Karamzin n m legends of centuries read online. Book: N. M. Karamzin “Tales of the Ages. On the sources of Russian history until the 17th century
Preface
History, in a sense, is the sacred book of peoples: the main, necessary; a mirror of their existence and activity; the tablet of revelations and rules; the covenant of ancestors to posterity; addition, explanation of the present and example of the future.
Rulers and Legislators act according to the instructions of History and look at its pages like sailors at drawings of the seas. Human wisdom needs experience, and life is short-lived. One must know how from time immemorial rebellious passions agitated civil society and in what ways the beneficial power of the mind curbed their stormy desire to establish order, harmonize the benefits of people and give them the happiness possible on earth.
But an ordinary citizen should also read History. She reconciles him with the imperfection of the visible order of things, as with an ordinary phenomenon in all centuries; consoles in state disasters, testifying that similar ones have happened before, even worse ones have happened, and the State was not destroyed; it nourishes a moral feeling and with its righteous judgment disposes the soul towards justice, which affirms our good and the harmony of society.
Here is the benefit: how much pleasure for the heart and mind! Curiosity is akin to man, both the enlightened and the wild. At the glorious Olympic Games, the noise fell silent, and the crowds remained silent around Herodotus, reading the legends of the centuries. Even without knowing the use of letters, peoples already love History: the old man points the young man to a high grave and tells about the deeds of the Hero lying in it. The first experiments of our ancestors in the art of literacy were devoted to Faith and Scripture; Darkened by a thick shadow of ignorance, the people greedily listened to the tales of the Chroniclers. And I like fiction; but for complete pleasure one must deceive oneself and think that they are the truth. History, opening the tombs, raising the dead, putting life into their hearts and words into their mouths, re-creating Kingdoms from corruption and imagining a series of centuries with their distinct passions, morals, and deeds, expands the boundaries of our own existence; by its creative power we live with people of all times, we see and hear them, we love and hate them; Without even thinking about the benefits, we already enjoy the contemplation of diverse cases and characters that occupy the mind or nourish sensitivity.
If any History, even unskillfully written, is pleasant, as Pliny says: how much more domestic. The true Cosmopolitan is a metaphysical being or such an extraordinary phenomenon that there is no need to talk about him, neither to praise nor to condemn him. We are all citizens, in Europe and in India, in Mexico and in Abyssinia; Everyone’s personality is closely connected with the fatherland: we love it because we love ourselves. Let the Greeks and Romans captivate the imagination: they belong to the family of the human race and are not strangers to us in their virtues and weaknesses, glory and disasters; but the name Russian has a special charm for us: my heart beats even stronger for Pozharsky than for Themistocles or Scipio. The World History with great memories decorates the world for the mind, and the Russian one decorates the fatherland, where we live and feel. How attractive are the banks of the Volkhov, Dnieper, and Don, when we know what happened on them in ancient times! Not only Novgorod, Kyiv, Vladimir, but also the huts of Yelets, Kozelsk, Galich become curious monuments and silent objects - eloquent. The shadows of past centuries paint pictures before us everywhere.
In addition to the special dignity for us, the sons of Russia, its chronicles have something in common. Let us look at the space of this only Power: thought becomes numb; Rome in its greatness could never equal her, dominating from the Tiber to the Caucasus, the Elbe and the African sands. Isn’t it amazing how lands separated by eternal barriers of nature, immeasurable deserts and impenetrable forests, cold and hot climates, like Astrakhan and Lapland, Siberia and Bessarabia, could form one Power with Moscow? Is the mixture of its inhabitants less wonderful, diverse, diverse and so distant from each other in degrees of education? Like America, Russia has its Wild Ones; like other European countries it shows the fruits of long-term civic life. You don’t need to be Russian: you just need to think in order to read with curiosity the traditions of the people who, with courage and courage, gained dominance over a ninth part of the world, discovered countries hitherto unknown to anyone, bringing them into common system Geography, History, and enlightened by the Divine Faith, without violence, without the atrocities used by other zealots of Christianity in Europe and America, but the only example of the best.
We agree that the acts described by Herodotus, Thucydides, Livy are generally more interesting for any non-Russian, representing more mental strength and a lively play of passions: for Greece and Rome were people's Powers and more enlightened than Russia; however, we can safely say that some cases, pictures, characters of our History are no less curious than the ancients. These are the essence of the exploits of Svyatoslav, the thunderstorm of Batu, the uprising of the Russians at Donskoy, the fall of Novagorod, the capture of Kazan, the triumph of national virtues during the Interregnum. Giants of the twilight, Oleg and son Igor; the simple-hearted knight, the blind Vasilko; friend of the fatherland, benevolent Monomakh; Mstislavs Brave, terrible in battle and an example of kindness in the world; Mikhail Tversky, so famous for his magnanimous death, the ill-fated, truly courageous, Alexander Nevsky; The hero, the young man, the conqueror of Mamaev, in the lightest outline, has a strong effect on the imagination and heart. One state is a rare wealth for history: at least I don’t know a Monarch more worthy to live and shine in its sanctuary. The rays of his glory fall on the cradle of Peter - and between these two Autocrats the amazing John IV, Godunov, worthy of his happiness and misfortune, the strange False Dmitry, and behind the host of valiant Patriots, Boyars and citizens, the mentor of the throne, High Hierarch Philaret with the Sovereign Son, a light-bearer in the darkness our state disasters, and Tsar Alexy, the wise father of the Emperor, whom Europe called Great. Either all of New History should remain silent, or Russian History should have the right to attention.
I know that the battles of our specific civil strife, rattling incessantly in the space of five centuries, are of little importance to the mind; that this subject is neither rich in thoughts for the Pragmatist, nor in beauty for the painter; but History is not a novel, and the world is not a garden where everything should be pleasant: it depicts the real world. We see majestic mountains and waterfalls, flowering meadows and valleys on earth; but how many barren sands and dull steppes! However, travel is generally kind to a person with a lively feeling and imagination; In the very deserts there are beautiful species.
Let us not be superstitious in our high concept about the Descriptions of Antiquity. If we exclude fictitious speeches from the immortal creation of Thucydides, what remains? A bare story about the civil strife of the Greek cities: crowds commit villainy, are slaughtered for the honor of Athens or Sparta, just as we have for the honor of Monomakhov or Oleg’s house. There is not much difference if we forget that these half-tigers spoke in the language of Homer, had Sophocles' Tragedies and statues of Phidias. Does the thoughtful painter Tacitus always present to us the great, the striking? We look with tenderness at Agrippina, carrying the ashes of Germanicus; with pity for the bones and armor of Varov's Legion scattered in the forest; with horror at the bloody feast of the frantic Romans, illuminated by the flames of the Capitol; with disgust at the monster of tyranny devouring the remnants of Republican virtues in the capital of the world: but the boring litigation of cities about the right to have a priest in this or that temple and the dry Obituary of Roman officials take up many pages in Tacitus. He envied Titus Livy for the wealth of the subject; and Livy, smooth and eloquent, sometimes fills entire books with news of conflicts and robberies, which are hardly more important than the Polovtsian raids. – In a word, reading all the Stories requires some patience, which is more or less rewarded with pleasure.
A historian of Russia could, of course, say a few words about the origin of its main people, about the composition of the State, present the important, most memorable features of antiquity in a skillful picture and start thorough a narrative from John's time or from the 15th century, when one of the greatest state creations in the world took place: he would have easily written 200 or 300 eloquent, pleasant pages, instead of many books, difficult for the Author, tedious for the Reader. But these reviews, these paintings do not replace chronicles, and whoever has read only Robertson’s Introduction to the History of Charles V still does not have a thorough, true understanding of Europe in middle times. It is not enough that an intelligent person, looking around the monuments of centuries, will tell us his notes: we must see the actions and the actors ourselves - then we know History. The boastfulness of the Author's eloquence and bliss Will the readers be condemned to eternal oblivion of the deeds and fate of our ancestors? They suffered, and through their misfortunes they created our greatness, and we don’t even want to hear about it, or know who they loved, who they blamed for their misfortunes? Foreigners may miss what is boring for them in our ancient History; But aren’t good Russians obliged to have more patience, following the rule of state morality, which places respect for ancestors in the dignity of an educated citizen?.. This is how I thought and wrote about Igor, O Vsevolodakh, How contemporary looking at them in a dim mirror ancient Chronicles with untiring attention, with sincere respect; and if, instead alive, whole represented the only images shadows, in excerpts, then it’s not my fault: I couldn’t supplement the Chronicles!
Eat three kind of stories: first modern, for example, Thucydides, where an obvious witness talks about incidents; second, like Tacitov, is based on fresh verbal traditions at a time close to the actions described; third extracted only from monuments like ours until the 18th century. (Only with Peter the Great do verbal legends begin for us: we heard from our fathers and grandfathers about him, about Catherine I, Peter II, Anna, Elizabeth, much that is not in the books. (Here and below are notes by N. M. Karamzin. )) IN first And second the mind and imagination of the Writer shines, who chooses the most curious, blossoms, decorates, sometimes creates, without fear of reproof; will say: that's how I saw it, that's what I heard– and silent Criticism does not prevent the Reader from enjoying wonderful descriptions. Third the genus is the most limited for talent: you cannot add a single feature to what is known; You can't question the dead; we say that our contemporaries betrayed us; we remain silent if they remain silent - or fair Criticism will block the lips of a frivolous Historian, obliged to present only what has been preserved from centuries in the Chronicles, in the Archives. The ancients had the right to invent speeches in accordance with the character of people, with circumstances: a right that is invaluable for true talents, and Livy, using it, enriched his books with the power of mind, eloquence, and wise instructions. But we, contrary to the opinion of Abbot Mably, cannot now orbit History. New advances in reason have given us the clearest understanding of its nature and purpose; common taste established unchanged rules and forever separated the Description from the Poem, from the flower beds of eloquence, leaving it to the former to be a faithful mirror of the past, a faithful response to the words actually spoken by the Heroes of the Ages. The most beautiful fictional speech disgraces History, which is dedicated not to the glory of the Writer, not to the pleasure of the Readers, and not even to moralizing wisdom, but only to the truth, which itself becomes a source of pleasure and benefit. Both Natural and Civil History does not tolerate fiction, depicting what is or was, and not what is to be could. But History, they say, is filled with lies: let’s say better that in it, as in human affairs, there is an admixture of lies, but the character of truth is always more or less preserved; and this is enough for us to make up our minds general concept about people and actions. The more demanding and stricter the Criticism; it is all the more inadmissible for the Historian, for the benefit of his talent, to deceive conscientious Readers, to think and speak for Heroes who have long been silent in their graves. What remains for him, chained, so to speak, to the dry charters of antiquity? order, clarity, strength, painting. He creates from a given substance: he will not produce gold from copper, but must also purify copper; must know the price and properties; to reveal the great where it is hidden, and not to give the small the rights of the great. There is no subject so poor that Art cannot mark itself in it in a way that is pleasing to the mind.
