In 1018, the Novgorodians chopped up the boats of their prince Yaroslav the Wise.
This is how they expressed their desire to fight for him.
Strange way, isn't it? But let's start from the beginning.
On this day, Prince Vladimir, the baptist of Rus', died in the suburbs of Kyiv.
From dirt to Kings
Vladimir “Krasno Solnyshko”, at the end of his life, imprisoned one of his heirs - Svyatopolk, nicknamed the Damned. Together with him, Svyatopolk’s wife, a Polish princess, and her confessor, Bishop of Kolberg Reinburn, languished in captivity.It is not entirely clear what caused the arrest.
Perhaps Vladimir was going to put his beloved son, Boris, Prince of Rostov, to reign in Kyiv. And in order to not give Svyatopolk the opportunity to claim the princely table, he removed him from the road in this way.
Perhaps there was some other reason - it’s difficult to say for sure, a thousand years have passed since those events.
At that time, Kyiv was the center of a huge and strong principality. This was a tasty morsel for anyone who wanted power. A person who could swallow this piece had everything available to a mortal.
And as soon as Vladimir died, this person became Svyatopolk Vladimirovich, who was released from prison along with his wife and confessor.
Novgorod against
Meanwhile, another son of Vladimir, Yaroslav (later nicknamed the Wise), reigned in Novgorod. After the death of his father, with whom he - let's be honest - did not always get along, Prince Yaroslav declared his claims to the throne.Yaroslav was supported by loyal Novgorodians and a hired squad commanded by the Norwegian king Eimund Hringsson. If you believe, he was not only a brave warrior, but also a talented saboteur.
In the late autumn of 1016, Yaroslav and Svyatopolk met near Lyubech. There was a battle and Novgorod, reinforced by the Varangians, won it. Yaroslav then went to Kyiv, where he generously rewarded all his soldiers for their bravery and devotion.
Return of the Damned
Svyatopolk did not let his brother offend.A year later he returned and brought with him the Pechenegs, as well as his father-in-law, the Polish prince Boleslav the Brave. He had the support of the West, so his army included not only Poles, but also Hungarians and Germans.
Prince Yaroslav decided to play ahead and meet the enemy in an open field.
When there was only a water barrier between the two troops, Yaroslav hesitated. The water barrier gave him a feeling of security, plus he did not dare to attack first.
Boleslav did it.
The Poles suddenly crossed the river and, taking Yaroslav's squad by surprise, killed it.
The defeat was so severe that Yaroslav fled to Novgorod with only four soldiers.
Kyiv turned out to be unprotected. And it was there that the combined army of Svyatopolk and Boleslav headed.
Massacre of Poles
An unpleasant surprise awaited Svyatopolk in Kyiv.The Poles he brought violated the treaty. Boleslav did not give him the conquered city.
On the contrary, he settled in the city as its ruler and placed his garrisons throughout the surrounding area. Local residents had to feed the invaders.
The people rebelled. Poles began to simply be killed.
And here again there are two versions. According to one, it turns out that Svyatopolk, offended by his relative, himself ordered his supporters to beat the Poles. Another way is that the riots began spontaneously, because the people did not tolerate the disdainful attitude of the victors.
These unrest went down in history as the Kiev Uprising of 1018 (at least three more are known). Apparently the danger that the Russian rebellion would reveal all its mercilessness was quite great.
Boleslav hastily left Kyiv, leaving his son-in-law without military support.
However, he still left as a winner. The Polish prince had with him the entire princely treasury and hostages - the sisters of Prince Yaroslav, who remained in the city.
Axes of Novgorodians
Now let's return to Yaroslav, who returned to his native Novgorod defeated. After a short preparation, he prepared to flee “overseas.”And then the Novgorodians did what I told you about at the very beginning.
They chopped up his boats, rendering them unusable. And then they told the prince that they wanted to fight for him with Boleslav and Svyatopolk.
To be completely honest, their action was not so much about love for Prince Yaroslav as it was about fear of Svyatopolk. After all, no one guaranteed that tomorrow he would not come under the walls of Novgorod with his squad. Bring things to their logical conclusion, so to speak.
