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

The sons of Yaroslav the Wise say goodbye to their dying father

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

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

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

At this time, Prince Vseslav of Polotsk was languishing in a Kiev log house. The log house was a log house going into the ground without windows or doors. The prisoner was lowered there on ropes. They served him food and water in the same way. Imprisonment in a prison was considered a severe punishment. What was Prince Vseslav guilty of?

He was the grandson of Izyaslav Vladimirovich, the son of Vladimir the Baptist. He reigned in Polotsk and led the opposition to the Yaroslavichs. In 1067, he captured and plundered Novgorod, but was defeated on the Nemiga River by the sons of Yaroslav the Wise. He imprudently met with the winners, relying on the “kissing of the godfather,” but was captured and imprisoned.

When Izyaslav fled from Kyiv, the townspeople demolished the cutting, freed Vseslav and proclaimed him the prince of Kyiv, since they believed that the great-grandson of Vladimir had all the rights to the Kiev throne.

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

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

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

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

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

Kyiv prince with his retinue

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

However, such worldviews became the basis for an outbreak of pagan fanaticism. It is noted in the chronicle in 1071. Magi appeared on Russian lands. These were real fanatical fanatics, and their movement captured more and more new areas. The militant pagans on Beloozero entered into a confrontation with the governor of Svyatoslav Jan. He turned out to be a decisive and merciless man. With his squad, he dispersed the rebels, and took the sorcerers-instigators prisoner. The next morning they were hanged from trees. The next night, the corpses were chewed up by a bear, cleaning itself off for the pagans as a respected beast.

Fanatic Magi also appeared in Novgorod. Here they were confronted by Svyatoslav’s son, Prince Gleb. Hiding an ax under his cloak, he asked the main magician if he knew the future. To this the magician proudly replied: “I know everything.” Then Gleb asked: “Do you know what will happen to you today?” The sorcerer nodded his head in agreement and said: “I will do great miracles!” Then the prince pulled out an ax and hacked to death the main sorcerer, proving to everyone that he was a useless prophet. After this, the crowd dispersed, the chronicler says. So energetically and mercilessly the authorities suppressed the uprising of the pagans.

But in December 1076, the Kiev prince Svyatoslav died before reaching the age of 50. His unexpected death disrupted the political balance that began to emerge in Kievan Rus.

Svyatoslav Yaroslavich left 5 sons. And the question immediately arose: should we consider the deceased Svyatoslav the legitimate great prince of Kyiv or a usurper who seized the throne during the life of his elder brother Izyaslav? The fate of the sons depended on the solution of this issue, since a very cruel custom existed in Kievan Rus.

People who were guilty of anything were “expelled from life.” They were not killed, but were deprived of the right to engage in the work that fed their family, that is, they were made outcasts. There were 3 categories of such people in total. These are the priest's sons who failed to master reading and writing. Indebted merchants and peasants or smerdas who deviated from the community.

There was also a 4th category of outcasts in Rus'. The princes treated her. That is, a prince who was orphaned before his father could take the princely table was forever deprived of all rights to own the throne. And therefore, the sons of Svyatoslav were threatened with the fate of rogue princes.

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

The rogue princes Oleg and Roman Svyatoslavich fled to Tmutarakan. Here they teamed up with the same outcast Boris Vyacheslavich and moved to Rus' in order to gain appanage cities for themselves by force. Their uncles Izyaslav and Vsevolod opposed them. A big battle took place in 1078 on Nezhatina Niva near Chernigov. Prince Izyaslav and the young man Boris Vyacheslavich died in this terrible felling. The last of the six surviving brothers Vsevolod became the Grand Duke of Kyiv.

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

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

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

Thus ended a historical era in Rus', in which the main violin was played by the sons of Yaroslav the Wise. And the Kiev throne and the title “Prince of All Rus',” introduced by Vsevolod, were received in accordance with the ladder of succession to the throne by Svyatopolk II Izyaslavich. He was the son of Izyaslav, and before that he reigned in the city of Turov.