Until now, the Ancients serve as models for us. No one has surpassed Livy in the beauty of storytelling, Tacitus in power: that’s the main thing! Knowledge of all the Rights in the world, German erudition, Voltaire's wit, not even the most profound thought of Machiavellian in the Historian do not replace the talent to depict actions. The English are famous for Hume, the Germans for John Müller, and rightly so (I am speaking only about those who wrote the entire History of Nations. Ferreras, Daniel, Maskov, Dalin, Mallet are not equal to these two Historians; but while zealously praising Müller (the Historian of Switzerland), experts do not praise his Introduction, which can be called a Geological Poem): both are worthy collaborators of the Ancients, not imitators: for every century, every people gives special colors to the skillful Writer of Genesis. “Do not imitate Tacitus, but write as he would write in your place!” There is a rule of genius. Did Muller want to, by frequently inserting moral issues into the story? apophegma, be like Tacitus? Don't know; but this desire to shine with intelligence, or seem thoughtful, is almost disgusting true taste. The historian argues only to explain things, where his thoughts seem to complement the description. Let us note that these apothegms are for thorough minds either half-truths or very ordinary truths that do not have much value in History, where we look for actions and characters. There is skillful storytelling duty writer of everyday life, and a good individual thought is gift: the reader demands the first and thanks for the second when his demand has already been fulfilled. Didn’t the prudent Hume think so too, sometimes very prolific in explaining reasons, but stingily moderate in his reflections? A historian whom we would call the most perfect of the New Ones, if he were not excessively shunned England, did not unduly boast of impartiality and thus did not cool his elegant creation! In Thucydides we always see the Athenian Greek, in Libya we always see the Roman, and we are captivated by them and believe them. Feeling: we, our enlivens the narrative - and just as gross passion, the consequence of a weak mind or a weak soul, is unbearable in the Historian, so love for the fatherland will give his brush heat, strength, charm. Where there is no love, there is no soul.
I turn to my work. Not allowing myself any invention, I sought expressions in my mind, and thoughts only in monuments: I sought spirit and life in smoldering charters; I wanted to unite what had been faithful to us for centuries into a system, clear by the harmonious rapprochement of parts; depicted not only the disasters and glory of war, but also everything that is part of the civil existence of people: the successes of reason, art, customs, laws, industry; was not afraid to speak with importance about what was respected by his ancestors; I wanted, without betraying my age, without pride and ridicule, to describe the centuries of spiritual infancy, gullibility, and fabulousness; I wanted to present both the character of the time and the character of the Chroniclers: for one seemed to me necessary for the other. The less news I found, the more I valued and used what I found; the less he chose: for it is not the poor, but the rich who choose. It was necessary either not to say anything, or to say everything about such and such a Prince, so that he would live in our memory not just as a dry name, but with some moral physiognomy. Diligently exhausting materials of ancient Russian History, I encouraged myself with the thought that in the narration of distant times there is some inexplicable charm for our imagination: there are sources of Poetry! Doesn’t our gaze, in contemplating the great space, usually tend – past everything close and clear – to the end of the horizon, where the shadows thicken, fade and impenetrability begins?
The reader will notice that I am describing the actions not apart, by year and day, but copulating them for the most convenient impression in memory. The historian is not a Chronicler: the latter looks only at time, and the former at the nature and connection of actions: he may make a mistake in the distribution of places, but must indicate his place to everything.
The multitude of notes and extracts I made frightens me. Happy are the Ancients: they did not know this petty labor, in which half the time is lost, the mind is bored, the imagination withers: a painful sacrifice made reliability, but necessary! If all the materials were collected, published, and purified by Criticism, then I would only have to refer; but when most of them are in manuscripts, in the dark; when hardly anything has been processed, explained, agreed upon, you need to arm yourself with patience. It is up to the Reader to look into this motley mixture, which sometimes serves as evidence, sometimes as an explanation or addition. For hunters, everything is curious: an old name, a word; the slightest feature of antiquity gives rise to considerations. Since the 15th century I have been writing less: the sources are multiplying and becoming clearer.
A learned and glorious man, Schletser, said that our History has five main periods; that Russia from 862 to Svyatopolk should be named nascent(Nascens), from Yaroslav to the Mughals divided(Divisa), from Batu to John oppressed(Oppressa), from John to Peter the Great victorious(Victrix), from Peter to Catherine II prosperous. This idea seems to me more witty than thorough. 1) The century of St. Vladimir was already a century of power and glory, and not birth. 2) State shared and before 1015. 3) If according to the internal state and external actions of Russia it is necessary to mean periods, then is it possible to mix at one time the Grand Duke Dimitri Alexandrovich and Donskoy, silent slavery with victory and glory? 4) The Age of the Impostors is marked by more misfortune than victory. Much better, truer, more modest, our history is divided into the oldest from Rurik to, to average from John to Peter, and new from Peter to Alexander. The Lot system was a character first era, autocracy - second, change in civil customs – third. However, there is no need to put boundaries where places serve as living tracts.
Having willingly and zealously devoted twelve years, and best time of my life, for the composition of these eight or nine Volumes, I can, out of weakness, desire praise and fear condemnation; but I dare say that this is not the main thing for me. The love of fame alone could not have given me the constant, long-term firmness necessary in such a matter, if I had not found true pleasure in the work itself and had not had the hope of being useful, that is, of making Russian History more famous for many, even for my strict judges .
Thanks to everyone, both living and dead, whose intelligence, knowledge, talents, and art served as my guidance, I entrust myself to the condescension of good fellow citizens. We love one thing, we desire one thing: we love the fatherland; We wish him prosperity even more than glory; We wish that the solid foundation of our greatness never changes; may the rules of the wise Autocracy and the Holy Faith strengthen the union of parts more and more; May Russia bloom... at least for a long, long time, if there is nothing immortal on earth except the human soul!
December 7, 1815.
About the sources Russian history until the 17th century
These sources are:
I. Chronicles. Nestor, monk of the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery, nicknamed father Russian History, lived in the 11th century: gifted with a curious mind, he listened with attention to the oral traditions of antiquity, folk historical tales; saw monuments, graves of Princes; talked with nobles, elders of Kyiv, travelers, residents of other Russian regions; read the Byzantine Chronicles, church notes and became first chronicler of our fatherland. Second, named Vasily, also lived at the end of the 11th century: used Prince of Vladimir David, in negotiations with the unfortunate Vasilko, described to us the latter’s generosity and other modern deeds of southwestern Russia. All other chroniclers remained for us nameless; one can only guess where and when they lived: for example, one in Novgorod, Priest, dedicated by Bishop Nifont in 1144; another in Vladimir on the Klyazma under Vsevolod the Great; the third in Kyiv, a contemporary of Rurik II; the fourth in Volynia around 1290; the fifth was then in Pskov. Unfortunately, they did not say everything that might be of interest to posterity; but, fortunately, they did not make it up, and the most reliable of the foreign chroniclers agree with them. This almost continuous chain of Chronicles goes up to the statehood of Alexei Mikhailovich. Some have not yet been published or were printed very poorly. I was looking for ancient lists: the best of Nestor and his successors are the Haratei, Pushkin and Trinity, XIV and XV centuries. Notes are also worthy Ipatievsky, Khlebnikovsky, Koenigsbergsky, Rostovsky, Voskresensky, Lvovsky, Archivsky. In each of them there is something special and truly historical, introduced, one must think, by contemporaries or from their notes. Nikonovsky most distorted by the insertions of meaningless copyists, but in the 14th century it reports probable additional news about the Tver Principality, then it is already similar to others, but inferior to them in serviceability, - for example, Archivsky.
II. Degree book, composed during the reign of Ivan the Terrible according to the thoughts and instructions of Metropolitan Macarius. It is a selection from the chronicles with some additions, more or less reliable, and is called by this name for what is indicated in it degrees, or generations of sovereigns.
III. So called Chronographs, or General History according to the Byzantine Chronicles, with the introduction of ours, very brief. They have been curious since the 17th century: there are already many detailed modern news that is not in the chronicles.
IV. Lives of the Saints, in the patericon, in prologues, in menaions, in special manuscripts. Many of these Biographies were composed in modern times; some, however, for example, St. Vladimir, Boris and Gleb, Theodosius, are in the Charatean Prologues; and the Patericon was composed in the 13th century.
V. Special descriptions: for example, the legend of Dovmont of Pskov, Alexander Nevsky; modern notes by Kurbsky and Palitsyn; news about the Pskov siege in 1581, about Metropolitan Philip, etc.
VI. Rank, or the distribution of Voivodes and regiments: begin from the time. These handwritten books are not rare.
VII. Pedigree book: printed; The most correct and complete one, written in 1660, is kept in the Synodal Library.
VIII. Written Catalogs of metropolitans and bishops. – These two sources are not very reliable; they need to be checked against the chronicles.
IX. Epistles of the saints to princes, clergy and laity; the most important of these is the Epistle to Shemyaka; but in others there is also much that is memorable.
X. Ancients coins, medals, inscriptions, fairy tales, songs, proverbs: the source is meager, but not entirely useless.
XI. Certificates. The oldest authentic one was written around 1125. Archival New Town certificates and Soul recordings princes begin in the 13th century; This source is already rich, but there is still a much richer one.