However, another problem arose. The forces of the Novgorodians were small, and Prince Yaroslav could not pay for the services of the Varangian squad. There wasn't enough money.
Soon the hat was released to the people. They took silver - from husbands 4 kunas, from elders 10 hryvnias, and from boyars - 18 hryvnias.
The funds collected were enough for a new contract with Eymund and the Varangians, plus for weapons.
In the spring of 1019, an army led by Prince Yaroslav left Novgorod for Kyiv. The last meeting of the warring brothers took place near the Alta River, a left tributary of the Dnieper.
Unfortunately, the chronicle did not reveal a more precise location to us, but it did mention that the princes fought near the very place where their brother, Prince Boris, was killed.
During a fierce battle, the Novgorod army defeated Svyatopolk's squad.
His banner was captured. The prince himself is wounded.
Then Eymund asked Yaroslav: “Will you order to kill Svyatopolk or not?”
The prince replied that he was not forcing anyone to do this.
But, Yaroslav added, he will also not condemn the one who kills Svyatopolk.
What happened next?
SvyatopolkHe wasn't killed.
He fled through Poland to the Czech Republic, but never completed his journey. Suffering from illness, Prince Svyatopolk died on the road.
Boleslav
6 years later, on April 18, 1025, Prince Boleslav the Brave was solemnly crowned. He became the first king of Poland.
Yaroslav
In the battle on the Alta River, Prince Yaroslav put an end to the struggle for the reign of Kiev. But not in the fragmentation of the Russian principalities - it was just entering its golden age.
Within a year, his own nephew, Bryachislav, Prince of Polotsk, would raise his sword against Yaroslav’s domain. Taking advantage of the fact that his uncle was in Kyiv, he will attack Novgorod.
Yaroslav will have to hurry.
In 7 days, he will not only gather an army, but also make an unprecedented forced march, 800 kilometers long! As a result, Bryachislav will be defeated, and the captured Novgorodians will be freed from captivity.
And this will not be the last in the life of Prince Yaroslav the Wise...
* * *
Photo - Andrey Boykov, Sergey Balmashov, Alexey Stroganov. Photos from the social network VKontakte were also used.Yaroslav the Wise - the struggle for power.
Falsifications in Russian chronicles
and a true chronicle of events.
Instead of an introduction.
Part 1. He who pays calls the tune. How and why Russian chronicles were falsified.
Chapter 2. About the political struggle within the Russian church.
Chapter 3. About Grand Duke Izyaslav
Chapter 4. Rehabilitation program for victims of the Yaroslav era.
Chapter 5. Rehabilitation program. Canonization. Why Boris and Gleb?
Chapter 6. Canonization (continued). About the Orthodox fidelity of Boris and his father Vladimir.
Chapter 7. Canonization (continued). About Gleb. Where was Gleb heading? Lecture on the road infrastructure of Rus'. About Ilya Muromets.
Chapter 8. About chroniclers in Rus' and about Nikon’s chronicle. "Time bomb".
Chapter 9. About the scheme for falsifying Nikon's chronicle.
Chapter 10. Imprisonment of Svyatopolk in prison and False Svyatopolk-1.
Chapter 11. Imprisonment of Svyatopolk in prison and False Svyatopolk-1 (continued).
Chapter 12. The murder of Boris and False Svyatopolk-2.
Chapter 13. The murder of Boris (continued). Version based on "Saga".
Chapter 14. The murder of Boris (continued). Comparison of two descriptions of the murder.
Chapter 15. The murder of Gleb, Svyatoslav Drevlyansky and False Svyatopolk-2.
Chapter 16. The death of Prince Vladimir and lies to “refute” the truth preserved in people’s memory.
A brief conclusion on the results of the first part of the book.
Part 2. A true chronicle of events in Rus' in 1013-1018. Chronicle from the 21st century.