Alexey Starikov

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

Family ties

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

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

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

Vladimir’s other sons took on the task of pacifying his brother. Since 1015, conflicts between Yaroslav and Svyatopolk the Accursed and Mstislav of Tmutarakan began. They lasted for several years. During this time, the state's borders moved several times.

Conflicts with brothers

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

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

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

The wise man preferred to resolve all issues through diplomacy, resorting to violence only as a last resort. Studies of his remains showed that the statesman's leg was almost completely severed. He could not get by without outside help because he had a severe limp.

Some historians claim that the injury was sustained during feuds with the brothers. Other scientists believe that Yaroslav limped since childhood. The chronicles contain confirmation of the second version, allegedly in his youth the ruler suffered paralysis of his legs. But this did not diminish his physical strength.

Administration of Kievan Rus

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

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

The sovereign paid special attention to the church and the development of writing. He gathered numerous translators and book writers to expand the library of Kievan Rus. All over the land, children learned to read and write thanks to a school for boys opened in Novgorod. Yaroslav himself spent a lot of time reading. The specialists he hired translated books into Old Russian and Church Slavonic languages.

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

Dynastic marriages

Yaroslav Vladimirovich was married only once in his life, but the chronicles mention two names of his wife - Irina and Anna. The statesman's wife's name was Ingigerde, she was the daughter of the Swedish king Olav. According to historians, at baptism the girl received the name Irina, after being tonsured as a nun they began to call her Anna.

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

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

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

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

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

Childhood and youth

The date of birth of Yaroslav Vladimirovich is still debated today. But most historians and scientists are inclined to believe that the prince was born in 978, although no one is completely sure of this. His birthday is even more unknown.

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

But for the sake of fairness, it is worth noting that the rest of the historians are inclined to consider Rogneda to be the woman who gave birth to the most famous of the ancient Russian princes.

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

Governing body

This period is in the nature of traditions and legends. The time of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, as well as the personality himself, is tended to be idealized by some historians, and demonized by others. The truth, as usual, is somewhere in the middle.

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

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

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

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

The great merit of Prince Yaroslav the Wise was the victory over the Pechenegs. This happened in 1036. As the chronicles say, the city was besieged by nomads during the period when the ruler went to Novgorod, where he took part in the foundation of the temple. But having received news of the danger, he quickly returned and defeated the Pechenegs. From that moment on, their devastating and bloody raids on Rus' stopped for a short time.

The “golden” time of Yaroslav the Wise began. After the victories, the nobleman took up grandiose construction. At the site of the brilliant victory over the nomads, the St. Sophia Cathedral was founded. In many ways it was a copy of the cathedral in Constantinople. Decorated with magnificent frescoes and mosaics, the temple amazed its contemporaries with its beauty and delights the eye today.

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

Domestic and foreign policy

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

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

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

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

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

Since ancient books that are a thousand years old have not been found, there are many hypotheses about where they could be stored. Some claim that these may be the dungeons of the St. Sophia Cathedral, others talk about the catacombs of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, and still others talk about the Vydubitsky Monastery. But there are also skeptics who believe that the priceless tomes could not have survived the devastating Polovtsian raids and fires.

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

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

And at this wonderful time, “Russian Truth” by Yaroslav the Wise appeared. This is the first set of laws of Rus', which followers added and expanded.

Historians also highly appreciate the foreign policy of the nobleman, in which he also achieved enormous success. It seems that he was the first of the Russian princes to emphasize diplomacy rather than force of arms.

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

The wife of Yaroslav the Wise was the daughter of King Olaf of Sweden, Ingigerda, who received the name Irina after baptism. From her father she inherited a rich dowry - the city of Aldeigaborg (later Ladoga). The lands adjacent to it were called Ingermanlandia (which translates as the lands of Ingigerda).