XII. A collection of so-called Article lists, or Ambassadorial affairs, and letters in the Archive of the Foreign Collegium from the 15th century, when both incidents and methods for describing them give the Reader the right to demand greater satisfaction from the Historian. - They are adding to this property of ours.
XIII. Foreign contemporary chronicles: Byzantine, Scandinavian, German, Hungarian, Polish, along with news from travelers.
XIV. State papers of foreign archives: I mostly used extracts from Koenigsberg.
Here are the materials of History and the subject of Historical Criticism!
N.M. Karamzin
History of Russian Goverment
PREFACE
Chapter I. ABOUT THE PEOPLES WHO FROM ANCIENT TIMES RESIDENTED IN RUSSIA. ABOUT THE SLAVS IN GENERAL
Chapter II. ABOUT THE SLAVS AND OTHER PEOPLES,
WHO CONSTITUTED THE RUSSIAN STATE
Chapter III. ABOUT THE PHYSICAL AND MORAL CHARACTER OF THE ANCIENT SLAVS
Chapter IV. RURIK, SINEUS AND TRUVOR. G. 862-879
Chapter V. OLEG RULER. G. 879-912
Chapter VI. PRINCE IGOR. G. 912-945
Chapter VII. PRINCE SVYATOSLAV. G. 945-972
Chapter VIII. GRAND DUKE YAROPOLK. G. 972-980
Chapter IX. GRAND DUKE VLADIMIR,
NAMED BASILI IN BAPTISM. G. 980-1014
Chapter X. ON THE STATE OF ANCIENT RUSSIA
Chapter I. GRAND DUKE SVYATOPOLK. G. 1015-1019
Chapter II. GRAND DUKE YAROSLAV OR GEORGE. G. 1019-1054
Chapter III. RUSSIAN TRUTH, OR YAROSLAVOV’S LAWS
Chapter IV. GRAND DUKE IZYASLAV,
NAMED DEMITRIUS IN BAPTISM. G. 1054-1077
Chapter V. GRAND DUKE VSEVOLOD. G. 1078-1093
Chapter VI. GRAND DUKE SVYATOPOLK-MIKHAIL. G. 1093-1112
Chapter VII. VLADIMIR MONOMAKH,
NAMED BASILI IN BAPTISM. G. 1113-1125
Chapter VIII. GRAND DUKE MSTISLAV. G. 1125-1132
Chapter IX. GRAND DUKE YAROPOLK. G. 1132-1139
Chapter X. GRAND DUKE VSEVOLOD OLGOVICH. G. 1139-1146
Chapter XI. GRAND DUKE IGOR OLGOVICH
Chapter XII. GRAND DUKE IZYASLAV MSTISLAVICH. G. 1146-1154
Chapter XIII. GRAND DUKE ROSTISLAV-MIKHAIL MSTISLAVICH. G. 1154-1155
Chapter XIV. GRAND DUKE GEORGE, OR YURI VLADIMIROVICH,
NAMED LONG-ARMED. G. 1155-1157
Chapter XV. GRAND DUKE IZYASLAV DAVIDOVICH OF Kyiv.
PRINCE ANDREY OF SUZDAL,
NICKNAMED BOGOLYUBSKY. G. 1157-1159
Chapter XVI. GRAND DUKE ROSTISLAV-MIKHAIL IS IN Kyiv FOR A SECOND TIME.
ANDREY IN VLADIMIR SUZDAL. G. 1159-1167
Chapter XVII. GRAND DUKE MSTISLAV IZYASLAVICH OF Kyiv.
ANDREY SUZDAL, OR VLADIMIRSKY. G. 1167-1169
Chapter I. GRAND DUKE ANDREY. G. 1169-1174
Chapter II. GRAND DUKE MICHAEL II [GEORGIEVICH]. G. 1174-1176
Chapter III. GRAND DUKE VSEVOLOD III GEORGIEVICH. G. 1176-1212
Chapter IV. GEORGE, PRINCE OF VLADIMIR.
KONSTANTIN ROSTOVSKY. G. 1212-1216
Chapter V. CONSTANTINE, GRAND DUKE
VLADIMIRSKY AND SUZDAL. G. 1216-1219
Chapter VI. GRAND DUKE GEORGE II VSEVOLODOVICH. G. 1219-1224
Chapter VII. THE STATE OF RUSSIA FROM THE 11TH TO THE 13TH CENTURIES
Chapter VIII. GRAND DUKE GEORGE VSEVOLODOVICH. G. 1224-1238
Chapter I. GRAND DUKE YAROSLAV II VSEVOLODOVICH. G. 1238-1247
Chapter II. GRAND DUKES SVYATOSLAV VSEVOLODOVICH,
ANDREY YAROSLAVICH AND ALEXANDER NEVSKY
(one after the other). G. 1247-1263
Chapter III. GRAND DUKE YAROSLAV YAROSLAVICH. G. 1263-1272
Chapter IV. GRAND DUKE VASILY YAROSLAVICH. G. 1272-1276.
Chapter V. GRAND DUKE DMITRY ALEXANDROVICH. G. 1276-1294.
Chapter VI. GRAND DUKE ANDREY ALEXANDROVICH. G. 1294-1304.
Chapter VII. GRAND DUKE MIKHAIL YAROSLAVICH. G. 1304-1319
Chapter VIII. GRAND DUKES GEORGE DANIILOVITCH,
DIMITRY AND ALEXANDER MIKHAILOVICH
(one after the other). G. 1319-1328
Chapter IX. GRAND DUKE JOHN DANIILOVICH,
NAMED KALITA. G. 1328-1340
Chapter X. GRAND DUKE SIMEON IOANNOVICH,
CALLED PROUD. G. 1340-1353
Chapter XI. GRAND DUKE JOHN II JOANNOVICH. G. 1353-1359
Chapter XII. GRAND DUKE DMITRY KONSTANTINOVICH. G. 1359-1362
Chapter I. GRAND DUKE DMITRY IOANNOVICH,
NAMED DON. G. 1363-1389
Chapter II. GRAND DUKE VASILY DIMITRIEVICH. G. 1389-1425
Chapter III. GRAND DUKE VASILY VASILIEVICH THE DARK. G. 1425-1462
Chapter IV. THE STATE OF RUSSIA FROM THE INVASION OF THE TATARS TO JOHN III
Chapter I. THE GOVERNOR, THE SOVEREIGN GRAND DUKE
JOHN III VASILIEVICH. G. 1462-1472
Chapter II. CONTINUATION OF JOHN'S REGION. G. 1472-1477
Chapter III. CONTINUATION OF JOHN'S REGION. G. 1475-1481
Chapter IV. CONTINUATION OF JOHN'S REGION. G. 1480-1490
Chapter V. CONTINUATION OF JOHN'S REGION. G. 1491-1496
Chapter VI. CONTINUATION OF JOHN'S REGION. G. 1495-1503
Chapter VII. CONTINUATION OF JOHN'S REGION. G. 1503-1505
Chapter I. GOVERNOR GRAND DUKE VASILY IOANNOVICH. G. 1505-1509
Chapter II. CONTINUATION OF VASILIEV'S STATE. G. 1510-1521
Chapter III. CONTINUATION OF VASILIEV'S STATE. G. 1521-1534
Chapter IV. STATE OF RUSSIA. G. 1462-1533
Chapter I. GRAND DUKE AND TSAR JOHN IV VASILIEVICH II. G. 1533-1538
Chapter II. CONTINUATION OF THE REGION OF JOHN IV. G. 1538-1547
Chapter III. CONTINUATION OF THE REGION OF JOHN IV. G. 1546-1552
Chapter IV. CONTINUATION OF THE REGION OF JOHN IV. G. 1552
Chapter V. CONTINUATION OF THE REGION OF JOHN IV. G. 1552-1560
Chapter I. CONTINUATION OF THE REIGN OF JOHN THE TERRIBLE. G. 1560-1564
Chapter II. CONTINUATION OF THE REIGN OF JOHN THE TERRIBLE. G. 1563-1569
Chapter III. CONTINUATION OF THE REIGN OF JOHN THE TERRIBLE. G. 1569-1572
Chapter IV. CONTINUATION OF THE REIGN OF JOHN THE TERRIBLE. G. 1572-1577
Chapter V. CONTINUATION OF THE REIGN OF JOHN THE TERRIBLE. G. 1577-1582
Chapter VI. THE FIRST CONQUEST OF SIBERIA. G. 1581-1584
Chapter VII. CONTINUATION OF THE REIGN OF JOHN THE TERRIBLE. G. 1582-1584
Chapter I. THE REIGN OF THEODOR IOANNOVICH. G. 1584-1587
Chapter II. CONTINUATION OF THE REIGN OF THEODOR IOANNOVICH. G. 1587-1592
Chapter III. CONTINUATION OF THE REIGN OF THEODOR IOANNOVICH. G. 1591 - 1598
Chapter IV. STATE OF RUSSIA AT THE END OF THE 16TH CENTURY
Chapter I. THE REIGN OF BORIS GODUNOV. G. 1598-1604
Chapter II. CONTINUATION OF BORISOV'S REIGN. G. 1600-1605
Chapter III. THE REIGN OF THEODOR BORISOVICH GODUNOV. G. 1605
Chapter IV. REIGN OF THE FALSE DMITRY. G. 1605-1606
Chapter I. THE REIGN OF VASILY IOANNOVICH SHUISKY. G. 1606-1608
Chapter II. CONTINUATION OF BASILI'S REIGN. G. 1607-1609
Chapter III. CONTINUATION OF BASILI'S REIGN. G. 1608-1610
Chapter IV. THE OVERTHROWING OF BASILI AND THE INTERREGNUM. G. 1610-1611
Chapter V. INTERREGONUM. G. 1611-1612
PREFACE
History, in a sense, is the sacred book of peoples: the main, necessary; a mirror of their existence and activity; the tablet of revelations and rules; the covenant of ancestors to posterity; addition, explanation of the present and example of the future.
