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"Fifth column" Ancient Rus'[History of betrayal and intrigue] Shambarov Valery Evgenievich

Tangle first Svyatopolk the Accursed

Tangle first

Svyatopolk the Accursed

Betrayal has existed among people since ancient times. We can find examples in Old Testament, and in the mythology of different peoples, and in historical sources. People betrayed their kings, bosses, patrons, and relatives. It also happened that they betrayed their entire people. Sometimes for selfish reasons - let them conquer your fellow tribesmen, but personally you will benefit from this or find yourself in a privileged position. Although it happened that they cheated without any self-interest. They became infected with foreign culture and customs. They considered them more prestigious than their relatives, and for this reason they turned to foreigners.

In the VI century. BC e. in Scythia, even one of the kings, Skil, became interested in foreign customs and fashions. He got into the habit of traveling to the Greek colony of Borysthenis. He stayed to live there for a long time and built himself a palace in the city. Hellenic culture completely captivated him; he dressed in Greek clothes and had a Greek wife. He openly declared that the Hellenic way of life was sweeter and more attractive to him than the traditions of his people. Skil also changed the beliefs of the Scythians, made sacrifices in the temples of Borysthenis, participated in foreign religious rites. But one day the Scythians learned that their king, in the celebrations of Dionysus, was jumping and raging in the processions of the Bacchants. The whole country rebelled, Skil was overthrown and killed.

Subsequently, Roman and Byzantine diplomacy learned very well to look for suitable candidates among the Sarmatian, German, Slavic leaders, to lure them to your side - some with flattery, some with gifts, some with political benefits, promises of support. In these ways, conspiracies were repeatedly organized against the Hun king Attila. Emperor Mauritius, in his manual on the art of war, “Strategikon,” openly taught how to attract and process the Slavic “kings” and quarrel among themselves.

However, to seek out and sort out all the betrayals in national history It would probably be simply unrealistic. We will start with the period of Kievan Rus. The period is completely “historical”, quite fully illuminated by both Russian chronicles and foreign chronicles. And the first bright figure who comes to our attention is Prince Svyatopolk, nicknamed the Accursed. However, his abilities for treason were hereditary. Such qualities were already demonstrated by the prince's father, Yaropolk.

In 969, the great warrior and sovereign of Rus' Svyatoslav Igorevich went to the Balkans. In Kyiv he left his young son Yaropolk to reign, in the Drevlyansky land - Oleg, in Novgorod - his side son Vladimir. None of them were appointed heir. Svyatoslav reserved the great reign for himself; he only intended to move the capital to the Danube. But in the war with the Byzantines he suffered heavy losses. Negotiations began. On the Russian side they were led by Voivode Sveneld, and on the Greek side by the head of the foreign policy department, Bishop Theophilus. An agreement was concluded according to which the Russians pledged to leave for their homeland. But for this they maintained access to the sea, took away countless trophies, the Greeks paid them subsidies, a disguised tribute. They also pledged to help the Pechenegs, Byzantine allies, allow Svyatoslav to pass along the Dnieper.

Reality has become different. The same Bishop Theophilus went to the Pechenegs and actually informed them that there were few Russians left, they were carrying countless booty. The delighted Pechenegs did not hide the fact that they would definitely attack. The Greeks did not inform Svyatoslav about this. Well, the Russian sovereign sent Sveneld with a horse squad the steppe way. He himself sailed on boats with foot warriors - they carried the wounded, sick, enormous wealth. We began to climb the Dnieper and discovered: hordes of steppe inhabitants were waiting near the river rapids. The thinned troops had no chance to break through. We returned to the river mouth.

We spent the winter on Beloberezhye - Kinburn Spit, in fishermen's dugouts. They starved, they lived in poverty, they died. They were waiting for help from Kyiv, Sveneld was supposed to send it.

But the governor betrayed him. Prince Yaropolk sat in Kyiv, he was 10–11 years old. Under the boy-prince, the boyars were accustomed to being in charge, and Svyatopolk easily found with them mutual language. By the way, we may recall that the chief master of Byzantine intrigue, Bishop Theophilus, negotiated with Sveneld. And then I went to the Pechenegs... Is it a coincidence? No, I don’t believe in such accidents.

The governor brought Yaropolk under his influence. We don’t know how, but in fact the boy agreed to the coup. Russian soldiers lived in poverty on Beloberezhye, dying from disease, but there was no help. In the spring, exhausted and weakened, they decided to make a breakthrough. Everyone still hoped that now the people of Kiev would attack and clear the way. No, there were no Kievites. Sveneld and Yaropolk did not send them. But the Pechenegs cheated. They pretended that they had retreated from the rapids, otherwise Svyatoslav would not have gone by sea to other shores. But when the Russians unloaded the boats and began dragging them around the rapids, the enemy army swooped in. In the last desperate felling, both the prince himself and all his faithful warriors laid down their heads.

Yaropolk turned out to be a usurper, and even a parricide. Sveneld and the Kyiv elite ruled on his behalf. Svyatoslav's other sons were also still children. Oleg was 9-10 years old, Vladimir even younger. But the boyars assigned to them did not recognize the Kyiv government. The majority of the people did not approve of the coup; in their memory, Svyatoslav remained an epic hero, the winner of the Khazars and Greeks. As a result, Rus' split. The western and northern lands took Oleg's side. Brother Vladimir, that is, the Novgorodians, whose position was symbolized by Vladimir, also submitted to him.

To hold on, Sveneld sought support among the enemies of Rus'. He pushed Yaropolk to enter into an alliance with the Pechenegs. The prince made friends with the direct killers of his father! But what difference does it make if the help of the steppes may be needed against the Drevlyans, Novgorodians, against their brothers? The alliance with the Pechenegs could not have taken place without the blessing of Byzantium. But Emperor Tzimiskes was completely satisfied with the new government in Kyiv. And Sveneld took measures for further rapprochement with Constantinople. When Yaropolk grew up, a temporary worker allegedly married him to a captive Greek nun. Although Svyatoslav and Sveneld, concluding peace, returned all the prisoners to the Byzantines. We can safely assume that the nun (in Rus' they called her Preslava) was a spy. She was much older than her husband and could regulate him. With her, other Greek spies appeared in the palace.

In 977, Sveneld and Yaropolk launched a surprise attack on their rivals. The prince's brother Oleg was defeated and died. Vladimir and his uncle Dobrynya were forced to flee overseas. But the position of the common people was decisive. When Sveneld died, Vladimir returned to his homeland. It turned out that they were waiting for him. Novgorodians, Krivichi, Chud, all immediately took his side. Then other tribes and cities began to move over to him. The campaign against Kyiv in 980 went without any fighting at all. And Yaropolk was afraid to even stay in his own capital; he did not trust his subjects. He fled to the Rodnya fortress and was besieged.

Varyazhko’s close associate advised Yaropolk: “Don’t go, sir, to your brother, you will die. Leave Rus' for a while and gather an army in the land of the Pechenegs.” As we see, the last faithful servant of the prince was a foreigner, and he even had nowhere to run except to the Pechenegs, to bring nomads to Rus'! But another adviser, Blud, persuaded the prince to surrender. He went to his brother, and the Varangian mercenaries who were waiting in the hallway pierced him with swords.

