On July 28, the Orthodox remember the great deeds of Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir and honor his blessed memory. An epochal event is connected with the name of Vladimir, which became the most significant in the formation of the Christian faith in Russia - the Baptism of Russia. It was he who became the progenitor of the Russian state as an Orthodox state, it was his life and worldview that transformed the spiritual history of Russia, its further development, as well as political and diplomatic relations with other countries and internal state self-determination.
Since 2010, this date has been officially assigned the status of the Day of the Baptism of Russia. The Day of the Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duke Vladimir, whom the people called Vladimir the Red Sun, harmoniously combines the holiday of Orthodoxy, culture and the state.
On Saint Vladimir's Day,
I want to congratulate you.
May the heavenly patron
Won't leave you for an hour.
Gives peace, health, joy,
Protects from troubles, insults.
And the flow of light energies,
Let it be open for you.
With the great day of Vladimir,
Congratulations,
And joy, prosperity,
We sincerely wish.
Let sorrows, bad weather, -
Walk away,
Success and only happiness
Yours keeps you calm.
Health, we wish
Love and warmth
And the most cherished -
Let dreams come true!
Congratulations on the Day of Vladimir. I wish that the guardian angel is with you always and everywhere, so that you, Volodya, submit to any peak and any depth. I wish you health and love, brave Vladimir, as well as eternal courage of the heart, harmony of the soul and happiness of life.
I am you, Volodya, today
Congratulations from the bottom of my heart.
Celebrating birthdays
May the days be good.
May your heavenly intercessor
Help in difficult times.
May you sorrow and sadness
Never gnaws.
At Saint Vladimir
Ask for health.
Life is full let there be peace
Kindness and love.
Happy Prince Vladimir Day! May this date
Add fun to the good life.
And the soul will become rich in kindness.
To do this, just smile now!
May the angel keep from adversity and grief,
The Lord helps, giving hope.
So that happiness is careless and mischievous
Shine like a star always for you!
Congratulations on Vladimir's Day
All Slavic people
After all, once Prince Vladimir
He gave us Christianity.
Still standing with a cross
On the Dnieper steep,
Protects his people
Mighty faith.
I wish everyone on this day
I am good and strong
To faith in Christ
Saved our world.
Saint Vladimir is your protector
Let him show you the way.
To the world, casting aside all doubts,
Allows you to take a look.
May this day give hope
Joy, fulfillment of a dream.
Life will be better than before.
Let everything be as you want.
Pride in the name of Vladimir,
Power over the world and destiny.
You will be joyful, beloved,
Angel next to you!
May he give you success
Quiet wisdom comfort!
And health will be strong
Let all sorrows go away.
You own the world, Vladimir.
And so, the Day of the angel has come.
Through life on your own
So that you get all the blessings!
I want to be you, Volodya,
Just as strong and cool
Let the money come to you
And your path will be golden.
I want to meet the princess
The one you deserve!
Let fate caress you
And all dreams come true!
There are many memorable dates in the church calendar dedicated to Slavic saints, ascetics and martyrs, but one of the most significant dates is the Day of St. Prince Vladimir. Vladimir not only was baptized, but also approved Christianity as the new religion of Kievan Rus.
Holy Blessed Prince Vladimir
Vladimir is the son of Prince Svyatoslav and the grandson of Grand Duchess Olga. Before his death, Svyatoslav divided his lands between his sons - Oleg, Yaropolk and Vladimir. When his father died, strife began between the three brothers, after which Vladimir became the prince of all Russia. In 987, Vladimir captured Chersonese, which belonged to the Byzantine Empire, and demanded the hand of Anna, the sister of Basil and Constantine - two Byzantine emperors. The emperors set a condition for Vladimir - acceptance of the faith of Christ. When Anna arrived in Chersonese, Vladimir suddenly became blind. Hoping to be healed, the prince was baptized and immediately received his sight. Excitedly, he said: “At last I have seen the true God!” Struck by this miracle, the prince's warriors were also baptized. The couple got married in Chersonese. For his beloved wife, Vladimir presented Chersonese to Byzantium, building a temple of the Baptist of the Lord there. Returning to the capital, Vladimir baptized all his sons.
Baptism of Russia by Holy Prince Vladimir
Soon the prince set about eradicating paganism in Russia and destroying pagan idols. Baptized boyars and clergy walked through the streets and houses, talking about the Gospel and denouncing idolatry. Having adopted Christianity, Prince Vladimir began to erect Christian churches where idols had previously stood. happened in 988. This key event is directly related to Prince Vladimir, whom the church calls the Saint Equal to the Apostles, historians - Vladimir the Great, and the people - Vladimir "Red Sun".
Relics of Saint Vladimir
The relics of St. Vladimir, as well as the relics of Blessed Princess Olga, were originally located in the Kyiv Church of the Tithes, but in 1240 it was destroyed by the Tatars. So the remains of St. Vladimir rested under the ruins for many centuries. Only in 1635 did Peter Mogila discover a shrine with the relics of St. Vladimir. From the coffin it was possible to extract the right hand and the head. Subsequently, the brush was transported to St. Sophia Cathedral, and the head -
The biography and deeds of this ruler will be discussed in this article. Vladimir Svyatoslavich, named Vasily in baptism, is the Grand Prince of Kyiv, the son of Olga's housekeeper, the slave of Malusha, and Svyatoslav Igorevich, the great-grandson of Rurik, the first Russian prince.