Rulers and Legislators act according to the instructions of History and look at its pages like sailors at drawings of the seas. Human wisdom needs experience, and life is short-lived. One must know how from time immemorial rebellious passions agitated civil society and in what ways the beneficial power of the mind curbed their stormy desire to establish order, harmonize the benefits of people and give them the happiness possible on earth.
But an ordinary citizen should also read History. She reconciles him with the imperfection of the visible order of things, as with an ordinary phenomenon in all centuries; consoles in state disasters, testifying that similar ones have happened before, even worse ones have happened, and the State was not destroyed; it nourishes a moral feeling and with its righteous judgment disposes the soul towards justice, which affirms our good and the harmony of society.
Here is the benefit: how much pleasure for the heart and mind! Curiosity is akin to man, both the enlightened and the wild. At the glorious Olympic Games, the noise fell silent, and the crowds remained silent around Herodotus, reading the legends of the centuries. Even without knowing the use of letters, peoples already love History: the old man points the young man to a high grave and tells about the deeds of the Hero lying in it. The first experiments of our ancestors in the art of literacy were devoted to Faith and Scripture; Darkened by a thick shadow of ignorance, the people greedily listened to the tales of the Chroniclers. And I like fiction; but for complete pleasure one must deceive oneself and think that they are the truth. History, opening the tombs, raising the dead, putting life into their hearts and words into their mouths, re-creating Kingdoms from corruption and imagining a series of centuries with their distinct passions, morals, and deeds, expands the boundaries of our own existence; by its creative power we live with people of all times, we see and hear them, we love and hate them; Without even thinking about the benefits, we already enjoy the contemplation of diverse cases and characters that occupy the mind or nourish sensitivity.
Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin
"History of Russian Goverment"
Preface
History, in a sense, is the sacred book of peoples: the main, necessary; a mirror of their existence and activity; the tablet of revelations and rules; the covenant of ancestors to posterity; addition, explanation of the present and example of the future.
Rulers and Legislators act according to the instructions of History and look at its pages like sailors at drawings of the seas. Human wisdom needs experience, and life is short-lived. One must know how from time immemorial rebellious passions agitated civil society and in what ways the beneficial power of the mind curbed their stormy desire to establish order, harmonize the benefits of people and give them the happiness possible on earth.
But an ordinary citizen should also read History. She reconciles him with the imperfection of the visible order of things, as with an ordinary phenomenon in all centuries; consoles in state disasters, testifying that similar ones have happened before, even worse ones have happened, and the State was not destroyed; it nourishes a moral feeling and with its righteous judgment disposes the soul towards justice, which affirms our good and the harmony of society.
Here is the benefit: how much pleasure for the heart and mind! Curiosity is akin to man, both the enlightened and the wild. At the glorious Olympic Games, the noise fell silent, and the crowds remained silent around Herodotus, reading the legends of the centuries. Even without knowing the use of letters, peoples already love History: the old man points the young man to a high grave and tells about the deeds of the Hero lying in it. The first experiments of our ancestors in the art of literacy were devoted to Faith and Scripture; Darkened by a thick shadow of ignorance, the people greedily listened to the tales of the Chroniclers. And I like fiction; but for complete pleasure one must deceive oneself and think that they are the truth. History, opening the tombs, raising the dead, putting life into their hearts and words into their mouths, re-creating Kingdoms from corruption and imagining a series of centuries with their distinct passions, morals, and deeds, expands the boundaries of our own existence; by its creative power we live with people of all times, we see and hear them, we love and hate them; Without even thinking about the benefits, we already enjoy the contemplation of diverse cases and characters that occupy the mind or nourish sensitivity.
If any History, even unskillfully written, is pleasant, as Pliny says: how much more domestic. The true Cosmopolitan is a metaphysical being or such an extraordinary phenomenon that there is no need to talk about him, neither to praise nor to condemn him. We are all citizens, in Europe and in India, in Mexico and in Abyssinia; Everyone’s personality is closely connected with the fatherland: we love it because we love ourselves. Let the Greeks and Romans captivate the imagination: they belong to the family of the human race and are not strangers to us in their virtues and weaknesses, glory and disasters; but the name Russian has a special charm for us: my heart beats even stronger for Pozharsky than for Themistocles or Scipio. World History decorates the world for the mind with great memories, and Russian History decorates the fatherland where we live and feel. How attractive are the banks of the Volkhov, Dnieper, and Don, when we know what happened on them in ancient times! Not only Novgorod, Kyiv, Vladimir, but also the huts of Yelets, Kozelsk, Galich become curious monuments and silent objects - eloquent. The shadows of past centuries paint pictures before us everywhere.
In addition to the special dignity for us, the sons of Russia, its chronicles have something in common. Let us look at the space of this only Power: thought becomes numb; Rome in its greatness could never equal her, dominating from the Tiber to the Caucasus, the Elbe and the African sands. Isn’t it amazing how lands separated by eternal barriers of nature, immeasurable deserts and impenetrable forests, cold and hot climates, like Astrakhan and Lapland, Siberia and Bessarabia, could form one Power with Moscow? Is the mixture of its inhabitants less wonderful, diverse, diverse and so distant from each other in degrees of education? Like America, Russia has its Wild Ones; like other European countries it shows the fruits of long-term civic life. You don’t need to be Russian: you just need to think in order to read with curiosity the traditions of the people who, with courage and courage, gained dominance over a ninth part of the world, discovered countries hitherto unknown to anyone, bringing them into the general system of Geography and History, and enlightened them with the Divine Faith, without violence , without the atrocities used by other zealots of Christianity in Europe and America, but only an example of the best.
We agree that the acts described by Herodotus, Thucydides, Livy are more interesting for anyone who is not Russian, representing more spiritual strength and a lively play of passions: for Greece and Rome were people's Powers and more enlightened than Russia; however, we can safely say that some cases, pictures, characters of our History are no less curious than the ancients. These are the essence of the exploits of Svyatoslav, the thunderstorm of Batu, the uprising of the Russians at Donskoy, the fall of Novagorod, the capture of Kazan, the triumph of national virtues during the Interregnum. Giants of the twilight, Oleg and son Igor; the simple-hearted knight, the blind Vasilko; friend of the fatherland, benevolent Monomakh; Mstislavs Brave, terrible in battle and an example of kindness in the world; Mikhail Tversky, so famous for his magnanimous death, the ill-fated, truly courageous, Alexander Nevsky; The hero, the young man, the conqueror of Mamaev, in the lightest outline, has a strong effect on the imagination and heart. The reign of John III alone is a rare treasure for history: at least I don’t know a monarch more worthy to live and shine in its sanctuary. The rays of his glory fall on the cradle of Peter - and between these two Autocrats the amazing John IV, Godunov, worthy of his happiness and misfortune, the strange False Dmitry, and behind the host of valiant Patriots, Boyars and citizens, the mentor of the throne, High Hierarch Philaret with the Sovereign Son, a light-bearer in the darkness our state disasters, and Tsar Alexy, the wise father of the Emperor, whom Europe called Great. Either all of New History should remain silent, or Russian History should have the right to attention.
I know that the battles of our specific civil strife, rattling incessantly in the space of five centuries, are of little importance to the mind; that this subject is neither rich in thoughts for the Pragmatist, nor in beauty for the painter; but History is not a novel, and the world is not a garden where everything should be pleasant: it depicts the real world. We see majestic mountains and waterfalls, flowering meadows and valleys on earth; but how many barren sands and dull steppes! However, travel is generally kind to a person with a lively feeling and imagination; In the very deserts there are beautiful species.
Let us not be superstitious in our lofty concept of the Scriptures of Antiquity. If we exclude fictitious speeches from the immortal creation of Thucydides, what remains? A bare story about the civil strife of the Greek cities: crowds commit villainy, are slaughtered for the honor of Athens or Sparta, just as we have for the honor of Monomakhov or Oleg’s house. There is not much difference if we forget that these half-tigers spoke in the language of Homer, had Sophocles' Tragedies and statues of Phidias. Does the thoughtful painter Tacitus always present to us the great, the striking? We look with tenderness at Agrippina, carrying the ashes of Germanicus; with pity for the bones and armor of Varov's Legion scattered in the forest; with horror at the bloody feast of the frantic Romans, illuminated by the flames of the Capitol; with disgust at the monster of tyranny devouring the remnants of Republican virtues in the capital of the world: but the boring litigation of cities about the right to have a priest in this or that temple and the dry Obituary of Roman officials take up many pages in Tacitus. He envied Titus Livy for the wealth of the subject; and Livy, smooth and eloquent, sometimes fills entire books with news of conflicts and robberies, which are hardly more important than the Polovtsian raids. - In a word, reading all the Stories requires some patience, which is more or less rewarded with pleasure.
A historian of Russia could, of course, say a few words about the origin of its main people, about the composition of the State, present the important, most memorable features of antiquity in a skillful picture and start thorough a narrative from John's time or from the 15th century, when one of the greatest state creations in the world took place: he would have easily written 200 or 300 eloquent, pleasant pages, instead of many books, difficult for the Author, tedious for the Reader. But these reviews, these paintings do not replace chronicles, and whoever has read only Robertson’s Introduction to the History of Charles V still does not have a thorough, true understanding of Europe in middle times. It is not enough that an intelligent person, looking around the monuments of centuries, will tell us his notes: we must see the actions and the actors ourselves - then we know History. The boastfulness of the Author's eloquence and bliss Will the readers be condemned to eternal oblivion of the deeds and fate of our ancestors? They suffered, and through their misfortunes they created our greatness, and we don’t even want to hear about it, or know who they loved, who they blamed for their misfortunes? Foreigners may miss what is boring for them in our ancient History; But aren’t good Russians obliged to have more patience, following the rule of state morality, which places respect for ancestors in the dignity of an educated citizen?.. This is how I thought and wrote about Igor, O Vsevolodakh, How contemporary, looking at them in the dim mirror of the ancient Chronicle with tireless attention, with sincere respect; and if, instead alive, whole represented the only images shadows, in excerpts, then it’s not my fault: I couldn’t supplement the Chronicles!
Karamzin: Vladimir
Karamzin N. M.
Traditions of the centuries: tales, legends, stories from the “History of the Russian State”.
M.: Pravda, 1988. p. 98-115.