Was he executed according to the law, as an accomplice in the coup, a parricide, a fratricide? Later, under Yaroslav the Wise, “Russkaya Pravda” in its first article read: “Whoever kills a person, the relatives of the murdered person will avenge the death with death.” Vladimir fulfilled the law. And Yaropolk’s wife Preslav was pregnant at that time, and the winner included her among his wives. This was not perversion, not a manifestation of lust, but also according to the law. After all, the wife was not responsible for the crimes of her husband, and the sovereign acted as required by pagan Slavic law - the brother inherits his brother’s widow. He did not live with the Greek woman as his wife (she was 12–15 years older than Vladimir), but he accepted her into the family, supported her equally with other wives and recognized her son Svyatopolk as his. In Rus', such children were called “sons of two fathers.”

Several years passed, and in 988 St. Equal to the Apostles Grand Duke Vladimir Svyatoslavich established Christianity in Kyiv. At the same time, he married the Byzantine princess Anna. But he already had several pagan wives and children born from them. They needed to be removed, and the sovereign did the same as his father: he assigned inheritances to his sons. And he sent the mothers away with their children. At the same time, eight-year-old Svyatopolk and Preslava received Turov, the land of the Dregovichi tribe.

It can be noted that the sovereign did not offend his adopted son at all. His inheritance was vast and fertile, covering the southern part of Belarus. The principality was much more comfortable than the wilderness of Suzdal or Rostov; in 1006 an independent diocese was established here. In addition to Turov, the cities of Pinsk and Brest fell into Svyatopolk’s possessions. But next to Svyatopolk was his mother. She never had warm feelings for Vladimir. While we lived in Kyiv, we had to hold our tongue. And in Turov, the mother and her entourage treated Svyatopolk to the fullest extent.

Well, Russian craftsmen built wonderful mansions - bright, cheerful, and decorated them with intricate carvings. This was also the case with the Turov Palace. But he was filled with anger and hatred. Svyatopolk was told how his usurper uncle had insidiously overthrown and killed his father. What a brilliant position he would have occupied under Yaropolk - firstborn, heir! Svyatopolk was over 30, but his mother tenaciously kept him under her influence and did not even allow him to marry. For the true heir to the Kyiv throne, any boyar daughter looked like an unsuitable match...

And next door was Poland. King Boleslav the Brave, powerful and extremely warlike, ruled there. He conquered the Czech Republic, crushed the Germans, Lithuanians, Polabian Slavs - Lusatians and Lutichians. The Lyutichs and the Czechs united with the German Emperor Henry II and fought back. Then Boleslav turned to St. Vladimir. He proposed an alliance against the Germans and wooed him to his daughter Predslava. No, the Russian sovereign refused. He did not want to enter into a completely unnecessary war, and he simply felt sorry for his daughter - Boleslav was already an old man. And he was extremely fat in build; he even had difficulty moving. Servants helped him climb into the saddle.

But he was ready to fight with anyone, no matter! He was offended by the refusal. He immediately made peace with the same Germany with which he had just fought, and in 1013 he went to Rus'. However, the heroes of St. Vladimir were strong, the squads were united and well trained. The Poles were immediately hit hard, and Boleslav soon realized that he had perhaps gotten carried away. He got involved and offered to negotiate. St. Vladimir was not at all against stopping the fight: he did not start it. We agreed with the neighbor to arrange the world more firmly, in a family-like way, and the wedding still took place. But no longer the king and the young princess. Now Boleslav offered to give his own daughter from his first marriage to the Turov prince Svyatopolk. The contract was signed and the newlyweds were married. As usual, we feasted, sang, and danced.

Although Boleslav’s courage was by no means combined with honesty and nobility. In fact, his move was a masterfully calculated sabotage. He knew very well about Svyatopolk’s moods; they lived nearby. A confessor was attached to the bride. And not just an ordinary one, but a royal one, Bishop Reinburn of Kolobrzeg. When the celebrations died down and the guests left, he, on behalf of Boleslav, laid out far-reaching proposals to Svyatopolk. Isn't it time for the prince to separate himself from his hated uncle? Go under the arm of a kind father-in-law? Of course, together with the Principality of Turov. At the same time, change your faith and come under the auspices of the Pope. In general, the shot was aimed accurately. Hit the bull's eye. Svyatopolk caught fire.

But Vladimir Krasno Solnyshko was not in power for the first day. He would be a bad sovereign if he didn’t know: things are very, very wrong in Turov. He would have been a bad sovereign if he had not looked after Svyatopolk and his entourage through faithful people. He did not allow the conspiracy to mature. As soon as it was discovered that the “son of two fathers” was persuading his fellow boyars to cheat, Vladimir decided that his paternal responsibilities for his adoption had been exhausted. The vigilantes suddenly arrived and arrested the warm company. They brought her to Kyiv, and the princess was accommodated delicately at court. And Svyatopolk and Rainburn were sent to where traitors were supposed to be - to prison. The bishop could not bear such a shock and died in prison.

It seemed that calm in Rus' had improved, but no... Novgorod spoke up. The city is rich, the region is vast, and it paid a considerable tax - 3,000 hryvnia of silver per year. A third went to support the local prince and his squad, two thirds went to Kyiv. The Novgorod boyars have been grumbling for a long time, but do they have to pay? On whom does all of Rus' stand if not on the Novgorodians? Wasn’t it Novgorod that called Rurik, marched to Kyiv under the banners Prophetic Oleg, elevated Vladimir himself to the Kyiv throne? And where is the gratitude?

The sovereign's son Yaroslav ruled here; later he would receive the nickname Wise. He was young and hot. He led the Novgorodians in a victorious war against the Swedes, and married the Swedish princess Ingigerda. Local boyars egged on the prince. The capital is already awash in luxury, wouldn’t they themselves have found where to put the money? Temples and palaces would be built no worse than those in Kyiv! Yaroslav found their arguments reasonable. In 1014, he wrote to his father that he would not send tribute.

Vladimir got angry. He threatened the disobedient man that he would bring him to order by force. But I found a scythe on a stone. Yaroslav regarded his father’s anger as undeserved, and in turn became wound up. Yes, he would be ashamed to retreat - in front of the Novgorodians, in front of his young wife. He snapped: we won’t pay and that’s it. Obstinacy went off scale, and St. Vladimir ordered to gather an army. Did he intend to fight against his son? The facts show no. He knew very well that the mess was made by the Novgorod boyars, who were sparing their wallets. I also knew something else: these boyars wouldn’t want war either. After all, during a siege, their homes and wealth could have perished, their villages could have been ruined.

They only tried to intimidate, to bargain for concessions. Fights with the Pechenegs taught the people of Kiev to instantly raise shelves. The Emperor had the opportunity to set out immediately, along a convenient winter road. But the army gathered and hustled in Kyiv all winter and spring... Vladimir gave Novgorod time to come to its senses. The boyars realize that he will not give in and will cast bait for negotiations.

But Svyatopolk’s betrayal and Yaroslav’s trick made the Grand Duke think about something else... He had many sons, from different mothers, different upbringings. But formally Svyatopolk was considered the eldest! Although in that era it was not necessarily the eldest son who became the heir. In Germany, the successor to kings and emperors was chosen by a congress of princes, and in Byzantium and Bulgaria, the monarchs themselves determined the successors. Often, Greek and German emperors crowned their heirs during their lifetime and appointed them co-rulers so that the transfer of power would take place without shocks.

