Whose wife was Princess Olga? Olga's baptism and the beginning of the Christianization of Rus'

Battle of Svyatoslav with the Khazars

Little information about the Russian state of the early 10th century has reached our time. But it is known that at that time there were about 15 centers of tribal Slavic unions. For example, on the Oka there was a tribal union of the Vyatichi. The tribes were led by princes elected at the veche. At the head of the union was the supreme prince of the union. The territory of Vyatka was called Vantika. Every year, princes with a cavalry squad in chain mail traveled around the tribes under their control in order to collect tribute. By analogy with the Vyatichi, we can talk about other Slavic tribes of Eastern Europe. In the area of nomadic raids, tribal alliances united to repel enemies. In the 6th century AD, the center of unification became the Russian Union of Tribes, which united the glades and northerners. By the 9th century, the union extended its power to the unions of the Drevlyans, Dregovichs, Volonians and other tribal unions. Borders Kievan Rus- alliances of tribal alliances were changeable. Unions could leave the association, defending their sovereignty. Therefore, Kyiv had to wage repeated wars with the Slavic tribes.

The feudal hierarchy in Kievan Rus was formed by involving the tribal nobility in the general process. The first such national event was polyudye. Within six months, more often in winter time, the Kiev prince and his retinue traveled around the territories of the tribal unions under his control, sometimes traveling up to 1,500 kilometers long in order to collect tribute. The second, summer half of the year was devoted to military trade expeditions along the Russian (Black) Sea, the Caspian Sea, by land under the protection of armed detachments of the Varangians to the southern states for the sale of goods collected during Polyudye: grain, honey, furs, wax, handicrafts. etc. Extortions from tribes in excess of the norm could lead to unpredictable consequences. What happened to Prince Igor Rurikovich (the Old) - prince of Kyiv, son of the Novgorod prince Rurik from his marriage to Efanda. He was born in Novgorod the Great in 865 or 877. In 879, after the death of Rurik, his associate and brother-in-law Oleg, a Swedish jarl, who left Novgorod went to reign in Kyiv, killing the local rulers Askold and Dir, became his guardian. (Various sources. According to some, Askold dealt with Diros in 876. According to other sources, the Prophetic Oleg killed Askold, seizing the throne in Kyiv).

There is little information about the life of Igor Rurikovich before his reign. It is known that when he was still under the tutelage of Oleg, his wife Olga was brought from Pskov. The first deeds of Igor Rurikovich, when he became the Grand Duke in Kyiv, were the pacification of the Drevlyans, whom he punished by increasing tribute, and the second conquest of the streets. Prince Igor gave part of the tribute to his beloved governor Sveneld, which caused outrage in the squad. In 915, Igor Rurikovich made peace with the Pechenegs for 5 years. In 935, the ships and troops of the Grand Duke sailed with the Greek fleet to Italy. But in 941, peaceful relations with Byzantium broke down. And then Igor Rurikovich with a large fleet - according to the chronicle of 10 thousand ships - went to Constantinople. The Emperor of Byzantium was notified of the Russian campaign by the Bulgarians. Roman Lakanin, the emperor, sent an army against Igor Rurikovich under the command of Theophanes Protovestiary. However, the Russian flotilla managed to devastate the environs of the Bosphorus and anchored near Fara. When the Greek fleet came out to meet them, Prince Igor, confident of victory, ordered his soldiers to spare the enemy and capture them alive. But the Greeks used “Greek fire,” which the Russians saw for the first time. The warriors, frightened, fled to the shores of Asia Minor, to Bithynia. But Patrick Vardas and the governor John forced the soldiers to return to the ships. On the way, the Russians once again fought with the Greeks off the coast of Thrace and returned home with great damage. In 945, a peace treaty was concluded in Constantinople. That same year, the Grand Duke, as usual, went to Polyudye to collect tribute. Having collected tribute from the Drevlyans, he had already driven off when he heard a murmur in the squad about the small amount of tribute collected, most of which went to Sveneld. Igor had to turn his horses back to the Drevlyans to collect tribute again. The Drevlyan prince Mala did not like this. He and his squad attacked Igor Rurikovich, killed Prince Igor’s squad, and they tied him to two leaning birch trees, released them, tearing his body in half. This happened in 945. Igor Rurikovich the Old reigned for 33 years and had three sons in his marriage to Olga. The middle one was called Svyatoslav. Prince Igor Rurikovich was a pagan, and he swore an oath on the hill, “where Perun stood and laid down his weapons and shields and gold.” Olga buried him pagan rite under a huge mound.

Olga's first action after the death of her husband was revenge on the Drevlyans for the death of her husband, which she gave a state-ritual character. According to the legends, these events developed as follows. The Drevlyans sent an embassy to Kyiv with an offer to Olga to become the wife of the Drevlyan prince Mal. “The Drevlyansky land sent us to tell you: they killed your husband because he was like a wolf, raping and robbing, and our princes are good, because they ruled the Drevlyansky land well. Marry our prince Mal." Olga demanded that these ambassadors be brought to her in a boat. The ambassadors allowed themselves to be carried to Olga’s stone tower, where a hole had been dug in advance, where they were buried alive. In the Drevlyan land they did not yet know about Olga’s reprisal against the ambassadors, when she sent her ambassadors there with a request to send the best Drevlyan husbands to her, otherwise she would not marry Mal. By order of Olga, these men were locked in a bathhouse upon arrival and burned. After this, Olga went to the Drevlyansky land, where she held a funeral feast for her deceased husband. After the funeral feast, a funeral feast began, at which Kyiv warriors hacked to death 5,000 drunken Drevlyans. The final part of the “Tale” talks about the siege of the Drevlyan city of Iskorosten, which lasted a whole year. But the Iskorosten people did not give up, fearing Olga’s revenge. Then Olga demanded three pigeons and three sparrows from each yard. The Iskorostenians rejoiced at this small tribute. Olga, having received the birds, ordered pieces of sulfur to be tied to each bird, in the evening the sulfur was set on fire, the birds returned to their nests. The city of Iskorosten was all on fire. Those people who escaped the fire were either killed by Olga's warriors or taken into slavery. This was the result of Olga’s struggle with the Drevlyans for the death of her husband. Some historians believe that all these terrible tales are inventions of the chronicler Nestor, who despised the Drevlians. In fact, the Drevlyan war lasted 2 years. The fortress-city of Iskorosten fell after a long siege. Olga actually executed someone, liquidated the Drevlyan principality, arrested Prince Mal, but saved his life.