Instead of an introduction
Once upon a time, quite a long time ago, I learned about the existence of the "Saga of Eymund" ("The Strand of Eymund"), I learned that it turned out that it was not Svyatopolk the Accursed who killed Prince Boris (and along with him and his brothers Gleb of Muromsky and Svyatoslav Drevlyansky) , but just Yaroslav the Wise himself (albeit not personally, but through his henchmen). Church chroniclers presented the real murderer (Yaroslav) as a noble avenger for his murdered brothers, and the character (Svyatopolk), who was not involved in any of the crimes charged, was declared a fiend of hell. This is such a metamorphosis...
Psychologically, finding out this was a shock for me! Everything that was written in textbooks on the history of Ancient Rus', and is still the official historical version of the development of events in Rus' in the 11th century, turned out to be a lie, conscious and shameless. It turned out that there were, as it were, two different stories - one for the general public, official and propaganda, supported by the Orthodox Church, and the second - for a narrow circle, for serious science, for internal consumption in the society of historians. Historians seem to say: “Of course, we all understand that the official version is not entirely true, or rather not true at all, but everything was exactly the opposite, but... this is a political situation, myths created over centuries... Let Yaroslav the Wise and not the most untouchable in the list of mythical heroes of Rus' compared to Alexander Nevsky and Dmitry Donskoy, but all of them are politically presented by the state as national symbols and “monuments.” And no one will allow us to destroy monuments..."
Why did I decide to write this book (an article based on the original plan)? Not at all for conducting an “educational education” among those who do not know or know little about the history of Ancient Rus'. Also, I am not going to argue or prove anything to “pseudo-patriots” (I consider myself a strong patriot, but I hate lies, and I believe that love for the Motherland does not need lies!) and religious dogmatists who defend the traditional “vision” of history by the church . The reason is different. I have always been interested in this segment of our history (Yaroslav’s rise to power), especially in light of the presence of Western sources that contradict Russian chronicles on a number of points. Why do chronicles lie, and how did everything really happen? This question interested me. Over the past years, I have read many different books and articles, and other materials (well, primary sources in the first place, of course), met a lot of interesting things, agreed with some thoughts of different authors, disagreed with some, but... always there was a lack of high-quality comprehensive analysis (I admit that I missed some article where all this was present). Almost always there was the usual reverence for our chronicles - they find one mistake or untruth in the chronicle and are satisfied with that. It’s as if they are “squeezing out the lies drop by drop,” so all the “unsqueezed out” lies still appear in all reconstructions, and during the analysis one can see the inconsistency in the patterns of events, the conclusions, and the hypotheses that are put forward. At the same time, I have always had the feeling that a deep critical analysis of all historical materials on this issue can make it possible to calculate with a high degree of reliability what is true in the chronicles and what is not, and will make it possible to restore the real chronicle of events. I emphasize the word “calculate” because I think this is the key principle! In no case should you first put forward a hypothesis and then test it or even immediately prove it - the hypothesis itself must crystallize, flow from the course of successive analytical conclusions! Feeling this conviction and not having the patience to wait any longer for a satisfying work on the era of Yaroslav the Wise to appear, I finally decided: “Why don’t I try to do this myself?” That's how the idea to write this book was born.
Part 1. He who pays calls the tune.
How and why Russian chronicles were falsified.
What sources do we have?
Firstly, these are domestic: ancient Russian chronicles ("The Tale of Bygone Years", I will not give lists, this is not a bibliographic review) and, to a lesser extent, they can include the church "Reading about Boris and Gleb" and "The Tale of Boris and Gleb" .
Secondly, Western sources: “The Strand of Eymund” and “The Chronicle of Thietmar of Merseburg”.
First, let us clearly define the time frame of the information that is given in the saga and in the chronicle. The “Saga of Eymund” reports the death of Prince Vladimir and that after this event Eymund and his detachment entered the service of Yaroslav (April 1016). In April 1018, Eymund left Yaroslav for the service of the Polotsk prince Bryachislav. That is, on the issue that interests us, the saga can only tell about the events from 1015 to April 1018. The chronicle of Thietmar of Merseburg expands this framework - it tells about important events in Rus' that occurred both during the life of Vladimir (1013-1015), and about what happened after Eimund left Yaroslav in 1018. The presentation of events in the chronicle ends, as far as can be determined by its content, the events of November 1018, and already in December of the same year Thietmar of Merseburg died. Perhaps, in my analysis of the events of the history of Rus', I will limit myself to the named period of time (1013-1018).
