This is one of the most prominent statesmen and generals. He was born in 1053. A year later, Prince Yaroslav the Wise, who was his grandfather, died. On the maternal side, my grandfather was Konstantin Monomakh.

As a child, the boy received a good education. In 1061, he watched from the fortress wall a horde of Polovtsy, who attacked Russia and defeated his father's army. The little prince devotes a lot of time to the study of military affairs. Hunting was considered in peacetime the best way to learn how to use weapons and a horse. He takes an active part in hunting, which becomes his main hobby.

The father sends his son to Rostov at the age of 13, where the adult life of the prince begins. Rostov had not yet been conquered by the princes of Kyiv; there were many pagans there. Campaigns and wars began: first internecine, then with an external enemy. Before his 25th birthday, Vladimir managed to reign in five cities, including Smolensk and Vladimir-Volynsky. He made twenty "great paths" (long-distance roads and military campaigns). He had to fight with the Poles, with the Polovtsians, and even with the Principality of Polotsk and cousins, the sons of Izyaslav and Svyatoslav.

The prince's wife was the daughter of the last king of the Saxons of England - Harold Geet. Vsevolod Yaroslavovich became the Grand Duke of Kyiv. The time was restless: either the pacification of the rebellious creative tribes (nomads settled by Russian princes on the border with the steppe), then winter campaigns in the Bryansk forests against the last princes of the Vyatichi, then a campaign against the Galician land and the capture of Minsk, in which Vladimir did not leave “not a servant, no cattle."

The aged Vsevolod was losing control over state affairs, and Vladimir more and more often had to take control of the state. When Vsevolod died, Svyatopolk became the new prince of Kyiv. He turned out to be a weak and indecisive commander and a poor diplomat. Speculation in bread and salt during the famine led to popular uprisings. The townspeople defeated the yard of the Kyiv thousand, the yards of usurers. The Boyar Duma invited Prince Vladimir Monomakh, popular among the people, to the throne of Kyiv. He was 60 years old.

For the first time in the history of Russia, the prince spoke out against the death penalty, even for the most serious crimes. He ruled like a strict but wise sovereign. In the era of his reign, there was a flourishing of literature and art on. Works appeared: the most ancient Russian chronicle "The Tale of Bygone Years", "Journey" by Abbot Daniel about a trip to Palestine and many other religious works. Chronicles give an enthusiastic assessment of the reign and the personality of the prince, calling him an exemplary ruler. He managed to keep the whole under his power. Vladimir Monomakh died in 1125, at the age of 72, having bequeathed to his son Vsevolod a huge, united state.

Name: Vladimir Monomakh

Age: 72 years old

Place of Birth: Pereyaslavl-Yuzhny

Place of death: Kyiv

Activity: prince, commander

Family status: was married

Vladimir Monomakh - biography

"You are heavy, Monomakh's hat" - this Pushkin line has long become a catch phrase symbolizing the burden of power. And although Prince Vladimir Vsevolodovich Monomakh himself most likely did not wear this hat, he fully felt the burden of power

In the history-biography, Vladimir Monomakh remained as a commander and a wise ruler who united the Russian lands. But for his contemporaries he was a model of Christian virtue. In addition to pilgrimage and the construction of temples, the prince performed deeds that amazed those around him with humility and generosity. After all, it was in those days when "an eye for an eye" was considered the norm of life.

Vladimir, the grandson of Yaroslav the Wise, owed his unusual nickname "Monomakh" (Greek - "single fighter") to his mother, the daughter of the Byzantine emperor Constantine IX Monomakh. The era in which the young prince grew up was not easy. The homeland, torn apart by the specific princes, also suffered from the raids of the Polovtsians. But what is most annoying, the invaders did not come on their own, but at the invitation of the Russian princes who shared power.

At the age of 20, Vladimir received wealthy Smolensk as a prince, and when his father ascended the throne of Kyiv, he gave his son wealthy Chernigov as an inheritance. At that time, the 27-year-old prince had already been on campaigns more than once, but it was in Chernigov that he first had to lead an army to repel the enemy.

When the father gave his soul to God. Monomakh, by right of elder, could take the Kyiv throne, especially since the other pretender, Prince Svyatopolk, was far from Kyiv. But Vladimir calmed down his pride and conceded the throne to his cousin. When the Polovtsy found out about the death of the old prince, they moved the army to conquer the northern neighbors. The new ruler sent Monomakh to meet them.

Heeding his order, Vladimir began to cross the river, where he was caught by the enemy. The nomads defeated the Russian army, and Monomakh's brother died. He himself, trying to save his brother, only miraculously escaped death. It seemed that after such a loss, Vladimir would become embittered at Kyiv, but he always put the interests of Russia above his personal ones. A week later, together with the Kyiv squad, he again entered the victorious battle with the Polovtsians ...

There were many battles in the life of the prince. What is the campaign against Byzantium worth in 1116, when he conquered many Danube fortified cities. In an effort to appease the formidable co-religionist, the emperor of Byzantium, Alexei Komnenos, sent ambassadors to Kyiv. According to legend, the negotiators were led by the Metropolitan of Ephesus. He also presented the emperor's gifts to the prince: the Scepter (a shortened staff), Barma (a collar with jewels worn over clothes). Orb (golden ball with a cross) and a Cap with precious stones.

Later called the Hat of Monomakh, this headdress became the main attribute of the wedding to the kingdom of the subsequent rulers of Russia. The artifact is unique in terms of quantity and quality of gems and surpasses all royal headdresses in Europe. No wonder the Cap of Monomakh was compared with the crowns of the German Emperor, the French and Hungarian kings, as there are records in European chronicles.

Forgiveness is for the strong

A peaceful union with Byzantium assumed the union of two clans, and the granddaughter of Monomakh went to the crown with the emperor's son Alexei. However, this was not the first marriage with foreigners, whom Monomakh tried to strengthen the peace. Being a far-sighted ruler, he tried to maintain order not only by force of arms, but also by advantageous kinship.

Vladimir Monomakh - biography of the personal life of the prince

Vladimir himself, at the age of 21, married the daughter of the English king Harold II - Gita of Wessex. From his marriage with her, the prince had 10 children, of whom six survived to adulthood. The second wife was the Greek Efimia, a quarter of a century younger than her husband. Six more heirs were born from this marriage, among them Euphemia, the wife of the King of Hungary, Kalman I, Maritsa, the wife of the failed ruler of Byzantium, the false Diogenes II, and Yuri Dolgoruky, the founder of Moscow.

However, circumstances did not allow the prince to completely move away from military affairs. Outraged by the atrocity of the Kyiv prince, who blinded another Rurikovich, Vladimir approached Kyiv. Frightened Svyatopolk wanted to escape, but he was captured by the people of Kiev themselves. The Metropolitan and the Princess Mother, together with the townspeople, went out to meet Monomakh and tearfully asked him not to start a new battle, for it would only be to the delight of the Polovtsy. Vladimir did not immediately, but forgave Svyatopolk. After repentance, the latter remained in Kyiv, and Vladimir retired to his fiefdom.

