The period of the reign of Yaroslav the Wise is the period of the greatest flourishing of Kievan Rus. We can say that Yaroslav paid great attention to the organization of the internal life of the country. Under him, a code of laws was drawn up called "The Truth of Yaroslav", which is the most ancient part of the "Russian Truth". The publication of this document contributed to the organization of the internal life of the country. During the reign of Yaroslav, Christianity finally established itself in the Kievan state. In 1039 The Metropolis of Kiev was founded, which was subordinate to the Patriarch of Constantinople. In 1051 Yaroslav, wishing to be freed from the "guardianship" of Byzantium in church affairs, contrary to the canon, at the gathering of Russian bishops, elected the Metropolitan of Kyiv church leader Hilarion. Under Yaroslav, the first monasteries were founded in Kievan Rus - St. Irene, St. Yuri, Kiev-Pechersky Monastery, which became large church and socio-cultural centers. Yaroslav also took care of the development of education in the state. By his order, a school and a library were created at St. Sophia Cathedral. Before his death, he tried to fix another problem that worried him, and to improve the apparatus for transferring power in order to avoid bloody civil strife in the future. But he died before he could solve this problem. In general, we can say that the domestic policy of Yaroslav the Wise was successful and aimed at the development of the state
"Russian Truth".
General characteristics of "Russian Truth". Among other things, Yaroslav the Wise is also famous for the publication of his Russkaya Pravda. "Russian Truth" is a collection of norms of ancient law, compiled mainly in the 11th - 12th centuries. The question of its origin, as well as the time of compilation of the earliest part of the Russkaya Pravda, is debatable. Some historians date it even to the 7th century. However, most researchers associate the oldest part of the Russkaya Pravda with the name of Yaroslav the Wise, and Novgorod is called the place of its publication. The original text of this document has not come down to us. In the course of history, the text of Russkaya Pravda has been repeatedly changed and supplemented. For example, it is known that the sons of Yaroslav (in the second half of the 11th century) supplemented and changed the text of the Russian Truth, calling it the Truth of the Yaroslavichs. To date, 106 lists of Russkaya Pravda are known, compiled in the 13th - 17th centuries. Mostly Russian Pravda is usually divided into three editions - Brief, Extended, and Abbreviated, reflecting certain stages in the development of social relations in the Kievan state. The main provisions of Russian Truth. Crime and punishment according to Russkaya Pravda. modern science In criminal law, the term “crime” means a socially dangerous act, provided for by criminal law, committed guilty (i.e. with intent or negligence) by a sane person who has reached the age of criminal responsibility. And what was meant by this term in the distant period of the creation of Russian Pravda? With the introduction of Christianity in Rus', under the influence of new morality, the pagan concepts of crime and punishment are being replaced. In the field of criminal law Ancient Rus' the private nature of the ancient Christian-Byzantine legal norms based on Roman private law is manifested. Such a replacement is most clearly expressed in the princely statutes and in Russkaya Pravda, where any crime was defined not as a violation of the law or the prince's will, but as an "offense", i.e. causing material, physical or moral harm to any person or group of persons. For this insult, the perpetrator had to pay a certain amount of compensation. Thus, the criminal offense did not differ in the law from the civil law. Types of crimes and their corresponding punishments according to Russkaya Pravda: 1. Blood feud. The replacement of pagan concepts of crime and punishment with new concepts is especially clearly expressed in the legislation that determines the punishment for murder and in the gradual transformation of the institution of blood feud. So, for example, under an agreement with the Greeks of 911, everyone could kill a murderer at the crime scene with impunity. The treaty of 945 gives the killer the right to life to the relatives of the murdered, regardless of the degree of kinship. Russkaya Pravda, in turn, limits the circle of avengers to two degrees of the closest relatives of the murdered person (father, son, brothers, nephews). And, finally, Pravda Yaroslavichi completely excludes blood feud from its composition, forbidding anyone to kill the murderer, allowing the relatives of the murdered to use a certain monetary compensation from the murderer. Thus, the right of the state to the person and property of the criminal is expanding. There is much debate in the literature about the legal basis for blood