After the death of his first wife, Maria Miloslavskaya, in whose marriage the tsar had two sons (Fyodor and John) and many daughters, he remarried the girl Natalia Naryshkina, who bore him a son, Peter.

Fedor Alekseevich (1676 - 1682)

During the reign of this tsar, the issue of Little Russia was finally resolved: its western part went to Turkey, and the East and Zaporozhye - to Moscow. Patriarch Nikon was returned from exile. They also abolished localism - the ancient boyar custom to take into account the service of ancestors when occupying state and military positions. Tsar Fedor died without leaving an heir.

Ivan Alekseevich (1682 - 1689)

Ivan Alekseevich, together with his brother Peter Alekseevich, was elected king thanks to the Streltsy rebellion. But Tsarevich Alexei, suffering from dementia, did not take any part in public affairs. He died in 1689 during the reign of Princess Sophia.

Sophia (1682 - 1689)

Sophia remained in history as the ruler of an extraordinary mind and possessed all the necessary qualities of a real queen. She managed to calm the unrest of the dissenters, curb the archers, conclude an "eternal peace" with Poland, which is very beneficial for Russia, as well as the Nerchinsk Treaty with distant China. The princess undertook campaigns against the Crimean Tatars, but fell victim to her own lust for power. Tsarevich Peter, however, having guessed her plans, imprisoned her half-sister in the Novodevichy Convent, where Sophia died in 1704.

Peter the Great (Great) (1682 - 1725)

The greatest tsar, and since 1721 the first Russian emperor, statesman, cultural and military figure. He made revolutionary reforms in the country: collegiums, the Senate, bodies of political investigation and state control were created. He made divisions in Russia into provinces, and also subordinated the church to the state. He built a new capital - St. Petersburg. The main dream of Peter was the elimination of Russia's backwardness in development compared to European countries. Taking advantage of Western experience, Petr Alekseevich tirelessly created manufactories, factories, shipyards.

To facilitate trade and for access to the Baltic Sea, he won the Northern War, lasting 21 years, from Sweden, thereby “cutting through” a “window to Europe”. He built a huge fleet for Russia. Thanks to his efforts, the Academy of Sciences was opened in Russia and the civil alphabet was adopted. All reforms were carried out with the most cruel methods and caused multiple uprisings in the country (Streletsky in 1698, Astrakhan from 1705 to 1706, Bulavinsky from 1707 to 1709), which, however, were also mercilessly suppressed.

Catherine the First (1725 - 1727)

Peter the Great died without leaving a will. So, the throne passed to his wife Catherine. Catherine became famous for having equipped Bering on a round-the-world trip, and also established the Supreme Privy Council at the instigation of a friend and colleague of her late husband Peter the Great - Prince Menshikov. Thus, Menshikov concentrated virtually all state power in his hands. He persuaded Catherine to appoint the son of Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich, who was still sentenced to death by his father, Peter the Great, for being disgusted with reforms, Peter Alekseevich, as the heir to the throne, and also to agree to his marriage with Menshikov's daughter Maria. Until the age of Peter Alekseevich, Prince Menshikov was appointed ruler of Russia.

Peter II (1727 - 1730)

Peter II ruled for a short time. Having barely got rid of the imperious Menshikov, he immediately fell under the influence of the Dolgoruky, who, in every possible way distracting the emperors from public affairs with fun, actually ruled the country. They wished to marry the emperor to Princess E. A. Dolgoruky, but Pyotr Alekseevich suddenly died of smallpox and the wedding did not take place.

Anna Ioannovna (1730 - 1740)

The Supreme Privy Council decided to somewhat limit the autocracy, therefore they chose Anna Ioannovna, Dowager Duchess of Courland, daughter of John Alekseevich, as empress. But she was crowned on the Russian throne as an autocratic empress and, first of all, having entered into rights, destroyed the Supreme Privy Council. She replaced it with the Cabinet and, instead of the Russian nobles, gave positions to the Germans Ostern and Munnich, as well as to the Courlander Biron. The cruel and unjust rule was later called "Bironism".