IXGRAND DUKE VLADIMIR,
NAMED IN BAPTISM
VASILY
980-1014
Vladimir's trick. - Zeal for idolatry. - Sexuality. - Conquest of Galicia. - First Christian martyrs in Kyiv. - Radimichi revolt. - Kama Bulgaria. - Torquay. - Gorislava's despair. - The marriage of Vladimir and the baptism of Russia. - Division of the state. - Construction of cities. - War with the Croats and Pechenegs. - Tithe Church. - Pecheneg raid. Pirs Vladimirov. - Mercy. - Siege of Belogorod. - Yaroslav's revolt. - Death of Vladimirov. - Its properties. - Folk tales. - Bogatyrs.
Vladimir, with the help of atrocities and brave Varangians, took possession of the state; but he soon proved that he was born to be a great sovereign.
These proud Varangians considered themselves conquerors of Kyiv and demanded two hryvnias as tribute from each inhabitant; Vladimir did not want to suddenly refuse them, but beckoned them both
plans until the very time when, according to the measures taken on his part, they could no longer be terrible for the capital. The Varangians saw the deception; but seeing also that the Russian army in Kyiv was stronger than them, they did not dare to rebel and humbly asked to go to Greece. Vladimir joyfully released these dangerous people, kept the most worthy of them in Russia and gave them many cities to rule. Meanwhile, his ambassadors warned the emperor so that
he did not leave the rebellious Varangians in the capital, but sent them to the cities and under no circumstances would he allow them to return to Russia, which was strong with its own army.Vladimir, having established his power, showed excellent zeal for the pagan gods: he built a new idol of Perun with a silver head and placed it near tower courtyard, on the sacred hill, along with other idols. So, says the chronicler, the people flocked blinded and the earth was desecrated with the blood of the victims. Perhaps Vladimir’s conscience was bothering him; Perhaps he wanted with this blood to reconcile with the gods, irritated by his fratricide: for even the faith of paganism did not tolerate such atrocities... Dobrynya, sent by his nephew to rule Novygorod, also placed, on the bank of the Magus, a rich idol of Perun.
But this Vladimir piety did not prevent him from drowning in sensual pleasures. His first wife was Rogneda, the mother of Izyaslav, Mstislav, Yaroslav, Vsevolod and two daughters; Having killed his brother, he took as a concubine his pregnant daughter-in-law, who gave birthSvyatopolk; from another legal wife, a Czech or Bohemian, he had a son, Vysheslav; from the third Svyatoslav and Mstislav; from the fourth, originally from Bulgaria, Boris and Gleb. Moreover, if you believe the chronicle, he had 300 concubines in Vyshegorod, 300 in the presentBelogorodka (near Kyiv) and 200 in the village of Berestov. Every lovely wife and maiden feared his lustful gaze: he despised the sanctity of marriage and innocence. In a word, the chronicler calls him the second Solomon in love of women.Vladimir, along with many heroes of ancient and modern times, loved his wives, and loved war. The Polish Slavs, the Poles, having become bored with their violent freedom, like the Russian Slavs, even earlier resorted to autocracy. Mieczysław, a sovereign famous in history for introducing Christianity into his land, then ruled the Polish people; Vladimir declared war on him, with the intention
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
it seems to return what was still conquered by Oleg in Galicia, but then, perhaps, under the weak Yaropolk, went to the Polish state. He took the city Cherven(near Chelm), Przemysl and others, which, from now on being the property of Russia, were called Chervensky. In the next two years, the brave prince pacified the rebellion of the Vyatichi, who did not want to pay tribute, and conquered the country of the Yatvingians, a wild but courageous Latvian people who lived in the forests between Lithuania and Poland. Further to the northwest, he extended his possessions all the way to the Baltic Sea, for Livonia, according to Sturleson, the Icelandic chronicler, belonged to Vladimir, whose officials went to collect tribute from all the inhabitants between Courland and the Gulf of Finland.
Crowned with victory and glory, Vladimir wanted to offer gratitude to idols and stain the altars with human blood. Following advice boyars And elders, he ordered to cast lots as to which of the youths and maidens of Kyiv should die for the pleasure of the imaginary gods - and the lot fell on the young Varangian, beautiful in face and soul, whose father was a Christian. Those sent from the elders announced this misfortune to the parent; inspired by love for his son and hatred of such a terrible superstition, he began to tell them about the delusion of the pagans, about the madness of bowing to corruptible wood, instead of the living God, the true Creator of heaven, earth and man. Kievans
tolerated Christianity; but the solemn blasphemy of their faith caused a general rebellion in the city. The people armed themselves, scattered the yard of the Varangian Christian and demanded sacrifice. The father, holding his son by the hand, said firmly: “If your idols are really gods, then let them themselves remove him from my embrace.” The people, in a frenzy of rage, killed father and son, who were thus the first and last martyrs of Christianity in pagan Kyiv. Our Church honors them as saints under the names of Theodore and John.Vladimir soon had the opportunity to prove his courage and happiness with new victories. The Radimichi, quiet tributaries of the great princes since the time of the Olegs, decided to declare themselves independent: he was in a hurry to punish them. Brave commander, his nickname Wolf Tail, the head of the advanced squad of the prince, met them on the banks of the river Pishchan and utterly defeated the rebels; they reconciled themselves, and from that time on (Nestor writes) it became a proverb in Rus': The wolf-tailed Radimichi are running.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Bulgarians have lived on the banks of the Volga and Kama since ancient times, or perhaps they moved there from the banks of the Don to
VII century, did not want to obey the Kozar Khan. In the course of time they became a civil and trading people; had communication, through navigable rivers, with the north of Russia, and through the Caspian Sea with Persia and other rich Asian countries. Vladimir, wanting to take possession of Kama Bulgaria, set off on ships down the Volga together with the Novgorodians and the famous Dobrynya; horsemen walked along the shore Torques, allies or mercenaries of the Russians. Here, for the first time, mention is made of this people, who are of the same tribe as the Turkomans and Pechenegs; he wandered in the steppes on the southeastern borders of Russia, in the same place where the Pecheneg hordes wandered. Grand Duke defeated the Bulgarians, but the wise Dobrynya, according to the chronicler, examined the captives and saw them in boots, said to Vladimir: “They will not want to be our tributaries: let’s better go look for Lapotnikov!” Dobrynya thought that people who are surplus have more reasons and means to defend themselves. Vladimir, respecting his opinion, made peace with the Bulgarians, who solemnly promised to live friendly with the Russians, confirming the oath with these simple words: “Shall we then break our agreement when the stone begins to float, and the hops sink on the water.” - If not with Denmark, then, at least with honor and with gifts, the Grand Duke returned to the capital.It seems that a curious and touching incident described in the continuation of Nestor’s Chronicle should be attributed to this time. Rogneda, named after her sorrows Gorislava, forgave her husband for the murder of her father and brothers, but could not forgive her betrayal in love: for the Grand Duke already preferred other wives to her, and sent the unfortunate woman out of his palace. One day, when Vladimir, having visited her secluded home on the shore; Lybedi - near Kyiv, where there was a village in Nestorov’s time Predslavino- fell asleep there sound sleep, she wanted to use a knife to kill him. The prince woke up and deflected the blow. Reminding the cruel man of the death of her loved ones and shedding tears, the desperate Rogneda complained that he had not loved either her or the poor baby, Izyaslav, for a long time. Vladimir decided to execute the criminal with his own hand; He ordered her to be adorned with wedding clothes and, sitting on a rich bed, in a bright temple, to wait for death. Already the angry husband and judge entered this temple... Then young Izyaslav, taught by Rogneda, gave him a sword
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
naked and said: “You are not alone, O my parent! the son will be a witness.” Vladimir, throwing his sword to the ground, answered: “Who knew you were here!..” He left, gathered the boyars and demanded their advice. “Sovereign,” they said, “forgive the child who is guilty of this and give them the former region of her father as an inheritance.” Vladimir agreed: he built a new city in the current Vitebsk province and, calling it Izyaslavl, sent mother and son there.
Now we begin to describe the most important deed of Vladimirov, which most glorified him in history... The desire of the pious Olga was fulfilled, and Russia, where Christianity had been gradually taking root for more than a hundred years, finally all and solemnly recognized its holiness, almost at the same time as neighboring lands: Hungary, Poland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark. The very division of churches, eastern and; Western, had a useful consequence for the true faith: for their heads tried to surpass each other in active zeal for the conversion of the pagans.
Our ancient chronicler tells that not only Christian preachers, but also Mohammedans, together with the Jews who lived in the land of Kozar or in Tauris, sent wise lawyers to Kyiv to persuade Vladimir to accept his faith and that the Grand Duke willingly listened to their teaching. A probable case: the neighboring peoples could wish that the sovereign, already famous for his victories in Europe and Asia, would confess the same God with them, and Vladimir could also - having finally seen, like his great grandmother, the error of paganism - seek truth in different faiths.
The first ambassadors were from the Volga or Kama Bulgarians. On the eastern and southern shores of the Caspian Sea, the Mohammedan faith had long dominated, established there by the happy weapon of the Arabians: the Bulgarians accepted it and wanted to inform Vladimir. The description of Mohammed's paradise and flowering houris captivated the imagination of the voluptuous prince; but circumcision seemed to him a hateful rite and the prohibition of drinking wine was a reckless statute. Wine, he said, there is an introduction for Russians; we can't be without him.- The ambassadors of the German Catholics told him about the greatness of the invisible Almighty and the insignificance of idols. The prince answered them: go back; our fathers did not accept faith from the pope. After listening to the Jews, he asked where their fatherland was. “In Jerusalem,” answered the preachers, “but God, in his wrath, scattered us to foreign lands.” And you, orders -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Trusted by God, do you dare to teach others?