Svyatoslav divides possessions between his sons
Intending to finally conquer Bulgaria from the Greeks and settle on the Danube in it, Svyatoslav divided his possessions between his sons: he gave Kyiv to Yaropolk (senior), the Drevlyansk region to Oleg, and sent Vladimir to Novgorod, which he did not really value, since the power of the princes was already in it was very limited. The campaign of Svyatoslav ended unsuccessfully, and he died on the way back under the blows of the Pechenegs, near the threshold of the Dnieper. His young sons began to peacefully rule their principalities.
Accession of the Drevlyansk region to the Kyiv
The commander of Svyatoslav, old Sveneld, became the chief among the nobles of Yaropolk. An unexpected disaster happened: Lyut, the son of Sveneld, having driven into the Drevlyansk region to hunt, quarreled with Oleg, as a result of which he was killed. Sveneld, embittered, persuaded Yaropolk to take possession from Oleg. The war has begun. Oleg was defeated and forced to flee. He was pushed in flight into a deep ditch as his warriors descended from the bridge. Yaropolk annexed the Drevlyane region to the Kyiv region, and began to woo Rogneda, the daughter of Rogvold, the Polotsk prince.
Vladimir planned to kill Yaropolk
Hearing about these deeds of Yaropolk, Vladimir Svyatoslavich fled to the Varangians for noticing that the Novgorodians wanted to surrender to Yaropolk. Then the elder brother immediately sent his governors to Novgorod. Two years passed, and, having hired an army of daring Varangians, Vladimir returned to the city. The inhabitants of Novgorod reinforced him with their own squads, and Vladimir, strong now, decided to kill Yaropolk.
Vladimir captured Polotsk and Kyiv, killed Yaropolk
Yaropolk was alarmed. At this time, Sveneld died. While Yaropolk was preparing for the war, Vladimir Svyatoslavovich moved to Kyiv. He sent from the road to the prince of Polotsk in order to woo his brother's bride. However, the proud Rogneda rejected the hand of the "son of a slave". Vladimir, offended, rushed to Polotsk. He took this city by storm, killed Rogvold, as well as his two sons, and took Rogneda by force into his marriage. Vladimir from Polotsk turned to Kyiv, overlaid this city. Yaropolk, following the advice of Blud, his favorite, who betrayed him, as he was bribed by the Novgorod prince, decided to flee to Rodnya. The famine that began here from crowding terrified Yaropolk by the fact that it was impossible to defend for a long time. The gullible prince, following the convictions of Blud that one should submit, decided to go to his brother in Kyiv. As soon as he stepped on the threshold, Fornication locked the doors behind him, and the unfortunate prince was pierced with swords by two warriors.
Vladimir Svyatoslavovich then announced that he was now the prince of all Russian lands, and even took Yaropolk's wife, a widow, who was then pregnant and then gave birth to the baby Svyatopolk, for himself. He was adopted by Vladimir and began to reign peacefully in Kyiv.
Reigning in Kyiv Vladimir
Everyone expected to see a fierce, brave and brave warrior in the new ruler. However, Vladimir Svyatoslavovich was not at all a warlike sovereign. He used weapons only to strengthen the union of the regions subject to Kyiv, where there was a lot of confusion during the reign of Yaropolk and after the death of Svyatoslav. Wolf Tail, his commander, again pacified the Vyatichi and Radimichi. Vladimir also subjugated the Lithuanian tribe of the Yotvingians and western Volyn with the cities of Cherven, Przemysl and Vladimir-Volynsky to his power. Thus, having secured Kyiv from the outside, he tried to strengthen his dominion by internal orders. Vladimir founded several new cities along Stugna, Sula, Ostra, Desna to protect the borders of his state from Pecheneg raids, and to prevent the recalcitrance of the inhabitants of the city, he inhabited the migrants from various places and thus deprived them of the opportunity to rebel. He left only a select few of the Varangians who came with him from Novgorod, and sent the recalcitrant and violent to Greece, asking to be accepted into the service of the emperor. Vladimir made up his squads mainly from the Normans and Slavs.
Adoration of idols, sons of Vladimir
Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich in Kyiv erected on a hill an idol of Perun with a golden mustache and a silver head. He appointed others and made rich sacrifices to them to please the priests. The prince ordered, even after the victory over the Yotvingians, to kill two Christians in their honor. By these actions, Vladimir gained the love of his people, priests, troops, so he was forgiven for all his weaknesses: the desire to have fun and walk, voluptuousness, luxury.
He established a special council of elders and wise boyars, with whom he consulted about the organization of order and laws. Vladimir had many sons from different wives, whom he made rulers in the principalities. He placed Yaroslav in Novgorod, Izyaslav, born of Rogneda, in Polotsk, Boris in Rostov, Gleb in Murom, Svyatoslav in the Drevlyansk region, Vsevolod in Volhynia, Mstislav in Tmutarakan, and Svyatopolk's adopted nephew in Turov. They all depended unquestioningly on Vladimir and did not dare to be self-willed against him, as before the Norman princes.
Vladimir chooses faith
However, God pleased Vladimir Svyatoslavovich to grant the glory of the Apostle of Russia. It was he who completed what was started by Askold and Dir. Vladimir saw that it was absurd to worship idols. He observed the deceptions of the priests and the gross superstition of the people. He also noticed that Christianity had already been established everywhere: in Poland, in Sweden, in Bulgaria, however, he was still in no hurry to take a decisive step. They say that Vladimir tested various faiths for a long time, talked with Muslims and Jews, sent ambassadors to Constantinople and Rome to consider worship, and finally decided to accept from the Greeks the faith that many of his subjects already professed and which could give, in addition to Orthodoxy and holiness, great benefits in relations with the Byzantines.