Vladimir decided to do the same. He summoned his son from his Bulgarian wife, Boris, who ruled in distant Rostov. It was to him that the Grand Duke planned to leave the throne. Let him be nearby, enter into the intricacies of Kyiv politics, and get used to the scale of the state. And let the boyars, the army, and other sons get used to the fact that here he is, the future ruler. Boris arrived joyful and spiritual. I missed my father, my relatives, and the beautiful Kyiv churches. Boris was certainly not in the mood to fight Yaroslav and treated him with respect. And in general, Boris’s evangelical consciousness did not accept that it was possible to cross weapons with his own brother. He is not an enemy of Rus', not a foreigner!

Daughter Predslava also stood up for Yaroslav before her father. She was friends with her older brother and corresponded with him. You never know what happens to anyone - he got excited, the advisers misled him. The Grand Duke pondered how best to resolve the conflict. If the army moves out, the Novgorodians will retreat in any case. Then Yaroslav himself will understand what their incitement is worth. And the peace-loving Boris will help reassure his brother. It will be possible to make concessions to the Novgorodians, but not immediately. Wait for them to bow and obey... The sovereign did not have time to realize these plans.

The course of further events shows that the conspiracy began to be woven in Kyiv itself. It was based on the capital's boyars. In a great and powerful power, gathered through the efforts of St. Vladimir, it also grew stronger and richer. The inherited lands were supplemented by awards and new grants from the sovereign. But the strong centralized power that the Grand Duke asserted constrained and irritated the aristocrats. Isn't it better to live like in the West? Like Polish gentlemen or Hungarian barons? The boyars did not forget how their fathers, under the weak Yaropolk, ruled the entire country. Now his son was in prison...

Arrival of St. Boris and the talk that he would be proclaimed heir spurred on the traitors. The Grand Duke was not yet old at all, he was barely over fifty. His health was excellent, his illnesses were never mentioned anywhere, he was constantly on hikes and on horseback. And in the spring of 1015 he suddenly fell ill. Was his illness caused by natural causes? This may be doubted. Somehow everything happened too “timely”.

The seditionists needed to remove the assembled army from Kyiv, and a false report was received about an attack by the Pechenegs. It was not difficult to inspire him: among the conspirators was the chief governor of Vladimir, Wolf Tail. The Emperor entrusted the army of St. Boris - this is his first assignment in the role of “ right hand"father. Let us emphasize: the condition of the Grand Duke at that moment did not cause any concern. Otherwise, would his son have left him? But as soon as the army left, the saint’s well-being. Vladimir’s condition worsened sharply. On July 15, the Baptist of Rus' gave up his soul to the Lord...

The conspirators staged the first Kiev Maidan in history. They brought out crowds of their own servants and took possession of the capital. Svyatopolk was released from prison and placed on the throne. Nobody bothered with legality; the matter was decided by fists, knives and tinned throats. From the people of Kiev the expression of the will of St. Vladimir was hidden, and even the fact of his death was hidden from the rest of the country. Svyatopolk first of all began to distribute the treasury accumulated by his adoptive father, paid off his supporters, and recruited new ones. St. Boris wandered aimlessly through the steppes and returned back. Suddenly he learned about the coup, the traitorous commanders took the regiments away from him, and Svyatopolk the Accursed sent assassins. He decided to get rid of all his half-brothers. Another detachment overtook and finished off Svyatoslav Drevlyansky, who was trying to hide abroad. St. Gleb was lured out of Murom. They reported not about the death, but about the illness of the father. When he rushed to Kyiv, the killers were waiting on the road.

But sister Predslava managed to send a letter to Yaroslav the Wise about what happened in the capital. And once again the boyars decided not to know the outcome of the confrontation. The position of the Russian common people decided. It did not yet know about all the details of the atrocities, but in its soul it felt on whose side the truth was. At that time, the Novgorodians had just quarreled with Yaroslav and rebelled against him. However, they heard about the coup and decided to discard their previous scores. They collected money and armed themselves. But Svyatopolk the Accursed was still an intelligent man. He was aware that the people were not on his side. He didn’t even try to attack Novgorod. For defense, he entered into an alliance with the eternal enemies of Rus', with the Pechenegs. St. Vladimir fought with them for a quarter of a century, and there was no way to make peace. But the usurper had no difficulties. Come, dear friends!

Both sides met in the late autumn of 1016 on the Dnieper near Lyubech. The cold river separated the opponents. There were significantly more Kyivans, and besides, they had professional warriors - squads of the capital's boyars, the Pechenegs. Yaroslav brought armed commoners. They mocked them, the commander Wolf Tail rode along the shore and shouted: “Hey, you carpenters, why did you come here with your lame prince?” But many Kyiv warriors sympathized with Yaroslav, sent them and suggested where it was better to strike. And Svyatopolk tried to arouse the sympathy of the soldiers for himself, to stir up the fervor of battle by other means. I gave them a strong drink every evening.

The Novgorodians decreed that anyone who was cowardly should be considered a traitor and killed. We crossed at night and pushed the boats away, cutting off our own escape route. They tied scarves around their heads so that they could distinguish their own people in the darkness, and fell into a drunken state. Axes and swords flashed. The defeat was complete... Svyatopolk fled to Poland in panic, leaving his wife in Kyiv. And the capital, having lost such a prince, did not even think of resisting. Yaroslav entered Kyiv. Organized the search and burial of the relics of the holy passion-bearers Boris and Gleb.

Although the struggle is by no means over. Svyatopolk galloped up to Boleslav the Brave and asked for help. He paid generously. The treaty that gave Red Rus' to Poland was signed. That is, Prykarpattya. There were salt deposits there. In the Middle Ages, the product was very expensive; without salt it was impossible to prepare meat, lard, and fish for future use. Therefore, the Carpathian region was of great interest to both the king and his financiers, Polish Jews. True, at first Boleslav could not help his son-in-law. He was busy with another war with the German emperor. And he assessed the situation, sent an embassy to Yaroslav the Wise, and concluded an alliance with him. But they did not have time to implement it and were unable to do so. The Poles fell on the Germans and smashed them to smithereens. The emperor accepted all the conditions that were dictated to him. He not only gave up several regions, but also renounced friendship with the Russians. On the contrary, he allocated a detachment of German knights for a campaign against Kyiv.

In addition to the Germans, Boleslav invited the Hungarians, and Svyatopolk invited the Pechenegs. In 1018, a huge army poured into the east. Supporters of the escaped prince also acted in Kyiv. Someone set fire, and purposefully, to fortifications. A severe fire destroyed part of the walls and towers. But for Yaroslav such a massive invasion was unexpected. He hastily gathered warriors and met the enemy on the banks of the Bug. But Boleslav was an experienced warrior, he cheated. He set up camp and began to build a bridge. Yaroslav considered that so far everything was going well, he was gaining time, troops from distant cities would have time to reach him. But the Russian knights saw: until the construction is completed, they can relax. But the river became shallow in the summer heat, the king ordered to secretly measure the depth. Having chosen the right moment, he rushed ford.

Our soldiers didn’t even have time to prepare. An avalanche of enemies scattered them. Yaroslav was saved by the warriors who covered him and the speed of his horse. But he could not count on the loyalty of the capital’s boyars; he rushed to the north. I reached Novgorod with only four companions. He was broken not only physically, but also mentally. Did he have any hope of defeating the combined forces of Svyatopolk, the Poles, and the Pechenegs? It seemed that the only thing left to do was to emigrate. He ordered the boats to be prepared and to sail to his wife’s relatives, the Swedes. But the Novgorodians rose up. They demonstratively chopped up the rooks and declared: “We want and can still resist Boleslav. You don’t have a treasury - take everything we have.” They introduced an additional tax and equipped warriors.