The prince's son, Vsevolod, married a Greek princess. Two more offspring are among the German princesses. Son Izyaslav married the sister of the Polish prince Casimir, and Casimir himself married the sister of the Wise, Dobrogneva.

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

Founding of cities

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

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

There is another Yuriev, which was founded by a prince. This city turned out to be at the same time a fortress that was part of the Poros defensive line. It was erected to protect Kyiv from nomads. In 1240, the Tatar-Mongols destroyed it, leaving only the ruins of the church. The city was revived around it, receiving the name Bila Tserkva. It is still called that today.

Personal life

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

In Kyiv, thanks to Princess Irina, the first convent appeared. It was built at the Church of St. Irene. One of its columns “survived” until the mid-twentieth century. Now only the quiet Irininskaya Street reminds of the existence of the temple.

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

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

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

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

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

It is noteworthy that Prince Yaroslav the Wise himself was canonized as a saint only in the 21st century.

Death

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

At baptism he was named George.

Yaroslav is first mentioned in the Tale of Bygone Years in article 6488 (980), which talks about the marriage of his father, Vladimir Svyatoslavich, and Rogneda, and then lists 4 sons born from this marriage: Izyaslav, Mstislav, Yaroslav and Vsevolod.

Year of birth of Yaroslav the Wise

In the article of the year 6562 (1054), which talks about the death of Yaroslav, it is said that he lived for 76 years (according to the ancient Russian count of years, that is, he lived for 75 years and died in the 76th year of his life). Accordingly, according to the chronicles, Yaroslav was born in 978 or 979. This date is the most commonly used in the literature.

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

Moreover, in some later chronicles it is read not 28 years, but 18 (Sofia First Chronicle, Arkhangelsk Chronicle, Ipatiev List of the Ipatiev Chronicle). And in the Laurentian Chronicle it was stated that “And then Yaroslav would be 28 years old in Novgorod,” which gave S. M. Solovyov grounds to assume that the news refers to the duration of Yaroslav’s Novgorod reign: if we take 18 years as correct, then from 998, and if 28 years is the total reign in Rostov and Novgorod since 988. Solovyov also doubted the correctness of the news that Yaroslav was 76 years old in the year of his death.

Taking into account the fact that the marriage between Vladimir and Rogneda, according to the now established opinion, was concluded in 978, and also that Yaroslav was the third son of Rogneda, he could not have been born in 978. According to historians, the dating of 76 years appeared in order to present Yaroslav as older. However, there is evidence that it was Svyatopolk who was the eldest of the sons at the time of Vladimir’s death. Indirect evidence of this can be the words of Boris, which he said to his squad, not wanting to occupy Kiev, since it was Svyatopolk who is the eldest: “He said, “Don’t let me lay my hands on my elder brother, even if my fathers die, then I’ll be in Father's revenge."

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

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

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

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

Yaroslav the Wise (documentary film)

Yaroslav in Rostov

The Tale of Bygone Years for the year 6496 (988) reports that Vladimir Svyatoslavich sent his sons to various cities. Among the listed sons is Yaroslav, who received Rostov as a table. However, the date indicated in this article, 988, is quite arbitrary, since many events fit into it. Historian Alexey Karpov suggests that Yaroslav could have left for Rostov no earlier than 989.

The chronicles about Yaroslav's reign in Rostov do not report anything other than the fact of his imprisonment. All information about the Rostov period of his biography is of a late and legendary nature, their historical reliability is low.

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

The founding of the city of Yaroslavl, named after the prince, is associated with the reign of Yaroslav in Rostov. Yaroslavl was first mentioned in the “Tale of Bygone Years” in 1071, when the “revolt of the Magi” caused by famine in the Rostov land was described. But there are legends that attribute the founding of the city to Yaroslav. According to one of them, Yaroslav traveled along the Volga from Novgorod to Rostov. According to legend, on the way he was attacked by a bear, which Yaroslav, with the help of his retinue, hacked to death with an axe. After this, the prince ordered to cut down a small wooden fortress on an impregnable cape above the Volga, named after him - Yaroslavl.

