Oleg's campaign against Tsargrad in 911. Russian-Byzantine wars. Legends in the description of the campaign

Russo-Byzantine War of 907- the legendary campaign of the ancient Russian prince Oleg to Constantinople.

The campaign is described in detail in The Tale of Bygone Years (beginning of the 12th century) and ended with the signing of a peace treaty in 907. Widely known in Russian society by the phrase: "Prophetic Oleg nailed his shield on the gates of Constantinople." However, this raid is not mentioned in any Byzantine or other source, except for the ancient Russian chronicles. In 911, a new Russian-Byzantine treaty was concluded, the reliability of which is not in doubt.

Position of Byzantium

At the beginning of the 10th century, Emperor Leo VI the Philosopher ruled in Byzantium, who came into conflict with church hierarchs because of his 4th marriage. The main enemy of Byzantium during this period of time were the Saracens, advancing in Asia Minor on Byzantine possessions and making sea raids from the south. The most famous raid was the capture of the Greek city of Thessaloniki by the pirate Leo of Tripoli in July 904. The Byzantine fleet under the command of the Drungaria Imeria was unable to interfere with the Saracen flotilla, which consisted of only 54 ships.

Taking advantage of the weakness of the empire, in the same 904 Bulgarian king Simeon I took away part of the land from Byzantium, which paid off with an annual tribute, regularly paying it until 913. In Europe at the beginning of the 10th century, new power, Hungarians who settled in Pannonia, defeating Slavic state Great Moravia. Soon European chronicles will be filled with reports of Hungarian raids on neighboring countries, but in the early 900s they posed a threat primarily to the Bulgarian kingdom, and Byzantine diplomacy tried to set them against Simeon I.

Although, after the raid on Constantinople in 860, Byzantine sources do not record any conflicts with the Rus, there is circumstantial evidence that the raids continued later. So in his military manual (written around 905) in the chapter on naval battles Emperor Leo VI noticed that a hostile people, "the so-called northern Scythians" (the name of the Rus in the Byzantine tradition), use small fast ships, since they cannot otherwise get out of the rivers into the Black Sea.

Of the events close in time to 907, the Byzantine chronicles note the victory of their fleet over the Saracen fleet in October 906. In 907 and the following years, no major battles or wars were recorded near Constantinople. The next battle took place in October 911 near Crete, in which the Byzantine fleet was defeated by the Saracens. 700 Rus fought for the Byzantines. In the summer of 913, the Bulgarian Tsar Simeon I made a victorious campaign under the walls of Constantinople, culminating in a peace treaty beneficial to the Bulgarians.

Oleg's hike in The Tale of Bygone Years

The Tale of Bygone Years, the earliest surviving ancient Russian chronicle (beginning of the 12th century), begins the story of the campaign against Constantinople by listing the Slavic and Finno-Ugric peoples and tribes that Oleg attracted to the campaign:

According to the chronicle, part of the army moved along the coast on horseback, the other by sea on 2,000 ships, each of which could accommodate 40 people. However, the text of the Novgorod Chronicle of the younger version, which, according to the assumption of the historian Shakhmatov, contains in its original form part of the earliest non-preserved chronicle (Initial Code), does not speak of 2 thousand ships, but of 100 or 200 ships (“ And the commandment Oleg gave tribute to 100, 200 ships ..."). Historians avoid interpreting the obscure phrase of the initial chronicler of the 11th century, but the figure of 2000 ships is easily deduced from it by the later author of the Tale of Bygone Years (PVL). Otherwise, the author of the PVL follows the story of the Initial Code with a more accurate indication of dates. The round figure of 200 ships could be taken from the story of an earlier Russian raid on Constantinople in 860.

Then legends begin in the description of the campaign. Oleg put his ships on wheels and, with a fair wind, moved across the field to Constantinople. Frightened Greeks asked for peace, took out poisoned wine and food, which Oleg did not accept. Then the Greeks agreed to Oleg's conditions: to pay 12 hryvnias to each soldier, to make separate payments in favor of the princes of Kyiv, Chernigov, Pereyaslavl, Polotsk, Rostov, Lyubech and other cities. Novgorod is not included in the list of cities. According to the PVL, the tribute is also indicated in 12 hryvnias " to the oarlock”, which leaves the equestrian participants of the campaign without remuneration.

In addition to one-time payments, a permanent tribute was imposed on Byzantium and an agreement was concluded (an agreement of 907) regulating the stay and trade of Russian merchants in Byzantium. After mutual oaths, Oleg hung a shield on the gates of Constantinople as a sign of victory, then ordered the Greeks to sew sails: for Rus' from pavolok (golden silk), for the Slavs from koprina (plain silk). According to the chronicle, upon returning to Kyiv with rich booty, the people called Oleg the Prophet.