And Southern Rus' found itself in the power of the victors. The cities, seeing countless hordes and not hoping for help, surrendered. Only one resisted, he was taken by storm, Boleslav sold all the inhabitants, young and old, into slavery. In Kyiv, the burnt walls have not yet been restored, but the boyars have changed them. They convinced the population that the “liberators” had arrived. On August 14, the city elite solemnly greeted Boleslav and Svyatopolk and took the oath to the fratricide. Repressions began. They captured Svyatopolk's opponents and those who advanced under Yaroslav, executed them, and forced them into captivity. The sisters of Yaroslav, Predslav and Dobrognev also fell into the hands of the invaders. The story of how Predslava helped her brother was revealed, and Boleslav came up with a special punishment for her. He made her his concubine. Recently St. Vladimir refused the king's request for matchmaking, and now the princess was forced to lie under the royal carcass.

But... Svyatopolk and his supporters did not get what they wanted. Because Boleslav really liked the rich and beautiful Russian capital. Much better than Polish towns and damp, torch-smoked castles. Did it make sense to be content with the Carpathian region? He had much more at his disposal. In words, the king recognized his son-in-law as a “legitimate” prince, but in reality he stopped taking him into account. He had no intention of leaving now. He simply occupied Kyiv and surrounding cities, unleashing outright robbery. He cleaned out the treasury and temples.

Ordinary Poles behaved similarly. They were the winners! Throughout the courtyards, chests and storeroom doors were cracking, pigs were squealing, cows were mooing, and chickens were cackling. Girls and young women were raped. You can't fight against the sword! But they intimidated with swords during the day, and at night the Poles fell asleep, and the Russians took up knives. Corpses were found on the streets. Who, how? But no one knows. More and more people were killed from night to night. The Poles were very cordially received by the Kyiv Jews, who bought looted loot and Russian slaves from them. But the Jews were also attacked; their houses began to be set on fire.

And Svyatopolk was completely baked on both sides. On the one hand, the king who seized power from him. On the other hand, there is growing Russian rage. It seemed to the prince that he had come up with a way out. He whispered to those close to him, let them spread rumors that he himself was fighting against the Poles. But those close to him were a match for the master, they immediately pledged to Boleslav. He was indignant at such black ingratitude. But the Polish army was melting, and the king considered it best to say goodbye to Kiev.

A huge convoy crawled out of the city. They took away such wealth as had never been seen in Poland. Boleslav led away the prisoners and took with him two princesses: young Dobrogneva, the youngest of the daughters of St. Vladimir, and trampled Predslava. But the capital’s traitors also realized that Svyatopolk’s affairs were completely rotten. Some hoped to get out in front of Yaroslav. And those whose snouts were completely dirty joined the king, leaving with their families and cartloads of junk forever. The Poles separated from Rus' those areas that they hoped to hold - the Carpathian region and Volyn. Boleslav outlined the border along the Bug, placing garrisons west of this river.

As for Svyatopolk the Accursed, he was now left completely without support. The people of Kiev did not believe his attempts to join in the partisan war. They cursed the prince who dragged the enemy horde onto their heads. When Yaroslav and the Novgorodians marched south, no one wanted to fight for Svyatopolk. He abandoned Kyiv and disappeared. Yaroslav entered the city without a fight, and was greeted with sincere joy.

Although his opponent still hasn't calmed down. He again drove his horses to the enemies of Rus' - this time to the Pechenegs. He no longer had any money or valuables, but he could pay with his subjects! The people of the steppe will have the right to recruit as many Russian slaves as they want! Svyatopolk campaigned well, all the hordes rose to the campaign. News of the threatening movement in the steppe reached the border fortresses and reached Kyiv. Yaroslav managed to gather a large army and stood on the river. Alte. At the same place where the murderers overtook St. Boris.

The steppe turned black from the cavalry splashing out. Chroniclers noted that the masses of enemies advanced like a dense dense forest; the Russians had never seen so many Pechenegs. But against them stood shoulder to shoulder the Novgorodians, Kyivians, Belgorodians, Pereyaslavians, Chernigovians, and Smolyanians. Now they did not stand for a fight for power, but closed off Rus'. And Yaroslav also recalled that it was from this place that the chain of meanness and atrocities began. He cried out: “The blood of my innocent brother cries out to the Most High.”

The rats collided so hard that the earth shook. The arrows obscured the sun like clouds and fell like steel rains. Spears and bones crunched, opponents clashed with swords, grappled in deadly embraces and strangled each other. Three times the battle fizzled out on its own. Exhausted opponents dispersed or fell exhausted. But, after catching their breath, after sipping on the water heated in the sun, they seized again. Only in the evening the Pechenegs wavered, began to back away - and broke, rolled away...

Svyatopolk with several servants slipped away to the west. He was paralyzed from the stress he suffered; he could not sit on a horse. He was brought to Brest, the city of his former principality. But the prince was no longer himself. He imagined he was being chased, imagined that he was being overtaken. He looked around in horror, forbade us to stop, and ordered us to move on. But where? It was no longer possible to visit Boleslav; his father-in-law was distinguished by his vindictiveness. And anyway, who needed him, a loser and good-for-nothing princeling? We moved towards the Czech Republic along remote forest roads. Somewhere along the way, Svyatopolk the Accursed died.

Yaroslav the Wise managed to rescue Sister Dobrogneva. Exchanged for the widow of Svyatopolk, daughter of the Polish king. The fate of Predslava is unknown. Either she disappeared in a foreign land, or she returned with Dobrogneva, but renounced the world and retired to a monastery.

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170. SVYATOPOLK I (Cursed) YAROPOLKOVICH, Grand Duke of Kiev and all Rus', son of Yaropolk I Svyatoslavich, Grand Duke of Kyiv and all Rus' from his marriage with a Greek captive, called Predslava in some news (see 162). Born in Kyiv, after his death father, mother,

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

Svyatopolk Vladimirovich(baptized Peter, in ancient Russian historiography nicknamed “The Accursed”, ca. 979-1019) - Prince of Turov (from 988, the first of the Rurik family), Grand Duke of Kiev in 1015-1016 and 1018-1019.
Prince Svyatopolk Vladimirovich planned to exterminate all the sons of Vladimir and take possession of their inheritance. First, the people he sent killed Prince of Rostov on the Alta River while he was praying, then near Smolensk the killers overtook Prince of Murom. Boris and Gleb, beloved sons, were distinguished by their extraordinary kindness and Christian piety. The Church recognized them as Saints.
Then Svyatoslav Drevlyansky was killed. After the massacre of relatives, Prince Svyatopolk Vladimirovich received the nickname “ Damned».
Having learned about the murder of the brothers, (in the future the Wise), with the support of the Novgorodians and Varangian warriors, went to war against Svyatopolk. Both troops met on the Dnieper. Yaroslav attacked when Svyatopolk was feasting with his soldiers, pushed his army to the lake, on which there was still thin ice, and many of Svyatopolk’s soldiers drowned. Svyatopolk the Accursed fled to Poland for the help of his father-in-law.
With the support of Polish and Pecheneg soldiers, in 1017 Svyatopolk the Accursed won the throne and fled back to Novgorod. When the Poles left Kyiv, Yaroslav again attacked Svyatopolk. Yaroslav won the battle on the Alta River, and Prince Svyatopolk the Accursed, wounded, fled to Poland and along the road, abandoned by everyone, died in 1019.