feuds. Was it a pre-trial or post-trial massacre? Russian Truth does not give a direct answer to this question. Historically, blood feud has developed as the obligation of the victim's clan to deal with the criminal. But the process of feudalization of the Old Russian state, the increase in the role of the prince and the princely court made significant changes in the application of the custom of blood feud. For some time, the princely court coexisted with the communal one, but gradually, due to the strengthening of feudal relations, the princely court occupied a leading position, pushing the communal court into the background. Thus, it becomes possible for the prince to intervene in the custom of blood feud, the killer has the opportunity to redeem himself through the mediation of the prince (although, no doubt, he could have negotiated with the relatives of the murdered before). At this time, a special category of persons cut off from their community (merchants, outcasts), as well as numerous princely warriors and servants (gridni, yabetniks, swordsmen, firemen, etc. ), who needed special princely protection, because. , having broken with the community for various reasons, they lost their protector in its person. Now the prince was to become their new protector, so they were interested in strengthening the princely power. In turn, restraining the lynching of the community, the prince introduced his own measure of punishment - vira, i.e. a fine of 40 hryvnia, paid for the murder to the prince's treasury. Russkaya Pravda also knows the institute of wild or wholesale vira (in the amount of 80 hryvnias) imposed for the murder of princely servants. For example, a fine of 80 hryvnias is mentioned for killing a fireman, a princely tyun or a groom. Undoubtedly, the ancient custom of blood feud did not suit either the prince, who was interested in weakening the communal courts that interfered with the centralization of power, or the Christian church with its new norms of morality and morality, but, being very widespread, it could not be eliminated immediately. Therefore, it can be assumed that the prince gives his sanction for blood feud, fixing this provision in article 1 of Yaroslav's Pravda. Thus, the blood feud in Russian Pravda has a pronounced transitional character from the direct reprisal of the clan to the punishment imposed and executed by the state. But it should be noted that blood feud is applied only in the case of the murder of a free person by a free person. Only after the death of Yaroslav the Wise, "gathering again, his sons Izyaslav, Svyatoslav, Vsevolod and their husbands Kosnyachko, Pereneg, Nikifor canceled the blood feud for the murder, and decided to pay for the money." 2. Beatings and insults. Revenge in Russkaya Pravda is mentioned not only in articles that talk about murder. So, for example, in the case of beating a person to the point of blood and bruises, the victim is given an alternative: either take revenge, or take 3 hryvnia from the offender for the offense. Moreover, in this case, a witness is not even required. “If there is no sign on it, then let the vidok come; if he can't, then that's the end of it." Thus, in this article, for the first time, we encounter the concept of a vidoc, i.e. direct witness - an eyewitness of what is happening. In addition to the vidok, Russian Truth knows another type of witness - a rumor, i.e. a person who can vouch for the innocence of the accused, defend his good name. Unlike previous customs, here attention is paid not to the nature of the damage inflicted, but to the tools used to inflict beatings: batog, pole, palm, bowl, horn, the blunt side of a sharp weapon. Such a list suggests that the law does not take into account the degree of danger to the health of the victim of the object with which the beatings are inflicted. What matters is not the bodily injury caused, but the insult directly inflicted by the blow. In this case, the victim has the right to immediate revenge. If the offended person did not immediately take revenge on the offender for one reason or another (he did not overtake), then the latter is subject to a monetary penalty in the amount of 12 hryvnias. Article 4 (a blow with a sword not taken out of its sheath) and article 8 (pulling out a beard and mustache) also speak of an insult. Both of these articles provide for a punishment for a crime in the amount of 12 hryvnia. Article 9 reads: “If someone, having drawn a sword, does not strike, then he will put down the hryvnia.” The crime described in this article can be characterized as an attempt, or as an unfinished crime (threat, insult). 