Russia's intervention in the internal affairs of Poland in 1733 cost the country dearly: the lands conquered by Peter the Great had to be returned to Persia. Before her death, the empress appointed the son of her niece Anna Leopoldovna as her heir, and appointed Biron as regent for the baby. However, Biron was soon overthrown, and Anna Leopoldovna became the empress, whose reign cannot be called long and glorious. The guards staged a coup and proclaimed Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, daughter of Peter the Great.

Elizaveta Petrovna (1741 - 1761)

Elizabeth destroyed the Cabinet, established by Anna Ioannovna, and returned the Senate. Issued a decree abolishing the death penalty in 1744. In 1954, she established the first loan banks in Russia, which became a great boon for merchants and nobles. At the request of Lomonosov, she opened the first university in Moscow and in 1756 opened the first theater. During her reign, Russia waged two wars: with Sweden and the so-called "seven-year war", in which Prussia, Austria and France took part. Thanks to the peace with Sweden, part of Finland went to Russia. The death of Empress Elizabeth put an end to the Seven Years' War.

Peter the Third (1761 - 1762)

He was absolutely unsuitable for governing the state, but his temper was complacent. But this young emperor managed to turn absolutely all layers of Russian society against him, since he, to the detriment of Russian interests, showed a craving for everything German. Peter the Third, not only did he make a lot of concessions in relation to the Prussian Emperor Frederick II, he also reformed the army according to the same Prussian model, dear to his heart. He issued decrees on the destruction of the secret office and the free nobility, which, however, did not differ in certainty. As a result of the coup, due to his relationship with the empress, he quickly signed the abdication and soon died.

Catherine II (1762 - 1796)

The time of her reign was one of the greatest after the reign of Peter the Great. Empress Catherine ruled harshly, suppressed Pugachev's peasant uprising, won two Turkish wars, which resulted in the recognition of the independence of Crimea by Turkey, and also Russia moved away from the coast of the Sea of ​​Azov. Russia got the Black Sea Fleet, and active construction of cities began in Novorossia. Catherine II established the colleges of education and medicine. Cadet corps were opened, and for the education of girls - the Smolny Institute. Catherine the Second, herself possessing literary abilities, patronized literature.

Paul the First (1796 - 1801)

He did not support the transformations that his mother, Empress Catherine, started in the state system. Of the achievements of his reign, one should note a very significant relief in the life of serfs (only a three-day corvee was introduced), the opening of a university in Dorpat, and the emergence of new women's institutions.

Alexander the First (Blessed) (1801 - 1825)

The grandson of Catherine II, assuming the throne, vowed to govern the country "according to the law and heart" of his crowned grandmother, who, in fact, was engaged in his upbringing. At the very beginning, he undertook a number of different liberation measures aimed at different sections of society, which aroused the undoubted respect and love of people. But external political problems distracted Alexander from domestic reforms. Russia, in alliance with Austria, was forced to fight against Napoleon, the Russian troops were defeated at Austerlitz.

Napoleon forced Russia to abandon trade with England. As a result, in 1812, Napoleon nevertheless, having violated the agreement with Russia, went to war against the country. And in the same year, 1812, Russian troops defeated Napoleon's army. Alexander the First established a state council in 1800, ministries and a cabinet of ministers. In St. Petersburg, Kazan and Kharkov, he opened universities, as well as many institutes and gymnasiums, the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum. It greatly facilitated the life of the peasants.

Nicholas the First (1825 - 1855)

He continued the policy of improving peasant life. He founded the Institute of St. Vladimir in Kyiv. Published a 45-volume complete collection of laws of the Russian Empire. Under Nicholas I in 1839, the Uniates were reunited with Orthodoxy. This reunification was a consequence of the suppression of the uprising in Poland and the complete destruction of the Polish constitution. There was a war with the Turks, who oppressed Greece, as a result of the victory of Russia, Greece gained independence. After the rupture of relations with Turkey, on the side of which England, Sardinia and France sided, Russia had to join a new struggle.

The emperor died suddenly during the defense of Sevastopol. During the reign of Nicholas I, the Nikolaev and Tsarskoye Selo railways were built, great Russian writers and poets lived and worked: Lermontov, Pushkin, Krylov, Griboedov, Belinsky, Zhukovsky, Gogol, Karamzin.

