Civil war 1015 1019. Svyatopolk the Damned (1015-1019)

Prince Svyatopolk happened to be born in an era of cardinal changes in Kievan Rus, when the country was first plunged into a princely civil strife. In that fierce struggle for primacy, Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich won.

Svyatopolk's grandfather, the Grand Duke of Kiev Svyatoslav Igorevich, nurtured the idea of creating a powerful Russian state centered on the Danube. In the plans of this brilliant military leader, Russia was assigned the role of the eastern outskirts of the new state. In 971, Svyatoslav divided the Fatherland into three estates between the sons of Yaropolk, Oleg and Vladimir, thereby violating the already established state structure of Kievan Rus. None of the new rulers of the Russian land had supremacy over the others, which is why a bloody struggle of the heirs of Svyatoslav for the possession of the throne in Kiev - “the mother of Russian cities” arose.

Svyatopolk was the only son of Prince Yaropolk, a handsome, educated and gentle character of the ruler of Kiev, but by the will of fate he turned out to be the stepson of the cruel and power-hungry Vladimir Svyatoslavich, who stopped at nothing in his struggle for domination in Russia. Raised by a Christian mother, Svyatopolk gravitated towards Orthodoxy, but at a young age he witnessed the establishment of a pagan pantheon by Prince Vladimir, designed to unite the beliefs of people in equal parts of the Russian land. When an attempt to turn paganism into a state religion was unsuccessful, Vladimir carried out a new religious reform, as a result of which Kievan Rus adopted Christianity on the Byzantine model.

The marriage of Svyatopolk to the daughter of the Polish prince Boleslav from the Piast dynasty led him to active participation in the international politics of Western Europe. Svyatopolk became interested in the Roman Church, thinking to withdraw his specific Turov land from the Kiev state and found his own state. However, he failed to become an independent ruler. After the death of Prince Vladimir, Svyatopolk tried to seize power in Kiev, for which he committed numerous atrocities. Defeated by his half-brother Yaroslav, he died ingloriously.

CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS

1015-1019 biennium The internecine struggle of the sons of Vladimir Svyatoslavich for the Kiev table.

1015-1016, 1018-1019 The reign of Svyatopolk (the Cursed) in Kiev.

1015 July 24 Murder on the Alta River by the henchmen of Svyatopolk, Prince of Rostov Boris Vladimirovich.

1015 5 September Murder near Smolensk by order of Svyatopolk, Prince of Murom Gleb Vladimirovich.

1015 autumn The murder in the Carpathian mountains by the mercenaries of Svyatopolk of the prince of the Drevlyansky land Svyatoslav Vladimirovich.

1016 BC Campaign of Prince Yaroslav of Novgorod against Svyatopolk. Yaroslav's victory near the city of Lyubech. Flight of Prince Svyatopolk to Poland. Yaroslav Vladimirovich's acceptance of the great reign in Russia.

1018 BC Campaign of Svyatopolk and the Polish prince Boleslav the Brave against the Grand Duke of Kiev Yaroslav. The defeat of the troops of the Grand Duke of Kiev Yaroslav on the Western Bug River. Flight of the Grand Duke Yaroslav to Novgorod.

1018 August 14 The capture of Kiev by the united army of Svyatopolk and Boleslav the Brave. The capture of the grand ducal treasury by Boleslav and his capture of the mother, sisters and wife of Yaroslav.

1019 BC Battle on the Alta River between the troops of Yaroslav and Svyatopolk. Defeat of Svyatopolk. His escape and death in the Bohemian mountains.

ADDITIONALLY

Civil strife is an internal strife, a war between people living in the same territory.

Kievan Rus from the 9th to the 11th century quite often faced internecine wars; the cause of the princely strife was the struggle for power.

The largest princely civil strife in Russia

The first civil strife between the princes (late 10th - early 11th centuries). The enmity of the sons of Prince Svyatoslav, caused by their desire to achieve independence from the authorities of Kiev.
Second civil strife (early 11th century). The enmity of the sons of Prince Vladimir for power.
Third civil strife (second half of the 11th century). Enmity between the sons of Prince Yaroslav the Wise for power.