3. Membership. The next series of articles (Articles 5, 6 and 7) is devoted to self-mutilation. There are three main types of self-mutilation: injury to the hand, foot and finger. The removal of a hand, as well as the deprivation of the opportunity to use it, was equated to death in ancient Russian law, therefore, for this insult, a punishment was imposed that was equivalent to the punishment for murder, i.e. imposed a fine of 40 hryvnia. Blood feud could also be used as punishment for this crime. But unlike other articles, which provided for blood feud as a form of punishment, in case of injury, relatives of the victim could take revenge, because. he himself was unable to. Legal status of various segments of the population. (4.) Murder. Being a legal monument of the feudal state with all its inherent features, Russkaya Pravda in her articles clearly delineates legal status various population groups. Beginning with Article 19, the class division of society appears more clearly. The law establishes fines for the murder of princely servants, for theft and damage to princely property. Article 19 reads: “If a fireman is killed for an offense, then the murderer must pay 80 hryvnias for him, but people do not need to; and for the access prince - 80 hryvnia. Most likely, the words “murder for insult” mean murder in response to the actions of the victim (as A.I. Sobolevsky assumed). It can be assumed that we are talking about the murder of a princely servant in the performance of his duties. The next type of premeditated murder according to Russkaya Pravda was a robbery murder. In ancient Rus', it was considered as the most serious crime. In the case of the murder of a fireman, the duty to search for the criminal was assigned to the verv (community) on whose territory the murder was committed. If the killer was not caught, then the verv was obliged to pay the viru in the amount of 80 hryvnias. A rather interesting norm is set forth in Article 21, dedicated to the murder of a fireman or a princely tyun while protecting princely property (“at the cage, or at the horse, or at the herd, or when stealing a cow”). This article obliges to deal with the murderer on the spot (“kill the dog in the place”), which speaks of the especially dangerous nature of this crime and once again confirms the fact of enhanced protection of the princely servants. A number of subsequent articles (Art. 22-27) list the fines levied for the murder of the prince's servants, as well as people who are dependent on the prince. After reviewing these articles, one can imagine the social structure of the then society, determine the position of certain groups of the population on the social ladder. The fines listed in these articles help us figure this out. Thus, the life of a princely tyun and a senior groom is estimated at 80 hryvnias, the life of a village headman, plowed farmer, a breadwinner or her child is 12 hryvnias, and the lives of rank and file, smerds and serfs are valued below all - only 5 hryvnias 2.3.4. 5. Theft or damage to property. Not only the prince's servants, but also his property enjoyed special protection. Thus, Article 28 establishes the amount of fines for the abduction or extermination of princely cattle. The same article also mentions the horse smerda. Immediately striking is the different amount of the fine for stealing the prince's horse and the smerd. In my opinion, this difference is not caused by the different use of these horses (i.e. the prince's horse is fighting, and the peasant's is a worker), but simply the law puts the prince's property under greater protection compared to the property of the smerd. A number of articles (articles 29, 31, 32, 35 -37, 39, 40) deal with various cases of theft. In the monument of law I am studying, a significant place is given to theft, a system of punishments for it has been developed in sufficient detail, which indicates the wide spread of this antisocial phenomenon even at that distant time. It should be noted that Russkaya Pravda provides for a more severe punishment in the event of a crime being committed by a group of persons, i.e. the concept of complicity is already known (Articles 31 and 40). Regardless of the number of criminals, each of them had to pay an increased fine compared to the fine imposed for theft committed alone. Interesting is the appearance in Articles 35 and 36 of the term "sale" - a fine established by law, collected in favor of the prince as a state body, i.e. going to the treasury. In addition to the sale, a penalty “for insult” is established in favor of the victim, which can be compared with the compensation for harm caused in modern legislation. Article 38 confirms the rule, apparently established by custom - the right to kill a thief at the scene of a crime. But the law restricts this right, allowing him to be killed only at night and forbidding the killing of a bound thief. This is similar to the current concept of exceeding the limits of necessary defense. This article, as well as Article 33 (providing sanctions for physical violence against a smerd, fireman, tiun or swordsman without princely permission), aims to strengthen princely jurisdiction, limiting lynching. Indirectly confirming the existence of a community court, Article 