- said Vladimir.- We do not want, like you, to lose our fatherland.- Finally, the nameless philosopher sent by the Greeks, having refuted other faiths in a few words, told Vladimir the entire content of the Bible, the Old and New Testaments: the history of creation, paradise, sin, the first people, the flood, the chosen people, the redemption of Christianity, the seven councils, and in conclusion showed him a picture of the Last Judgment, with the image of the righteous going to heaven, and sinners condemned to eternal torment. Struck by this spectacle, Vladimir sighed and said: “Good for the virtuous and woe for the wicked!” Cross yourself,- answered the philosopher, - and you will be in heaven with the first.Our chronicler guessed how preachers of faiths were supposed to speak to Vladimir; but if the Greek philosopher really had the right to this name, then it was not difficult for him to assure a reasonable pagan of the great superiority of the Christian law. The faith of the Slavs horrified the imagination with the power of different gods, often disagreeing with each other, who played the lot of people and often reveled in their blood. Although the Slavs also recognized the existence of a single Supreme Being, but idle, careless in discussing the fate of the world, like the deity of Epicurus and Lucretius. About life for
outside the coffin, so dear to man, faith did not communicate to them any clear concept: one earthly was her subject. Sanctifying the virtues of courage, generosity, honesty, hospitality, it contributed to the good of civil societies in their news, but could not please the sensitive heart and the thoughtful mind. On the contrary, Christianity, representing in the one invisible God the creator and ruler of the universe, the gentle father of people, condescending to their weaknesses and rewarding the good - here with peace and tranquility of conscience, and there, behind the darkness of temporary death, the bliss of eternal life - satisfies all the main needs human soul.Vladimir, having released the philosopher with gifts and great honor, gathered the boyars and city elders; announced to them the proposal of the Mohammedans, Jews, Catholics, Greeks and demanded their advice. “Sir! - said the boyars and elders, - every person praises his faith: if you want to choose the best, then send smart people to different lands to test which people are more worthy of worshiping the Divine.” And the Grand Duke sent ten good-
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
wise men for this test. The ambassadors saw meager churches in the country of the Bulgarians, sad prayers, sad faces; in the land of German Catholics there is worship with rituals, but, according to the chronicle, without any grandeur or beauty; finally arrived in Constantinople. May they behold the glory of our God!- said the emperor and, knowing that the rude mind is captivated by external brilliance rather than by abstract truths, he ordered the ambassadors to be led to the St. Sophia Church, where the patriarch himself, dressed in holy vestments, was performing the liturgy. The splendor of the temple, the presence of all the famous Greek clergy, the rich official clothes, the decoration of the altars, the beauty of painting, the fragrance of incense, the sweet singing of the choir, the silence of the people, the sacred importance and mystery of the rituals amazed the Russians; It seemed to them that the Almighty himself lived in this temple and connected directly with people... Returning to Kyiv,
The ambassadors spoke to the prince with contempt about the worship of the Mohammedans, with disrespect for the Catholic and with admiration for the Byzantine, concluding with the words: “Every person, having tasted the sweet, already has an aversion to the bitter; so we, having recognized the faith of the Greeks, do not want another.” Vladimir still wanted to hear the opinions of the boyars and elders. “If the Greek law,” they said, “was not better than others, then your grandmother, Olga, the wisest of all people, would not have decided to accept it.” The Grand Duke decided to be a Christian.This is how our chronicler tells us, who could still know Vladimir’s contemporaries and is therefore reliable in describing important incidents of his reign. The truth of this Russian embassy to the country of Catholics and to Constantinople, to test the Christian law, is also confirmed by the news of one Greek ancient manuscript kept in the Paris library: the disagreement consists solely in the adjective of the name of Vasily, the then king of Byzantium, named in it Macedonian instead of Porphyrogenitus
.Vladimir could have been baptized in his own capital, where Christian churches and priests had long been located; but the magnificent prince wanted splendor and grandeur for this important action: the Greek kings and the patriarch alone seemed worthy to him to inform his entire people of the rules of the new worship. The pride of power and glory also did not allow Vladimir to humiliate himself, in the thinking of the Greeks, by sincerely admitting his pagan errors and humbly asking for baptism:
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
he decided, so to speak, conquer Christian faith and accept its shrine with the hand of the winner.
Gathering a large army, the Grand Duke went on ships to the Greek Cherson, the ruins of which are still visible in Tauris, near Sevastopol. This trading city, built in ancient times by immigrants from Heraclea, was preserved even in
X century, its existence and glory, despite the great devastation caused by savage peoples in the vicinity of the Black Sea, from the time of Herodotus' Scythians to the Kozars and Pechenegs. He recognized the supreme power of the Greek emperors over himself, but did not pay them tribute; elected his leaders and obeyed his own republican laws. Its inhabitants, trading in all the Black Sea marinas, enjoyed abundance. Vladimir, stopping in the harbor or Kherson Bay, landed an army on the shore and surrounded the city on all sides. Since ancient times, attached to freedom, the Kherson people defended themselves courageously. The Grand Duke threatened them to stand for three years under their walls if they did not surrender, but the citizens rejected his proposals, in the hope, perhaps, of having quick help from the Greeks; they tried to destroy all the work of the besiegers and, having made a secret tunnel, as the chronicler says, at night they carried into the city the earth that the Russians had poured in front of the walls in order to surround them with a rampart, according to the ancient custom of military art. Fortunately, a well-wisher of Vladimir, named Anastas, was found in the city: this man shot an arrow towards the Russians, with the inscription: behind you, to the east, there are wells that supply water to the people of Kherson through underground pipes; you can take it away. The Grand Duke was in a hurry to take advantage of the advice and ordered to dig up the water conduits (traces of which are still noticeable near the current ruins of Kherson). Then the citizens, exhausted by thirst, surrendered to the Russians.Having conquered a glorious and rich city, which for many centuries had been able to repel the attacks of barbarian peoples, the Russian prince became even more proud of his greatness and, through ambassadors, announced to the emperors, Vasily and Constantine, that he wished to be the husband of their sister, the young princess Anna, or, in the case of refusal, will take
Constantinople. Kinship alliance with the Greeks famous kings seemed flattering to his ambition. The empire, after the death of the hero Tzimiskes, was a victim of rebellion and disorder: the military leaders Sklerus and Phocas did not want to obey the legitimate sovereigns and argued with them about power. These circumstances forced the impe-- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Rators to forget the usual arrogance of the Greeks and contempt for the pagans. Vasily and Constantine, hoping to save the throne and crown with the help of a strong Russian prince, answered him that it depended on him to be their son-in-law; that, having accepted the Christian faith, he will receive both the hand of the princess and the kingdom of heaven. Vladimir, already ready for this, joyfully agreed to be baptized, but first wanted the emperors, as a pledge of trust and friendship, to send his sister to him. Anna was horrified: marriage with the prince of the people, according to the Greeks, seemed wild and ferocious to her cruel captivity and more hateful than death. But politics demanded this sacrifice, and jealousy for the conversion of idolaters served as its justification or pretext. The sorrowful princess went to Kherson by ship, accompanied by famous ecclesiastical and civil officials; there the people met her as their deliverer with all the signs of zeal and joy. The chronicle says that the Grand Duke then had pain in his eyes and could not see anything; that Anna convinced him to be baptized immediately and that he received his sight the very minute the saint laid his hand on him. The Russian boyars, surprised by the miracle, together with the sovereign accepted the true faith (in the Church of St. Basil, which stood on the city square, between the two chambers where the Grand Duke and his bride lived). The Kherson metropolitan and the Byzantine presbyters performed this solemn rite, which was followed by the betrothal and marriage of the princess to Vladimir, blessed for Russia in many respects and very happy for Constantinople, for the Grand Duke, as a faithful ally of the emperors, immediately sent to them part of his courageous squad , which helped Vasily defeat the rebel Phokas and restore silence in the Empire.