The first civil strife in Russia

Old Russian princes had a tradition of having a large number of children, which was the reason for subsequent disputes over the right of inheritance, since the rule of inheritance from father to eldest son did not exist then. After the death of Prince Svyatoslav in 972, he left three sons who had the right to inherit.

Yaropolk Svyatoslavich - he received power in Kiev.
Oleg Svyatoslavich - received power on the territory of the Drevlyans
Vladimir Svyatoslavich - gained power in Novgorod, and later in Kiev.

After the death of Svyatoslav, his sons received sole power in their lands and now could rule them according to their own understanding. Vladimir and Oleg wanted to gain complete independence for their principalities from the will of Kiev, so they undertook the first campaigns against each other.

The first to speak was Oleg, by his order in the lands of the Drevlyans, where Vladimir ruled, the son of the governor of Yaropolk, Seneveld, was killed. Upon learning of this, Seneveld decided to take revenge and forced Yaropolk, whom he had great influence, to go with his army against his brother Oleg.

977 - the beginning of the feud between the sons of Svyatoslav. Yaropolk attacked Oleg, who was not prepared, and the Drevlyans, together with their prince, were forced to retreat from the borders to the capital - the city of Ovruch. As a result, during the retreat, Prince Oleg died - he was crushed by the hooves of one of the horses. The Drevlyans began to submit to Kiev. Prince Vladimir, learning about the death of his brother and the outbreak of family strife, runs to the Varangians.

980 - Vladimir returns to Russia together with the Varangian army. As a result of battles with the troops of Yaropolk, Vladimir managed to recapture Novgorod, Polotsk and move towards Kiev.

Yaropolk, having learned about his brother's victories, summons advisers. One of them persuades the prince to leave Kiev and hide in the city of Rodna, but later it becomes clear that the adviser is a traitor - he entered into an agreement with Vladimir and sent Yaropolk to the city dying of hunger. As a result, Yaropolk is forced to enter into negotiations with Vladimir. He goes to the meeting, however, upon arrival, he is killed by two Varangian warriors.

Vladimir becomes a prince in Kiev and rules there until his death.

The second civil strife in Russia

In 1015, Prince Vladimir, who had 12 sons, dies. A new war for power began between the sons of Vladimir.

1015 - Svyatopolk becomes prince in Kiev, who killed his own brothers Boris and Gleb.

1016 - the struggle between Svyatopolk and Yaroslav the Wise begins.

Yaroslav, reigning in Novgorod, gathered a detachment of the Varangians and Novgorodians and moved to Kiev. After a bloody battle near the city of Lyubech, Kiev was captured and Yaroslav was forced to retreat. However, the feud did not end there. In the same year, Yaroslav gathered an army, with the support of the Polish prince, and conquered Kiev, driving Yaroslav back to Novgorod. A few months later, Svyatopolk was again expelled from Kiev by Yaroslav, who gathered a new army. This time, Yaroslav became a prince in Kiev forever.

The third civil strife in Russia

Another civil strife began after the death of Yaroslav the Wise. The Grand Duke died in 1054, which provoked civil strife between the Yaroslavichs.

Yaroslav the Wise, fearing another enmity, himself distributed the land between his sons:

Izyaslav - Kiev;
Svyatoslav - Chernigov;
Vsevolod - Pereyaslavl;
Igor - Vladimir;
Vyacheslav - Smolensk.

1068 - Despite the fact that each of the sons had their own inheritance, they all disobeyed the will of their father and wanted to claim power in Kiev. Having replaced each other several times at the post of the Kiev prince, power finally went to Izyaslav, as Yaroslav the Wise bequeathed.

After the death of Izyaslav and up to the 15th century, princely feuds took place in Russia, but the struggle for power was never so large-scaled.