33 indicates the desire of the princely power to establish a monopoly on the court. Speaking about the various groups of the population mentioned in Russian Pravda, it should be clarified that the kholop was not at all a subject of law, i.e., being a personally dependent person, he did not bear personal responsibility for his deeds. His master had to answer for the crime he had committed. The life of a serf was valued less than the lives of other members of society, and the amount of the fine for his withdrawal, i.e. kidnapping (12 hryvnias under Art. 29), significantly exceeded the fine for his murder (5 hryvnias under Art. 26). The historical significance of Russian truth. By the standards of modern researchers, the historical significance of Russkaya Pravda can hardly be overestimated. It acts as one of the most important sources for studying Kievan Rus, its social life and public relations, as well as the rules of law and order. state power. In addition to its great importance for the historians of Kievan Rus, it also acts as a source for the study of ancient norms and human rights in the field of crimes and their corresponding punishments, and therefore is a valuable material for the study of the legal rights of antiquity, i.e., it is valuable for lawyers. If we talk about the style of presentation of thought in Russkaya Pravda, then we can imagine its significance for literary critics. Yes, and for its era, "Russian Truth" was a huge breakthrough, because, in fact, it was the first set of laws and social norms in the history of Kievan Rus. From all of the above, it follows that Yaroslav the Wise proved himself not only as a brilliant diplomat and commander, but also as a legislator and "arranger" of the internal life of the state, because it is not for nothing that history calls him the Wise.
January 24, 2015The domestic policy of Yaroslav the Wise is an issue worthy of special attention. The history of Kievan Rus would have taken a completely different path if not for the actions of this ruler. What was the peculiarity of his domestic policy? We will answer this and other questions below.
Ascension of Yaroslav to the throne
In 1015 Prince Vladimir dies. Naturally, a struggle began between the heirs for the throne. For four years of fratricidal strife, Gleb, Svyatopolk, Boris and Svyatoslav died.
In Kyiv, Yaroslav ascended the throne. Remarkably. that from 1024 to 1036 in Kievan Rus there were two princes who did not fight among themselves, but reigned together from two administrative centers - Kyiv and Chernigov. As the chroniclers note, the domestic policy of Yaroslav the Wise, if briefly described, was the policy of an educator and builder of a centralized state. But first things first.
Domestic policy of Yaroslav the Wise in relation to the church
Yaroslav the Wise, wishing to get out of the "guardianship" of Byzantium, in 1051 appoints the church leader Hilarion as metropolitan. This becomes the beginning of the complete and final establishment of Christianity in Rus'. As mentioned above, Yaroslav mainly became famous not for his conquests, but for his work on the improvement of Kievan Rus. In particular, he did a lot for the Christian church, continuing the work of Vladimir - the introduction of Christianity. In addition, with the spread of the new faith, there was an increasing need for clergy. Vladimir also ordered that boyar children be taught to read and write, in order to later turn them into clergymen, so necessary for Kievan Rus. The mothers of these children wept for them, as they were not yet strengthened in the faith. Yaroslav continued this tradition, subsequently organizing a religious school in Novgorod for 300 boys, sons of elders and priests.
The prince was noted for his love of books and hired scribes to rewrite Bulgarian manuscripts. Sometimes he even commissioned Bulgarian translations to be corrected or translated directly from Greek. The chronicle says that he himself copied some books, and then brought them as a gift to the Hagia Sophia. It was under Yaroslav the Wise that monastic communities began to appear, which were engaged in rewriting books.
The legal legislation of Rus' is the merit of Yaroslav
It was the internal policy of Yaroslav the Wise that was marked by the creation of the first set of laws - "Russian Truth". The prince seriously approached the issue of reforming the legal system of the state. Historians associate the appearance of the oldest part of the "Russian Truth" with the name of Yaroslav the Wise. And they even name the approximate place of its publication - Novgorod. Unfortunately, the original draft did not reach us. It is reliably known that in the 11-12th century the sons of Yaroslav changed the text of the scripture and called it "The Truth of the Yaroslavichs". With the introduction of Christianity, pagan concepts of morality, crime and punishment began to be replaced by the norms and rules of Christian morality.