Some analogy with sails made of precious fabrics can be traced in the Scandinavian saga about the future Norwegian king Olaf Tryggvason, written down by the monk Odd at the end of the 12th century. Olaf served with Prince Vladimir in the 980s and made a trip to Byzantium, according to the saga for baptism. One of his military raids is described as follows: They say after one great victory he turned home to Gardy [Rus]; they sailed then with such great pomp and splendor that they had sails in their ships of precious materials, and so were their tents.»

If the ancient Russian chronicler tells about the campaign of Rus' against Constantinople in 860 exclusively according to Byzantine sources (the chronicle of Amartol), then the story about the campaign of 907 is based only on local oral traditions, some of the motifs of which are reflected in the Scandinavian sagas. Although the legends themselves may not correspond to historical reality, they testify that the campaign was, although it apparently developed differently than the chronicle describes it.

Treaty of 907

According to the PVL, after the victory, Oleg concluded peace in Constantinople on very favorable terms. The Russians coming to the city were actually kept Byzantine authorities and paid no fees. The contract is retold in words, the formal procedural content is omitted.

In September 911 (according to the PVL in 912 due to the beginning of the new year on March 1), a new agreement was concluded, a list of which is fully given in the annals. The content of the agreement of 907 does not intersect with the agreement of 911 in any way, with the exception of the names of the ambassadors, but almost literally reproduces a fragment from the Russian-Byzantine agreement of 944. The table below conveys the text of the treaty of 907 according to fragments from later Russian-Byzantine treaties.

Information about Oleg's campaign from other sources

The Novgorod First Chronicle of the younger edition sets out the events differently, naming two campaigns against Byzantium by Igor and his governor Oleg, dating them to 920 and 922:

At the same time, the campaign of 920, according to the description, reproduces the well-documented campaign of Prince Igor in 941.

The Byzantine chronicle of Pseudo-Simeon (the last third of the 10th century) tells about dews (Rus):

In this fragment, some researchers are ready to see elements similar to the sorcerers' prediction of the impending death of Oleg, and in Dew itself - Prophetic Oleg. The popular literature widely cites the constructions of V. D. Nikolaev about the raid of the Ross-Dromites on Byzantium in 904. The dews, according to Nikolaev (Pseudo-Simeon does not mention this), were defeated at Cape Trikefal by the Byzantine admiral John Radin, and only a part of them escaped the "Greek fire" thanks to the insight of their leader.

A. G. Kuzmin, examining the text of The Tale of Bygone Years about Prince Oleg, suggested that the chronicler used Greek or Bulgarian sources about Oleg's campaign. The chronicler cites the words of the Byzantines: This is not Oleg, but Saint Dmitry, sent to us by God. These words may indicate the events of 904, when Constantinople did not provide assistance to the city of Thessaloniki, whose patron was Demetrius of Thessalonica, as a result of which the inhabitants of the city were massacred and only part of them managed to be redeemed from the hands of Arab pirates. In a phrase, incomprehensible from the context, of the Byzantines about St. Dmitry could contain a hint of Dmitry's revenge on Constantinople, guilty of the sack of Thessalonica.

Interpretations

The campaign is known exclusively from Russian sources, the Byzantine keep silent about it. Only in the “History” of Leo the Deacon is there evidence of the reality of not so much a campaign as a peace treaty: John Tzimiskes during negotiations with Svyatoslav reminds him, as Prince Igor, “ defying an oath attacked the Byzantine capital. Here, according to M. Ya. Syuzyumov and S. A. Ivanov, as well as A. A. Vasiliev, Oleg’s treaty of 911, concluded after the campaign of 907 and known from the Tale of Bygone Years, is meant.

G. G. Litavrin found the agreement in such a way that he “ without military pressure from Rus' was absolutely impossible". When the empire concluded an agreement with another country, the main copy of the treaty letter was drawn up on behalf of the emperor, then the same on Greek, but on behalf of the ruler of another country, and already this charter was translated into the language of the people with whom they agreed. The well-known linguist, academician S.P. Obnorsky concluded that the text of the treaty of 911 is precisely translated, full of Greekisms and violations of the requirements of Russian syntax.

Thus, the texts of the treaties included in the Tale of Bygone Years testify that the campaign was not a complete fiction. Some historians are inclined to explain the silence of Byzantine sources by the incorrect dating of the war in the Tale. There were attempts to connect it with the raid of the "Dromite Rus" in 904, at a time when Byzantium was fighting the pirate Leo of Tripoli. The most likely hypothesis was put forward by B. A. Rybakov and L. N. Gumilyov: the description of the campaign of 907 in the Tale actually refers to the war of 860, which was replaced by a message about the unsuccessful raid of Askold and Dir in 866, inspired by Byzantine legends about the miraculous deliverance of Christians from hostile pagans.

This is all the more likely that since the beginning of the 10th century Rus' has appeared in Greek texts as an ally of Byzantium. Patriarch Nicholas the Mystic (901-906 and 912-925) threatens Bulgaria with a Russian invasion, 700 Russian mercenaries took part in the unsuccessful Byzantine expedition to Crete in 911.