Pre-Mongol Russia in the Vaults of the V-XIII centuries. Gudz-Markov Alexey Viktorovich

Svyatopolk the Damned (1015-1019)

The son of Vladimir Svyatopolk, born of a wife taken from Yaropolk, followed in the footsteps of Prince Yaropolk and was nicknamed the Cursed in Russia. Svyatopolk was the eldest among the brothers and was in Kiev. He hid the death of his father by wrapping Vladimir's body in a carpet and at night in a sleigh brought him to the stone church of the Virgin in Kiev. The people found out about the death of the prince, began to converge and deeply grieved for Vladimir as an intercessor. Vladimir was placed in a marble sarcophagus and laid to rest in the stone church of Kiev he had rebuilt.

Meanwhile Svyatopolk began to distribute the property of the deceased to the people.

Young Boris, not meeting the Pechenegs, returned to Russia. Upon learning of the death of his father, the prince burst into tears. The chronicler says that Vladimir loved Boris more than other sons. Boris's tent was spread over the Alt River. The squad offered Boris support and advised him to sit down on his father's table in Kiev. Boris refused, explaining that he did not want to raise his hand against his brother. The squad left Boris, only a few youths remained on the shore.

Meanwhile, Svyatopolk sent Boris assurances of love. Perhaps Svyatopolk was afraid of the squad and did not know that Boris had let her go.

The conspiracy took shape in Vyshgorod. Svyatopolk arrived in a metropolitan suburb and secretly gathered the Vyshgorod boyars and among them a certain Putsha. There they agreed to kill Boris.

No matter how Svyatopolk tried to keep the plan secret, Boris was warned about the conspiracy. The prince began to read the prayer and sing the morning prayer. The people who came from Svyatopolk pierced Boris with a spear and killed his youths. And Boris's servant George the ugrin was cut off for the sake of the golden hryvnia, presented by the master.

When Boris was brought to Svyatopolk, he was still breathing. Svyatopolk ordered two Varangians to finish off Boris. One of the Varangians pierced his heart.

Boris's body was buried in the church of St. Basil in Vyshgorod. Then Svyatopolk decided to kill Gleb, Boris's brother by his Bulgarian mother. We remember that Gleb was sent by his father to Murom, to Oka. Svyatopolk sent Gleb the message that, they say, the father was not well and was calling his son, but he had to go quickly.

Gleb, without hesitation, mounted his horse and hurried to the Volga with a small retinue, bypassing the Vyatichi forests, which were not kind to the Russians. On the Volga, Gleb's horse broke his leg in a ditch. It was a sign to the prince.

Earlier, the daughter of Vladimir Predslav sent to Novgorod Yaroslav the news about the death of his father and about the affairs of his brother. Yaroslav managed to forestall Gleb, sending him to the upper reaches of the Dnieper to say that Boris had been killed by Svyatopolk, his father was dead, and something bad was being plotted against Gleb. Gleb burst into tears and, like Boris, began to pray. We heard him say: "It is better for me to die with my brother than to live in this light."

The assassins sent by Svyatopolk captured Gleb's boat, killed the prince and put his body among the luggage. Soon the boat landed on the right bank of the Dnieper under the walls of Vyshgorod.

Gleb was laid to rest in the Vyshgorod church of St. Vasily near the grave of Boris.

Svyatopolk managed to deal with another brother - Svyatoslav, who was sitting in the land of the Drevlyans. Svyatoslav fled to Hungary, but could not avoid death.

At that time, another bloody tragedy broke out in Novgorod. The Varangians, brought by Yaroslav, had a lot of free time and tried to use it with benefit. This resulted in the fact that the Varangians began to chase Slovenian girls and wives and commit violence.

The nature of the Novgorodians was harsh, and, having seen enough of what was happening, the Slovenes took up arms and beat the Vikings in the courtyard of Paromon.

Yaroslav was furious. The prince slyly invited the Novgorodians to his court, and the Varangians excised a thousand words. On the same terrible night, news came to Novgorod from Predslava to Yaroslav about the death of his father and that Svyatopolk was in Kiev and sent to kill Boris and Gleb. In the morning, a veche was assembled in Novgorod. After the night battle, the Novgorodians stood under the banner of Yaroslav. A thousand Varangians and four thousand Slovenes gathered at the prince's hand. With this strength, Yaroslav went to Svyatopolk, saying that it was not he who began to beat the brethren, but Svyatopolk.