Crime in Russkaya Pravda was defined not as a violation of the will of the prince or anyone else, but as damage. That is, a criminal violation did not differ from a civil law violation, since the perpetrator had to pay certain compensation to the injured party. Thus, the internal policy of Yaroslav the Wise was mainly aimed at strengthening the state. The description of punishments for this or that crime in Russkaya Pravda clearly shows that Yaroslav sought to create a system of uniform legislation for all.
Culture and urban planning of Kievan Rus during the reign of Yaroslav
The reign of this prince-enlightener is often called by historians the "golden age" of the development of culture and sciences of Kievan Rus. In addition to the development of Christianity and the census of books, the domestic policy of Yaroslav the Wise was characterized by an unprecedented flourishing of urban planning.
The church of Hagia Sophia, a pearl of medieval architecture, was erected, as well as other large and small churches. Moreover, if before the adoption of Christianity all the buildings in the cities were wooden, then stone architecture also came to Rus' with a new faith. Mostly temples were built, as developing Christianity was in dire need of places of worship. In Kievan Rus, the most popular model of the temple was the cross-domed one, since the temples were a cross of two vaults, crowned with a dome. In a nutshell, such was the internal policy of Yaroslav the Wise. The table is shown below.
As you can see, Yaroslav acted in three main directions. A rather complicated topic is the domestic policy of Yaroslav the Wise. The table will help you understand it better.
Persistently and persistently, the prince continued the foreign policy of his grandfather and father. Under him, the power of Rus' increased, its borders expanded. The power of Rus' was established on the western shore of Lake Peipus, campaigns were undertaken against the warlike Baltic tribes of Lithuanians and Yotvingians. After the recapture of the Cherven cities from Poland, the states concluded a peace treaty, since in the fight against the Czech Republic and Germany, the Polish kings preferred to have Rus' as an ally. The union was sealed by dynastic marriages. The Polish king Casimir I married the sister of Yaroslav Dobronega, and Izyaslav, the eldest son of the Russian Grand Duke, married the king's sister.
In the north, Rus' had close friendly relations with Sweden and Norway. Yaroslav was married to the daughter of the Swedish king Ingigerda. The youngest daughter of Yaroslav, the beautiful Elizabeth, was married to the Norwegian king.
Yaroslav completed many years of Vladimir's efforts to fight the Pechenegs, inflicting a crushing defeat on them in 1036 under the walls of Kyiv. After that Pecheneg raids on Russian lands ceased.
Yaroslav was not distinguished by great physical strength, and yet he himself often led the army into battle, he was very brave. In honor of the victory of Russian weapons over the enemies of Rus' in Kyiv were erected Golden Gate, which amazed both Russian people and foreigners with their splendor.
In 1043, after a long period of peaceful relations with Byzantium, Rus' went to war against the empire. The reason was the massacre of Russian merchants in Constantinople. Near the western shores of the Black Sea, the storm swept away and sank part of the Russian ships. About 6 thousand soldiers led by the governor Embroidered landed on land, others moved back by sea. Upon learning of this, the Byzantine emperor Konstantin Monomakh ordered the ships to pursue the Russian fleet, and his best commander Kekavmenu - attack the Russian ground forces. In a naval battle, the Russians defeated the Greeks, after which they moved to their homeland. The land army was surrounded. Some of the soldiers taken prisoner by Vyshaty were blinded, others had their right hands cut off so that they would never raise a sword against the Byzantine Empire. For a long time these unfortunates wandered through the Russian villages and cities, making their way to their homes.
In 1046 Rus' and Byzantium made peace and renewed friendly relations. As a sign of reconciliation, the marriage of the son of Yaroslav the Wise Vsevolod and the daughter of Konstantin Monomakh Anastasia was arranged. The marriage once again emphasized the growth of the international prestige of Rus'.
By the end of Yaroslav Mudrog's life, all of his older sons were married to princesses from Poland, Germany, and Byzantium. The eldest daughter Anna, the wife of the French king Henry I, after his death and until the age of her son ruled France. Anastasia became the wife of the Hungarian king Andrew. Elizabeth, after the death of her husband, the Norwegian king Harald, married the king of Denmark.