Vladimir acted in the same wise way with the rebels. If he understood that the rebellion was caused by the actions of the boyars or delusion, the rebels got off with censure or punishment with rods. If there was an evil intent in the actions of the troublemakers, then the prince himself could stain his sword with their blood. But with age, Vladimir gravitated more and more to Christian humility and chose hunting instead of battles. For him, it has become not just a hobby, but a hardening of the body and spirit, which allows him to fulfill his duty to the Fatherland at any moment. The prince also bequeathed hunting to his children, writing in the Instruction: “Children, do not be afraid of war or the beast - do the work of a man!”

Monomakh’s letter to his cousin Oleg Svyatoslavich, who killed his son, caused great surprise and respect among his contemporaries: “If you do not forgive your brother’s sins, then your heavenly Father will not forgive you ... And we will not be avengers for him, but we will put it on God when they stand before God; but we will not destroy the Russian land.” Moreover, the letter was not written under fear of war, but, on the contrary, was a message from the winner to the vanquished.

After all, the other son of Vladimir - Mstislav, having defeated the bloody uncle, did not dare to kill him, but asked his father's advice. And Vladimir forgave, putting the interests of the country, torn apart by civil strife, above personal ones: the princely battles were in the hands of external enemies. And this despite the fact that in Russia the customs of blood feud were strong, and those who retreated from it were considered fools or losers ...

Vladimir Monomakh - Bishop of Kyiv

And yet Kyiv, about which Monomakh had already ceased to think, like an overripe fruit, in 1113 he himself fell into his hands. After the death of Svyatopolk, anarchy ensued in the capital. The people, enslaved by debts, at first timidly, and then with all their might, revolted. The pogroms were accompanied by riots and murders. In the end, the boyars sent a messenger to the six-year-old Vladimir, begging him to take Kyiv.

In his declining years, he did not want to accept a rich, but troublesome lot. When the ambassadors started talking about the fact that a dashing people could plunder churches and monasteries, the prince's heart trembled, and he agreed. Arriving at the place. Monomakh gathered the boyars, warriors and representatives of the merchant class to pass a law limiting the enslavement of ordinary people. The rebellion did not immediately, but began to decline ...

Those 12 years that Vladimir ruled Kyiv went down in history as the last attempt to unite the Russian lands. And he almost succeeded: Vladimir Vsevolodovich gathered 3/4 of the Russian principalities under his rule. The rest preferred not to go against the will of the Kyiv ruler, but to be in his allies.

Age did not allow Vladimir to unite all Russian lands. Having gone to prayer in the Borisoglebsk church, the 72-year-old prince felt unwell and soon died. The news of his death was received in the country as a great grief. “His glory passed through all countries, but he was especially terrible for the filthy; he was a brotherly lover and a beggar, and a kind sufferer (worker) for the Russian land. The clergy wept for him as for a holy and good prince; ... all the people wept for him, as children cry for their father or mother,” the chronicle says.

The remains of the prince with great honors were laid to rest in the Cathedral of St. Sophia of Kyiv, and later the Church elevated him to the rank of saints in the Russian land resplendent.

other Russian Volodymyr Monomakh; in baptism Vasiliy

statesman, military leader, writer, thinker

Vladimir Monomakh

short biography

Statesman, Prince of Smolensk, Chernigov, Pereyaslavl, Grand Duke of Kyiv, military leader, thinker, writer, author of the work known as "Teachings of Vladimir Monomakh", one of the first famous secular literary monuments of Ancient Russia.

Born in 1053, he was a descendant of noble families. The father of Vladimir Monomakh was Prince Vsevolod Yaroslavich of Pereyaslavl, who, in turn, was the son of the great Kyiv prince Yaroslav the Wise. The mother was probably the daughter or niece of Constantine IX Monomakh, the Byzantine emperor (hence his nickname).

Vladimir Monomakh's childhood and youth passed in Pereyaslav-Yuzhny, at his father's court. The experience of participating in public administration and military affairs was early: 13-year-old Vladimir independently reigned in the Rostov-Suzdal land, from 1073 to 1078. he was the prince of Smolensk, more than once went with his father's squad on military campaigns. In 1076, together with Oleg Svyatoslavich, he took part in a campaign in support of the Poles who fought against the Czechs; went twice against Vseslav of Polotsk with Svyatopolk Izyaslavich and his father.

In 1078, Vsevolod Yaroslavich became the Grand Duke of Kyiv, and his son, who was then 25 years old, became the ruler of Chernigov, repulsed the Polovtsian raids on his lands in 1080. During the fifteen years of his father's rule, the son was always his right hand in solving military and political issues, many times he led the grand ducal squads in campaigns against princes and Polovtsians who did not want to obey.

When Grand Duke Vsevolod died in 1093, his son had a good chance of becoming the successor, but his cousin Svyatopolk Izyaslavich remained the eldest of the Rurik family. In order not to provoke a new round of internecine strife, Monomakh recognized his right to the throne, and he went to his place in Chernigov.

These two decades of life, while the country from 1093 to 1113. ruled by Svyatopolk Izyaslavich, were very rich for Monomakh, he knew the bitterness of cruel defeats and victories, which helped him gain fame as an outstanding commander. He happened to lose his younger brother, eldest son, to cede the Chernigov lands to Oleg Svyatoslavich in 1094, after which he remained in the status of Prince of Pereyaslav. His new possessions were also constantly attacked by the Cumans; communicating with other princes, he called for unity in the face of the enemy, acted as an ideological inspirer. From 1103, Russian troops constantly undertook campaigns in the Polovtsian steppe. After the famous successful performance of 1111, there were no raids for a very long time.

With the death in 1113 of Svyatopolk Izyaslavich, a new stage begins in the biography of Vladimir Monomakh, connected with his reign of Kievan Rus as a Grand Duke. His accession to the throne took place in the conditions of a popular uprising, which Monomakh suppressed, but at the same time carried out reforms that partially alleviated the position of the lower strata of the population. The period of being in power was characterized by the strengthening of Kievan Rus, the last in its history. With the help of his sons, Vladimir Monomakh controlled 3/4 of the territory of all ancient Russian lands. Contributing factors to this were the enormous authority of Monomakh, the concentration of all power in his hands, the need to unite in the face of the Polovtsy. In the "Word about the destruction of the Russian land" these years are called the happiest time for Russia.

Vladimir Monomakh left a mark on history as the author of literary works, of which three have survived to this day: a letter to Oleg Svyatoslavich, an autobiographical story about military campaigns, as well as the famous “Teachings of Vladimir Monomakh”, a real storehouse of everyday experience that the ruler wanted to pass on to his five sons. Monomakh died on May 19, 1125.