The first embassy to Tsargrad
Prince Vladimir of Kyiv sent an embassy to Constantinople (Tsargrad), however, with the reservation that, as a reward for baptism, Constantine and Basil, the Greek emperors, would give their sister, Princess Anna, for him. Otherwise, they were threatened with war. Anna was afraid to be the wife of a semi-barbarian, and the Greeks rejected the proposal of the ambassadors. Vladimir, the Grand Duke of Kyiv, became angry and gathered a large army, with whom he went to Taurida along the Dnieper. Here was Kherson (Sevastopol), a rich Greek city. Khazars and Pechenegs joined with him. The city was forced to submit.
Second embassy
The new embassy of the prince arrived with demands in Constantinople, promising, if accepted, to return Kherson, and for refusal, threatening to invade Greece itself. The pride of the Greeks fell silent, and the princess agreed. She was sent with a retinue to Kherson. Vladimir, Grand Duke of Kyiv, was baptized, married Anna and returned to Kyiv.
Vladimir converts people to Christianity
Now the inhabitants of the city saw how, at the behest of its former gods, they broke, flogged, chopped, dragged with dishonor around the capital. On the appointed day, the prince ordered everyone to gather near the banks of the Dnieper to adopt a new faith. Vladimir, accompanied by Anna, the clergy and the boyars, solemnly appeared. The people entered the river, and the people of Kiev were thus baptized. In the place where the altar of Perun used to stand, the church of St. Basil was built by Prince Vladimir. happened in 988. Preachers were sent to all Russian regions. Such an order was given by Prince Vladimir, and Kievan Rus adopted the Christian faith after a short resistance from the pagans (especially Rostov and Vyatichi).
Further reign of Vladimir
The further reign of this ruler was marked by many benefits. Prince Vladimir of Kyiv started schools for children, published the Pilot Book (charter on church courts), erected a cathedral church in Kyiv and ordered to give him a tenth of all his income for eternity, so he was called the Tithes.
Vladimir subsequently lived peacefully with neighboring peoples. He concluded an alliance with Boleslav, the Polish king, married Svyatopolk, his nephew, to his daughter.
His peaceful reign lasted 27 years. The silence was broken only by the attacks of the Pechenegs. The children of Vladimir matured, but obeyed him. True, at the end of his life, Vladimir was offended by the self-will of Yaroslav, the Prince of Novgorod, who, in order to please the proud and restless Novgorodians, refused to pay tribute and, at the request of his father, did not appear in Kyiv. Then Prince Vladimir of Kyiv gathered troops and went on a campaign himself, but fell ill in Berestovo and died in 1015, on July 15. Vladimir Svyatoslavovich was canonized as a saint.
The further reign of the Kyiv princes was marked by an even greater spread of Christianity and the desire to unite the lands.
This ruler should not be confused with another, Vladimir Vsevolodovich.
Kyiv prince Vladimir Monomakh ruled from 1113 to 1125. As for Vladimir Svyatoslavich (who was described in this article), he ruled Kyiv from 978 to 1015. He was nicknamed the Red Sun. This is Vladimir I, who baptized Russia (years of life - c. 960-1015). Vladimir ll lived from 1053 to 1125.
Vladimir Svyatoslavich |
|
Predecessor: |
Yaropolk Svyatoslavich |
Successor: |
Svyatopolk Vladimirovich |
Prince of Novgorod 970 - c. 988 |
|
Predecessor: |
Svyatoslav Igorevich |
Successor: |
Vysheslav Vladimirovich |
Religion: |
Paganism, converted to Orthodoxy |
Birth: |
OK. 960 |
Buried: |
Church of the Tithes, now the place of burial is unknown |
Dynasty: |
Rurikovichi |
Malusha |
|
Rogneda of Polotsk (since 978), |
|
13 sons, 10 daughters |
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Origin and upbringing
Reigning in Novgorod
Accession to the throne of Kyiv
pagan rule
Baptism
Military campaigns
Cultural and social policy
Family and Children
Last years
church veneration
epic image
Cities, monuments, orders
Prince Vladimir on money
Prince Vladimir in philately
Heavenly patronage
Origin and upbringing
The illegitimate son of the Grand Duke Svyatoslav Igorevich from a native of the city of Lyubech named Malusha, the housekeeper of Princess Olga. Vladimir is the son of a slave ("robichich" according to Rogneda), but the son is legal in the customs of the pagans, since the concepts of the Eastern Slavs about marriage were the same. Polygamy remained in custom, social origin was determined by the father and dynastic rights were not infringed, as evidenced by the clearly expressed princely name.
Vladimir's year of birth is unknown. His father Svyatoslav was born in 942, and Vladimir's eldest son Vysheslav was born around 977, from where historians derive the year of Vladimir's birth as 960 with an accuracy of several years. According to later sources of the 16th century, the Nikonovskaya and Ustyug chronicles, Vladimir Svyatoslavich was born in the village of Budutin near Pskov, where the angry Olga sent Malusha.
The chronicles do not report on the further fate of Malusha, and the young Vladimir returned to Kyiv, where he was under the supervision of Princess Olga. Most likely, his maternal uncle Dobrynya was engaged in his upbringing, since it was in the customs of Russia to entrust the upbringing of heirs to members of the senior squad.
Reigning in Novgorod
According to the Tale of Bygone Years, Vladimir among the sons of Svyatoslav was the third in seniority after Yaropolk and Oleg. A hypothesis was also put forward that in fact he was the second (older than Oleg), since he received important Novgorod from his father when he left for the war with Byzantium in 970, while Oleg was content with the Drevlyansk land with a center in Ovruch. Dobrynya became the mentor and governor of young Vladimir in Novgorod.