From “The Tale of Bygone Years.”

Svyatopolk sat in Kyiv after the death of his father , and called the people of Kiev and began to give them gifts. They took it, but their hearts did not lie to him, because their brothers were with Boris. When Boris had already returned with his army, not finding the Pechenegs, the news came to him: “Your father has died.” And he cried bitterly for his father, because he was loved by his father more than anyone else, and stopped when he reached Alta. His father’s squad told him: “Here you have your father’s squad and army. Go and sit in Kyiv on your father’s table.” He answered: “I will not raise my hand against my elder brother: if my father died, then let this one be my father instead.” Hearing this, the soldiers dispersed from him. Boris remained standing with only his youths. Meanwhile, Svyatopolk, filled with lawlessness, accepted Cain’s thought and sent to tell Boris: “I want to have love with you and will give you more to the property received from my father,” but he himself deceived him in order to somehow destroy him. Svyatopolk came to Vyshgorod at night, secretly called Putsha and the Vyshgorod boyars and said to them: “Are you devoted to me with all your heart?” Putsha and the Vyshgorod residents answered: “We agree to lay down our heads for you.” Then he told them: “Without telling anyone, go and kill my brother Boris.” They promised him to immediately fulfill this. Solomon said about such people: “They hasten to unrighteously shed blood. For they take part in the shedding of blood and bring misfortune upon themselves. Such are the ways of all who commit iniquity, for by wickedness they take away their soul.” Those sent came to Alta at night, and when they came closer, they heard Boris singing matins, since the news had already come to him that they were going to destroy him. And, getting up, he began to sing: “Lord! Why have my enemies multiplied! Many rise up against me” (Ps. 3:2); and again: “For your arrows have pierced me; for I am ready for troubles, and my sorrow... is before me” (Ps. 37:3); and he also said: “Lord! Hear my prayer... and do not enter into judgment with Your servant, for no one living will be justified before You, since the enemy is persecuting my soul” (Ps. 143:1-3). And, having finished the sixth psalm and seeing that those sent to kill him had come, he began to sing psalms: “The fat bulls surrounded me... A crowd of evil ones surrounded me” (Ps. 22:13, 17); “Lord my God, I trust in You, save me and deliver me from all my persecutors” (Ps. 7:2). Then he began to sing the canon. And then, having finished Matins, he prayed and said, looking at the icon, at the image of the Master: “Lord Jesus Christ! Just as you appeared on earth in this image for the sake of our salvation, by your own will allowing you to nail your hands to the cross, and accepting suffering for our sins, so grant me the ability to accept suffering. I do not accept this suffering from my enemies, but from my own brother, and do not hold it against him, Lord, it is a sin.” And, having prayed to God, he lay down on his bed. And so they attacked him like wild animals, surrounding the tent, and pierced him with spears, and pierced Boris and his servant, who covered him with his body, pierced him. He was loved by Boris. There was this youth, a Hungarian by birth, named George; Boris loved him very much, and he placed a large golden hryvnia on him, in which he served him. They also killed many of Boris’s other youths. With George, they could not quickly remove the hryvnia from his neck, and cut off his head, and only then took off the hryvnia, and threw his head away; That is why later they did not find his body among the corpses. Having killed Boris, the damned wrapped him in a tent, put him on a cart, and drove him away, still breathing. The accursed Svyatopolk, having learned that Boris was still breathing, sent two Varangians to finish him off. When they came and saw that he was still alive, one of them drew a sword and pierced him in the heart. And so blessed Boris died, having accepted the crown with other righteous people. eternal life from Christ God, equal with the prophets and apostles, being with the host of martyrs, resting in the bosom of Abraham, seeing inexpressible joy, singing with the angels and being in joy with all the saints. And they laid his body in the church of Vasily, secretly bringing it to Vyshgorod. Those damned murderers came to Svyatopolk, as if they had deserved praise, lawless people. These are the names of these lawbreakers: Putsha, Talets, Elovit, Lyashko, and their father is Satan. For such servants are like demons: demons are sent for evil, while angels are sent for good deeds. Angels do not do evil to a person, but they constantly wish him good, especially helping Christians and protecting them from the adversary the devil; and demons encourage a person to do evil, envying him; and since they see that man is honored by God, that is why they envy and are quick to commit evil. An evil person, zealous in evil deeds, is worse than a demon, for demons fear God, and evil person neither fears God nor is ashamed of people; Demons are afraid of the cross of the Lord, but an evil person is not afraid of the cross.

The accursed Svyatopolk began to think: “I killed Boris; how to kill Gleb? And, having conceived Cain’s affair, he deceivingly sent a messenger to Gleb, saying: “Come here quickly, your father is calling you: he is very ill.” Gleb immediately mounted his horse and set off with a small retinue, because he was obedient to his father. And when he came to the Volga, his horse stumbled on a pothole in the field, and Gleb slightly injured his leg. And he came to Smolensk, and went not far from Smolensk, and stood in Smyadyn in a nasad. At the same time, news came from Predslava to Yaroslav about the death of his father, and Yaroslav sent to tell Gleb: “Don’t go: your father died, and your brother was killed by Svyatopolk.” Hearing this, Gleb cried out loudly with tears, crying for his father, but even more for his brother, and began to pray with tears, saying: “Woe is me, Lord! It would be better for me to die with my brother than to live in this world. If I had seen, my brother, your angelic face, I would have died with you: now why am I left alone? Where are your speeches, what did you say to me, my beloved brother? Now I will no longer hear your quiet instruction. If your prayers reach God, then pray for me, so that I too may accept the same martyr’s death. It would be better for me to die with you than to live in this world full of lies.” And when he was praying like this with tears, suddenly those sent by Svyatopolk came to destroy Gleb. And then suddenly the messengers of the Glebs captured the ship and drew their weapons. The Glebov youths lost heart. The accursed Goryaser, one of those sent, ordered Gleb to be stabbed to death immediately. Gleb’s cook, named Torchin, took out a knife and slaughtered Gleb like an innocent lamb. So he was sacrificed to God, instead of fragrant incense, a reasonable sacrifice, and accepted the crown of the kingdom of God, entering the heavenly abodes, and saw his desired brother there, and rejoiced with him with the indescribable joy that they were awarded for their brotherly love. “How good and how wonderful it is for brothers to live together!” The damned returned back, as David said: “Let sinners return to hell.” When they arrived, they said to Svyatopolk: “They did what you ordered.” Hearing this, he became even more proud, not knowing what David said: “Why do you boast about your wickedness, O mighty one? All the day long iniquity...is devised by your tongue” (Ps. 51:3).

So, Gleb was killed, and he was thrown on the shore between two logs, then, taking him, they took him away and laid him next to his brother Boris in the church of St. Basil.