The head of state, regent during the childhood of Svyatoslav (Olga continued to rule the state even after Svyatoslav matured, since he spent all his time on campaigns) became Igor’s widow Olga, a Pskovite, who, according to the Slavic Encyclopedia, was the daughter of a certain Sloven the Young , born from the marriage of Izbor, the son of Gostomysl and Beautiful. The Slavic Encyclopedia indicates the year of her marriage to Igor Rurikovich - 903. The author of the book “The Birth of Rus'” Boris Rybakov gives other figures for the birth of Princess Olga on page 147: “Married in Ancient Rus' They usually came out at the age of 16-18. Olga, according to these calculations, was born in the interval 923-927. At the time of conversations with the Byzantine Emperor Constantine, she must have been 28-32 years old.” She was probably Igor's younger wife. Her son Svyatoslav was born around 941 (3).

After the murder of her husband by the Drevlyans, Olga in 945 took the reins of government into her own hands, established the amount of tribute from the tribes subordinate to Kyiv, expanded the possessions of the Kyiv Grand Duke's House, and organized throughout the state administrative centers- graveyards and encampments - strongholds of polyudye, determined the boundaries of the princely hunting grounds - "lovishch", the main fishing grounds, fishing grounds that provided honey and wax, carried out demarcation of lands, organized the protection of the borders of reserves and appointed appropriate servants for their systematic use.

The difference between the camp and the graveyard was small. Once a year the camp received the prince himself, his squad, and servants to collect tribute. Since polyudye was held in winter, the camps had warm rooms, supplies of fodder and food, and horses. Pogosts were introduced by the princely authorities into the midst of peasant “veseys” (villages) and “verveys” (communities). There should be the same buildings as in the camps, only they were more isolated from the princely center. The churchyard should be a small fortress with a small garrison. The people who lived in the churchyard should be not only servants, but also warriors. To exist they had to engage agriculture, hunting, fishing... At the graveyard there were more premises for storing tribute, food for the garrison and tributaries, and fodder than at the encampment. The graveyards and encampments were like the nodes of a huge network thrown by the princes over the tribes subordinate to them. Each graveyard with its buildings, defensive tyn, adjoining villages and arable lands was, as it were, a semi-independent dwarf state, standing above the peasant ropes. Its strength was in connection with Kiev. Polyudye began in November and ended in April, with stops at camps for 2-3 days. Konstantin Porphyrogenitus immortalized some of the names of polyudye camps, for example, the path from Kyiv: Iskorosten, Vruchiy, Chernobyl, Bryagin, Lyubech, Strezhev, Rogachev, Kopys, Odrsk, Kasplya, Krasny, Smolensk. The route from Smolensk: Dogobuzh, Yelnya, Rognedino, Patsyn, Zarub, Vshchizh, Debryansk, Trubech, Novgorod - Seversky, Radogoshch, Khodogoshch, Sosnitsa, Blestovit, Snovsk, Chernigov, Moraviysk, Vyshgorod, Kiev, etc.

Polyudye did not penetrate into the depths of the tribes. Local princes collected tribute in advance in the outback and brought it to the camp. The most extensive tribal union was the Krivichi. Tributes from them flocked to their capital - Smolensk.

From April to November, the sale of polyudye took place in Rus'. Kyiv was the center of international trade relations in Eastern Europe. Everything collected from Polyudye was brought there and distributed for sale along trade routes. Trade was carried out by merchants, accompanied by an armed squad, some of whom were mercenaries - Varangians, who had to be paid for the protection of merchant ships and caravans. And there was someone to protect from. Along the trade routes with weapons there were enemy barriers from the Khazars, Magyars, Pechenegs, Polovtsians, internal Bulgarians and other robbers. Grain, furs, honey, wax, weapons, jewelry, blacksmiths' products, etc. were sold. Through Kyiv there was a route to the west to Poland, to Krakow, to Regensburg on the Danube. Through Kyiv there was a route from “Greeks to Varangians” and vice versa, connecting Byzantium with Scandinavia and with the peoples of the Baltic. The trade route from Kyiv to Bulgar on the Volga was well organized, and along the Volga to Asian countries and India. This route was divided into 20 stations located at a distance of 70 kilometers from each other. Messengers covered this route in a day, merchants with cargo took two days and a day to rest. Through the Russian lands to the east, the route went through the following stations: Kyiv, Supoe, Priluk, Romen, Lipitskoye fortification, Gochevo, etc. The tenth station - the middle of the route - was located south of Voronezh. Here then was the eastern border of Rus'. Only 1400 kilometers. IN east direction there were three shopping center: Artab, Salab (Slava - Pereyaslavl) and Kuyaba (Kyiv).

The 10th century traveler Khudul al-Alem described these three cities of Rus' as follows:

“Cuyaba (Kyiv) is a city of Rus'... a pleasant place, the residence of the king. Various furs and valuable swords are taken out of it. Slava (this is obviously Pereyaslavl) is a pleasant city. From there, when peace reigns, they go to trade in the Bulgarian district. Artab (this is obviously the third Rus' in Western Siberia - Lukomorye) is a city where foreigners are killed when they get there. They produce valuable sword blades and swords that can be bent in two, but when released, they return to their original state.”