The Scandinavian sagas tell how the future king of Norway, Olaf I Tryggvason, spent his childhood and youth in Novgorod. Olaf's mother, Astrid, fled from her husband's killers to Novgorod to King Valdemar (Vladimir), who served her brother Sigurd, but on the way she and her child were captured by robbers in Estonia. Sigurd, collecting taxes in Estonia at the behest of Vladimir, met Olaf by chance and bought him out of slavery. Olaf grew up under the auspices of Vladimir, and was later taken into the squad, where he was popular among the soldiers.
Accession to the throne of Kyiv
After the death of Prince Svyatoslav in 972, Yaropolk ruled Kyiv. In 977, an internecine war broke out between Yaropolk and his brothers, when the specific Drevlyan prince Oleg, retreating in battle with Yaropolk, was crushed in a ditch by falling horses, and Vladimir, at this news, fled to King Hakon the Mighty of Norway. All Russia began to rule Yaropolk Svyatoslavich.
In the meantime, Vladimir in Scandinavia recruited a Varangian army with Dobrynya and in 980 returned to Novgorod, having driven out the posadnik Yaropolk.
Vladimir captured Polotsk, which had gone over to the side of Kyiv, killing the family of the Varangian ruler of the city of Rogvolod. His daughter Rogneda, previously betrothed to Yaropolk, he forcibly took as his wife. Then, with a large Varangian army, he besieged Kyiv, where Yaropolk locked himself. According to the chronicle of the voivode Yaropolk, Fornication, bribed by Vladimir, forced Yaropolk to flee to the small town of Rodnya, intimidating the people of Kiev with a rebellion. In Rodnya, Vladimir lured Yaropolk to negotiations, where two Varangians "raised him with swords under their bosoms." The pregnant wife of Yaropolk, a former Greek nun, Vladimir took as a concubine.
When the Varangian army demanded tribute from the people of Kiev for their service, Vladimir promised them, but a month later he refused, and sent the Varangians to serve in Constantinople with advice to the Byzantine emperor to separate them to different places. Some of the Varangians, Vladimir left himself to manage the cities.
According to the chronicle, Vladimir ascended the throne of Kiev in 980. According to the earliest Life of Vladimir the monk Jacob (“Memory and Praise to Prince Vladimir”, 2nd half of the 11th century), this happened on June 11, 978. From a number of chronological considerations, the date 978 seems more likely, and the date 980 was apparently obtained by re-arranging the annual grid in the annals by incorrect recalculation. So the chronicler mentioned 37 years of Vladimir's reign, which also points to 978 as the year Vladimir came to power.
pagan rule
The new prince of Kyiv (also called the ancient title of kagan) took steps to reform the pagan cult. He erected a pantheon in Kyiv with idols of the six main gods of Slavic paganism (Perun, Khors, Dazhdbog, Stribog, Semargl and Mokosh, without Veles), introduced, like the Scandinavians, the practice of human sacrifice to the gods.
Since there is indirect information about the sympathies of the former Prince Yaropolk for the Christian faith and his contacts with the Latin West, it is very likely that there was a pagan reaction under Vladimir, that is, a struggle against Christianity that was previously established in Kyiv. Archaeological confirmation of this can serve as a find on the site of the Vladimirov pantheon of the remains of a stone structure with traces of fresco painting - most likely, the church that existed under Yaropolk. During the persecution in Kyiv, one of the first Christian martyrs in Russia, the Varangians Fedor and John, died.
The Tale of Bygone Years conveys Vladimir's way of life before his baptism:
The chronicler does not indicate whether the concubines remained with Vladimir after baptism. Orthodox authors indicate that the prince freed all former pagan wives from marital duties. He offered Rogneda to choose a husband, but she refused and took monastic vows.
Baptism
The chronicle narrative about the “choice of faiths” (“testing of faiths”) by Vladimir is legendary. Preachers of Islam, Judaism, Western “Latin” Christianity were called to the court, but after a conversation with the “Greek philosopher”, Vladimir settled on Orthodoxy. Despite the hagiographic stencil, there is a historical grain in the narrative. So, Vladimir says to the “Germans”: “Go again, as our fathers did not accept this essence” (that is, step back, because our fathers did not accept this). In this one can see the echoes of the events of 962, when the German emperor sent a bishop and priests to Kyiv at the request of Princess Olga. Not accepted in Russia, they "barely escaped."
Information about the embassy to Khorezm of the Russian ruler Buladmir, who wanted his country to adopt Islam, was preserved in Arabic and Persian sources. So the historian al-Marwazi (beginning of the 12th century) reports:
According to the chronicle, in 987, Vladimir, at the council of the boyars, decided to be baptized "according to Greek law." In the next 988, he captured Korsun (Chersonese in the Crimea) and demanded Anna, the sister of the Byzantine emperors Basil II and Constantine VIII, as his wife, threatening otherwise to go to Constantinople. The emperors agreed, demanding in turn that the prince be baptized so that the sister would marry a fellow believer. Having received the consent of Vladimir, the Byzantines sent Anna with priests to Korsun. In the same place in Korsun, Vladimir, with many warriors, was baptized by the bishop of Korsun, after which he performed the marriage ceremony and returned to Kyiv. According to the monk Jacob, an earlier source than The Tale of Bygone Years, Prince Vladimir was baptized in 988, took Korsun in the 3rd year after baptism in order to capture Christian shrines, and only then demanded a wife from the Byzantine emperors. The 11th-century Syrian historian Yahya of Antioch tells the story of baptism differently. Against the Byzantine emperor Basil, his commander Varda Foka rebelled, who won several victories.