Alexander II (Liberator) (1855 - 1881)

The Turkish war had to be ended by Alexander II. The Paris peace was concluded on very unfavorable terms for Russia. In 1858, according to an agreement with China, Russia acquired the Amur region, and later - Usuriysk. In 1864, the Caucasus finally became part of Russia. The most important state transformation of Alexander II was the decision to free the peasants. Killed by an assassin in 1881.

Kievan Rus is a medieval state that arose in the 9th century. The first Grand Dukes placed their residence in the city of Kyiv, which, according to legend, was founded in the VI century. three brothers - Kiy, Shchek and Khoriv. The state quickly entered a phase of prosperity and occupied an important international position. This was facilitated by the establishment of political and trade relations with such powerful neighbors as Byzantium and the Khazar Khaganate.

Askold's reign

The name "Russian Land" was assigned to the state with its capital in Kyiv during the reign of Askold (IX century). In The Tale of Bygone Years, his name is mentioned next to Dir, his elder brother. To date, there is no information about his reign. This gives reason to a number of historians (for example, B. A. Rybakov) to associate the name Dir with another nickname of Askold. In addition, the question of the origin of the first Kyiv rulers still remains unresolved. Some researchers consider them to be Varangian governors, others deduce their origin from glades (descendants of Kyi).

The Tale of Bygone Years provides some important information about Askold's reign. In 860 he made a successful campaign against Byzantium and even kept Constantinople in the oblogue for about a week. According to legend, it was he who forced the Byzantine ruler to recognize Rus' as an independent state. But in 882 Askold was killed by Oleg, who then sat on the throne of Kiev.

Oleg's board

Oleg - the first Grand Duke of Kiev, who ruled in 882-912. According to legend, he received power in Novgorod from Rurik in 879 as regent for his young son, and then moved his residence to Kyiv. In 885, Oleg annexed the lands of the Radimichi, Slavens and Krivichi to his principality, after which he made a campaign against the streets and Tivertsy. In 907, he opposed the powerful Byzantium. Oleg's brilliant victory is described in detail by Nestor in his work. Prince not only contributed to the strengthening of Rus''s position in the international arena, but also opened up access to duty-free trade with the Byzantine Empire. Oleg's new victory in Constantinople in 911 confirmed the privileges of Russian merchants.

It is with these events that the stage of the formation of a new state with its center in Kyiv ends and the period of its highest prosperity begins.

The reign of Igor and Olga

After the death of Oleg, the son of Rurik, Igor (912-945), comes to power. Like his predecessor, Igor had to face the disobedience of the princes of the subordinate tribal unions. His reign begins with a clash with the Drevlyans, streets and Tivertsy, whom the Grand Duke imposed an unbearable tribute. Such a policy determined his quick death at the hands of the rebellious Drevlyans. According to legend, when Igor once again came to collect tribute, they tilted two birch trees, tied his legs to their tops and let him go.

After the death of the prince, his wife Olga (945-964) ascended the throne. The main goal of her policy was revenge for the death of her husband. She suppressed all the anti-Rurik sentiments of the Drevlyans and finally subjugated them to her power. In addition, the name of Olga the Great is associated with the first attempt to baptize Kievan Rus, which was unsuccessful. The policy aimed at proclaiming Christianity as the state religion was continued by the following grand dukes.

Svyatoslav's reign

Svyatoslav - the son of Igor and Olga - ruled in 964-980. He led an active conquering foreign policy and almost did not care about the internal problems of the state. At first, during his absence, Olga was in charge of management, and after her death, the affairs of the three parts of the state (Kyiv, Drevlyansk land and Novgorod) were in charge of the great Russian princes Yaropolk, Oleg and Vladimir.

Svyatoslav made a successful campaign against the Khazar Khaganate. Such powerful fortresses as Semender, Sarkel, Itil could not resist his squad. In 967 he launched the Balkan campaign. Svyatoslav took possession of the territories in the lower reaches of the Danube, captured Pereyaslav and installed his governor there. In the next campaign in the Balkans, he managed to subdue virtually all of Bulgaria. But on the way home, Svyatoslav's squad was defeated by the Pechenegs, who were in collusion with the emperor of Byzantium. The Grand Duke also died in the oblog.