Biography from Wikipedia

Vladimir Vsevolodovich Monomakh(other Russian Volodymyr (-mѣr) Monomakh; in baptism Vasiliy; 1053-19 May 1125) - Prince of Rostov (1066-1073), Prince of Smolensk (1073-1078), Chernigov (1078-1094), Pereyaslavl (1094-1113), Grand Duke of Kyiv (1113-1125), statesman, military leader , writer, thinker. On surviving seals, Vladimir Monomakh also used the title archon of all the Russian land, in the manner of Byzantine titles.

Vladimir Monomakh was the son of Prince Vsevolod Yaroslavich. Nicknamed Monomakh by the name of the mother's family, who, presumably, was the daughter of the Byzantine emperor Constantine IX Monomakh.

In the Russian Orthodox Church, he is revered as a noble prince in the Cathedral of All Saints in the Russian Land Resplendent (the second Sunday after Pentecost) and in the Cathedral of the Kyiv Saints (July 15 (July 28)).

From the early years to the reign of Svyatopolk Izyaslavich

He spent his childhood and youth at the court of his father Vsevolod Yaroslavich in Pereyaslavl-Yuzhny. He constantly led his father's squad, carried out long campaigns, fought against the Polovtsians.

In 1076, together with Oleg Svyatoslavich, he participated in a campaign to help the Poles against the Czechs, and twice went with his father and Svyatopolk Izyaslavich against Vseslav of Polotsk. During the second campaign, the first use of a mercenary army from the Polovtsy for an internecine war took place. At the time of the death of the Kyiv prince Svyatoslav Yaroslavich (December 1076), he was the prince of Smolensk.

In 1078, his father became the prince of Kyiv, and Vladimir Monomakh received Chernigov. In 1080, he repulsed the Polovtsian raid on the Chernihiv lands, defeated the nomadic Torks.

In the early 1080s, he suppressed the uprising of the Vyatichi, making two campaigns (two consecutive winters between 1078 and 1084).

In 1093, after the death of his father, Grand Duke Vsevolod, he had the opportunity to take the throne of Kyiv, but, not wanting war, did not prevent his cousin Svyatopolk from taking the throne, saying: “If I sit on my father’s table, I will fight with Svyatopolk, since the table this one was his father's. He himself remained to reign in Chernigov. However, Vladimir retained his power in Rostov and extended it to Smolensk (1097). He also managed to prevent the replacement of his son Mstislav in Novgorod by the son of Svyatopolk (1102), and thus he violated the tradition according to which the eldest son of the Kyiv prince reigned in Novgorod.

Under Svyatopolk Izyaslavich (1093-1113)

Immediately after the death of Vsevolod Yaroslavich, Vladimir and his brother Rostislav, together with Svyatopolk Izyaslavich, in May 1093 suffered a heavy defeat at Trepol, on the Stugna River, from the Polovtsy. During the flight across the river, Rostislav Vsevolodovich drowned. Trying to save him, Vladimir almost drowned himself. After the new defeat of Svyatopolk at Zhelan, Vladimir, together with Svyatopolk, fought with the Polovtsy again - at Khalep. The outcome of the battle is unknown, but after it a peace was concluded, sealed by the marriage of Svyatopolk to the daughter of Khan Tugorkan.

Painting by S. V. Ivanov. Russian princes make peace in Uvetichi.

In the conditions of the Kievan-Polovtsian peace, Vladimir found himself face to face with Oleg Svyatoslavich, who was supported by the Polovtsy, who had expelled his father from Chernigov, and was forced to cede Chernigov to him after an 8-day siege (July 1094). The following year, in Pereyaslavl, Vladimir Monomakh, after disputes, heeded the advice of the warriors Slavyata and Ratibor and agreed to kill two Polovtsian khans (Itlar and Kytan) during peace negotiations, after which Svyatopolk took the side of Vladimir in the war for the left-bank volosts. The expulsion of Oleg from Chernigov in May 1096 turned into an invasion by Tugorkan and Bonyak, respectively, on the left and right banks of the Dnieper, but Tugorkan was defeated at Trubezh (July 19, 1096) and died.

Meanwhile, Oleg occupied Murom (Izyaslav Vladimirovich, Monomakh's son was killed in the battle near the city), Rostov and Suzdal. Then Mstislav Vladimirovich from Novgorod moved against him, and Vyacheslav Vladimirovich (already in alliance with the Polovtsy) was sent by his father to help him from the south. Oleg was defeated at Koloksha and expelled from Ryazan. However, despite military defeats, by decision of the Lyubech Congress (1097), the Svyatoslavichs received their entire father's inheritance: Chernigov, Novgorod-Seversky, Murom, Ryazan, Kursk, Tmutarakan, after which the civil strife on the left bank of the Dnieper subsided.

A. D. Kivshenko. "Dolobsky Congress of Princes - a date between Prince Vladimir Monomakh and Prince Svyatopolk".

Vladimir Monomakh, by decision of the Lyubech Congress, received all the volosts of Vsevolodov, that is, Pereyaslavl, Smolensk, Rostov Region. Novgorod also remained with his son Mstislav.

Soon after the Lyubech Congress, the war for Volhynia, Przemysl and Terebovl began. The formal reason for the war was the blinding of Vasilko Rostislavich of Terebovl by Davyd Igorevich of Volyn, but the fact that this happened in the possessions of Svyatopolk almost led to his overthrow by Vladimir from the throne of Kyiv in 1098. As a result of the war, Svyatopolk took Volyn from Davyd for himself, and Svyatopolk's claims to the possessions of the Rostislavichs failed after the battles on the Rozhnoye field and on Vagra. The conclusion of peace and the distribution of volosts took place at a congress in Uvetichi (1100).

In 1101, Vladimir Monomakh, Oleg and Davyd Svyatoslavich at a congress near Sakov conclude a peace agreement with the Polovtsy, confirmed by an exchange of hostages. Peace with the Polovtsy was broken by Svyatopolk and Monomakh in 1103.

Starting from 1103, Vladimir Monomakh became the inspirer and one of the leaders of joint offensive military campaigns against the Polovtsians (battles on Suteni in 1103, on Salnitsa in 1111), Bonyak and Sharukan were also defeated on Pereyaslavl land (1107).

Great reign

After the death (1113) of the Kyiv prince Svyatopolk Izyaslavich, a popular uprising broke out in Kyiv; On May 4, 1113, the Kiev boyars called for the reign of Vladimir Monomakh:

And the blessed Prince Michael, whose name was Svyatopolk, died on the 16th day of April [Wednesday, 23 BC]. Art.] outside Vyshgorod, they brought him in a boat to Kyiv, and brought his body into proper form, and laid it on a sleigh. […] After that, on the tenth day [Saturday, April 26 / May 3] the people of Kiev arranged a council, sent to Vladimir (Monomakh), saying: “Come, prince, to the table of your fathers and grandfathers.” Hearing this, Vladimir wept a lot and did not go (to Kyiv), grieving for his brother. The Kievans plundered the yard of Putyaty tysyatsky, attacked the Jews, plundered their property. And the people of Kiev sent again to Vladimir, saying: “Go, prince, to Kyiv; if you don’t go, then know that a lot of evil will happen, it’s not only Putyatin’s yard or the Sotskys, but they will rob the Jews, and they will also attack your daughter-in-law, and boyars, and monasteries, and you will keep an answer, prince, if monasteries will also be plundered. Hearing this, Vladimir went to Kyiv. Vladimir Monomakh sat down in Kyiv on Sunday. Metropolitan Nifont met him with the bishops and with all the people of Kiev with great honor.