Along Yahyu, the combined forces of the Rus and Greeks defeated the troops of Phocas near Chrysopolis at the end of 988, and in April 989, the allies in the battle of Abydos put an end to Varda Phoka. The Arab historian of the early 13th century, Ibn al-Athir, also reported on the baptism of the Rus in a version close to Yahya of Antioch, but attributing the event to 986, and the king of the Rus, in his presentation, was first baptized, then married, and then went to fight with Varda Foka. The amount of Russian military assistance to Byzantium and the baptism is also reported by the Armenian historian Stefan Taronsky, a contemporary of Prince Vladimir:
The details of the chronology - at what stage of the events described Vladimir was baptized, whether it happened in Kyiv, in the city of Vasiliv or Korsun - were lost in Russia at the beginning of the 12th century, at the time of compiling the Tale of Bygone Years, which the chronicler directly reports. This issue is even more debatable in modern historiography. The date of the Baptism of Russia is traditionally considered to be the annalistic year 988, although historical evidence points to 987 as the year of the baptism of Prince Vladimir himself and 989 as the year of the Baptism of Russia. See articles for more details:
- Anna Byzantine
- Campaign against Korsun in 988
In baptism, Vladimir took the name Basil, in honor of the reigning Byzantine emperor Basil II, according to the practice of political baptisms of that time.
In Kyiv, the baptism of the people passed relatively peacefully, while in Novgorod, where Dobrynya led the baptism, it was accompanied by uprisings of the people and their suppression by force. In the Rostov-Suzdal land, where the local Slavic and Finno-Ugric tribes retained a certain autonomy due to remoteness, Christians remained a minority even after Vladimir (until the 13th century, paganism dominated the Vyatichi).
Baptism was accompanied by the establishment of a church hierarchy. Russia became one of the metropolises (of Kyiv) of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. The diocese was also created in Novgorod, and according to some sources - in Belgorod Kiev (not to be confused with modern Belgorod), Pereyaslavl and Chernigov. Vladimir did not interfere with the activities of Western preachers. When his son Svyatopolk took his wife from Poland, together with her in c. 1000 arrived Reinburn, Bishop of Kolberg (Kołobrzeg), who later ended his life in prison. With the help of the German missionary Bruno of Querfurt, who personally met with Vladimir, in 1007 a diocese was established among the Pechenegs, apparently short-lived.
Together with Orthodox missionaries, adherents of various Byzantine heresies, in particular Bogomilism, penetrated into Russia early. From the Novgorod Code found in 2000, it follows that in 999 a certain monk Isaac was made a priest in the Bogomil (or near-Bogomil) church of St. Alexander the Armenian, in such a remote corner of Russia as Suzdal.
Military campaigns
Vladimir led an active foreign policy: during his reign, he concluded many agreements with the rulers of different countries. These were: Stephen I (King of Hungary), Boleslav I the Brave (King of Poland), Boleslav II (King of the Czech Republic), Sylvester II (Pope), Vasily II (Emperor of Byzantium).
The problem of Russia remained the constant raids of the Pechenegs: in 990, 992 on Pereyaslavl, 993, in 996 the battle of Vasilevo took place, in 997 the attack on Kyiv, in 1001, in 1013 the Polish-Pecheneg invasion of Russia took place. A century later, memories of the Pecheneg war took on epic forms (the legend of Belgorod jelly, Nikita Kozhemyak, etc.). For defense against the Pechenegs, a number of fortresses were built along the southern border of Kievan Rus, as well as a solid wall (palisade) on an earthen embankment, called the Serpentine Walls. Along the southern and southeastern borders of what was then Russia, on the right and left sides of the Dnieper, rows of earthen trenches and guard "outposts" were put out to deter the attacks of nomads. According to the testimony of the Byzantine emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus, the Pechenegs roamed at a distance of one day's journey from Russia.
In 1006-1007. German missionary Bruno of Querfurt passed through Kyiv, heading to the Pechenegs to preach the gospel. He stopped to stay with Prince Vladimir, whom in a letter to Emperor Henry II he calls the lord of the Russians (lat. senior Ruzorum). Prince Vladimir persuaded the missionary not to go to the Pechenegs, saying that he would not find souls for salvation from them, but rather he himself would die a shameful death. The prince could not persuade Bruno and volunteered to escort him with his retinue (lat. cum exercitu) to the borders of his land, "which he fenced off on all sides with a strong palisade over a very large area because of the enemies wandering around them." Bruno apparently spoke about the Serpentine ramparts, the length of which is only in the Kyiv region is 800 kilometers.
Legislation and coinage
Vladimir adopted all the laws in agreement with his council, which consisted of his squad (military commanders) and elders, representatives of different cities. The titles were, along with the boyars and posadniks, and "the elders in all the cities."
The big cities were arranged in a military way, formed each integral organized regiment, called a thousand, which was subdivided into hundreds and tens. A thousand were commanded by a thousand, who was chosen by the city, and then appointed by the prince, hundreds and dozens were also elected sotsky and tenth.
The elders, or elders, of the city are hand in hand with the prince, together with the boyars, in matters of administration, as in all court celebrations, forming, as it were, a zemstvo aristocracy next to the princely service.
Vladimir is credited with the "Church Charter", which determines the competence of church courts. For a long time it was considered a fake of the 13th century, now the point of view has prevailed, according to which this is the genuine charter of Vladimir, but with later additions and distortions.