Reign of Volodymyr the Great

Vladimir was the illegitimate son of Svyatoslav, as he was born from Malusha, the housekeeper of Princess Olga. The father put the future great ruler on the throne in Novgorod, but in the course of civil strife he managed to seize the throne of Kiev. Having come to power, Vladimir streamlined the administration of the territories and eradicated any signs of the local nobility on the lands of the subordinate tribes. It was under him that the tribal division of Kievan Rus was replaced by a territorial one.

Many ethnic groups and peoples lived on the lands united by Vladimir. Under such conditions, it was difficult for the ruler to maintain the territorial integrity of the state, even with the help of weapons. This led to the need for an ideological justification for Vladimir's rights to rule over all the tribes. Therefore, the prince decided to reform paganism, placing in Kyiv, not far from the place where the palaces of the great princes were located, idols of the most revered Slavic gods.

Baptism of Rus'

The attempt to reform paganism was unsuccessful. After that, Vladimir called to himself the rulers of various tribal unions who professed Islam, Judaism, Christianity, etc. After listening to their proposals for a new state religion, the prince went to Byzantine Chersonese. After a successful campaign, Vladimir announced his intention to marry the Byzantine princess Anna, but since this was impossible while he professed paganism, the prince was baptized. Returning to Kyiv, the ruler sent messengers around the city with an order for all residents to come to the Dnieper the next day. On January 19, 988, people entered the river, where they were baptized by Byzantine priests. In fact, it was violent.

The new faith did not immediately become national. At first, residents of large cities adjoined Christianity, and in churches until the 12th century. there were special places for the baptism of adults.

Significance of the declaration of Christianity as the state religion

It had a huge impact on the further development of the state. Firstly, this led to the fact that the great Russian princes strengthened their power over disunited tribes and peoples. Secondly, the role of the state in the international arena has increased. The adoption of Christianity made it possible to establish close ties with the Byzantine Empire, the Czech Republic, Poland, the German Empire, Bulgaria and Rome. It also contributed to the fact that the Grand Dukes of Rus' no longer used military campaigns as the main way to implement foreign policy plans.

The reign of Yaroslav the Wise

Yaroslav the Wise united Kievan Rus under his rule in 1036. After many years of civil strife, the new ruler had to reassert himself on these lands. He managed to return the Cherven cities, found the city of Yuryev in the Peipsi land, and finally defeat the Pechenegs in 1037. In honor of the victory over this alliance, Yaroslav ordered the foundation of the greatest temple - St. Sophia of Kyiv.

In addition, he was the first to compile a collection of state laws - Yaroslav's Truth. It should be noted that before him the rulers of ancient Rus' (Grand Dukes Igor, Svyatoslav, Vladimir) asserted their power with the help of force, and not law and law. Yaroslav was engaged in the construction of temples (Yuriev Monastery, St. Sophia Cathedral, Kiev-Pechersky Monastery) and supported the still fragile church organization with the authority of princely power. In 1051, he appointed the first Russian metropolitan, Hilarion. The Grand Duke remained in power for 37 years and died in 1054.

Rule of the Yaroslavichs

After the death of Yaroslav the Wise, the most important lands were in the hands of his eldest sons - Izyaslav, Svyatoslav and Vsevolod. Initially, the grand dukes ruled the state quite harmoniously. They successfully fought against the Turkic-speaking tribes of the Torks, but in 1068 on the Alta River they suffered a crushing defeat in the battle with the Polovtsians. This led to the fact that Izyaslav was expelled from Kyiv and fled to the Polish king Boleslav II. In 1069, with the help of allied troops, he again occupied the capital.

In 1072, the great princes of Rus' gathered at a veche in Vyshgorod, where the famous set of Russian laws "The Truth of the Yaroslavichs" was approved. After this, a long period of internecine wars begins. In 1078 Vsevolod took the throne of Kiev. After his death in 1093, Vsevolod's two sons, Vladimir Monomakh and Rostislav, came to power and began to rule in Chernigov and Pereyaslav.