The uprising subsided, but at the same time, the prince was forced to legislatively soften the position of the lower classes somewhat. This is how the “Charter of Vladimir Monomakh” or the “Charter on Cuts” arose, which became part of the lengthy edition of Russkaya Pravda. This charter limited the profits of usurers, determined the conditions for enslavement, and, without encroaching on the foundations of feudal relations, alleviated the position of serfs and purchases.

The reign of Vladimir Monomakh was the period of the last strengthening of Kievan Rus. Vladimir Monomakh, through his sons, ruled 3/4 of its territory. Turov Monomakh received after the death of Svyatopolk as a Kyiv volost. In 1117, Monomakh recalled his eldest son Mstislav from Novgorod to Belgorod, which was the probable reason for the speech of the son of Svyatopolk Izyaslavich Yaroslav, who ruled in Volhynia and feared for his hereditary rights to Kyiv. In 1118, Monomakh summoned the Novgorod boyars to Kyiv and swore them in. In 1118, Yaroslav was expelled from Volhynia, after which he tried to return the principality with the help of the Hungarians, Poles and the Rostislavichs, who broke off the alliance with Monomakh, but to no avail. In 1119, Monomakh also seized the Minsk principality by force of arms. Under Vladimir Monomakh, dynastic marriages began between the Rurikovichs. Yaroslav Svyatopolchich (killed in 1123 while trying to return Vladimir-Volynsky) and Vsevolod Olgovich (Prince of Chernigov since 1127) were married to the daughters of Mstislav Vladimirovich (granddaughters of Monomakh), Vsevolodko Gorodensky was married to Monomakh's daughter Agafya, Roman Vladimirovich was married to his daughter Volodar Rostislavich Przemyslsky. Stability in the state rested on the authority of Monomakh, which he earned in the fight against the Polovtsy, as well as the concentration of most of the lands of the Old Russian state in the hands of the Kyiv prince.

After the second campaign of the Russian squads to the upper reaches of the Seversky Donets with the defeat of the cities under the rule of the Polovtsy (1116), the Polovtsy migrated from the Russian borders (partially went to serve in Georgia), and the army sent at the end of the reign of Monomakh beyond the Don did not find the Polovtsy there.

In 1116, on behalf of Vladimir Monomakh, Sylvester, hegumen of the Vydubitsky Monastery, created the 2nd edition of The Tale of Bygone Years, then in 1118 for Mstislav Vladimirovich, who was translated to the south by his father, the 3rd edition. According to the assumption of a number of scientists (Aleshkovsky M. Kh. and others), in 1119, presbyter Basil, close to Vladimir Monomakh, edited the text of The Tale of Bygone Years for the fourth time. It is this edition of the chronicle that has come down to us as part of the Laurentian Chronicle of 1377.

War with Byzantium

At the end of the 11th - beginning of the 12th century, the Byzantine impostor False Diogenes II appeared in Russia, posing as the long-dead son of Emperor Roman IV - Leo Diogenes. Vladimir II Monomakh, for political reasons, “recognized” the applicant and even married his daughter Maria to him. The Grand Duke managed to gather significant forces, and in 1116, under the pretext of returning the throne to the "legitimate prince", he went to war against Byzantium - the last in the history of the two states. With the support of Monomakh and the Polovtsians, False Diogenes managed to capture many Danube cities, but in one of them, Dorostol, the impostor was overtaken by two assassins sent by the Byzantine emperor Alexei I. This, however, did not stop Monomakh. He continued to act - now in the interests of the son of False Diogenes II - Basil and organized a new campaign, trying to keep the cities on the Danube. At the head of the army stood the voivode Ivan Voytishich, who managed to "plant posadniks along the Danube."

Byzantium, apparently, was able to regain the Danubian lands, since soon Monomakh sent another army to the Danube, led by his son Vyacheslav and the governor Foma Ratiborovich, who unsuccessfully besieged Dorostol and returned back.

Only in 1123, already after the death of Emperor Alexei I (August 15, 1118), Russian-Byzantine negotiations were crowned with the conclusion of a dynastic marriage: Monomakh's granddaughter became the wife of the son of the Byzantine emperor John II - Alexei.

In "The Tale of Igor's Campaign"

Mentioned in the Tale of Igor's Campaign:

There were centuries of Troyan, the years of Yaroslav passed, there were wars of Oleg, Oleg Svyatoslavich. He, after all, Oleg forged with a sword of discord and sowed arrows on the ground. He enters the golden stirrup in the city of Tmutorokan, the ringing was heard by the old great Yaroslav's son Vsevolod, and Vladimir laid his ears every morning in Chernigov.

In the "Word about the destruction of the Russian land" (1238-1246)

Mention in the “Word on the destruction of the Russian land”: “That was all subdued by God to the peasant language [people] of the Pogan countries<…>Volodymyr Manamah, to whom the Polovtsian children are afraid in their cradles, and Lithuania from the swamp into the light does not rise, and the Ugry firmament stone mountains with iron gates, so that the great Volodymyr would not enter them there. And the Germans rejoice, far away beyond the blue sea ... "

Writer

Four works by Vladimir Monomakh have come down to us. The first is "Teachings of Vladimir Monomakh", the second is an autobiographical story about "Ways and Fishes", the third is a letter to his cousin Oleg Svyatoslavovich, the fourth (presumed) is "The Charter of Vladimir Vsevolodovich".

Marriages and children

With regard to most of the children of Vladimir Monomakh, it is not possible to determine exactly when (and, accordingly, from which of the wives) they were born. “Gyurgeva mati” (that is, the mother of Yuri Dolgoruky), as Vladimir himself wrote, died on May 7, 1107, while the date of death of his first wife Gita is March 10, most likely - 1098. This consideration allowed A. V. Nazarenko to attribute the birth of Yuri to a later time and to Vladimir's second marriage. All children from the first marriage had Slavic names, all children from the second marriage had Greek names.