According to the chronicle, Vladimir at first agreed with the ideas of the Chersonesos clergy about the need for the death penalty, but then, after consulting with the boyars and city elders, he established the punishment of criminals according to the old custom, vira. Some researchers believe that Vladimir tried to change the order of succession to the throne; see below.
Vladimir also began minting coins - gold (“golden coins”) and silver (“silver coins”), which reproduced Byzantine designs of that time. Most of the coins of Vladimir depict the prince sitting on the throne, and the inscription:
"Vladimir on the table" (Vladimir on the throne); there are versions with a chest image (see figure) and other text of the legend, in particular, on some versions of the pieces of silver the name of St. Basil is indicated, in whose honor Vladimir was named at baptism. Judging by the non-vowel form of the words (not Volodimir, but Vladimir; not gold, but gold), the miners were Bulgarians. Zlatniks and srebreniki became the first coins issued on the territory of Russia. Only they preserved lifetime symbolic images of Prince Vladimir, a man with a small beard and long mustache.
The princely sign of Vladimir is also known from coins - the famous trident, adopted in the 20th century. Ukraine as the state emblem. The issue of the coin was not due to real economic needs - Russia was well served by Byzantine and Arab gold and silver coins - but to political goals: the coin served as an additional sign of the sovereignty of the Christian sovereign.
Cultural and social policy
The times of Vladimir were marked by the beginning of the spread of literacy in Russia - which is associated with Baptism. Like many other progressive reforms in the Russian land, it was carried out by force:
The teachers were not so much the Byzantines as the Bulgarians, including those who studied on Mount Athos. A generation later, remarkable masters of the word and connoisseurs of literature grew up in Russia, such as one of the first Russian writers, Metropolitan Hilarion.
Under Vladimir, large-scale stone construction in Russia begins, although the first surviving buildings date back to the time of his son Yaroslav. The cities of Vladimir-on-Klyazma (990), Belgorod (991), Pereyaslavl (992) and many others were founded.
Vladimir generously treated Kyivans at feasts every Sunday, even, according to legend, ordered to deliver food and drink on carts for the weak and sick. He paid special attention to the squad, with whom he consulted on state and military affairs, did not refuse her anything, saying: “ I will not find a squad with silver and gold, but with a squad I will get silver and gold.»
Family and Children
Vladimir was known before his baptism as the "great libertine" (lat. fornicator maximus, according to the German chronicler Titmar of Merseburg), who had several hundred concubines in Kyiv and in the country residence of Berestovo. In addition, he was in several official pagan marriages, in particular, with the already mentioned Rogneda, with the "Chechine" (according to some sources, he relied on an alliance with the Czech Republic in the fight against Yaropolk, an ally of the German emperor) and "Bulgarian" (from the Volga or the Danube Bulgarians - it is not known; according to one version, she was the daughter of the king of the Danube Bulgarians Peter, and Boris and Gleb were children from her). In addition, Vladimir made the widow of his brother Yaropolk, a Greek nun, kidnapped by Svyatoslav during one of his campaigns, a concubine. Soon she gave birth to a son, Svyatopolk, who was considered "from two fathers"; Vladimir considered him as his rightful heir, while Svyatopolk himself, according to indirect data, considered himself the son of Yaropolk, and Vladimir - a usurper.
After baptism, Vladimir allegedly was in two successive Christian marriages - with the Byzantine princess Anna and, after her death in 1011, with the unknown "stepmother of Yaroslav", who was captured by Svyatopolk in 1018.
Children(total 12 or 13 sons and at least 10 daughters):
From "chekhin" (according to Tatishchev - Olov's Varangians):
- Vysheslav, Prince of Novgorod, eldest son of Vladimir. Died before the death of his father.
From a Greek woman (according to Yulia Tatishchev), the widow of Yaropolk Svyatoslavich (wife from c. 978):
- Svyatopolk the Accursed, Prince of Turov, then Kyiv. Perhaps he was not the son of Vladimir, but Yaropolk Svyatoslavich, but Vladimir recognized him as his son.
From Rogneda, daughter of Prince Rogvolod of Polotsk (wife since c. 977):
- Izyaslav, Prince of Polotsk. The chronicle contains a colorful story about how little Izyaslav stood up for his mother, who made an attempt on the life of Vladimir, and was sent with her to an inheritance in Polotsk. He also died during the life of his father, young, in 1001. The ancestor of the Polotsk branch of the Rurikovich.
- Mstislav; if he is mentioned in some versions of the list of the sons of Vladimir not by mistake (the name of Mstislav is repeated twice, see below), then most likely he died in infancy.
- Yaroslav the Wise, Prince of Rostov, after the death of Vysheslav - Novgorod, after the victory over Svyatopolk - Kyiv.
- Vsevolod, sometimes identified with "Vissivald, king from Gardariki", who died in Sweden in 993.
- Predslava, made a concubine by the Polish prince Boleslav I the Brave.
- Premislava (d., according to some sources, since 1000, the wife of the Hungarian prince Vladislav (Laszlo) the Bald (d. 1029).
- Mstislav, in 1018, among other daughters of Vladimir, was captured by the Polish prince Boleslav I the Brave.
From Adele (according to later, not entirely reliable data):
- Mstislav Tmutarakansky, Prince of Tmutarakansky and Chernigov, after a successful war with Yaroslav, the ruler of half of Russia; died in 1036 without heirs.
- Stanislav, Prince of Smolensk (information about the inheritance of Stanislav is not entirely reliable).
- Sudislav, Prince of Pskov, in 1024 - 1059 in prison, died in 1063, outliving all the brothers.
From Malfrida (according to later data):
- Svyatoslav, (d. 1015), prince of the Drevlyansk.