And Svyatopolk gathered soldiers in Russia, summoned the Pechenegs and stood on the right bank of the Dnieper.

Came 1016. Both armies stood against each other for three months. Once the voivode Svyatopolk drove up to the banks of the Dnieper and began to ridicule the Novgorodians, they say, they came with their lame (Yaroslav), and the carpenters themselves, and would instruct them to cut mansions.

The Novgorodians listened to the governor and told Yaroslav that in the morning they would cross to the opposite bank. Yaroslav "fought the army" before dawn.

“And that evening, Yaroslav was transported to the other half of the Dnieper, and the boat was taken away from the shore, and that night he went to the set. And Yaroslav's speech to the squad: signify, wind your head up. And slash the evil fast; and victory over Svyatoplka until the light. And running Svyatopolk into the Pechenegs, and Yaroslav ideally Kyev ... and starting his own division: the elders for 10 hryvnias, and the smerdom for the hryvnia, and Novgorodchem for 10 all. and let me go all the house. " (Novgorod first chronicle. PSRL, 1841). So Yaroslav sat down at the table in Kiev, and the prince was 28 years old. In 1017, a fire broke out in Kiev and churches were burnt down. They were mostly wooden. And the stone bulk of the Church of the Theotokos of the Tithes stood imperturbably above the wooden roofs of the capital, chopped from logs.

In 1018, the Polish king Boleslav I the Brave, who had a long-standing grudge against Russia for the Cherven lands, moved the Lyash regiments to help Svyatopolk, who did not skimp on promises. Yaroslav was notified in advance of the upcoming campaign and, having gathered soldiers from Russia, Varangians and Slovenes, set out to meet the enemy. The shelves stood on opposite sides of the Western Bug, not far from the ancient city of Velyn.

In many respects, the situation on the Western Bug in 1018 repeated what happened on the Dnieper in 1016. Only the sides changed roles. Voivode Yaroslav, who was called Budyn, drove up to the river bank and began to shout to Boleslav that he would prop up his fat belly. And Boleslav was heavy.

Boris and Gleb on horseback. 2nd half of the 14th century YYY

Hearing those speeches, Boleslav dashed across the river on horseback. Following the king, the Polish army rushed into the river. Yaroslav did not expect such a turn of events, did not manage to decorate the regiments and ignominiously fled with four people to Novgorod.

Soon the Poles, led by Boleslav I, and Prince Svyatopolk with them, approached Kiev from the west. The city opened its gates. Polish soldiers were taken to the courtyards of Kiev for food.

Boleslav I considered it necessary to inform Germany about what was happening in Russia. Boleslav sent Abbot Tuni to the court of Henry II.

The above-mentioned Bishop of Merseburg Titmar, in 1012-1018. who wrote a chronicle, which paid much attention to the Slavs, a lot of information, including about Russia, got from the Abbot of Tuni. Titmar also talked with German mercenaries who visited Kiev with the army of Boleslav I.

Living in Kiev turned out to be a misfortune for the Poles, because they began to be beaten a little. Soon this phenomenon took on such a scale that Boleslav I fled from Kiev like Bishop Adalbert. At the same time, the Poles were able to withdraw the estate from the Russian capital. He took Boleslav and Yaroslav's sister, his boyars and people away from Kiev.

The campaign ended with Boleslav occupying Chervonnaya Rus, and this was the main acquisition of Poland in 1018.

And this is what happened in Novgorod. Yaroslav, who came running from Volyn, wanted to sail across the sea. But Dobrynya's son Konstantin, the mayor, prevented him. With the Novgorodians, the mayor cut boats ready to sail. The Novgorodians told the prince that they intend to fight Boleslav and Svyatopolk.

In Novgorod, they began to collect funds - 4 kunas from her husband, 10 hryvnia from the elders, 80 hryvnia from the boyars.