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Rus' under Yaroslav the Wise turned into great power. All neighbors considered her policy. In the East, right down to the lower reaches of the Volga, she now had no rivals. The length of its borders was about 7 thousand km, they stretched from the Carpathian Mountains to the Kama River, from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea. By the middle of the 11th century. about 4 million people lived in Rus'.
Yaroslav died in 1054 at the age of 76, in a halo of glory, revered by Russian society, loved by many children. Before his death, he handed over the grand throne to his eldest son - Izyaslav. Svyatoslav Yaroslav left Chernigov and Tmutarakan lands, Vsevolod - Pereyaslav principality. Yaroslav bequeathed that from now on he would be the Grand Duke in Rus' eldest in the family. Inheritance in a straight line from father to son, which was accepted in many countries of Europe, receded before the patriarchal, purely family custom. In the future, this was one of the reasons for the strife in the Rurik family.
Son of Vladimir the Great and Princess of Polotsk. At the age of 9 he becomes a prince of Rostov, and after that of Novgorod.
After the death of his father, he enters the struggle for the throne of Kiev. In 1019 he becomes the ruler of Kyiv, and only after the death of his brother Mstislav (1036) the sole ruler of all Rus'.
The reign of Yaroslav the Wise became a period of strengthening and exaltation of the Old Russian state. Thanks to successful domestic policy and diplomacy, he achieved an increase in the international prestige of Rus'.
Foreign policy
Under Yaroslav the Wise, the territory of Kievan Rus was expanded. Military campaigns were carried out against the tribes of the Chuds, Yatwigs, Mazovshans, and Lithuanians.
In 1036, taking advantage of Yaroslav's absence, the Pechenegs laid siege to Kyiv. However, the Kiev prince dealt a crushing blow to the nomads. The battle near Kiev put an end to the Russo-Pecheneg wars.
The organized campaign of Yaroslav and his brother Mstislav against Poland was successful - "Chervonnaya Rus" with the cities of Przemysl, Belz, Cherven was again annexed to Kievan Rus.
The war with Byzantium in 1043 was unsuccessful for the Kyiv prince. Rus' concludes a peace treaty, the basis of which is the marriage of the daughter of the Byzantine emperor and the son of Yaroslav the Wise. It is this union that, subsequently, will give the Kyiv state a no less famous ruler - Vladimir Monomakh.
Strengthening international prestige has become one of the main tasks in foreign policy. It was achieved not only by military actions, but also by the conclusion of mutually beneficial political agreements. Dynastic marriages of the house of Yaroslav and the European monarchs of Poland, France, Norway, Hungary, Sweden, Germany became the basis of "family diplomacy".
Domestic politics
Yaroslav the Wise, wishing to prevent internecine wars between his sons, carried out an administrative reform. The principle of inheritance began to resemble the principle of the European seignorate - inheritance by seniority.
Wishing to establish order and legality in the state, the prince becomes the founder of Russian legislation. In 1016, under him, the first written code of laws in Rus' was adopted.
Mosaic of the 11th century Hagia Sophia
He supported the further spread and strengthening of Christianity. Under Yaroslav Vladimirovich, the Metropolitan of Kiev, Hilarion, was appointed for the first time. This marked the beginning of the separation of the Russian church from the Byzantine one. The tithe was restored - 1/10 of the income of the population for church needs. The construction of stone churches and temples began. St. Sophia Cathedral - a pearl of ancient Russian architecture. It was built in 1037 on the site of the victory over the Pechenegs in Kyiv. The appearance of the Caves Monastery is also attributed to the reign of Yaroslav.
There is an expansion and strengthening of the capital. Golden gates, golden-domed churches amazed visiting guests. Anna, the daughter of Yaroslav, having become the queen of France, called Paris - "town", comparing with Kiev.
Yaroslav the Wise believed that the flourishing of the state is possible only with an increase in the education and literacy of the population. For this, new schools and colleges were opened. The greatest library was created at the Sophia Cathedral. There were book workshops.
Continuing the policy of his father, Yaroslav the Wise exalted Kievan Rus.