Svyatopolk, the accursed and evil one, killed Svyatoslav, sending him to the Ugrian Mountain when he fled to the Ugrians. And Svyatopolk began to think: “I will kill all my brothers and I will own the Russian land alone.” This is what he thought in his pride, not knowing that “God gives power to whomever he wants, for the Almighty appoints the emperor and prince whom he wants to give.” If any country becomes pleasing to God, then God will appoint for it a emperor or a righteous prince who loves justice and law, and will bestow a ruler and a judge who judges the court. For if the princes are just in a country, then many sins are forgiven to that country; if they are evil and deceitful, then God sends even greater evil to that country, because the prince is the head of the land. For this is what Isaiah said: “They have sinned from head to foot, that is, from the emperor to ordinary people" “Woe to that city in which the prince is young,” who loves to drink wine to the sound of the harp together with young advisers. God gives such princes for sins, but takes away the old and wise, as Isaiah said: “The Lord will take away from Jerusalem a strong giant and a brave man, and a judge, and a prophet, and a humble elder, and a wondrous counselor, and a wise artist, and a wise man who lives in law. And I will give them a young prince, and I will make the offender possess them” (Is. 3:1-4).

The accursed Svyatopolk began to reign in Kyiv. Having called people, he began to give them cloaks to some, and money to others, and distributed a lot of wealth. When Yaroslav did not yet know about his father’s death, he had many Varangians, and they committed violence against the Novgorodians and their wives. The Novgorodians rebelled and killed the Varangians in the courtyard of Poromoniem. And Yaroslav became angry and went to the village of Rakomo and sat down there in the courtyard. And he sent to the Novgorodians to say: “I can’t resurrect them anymore.” And he called to himself the best men who killed the Varangians, and, having deceived them, killed them. That same night, news came to him from Kyiv from his sister Predslava: “Your father died, and Svyatopolk sits in Kyiv, killed Boris, and sent him to Gleb, be very careful of him.” Hearing this, Yaroslav was sad about his father, and about his brothers, and about his squad. The next day, having gathered the rest of the Novgorodians, Yaroslav said: “Oh, my dear squad, which I killed yesterday, but today it turned out to be needed.” He wiped away his tears and addressed them at the meeting: “My father died, and Svyatopolk sits in Kyiv and kills his brothers.” And the Novgorodians said: “Although, prince, our brothers were cut off, we can fight for you!” And Yaroslav gathered a thousand Varangians, and 40,000 other soldiers, and went against Svyatopolk, calling God as a witness of his truth and saying: “It was not I who began to beat my brothers, but he; May God be an avenger for the blood of my brothers, because without guilt he shed the righteous blood of Boris and Gleb. Or should I do the same? Judge me, O Lord, in truth, so that the sinner’s atrocities may cease.” And he went to Svyatopolk. Hearing that Yaroslav was coming, Svyatopolk gathered countless soldiers, Russians and Pechenegs, and went out against him to Lyubech on the other side of the Dnieper, and Yaroslav was on this one.

Knows many cases of fratricide. The same Vladimir, father (and according to some sources, uncle) of Svyatopolk, killed his brother Yaropolk, and even at the moment when his wife was about to give birth, and his nickname was Red Sun.

Svyatopolk received his prefix to his name - Damned - probably due to the number of killed brothers. There were three of them: Boris, Gleb and Svyatoslav.

The first rulers of Rus'

Prince Svyatopolk, according to some sources, was not Vladimir I’s son, but his nephew, since Krasno Solnyshko immediately married the widow of the murdered Yaropolk, the Greek Julia, and she was already bearing another fratricide. Actually, Svyatopolk had all the rights to the Kiev throne both as Vladimirovich, because he was the eldest son after the death of Vysheslav, and as Yaropolkovich, because he was the legitimate son of the legitimate Kyiv ruler. All of the above were the first Russian rulers with whom the history of Rus' began. Svyatopolk was the great-great-grandson of Rurik, the great-grandson of Igor and Olga, the grandson of Svyatoslav, the son or nephew of Vladimir. With them, Rus' became established, was baptized, with them the faith grew stronger and the lands multiplied.

Honored prefix to the name

Of course, not all of them were fratricides. Judging by the chronicles and historical sources, contemporaries still have fond memories of Boris and Gleb. Taking into account their innocent death and high spiritual qualities, the passion-bearing brothers were canonized, and they became the first Russian saints. Their blood stopped sedition in Rus'. Why did Svyatopolk Vladimirovich the Accursed kill them? Why was he called that? Why is Svyatoslav, who also fell at the hands of the Damned, not counted among the saints?

The term “cursed” itself in Ancient Rus' has the following synonyms: wicked and sinful, rejected by the church and damned. That is, if Svyatopolk was given such a nickname, and he “became famous” for centuries with it, it means that his crimes overflowed the cup of human patience. Svyatopolk Vladimirovich the Accursed did not live even 40 years (born in 979, died in 1019), Kievan Rus ruled for about a year and remained in people's memory as the killer of brothers.

Stranger

He was raised by Vladimir as his own son and received the reign in Turov, the capital of the Turov principality, located on the territory of present-day Belarus. Later Red Sun gave him custody Drevlyan lands and Pinsk, that is, as we see, did not offend him at all.

Prince Svyatopolk of Turov on this throne was the first representative of the Rurik family and reigned there since 988. Svyatopolk himself called himself the son of Yaropolk. Its origin is reflected in its name. All other sons of Vladimir the Baptist have the root “slav” in their names in honor of their grandfather Svyatoslav: Izyaslav and Vysheslav, Yaroslav and Mstislav. And in the name of Svyatopolk, the first syllable indicates that the grandfather was really Svyatoslav Igorevich, and the father was Yaropolk. There is no absolutely accurate data, and the mother is not always indicated as Greek (sometimes they talk about a Czech woman, who was Vladimir’s first wife). In The Tale of Bygone Years they write about him as the son of two fathers and call him “an evil fruit.”

Catholic wife

One way or another, all the actions of the hero of our story indicate that he did not love either Vladimir himself, or his brothers or sisters. So, in 1018, Svyatopolk Vladimirovich the Damned took hostage his sisters and stepmother, that is, Vladimir’s next wife, and his brother Yaroslav, later nicknamed the Wise. Additionally, he married a Polish princess, daughter of Bolesław I the Brave, in 1015. The young lady had a spiritual mentor - Bishop Reinburn of Kolberg, and together they all dreamed of re-subordinating Rus' to Catholic Rome. For this purpose, it was necessary to overthrow Vladimir, who also once killed Svyatopolk’s father. But the plot was discovered by the Greek clergyman Anastas Korsunyanin, who at the time was the de facto leader of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Achieving the desired goal

Svyatopolk Vladimirovich Damned with his wife and her mentor were thrown into prison. One can imagine how angry he came out of there after the death of Vladimir, which happened on July 15, 1015. None of the brothers were in Kyiv, Svyatopolk easily took the throne and became Great. He did not recognize all his relatives, but he hated his father’s favorite, Boris, fiercely. The people of Kiev supported him. How the Damned One dreamed of power can be judged by the fact that, sitting on the throne for only a year, he managed to issue his own currency - pieces of silver with a circular inscription around the portrait: “Svyatopolk on the table.”

Cynical killer

During the same year, he kills three brothers (considering them not relatives, but step-brothers) - the Rostov prince Boris, the favorite of the army and the people, the Murom prince Gleb and the Drevlyan Svyatoslav. Boris and Gleb were distinguished by their piety and simple human decency.