This is dissatisfied: Vladimir renounced his conquest and, having built a church in Kherson - on that hill where citizens demolished the earth from under the walls, he returned
ce th city to the Greek kings as an expression of gratitude for the hand of their sister. Instead of prisoners, he brought out of Kherson only the priests and that Anastas, who helped him take possession of the city; instead of tribute he took church vessels, the relics of St. Clement and Thebes, his disciple, also two idols and four copper horses, as a sign of their love for the arts (these, perhaps, elegant works of ancient art stood in Nestor’s time on the square of old Kyiv, near the present- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Andreevskaya and Tithe Church). Instructed by the Kherson Metropolitan in the mysteries and moral teachings of Christianity, Vladimir hurried to his capital to illuminate the people with the light of baptism. The destruction of idols served as preparation for this celebration: some were chopped up, others were burned. Perun, the chief of them, was tied to a horse's tail, beaten with canes and thrown down the mountain into the Dnieper. To prevent the zealous pagans from removing the idol from the river, the prince's soldiers pushed it away from the banks and escorted it to the very rapids, beyond which it was thrown onto the shore by the waves (and this place was long called Perunov). The amazed people did not dare to defend their imaginary gods, but shed tears
, superstitions that were the last tribute to them: for the next day Vladimir ordered an announcement in the city that all Russian people, nobles and slaves, poor and rich, should go to be baptized - and the people, already deprived of objects of ancient adoration, rushed in crowds to the banks of the Dnieper, reasoning, that the new faith should be wise and holy, when the Grand Duke and the boyars preferred it to the old faith of their fathers. Vladimir appeared there, accompanied by a council of Greek priests, and, at this sign, countless people entered the river: the big ones stood in the water up to their chests and necks; fathers and mothers held babies in their arms; The priests read baptismal prayers and sang the glory of the Almighty. When the solemn ceremony was completed, when the sacred council named all the citizens of Kyiv Christians, then Vladimir, in the joy and delight of his heart, fixing his eyes on the sky, loudly said a prayer: “Creator of earth and heaven! bless these new thy children; let them know you, the true God; establish the right faith in them. Help me intemptations of evil, may I worthily praise your holy name!..” On this great day, says the chronicler, earth and sky rejoiced.Soon the signs of the Christian faith, accepted by the sovereign, his children, nobles and people, appeared on the ruins of dark paganism in Russia, and the altars of the true God took the place of idolatry. The Grand Duke built a wooden church of St. Vasily, in the place where Perun stood, and called skilled architects from Constantinople to build a stone temple in the name of the Mother of God, where in 983 the pious Varangian and his son suffered for their faith. Meanwhile, zealous altar servers, priests, preached Christ in different areas of the state.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Many people were baptized, reasoning, no doubt, in the same way as the citizens of Kyiv; others, tied to the ancient law, rejected the new one: for paganism dominated “in some countries of Russia until the very
XII century. Vladimir did not want, it seems, to force his conscience; but he took the best, most reliable measures to exterminate pagan errors: he tried to educate the Russians. To establish faith on the knowledge of divine books, back in IX century translated into Slavic language Cyril and Methodius and, no doubt, already known to Kyiv Christians for a long time, the Grand Duke established schools for youths, former first the foundation of public education in Russia. This good deed seemed terrible news at the time, and famous wives, whose children were unwillingly taken to study, mourned them as if they were dead, for they considered literacy a dangerous sorcery.Vladimir had 12 sons, still young boys. We have already named 9 of them: Stanislav, Pozvizd, Sudislav were born, it seems, after. Thinking that children can be the most reliable servants of their father, or, better said, following the unfortunate custom of these times, Vladimir divided the state into regions and gave Vysheslav Novgorod, Izyaslav Polotsk, Yaroslav Rostov as an inheritance: after the death of Vysheslav Novgorod, and Rostov to Boris; Gleb Murom, Svyatoslav Drevlyanskaya land, Vsevolod Vladimir Volynsky, Mstislav Tmutorokan, or the Greek Tamatarkha, conquered, most likely, by his courageous grandfather; and Svyatopolk, adopted nephew, Turov, which still exists in the Minsk province and is named so from
named after the Varangian Tur, who once ruled this region. Vladimir sent the young princes to their assigned inheritance, entrusting them to prudent mentors until they reached adulthood. He, without a doubt, did not think of splitting up the states and gave his sons only the rights of his governors; but he should have foreseen the consequences necessary after his death. An appanage prince, obeying his father, the autocratic sovereign of all Russia, could he just as naturally obey his heir, that is, his brother? The civil strife between the children of Svyatoslav has already proven the contrary; but Vladimir did not take advantage of this experience: for the greatest people act in accordance with the way of thinking and the rules of their age.Wanting to more conveniently educate the people and protect southern Russia from the robbery of the Pechenegs, the Grand Duke founded new cities along the rivers Desna, Oster, Trubezh, Su-
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Le, Stugne and populated them with Novgorod Slavs, Krivichi, Chud, Vyatichi. Having fortified Kiev Belgorod with a wall, he transferred many residents there from other cities: for he loved it very much and often lived in it. The war with the Croats, who lived (we think) on the borders of the Sedmigrad region and Galicia, distracted Vladimir from internal state orders. Having barely ended it with peace or victory, he learned about the raid of the Pechenegs, who came from beyond Sula and ravaged the Kyiv region. The Grand Duke met with them on the banks of Trubezh; and the chronicler tells the following story:
“The Pecheneg army stood across the river; their prince called Vladimir ashore and invited him to resolve the matter with a duel between two chosen heroes on both sides. If the Russian kills the Pecheneg, he said, then we undertake not to fight with you for three years, and if ours wins, then we are free to devastate your land for three years. Vladimir agreed and ordered privet, or heralds, in their camp to call the hunters for a duel; not a single one was found, and the Russian prince was in grief. Then the elder comes to him and says: “I went out into the field with four sons, and the youngest stayed at home. Since childhood, no one could defeat him. One day, with his heart set on me, he tore the thick cowhide in two. Sovereign! told him to fight the Pechenegs.” Vladimir immediately sent for the young man, who, to test his strength, demanded a wild bull; and when the beast, irritated by the touch of the hot iron, ran past the young man, this hero with one hand tore a piece of meat from his side. The next day the Pecheneg, a giant, appeared
scary, and, seeing his short opponent, he laughed. We chose a place: the combatants grappled. The Russian crushed the Pecheneg with his strong muscles and hit the dead man on the ground. Then the princely squad, exclaiming victory, rushed at the frightened army of the Pechenegs, who could barely escape. Joyful Vladimir, in memory of this occasion, founded a city on the banks of Trubezh and named it Pereyaslavl, for the young man is Russian overflowed the enemies have glory. The Grand Duke, having awarded the knight and the elder, his father, with the rank of boyar, returned in triumph to Kyiv.” The duel may be the truth; but the fact that Vladimir founded Pereyaslavl seems doubtful: for this city was mentioned in Oleg’s treaty with the Greeks in 906.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Russia then enjoyed silence for two or three years. Vladimir, to his great pleasure, finally saw the completion of a stone temple in Kyiv, dedicated to the Mother of God and decorated with Greek art. There, filled with holy faith and love for the people, he said before the altar of the Most High: “Lord! in this temple, built by me, may you always listen to the prayers of good Russians” - and as a sign of heartfelt joy, he treated the boyars and city elders in the princely palace; He did not forget the poor people, generously satisfying their needs. - Vladimir gave icons, crosses and vessels taken in Kherson to the new church; ordered the Kherson priests to serve in it; entrusted it to his favorite Anastas; ordered him to take a tenth of the prince's own income and, by an oath, obliging his heirs not to break this law, he placed it in the temple. Consequently, Anastas was of holy rank and probably famous when main church capital (still called Tithe) was under his special supervision. The newest chroniclers speak affirmatively about Kyiv metropolitans of this time, but, naming them, they contradict each other. Nestor does not mention the metropolis at all before the reign of Yaroslav, speaking only about the bishops respected by Vladimir, no doubt Greeks or Greek Slavs, who, understanding our language, could teach the Russians all the more conveniently.
An incident dangerous for Vladimir’s life further confirmed this prince’s feelings of piety. The Pechenegs, again attacking the Russian regions, approached Vasilev, the city he built on the Stugna River. He went out into the field with a small squad, could not resist their multitude and had to hide under the bridge. Surrounded on all sides by fierce enemies, Vladimir promised, if heaven saved him, to build a temple in Vasilevo for the holiday of that day, the Holy Transfiguration. The enemies left, and the Grand Duke, having fulfilled his vow, called nobles, mayors, and elders from other cities to his feast. Wanting to depict his luxury, the chronicler says that Vladimir ordered to cook three hundred boil honey and celebrated with the boyars in Vasilevo for eight days. The poor received 300 hryvnia from the state treasury. Returning to Kyiv, he gave a new feast not only to the nobles, but also to the entire people, who sincerely rejoiced at the salvation of the good and beloved sovereign. From that time on, this prince treated every week to gridnitsa, or in the hallway of his palace, boyars, gridney(sword-
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
princes), military centurions, tens and all eminent people or deliberate. Even on those days when he was not in Kyiv, they gathered in the palace and found tables covered with meats, game and all the luxurious dishes of that time. Once - as the chronicler says - the Vladimirov guests, intoxicated with strong honey, decided to complain that the famous Russian sovereign was serving them wooden spoons for dinner: The Grand Duke, having learned about this, ordered one to be made for them silver, speaking wisely: You won’t get a loyal squad with silver and gold; and with it I will get a lot of silver and gold, like my father and grandfather. Vladimir, according to the chronicle, loved his squad very much and consulted with these people, not only brave, but also intelligent, about both military and civil matters.
Being a friend of zealous boyars and officials, he was a true father of the poor, who could always come to the princely court to satisfy their hunger there and take money from the treasury. This is not enough: sick, Vladimir said, unable to reach my chambers- and ordered bread, meat, fish, vegetables, honey and kvass to be delivered through the streets in barrels. “Where are the poor and the sick?” - the princely people asked and provided them with everything they needed. Nestor attributes this virtue to Vladimirov to the action of Christian teaching. Gospel words: bliss is merciful, for these will be pardoned, and Solomonov: When you give to the poor, you lend to God- instilled in the soul of the Grand Duke a rare love of charity and, in general, such mercy that even went beyond the limits of state benefit. He spared the lives of the murderers and punished them only Viroyu, or monetary penalty; the number of criminals multiplied, and their insolence terrified good, calm citizens. Finally, the spiritual shepherds of the church led the pious prince out of error. “Why don’t you punish crimes?” - they asked. I'm afraid of heaven's wrath- answered Vladimir. “No,” said the bishops, “you have been appointed by God to be executed by the evil, and by the good - to mercy. The criminal must be punished, but only with consideration.” The Grand Duke, having accepted their advice, canceled virus and again introduced the death penalty, which existed under Igor and Svyatoslav.
These prudent advisers also had to awaken in him, for the good of the state, the former military spirit, lulled by the same love of mankind. Vladimir no longer sought the glory of heroes and lived in peace with neighboring sovereigns: Polish, Hungarian and Bohemian
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
skim; but the predatory Pechenegs, using his peacefulness to their advantage, constantly devastated Russia. Wise bishops and elders proved to the Grand Duke that the sovereign should be a terror not only to state criminals, but also to external enemies - and the voice of military trumpets resounded again in our ancient fatherland.
Vladimir, wanting to gather a large army to “deal with the Pechenegs,” himself went to Novgorod; but these tireless enemies, having learned of his absence, approached the capital, surrounded Belgorod and cut off the communication of residents with the surrounding areas. After a while there was famine there
, and the people, having gathered at a meeting or council, expressed a desire to surrender to the enemies. “The prince is far away,” he said. “The Pechenegs can kill only some of us, and we will all die from hunger.” But the clever old man’s cunning, however, is not entirely probable, saved the citizens. He ordered to dig two wells, put one tub of water in them, the other with dough, and call the enemy elders, as if for negotiations. Seeing these wells, they believed that the earth itself produced food there that was tasty for people, and they returned to their princes with the news that the city could not lack food supplies! The Pechenegs lifted the siege. It is likely that Vladimir, with a happy weapon, finally calmed these barbarians: at least the chronicler no longer mentions their attacks on Russiauntil 1015. But here the legends seem to leave Nestor, and during seventeen years old he only tells us that in 1000 Malfrida died - one of Vladimir’s former wives, as one must think, and Rogneda, famous for her misfortune, in 1001 Izyaslav, and in 1003 the baby Vseslav, the son of Izyaslav, that in 1007 they brought icons to the Kiev Church of the Mother of God from Kherson or from Greece, and in 1011 Anna, Vladimirov’s wife, died, memorable for posterity: for she was an instrument of heavenly grace that rescued Russia from the darkness of idolatry.In these years, sparse in incidents according to the Nestor Chronicle, Vladimir could have had that war with the Norwegian prince Eric, which is narrated by the Icelandic chronicler Sturleson. Driven by fate, the young Norwegian prince Olof, nephew of Sigurd, one of the nobles of Vladimirov, with his mother, the widowed queen Astrida, found refuge in Russia; studied at court, showered with favors Grand Duchess, and zealously served the sovereign; but, slandered by envious-
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
mi boyars, had to leave his service. A few years later, perhaps with the help of Russia, he became the king of Norway, taking the throne from Eric, who fled to Sweden, gathered an army, attacked the northwestern Vladimir region, besieged and took the Russian city by storm Aldeigaburg, or how probably, present-day Staraya Ladoga, where Scandinavian sailors usually landed and where, according to popular legend, Rurik had his palace. The brave Norwegian prince fought with Vladimir for four years; finally, yielding to the superiority of his forces, he left Russia.