The chronicler calls these means "cattle". They brought the "Varangians and Vdasha im cattle." An impressive force has gathered in Novgorod. The Varangians were always happy to serve for the appropriate payment.

It was not difficult for Yaroslav to cope with Svyatopolk, who was left without Polish help. And Svyatopolk fled to the Pechenegs.

The brothers met for the last time on the Alt River, where Boris was massacred. Yaroslav stood in the place where Boris's tent had once stood and prayed.

Svyatopolk approached the Alt with the Pechenegs "in grave strength." The battle began, and there was no such cruel battle in Russia before. The adversaries gave up three times. The earth was flooded with blood. By the end of the day, Yaroslav's regiments began to prevail. Svyatopolk fled, and his strength left him to such an extent that he had to carry the prince on a stretcher.

Svyatopolk was reported to Berestye (Brest). The prince's spirit was broken, and in Russia he had nothing more to do. Svyatopolk was not expected in Poland either. The prince drove through Poland, approached the borders of the Czech Republic and disappeared without a trace in the forests of the Carpathians.

Yaroslav entered Kiev and, in the words of the chronicler, wiped off the sweat, showing a great work. This was the end of the inglorious reign of Svyatopolk the Damned (1015-1019).

In 1019, the Novgorod mayor Konstantin, for some unknown reason, greatly angered Yaroslav. Dobrynya's son was imprisoned in Rostov the Great. Three years later, Konstantin was killed in Murom.

Meanwhile, the era of the reign of Yaroslav the Wise began. She left many visible and invisible monuments in Russian history and on Russian soil, and we will devote the next chapter to the story of this.

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SVYATOPOLK VLADIMIROVICH OKAYANY (b. 980 - d. 1019) Grand Duke (1015, 1017-1019). The eldest son of the Grand Duke Vladimir Svyatoslavich. Vladimir adopted Svyatopolk, but did not love him, as if foreseeing his future villainy. He married the daughter of the Polish king Boleslav. Svyatopolk

Since 753 there is Staraya Ladoga, where in 862, according to the chronicle, the legendary Varangians Rurik came at the invitation of the Slavic and Finnish tribes. He moved his residence to Novgorod (first mentioned in the chronicle in 859). Rurik died in 879. After him ruled Oleg (879-912), who in 882 made Kiev the capital of Ancient Rus and in 907 concluded the first treaty with Byzantium.

After Oleg ruled the son of Rurik Igor (912-945), who concluded two treaties with Byzantium (941.944). Igor was replaced by his wife Olga (945-969). She ruled instead of Svyatoslav, who was small at first and then fought almost continuously (945-972). During the struggle for power between the three sons of Svyatoslav (972-980), Vladimir I (980-1015), who baptized Russia (988), was victorious.

Near the struggle between the sons of Vladimir I the Saint (1015-1019), Yaroslav the Wise (1019-1054) ruled. His reign became sole rule after the death of his brother Mstislav in 1036. Yaroslav the Wise in 1036 defeated the Pechenegs on the Alta River, approved the Russian Truth, built the St. Sophia Cathedral in Kiev, and installed his own metropolitan (1051). Sophia Cathedrals were also erected in Novgorod and Polotsk.

After the struggle inside the House of Rurikovich in 1097 at the congress in Lyubech, the princes agreed that everyone would own the land inherited from his father. The incipient feudal fragmentation was temporarily overcome by Vladimir II Monomakh (1113-1125) and his son Mstislav (1125-1132). Yuri Dolgoruky (1125-1157), Andrei Bogolyubsky (1157-1174) and Vsevolod III the Big Nest (1176-1212) tried to control most of the Russian lands, but there was no real unity. Andrei Bogolyubsky was killed as a result of a conspiracy. The campaign of Prince Igor in 1185 against the Polovtsians ended in complete defeat. In 1187, The Lay of Igor's Regiment was born.

The Rurikovichs underestimated the danger from the east. Russian troops in 1223 were defeated by the advanced Mongol-Tatar detachments on the Kalka River, and in 1237/38 and 1240/42 the Mongol-Tatars ravaged most of the Russian lands, subjugated them and included them in the Golden Horde (1243). The Mongols defeated the Russian troops on the Sit River (1238). Salvation for Russia was the victories of Alexander Yaroslavich (Nevsky) over the Swedish (1240) and German (1242) crusaders.