They did not listen to the persuasion of their close circle and responded to Svyatopolk’s false call about the desire for reconciliation. Gleb, who did not know about his father’s death, was summoned by Svyatopolk on behalf of Vladimir. Moreover, both Boris and Gleb recognized the power of the new Kyiv prince unconditionally and promised to honor him as they honored their father. Boris the Accursed killed with particular cruelty. Svyatoslav wanted to flee to Hungary, but the killers overtook him there too. Perhaps because he resisted and did not swear allegiance to Svyatopolk, the church did not canonize him.

Damned Villain

Svyatopolk Vladimirovich the Accursed, without hesitation for a minute, would have killed Yaroslav, but at the first meeting near Lyubech on the Dnieper he was defeated by his troops, and Yaroslav occupied Kyiv.

But the Accursed One, who fled to his father-in-law, returned with him and the Polish troops, who, under the leadership of Boleslav I the Brave, defeated the Novgorodians on the Bug. Svyatopolk again took the Kyiv throne. But this man obviously lacked any positive traits, including elementary gratitude: he expelled Polish troops from Kyiv so as not to put them on allowances.

Evil is punished

Yaroslav, who returned with the Varangians, finally defeated all of Svyatopolk’s allies (this time they were Pechenegs) on the Alta River, near the place where Svyatopolk Vladimirovich the Accursed killed his brother Gleb. His short biography contains facts of conspiracies, betrayals, murders and... nothing that would have been done, like his father Vladimir the Baptist and brother Yaroslav the Wise, for the glory of the Russian land. There is no exact information about when, where and how he died. There are legends that while fleeing from the battlefield, the fratricide went crazy and died somewhere in a deserted place on the border of Poland and the Czech Republic.

Unconfirmed options

There are some versions that say that Svyatopolk was slandered, and that he had nothing to do with the murder of the brothers Boris and Gleb, they say, this was the work of Yaroslav, who openly opposed his father.

Before his death, Vladimir was preparing for a campaign against Novgorod to pacify his rebellious son, who, given the presence of older brothers, could not even dream of the Kiev throne. And Yaroslav was very ambitious. In addition, princely children continued to be named after this Svyatopolk, while there was a clear set of family princely names, from which “bad” ones were excluded. By the way, in the Scandinavian “Edmund’s Saga” it is Yaroslav who is indicated as the murderer of Boris. It is difficult, however, to imagine that Yaroslav was capable in those days, in the absence of the media, to commit the murder of three brothers and so successfully shift the blame to Svyatopolk, who for several hundred years has been considered the accursed murderer of Boris and Gleb, who became heavenly after death defenders of the Fatherland.

Svyatopolk the Accursed is a controversial figure in the history of Ancient Rus'. There are many dark spots in his fate, which were filled with various conjectures and legends. Exact date The prince's birth is unknown; it is generally accepted that he was born in 979, immediately after Vladimir Krasno Solnyshko began to reign in Kyiv.

Childhood and youth

Conflicting facts in his biography appeared even before birth. According to one legend, his father was Yaropolk, the brother of Prince Vladimir Krasno Solnyshko. The confrontation between the brothers ended with the death of Yaropolk; Vladimir took his Greek wife Julia, who may have been pregnant, as a concubine. There is no evidence that Prince Vladimir did not love him as a child; rather, on the contrary, already at the age of 9 he was appointed to reign in the Principality of Turov, the territory of modern Belarus. Where he ruled until 1016. Later, Vladimir also entrusted him with the Drevlyan lands.

But young Svyatopolk never loved the Grand Duke, who considered him his son; he considered himself the son of Yaropolk. Historians consider this fact to be one of the important ones that influenced the deterioration of relations between Vladimir and Svyatopolk.

Governing body

Despite the fact that the reign of Svyatopolk the Accursed was short, he managed to commit such acts in order to remain in history for many centuries. In 1013, Svyatopolk married the daughter of Boleslav the Brave, a Polish prince. Her name is unknown, however, she had a significant influence on the history of Ancient Rus'. According to historians, she, together with her spiritual mentor Bishop Rainburn, persuaded Svyatopolk to overthrow Vladimir from the throne and take his place. Vladimir, having learned about these plans, imprisoned all three.

But Svyatopolk’s imprisonment did not last long; in 1015, Prince Vladimir died. Freed from prison, Svyatopolk, with the support of the boyars and the common population, takes the princely place. But his reign lasted only a year, during which time he managed to kill his three blood brothers. Two of them, Boris and Gleb, became the first Russians to be canonized.

He killed them all fraudulently, calling them to Kyiv so that they would recognize his power. To protect himself, Svyatopolk ordered them to be killed on the way to the capital. This happened with Boris and Gleb, but Svyatoslav managed to escape and was killed on the border with Hungary.

After this, his power was overthrown in 1016. , the eldest son of Vladimir Krasno Solnyshko, having enlisted the support of the Varangians, knocked Svyatopolk out of Kyiv and took his place. Svyatopolk, not wanting to put up with this situation, turned to his father-in-law for help, and also enlisted the support of the Pechenegs. In 1018, he again managed to take control of Kyiv, although not for long. Not wanting to feed his father-in-law's army, he broke the military alliance with Poland and sent its soldiers home. Having learned about this, Yaroslav and his army, together with the Varangians, defeated Svyatopolk’s detachment with the Pechenegs. The further fate of the deposed prince is unknown.

Alternative biography

This is short biography Svyatopolk the Accursed. He appears in many historical documents as a prominent negative figure of that time, but there are alternative points of view. Some historians argue that the murder of the brothers was to the advantage of Yaroslav. Many facts indicate this. Thus, according to the customs of the Rurikovichs, names that have tainted their family are deleted from family names. But after the death of Svyatopolk, many representatives of this family were named after him. Many historians today speak out in favor of changing information about this ruler, as they consider the official version to be false.

Vladimir Svyatoslavich

7th Grand Duke of Kyiv 1015 - 1016
Predecessor:	Vladimir Svyatoslavich
Successor:	Yaroslav Vladimirovich the Wise

Predecessor:	Yaroslav Vladimirovich the Wise
Successor:	Yaroslav Vladimirovich the Wise
Religion:	Paganism, converted to Orthodoxy
Birth:	OK. 979 Budutino near Pskov
Dynasty:	Rurikovich
	Yaropolk Svyatoslavich

Reign and murder of brothers

Fight with Yaroslav

In historiography

Svyatopolk Vladimirovich, in baptism Peter, in ancient Russian historiography - Svyatopolk the Accursed(c. 979-1019) - Prince of Turov (from 988), and then of Kiev in 1015-1016 and 1018-1019, ruler of Kievan Rus.

Origin

Born to a Greek woman, the widow of the Kyiv prince Yaropolk Svyatoslavich, taken as a concubine by his brother and murderer Vladimir. The chronicle says that the Greek woman was already pregnant (not idle), thus his father was Yaropolk. Nevertheless, Vladimir considered him his legitimate son (one of the eldest) and gave him an inheritance in Turov. The chronicler calls Svyatopolk the son of two fathers (from two fathers) and notes with a hint of future fate Prince: “From sin comes evil fruit.”

In the Tale of Bygone Years, Vladimir’s other son Yaroslav, who became the Grand Duke of Kyiv Yaroslav the Wise, is placed ahead of Svyatopolk. In the Novgorod First Chronicle, Yaroslav the Wise occupies the fourth position, which, apparently, is more consistent with reality according to historians. The rumor about the birth of Svyatopolk from two parents gives reason to believe that he was born 7-9 months after Vladimir entered Kyiv in June 978, respectively, Svyatopolk could have been born at the beginning of 979.