Fate did not spare Vladimir in his old age: before his end, he had to see with grief that the love of power arms not only brother against brother, but also son against father.
The governors of Novgorod annually paid two thousand hryvnia to the Grand Duke and distributed a thousand to the gridnyas, or princely bodyguards. Yaroslav, the then ruler of Novagorod, dared to declare himself independent and did not want to pay tribute. Irritated, Vladimir ordered the army to prepare for a campaign in Novgorod to punish the disobedient; and the son, blinded by the lust for power, called from across the sea to the Varangians for help, thinking, contrary to divine and human laws, to raise a sword against his father and sovereign. Heaven, having averted this ungodly war, saved Yaroslav from a rare crime. Vladimir, perhaps out of grief, fell ill with a serious illness, and at the same time the Pechenegs broke into Russia; it was necessary to repel them: not having the strength to lead the army, he entrusted it to his beloved son Boris, Prince of Rostov, who was then in Kyiv, and a few days later he died in Berestov, a country palace, without choosing an heir and leaving the helm of the state to the will of fate...
Svyatopolk, the adopted nephew of Vladimirov, was in the capital; fearing his lust for power, the courtiers wanted to conceal the death of the Grand Duke, probably in order to give his son, Boris, time to return to Kyiv; At night they broke down the floor in the hallway, wrapped the body in a carpet, lowered it down the ropes and took it to the Church of the Mother of God. But soon the sad news spread throughout the city: nobles, people, and soldiers rushed to the church, saw the corpse of the sovereign and expressed their despair with lamentation. The poor mourned the benefactor, the boyars mourned the father of the fatherland... Vladimirov’s body was enclosed in a marble shrine and placed there solemnly, next to
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
the tomb of his wife, Anna, among the temple of the Mother of God, built by him.
This prince, called the church Equal to the Apostles, has earned a name in history Great. Is the assurance of the holiness of Christianity true, or, as the famous Arab historian narrates?
XIII centuries, one ambition and desire to be in a family union with the Byzantine sovereigns decided to baptize him? known to God, not to men. It is enough that Vladimir, having accepted the faith of the Savior, was sanctified by it in his heart and became a different person. In paganism he was a ferocious avenger, a vile sensualist, a bloodthirsty warrior and - most terrible of all - a fratricide. Vladimir, instructed in the humane rules of Christianity, was already afraid to shed the blood of the most villains and enemies of the fatherland. His main right to eternal glory and gratitude of posterity lies, of course, in the fact that he put the Russians on the path of the true faith: but the name Great belongs to him for state affairs. This prince, having stolen autocracy, made amends for his guilt with a prudent and happy rule for the people; having expelled the rebellious Varangians from Russia, he used the best of them in her favor; pacified the revolts of his tributaries, repelled the raids of predatory neighbors, defeated the strong Mieczyslaw and the Yatvizh people, famous for their bravery; expanded the borders of the state in the west; with the courage of his squad he established a crown on the weak head of the eastern emperors; tried to enlighten Russia: he populated deserts, founded new cities; loved to consult with wise boyars about useful zemstvo regulations; the schools sang and called from Greece not only priests, but alsoartists; finally he was a tender father of a poor people. He paid the grief of his last minutes for an important mistake in politics, for the appointment of special inheritances for his sons.The glory of his reign resounded in three parts of the world: ancient Scandinavian, German, Byzantine, Arabic chronicles speak of him. In addition to the traditions of the church and our first chronicler about the affairs of Vladimirov, the memory of this Grand Duke was also preserved in folk tales about the splendor of his feasts, about the mighty heroes of his time: about Dobrynya Novgorodsky, Alexander and golden mane. Fairy tales are not history, but this similarity is in popular concepts of times
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Charlemagne and Prince Vladimir are worthy of note: both of them, having earned immortality in the chronicles with their victories, zeal for Christianity, and love of science, live to this day in heroic tales.
Vladimir, despite his naturally weak health, lived to old age: for in 970 he already ruled in Novgorod, under the leadership of his uncle, the boyar Dobrynya.
Before we talk about the heirs of this great monarch, let us supplement the history of the times we have described with all the news that is in Nestor and in foreign modern chroniclers about the civil and moral state of Russia at that time: in order not to interrupt the threads of the historical narrative, we report them in a special article.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The text was translated into electronic format by a student of EN-208
Gordenko MarinaBiography
Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin was born () December in the village of Mikhailovka (now Buzuluksky district of the Orenburg region). He grew up on the estate of his father, Mikhail Egorovich Karamzin (1724-1783), a middle-class Simbirsk nobleman, a descendant of the Crimean Tatar Murza Kara-Murza. He was educated at home, and from the age of fourteen he studied in Moscow at the boarding school of Moscow University professor Chaten, while simultaneously attending lectures at the University.
Carier start
In Moscow, Karamzin met writers and writers: he participated in the publication of the first Russian magazine for children - “Children's Reading”.
In 1778, Karamzin was sent to Moscow to the boarding school of Moscow University professor I.M. Shaden.
Trip to Europe
Writer and historian
Upon returning from the trip, Karamzin settled in Moscow and began working as a professional writer and journalist, starting to publish the Moscow Journal (the first Russian literary magazine, in which, among other works of Karamzin, the story “Poor Liza” that strengthened his fame appeared), then published a number of collections and: "", "Aonids", "Pantheon of Foreign Literature", "My Trinkets", which made the main literary movement in Russia, and Karamzin - its recognized leader.
Karamzin the writer
Sentimentalism
Karamzin’s publication of “Letters of a Russian Traveler” (-) and the story “Poor Liza” (; separate publication) opened an era in Russia.
Lisa was surprised, she dared to look at the young man, she blushed even more and, looking down at the ground, told him that she would not take the ruble.
- For what?
- I don't need anything extra.
- I think that beautiful lilies of the valley, plucked by the hands of a beautiful girl, cost a ruble. When you don’t take it, here’s your five kopecks. I would like to always buy flowers from you; I would like you to tear them just for me.
Dominant " human nature"sentimentalism declared feeling, not reason, which distinguished it from. Sentimentalism believed that the ideal of human activity was not the “reasonable” reorganization of the world, but the release and improvement of “natural” feelings. His hero is more individualized, his inner world enriched by the ability to empathize and sensitively respond to what is happening around.
Karamzin's poetry
Karamzin's poetry, which developed in line with the European, was radically different from the traditional poetry of his time, brought up in and. The most significant differences were the following:
Karamzin is not interested in the external, physical world, and internal, spiritual world person. His poems speak “the language of the heart,” not the mind. The object of Karamzin’s poetry is “simple life,” and to describe it he uses simple poetic forms - poor, avoids abundance and others, so popular in the poems of his predecessors.
“Who is your dear?” I'm ashamed; It really hurts me to open up the strangeness of my feelings and be the subject of jokes. The heart is not free to choose!.. What can I say? She...she. Oh! is not at all important and does not have any talents behind him; ... The strangeness of love, or insomnia ()
Another difference between Karamzin’s poetics is that the world is fundamentally unknowable for him; the poet recognizes the existence of different points of view on the same subject:
One voice Scary in the grave, cold and dark! The winds howl here, the coffins shake, the white bones knock. Another voice Quietly in the grave, soft, calm. The winds blow here; sleepers are cool; Herbs and flowers grow. Cemetery ()
Karamzin's language reform
Karamzin introduced many new words into the Russian language - both (“charity”, “falling in love”, “freethinking”, “attraction”, “responsibility”, “industry”) and (“sidewalk”, “coachman”). He was also one of the first to use the letter.
The changes in language proposed by Karamzin caused heated controversy in the 1920s. The writer, with the assistance of founded a society whose goal was to promote the “old” language, as well as critic Karamzin, and their followers. In response, it was formed, which ironized the authors of “Conversation” and parodied their works. Many poets of the new generation became members of the society, including. The literary victory of "Arzamas" over "Beseda" strengthened the victory of the linguistic changes that Karamzin introduced.
Karamzin - historian
Karamzin developed an interest in history in the mid-20s. He wrote a story on a historical theme - “Martha the Posadnitsa, or the Conquest of Novgorod” (published in). In the same year, by decree, he was appointed to the position, and until the end of his life he was engaged in writing “The History of the Russian State,” practically ceasing his activities as a journalist and writer.
Karamzin’s “History” was not the first description of the history of Russia; there were works before him. But it was Karamzin who opened it to a wide educated public. According to “Everyone, even secular women, rushed to read the history of their fatherland, hitherto unknown to them<…>Ancient Rus' seemed to be found by Karamzin, like America by Columbus.” This work also caused a wave of imitations and contrasts (for example, “The History of the Russian People”)
In his work, Karamzin acted more as a writer than a historian - when describing historical facts, he cared about the beauty of the language, least of all trying to draw any conclusions from the events he described. Nevertheless, his commentaries, which contain many extracts from manuscripts, mostly first published by Karamzin, are of high scientific value. Some of these manuscripts no longer exist.
In his famous opinion, he appreciated Karamzin’s works on the history of Russia.