Biographical code of Ancient Russia

First quarter	Second quarter	Third quarter	Fourth quarter
Kiy, Chek, Horeb
		Rurik (862-879)	Oleg (879-912), Askold and Dir
Igor (912-945)	Olga (945-969), Svyatoslav (945-972)	Svyatoslav (957-972), Yaropolk, Oleg, Vladimir, Malusha, Dobry ia	Vladimir I (980-1015), Anna
Boris and Gleb, Svyatopolk	Mstislav, Hilarion		Izyaslav, Svyatopolk
Vladimir II Monomakh (1113-1125), Nestor	Mstislav Dolgoruky (1125-1157)	Bogolyubsky	Vsevolod the Big Nest (1176-1212)
Vsevolodovich (1218-1238)	Alexander	Daniil Galitsky

“And the Greeks put up a hundred thousand against Svyatoslav, and did not give tribute. And Svyatoslav went against the Greeks, and they went out against the Russians. When the Russians saw them, they were greatly frightened by such a great multitude of soldiers, but Svyatoslav said: “We have nowhere to go, whether we want it or not, we must fight. So let us not put the Russian land to shame, but lie here with the bones, for the dead do not know shame. If we run, we will be a shame. So let us not run, but let us stand firmly, and I will go ahead of you: if my head falls down, then take care of your own. " And the soldiers answered: "Where your head lies, there we will lay down our heads." And the Russians fought, and there was a cruel slaughter, and Svyatoslav defeated, and the Greeks fled "(from the Tale of Bygone Years).

Vladimir Svyatoslavovich dies without leaving behind any order on the government. Meanwhile, the legitimate pretenders to the throne were:

Yaroslav (son of Rogneda)
Mstislav (son of Rogneda)
Izyaslav (son of Rogneda)
Svyatoslav (son of the Czech princess Malfrida)
Svyatopolk (son of the widow of Yaropolk)
Boris (son of the Byzantine princess Anna)
Gleb (son of the Byzantine princess Anna)

A number of studies suggest that Boris was the beloved son of the prince and it was to him that he wanted to leave the entire throne. However, when Boris learns of the death of his father, Svyatopolk is already trying to seize power. Boris receives the news that his brother Svyatopolk wants to destroy him and Gleb in order to eliminate the heirs pleasing to the people and get the throne.

But Boris was not up to gossip after his father's death. He passed this information by, not taking the threat seriously. The squad offered him to gather an army against his brother, but Boris refused. Unfortunately, Boris and Gleb were brutally killed by the troops of Svyatopolk. But this is only the beginning of the ruthless reprisals between the brothers. Boris and Gleb became the first canonized Russian saints.

Not satisfied with what he has achieved, Svyatopolk kills another of his brother Svyatoslav, who, although he tried to flee to Hungary, did not escape the cruelty of his brother. Izyaslav and Mstislav remained neutral in this conflict; perhaps it saved their lives.

However, Yaroslav decided to oppose Svyatopolk. The struggle between them lasted 4 years. After the first defeat, Svyatopolk went to ask for help from the Polish king Boleslav I; expansion of influence was beneficial to him, and he agreed. In 1018, the Polish army, led by Svyatopolk, conquered Kiev, and Yaroslav fled to Novgorod. However, Boleslav soon returned back to Poland, and Svyatopolk, left with nothing, was defeated by Yaroslav and fled to the west.

The division of power remained with Yaroslav and Mstislav. In 1024, Mstislav defeated his brother, after which they made peace and divided Russia into two parts: Kiev with all the right-bank lands and Novgorod remained with Yaroslav, and the rest with Mstislav (Chernigov was his residence). This continued until 1036, until Mstislav died. Then his land passed to his brother, because he left no heirs and did not transfer the throne to anyone.

The full rule of Yaroslav Vladimirovich the Wise began.