Another traveler... Haukal adds that the inhabitants of Artania, Artaba - Arsy do not allow strangers in, “they themselves go down the water to trade and do not report anything about their affairs and their goods and do not allow anyone to follow them and enter the country yours” (p. 113, B. Shcherbakov, “The Birth of Rus'”).

Every spring, Kievan Rus exported huge amount Polyudye goods. With the goods they sold, merchants bought everything that the rich East produced. Boats with barrels of honey, wax, beaver furs, silver foxes and other goods were preparing to sail in Kyiv, Vyshgorod, Vitichev, Pereyaslavl Russky, Rodna. The southernmost structure was the Voin settlement on the Dnieper. The journey along the Dnieper was dangerous and difficult. On the Dnieper it was necessary to overcome rapids. The first threshold was called “Don’t sleep!” The Russians had difficulty dragging their ships across each threshold. Sometimes they even pulled the luggage ashore and dragged the boats along the shore. The entire route was under fire from the Pechenegs. Near modern Zaporozhye, having passed the rapids, on the island of Khortitsa the Rus made sacrifices of live roosters at a huge oak tree, stuck arrows all around, placed pieces of bread and meat... From Khortitsa the Rus sailed to the island of Berezan, near the mouth of the Dnieper, where they equipped themselves before sailing by sea . At Berezan the path of the Rus split into two. Some sailed to Constantinople, to Constantinople, others to the distant countries of the Caliphate. Swimming along west bank The Black Sea ended in Constantinople, where the Rus spent the whole summer and returned to Rus' for a new polyud.

If Russian merchants passed through the Kerch Strait, which at that time belonged to the Khazars, the Khazars took a large bride price from them for the right of passage. Having completed a difficult and expensive journey through Khazaria (300 kilometers along the Sea of Azov, 400 kilometers up the Don and portages, and 400 kilometers down the Volga), the Russian flotilla entered the Caspian Sea. Sometimes merchants delivered their goods on camels (from the Caspian Sea - Khazar, Khvalis, Djurdzhan) to Baghdad, paying a poll tax...

Of the five trade routes coming from Kyiv: Constantinople, Transcaspian-Baghdad, Bulgarian, Regensburg and Novgorod-Scandinavian, the first two routes were the most important for the state. Russian merchant warriors were distant predecessors of the famous traveler Afanasy Nikitin. Treaties between Rus' and the Byzantine Empire (907, 911, 944) ensured the possibility of peaceful trade. The agreement was drawn up in two languages: Greek and Russian, in two copies on behalf of the emperor and the Russian princes who headed the tribal unions. Russian ambassadors received ambassadorial allowances from the Greeks “as much as they wanted.” Merchant guests also received monthly allowances (travel allowances, speaking modern language) for six months, during which everything that was collected during the winter polyud had to be sold. The Russians, living in Constantinople, received food from the Greek government and used baths - thermal baths. Since the Byzantines were afraid of the armed Rus, upon their arrival in a foreign country, the imperial official compiled a list of Russian guests (for issuing allowances) and accompanied them at the entrance to the city. The Russians were supposed to enter the city only through one gate, without weapons, in groups of 50 people. When returning home, the emperor was obliged by contract to provide them with food for the return trip, anchors, ropes, and sails. ...The purchase of oriental silk fabrics by merchants was limited (50 pieces). Each purchase was sealed by the Tsar's husband. The agreements provided for the actions of the parties in case of shipwrecks, there were articles about captive slaves, etc., so the foreign trade of Rus' was a state matter.

By the beginning of the 9th century in Rus' there was the following socio-political stratigraphy:

Grand Duke of Russia. Khakan - Rus (a title equal to the emperor).

Heads of chapters, bright princes (princes of tribal unions).

Every prince is the prince of individual tribes.

Great boyars.

Boyars, men, knights.

The guests are merchants.

People. Smerda.

Servants. Slaves.

There was also a concept at that time - “smerda”. Their honorable duty was to serve in the prince's cavalry. They also plowed the land, lived in villages, but were assigned to churchyards. In Ancient Rus', an ordinary village was called “vesya”. The saying has reached our time: “Get lost.” A princely or boyar village was then called a village. Smerds lived in “villages”, not “villages”.

The system of exploitation of peasants - ropers (from communities) in their villages consisted of the following elements: tribute collected during polyudye, and a number of duties (cart, making boats and sails, building camps) in the form of labor rent. The tribute was collected by the tribal nobility, which was shared with the Kyiv prince.

Prince Igor was a pagan. His wife Olga maintained friendly relations with Byzantium. Byzantium believed that a people who adopted Christianity from the hands of the Greeks became a vassal of the Greek emperor, that is, a people and state dependent on Byzantium. There was a political duel between Byzantium and Kiev. Each side sought to defend its position. The negotiations were secret. Details of the negotiations are unknown. Therefore, Olga delayed the baptism of Rus'. Princess Olga visited Constantinople several times on a friendly visit, which Tsar Constantine Porphyrogenitus himself described his meetings with Olga in the book “On Ceremonies” under 957 and about gifts to the princess from Byzantium. A golden dish is mentioned on which 500 miliaris (silver coins) were presented. The main subject of discussion during Olga's visits to Constantinople was the point about military assistance to Byzantium from Kievan Rus and the organization of the Russian church... In 962, the Byzantine emperor again asked for military assistance from Kyiv. Russian soldiers were sent to Syria to fight the Arabs. At the same time, in Kyiv, Olga received the embassy of the German Emperor Otto the First. In 968, Princess Olga led the defense of Kyiv from the Pechenegs. She died on July 11, 969. Her relics rest in Kyiv in the Church of the Tithes. Canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church.