• In 1074 he married the exiled princess Gita of Wessex, daughter of King Harold II of England.
  • Mstislav Vladimirovich the Great (1076-1132), Grand Duke of Kyiv from 1125
  • Izyaslav Vladimirovich (1077/1078-1096), Prince of Kursk
  • Svyatoslav Vladimirovich (-1114), Prince of Smolensk and Pereyaslavl
  • Yaropolk Vladimirovich (1082-1139), Grand Duke of Kyiv from 1132
  • Vyacheslav Vladimirovich (-1154), Prince of Turov, Grand Duke of Kyiv in 1139, 1150, 1151-1154
• (c. 1099) Euphemia, possibly Greek (d. May 7, 1107)
  • Maria (Maritsa) Vladimirovna (1146/1147), married to False Diogenes II
  • Euphemia Vladimirovna (1139), married Kalman I, King of Hungary
  • Agafia Vladimirovna
  • Yuri Vladimirovich Dolgoruky (c. 1099-1157), Prince of Suzdal, Grand Duke of Kyiv in 1149-1150 and from 1155
  • Roman Vladimirovich (-1119)
  • Andrei Vladimirovich (1102-1142), Prince of Volhynia, Prince of Pereyaslavl
• (after 1107) daughter of the Polovtsian Khan (July 11, 1127)

Controversial genealogy

V. N. Tatishchev mentions the son of Vladimir Monomakh Gleb Vladimirovich, Prince of Smolensk and Pereyaslavl. Messages about him are currently considered unreliable and are recognized only by a part of the researchers.

There is a hypothesis that Sophia, the wife of Svyatoslav Vseslavich and the mother of Vasilko Svyatoslavich, was the daughter of Vladimir Monomakh. If so, then Sofia Vladimirovna should be the daughter of Vladimir's first marriage.

A. V. Nazarenko, based on information about the broken engagement between the Hungarian prince Belaya and the daughter of the Byzantine emperor Manuel Komnenos Maria, substantiated the assumption that Vladimir Monomakh had a daughter, known in Western sources as Justitia, the wife of Otto II, Count of Dissen, and the great-grandmother of Maria Komnenos . In Russia, she could have had the Christian name Eupraxia or Eunomia, translated from Greek into Latin as Justitia. The researcher believes that the marriage between Monomakhovna and Otto II was concluded around 1094-1096 and was associated with the reorientation of Vladimir Monomakh towards an alliance with the propapist Welf party after the scandalous divorce of his sister Eupraxia-Adelheida and the German Emperor Henry IV. It should be noted that Nazarenko's hypothesis requires a revision of the traditional genealogy of the Counts of Diessen.

Memory

• In 2002, a commemorative coin of Ukraine dedicated to Vladimir Monomakh was issued.
• In 2003, a postage stamp of Ukraine dedicated to Vladimir Monomakh was issued.
• Vladimir Monomakh is immortalized on the monument "1000th Anniversary of Russia" in Veliky Novgorod.
• In the city of Priluki, Chernihiv region, a monument to Vladimir Monomakh was erected.
• A nuclear submarine of the Borey project of the Russian Navy was named in honor of the prince.

III. DIVISION INTO THE VOLOST. POLOVETS AND VLADIMIR MONOMAKH

(the ending)

Vladimir Monomakh in Kyiv. - Teaching children. - The pacification of recalcitrant princes. - Captivity of Volodar Rostislavich. - Collision with the Greeks on the Danube. – Politics of Vladimir Monomakh

Grand Duke Vladimir Monomakh (1113–1125)

In April 1113, Grand Duke Svyatopolk-Michael died on his way to Vyshgorod. He was put on a boat, brought to Kyiv and buried in the Golden-Domed St. Michael's Monastery, which he himself founded. The nearest right to the Grand Duke's table had Svyatoslavichs, David or Oleg; however, their seniority was debatable, since their father Svyatoslav forcibly took the Kyiv table from his older brother Izyaslav and died during his lifetime. The issue of seniority was decided by the voice of the people, who unanimously pointed to Vladimir Monomakh, who in fact had long been at the head of the Russian princes; and the Svyatoslavichs were unloved, especially for their friendship with the Polovtsy and the many ruins they caused to the Russian land. The citizens of Kyiv gathered at a veche and sent to Pereyaslavl to Vladimir to ask him for his father's and grandfather's table. Vladimir hesitated: perhaps the seniority of the Svyatoslavichs led him into thought. Meanwhile, in Kyiv, in the absence of princely power, riots broke out. The mob rushed to the yards of unloved dignitaries, namely the thousandth Putyata and some of the Sots, and plundered them; then she plundered the yards of the Jews, who bought themselves various benefits from Svyatopolk II and, as usual, plunged many into poverty as greedy usurers. Then the best citizens sent a message to Vladimir: “Prince, go quickly to Kyiv, and if you don’t come, then know that a great evil will arise: they will no longer rob the Sots and not the Jews, but will go to the widowed princess, to the boyars and monasteries, and you will answer to God if the monasteries are plundered." Vladimir after that did not hesitate any longer and hurried to Kyiv. He was met by the metropolitan and bishops with all the people, and he solemnly sat down on the table of his father and grandfather. The rebellion subsided; the firm, intelligent rule of Monomakh came. He had already reached the age of sixty when he occupied the Grand Duke's table.

Teachings of Vladimir Monomakh

Vladimir Monomakh wrote the famous Instruction for his children, which, together with the aforementioned letter to Oleg, serves as a clear monument to his mind, piety, erudition and literacy. It also serves as a vivid image of his tireless activity. Judging by this image, he spent most of his life outside the home, sleeping on damp earth most of the nights; at home and on the road he did everything himself and looked after everything; before daylight he got out of bed, went to mass, then thought with the retinue, judged people, went hunting, etc. “All my campaigns were 83, and I don’t remember other unimportant ones; I made peace with the Polovtsy 19 times; I set them free up to a hundred princes, and chopped and drowned more than two hundred. While hunting in the forests, I knitted wild horses at once, 10 and 20; twice the tour threw me on his horns along with the horse; one elk trampled me, and the other butted me, the boar tore the sword from his hip, the bear grabbed the lining at his knee with his teeth, a fierce beast (leopard?) jumped on my hips and knocked the horse down with me; but God kept me safe." Persuading children to live in peace and harmony, he gives them, among other things, the following instructions: “Most of all, have the fear of God, do not succumb to laziness; in war, do not rely on the governor, but look after everything yourself; love your wives, but do not give them authority over yourself; honor an old man as a father, and a young man as a brother; strictly observe justice and the kiss of the cross; honor guests and ambassadors, if not with gifts, then with drink and brush, for they dissolve both good and bad glory in foreign lands. What do you know do not forget that, but what you do not know, learn it; my father, sitting at home, learned five languages; in this there is honor from other lands.

Princely strife during the reign of Vladimir Monomakh

In general, the chronicler portrays Vladimir Monomakh to us as the ideal of the Russian prince: he reconciles the warring, sacredly observes the kiss of the cross; sets an example of piety, justice, hospitality and surpasses all military prowess. After Yaroslav, it was the first of his successors who actually implemented the concept of grand ducal power; younger relatives obeyed him as a father; and those who tried to start strife, he punished by taking away their inheritances. External enemies subdued.

