Prince Vladimir of Kiev. Vladimir Svyatoslavich

Prince Vladimir of Kiev played a big role in the history of Russia. The biography and deeds of this ruler will be examined in this article. Vladimir Svyatoslavich, in baptism called Vasily, is the great prince of Kiev, the son of Olga, the housekeeper, slave Malusha, and Svyatoslav Igorevich, the great grandson of Rurik, the first Russian prince.

Svyatoslav divides possessions between his sons

Having vowed to conquer Bulgaria from the Greeks and settle on the Danube in it, Svyatoslav divided his possessions among his sons: he gave Kyiv to Yaropolk (to the elder), Drevlyansky Oblast to Oleg, and sent Vladimir to Novgorod, which he did not treasure, because in him the power of the princes even then Was very limited. Unsuccessfully ended the campaign of Svyatoslav, and he died on the way back under the blows of the Pechenegs, near the threshold of the Dnieper. His young sons began to rule their principalities peacefully.

Joining of the Drevlyan region to the Kiev

The commander of Svyatoslav, the old Sveneld, became the chief among the nobles of Yaropolk. There was an accidental disaster: Lyut, the son of Sveneld, having come to the Drevlyansky region to hunt, quarreled with Oleg, as a result of which he was killed. Sveneld, embittered, persuaded Yaropolk to take the property from Oleg. The war began. Oleg was defeated and forced to flee. He was pushed into a deep ditch when his soldiers descended from the bridge. Drevlyansky region Yaropolk added to the Kiev, and began to woo to Rogneda, the daughter of Rogvold, Polotsk prince.

Vladimir planned to kill Yaropolk

Hearing about these actions Yaropolk, Vladimir Svyatoslavich fled to the Varangians for the Baltic Sea, noting that the Novgorodians want to be transferred to Yaropolk. Then the elder brother sent his governor immediately to Novgorod. Two years passed and, hiring the grandsons of the Varyags, Vladimir returned to the city. The Novgorodians supported him with their own squads, and Vladimir, now strong, planned to kill Yaropolk.

Vladimir captured Polotsk and Kiev, killed Yaropolk

Yaropolk was alarmed. At this time, Sveneld died. While Yaropolk was preparing for the war, Vladimir Svyatoslavovich moved to Kiev. He sent from the road to the Prince of Polotsk in order to woo his brother's bride. However, the proud Rogneda rejected the hand of "the son of a slave". Vladimir, offended, rushed to Polotsk. He took this city by storm, killed Rogvold, as well as his two sons, and Rogneda took his strength in marriage. Vladimir from Polotsk turned to Kiev, overlaid this city. Yaropolk, following the advice of Blud, his pet, who betrayed him, since he was bribed by the Novgorod prince, decided to flee to Rodney. The famine, which began here from the crowded, terrified Yaropolk by the fact that it was impossible to defend for a long time. The gullible prince, following the convictions of Bluda that he should submit, decided to go to his brother in Kiev. As soon as he entered the doorway, Forbord locked the door behind him, and the unfortunate prince was pierced with swords by two warriors.

Vladimir Svyatoslavovich after that announced that now he is the prince of all the lands of Russians, and even took for himself the wife of Yaropolk, the widow who was then pregnant and then gave birth to the baby Svyatopolk. He was adopted by Vladimir and became peacefully reigning in Kiev.

The reign of Vladimir in Kiev

All expected to see in the new master of a ferocious, brave and brave warrior. However, Vladimir Svyatoslavovich was not at all a militant sovereign. He used weapons only to strengthen the alliance of regions subject to Kiev, where there was much confusion at the reign of Yaropolk and after the death of Svyatoslav. The wolf's tail, his commander, again pacified Vyatich and Radimich. Vladimir also dominated the Lithuanian tribe of Yatvingas and western Volhynia with the towns of Cherven, Peremyshl and Vladimir-Volynsky. Thus, protecting Kyiv from outside, he tried to strengthen his domination by internal orders. Vladimir laid several new cities along the Trubezh, Stugne, Sule, Ostra, and Desna rivers to protect the limits of his state from the Pecheneg raids, and to prevent the disobedience of the inhabitants of the city he populated the settlers from various places and deprived them of the opportunity to rebel. He left from among those who came with him from Novgorod Varangians only elected, but disobedient and violent sent to Greece, asking them to take them to the service of the emperor. Vladimir composed his squads mostly from the Normans and Slavs.

The worship of idols, the sons of Vladimir

Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich in Kiev erected on the hill a statue of Perun with a golden mustache and a silver head. He set the others and brought rich offerings to the priests. The prince ordered, even after defeating the Yatvingas, to kill two Christians in their honor. Vladimir took these actions by the love of his people, priests, troops, so he was forgiven for all weaknesses: the desire to have fun and walk, voluptuousness, luxury.