These events are reflected on the city's coat of arms. This legend was reflected in “The Legend of the Construction of the City of Yaroslavl,” published in 1877. According to the research of the historian and archaeologist N.N. Voronin, the “Tale” was created in the 18th-19th centuries, but according to his assumption, the basis of the “Tale” was formed by folk legends associated with the ancient cult of the bear, characteristic of the tribes living in the forest zone of the modern Russia. An earlier version of the legend is given in an article published by M. A. Lenivtsev in 1827.

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

In 1958-1959, Yaroslavl historian Mikhail Germanovich Meyerovich substantiated that the city appeared no earlier than 1010. This date is currently considered the founding date of Yaroslavl.

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

The “State Book” (XVI century) reports that Vysheslav died before Rogneda, Yaroslav’s mother, whose year of death is indicated in the “Tale of Bygone Years” (1000). However, this information is not based on any documents and is probably a guess.

Another version was given in “Russian History” by V.N. Tatishchev. Based on some chronicle that has not reached our time (probably of Novgorod origin), he places information about the death of Vysheslav in an article for the year 6518 (1010/1011). This date is now accepted by most historians. Vysheslav was replaced in Novgorod by Yaroslav.

Yaroslav in Novgorod

After the death of Vysheslav, Svyatopolk was considered the eldest son of Vladimir Svyatoslavovich. However, according to Thietmar of Merseburg, he was put in prison by Vladimir on charges of treason. The next eldest son, Izyaslav, had also died by that time, but even during his father’s life he was actually deprived of the right to inheritance - Polotsk was allocated to him as an inheritance. And Vladimir installed Yaroslav in Novgorod.

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

The period of the Novgorod reign of Yaroslav until 1014 is just as little described in the chronicles as the Rostov one. It is likely that from Rostov Yaroslav first went to Kyiv, and from there he left for Novgorod. He probably arrived there no earlier than 1011.

Before Yaroslav, the Novgorod princes from the time of Rurik lived, as a rule, on the Settlement near Novgorod, but Yaroslav settled in Novgorod itself, which, by that time, was a significant settlement. His princely court was located on the Trade side of Volkhov, this place was called “Yaroslav’s courtyard”. In addition, Yaroslav also had a country residence in the village of Rakoma, located south of Novgorod.

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

During excavations in Novgorod, archaeologists found the only copy of the lead seal of Yaroslav the Wise, which was once suspended from a princely charter. On one side of it are depicted the holy warrior George with a spear and shield and his name, on the second - a man in a cloak and helmet, relatively young, with a protruding mustache, but without a beard, as well as inscriptions on the sides of the chest figure: “Yaroslav. Prince Russian." Apparently, the seal contains a rather conventional portrait of the prince himself, a strong-willed man with a humpbacked predatory nose, whose dying appearance was reconstructed from the skull by the famous scientist - archaeologist and sculptor Mikhail Gerasimov.

Yaroslav's speech against his father

In 1014, Yaroslav resolutely refused to pay his father, the Kyiv prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich, an annual lesson of two thousand hryvnia. Historians suggest that these actions of Yaroslav were connected with Vladimir’s intention to transfer the throne to one of his younger sons, the Rostov prince Boris, whom he brought closer to himself in recent years and transferred command of the princely squad, which actually meant the recognition of Boris as heir. It is possible that this is precisely why the eldest son Svyatopolk rebelled against Vladimir, who was then imprisoned (he remained there until his father’s death). And it was precisely this news that could prompt Yaroslav to oppose his father.

In order to confront his father, Yaroslav, according to the chronicle, hired the Varangians overseas, who arrived led by Eymund. Vladimir, who in recent years lived in the village of Berestovo near Kiev, ordered to “break the path and pave bridges” for the campaign, but fell ill. In addition, in June 1015, the Pechenegs invaded and the army gathered against Yaroslav, led by Boris, was forced to set off to repel the raid of the steppes, who, having heard about Boris’s approach, turned back.