So, Olga’s era was marked by innovations: the creation of graveyards and the establishment of standards of duties, an attempt to introduce Christianity, the creation epic works about Princess Olga, in particular “The Tale of Revenge” (about how Olga took revenge on the Drevlyans for the death of her husband by destroying the capital of the Drevlyans with fire) - the first monarchical work in Rus'. The state of Kievan Rus looked already fully formed.

At that distant time, the word “Olga” - “Helga” meant not only the name, but the title of not only the ruler of the state, but also high priestess troops and states. This means that the princess had to participate in rituals and sacred ceremonies. At that time, state rituals among the Baltic Slavs and the peoples of Scandinavia were accompanied by human sacrifices. Olga did not like this, and she began to think about the issue of faith. We do not know when she came to Christianity, but she came to Byzantium in 955 with her confessor Gregory. She received her baptismal name Elena. She could not have accepted Christianity from the West, where worship was then conducted in Latin, or in Byzantium, where worship was conducted in Greek. She most likely converted to Christianity in Bulgaria, where they began to conduct services in the Slavic language. Olga was baptized not just as a Slavic woman, not just as a princess, but also as a high priestess.

In 955-957 Olga visited Constantinople. Her visit is described in detail in the Greek chronicles of that time. She arrived by ship in Constantinople with a retinue of 35 women and 88 men. Of the men, 44 were “guests” - merchants, 22 - representatives of the boyars from the volosts and cities of Rus'. There were representatives from Svyatoslav, her son. In the Byzantine chronicles, an article about Olga’s visit is entitled “On the invasion of the Russians.” She arrived in Constantinople in June and was received by His Highness on September 9.

Before meeting with the emperor, Olga and her retinue had to go through all the halls of the palace, through the galleries of the palace, before entering the room where Solomon's throne stood, on top of which the emperor sat, surrounded by his retinue. The music of organs covered with carpets could be heard. At the foot of the throne stood roaring golden lions. Mechanical birds sang in the golden trees. When the ambassadors bowed and then raised their heads, the emperor was already sitting in a different robe. Everything was calculated to impress the “barbarians.”

Then Olga was given the honor of having a private reception in the empress’s chambers, where the emperor was present with his family. Next was a ceremonial dinner in the Justinian Hall. And again there was a distance between the Byzantine emperor and Princess Olga. The imperial family sat down at the table, and Princess Olga had to stand until she was shown a place at another table with the ladies of the court. At the end of lunch, sweets were served at a separate table, where royal family and Olga was invited. It was a great honor, but the princess hardly liked it.

Her retinue was treated separately, with the junior court ranks. Then they handed over gifts, meticulously calculating how much to whom. The princess received 500 silver coins on a golden platter. For other members of the embassy, respectively - from 24 to 2 coins. On October 18, a second lunch was held. Olga was in one hall with the empress, and the emperor was in another hall with the princess's retinue. The dinner ended with meager gifts. Olga was given 200 silver coins, the rest - correspondingly less.

The arrogance and swagger of the Byzantines offended Olga. Having given the dish with coins to the church of St. Sofia, she left for her homeland with her retinue. Olga realized that the Byzantines - the Romans - are the enemies of Rus' and an alliance with him is impossible. On next year The Greek embassy sent a response to Kyiv demanding that troops be sent to Byzantium for the war with the Arabs, slaves for the emperor, furs and wax. Princess Olga replied: “When your king stands with me on Pochaina (pier) as long as I stood with him in the Court (harbour in Constantinople), then I will send him gifts and an army.” The ambassadors had to leave empty-handed.

Without allies, it was difficult to fight Khazaria, from which all Slavic and non-Slavic tribes were tired. If Byzantium is an enemy, where to look for allies? In 959, an embassy from Rus' arrived at the court of Otto I (Germany) with a request to send a bishop and priests. Olga wanted to establish a Russian church organization. At that time the Church was still united. Olga rejected the creation of a Russian Orthodox center from Byzantium. To subordinate the Russian Church to Constantinople means to get dependence and spies in the form of missionaries. Bulgaria was then an ally of Khazaria. And then I had to turn to the German king for help. But the mission from Germany was not lucky. She was not accepted, perhaps because the service there was conducted in Latin. On the way back, the mission from Germany was robbed by the Varangians. But Olga has nothing to do with it. Perhaps the words of 20-year-old Svyatoslav, Olga’s son, played a role in the failure of the embassy from Germany. To his mother’s offer to convert to Christianity, he replied: “Can I accept one? new law so that my squad will laugh at me.” The adoption of a new faith during this period would lead Eastern Slavs to a split. Olga understood this and decided to wait until the adoption of Christianity for Rus'.

The memories of contemporaries about Svyatoslav Igorevich are full of chanting of valor, bravery, and courage of the young prince - Olga's son. Svyatoslav is depicted by chroniclers for the first time at the age of 3-5 years, when he opened the battle with the Drevlyans with a throw of his spear. When, at the age of 15, his mother persuaded him to follow her example and accept Christianity, Svyatoslav replied: “How do I want to accept the same law? And the squad starts laughing at this...” The authors praise Svyatoslav for his loyalty to his pagan squad. Svyatoslav immediately rejected Christianity, anticipating that with the adoption of Christianity, Rus''s dependence on Byzantium would follow. He stated: “The Christian faith is ugliness.” Svyatoslav Igorevich lived a short life (944-972), reigning from 964 to 972. In 964, the Chronicle wrote this about Svyatoslav: “I grew up and matured to Prince Svyatoslav. When you started to buy a lot, you were brave and brave. And walking lightly, like a pardus, you create many wars. As he walked, he did not drive the cart, nor did he cook the cauldron, nor did he cook the meat, but he cut up the horse meat or the animal, or the beef, and baked the meat on the coals. You don’t have a tent, but the lining is comfortable, and the saddle is in your head. The same goes for his other voices. And he sent to the countries saying: “I want to go to you!”