However, under this Grand Duke there were two internecine wars, one in the Polotsk land, the other in Volhynia. What was the reason for the war between Monomakh and the eldest of the Polotsk princes, Gleb Vseslavich, is not exactly known. The chronicle explains it by the enmity that the descendants of Rogneda harbored towards the descendants of Yaroslav. Obviously, the Polotsk princes, not receiving a share in the rest of the Russian lands, tried to separate, did not want to recognize the seniority of the Kyiv prince over themselves, obey him like a father, go to bow to him and, at his request, come to the rescue with their squads. And Gleb Vseslavich Minsky, in addition, like his father, attacked some more neighboring volosts, of course, in order to increase his hereditary inheritance. Vladimir went to see Gleb twice; the second time he took the Prince of Minsk prisoner and brought him to Kyiv, where he soon died. In Vladimir Volynsky sat the son of Svyatopolk-Mikhail Yaroslav, married to the granddaughter of Monomakh, the daughter of his eldest son Mstislav. It is also unknown why, in fact, Yaroslav quarreled with Monomakh and sent away his wife and his granddaughter. Threatened by the Grand Duke, Yaroslav fled to his ally and relative, the King of Poland, Boleslav Krivousty, who was married to his sister Sbyslav. The Polish kings almost always willingly supported civil strife in the Russian land and helped the younger princes against the older ones, in order to prevent the latter from strengthening. In addition to the Poles, the Hungarian King Stephen II, at Yaroslav's request for help, not only did not refuse him, but personally brought his regiments. Thus, Yaroslav with a numerous militia of Ugrians, Poles and Russians appeared under the walls of Vladimir Volynsky, in which one of the sons of Monomakh, the courageous Andrei Vladimirovich, was sitting. The Grand Duke began to gather an army to go to the aid of his son; but the help was redundant. Once Yaroslav rode up close to the city walls and threatened the citizens with cruel revenge if they did not open the gates to him and come out to him with a bow. But while he was driving around the city, two hired Poles imperceptibly came out of the latter and hid in an ambush; and when Yaroslav was returning to the camp, they suddenly rushed at him and inflicted a mortal blow on him with a spear (1123). Then all his allies were forced to go home. Among the latter were this time the well-known brothers Rostislavichi, Volodar and Vasilko. The reason why they stuck to the enemies of Monomakh was the following.

The militant Rostislavichs did a lot of evil to their neighbors, the Poles, with whom they constantly had disputes over borders. Volodar, prince of Przemysl, often ruined neighboring Polish regions with hired Polovtsy. In vain did King Boleslav Krivousty try to subdue Volodar; the latter was especially terrible because he acted against Poland in alliance with her other enemies, with the pagan Prussians and the Pomeranians. The zeal and dexterity of one of the Polish nobles helped Boleslav free himself from this dangerous enemy. A certain Peter Vlast, a Dane by birth, volunteered to capture Volodar by cunning. This new Zopyr, with thirty faithful servants, went to Przemysl, pretended to be a man offended by the Polish king, entered the service of Volodar and crept into his confidence. Once, while hunting in the forest, when Volodar's squad dispersed in pursuit of the beast, Peter and his servants attacked the prince, grabbed him and sped off to Poland. Volodar's son Vladimir and brother Vasilko entered into negotiations with the king, and only for a huge ransom did they manage to release the prince. They collected everything they could and sent to Poland on wagons and camels a lot of gold and silver, precious vessels and Greek textiles; so that, in the words of one Latin chronicler, this ransom "impoverished all Russia" (of course, Chervonnaya). In addition to the ransom, Volodar was forced to give an obligation not only to renounce the alliance with the enemies of Poland, but also to help the Poles against them.

Wars of Russia with neighbors during the reign of Vladimir Monomakh

With his previous campaigns and exploits, Vladimir Monomakh secured the borders of Russia so much that during his reign he no longer personally went to his neighbors, but sent his courageous sons. So, his eldest son Mstislav, who reigned in Novgorod the Great, made a big campaign with the Novgorodians and Pskovians across Lake Peipus to the land of the Livonian Chud and took its city of Odenpe, or the Bear's Head (1116). His other son, Yuri (Dolgoruky), planted by his father in the Rostov land, went on ships along the Volga to the land of the Kama Bolgars and returned with great captivity and booty (1120). The third son of Monomakh, Yaropolk, and one of the sons of the Chernigov prince David, followed in the footsteps of their fathers with their troops beyond the Don, where they defeated the Polovtsians and Yasses, or Alans (1116). Yaropolk in this campaign captured one beautiful Alanian princess, whom he married. Probably, not without connection with this pogrom, part of the Khazars, as well as some hordes of Pechenegs and Torks, enslaved by the Polovtsy, rebelled against their oppressors; however, after a bloody struggle, they were defeated, fled to the Russian borders, and settled by the Grand Duke on free lands. However, part of the Pechenegs and Torks, together with the Berendeys, was soon expelled from Russia, of course, for their rebellions and robberies.

Campaign on the Danube under Vladimir Monomakh

By the time of Vladimir Monomakh, another clash of Russia with the Greeks dates back.

Following the example of their fathers and grandfathers, the Grand Dukes of Kyiv continued to conclude family alliances with various European sovereigns, namely Polish, Ugric, German, Scandinavian and Greek. Monomakh, as is known, was the son of a Greek princess; he himself married three times, and his first wife was Hyda, daughter of the English king Harold, who fell at the battle of Hastings; and his eldest son Mstislav was married to Christina, daughter of the Swedish king. One of the daughters of Monomakh, Euphemia, became the wife of the Ugric king Koloman (however, the old and jealous husband later sent her to her father); and his other daughter, Maria, was married to the Greek prince Leon. This prince was the son of the ill-fated Byzantine emperor Roman Diogenes, who was captured by the Turks and lost his throne. Leon in 1116 appeared on the Danube with an army recruited, probably from Russia and the Polovtsy, and took possession of some Bulgarian cities. The famous Byzantine emperor Alexei Komnenos hurried to get rid of his opponent with his usual art. He sent two Saracens, who came to Doristol to Leon with an offer of their services and seizing the moment killed him. Then Vladimir Monomakh, wanting to avenge the death of his son-in-law, or rather, standing up for the rights of his little son, and his grandson Vasily, sent an army to the Danube under the command of Ivan Voitishich, who placed Russian posadniks in the Danube cities. But Doristol was soon captured by the Greeks. Vladimir sent to take this city one of his sons, Vyacheslav, with the governor Foma, the son of the famous boyar Ratibor; but they could not take Doristol either. And then the rest of the Danube cities again passed into the hands of the Greeks, probably under a peace treaty with Vladimir. In any case, at the end of Monomakh's reign, we see him again on friendly terms with Byzantium; in 1122, already after the death of Alexei Komnenos in the presence of his son John Komnenos, he gave his granddaughter, the daughter of Mstislav, in marriage to some Greek prince. And his unfortunate grandson Vasily Leonovich was brought up at the Kiev court and subsequently died in the same battle between the Monomakhoviches and the Olgoviches.