Yaroslav's struggle for power
Yaroslav also gave Novgorod a special “Charter” that has not reached us. These “letters of Yaroslav” were later referred to more than once by the Novgorodians in their negotiations and agreements with the princes.
Having established himself in Kyiv and Novgorod, Yaroslav subordinated Polotsk, where Bryachislav reigned, to his influence. The only rival of Yaroslav remained the Tmutarakan prince Mstislav.
The chronicle somehow depicts his figure in a particularly colorful way, distinguishing him from other princes. Mstislav received a lot of attention in Nikon's chronicle of 1073. Nikon based his characterization of Mstislav on songs about Msti's glory, which he became acquainted with in Tmutarakan.
The chronicle says nothing about Mstislav's reign in Tmutarakan until 1022. Under this year, the Tale of Bygone Years mentions Mstislav's campaign against the Kasogs and his famous single combat with the Kasozh prince Rededey, which ended in Mstislav's victory. The winner takes the “estate”, Rededi’s wife and children, conquers the Kasogs and imposes tribute on them, and to commemorate his victory, he founded the Church of the Virgin Mary in Tmutarakan.
In 1023, Mstislav “from Kozara and Kasoga” moved towards Kyiv. Much belatedly, Mstislav entered the fight for the “table”, for Kyiv. Soon his squad stood under the walls of Kyiv, but “the Kiyans did not accept him,” and Mstislav left for Chernigov.
Yaroslav was in Novgorod at that time. The news of Mstislav's actions reached Yaroslav, but the first uprising of the Smerds, known to us from the chronicles, broke out in Suzdal, which took place under the leadership of the Magi. The chronicle reports that the reason for the uprising of the Smerds was the famine that gripped the Suzdal land. The rebels accused the “old child” of holding “gobino” (stocks, and above all, grain stocks) and “letting go of hunger.”
“And if there was a great rebellion...” The Novgorod Chronicle says that the rebel Smerds exterminated first of all the “women” of the “old child,” i.e., “big gobin houses” (mistresses of rich houses). In their hands were concentrated the supplies of food that the starving rural people needed.
Yaroslav first of all went to Suzdal, “seized”, “wasted” and “displayed” the Magi, suppressed the uprising, and then began to prepare for the fight against Mstislav.
To this end, he again “ambassadored overseas for the Varangians.” In response to Yaroslav's call, a detachment of Varangian mercenaries led by Yakun (Gakon) came to Novgorod. In the same 1024, Yaroslav moved against Mstislav. The latter, in turn, came forward to meet him. The battle broke out at Listven. On a stormy night, in the light of lightning, the weapons of the combatants sparkled. It was mainly the Varangians of Yakun and the Seversky “warriors” who fought - Mstislav took his Tmutarakan squad. “Even if the thunderstorm was great and the slaughter was strong and terrible.”
Yaroslav was defeated. But in 1026 the brothers gathered at Gorodets and divided the Russian land. The Dnieper became the border of their possessions. Kyiv and the entire Right Bank, and in the north Novgorod were assigned to Yaroslav, and Chernigov and the entire Left Bank to Mstislav.
When Mstislav died in 1036 without leaving an heir, Yaroslav became “the autocrat of the Russian land.” Thus the Russian land was united again.
There was only Polotsk left, but it could be ignored. Now it was necessary to begin strengthening the ancient Russian statehood. Yaroslav continues the work of creating the statehood of the Kyiv state, begun by Vladimir.
He strengthens his power in Novgorod by giving the Novgorodians “letters.” Vladimir Yaroslavich was planted in Novgorod, who became his father’s governor in 1036. Izyaslav received the Turovo-Pinsk land, and when his elder brother, Vladimir, died, he also received his brother’s “volost”. Svyatoslav, the fourth son of Yaroslav, ruled in Volyn. Only the fifth, Vsevolod, remained with his father.
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The reign of Yaroslav the Wise in Kievan Rus occurred at the end of the first and beginning of the second millennium (about 978-1054). He is rightfully considered one of the greatest rulers not only of Rus', but also of Europe. During the years of his reign, he brought the Principality of Kiev to a new stage of world development, his state reached a high level of political and military power.