He was a real Spartan, accustomed to the harsh life of a camp, noble, warning the enemy about his campaign with the words: “I’m coming to you.” Before battles, Svyatoslav always inspired the warriors with incendiary, patriotic speeches. The Byzantine chronicler of the 10th century, Lev the Deacon, cites one of Svyatoslav’s speeches: “... Let us be imbued with the courage that our ancestors bequeathed to us, let us remember that the power of the Russians has hitherto been indestructible, and we will bravely fight for our lives! It is not proper for us to return to our homeland, fleeing for our lives. We must either win and survive, or die with glory, having accomplished feats worthy of valiant men!”

The chronicle also passed on to descendants one of Svyatoslav’s speeches (around 969):

“We no longer have children - willy-nilly or unwillingly we are against it.

Let us not disgrace the Russian land, but let us strike that bone!

Mortvi for shame is not an imam,

If we run away, then it’s a disgrace to the Imam.

And the imam will not run away, but we will stand strong!

I will go before you,

If my head falls, then provide for yourself.”

And deciding howls: “Where is your head,

Let us lay down our chapters!”

Svyatoslav fought in Volga Bulgaria, in Khazaria near the Caspian Sea, in the Pecheneg steppes, on the territory of Bulgaria and in Byzantium. According to the most minimal estimates, Svyatoslav hiked 8000-8500 kilometers over several years. (B. Rybakov, “The Birth of Rus'”, p. 152, Moscow, 2004)

Svyatoslav's military activities took place in two directions: the Volga-Caspian (Khazar) and Byzantine, since they were the main ones in state exports. The struggle for the security of trade routes was a pan-European affair.

The Khazar state, which held all exits to the east in its hands, charged huge taxes on travel and return.

Byzantium then carried out aggressive actions against Bulgaria, past which the Russian trade route to Constantinople passed. These two areas required military support.

Related information.

Kyiv princess Olga ruled Russia for 15 years. Over the years, she carried out a number of reforms that strengthened the state. Olga converted to Christianity even before the Baptism of Rus' and became the first Russian saint and one of six women who were canonized as saints equal to the apostles. What qualities do you need to have to go down in history with a good name?

There are many chronological inaccuracies and mysteries in the chronicles about Princess Olga, but doubts can hardly arise about the reliability of most of the facts of her life. Olga was born near Pskov. The year of her birth is unknown. In the chronicles, Olga's name first appears in the story of her wedding with the Kyiv prince Igor.

After the wedding, the name of the future enlightener of Rus' was mentioned once again only several decades later, in the Russian-Byzantine treaty of 944. A year later, Igor dies at the hands of the Drevlyans and Olga becomes the ruler of Rus'. Igor’s squad obeyed her, recognizing Olga as the representative of the legal heir to the throne, Svyatoslav, who at that time was only three years old.

After the murder of Igor, the Drevlyans sent matchmakers to his widow to invite her to marry their prince Mal. The princess did not make this deal with her conscience. Twenty matchmakers were buried alive in the boat on which they sailed. The next delegation, consisting of the Drevlyan nobility, was burned in a bathhouse. Then Olga went to her husband’s grave to celebrate a funeral feast. Having drunk the Drevlyans during the funeral feast, Olga ordered them to be chopped down. The chronicle reports five thousand killed. The apotheosis of Princess Olga's revenge for the murder of her husband was a military campaign against the Drevlyans and the burning of Iskorosten. The city was burned with the help of birds, to whose feet burning tow was tied. The surviving Drevlyans were captured and sold into slavery.

The chronicles are full of evidence of her tireless “walks” across the Russian land with the goal of building the political and economic life of the country. Olga achieved strengthening of the power of the Kyiv Grand Duke, centralized public administration with the help of the "graveyard" system, she improved the taxation system. Pogosts (from the word "guest" - merchant) became the support of the grand ducal power, centers of ethnic and cultural unification of the Russian people.

The life tells the following about Olga’s labors: “And Princess Olga ruled the regions of the Russian land under her control not as a woman, but as a strong and reasonable husband, firmly holding power in her hands and courageously defending herself from enemies. And she was terrible for the latter, with her own people loved. In all matters of government, she showed foresight and wisdom. At the same time, Olga, merciful at heart, was generous to the poor, the poor and the needy; fair requests soon reached her heart, and she quickly fulfilled them."

Rus' grew and strengthened. Cities were built surrounded by stone and oak walls. The establishment of the first state borders of Kievan Rus dates back to the reign of Olga. Bogatyr outposts, sung in epics, guarded peaceful life Kyivans both from nomads from the east and from attacks from the west. Foreign merchants flocked to Rus' with goods. The Scandinavians willingly joined as mercenaries Russian army. Rus' became a great power.

As a wise ruler, Olga saw by example Byzantine Empire that it is not enough to worry only about state and economic life. She came to the same conclusion that Prince Vladimir would come to a few decades later: the state needs a religion that will unite the disparate parts into a single whole and keep this whole from falling apart.

Having made her choice, Grand Duchess Olga set off with a large fleet to Constantinople. The purposes of this trip were a religious pilgrimage, a diplomatic mission, and a demonstration of the military power of Rus'. According to the chronicle, in Constantinople Olga decided to become a Christian. The Sacrament of Baptism was performed by Patriarch Theophylact of Constantinople, and the recipient was Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus.

Olga returned to Kyiv with icons and liturgical books. She erected a temple in the name of St. Nicholas over the grave of Askold, the first Christian prince of Kyiv, and converted many Kiev residents to Christ. The princess set off to the north to preach the faith. In the Kyiv and Pskov lands, in remote villages, at crossroads, she erected crosses, destroying pagan idols. Temples were built in cities.