He established a special council of the elders and wise boyars, with whom he consulted about the arrangement of order and laws. Vladimir had many sons from different wives, whom he made rulers in the principalities. He placed Yaroslav in Novgorod, born from Rogneda Izyaslav - in Polotsk, in Rostov - Boris, in Murom - Gleb, in the Drevlyan region - in Svyatoslav, in Volhynia - Vsevolod, in Tmutarakan - Mstislav, and Svyatopolk's adopted nephew - in Turov. They all depended unquestioningly on Vladimir and did not dare to slander him, as the Norman princes used to be.

Vladimir chooses faith

However, God wanted Vladimir Svyatoslavovich to give the glory of the Apostle of Russia. It was he who completed what was started by Askold and Dir. Vladimir saw that it was ridiculous to worship idols. He observed the deceptions of the priests and the gross superstition of the people. He also noticed that Christianity had already been established everywhere: in Poland, in Sweden, in Bulgaria, however, it was still in no hurry to take a decisive step. It is said that Vladimir felt for a long time various faiths, talked with Catholic priests, Muslims and Jews, sent ambassadors to Constantinople and Rome to consider worship, and finally decided to receive from the Greeks a faith that many of his subjects had already professed and could give, besides Orthodoxy and holiness , Great benefits in dealing with the Byzantines.

The first embassy in Constantinople

Prince Vladimir of Kiev sent an embassy to Constantinople (Constantinople), but with the proviso that in return for baptism Constantine and Basil, the Greek emperors, gave their sister, Princess Anna, for him. Otherwise, they were threatened with war. Anna was afraid to be the wife of the half-barbaric, and the Greeks rejected the offer of the ambassadors. Vladimir, the Grand Duke of Kiev, became angry and gathered a large army, with whom he went to Tavrida along the Dnieper. Here was Kherson (Sevastopol), a rich Greek city. With him, joined the Khazars and Pechenegs. The city had to submit.

Second embassy

The new Prince's embassy arrived with demands in Tsargrad, promising to return Kherson in case of their acceptance, and for refusing to threaten to invade Greece itself. The pride of the Greeks was silent, and the princess agreed. She was sent with her entourage to Kherson. Vladimir, Grand Duke of Kiev, was baptized, combined with Anna's marriage and returned to Kiev.

Vladimir turns people into the Christian faith

Now the inhabitants of the city saw how, at the behest of his former gods, they broke, smashed, chopped, dragged along with dishonor across the capital. On the appointed day, the prince ordered everyone to gather near the banks of the Dnieper River to accept a new faith. Vladimir, accompanied by Anna, the clergy and boyars, solemnly appeared. The people entered the river, and the people of Kiev were thus baptized. In the place where the altar of Perun stood before, Prince Vladimir built the church of St. Basil. The adoption of Christianity took place in 988. Preachers were sent to all Russian regions. Such an order was given by Prince Vladimir, and Kievan Rus adopted the Christian faith after a brief resistance of the Gentiles (especially the Rostovites and Vyatichi).

Further reign of Vladimir

The further reign of this ruler was marked by a multitude of blessings. Prince Vladimir of Kiev established schools for children, published the Pilot Book (the charter of the church courts), erected a cathedral church in Kiev and ordered him to give him a tenth of all his incomes for the eternal time, therefore he was called the Tithe.

Vladimir subsequently lived peacefully with neighboring nations. He concluded with Boleslav, the Polish king, an alliance, married Svyatopolk, his nephew, to his daughter.

Peaceful reign of him lasted 27 years. Silence was only broken by the attacks of the Pechenegs. Vladimir's children were angry, but obeyed him. True, at the end of Vladimir's life, the willfulness of Yaroslav, the prince of Novgorod, was offended, which, in order to please the proud and troubled Novgorodians, refused to pay tribute and, at his father's request, did not appear in Kiev. Then Prince Vladimir of Kiev gathered troops and went on a campaign himself, but fell ill in Berestov and died in 1015, July 15. Vladimir Svyatoslavovich was ranked as Saints.

The further reign of the Kiev princes was marked by an even greater spread of Christianity and a desire to unite the lands.

Do not confuse this ruler with another, Vladimir Vsevolodovich.

The Kiev prince Vladimir Monomakh ruled from 1113 to 1125. As for Vladimir Svyatoslavich (which was described in this article), then he ran Kiev from 978 to 1015. He received the nickname Krasnoy Solnyshko. This is Vladimir I, the baptized Rus (years of life - about 960-1015). Prince of Kiev Vladimir ll lived from 1053 to 1125.