From "Bulgarian":
- Boris, Prince of Rostov.
- Gleb, Prince of Murom.
It is not known from which wife:
- Pozvizd, judging by the pagan name, was born before the baptism of Vladimir.
- Dobronega-Maria (d. 1087) (most likely she was a daughter from a second Christian marriage) - the wife of the King of Poland, Casimir I the Restorer.
In addition, Vladimir had several more daughters, unknown by name. In total, at least nine daughters of Vladimir were alive in 1018, as we know from the chronicle of Titmar. The exact fate of all of them is unknown.
The Polish historian Andrzej Poppe put forward a very plausible hypothesis that the wife of the Novgorod mayor Ostromir Feofan was the daughter of Vladimir I of Svyatoslavich and Anna of Byzantium. It is also possible that Vladimir's daughter was the wife of the Margrave of the North March, Bernhard II the Younger von Haldesleben (d. 1044).
Last years
In the last years of his life, Vladimir, probably, was going to change the principle of succession to the throne and bequeath power to his beloved son Boris. In any case, it was to Boris that he entrusted his squad. The two eldest of the surviving sons - Svyatopolk of Turov and Yaroslav of Novgorod - almost simultaneously rebelled against their father in 1014. Having imprisoned the eldest, Svyatopolk, into custody, Vladimir was preparing for war with Yaroslav, when he suddenly fell ill and died in the country residence of Berestov on July 15, 1015.
He was buried in the Church of the Tithes in Kyiv; marble sarcophagi of Vladimir and his wife stood in the middle of the temple. The tithe church was destroyed by the Mongols in 1240. In 1632-36. in Kyiv, during the analysis of the ruins, old sarcophagi were discovered, taken by Metropolitan Peter Mohyla for the burials of Vladimir and Anna, and then, after removing the remains, they were buried again. The identification of the tomb (or tombs) was made by the inscription, which, however, is clearly of late origin and contains factual contradictions (dating from the Nativity of Christ, etc.). The burial place was re-excavated by N. E. Efimov in 1826; indeed, sarcophagi were found, but they did not correspond to the description of the 17th century.
The remains (relics) recovered from the burial were distributed to the Kyiv and Moscow cathedrals and by now have been lost. Modern researchers doubt that these were indeed the crayfish of Vladimir and Anna.
church veneration
There is no exact data on the beginning of church veneration (and formal canonization, if any) of Prince Vladimir. Perhaps Vladimir was originally commemorated along with his sons, Saints Boris and Gleb. According to indirect data, already in the first years after his death, a hagiographic tradition arose that likened the prince to the apostle Paul, and hagiographic stories about the conversion of Vladimir (who was miraculously blind and healed through the prayers of Christians) are also found in Western European monuments of this time. Already in “Praise to Kagan Vladimir”, Metropolitan Hilarion calls the prince “blessed” (“O blessed and treblessed Prince Volodimer, blessed, and Christ-loving, and hospitable, your reward is many before God!”), although church historians recognize his words as a wish for canonization rather than an accomplished fact.
According to the Serbian Prologues of the 14th century, dating back to the Old Russian originals of the middle of the 12th century, the official recognition of Vladimir as a saint by the middle of the 12th century had not yet taken place. Russian chronicles are also silent about the canonization of Vladimir the Baptist.
The first reliable information about the official veneration of Vladimir as a saint equal to the apostles dates back to the 14th century: all the Prologues and liturgical books of that time bear the memory of St. Vladimir under July 15. A number of researchers put forward a hypothesis that the beginning of veneration could be associated with the victory of the Novgorodians in the Battle of the Neva (1240), which took place on July 15, but in many ancient lists of the life of Alexander Nevsky (d. 1263), the list of saints of the day of the Neva Battle is missing the name of Vladimir. Probably, the canonization could have taken place in the 2nd half of the 13th century, since the Prologue with an insert from the prologue life of St. Vladimir dates from this period of time.
In 1635, the Metropolitan of Kyiv, Peter Mogila, found the relics of Vladimir from the ruins of the Church of the Tithes, which marks the beginning of the veneration of his remains.
Attention to the day of St. Vladimir was attracted by church and public celebrations on the occasion of the 900th anniversary of the Baptism of Russia in 1888. By the Decree of the Holy Synod of 1888, "to imprint forever in the reverent memory of the Orthodox children of the Russian Church the name of the Enlightener of the Russian people", the day of memory of St. Vladimir is determined to be attributed to the holidays that have in the Charter the sign of the cross in a semicircle - "there is a vigil"; before that, a polyeleo service was supposed. At the same time, Prince Vladimir churches were built in Russia, the most remarkable of which is the Vladimir Cathedral in Kyiv.
In the Russian emigration, the church veneration of the prince, in the conditions of the total liquidation of organized church life that began in the USSR in 1929, acquired a certain political sound; On December 18/31, 1929, the Synod of Bishops (the Russian Church Abroad), according to the report of Metropolitan Anthony (Khrapovitsky), decided “to establish the day of St. Vladimir, Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir, Enlightener of Russia, (July 15, old style) a common Russian church-national holiday and to ask the archpastors and pastors of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad on this day to especially note the importance of Russian Orthodox culture in the church and state life of the Russian state. »
Since Prince Vladimir lived before the split of the Christian Church (schism of 1054), he is also revered by Catholics.
The Russian Church commemorates his death on the day of his repose - July 15 according to the Julian calendar. On the same day, July 28 according to the Gregorian calendar, Roman Catholics celebrate it; St. Volodymyr is considered the patron saint of Ukrainian and Russian Catholics.