The article describes the reign of Yaroslav the Wise. The main facts of his biography and the results of his reign are briefly mentioned.
Origin of the Grand Duke
Historians continue to argue about the exact date of his birth; many sources indicate the year of birth as 978. His father is the baptist of Rus', Vladimir Svyatoslavovich, and his mother is the Polonsky princess Rogneda Rogvoldovna, whom Prince Vladimir took by force. From this marriage he had three more sons.
According to the chronicles, Yaroslav lived a long life and died at 75 years old. He became the ancestor of many rulers in Europe. For the first time, the reign of Yaroslav the Wise was briefly mentioned in the Tale of Bygone Years, written by the monk Nestor.
Rostov prince
The beginning of Yaroslav's independent rule is considered to be 988, when his father placed him as a child in the principality of Rostov. In reality, the power belonged to his mentor, who made all decisions, taking into account the very young age of the prince.
There is almost no historical evidence of the Rostov reign of Prince Yaroslav the Wise. In any case, in the chronicles of that time there is no mention of important historical facts related to the Rostov reign. Many historians believe that the reign of Prince Yaroslav the Wise in Rostov was marked by the emergence of a city named Yaroslavl in his honor. The year 1010 is officially considered the year of its founding.
Beginning of reign
In 1010 (1011), after the death of one of the eldest sons of Grand Duke Vladimir Vysheslav and contrary to the expectations of Yaroslav's elder brother Svyatopolk, Vladimir appointed Yaroslav to rule Novgorod. Compared to the Rostov princedom, the Novgorod princedom was considered higher, but the Novgorod prince was also subordinate to the Kyiv prince and was obliged to pay tribute to him.
Rebellion against father
In 1014, Yaroslav refused to pay tribute to Kyiv and rebelled against his father. The reason for such a rebellion is that Vladimir brought his youngest son Boris closer to him and intended to transfer the Kiev throne to him. For the same reason, the eldest of his sons, Svyatopolk, rebelled against Vladimir. For this he was imprisoned and remained in captivity until the death of his father.
To resist his father, Prince Vladimir, Yaroslav hires the Varangians, but the army remains inactive and engages in robbery in Novgorod itself, which causes the righteous anger of the Novgorodians. Prince Vladimir himself cannot engage in single combat with his son, since the Principality of Kyiv is threatened by an attack by the Pechenegs. And the army gathered against Novgorod goes to battle with the steppe nomads. Boris leads the army, since Vladimir by this time is becoming frail and old.
Brother on brother
The confrontation between son and father ends with the death of Vladimir Svyatoslavovich on July 15, 1015. But the battle of two brothers, Svyatopolk and Yaroslav, for the Kiev throne begins. Svyatopolk, popularly nicknamed the Accursed, killed three of his brothers on the way to the throne.
Several times Yaroslav and Svyatopolk the Accursed met in deadly confrontation. In 1018 a decisive battle took place. Svyatopolk and his father-in-law, the Polish king Boleslav the Brave, again invaded Kievan Rus. This time they defeated Yaroslav, who returned to Novgorod and wanted to flee to Scandinavia. However, the Novgorodians forced their prince to continue the fight. In the spring of 1019, on the Alt River, Svyatopolk was finally defeated and fled. According to some historical sources, on the way to Poland, Yaroslav’s soldiers overtook him and killed him. But Yaroslav is in no hurry to occupy the Kiev throne, since his nephew Bryachislav and brother Mstislav lay claim to it.
Fight for Kyiv
In 1019, Yaroslav married for the second time. His chosen one is the Swedish princess Ingigerda (in Orthodoxy Irina). It is believed that Yaroslav’s first wife was a Norwegian, her name was Anna, she, along with the prince’s sisters, was captured by the Poles and forever captured in Poland. Many researchers consider the alliance with Ingigerda to be a political move by Yaroslav in order to eliminate unstable relations with the Swedes.