Board of Vladimir Monomakh

After the death of Svyatopolk, the people of Kiev invited Vladimir Monomakh to the throne. He saw the main goal of his policy in the centralization of state power and in strengthening the unity of Rus'. To establish peaceful relations with various princes, he used dynastic marriages. It was thanks to this and a far-sighted domestic policy that he managed to successfully control the vast territory of Rus' for 12 years. In addition, dynastic marriages united the Kievan state with Byzantium, Norway, England, Denmark, the German Empire, Sweden and Hungary.

Under the Grand Duke Vladimir Monomakh, the capital of Rus' was equipped, in particular, a bridge across the Dnieper was built. The ruler died in 1125, after which a long period of fragmentation and decline of the state began.

The Grand Dukes of Ancient Rus' in the period of fragmentation

What happened next? During the feudal fragmentation, the rulers of ancient Rus' changed every 6-8 years. The Grand Dukes (Kyiv, Chernigov, Novgorod, Pereyaslav, Rostov-Suzdal, Smolensk) fought for the main throne with weapons in their hands. Svyatoslav and Rurik, who belonged to the most influential family of the Olgovichi and Rostislavovichi, ruled the state for the longest time.

In the Chernigov-Seversk principality, power was in the hands of the Olegovich and Davidovich dynasty. Since these lands were most susceptible to the expansion of the Polovtsy, the rulers managed to restrain their conquest campaigns due to the conclusion of dynastic marriages.

Even during the period of fragmentation, it was completely dependent on Kyiv. The highest prosperity of these territories is associated with the name of Vladimir Glebovich.

Strengthening of the Moscow principality

After the decline of Kyiv, the main role passes to its rulers borrowed the title, which was worn by the great princes of Rus'.

The strengthening of the Moscow principality is associated with the name of Daniel (the younger He managed to subjugate the city of Kolomna, the Principality of Pereyaslavl and the city of Mozhaisk. As a result of the accession of the latter, an important trade route and the water artery of the Moscow River was within the territory of Daniel.

The reign of Ivan Kalita

In 1325 Prince Ivan Danilovich Kalita came to power. He made a trip to Tver and defeated it, thereby eliminating his strong rival. In 1328, he received a label from the Mongol khan for the principality of Vladimir. During his reign, Moscow firmly established its superiority in North-Eastern Rus'. In addition, at this time there was a close alliance between the grand duke's power and the church, which played a significant role in the formation of a centralized state. Metropolitan Peter moved his residence from Vladimir to Moscow, which became the most important religious center.

In relations with the Mongol khans, Ivan Kalita pursued a policy of maneuvering and regular payment of tribute. The collection of funds from the population was carried out with noticeable rigidity, which led to the accumulation of significant wealth in the hands of the ruler. It was during the principality of Kalita that the foundation of Moscow's power was laid. His son Semyon already claimed the title of "Grand Duke of All Rus'".

Consolidation of lands around Moscow

During the reign of Kalita, Moscow managed to recover from a series of internecine wars and lay the foundations for an effective economic and economic system. This power was supported by the construction of the Kremlin in 1367, which was a military-defensive fortress.

In the middle of the XIV century. the princes of the Suzdal-Nizhny Novgorod and Ryazan principalities join the struggle for supremacy on Russian soil. But Tver was still Moscow's main adversary. Rivals of the powerful principality often sought support from the Mongol Khan or from Lithuania.

The unification of Russian lands around Moscow is associated with the name of Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy, who laid siege to Tver and achieved recognition of his power.

Battle of Kulikovo

In the second half of the XIV century. the great princes of Russia are directing all their forces to fight the Mongol Khan Mamai. In the summer of 1380, he and his army approached the southern borders of Ryazan. In opposition to him, Dmitry Ivanovich put up a 120,000th squad, which moved in the direction of the Don.

On September 8, 1380, the Russian army took up positions on the Kulikovo field, and on the same day a decisive battle took place - one of the largest battles in medieval history.

The defeat of the Mongols accelerated the disintegration of the Golden Horde and strengthened the importance of Moscow as a center for the unification of Russian lands.