On June 24, 2008, at the Bishops' Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Alexy II said in his report, in particular: “Today, in the general church calendar, the day July 15/28, when we honor the memory of Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir, “who righted the idols and enlightened the whole Russian land with Holy Baptism” (glory to the saint), is not even highlighted in red and is considered as an “average” holiday. But the Baptism of Russia, performed by the holy prince, the spiritual leader of our people and the hero of our folk epics, became the greatest event in Russian history, without which all the best and sublime would not have been born in it, which is inextricably linked with the Orthodox faith. I believe that the day of Grand Duke Vladimir should be celebrated as a great holiday.
epic image
In epics, he is known under the name of Vladimir Krasno Solnyshko, “affectionate Prince Vladimir”, the time of the exploits of three heroes dates back to his time. The epic image of Prince Vladimir in epics is generalized, some later rulers are also “combined” in it, but there are also a number of features of the historical Vladimir Svyatoslavich.
Cities, monuments, orders
- Vladimir founded in 990 and named after himself the city of Vladimir, now the regional center of the Russian Federation.
- In the X century, the city of Vladimir-Volynsky acquired the name of Vladimir, now in the Volyn region of Ukraine.
- In 1782, Empress Catherine II established the Imperial Order of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir in 4 degrees.
- In 1853, a monument was erected to Prince Vladimir in Kyiv. Initially, the idea, born in the environment of the Kyiv Governor-General Dmitry Bibikov, to erect a monument to Prince Vladimir on an empty high mountain above the new city center - Khreshchatyk, caused objections from the Kyiv Metropolitan Filaret (Amfiteatrov).
- In 1957, the Russian Orthodox Church established the Order of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duke Vladimir in 3 degrees.
Prince Vladimir in fiction
In 1999, the historical novel by Mikhail Kazovsky "The Empress's Daughter" about the baptism of Russia was published. The image of Prince Vladimir is drawn by the author vividly, brightly, although in many ways it is not indisputable.
Prince Vladimir in cinema
In 2006, based on the biography of St. Vladimir, a full-length cartoon "Prince Vladimir" was shot.
In 1993, director Yuri Tomoshevsky made a full-length feature film "Saint Vladimir".
Heavenly patronage
Since 2002, the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duke Vladimir has been considered the heavenly patron of the internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia. His image is consecrated in the Main Icon of the Internal Troops, which is kept in the Transfiguration Church of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexy II blessed the initiative to acquire a particularly revered icon and patron saints of military groups by the internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia
), son of Svyatoslav Olgovich of Chernigov.
Biography
It was first mentioned in the Ipatiev Chronicle under 1160, when it was taken from his father by the Grand Duke of Kyiv Rostislav Mstislavich. Presumably in 1164 he became Prince of Kursk. Member of campaigns against the Polovtsy in 1169 under the leadership of Mstislav Izyaslavich. In 1175 he went with his older brother Oleg Svyatoslavich to Starodub. Oleg gave Vsevolod an inheritance from his own possessions. In 1180, after the Lyubech Congress of Princes, he went with Svyatoslav Vsevolodich to the Grand Duke of Vladimir Vsevolod the Big Nest, and on the river. Vlena pushed the Ryazan princes away from the convoys of Svyatoslav, and after returning from the Suzdal land, he was left in Chernigov. In 1183, together with another brother, Igor Svyatoslavich, he defeated the Polovtsy on the river. Hiria (Khorol). The Ipatiev Chronicle under 1185 calls Vsevolod the Trubchev prince in possession of the city of Trubchevsk (Trubetsk), located in the middle reaches of the river. Gum; according to the "Lay of Igor's Campaign", however, Vsevolod passes like the prince of Kursk: "Saddle, brother, your greyhounds," he addresses his brother Igor, "and my tees are ready, saddle up at Kursk in front. And my ty smokers - bring the swept away ... ”Perhaps at that time he also owned Kursk.
In 1187, Vsevolod returned from captivity together with his nephew, Vladimir Igorevich. In 1191, he again went with Igor to the Polovtsy, but returned without a fight. In 1194, by decision of the princely congress in Rogov, convened by the Grand Duke of Kyiv Svyatoslav, he prepared to go to Ryazan to resolve the dispute about the volosts, but remained at home, like all Chernigov princes - members of the congress, since Vsevolod the Big Nest sharply opposed his decisions. In 1196 he died unexpectedly in Chernigov. He was married to the daughter of the Grand Duke of Kyiv Gleb Yuryevich Olga, but did not leave offspring from her (according to other sources, he had three sons Andrei, Igor and Mikhail in marriage). The chroniclers called Vsevolod "the most distant of all the Olgoviches, majestic in appearance, kind in soul." One of the heroes of The Tale of Igor's Campaign.
Family and Children
Wife:
- Olga, daughter of Gleb Yurievich Pereyaslavsky.
Literature
- Razdorsky A.I. Princes, governors and governors of the Kursk region of the XI-XVIII centuries. - Kursk: Region-Press, 2004. - 125 p. - ISBN 5-86354-067-2
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See what "Vsevolod Svyatoslavich (Prince of Kursk)" is in other dictionaries:
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Princes of the Principality of Smolensk 1010 1015 Stanislav Vladimirovich 1054 1057 Vyacheslav Yaroslavich 1057 1060 Igor Yaroslavich of Volynsky 1073 1078 Vladimir Vsevolodovich Monomakh 1093 1094 Izyaslav Vladimirovich Kursky 1094 1094 Davyd Svyatoslavich of Chernigov ... Wikipedia
