Biography of Yaroslav the Wise. History of Yaroslav the Wise

The name and portrait of Yaroslav the Wise are well known even to those who completely forgot the history of Russia. He was one of the twelve sons of Vladimir the Baptist. Certainly, this person is extremely bright, and first of all Jaroslav actively continued the business of his father.

Yaroslav the Wise. short biography

Little Yaroslav was lame from birth. Overcoming this disease, he began to exercise daily with a sword. Therefore, his right shoulder was much larger than the left. Moreover, the prince was considered one of the best warriors among his contemporaries.

The chronicle, in which the biography of Yaroslav the Wise is described, informs that in the summer of one thousand eleventh he went to baptize pagans, and they placed before the prince a bear, but he was able to defeat her. And when people saw this, they gladly began to be baptized, because they believed that the truth of heaven is always on the side of the victor.

Just at that time thought and Yaroslav. In this he was convinced by his own, as yet very poor experience. After all, the father managed to manage the principality only after he was convinced that his son has a powerful will that allowed him to overcome the ailment acquired from birth.

The system of ascension to the throne

During his lifetime, Vladimir divides the land between his sons. Svyatopolk receives the Turov principality, Yaroslav-Rostov, in Novgorod the oldest son, Vysheslav, sits. And this system of the princes' ascension to the throne, which is created by Vladimir, still lasts for two generations. It is called lestvichnaya.

All principalities are ranked according to their status. For example, Novgorod is considered the most prestigious after Kiev, where the father sits. Therefore, the eldest son will rule in Novgorod. Further Polotsk, Turov, Rostov and so on.

As soon as the eldest of the brothers dies (during the life of the father), all the remaining ones rise one step up. Therefore, the lstitic system of ascension to the throne is called. The exception is the case, if one of the middle brothers dies, then the principality is inherited by his children and grandchildren.

One death that saved thousands of lives, or the death of a sovereign

An interesting fact, which describes the biography of Yaroslav the Wise, concerns the death of Vysheslav, after which the redistribution of principalities begins. And here we see a very strange thing: Yaroslav is at once in Novgorod. Why this happened is not clear. Chronicles of this are silent.

After a while, Yaroslav quarreled with his father, as he refused to pay tribute to Kiev. And Vladimir was going to go to war with his own son, but did not have time. Suddenly died while preparing this campaign. But Yaroslav by that time had already invited the Varangians to participate in the battle with his father.

Close ties with Scandinavian countries

Unlike the previous time, in the Yaroslav era, a consistent and stable foreign policy of the ancient Russian state is being formed. And Yaroslav the Wise, just like Vladimir, sharply feels his family ties with the Scandinavian north. When the struggle in Russia flares up, and the lives of Vladimir and Yaroslav are threatened, they try or even flee to Scandinavia. From there invite mercenaries.

With them, ambassadors are exchanged at the time of marriage, for example, Yaroslav with a Swedish princess. A trade agreement is being drawn up with Norway. Moreover, Yaroslav interferes in the internal affairs of the Scandinavian countries. In particular, in Norway, he actually places on the throne the son of Olav Magnus of Good, bribing all the nobility in his favor.

Bloody slaughter for the throne

While the Varangians have nothing to do, they plunder the local population, rape and kill. Naturally, the Novgorodians did not like this, and they gathered in one of the nights and killed all the torturers. In response to this, Jaroslav collects the best inhabitants from himself and kills them. And the same night he receives news from Kiev that Vladimir died suddenly. It happened on the fifteenth of July one thousand fifteenth year.

This is the first date that the biography of Yaroslav the Wise reports up to one day. Power in Kiev captures Svyatopolk. The squad of Boris, the next brother, invites him to take power into his own hands. But he refuses. He says that Svyatopolk as a father and a throne belongs to him by right. However, on the same night, mercenaries sent by Svyatopolk come and kill Boris.

At the same time, he sends his people to his second brother, Gleb, and, moreover, wants to kill even Yaroslav. But he receives news of this from his sister Predslava. And the next morning he already gathers a regiment and goes to war with Svyatopolk. It overcomes him and expels him from Kiev. And then the biography of Yaroslav the Wise for two years does not report any facts about his life.

Two years later, or the return of Svyatopolk

In one thousand and eighteenth year Svyatopolk suddenly appears, and not alone, but with Borislav Khrabrym, the Polish king, who supports him. There is a seizure of Kiev, because Yaroslav the Wise flees from it. A brief biography of that period reports that he is not even going to defend the city.

Borislav robbed Kiev, captured the sisters of Yaroslav and his stepmother and returned to Poland. And Svyatopolk reigns in the city. Yaroslav escapes to Novgorod, where he again gathers an army for a new battle and again triumphs. That's what Russia experienced under Yaroslav the Wise.

But the new ruler still had brothers, to whom he always treated very coldly. Then he puts one of them in prison. He stayed there until the death of the heir to the throne, and only then the sons of Yaroslav the Wise freed him from the dungeon. And with others, he is punished in no less cruel manner.

Political line of rapprochement with the West

The history of Yaroslav the Wise does not abound in facts. But one thing is for sure. During his reign, that is, closer to the middle of the eleventh century, Ancient Rus became widely known in Western Europe.

And it's not just that he conducted an active matrimonial policy. Daughters and sons of Yaroslav the Wise marriages with representatives of Western European ruling dynasties. This was precisely the political line of Yaroslav the Wise for rapprochement with the West - Hungary, Poland and other states.

For example, Izyaslav was married to the sister of Polish King Casimir the First, who was called Gertrude. Vsevolod - on the Greek princess Irina Monomakh. From this marriage there will be a famous prince Vladimir Monomakh. And Igor was bound by marriage to the German princess Kunigunda. At the same time, his father is preparing for war with Byzantium.

But the historical portrait of Yaroslav the Wise is not so gloomy as it may seem against the backdrop of all the events preceding his ascension to the throne. After he became a full-fledged prince in Kiev, Yaroslav unfolds a stormy activity. In one thousand thirty-sixth he begins a grandiose construction.

The new capital of the world

This is an act that shows not only that Yaroslav the Wise was a good business executive. Such actions were also important politically. He built the golden gate in Kiev, the temple of St. Sophia of Kiev, at the same time created the oldest chronicle of the annals, and also pronounced "The Word of Law and Grace."

That is, Yaroslav the Wise is doing a tremendous job to give a completely special status to the state, which he headed. Under him, Kiev becomes the "new capital of the world." He also organizes activities to translate books into Slavonic.

And before his death, Yaroslav assigns to each of his sons a certain principality, so that there will be no further internecine strife. He lays the foundations of a completely new state structure, which is a much wiser system of government.