Despite the success of her trip to Constantinople, Olga was unable to persuade the emperor to agree on two the most important issues: about the dynastic marriage of Svyatoslav with the Byzantine princess and about the conditions for the restoration of the metropolis that existed under Askold in Kyiv.

The apostolic labors of the princess met secret and open resistance from the pagans. Among the boyars and warriors in Kyiv there were many people who hated Saint Olga. The zealots of pagan antiquity looked with hope at the growing Svyatoslav, who decisively rejected his mother’s entreaties to accept Christianity. Saint Olga had to come to terms with what was happening and go into matters of personal piety, leaving control to the pagan Svyatoslav.

Saint Olga had to endure many sorrows at the end of her life. Svyatoslav prevented her attempts to establish Christianity in Rus'. She taught her grandchildren, the children of Svyatoslav, the Christian faith, but did not dare to baptize them, fearing the wrath of her son. Last years, amid the triumph of paganism, she, once the universally revered mistress of the state, baptized by the Ecumenical Patriarch in the capital of Orthodoxy, had to secretly keep a priest with her so as not to cause a new outbreak of anti-Christian sentiment. In 969, the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga passed away into another world. 19 years later, the seeds she sowed sprouted: her grandson, Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir, baptized Rus'.

The message about Princess Olga will help you find out new information about the Princess of Rus'.

Message about Princess Olga

Princess Olga ruled Kievan Rus for 15 years. Over the years, she carried out a number of reforms that strengthened the state. Olga converted to Christianity even before the Baptism of Rus' and became the first Russian saint and one of six women who were canonized as saints equal to the apostles.

From the Tale of Bygone Years it is known that she was originally from Pskov. The year of her birth is unknown. In the chronicles, Olga's name first appears in the story of her wedding with the Kyiv prince Igor.

After the wedding, her name is mentioned in chronicles only several decades later, in the Russian-Byzantine treaty of 944. And in 945, Igor dies at the hands of the Drevlyans and Olga becomes the ruler of Rus'. At that time, the legal heir to the throne, Svyatoslav, was only three years old and Olga was his representative.

After the murder of Igor, the Drevlyans sent matchmakers to Olga to invite her to marry their prince Mal. But the proud and offended princess ordered twenty matchmakers to be buried alive in the boat on which they sailed. The next delegation, consisting of the Drevlyan nobility, was burned in a bathhouse. Then Olga went to her husband’s grave to celebrate a funeral feast. Having drunk the Drevlyans during the funeral feast, Olga ordered them to be chopped down. The chronicle reports five thousand killed.

But the revenge for the murder of her husband did not end there. Olga burned the city of Iskorosten with the help of birds, to whose feet burning tow was tied. The surviving Drevlyans were captured and sold into slavery.

Princess Olga strengthened Kievan Rus. She traveled around the lands, suppressed the rebellions of small local princes, and centralized government administration with the help of a system of “cemeteries.” Pogosts - financial, administrative and judicial centers - were a strong support of princely power in lands remote from Kyiv.

Cities were built surrounded by stone and oak walls. The establishment of the first state borders of Kievan Rus dates back to the reign of Olga. Bogatyr outposts, glorified in epics, guarded the peaceful life of Kiev residents both from nomads from the east and from attacks from the west. Foreign merchants flocked to Rus' with goods. The Scandinavians willingly joined the Russian army as mercenaries. Rus' became a great power.

As a wise ruler, Olga saw from the example of the Byzantine Empire that it was not enough to worry only about state and economic life. She came to the conclusion that the state needed a religion that would unite the disparate parts into a single whole.

Despite the success of her trip to Constantinople, Olga was unable to persuade the emperor to agree on two important issues: on the dynastic marriage of Svyatoslav with the Byzantine princess and on the conditions for the restoration of the metropolis in Kyiv that existed under Askold.

But people were not ready to accept Christianity and the princess faced open resistance from the pagans. Many hated Saint Olga. Svyatoslav did not agree to convert to Christianity, so many wanted to see him on the throne. And Olga gave control of Kievan Rus to the pagan Svyatoslav.

Svyatoslav prevented her attempts to establish Christianity in Rus'. But she still taught her grandchildren, the children of Svyatoslav, the Christian faith.

On July 11, 969, Princess Olga died. And 19 years later, her grandson, Prince Vladimir, baptized Rus'.

According to the earliest ancient Russian chronicle, The Tale of Bygone Years, Olga was from Pskov. The life of the holy Grand Duchess Olga specifies that she was born in the village of Vybuty in the Pskov land, 12 km from Pskov up the Velikaya River. The names of Olga’s parents have not been preserved; according to the Life, they were not of noble birth, “ from the Varangian language" Varangian origin is confirmed by her name, which has a correspondence in Old Norse as Helga. The presence of the Scandinavians in those places is noted by a number of archaeological finds dating back to the 1st half of the 10th century.

The typographical chronicle (late 15th century) and the later Piskarevsky chronicler convey a rumor that Olga was the daughter of the Prophetic Oleg, who began to rule Kievan Rus as the guardian of the young Igor, the son of Rurik: “ The netsy say that Olga’s daughter was Olga". Oleg married Igor and Olga.

Perhaps to resolve this contradiction, the later Ustyug Chronicle and the Novgorod Chronicle, according to the list of P. P. Dubrovsky, report Olga’s 10-year-old age at the time of the wedding. This message contradicts the legend set out in the Degree Book (2nd half of the 16th century), about a chance meeting with Igor at a crossing near Pskov. The prince hunted in those places. While crossing the river by boat, he noticed that the carrier was a young girl dressed in men's clothing. Igor immediately " burning with desire" and began to pester her, but received a worthy rebuke in response: " Why do you embarrass me, prince, with immodest words? I may be young and ignorant, and alone here, but know: it is better for me to throw myself into the river than to endure reproach" Igor remembered about the chance acquaintance when the time came to look for a bride, and sent Oleg for the girl he loved, not wanting any other wife.