Internal activities of Vladimir Monomakh

Like all great statesmen, Vladimir Monomakh is famous not only for his military prowess; he was also remarkable in the field of peaceful, civil activity. Russkaya Pravda, which he supplemented with new articles, points to his concerns about justice. Vladimir also liked to build, and he owned several remarkable buildings. Incidentally, the chronicle mentions a bridge built across the Dnieper. During his reign, the fortifications of Novgorod the Great were expanded, and the city of Ladoga was surrounded by a stone wall. He is credited with founding the city of Vladimir in the Rostov-Suzdal land, to which he made quite frequent trips. Following the example of his grandfather and great-grandfather, he cared a lot about the construction of temples; under him, the stone church of Boris and Gleb was completed in Vyshgorod, where the remains of these martyrs were transferred. He showed special respect to the memory of the latter, and in honor of them he created a "beautiful" church on the very site of the murder of Boris.

The great reign of Monomakh, however, was also marked by some of the usual disasters that visited Ancient Russia, such as drought and earthquake (in the south), flood (in Novgorod) and fires. A particularly terrible fire broke out in Kyiv in 1124. It lasted two days, June 23 and 24, turning Podol and part of the Upper City into ashes; Some churches, according to the chronicle, allegedly burned down up to 600. The Zhidovsky suburb also burned down. There were probably other disasters that were not recorded in the annals, for example, locusts, which flew in clouds to South Russia from countries adjacent to the Danube and the Black Sea; she devoured everything that she met on her way: bread, grass, tree leaves, etc. Judging by our chronicle, especially devastating locust raids occurred during the reign of Vladimir's predecessor, Svyatopolk-Mikhail.

With all his striving for the unity of the Russian lands under the supreme authority of the Kyiv prince, Vladimir Monomakh could not even think of destroying the specific order, which was completely akin to the spirit and concepts of that time. Like his grandfather and great-grandfather, he was busy only to unite as many regions as possible in the hands of his own and his offspring. Chernigov Svyatoslavichs, Galician Rostislavichs and partly Polotsk Vseslavichs defended their hereditary destinies; but on the other hand, Vladimir, in his capacity as the Grand Duke of Kyiv, by arms and a clever policy succeeded once again in gathering almost all the other Russian regions under the possession of one house.

Vladimir Monomakh died at the age of 74, on May 19, 1125, during his trip to his native Pereyaslavl. There he watched the completion of the above-mentioned "beautiful" church of Boris and Gleb, which he built on the banks of the Alta, not far from the city itself. His sons, grandsons and boyars brought him to Kyiv and buried him in St. Sophia Cathedral, next to his father Vsevolod. The chronicler adds that all the people and all people wept for him, like "children after their father or mother." In his words, he was "a brother-lover, a beggar-lover and a kind sufferer for the Russian land," about whom fame passed through all countries; he was especially terrifying to the "filthy", i.e. Polovtsy.

Monomakh's Teaching was preserved only in one Laurentian chronicle. Vladimir's story about his active, simple way of life is confirmed by the Epistle on Fasting, which Metropolitan Nikifor wrote for the same prince. It says about Monomakh that he “sleeps more on the ground and runs around the house and drives away the light wearing of the port, and walking through the forests wears clothes and enters the city on the way, dividing the volosts, puts on a powerful robe” (Russian Monuments 1.68). In addition to Pogodin's reasoning "On the Teaching of Monomakh" (Izvestia 2 sec. A. N. Kh. 294), see the assessment of the Teaching as a "monument of religious and moral views" in the article by S. Protopopov (Journal of Min. Nar. Pr., 1874 . February).

About Yaroslav Svyatopolkovich PS Let. T. II.

Our chronicle (namely Ipatievskaya) only briefly mentions under the year 1122: "And Volodar yash Lyakhov with flattery, Vasilkov's brother." We find details in Latin-Polish sources, namely in Gerbord in the life of Otto, Bishop of Bamberg, in Kadlubk and Bogufal. (See Belevsky's Monumenta Poloniae Historica. T. II. pp. 2, 74, 350 and 508.) They do not quite agree on the capture of the Russian prince; according to Kadlubk and Bogufal, he was captured at a feast; but more likely and more detailed than others tells about taking him on a hunt and ransom Gerbord. Dlugosh says that Volodar was captured in the battle. He adds that Boleslav took for Volodar a payback of 20,000 marks of silver and 500 vessels, i.e. dishes, bowls and ladles of Greek work. The Ipatiev Chronicle under 1145 reports the fate of the treacherous Peter Vlast. The successor of Boleslav Wrymouth, Vladislav II, ordered to blind him, cut his tongue, plunder his house and drive him out with his wife and children. He found refuge in Russia.

On the marriage unions of Monomakh, see Karamzin, vol. II, chapter VII and note. 240 and 241.

About the enterprise of Leon Diogenovich and the sending of Russian troops by Vladimir Monomakh to the Danube cities, almost all lists of Russian chronicles report, which at the same time call Leon Vladimir's son-in-law (with the exception of Gustynskaya, who calls him Volodar's son-in-law).

By the same time, the dubious story of some later chronicles that Russian troops ravaged Thrace and laid siege to Constantinople itself dates back to the same time. Then the terrified emperor Alexei Komnenos allegedly sent the Ephesian Metropolitan Neophyte and other noble people to Vladimir Monomakh with a request for peace and with rich gifts, between which were: a cross from a life-giving tree, a golden crown, a golden chain and barmas (mantle) of Emperor Constantine Monomakh, the carnelian bowl of Emperor Augustus, the scepter, etc. Neophyte solemnly laid a crown and barmas on Vladimir and named him king. (See the Nikonovsky, Voskresensky and Gustynsky vaults, as well as in Karamzin’s handwritten stories to vol. And note 220.) In all likelihood, this story took shape in times much later than the 12th century, by the way, in order to explain the origin of the famous Monomakh's cap and other regalia, which were assigned at the coronation of the Grand Dukes and Tsars of Moscow. (They are stored in the Moscow Armory. The archaeologist Filimonov, in his still unpublished study, proves that the so-called Monomakh's hat was made by Muslim-Egyptian masters of the 13th century and was sent as a gift by the Egyptian Sultan Kalauun to the Khan of the Golden Horde Uzbek, and from the latter passed to Ivan Kalita Academician Kondakov considers it a Byzantine work.)