The brothers continued to fight for the Kiev throne with varying degrees of success until 1026, when Mstislav defeated Yaroslav’s troops and moved the capital to Chernigov. He proposed to the prince to sit down in Kyiv and divide the administration of the lands along the Dnieper, leaving the entire right coast for Yaroslav. A peace treaty was concluded. But even being the master of the Kyiv throne, Yaroslav did not leave Novgorod until the death of Mstislav, that is, until 1035, confident that the Novgorodians would support him under any circumstances. Only after the death of Mstislav in 1035 did Yaroslav the Wise become the autocrat of Kievan Rus. The years of his reign became the heyday of Rus'.
To avoid claims to the Kiev throne from his younger brother, who reigned in Pskov, Yaroslav imprisoned Sudislav in prison.
Chronology of military actions
The history of the reign of Yaroslav the Wise contains numerous references to military operations. Here are just a few of them:
- 1029 - campaign to help Mstislav against the Yasses, expelling them from Tmutarakan (now Krasnodar region);
- 1031 - campaign together with Mstislav against the Poles, as a result the cities of Przemysl and Cherven were conquered;
- 1036 - victory over the Pecheneg troops and liberation of Ancient Rus' from their raids;
- 1040 and 1044 - military actions against Lithuania.
Results of the reign of Yaroslav the Wise. Politics and state
The period in power is 37 years. The reign of Yaroslav the Wise is considered the period of the rise of the Principality of Kyiv, when many European states sought a military and political union with it. As a talented politician, Yaroslav the Wise preferred diplomacy to any military action. He pragmatically arranged marriage alliances for his ten children and other relatives with European rulers, which served the security purposes of the state. It is known that he paid a symbolic annual tribute to the Varangians - 300 hryvnia of silver, which was very little, but maintained peace on the northern borders.
Yaroslav the Wise did a lot for the state. He spent the years of his reign not only on strengthening military power, but also on organizing life in the state according to the laws. Under him, the Church Charter and the code of laws “Yaroslav’s Truth” were adopted, which is considered the most ancient part of the collection of norms of ancient law “Russian Truth”.
Being an educated man, Yaroslav also takes care of the education of his subjects: he also opens libraries. was opened by him in the St. Sophia Cathedral.
His plans included solving another important problem - the transfer of power. which flared up between receivers, plunged the country into ruin and disaster, weakened it and made it easy prey for external enemies. Often, contenders for the main throne, in their own selfish interests, hired foreign troops, which committed outrages and plundered the population. Yaroslav, as a talented politician, certainly understood the importance of improving the transfer of power, but this problem was never resolved in connection with his death.
Religious implications
The results of the reign of Yaroslav the Wise are not limited only to political achievements. He did a lot to strengthen Christianity in the state. In 1051, the Russian Church was finally freed from the influence of Constantinople, having for the first time independently elected at the Episcopal Council. A large number of Byzantine books were translated into Church Slavonic, and considerable funds were allocated from the treasury for their correspondence.
The reign of Yaroslav the Wise was marked by the founding of many monasteries and churches. The monasteries of Kiev-Pechersk and Yuri were revered not only as church centers, but also as social and cultural centers. In 1037, construction began on the famous St. Sophia Cathedral, in which Yaroslav’s ashes were subsequently buried. By his order in 1036-1037. The famous Kyiv Golden Gate was erected, which, according to Yaroslav's plan, was supposed to symbolize the movement of the center of Orthodoxy to Kievan Rus.
The first of the significant events related to domestic politics can be identified as the uprising of Yaroslav the Wise against his father, Prince Vladimir the Baptist, in 1014. Young Yaroslav, who ruled Novgorod at that time, refused to pay an annual tax of two thousand hryvnia.
Presumably, the cause of the conflict could have been Vladimir’s intention to transfer the throne to one of his younger sons, Rostov Prince Boris, to whom he transferred command of the princely squad, which actually meant recognition of Boris as heir.
For the upcoming confrontation, Yaroslav, according to the chronicle, hired the Varangians led by Eymund. Vladimir ordered "to pave the way and build bridges" for a hike, but got sick. Besides, 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.