The Novgorod First Chronicle of the younger edition, which contains in the most unchanged form information from the Initial Code of the 11th century, leaves the message about Igor’s marriage to Olga undated, that is, the earliest Old Russian chroniclers had no information about the date of the wedding. It is likely that the year 903 in the PVL text arose at a later time, when the monk Nestor tried to bring the initial ancient Russian history into chronological order. After the wedding, Olga's name is mentioned again only 40 years later, in the Russian-Byzantine treaty of 944.

The Western European chronicle of the Successor Reginon reports under 959:

Olga's baptism and church veneration

Princess Olga became the first ruler of Kievan Rus to be baptized, and thus predetermined the adoption of Orthodoxy by the entire ancient Russian people.

The date and circumstances of the baptism remain unclear. According to the PVL, this happened in 955 in Constantinople, Olga was personally baptized by Emperor Constantine and the Patriarch (Theophylact before 956): “ And she was given the name Elena in baptism, just like the ancient queen - the mother of Constantine the Great" PVL and the Life decorate the circumstances of the baptism with the story of how the wise Olga outwitted the Byzantine king. He, marveling at her intelligence and beauty, wanted to marry Olga, but the princess rejected the claims, noting that it was not appropriate for Christians to marry pagans. It was then that the king and the patriarch baptized her. When the tsar again began to harass the princess, she pointed out that she was now the tsar’s goddaughter. Then he richly presented her and sent her home.

Only one visit of Olga to Constantinople is known from Byzantine sources. Konstantin Porphyrogenitus described it in detail in his essay “Ceremony”, without indicating the year of the event. But he indicated the dates of official receptions: Wednesday, September 9 (on the occasion of Olga’s arrival) and Sunday, October 18. This combination also corresponds to 946 years. Olga's long stay in Constantinople is noteworthy. When describing the technique, they name basileus (Konstantin himself) and Roman - the purplish-born basileus. It is known that Romanus, the son of Constantine, became his father's formal co-emperor in 945. According to the historian G. G. Litavrin, the visit described by Constantine actually took place in 946, and the baptism took place during the 2nd visit to Constantinople in or 955. The mention of Roman's children at the reception indicates the year 957, which is considered the generally accepted date for Olga's visit and her baptism.

However, Constantine did not mention Olga’s baptism anywhere (as well as the purpose of her visit), and moreover, a certain priest Gregory was named in the princess’s retinue, on the basis of which some historians suggest that Olga visited Constantinople already baptized. In this case, the question arises why Constantine calls the princess by her pagan name, and not Helen, as the Successor of Reginon did. Another, later Byzantine source (11th century) reports baptism in Constantinople in the 950s:

“And the wife of the Russian archon, who once set sail against the Romans, named Elga, when her husband died, arrived in Constantinople. Baptized and openly making a choice in favor of the true faith, she, having received great honor for this choice, returned home.”

The successor of Reginon, quoted above, also speaks about baptism in Constantinople, and the mention of the name of Emperor Romanus testifies in favor of baptism in 957. The testimony of the Continuer Reginon can be considered reliable, since under this name, as historians believe, Bishop Adalbert, who led the unsuccessful mission to Kyiv in 961 and had first-hand information, wrote.



revered	in the Orthodox and Catholic churches
glorified	no later than the 13th century
in the face	equal to the apostles
Day of Remembrance	July 24 (Gregorian calendar)
works	Preparation for the baptism of Rus'

According to most sources, Princess Olga was baptized in Constantinople in the fall of 957, and she was probably baptized by Romanus II (son and co-ruler of Emperor Constantine) and Patriarch Polyeuctus. Olga made the decision to accept the faith in advance, although the chronicle legend presents it as a spontaneous decision. Nothing is known about those people who spread Christianity in Rus'. Most likely, these were Bulgarian Slavs (Bulgaria was baptized in 865), since the influence of Bulgarian vocabulary can be seen in early ancient Russian chronicle texts. The penetration of Christianity into Kievan Rus is evidenced by the mention of the cathedral church of St. Elijah in Kyiv in the Russian-Byzantine treaty of 944.

She is revered as the patroness of widows and new Christians.

Historiography according to Olga

Basic information on Olga’s life, recognized as reliable, is contained in the “Tale of Bygone Years”, the Life from the Book of Degrees, the hagiographic work of the monk Jacob “Memory and Praise to the Russian Prince Volodymer” and the work of Constantine Porphyrogenitus “On the Ceremonies of the Byzantine Court”. Other sources provide additional information about Olga, but their reliability cannot be determined with certainty.

The Joachim Chronicle reports the execution by Svyatoslav of his only brother Gleb for his Christian beliefs during the Russian-Byzantine war of 968-971. Gleb could be Igor’s son either from Olga or from another wife, since the same chronicle reports that Igor had other wives. Orthodox faith Gleba testifies in favor of the fact that he was Olga’s youngest son.

The medieval Czech historian Tomas Peshina, in his work in Latin “Mars Moravicus” (), spoke about a certain Russian prince Oleg, who became the last king of Moravia in 940 and was expelled from there by the Hungarians in 949. According to Tomas Peszyna, this Oleg Morawski was Olga's brother.

About existence blood relative Olga, calling him anepsemia, mentioned by Constantine Porphyrogenitus in listing her retinue during a visit in 957 to Constantinople. Anepsia meant, most often, a nephew, but also a cousin.