At the same time, the Varangians hired by Yaroslav, doomed to inaction in Novgorod, began to cause unrest. According to the first Novgorod chronicle: “The Varangians began to commit violence against their married wives.”

As a result, the Novgorodians, unable to withstand the violence being committed, rebelled and killed the Varangians in one night. Yaroslav at this time was at his country residence in Rakom. Having learned about what had happened, he called to himself representatives of the Novgorod nobility who participated in the rebellion, promising them forgiveness, and when they arrived to him, he brutally dealt with them. This happened in July - August 1015.

After this, Yaroslav received a letter from his sister Predslava, in which she reported on the death of his father and the events that happened after that. This news forced Prince Yaroslav to make peace with the Novgorodians. He also promised to pay the viru for each person killed. And in subsequent events, the Novgorodians invariably supported their prince.

Yaroslav in Kyiv

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

In 1016, Yaroslav defeated the army of Svyatopolk near Lyubech and occupied Kyiv in late autumn. He generously rewarded the Novgorod squad, giving each warrior ten hryvnia. From the chronicles: “And let them all go home, - and having given them the truth, and having written off the charter, he said to them: walk according to this letter, just as it was copied for you, keep it in the same way.”

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

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

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

In 1019, Yaroslav married the daughter of the Swedish king Olaf Sjötkonung - Ingigerda, for whom the king of Norway Olaf Haraldson had previously wooed her, who dedicated his wife to her and subsequently married her younger sister Astrid. Ingigerda in Rus' is baptized with a consonant name - Irina. As a dowry, Ingigerda received from her father the city of Aldeigaborg (Ladoga) with adjacent lands, which have since received the name Ingermanlandia (Ingigerda's land).

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

In 1023, Yaroslav's brother - the Tmutarakan prince Mstislav - attacked with his allies the Khazars and Kasogs and captured Chernigov and the entire Left Bank of the Dnieper, and in 1024 Mstislav defeated Yaroslav's troops under the leadership of the Varangian Yakun near Listven (near Chernigov). Mstislav moved his capital to Chernigov and, sending ambassadors to Yaroslav, who had fled to Novgorod, offered to share the lands along the Dnieper with him and stop the wars: “Sit down in your Kiev, you are the elder brother, and let me have this side.”

In 1025, Bolesław the Brave's son Mieszko II became king of Poland, and his two brothers, Bezprym and Otto, were expelled from the country and took refuge with Jarosław.

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

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

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

In 1031, Yaroslav and Mstislav, supporting Bezprym's claims to the Polish throne, gathered a large army and marched against the Poles, recaptured the cities of Przemysl and Cherven, conquered Polish lands, and, taking many Poles prisoner, divided them. Yaroslav resettled his prisoners along the Ros River. Shortly before this, in the same 1031, Harald III the Severe, king of Norway, half-brother of Olaf the Saint, fled to Yaroslav the Wise and served in his squad. As is commonly believed, he took part in Yaroslav's campaign against the Poles and was a co-leader of the army. Subsequently, Harald became Yaroslav's son-in-law, taking Elizabeth as his wife.

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

In 1036, he defeated the Pechenegs and thereby freed Rus' from their raids. In memory of the victory over the Pechenegs, the prince founded the famous Hagia Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv; artists from Constantinople were called to paint the temple.

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

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

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

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

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

In 1044, Yaroslav organized a campaign against Lithuania.

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

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

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

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

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

The inscription (graffiti) on the central nave of the St. Sophia Cathedral under the ktitor's fresco of Yaroslav the Wise himself, dated 1054, speaks of the death of “our king”: “In 6562 February 20 of the Ascension of our Tsar in (Sunday) in (n) food (lyu) (mu)ch Theodore.”