Some historians continue to consider the origin of Svyatopolk debatable. G. Kotelshchik, based on the tamga on the coins of Svyatopolk, believes that the prince himself declared his descent from Yaropolk. If this version is correct, and the interpretation of the princely tamgas is quite controversial (the bident was also on the tamga of Mstislav Vladimirovich, found in Taman), then this proves Svyatopolk’s efforts to dissociate himself from Vladimir and his other sons. It is known that in 1018 Svyatopolk took Yaroslav’s stepmother and sisters hostage; this would hardly be acceptable if he also considered himself the son of Vladimir.

Marriage

Svyatopolk was married to the daughter of the Polish prince Boleslaw the Brave (Polish: Boleslaw I Chrobry). She was born from her third marriage to Emgilda between 991-1001. (closer to the first date) and died after August 14, 1018. Most researchers date the marriage to 1013-1014, believing that it was a consequence of the peace concluded with Poland after Boleslav’s unsuccessful campaign. However, the mission of the Cistercian Bruno in 1008, which could have ended in peace, sealed by marriage, remains unnoticed. Svyatopolk occupied the throne of Turov somewhere from 990, his lands bordered on Poland and therefore it was he who was chosen by Vladimir as a candidate for marriage with the Polish princess.

Reign and murder of brothers

Shortly before Vladimir's death, he was imprisoned in Kyiv; Together with him, his wife (the daughter of the Polish king Boleslaw I the Brave) and his wife’s confessor, the Kolobrzeg (Kolberg) Bishop Reinburn, who died in prison, were taken into custody. The reason for Svyatopolk's arrest was, apparently, Vladimir's plan to bequeath the throne to his beloved son Boris; it is noteworthy that Vladimir’s other eldest son, Novgorod prince Yaroslav also rebelled against his father around this time.

After the death of Vladimir on July 15, 1015, Svyatopolk was released and ascended the throne without much difficulty; he was supported by both the people and the boyars who made up his entourage in Vyshgorod near Kiev.

In Kyiv, Svyatopolk managed to issue silver coins (50 such coins are known), similar to Vladimir’s silver coins. On the front side there is an image of the prince with a circular inscription: “Svyatopolk on the table [throne].” On back side: a princely sign in the form of a bident, the left end of which ends with a cross, and the inscription: “And behold his silver.” On some coins Svyatopolk is called his Christian name Petros or Petor.
During the same year, three brothers of Svyatopolk were killed - Boris, the Murom prince Gleb and the Drevlyan Svyatoslav. The Tale of Bygone Years accuses Svyatopolk of organizing the murder of Boris and Gleb, who were glorified as holy martyrs under Yaroslav. According to the chronicle, Svyatopolk sent the Vyshgorod men to kill Boris, and upon learning that his brother was still alive, he ordered the Varangians to finish him off. According to the chronicle, he called Gleb in the name of his father to Kyiv and sent people to kill him along the way. Svyatoslav died trying to escape from the killers to Hungary.

However, there are other theories about this. In particular, the Scandinavian Saga of Eymund mentions a war between King Yarisleif (Yaroslav) and his brother Burisleif, where Yarisleif hires the Varangians to fight his brother and ultimately wins. The name Burisleif is identified by many with Boris (cf. also the connection of the name Boris with the name Borislav), but according to another version it is the name of King Boleslav the Brave, which the saga calls his ally Svyatopolk, without separating them. Also, the chronicle of Thietmar of Merseburg, which tells how Svyatopolk fled to Poland, is often interpreted in favor of his innocence, since it does not mention Svyatopolk’s reign in Kyiv (which, however, contradicts the existence of Svyatopolk’s coins) and any actions against Boris and Gleb.

Fight with Yaroslav

A power struggle began between Svyatopolk and Yaroslav. In 1016, Yaroslav marched with the Novgorod and Varangian troops against his brother. The troops met near Lyubech on the Dnieper, and for a long time neither side decided to be the first to cross the river and give battle. Finally, Yaroslav attacked, taking advantage of the moment when Svyatopolk was feasting with his squad. The troops of the Kyiv prince were defeated and thrown into the river, Yaroslav captured Kyiv.

The defeated prince retreated to Poland, where he called for help from his father-in-law, King Boleslaw I the Brave. In 1018, with the support of Polish and Pecheneg troops, Svyatopolk and Boleslav set out on a campaign against Kyiv. The squads met on the Bug, where the Polish army under the command of Boleslav defeated the Novgorodians, Yaroslav again fled to Novgorod.

Svyatopolk again occupied Kyiv. Not wanting to support Boleslav's troops, stationed in Russian cities for food, he broke the alliance and expelled the Poles. Many Kyiv boyars left along with Boleslav. Less than a year later, Svyatopolk, who had lost his military strength, was forced to flee Kyiv again from Yaroslav, who had returned with the Varangians. Prince of Kyiv called for help from other allies, the Pechenegs, hoping with their help to regain power. In the decisive battle on the Alta River (not far from the place where Boris died), Svyatopolk received a wound from which, apparently, he died: “... and his bones, weakened, cannot turn grey, they carry them on carriers.” PVL designates the place of death of Svyatopolk as “between the Poles and the Chakhas,” which many researchers (starting with one of the first researchers of the Borisoglebsk monuments O.I. Senkovsky) consider not a literal geographical designation of the border of the Czech Republic and Poland, but a saying with the meaning “God knows where” .

There is an Icelandic saga “The Strand of Eymund Hringsson”, which describes the struggle between three brothers: Buritslav, in whom most researchers see Svyatopolk, Yaritsleiv (Yaroslav the Wise) and Vartislav, who is most often identified with the Polotsk prince Bryachislav Izyaslavich, a nephew, not a brother Yaroslav and Svyatopolk. According to it, after being wounded, Buritslav goes to “Turkland” and returns with an army. So the feud could continue indefinitely. Therefore, King Eymund asked Yaritsleif: “Will you order him to be killed or not?” To which Yaritsleiv gave his consent:

Having received consent, Eymund and his comrades set off to meet Buritslav’s army. Having set up an ambush along the route and waited until nightfall, Eymund tore down the tent of the prince's tent and killed Buritslav and his guards. He brought the severed head to Yaritsleiva and asked if he would order his brother to be buried with dignity. Yaritsleiv said that since they killed him, they should bury him. Then Eymund returned for the body of Buritsleiv, left behind by the army that had dispersed after his death, and brought it to Kyiv, where the body and head were buried.

The version of “The Strand” about the murder of Buritslav-Svyatopolk by the Varangians, who were sent by Yaroslav, is now accepted by many historians, sometimes preferring it to the story about the death of Svyatopolk in the chronicles.

In historiography

In connection with the role that Svyatopolk plays in the chronicle and hagiography of Boris and Gleb (created starting from the third quarter of the 11th century), he appears as one of the most negative characters in medieval Russian history; Svyatopolk the Accursed is a constant epithet of this prince in chronicles and lives. There are hypotheses of a number of historians of the second half of the 20th century. (N.N. Ilyin, M.Kh. Aleshkovsky, A. Poppe) revise the reports of sources, disagreeing with the chronicle texts, justify Svyatopolk, and attribute the murder of Boris and Gleb to Yaroslav or even Mstislav Vladimirovich. This point of view is based, in particular, on the testimony of the Scandinavian sagas, where Prince “Burislav” dies at the hands of Yaroslav.

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