The ancient Kievan state, having originated with the calling to the princely throne of Oleg Rurik, reached its peak under Yaroslav. No wonder the son of Vladimir the Red Sun went down in history under the nickname Wise. He ruled really wisely, caring not only for himself and his loved ones, but also for ordinary people. He built schools and temples, founded cities, strengthened power in humane ways.
Rise to power
Yaroslav the Wise will help to describe this person. He was a smart, prudent ruler who really cared about his state. But first you need to figure out how he came to power.
Father Yaroslav had twelve sons. Among them, he divided Rus', giving each his own inheritance. Yaroslav got Novgorod, a glorious and rich city. Meanwhile, over time, he refuses to pay tax to capital Kyiv, having secured the support of the Varangians. An angry father gathers a squad to pacify the rebel, but suddenly dies.
Taking advantage of the death of his father and the support of his father-in-law Boleslav the Brave (Polish king), Svyatopolk (another son of Vladimir) declares himself the Grand Duke. He also kills his other brothers - Boris and Gleb. For this, he went down in history as the Cursed. Yaroslav gathers an army and, having defeated his brother, captures Kyiv. Then there were two more battles with Svyatopolk and the Polish army, after which Yaroslav was finally strengthened in the capital.
Fight against Tmutarakan
After the victory over Svyatopolk, the new prince could not concentrate on state affairs, and the foreign policy of Yaroslav the Wise, which was sluggish at that time, is proof of this. There were still four brothers alive, to whom he had to distribute land. But he did not do this, which greatly angered them. The Tmutarakan prince Mstislav organizes a campaign against Kyiv and wins. Having punished the greedy brother in battle in 1023, he offers peace and the division of the state along the Dnieper River. The conditions were accepted. Later, their united squad will celebrate a number of brilliant victories. Why will both the foreign policy of Yaroslav the Wise and the state of the ancient Russian state win.
Foreign policy
The foreign policy of Yaroslav the Wise was to strengthen the position of Kievan Rus in the international arena. First of all, the prince made a campaign together with Mstislav to Poland, from which he recaptured the Cherven cities. Then he directed his gaze to the Baltic states, where the Chud tribes settled. There he founded the city of Yuriev (today Tartu) in his honor, because the Christian name of the prince is Yuri. Then, uniting the Novgorodians, the Kyiv squad and the Varangian mercenaries into one army, he dealt a crushing blow to the Pechenegs, after which the nomads never recovered. There were also campaigns against the Yotvingians, Lithuania and Mazovia, Byzantium. Most of these campaigns were successful, except for the campaign against Byzantium, which was commanded by the son of Yaroslav.
But the foreign policy of Yaroslav the Wise (the table confirms this) was based not only on war. The ruler used dynastic marriages, giving his daughters and sister to foreign monarchs.
Foreign policy table of marriages
Politics internal
Briefly described above. But the portrait of a historical personality, an outstanding ruler, would be incomplete without a description of internal measures. The prince directed his efforts to urban planning, development, as well as the construction of churches and monasteries. So, it was he who in 1037 ordered to lay in the golden-domed Kyiv, which he timed to coincide with his victory over the nomads. Thus, he equated the importance of his capital and power with Constantinople and Byzantium, where the temple of the same name also existed. Yaroslav built no less majestic churches in Pskov, Yuryev and other cities of Rus'.
Yaroslav is also known for his passion for books, orders to massively translate them from Greek into Slavonic. He opened schools where children were taught to read and write, favored chronicle writing. And it was he who wrote the first code of law, known as "Russian Truth".
Board results
The results of the foreign policy of Yaroslav the Wise are as follows: Kievan Rus significantly strengthened its authority in the international arena, became the center of cultural, ecclesiastical and economic life in Eastern and Central Europe. Starting his reign with internecine wars, he strengthened the state and his power, enlightened the people, and spread Christianity. He left behind not only temples and cities, but also a smart successor, and also a testament to live in peace to all his sons.
The Russian prince died in 1054 on February 20. But chronicles sometimes contradict each other, naming different dates. But the nickname "Wise" was assigned to Yaroslav only in the nineteenth century.