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

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

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

Appearance of Yaroslav the Wise

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

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

It is also known that he was lame (which is why he walked poorly): according to one version, from birth, according to another, as a result of being wounded in battle. Prince Yaroslav's right leg was longer than his left due to damage to the hip and knee joints. This may have been a consequence of hereditary Perthes disease.

According to Newsweek magazine, when the box with the remains of Yaroslav the Wise was opened on September 10, 2009, it was found that it contained, presumably, only the skeleton of Yaroslav’s wife, Princess Ingegerda. During the investigation conducted by journalists, a version was put forward that the remains of the prince were taken from Kiev in 1943 during the retreat of German troops and are currently possibly at the disposal of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the USA (the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople).

Disappearance of the remains of Yaroslav the Wise

In the 20th century, the Sarcophagus of Yaroslav the Wise was opened three times: in 1936, 1939 and 1964.

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

The results of a genetic examination published in March 2011 are as follows: the tomb contains not male, but only female remains, and they are composed of two skeletons, dating from completely different times: one skeleton from the times of Ancient Rus', and the second a thousand years older, that is, from the time of Scythian settlements .

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

The trace of the ashes of Yaroslav the Wise can be traced to the icon of St. Nicholas the Wet, which was taken from the St. Sophia Cathedral by representatives of the UGCC, who retreated along with the German occupiers from Kyiv in the fall of 1943. The icon was discovered in the Holy Trinity Church (Brooklyn, New York, USA) in 1973.

According to historians, the remains of the Grand Duke should also be looked for in the USA.

Yaroslav the Wise - Monument “1000th Anniversary of Russia”

Personal life of Yaroslav the Wise:

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

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

Sons of Yaroslav the Wise:

Ilya(before 1018 -?) - possible son of Yaroslav the Wise from his first wife, taken to Poland. Hypothetical prince of Novgorod.

Vladimir(1020-1052) - Prince of Novgorod.

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

(Nicholas) (1027-1076) - Prince of Chernigov, it is believed that he was married twice: the first time in Killikia (or Cicilia, Cecilia), of unknown origin; the second time was probably on the Austrian princess Oda, daughter of Count Leopold.

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

Vyacheslav(1033-1057) - Prince of Smolensk.

Igor(1036-1060) - Prince of Volyn. Some historians assign Igor fifth place among the sons of Yaroslav, in particular, based on the order of listing the sons in the news of the will of Yaroslav the Wise and the news that after the death of Vyacheslav in Smolensk, Igor was removed from Vladimir (“The Tale of Bygone Years”).

Daughters of Yaroslav the Wise:

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

Anastasia became the wife of King Andras I of Hungary. In the city of Tichony, on the shores of Lake Balaton, a church was named in their honor and a monument was erected.

She married King Henry I of France. In France she became known as Anna of Russia or Anna of Kiev. In France, in the city of Senlis, a monument was erected to Anna.

Holy relatives of Yaroslav the Wise:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Yaroslav was buried in Sophia of Kyiv in the former six-ton ​​Prokonesian marble tomb of the Holy Pope Clement, which his father Vladimir Svyatoslavich took from the Byzantine Chersonese he conquered. The tomb is still intact.

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

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

Yaroslav the Wise in culture

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

It says, for example, that after the death of Vladimir, power in Kyiv was seized by Vladimir’s stepson Svyatopolk. Fearing the rivalry of the Grand Duke's own children - Boris, Gleb and others, Svyatopolk first of all sent assassins to the first contenders for the table in Kyiv - Boris and Gleb. A messenger sent from Yaroslav conveys to Gleb the news of the death of his father and the murder of his brother Boris... And now, saddened by grief, Prince Gleb sails along the river in a boat, and it is surrounded by the enemies who have overtaken him. He realized that this was the end and said in a humble voice: “Since you have already started, when you start, do what you were sent to do.” And Yaroslav’s sister Predslava warns that their brother Svyatopolk is going to eliminate him too.