It is remarkable that the Greek sources do not at all mention either Lev Diogenovich as Monomakh's son-in-law, or the latter's war with the Greeks. According to their reports, the son of Diogenes, Constantine, died earlier in a battle with the Turks near Antioch (see Bryennius and Anna Komnenos); and after that an impostor appeared, pretending to be this son of Diogenes. He was exiled to Chersonese Tauride, from there he fled to the Polovtsy and together with them invaded Thrace, but was captured by the Greeks by deceit and blinded. All our chronicles under 1095 mention the campaign with the Polovtsy on Greek soil and blind him, calling this impostor simply Devgenich. For some reasons, not only the Polovtsy, but also Russia participated in the enterprise of this False Konstantin. He really penetrated into Thrace and laid siege to Adrianople. (See Vasilevsky "Byzantium and the Pechenegs" in the Journal of the Ministry of People's Education, December 1872.) Perhaps this enterprise gave rise to the above-mentioned story about the war of the Russes in Thrace (and Constantinople was named instead of Adrianople) and sending gifts to Vladimir Monomakh. But another son of Diogenes, Leon, according to Anna Komnenos, was killed not in Doristol, but in a battle with the Pechenegs, in 1088. So, who was Vladimir's son-in-law, a true prince or an impostor? In general, all this news is rather obscure and inconsistent. G. Vasilevsky suggests that Roman Diogenes, in addition to those mentioned, had other sons, since he was married twice; that, besides Leo, who was born from a second marriage, he probably also had a son, Leo, from his first marriage, and that this last one, named in our annals as the son-in-law of Vladimir Monomakh, was married not to his daughter, but to his sister (" Russian-Byzantine Fragments". Journal. Min. N. Pr. 1875. December). The assumption of two Lions, sons of Diogenes from different mothers, we find quite probable; but we believe that, on the contrary, Leo, who was killed in 1088, came from the first marriage, and Leo, who died in 1116, was born from the second, when Diogenes already reigned (1067 - 1071), and, therefore, the son-in-law of Vladimir Monomakh was not only a true prince, but also "porphyrogenic". As for the offer of Diogenov's successor, Michael VII Doukas (1071 - 1078), who was wooing the daughter of some prince for his brother Constantine, Mr. Vasilevsky firmly believes that this prince was none other than Vsevolod, the father of Vladimir Monomakh. (This matchmaking is discussed in two letters of Michael VII, published by the learned Greek Safoy in Annuaire de l "essociation pour l" encouragement des etudes grèques en France. 1875). But the matchmaking, obviously, did not take place, just as, probably, the matchmaking of Mikhailov's predecessor, which is hinted at in these letters, did not have time to end in marriage. Perhaps in both cases it referred to the famous Yanka, Vsevolod's daughter, who not without reason remained a maiden and, being a nun, undertook a journey to Constantinople.

The Kyiv chronicle (according to the Ipatiev list) mentions the death of Vasilko Leonovich under 1196. Otherwise, she calls him immediately "Vasilko Marichich, grandson of Volodymyr", i. by Mary's mother. Obviously, Leonovich and Marichich are one and the same person. The same chronicle also reports the marriage of Monomakh's granddaughter to a Greek prince; what prince is being referred to here is unknown. Karamzin rightly believed that this was Alexei, the son of Emperor John Komnenos (vol. II, note 242). See note below. 25.

In 1053, Vladimir, a descendant of the Rurikids, was born in the family of Anna (a Greek princess) and Vsevolod I Yaroslavich. He got the nickname Monomakh from his mother's family. According to historians, Anna was either the daughter or niece of the Byzantine emperor himself. This article will provide you with a brief

Childhood

The prince's childhood passed at the court of his father, Vsevolod. From a young age, he showed himself to be brave and resourceful. It was all the fault of learning from the centurions of the princely squad. We can say that the military biography of Vladimir Monomakh began from the moment when the prince was 14 years old. Just then, he led the squad and periodically made long trips with her. Young Vladimir brutally suppressed the uprising of the Vyatichi and made several successful attacks on the territory of the Polovtsians. The prince also loved hunting. Moreover, he did not allow the huntsmen to protect himself from danger. Because of this, Vladimir Monomakh, whose brief biography is known to all schoolchildren, constantly got into unpleasant situations: he was under the feet of an elk and on the antlers of a deer. And on one of the hunts, a wild boar managed to rip a sword from his hip.

Campaigns and father's death

The further biography of Vladimir Monomakh included several important campaigns. In 1076, together with the Poles and Oleg Svyatoslavich, he went against the Czechs. And then he twice spoke with Svyatopolk and his father against the prince of Polotsk. Two years later, Vsevolod became the prince of Kyiv, placing Chernigov under the leadership of Vladimir. In 1080, Monomakh repulsed several Polovtsian raids on his lands, and also destroyed the nomadic Torks.

In 1093, Vsevolod died, and Vladimir had the opportunity to take the throne in Kyiv. But, not wanting a war with his cousin Svyatopolk, he ceded this right to him. Monomakh himself remained to rule in Chernigov and extended his power to Smolensk and Rostov.

Under Svyatopolk Izyaslavich

After the death of Vsevolod Vladimir and Svyatopolk, the Cumans defeated the Stugna. Then they met with them again in a new battle at Halep. No one knows the outcome of the battle, but after it a truce was immediately concluded, sealed by the alliance of Svyatopolk and the daughter of Khan Tugorkan.

Soon the peace was broken, and in 1094 the Polovtsy recaptured Chernigov from Vladimir, which forced him to settle in. In the next few years, he and Svyatopolk participated in numerous campaigns against the Polovtsy, recapturing the cities captured from him and uniting the Russian lands.

The beginning of the reign

After the death of Svyatopolk, the biography of Vladimir Monomakh was marked by a very significant event. Because of the popular uprising that broke out in Kyiv, the leaders of society asked him to take the throne. Stave suppressed the uprising, but nevertheless softened the situation of the lower classes with the help of the approval of several laws. This is how the “Charter on Cuts” appeared, which limited the income of usurers, defined the rules for enslavement and facilitated the position of purchases and debtors.

During this period, the prince was actively engaged in strengthening Kievan Rus. 3/4 of her territories were under his leadership at the expense of his sons. Another way of control was dynastic marriages between the Rurikovichs. All the daughters and granddaughters of the ruler were married off to different princes. As the biography of Vladimir Monomakh of that period says, stability in the state rested only on the authority of the prince. He earned it in the fight against the Polovtsians.

War with Byzantium

The biography of Prince Vladimir Monomakh includes campaigns not only to protect his own lands, but also to capture others. So, in 1114, False Diogenes II appeared in Russia, declaring himself a descendant of the Byzantine emperor. Monomakh supported him by passing off his daughter Maria as an impostor. In 1116, having gathered a significant army, Vladimir went to war against Byzantium under the pretext of returning the throne to the “true prince”. With the support of Monomakh, False Diogenes took possession of several Danubian cities. In one of them, he was overtaken by two assassins sent by Alexei I (the Byzantine emperor). But the war didn't end there. Vladimir continued to act in the interests of Basil (the son of False Diogenes), but all his attempts were unsuccessful. Soon Byzantium conquered all the Danubian lands. The war ended with a dynastic marriage in 1123: the granddaughter of the prince married the Byzantine emperor. This concludes the short biography of Vladimir Monomakh. It remains to say a few words about his death.

Death

Vladimir Monomakh, whose brief biography was presented in this article, ruled in Kyiv for almost 13 years. He died in May 1125 and was buried in St. Sophia Cathedral next to his father. Now, thanks to the lessons of history, the name of Monomakh is known to everyone. It was the one who united the Russian land, defended it and stopped all civil strife. To achieve these goals, he made more than eighty campaigns. The merits of the prince are undeniable. No wonder it is considered the crown of autocracy and a symbol of the unification of Russian lands.