Memory of Saint Olga

The Life calls Olga the founder of the city of Pskov. In Pskov there is Olginskaya embankment, Olginsky bridge, Olginsky chapel.
Orders:
- The insignia of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga was established by Emperor Nicholas II in 1915.
- “The Order of Princess Olga” is a state award of Ukraine since 1997.
- “Order of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duchess Olga” is an award of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Monuments to Princess Olga were erected in Kyiv, Pskov and the city of Korosten.

Literature

Antonov Alexander. Novel "Princess Olga".
Boris Vasiliev "Olga, Queen of the Rus"
Victor Gretskov. "Princess Olga - Bulgarian princess."
Mikhail Kazovsky "The Empress's Daughter".
Kaydash-Lakshina S. N. “Princess Olga.”

Cinema

“The Legend of Princess Olga”, USSR, 1983.
"The Saga of the Ancient Bulgars. The Legend of Olga the Holy", Russia, 2005.

Ruler Princess Olga, Vasily Petrovich Vereshchagin

Years of life: circa 890 – July 11, 969
Father and mother: unknown, presumably not of noble origin.
Spouse: .
Children: .

Princess Olga (≈890 – July 11, 969) – ruler of Kievan Rus. Ruled after the death of her husband from 945 to 966. Olga was the first of the Russian rulers to convert to Christianity. At baptism she was named Elena.

Unfortunately, Olga’s origins are unknown for certain. Historians still have not come to a consensus on this matter. According to the Tale of Bygone Years, she was of ignoble origin - a peasant from Pskov.

According to the opinion of the Piskarevsky chronicler and the typographic chronicle (XV century), Olga was the daughter of the Prophetic Oleg. He ruled Kievan Rus and was Igor’s guardian, and then he married Igor and Olga.

The Normanists believed that Olga was of Varangian origin. In accordance with the Joachim Chronicle, Olga is of noble origin from the Gostomyslov family.

Historians from Bulgaria believe that Olga has Bulgarian roots. There are other theories.

There is also a legend about the acquaintance of Igor and Olga. The young prince went hunting in the Pskov region. There he wanted to cross the river. Igor saw a boat in which Olga, dressed in men's clothing, was sailing; he asked the girl to take him to the other side. Igor began to pester Olga, but was refused in response.

When Igor decided to get married, the most beautiful girls. But the prince did not like any of them. Then he remembered Olga, his casual acquaintance. Igor sent Prophetic Oleg for her. And Olga became the wife of Prince Igor.

Olga owned Vyshgorod, Olzhichi, the village of Budutino, etc. In addition, she had her own squad, her own ambassador. Olga, while her husband was away on campaigns, was involved in domestic politics.

The princess gave her husband a son, Svyatoslav.

In 945, the Drevlyans killed Igor. Svyatoslav was only three years old, so Princess Olga became the ruler of Kievan Rus.

Olga's revenge for the death of her husband

First revenge. The Drevlyans were afraid of Olga's revenge, so they sent Prince Mal to woo her. He and 20 Drevlyans sailed on a boat. Olga agreed to their proposal. Then she ordered to dig big hole, into which the Drevlyan boat was thrown, then the matchmakers were sent there too. Olga ordered them to be buried alive.

Second revenge. Olga sent a messenger demanding that he send her the best people from the Drevlyans, so that she could “marry with great honor” for their prince. The Drevlyans obeyed and sent her the best husbands. Olga ordered the bathhouse to be lit for them, and while the Drevlyans were washing, all the doors were locked and the bathhouse was set on fire.

Third revenge. Olga went to the Drevlyans to arrange a funeral feast for her late husband. She came, cried at her husband’s grave, and then had a feast. After getting the Drevlyans drunk, Olga ordered their heads to be cut off. According to data, about five thousand Drevlyans died that day.

Fourth revenge. In 946, Olga decided to capture Iskorosten, the capital of the Drevlyans. The siege dragged on, and the princess decided to use a trick. She sent envoys to the city to make peace. The Drevlyans had to pay a tribute of three doves and sparrows. Of course, the Drevlyans were pleased with this news and sent tribute. At night, Olga ordered tinder to be tied to the birds and released. The birds flew to their nests, located in Iskorosten. A fire started in the city. Residents fled the city, and Olga’s squad was already waiting for them there. So the princess captured the city. Some of the Drevlyans were killed, some became slaves, and Olga ordered them to pay a large tribute.

Domestic policy of Princess Olga

Olga was the official ruler until Svyatoslav came of age. Although even after that she was the actual ruler, because her son was constantly on military campaigns.

Olga established tribute on the land during her reign. The princess established a system of "cemeteries". Cemeteries are places where tribute is collected. Olga also established “polyudya” (taxes to Kyiv) and “tributes, charters.” All lands were divided into parts, and a tiun (princely administrator) was appointed at the head of each. There was a centralization of power and a weakening of the power of the tribes.

Under Olga, the first stone buildings were built - Olga's tower and the city palace. The princess was also involved in the improvement of Pskov, Novgorod and other lands belonging to Kyiv. Also during her reign, the churches of the Annunciation of the Mother of God, St. Nicholas and St. Sophia, the Holy Life-Giving Trinity, were erected.

Foreign policy of Princess Olga

There were no major campaigns under Olga. The princess decided to raise the prestige of Kievan Rus in the world. But she did not conquer him by force, but decided to act diplomatically.

Olga's baptism

Olga was the first ruler to convert to Orthodoxy. In 955, the princess was baptized in Byzantium, and the Emperor of Byzantium became her godfather. But under Olga, Christianity did not take root in Rus'.

Olga tried to introduce Svyatoslav to Christianity. But he refused, because... I was afraid of losing the respect of my squad.

On July 11, 969, Olga died. The place of her burial is unknown. During the reign of Vladimir in 1547, she was canonized and her relics were transferred to the Tithe Church.

Olga is revered as the patroness of Christian converts and widows.