Yaroslav is also mentioned in the “Sermon on Law and Grace” by Metropolitan Hilarion and in “Memory and Praise to the Russian Prince Vladimir” by Jacob Mnich.

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

In 1834, a professor at St. Petersburg University, Senkovsky, having translated “Eymund’s Saga” into Russian, discovers that the Varangian Eymund, together with his retinue, was hired by Yaroslav the Wise. The saga tells how King Yarisleif (Yaroslav) fights with King Burisleif (Boris), and in the saga Burisleif is killed by the Varangians by order of Yarisleif. Then, some researchers, based on the saga about Eymund, supported the hypothesis that the death of Boris was the “work of the hands” of the Varangians sent by Yaroslav the Wise in 1017, given that, according to the chronicles, Yaroslav, Bryachislav, and Mstislav refused to recognize Svyatopolk as the legitimate prince in Kiev.

However, Senkovsky’s hypothesis, based solely on the data of the “Eymund Saga”, an active supporter of which is currently the historian and source scientist I. N. Danilevsky, proves the possible “involvement” of Yaroslav only in the murder of Boris (“Buritsleiv”), but not in any way Gleb, who is not mentioned at all in the saga.

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

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

Old Russian chroniclers raise the topic of Yaroslav’s wisdom, starting with the “praise of books” placed under the year 1037 in the “Tale of Bygone Years”, which, according to them, consisted in the fact that Yaroslav is wise because he built the churches of Hagia Sophia in Kiev and Novgorod, then there is dedicated the main temples of the cities of Sofia - the wisdom of God, to which the main temple of Constantinople is dedicated. Thus, Yaroslav declares that the Russian Church is on a par with the Byzantine Church. Having mentioned wisdom, chroniclers, as a rule, reveal this concept by referring to the Old Testament Solomon.

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

The famous sculptor and anthropologist Mikhail Gerasimov reconstructed Yaroslav’s face based on his skull. The sculptural image of Yaroslav was created by M. O. Mikeshin and I. N. Schroeder in the monument “Millennium of Russia” in 1862 in Novgorod.

In fiction: he is a minor hero in the historical novels by Valentin Ivanov “Great Rus'” (1961), by Antonin Ladinsky “Anna Yaroslavna - Queen of France” (1973), in the historical story by Elizaveta Dvoretskaya “The Treasure of Harald”, as well as in the story by Boris Akunin “Fiery finger" (2014).

In cinema:

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

Prince Yaroslav the Wise

It is better to suffer an offense than to inflict it.

Plato

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

Beginning of reign

This is how Prince Yaroslav the Wise began his reign, which lasted 35 years. This time can without a doubt be called a golden time in the history of Kievan Rus. But initially everything was not so smooth. The reign of Yaroslav, even after the death of Svyatopolk, was not unconditional. Mstislav Udaloy, who at that time held a princely post in the city of Tmutarakan, refused to recognize his brother as the sole ruler of Kievan Rus. Mstislav gathered an army and went to war against Kyiv. The key battle of this confrontation took place on river Ruda in 1023. In this battle, Yaroslav was defeated and went to Novgorod to gather a new army. It should be noted that Mstislav showed rare generosity and decided not to challenge his brother’s reign. He invited Yaroslav to rule all the lands on the right side of the Don, leaving the left part behind him. Yaroslav refused.

Division and unification of the country

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

The year 1036 is marked not only by the reunification of the western and eastern lands of Rus'. It was this year that the battle with the Polovtsians took place near Kiev. The Russian army won a magnificent victory, completely defeating the enemy. From now on they did not represent such a formidable force. Now the prince could concentrate on solving other pressing problems.

End of reign

Prince Yaroslav went down in history under the name Wise. This is what the people of Kiev called it, because it was under them that the first educational institutions were opened in the country, and the first written set of laws was compiled - “Russian Truth”.

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

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