Scheme - the path of Yaroslav the Wise to the Kyiv throne
The Varangians hired by Yaroslav, bored with nothing to do in Novgorod, began to organize riots. From the Novgorod first chronicle:
“... the Varangians began to commit violence on married wives”
As a result, the Novgorodians rebelled and killed many Varangians in one night. Yaroslav, who was at his country residence in Rakom, learned about what had happened and called representatives of the Novgorod nobility to him, promising them forgiveness, and when they arrived to him, he brutally dealt with them. It 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.
Civil strife between the children of Prince Vladimir
1015-1019
After the death of Prince Vladimir July 15, 1015, Svyatopolk was released from prison by his followers and declared himself the new prince of Kyiv.
According to official history, Svyatopolk sent hired killers to his brothers - on the night of July 30, Prince Boris was killed along with a servant who tried to protect the owner; later, near Smolensk, the killers overtook Prince Gleb, and the Drevlyan prince Svyatoslav, who tried to escape to the Carpathians, died along with his seven sons in a battle against a large detachment sent in pursuit of them.
The scheme is the second strife in Rus'
During the further confrontation between Yaroslav and Svyatopolk, the scales tipped first one way or the other.
In 1016 Yaroslav, at the head of a 3,000-strong Novgorod army and mercenary Varangian troops, defeated the troops of Svyatopolk near Lyubech.
In 1017 The Pechenegs and Svyatopolk's allies launched a campaign against Kyiv. During the battle, the Pechenegs even managed to penetrate inside the city, but then they were driven out. The besieged made a sortie and during the pursuit captured the banner of Svyatopolk.
Svyatopolk Vladimirovich “Cursed”
(Art. V. Sheremetyev. 1867)
In 1018 Svyatopolk, married to the daughter of the Polish king Boleslav the Brave, enlisted the support of his father-in-law and again gathered troops to fight Yaroslav - as a result of the battle on the Western Bug, the army of the Kyiv prince was defeated. Yaroslav fled to Novgorod.
August 14, 1018 Boleslav and Svyatopolk entered Kyiv. Boleslav received the Kiev treasury and many prisoners as a reward for his help in the Cherven cities (an important trading hub on the way from Poland to Kyiv).
And Yaroslav prepared to flee “over the sea.” But the Novgorodians chopped up his boats and convinced the prince to continue the fight with Svyatopolk. They collected money, concluded a new treaty with the Varangians of King Eymund and armed themselves.
Boleslav the Brave and Svyatopolk at the Golden Gate of Kyiv
In the spring of 1019 Svyatopolk fought with Yaroslav in a decisive battle on the Alta River. The chronicle did not preserve the exact location and details of the battle. It is only known that the battle lasted all day and was extremely fierce. Svyatopolk fled through Berestye and Poland to the Czech Republic. On the way, suffering from illness, he died.
Yaroslav the Wise reoccupied Kyiv, but his position was precarious and the prince had to prove more than once his right to own the capital of Kievan Rus.
1021 - conflict with Bryachislav
In 1021 Yaroslav's nephew, Prince of Polotsk Bryachislav Izyaslavich, made a surprise attack on Novgorod.
According to official history, Yaroslav overtook his nephew on the Sudoma River, defeated him and took away the loot, and the next year forced Bryachislav to make peace, transferring two cities to his control - Usvyat and Vitebsk.
Despite this peace, hostilities between uncle and nephew did not stop: the latter “all the days of his life,” as stated in the chronicle, continued to fight with Yaroslav.
Bryachislav Izyaslavich, Prince of Polotsk
(artist: A. Kryvenka)
1023-26 - conflict with Mstislav
In 1023, when Yaroslav pacified the rebellion in Suzdal, his brother Tmutarakan prince Mstislav approached Kyiv, but did not besiege the capital and occupied Chernigov. Having extinguished the rebellion in Suzdal, Yaroslav returned to Novgorod, hired the Varangians and moved against Mstislav.
In 1024 at the Battle of Listven, Mstislav defeated his brother’s troops, forcing Yaroslav to flee to Novgorod. Mstislav himself did not lay claim to the Kiev throne, but made Chernigov his capital and sent ambassadors to Yaroslav with a peace offer