In his work devoted to the campaign of the Prophetic Oleg against Tsargrad, the historian A. A. Vasiliev came to the conclusion that Oleg’s raid was not a fiction of the ancient Russian chronicler, who, in the tradition of the Scandinavian heroic sagas, turned an ordinary predatory raid on Byzantine possessions into an epoch-making event.

Campaign dating

In addition to the question of whether Oleg's campaign described in The Tale of Bygone Years took place, there is the problem of dating such a campaign.

The date of 907 in The Tale of Bygone Years is arbitrary and arose as a result of complex calculations chroniclers when conjugating the absolute and relative chronology of sources that had dates indicated in different eras. Initially, the story about Oleg's reign was not dated, so later the story was divided into parts that gravitated towards the dates of the beginning and end of Oleg's reign.

According to A. G. Kuzmin, the information about the end of Oleg’s reign was originally dated in the Tale of Bygone Years in 6415 (907), but when compared with the date of the agreement of 911, the dating was changed, so two chronicle articles appeared that spoke about the campaign, the conclusion agreement and the death of Oleg. Thus, two treaties appeared in the annals (the text and its “retelling”). Thus, the events described in the articles of 907 and 912 were not originally dated in any way, but were connected, as, for example, in the text of the Chronicle of Joachim, which does not contain absolute dating and information about the death of the prince: “After that, Oleg possessed the whole country of that country, conquered many peoples for himself, went to fight against the Greeks by sea and forced them to buy peace, returned with great honor and many riches.”

According to indirect data, the campaign dates back to 904-909. The lower date, 904, is determined by the news of the allied dew-dromites and the attack of the Arabs on Thessaloniki. The upper date, 909-910, is determined by the news of the reconnaissance campaign of the Rus in the Caspian Sea, followed by the campaign of 913. The Rus, who made this campaign, could not pass through the Black and Sea of ​​Azov to the Don without allied relations with Byzantium. The union of Rus' and Byzantium by 909-910 is confirmed by the data of Constantine Porphyrogenitus (mid-10th century) on the participation of Russians auxiliary vessels on a Cretan expedition in 910.

At the same time, the Tale of Bygone Years also contains a relative dating of the campaign. The text says that the prediction of the Magi about the death of Oleg came true on the fifth summer after his campaign against Constantinople. Oleg's "death" can be dated no later than July 912 (the offering of sacrifices, mentioned by V.N. Tatishchev, when Halley's comet appeared), or the autumn of this year, indicated in the annals (the time of polyudya). The campaign of 913 put an end to Oleg's career (he died or went north). Consequently, the campaign against Byzantium falls on 907-908, and the chronicler was not mistaken in his calculations. The correctness of the relative date indicated in the legend is confirmed by another place in the Tale - under the year 1071 it is said that a sorcerer appeared in Kyiv: “... He told people that in the fifth year the Dnieper would flow back and that the lands would begin to move” Apparently, the five-year period of prophecy was common for the Magi.

The dating of the campaign is also confirmed by the dynamics of Byzantine-Bulgarian relations. In 904, the Bulgarian Tsar Simeon I made a campaign against Thessalonica, plundered by the Arabs, in an attempt to expand his possessions. In 910-911, he is going to start a war with Byzantium, but he will start it only in 913. As one of the deterrents against the Bulgarians, the Byzantines used the fleet of the Rus.

Test

Goals, objectives and results of campaigns against Byzantium of the ancient princes (Oleg the Prophet and Igor Rurikovich)

Introduction

In his control work I want to review the legendary victorious campaigns old Russian princes Oleg Veschey and Igor Rurikovich, their goals, results, tasks.

The study of the campaigns of Oleg the prophetic and later Igor Rurikovich has not only an educational, academic, but also a historical and legal character.

The campaign of Oleg the Prophet and Igor Rurikovich is described in detail in The Tale of Bygone Years (beginning of the 12th century). The purpose of these campaigns was the rich ransom of the empire, which was paid to the pagans in order to avoid ruin. However, relations with Byzantium were not limited to robbery. Russian princes and merchants willingly traded with Byzantium. With the onset of spring, the tribute collected in winter was exported there, mainly furs, as well as honey, wax and slaves. Because of this, another goal of the campaigns of Oleg the Prophet and Igor Rurikovich was to conclude contracts on very favorable terms.

The results of the first campaign of Oleg the Prophet against Byzantium were not only the establishment of one-time payments, the imposition of a permanent tribute, but also the conclusion of a peace treaty in 907. According to the agreement concluded on very favorable terms for the ancient Russian princes. The Russians coming to the city were in fact on the payroll of the Byzantine authorities and did not pay duties. However, this raid is not mentioned in any Byzantine or other source, except for the ancient Russian chronicles.

In 911, a new Russian-Byzantine treaty was concluded, the reliability of which is not in doubt.

Igor Rurikovich - Prince of Kyiv. He began to reign in 912 after the death of Oleg, who ruled for his infancy.

The first campaign of Prince Igor against Byzantium in 1941 did not proceed quite smoothly, as it is written in The Tale of Bygone Years, and turned out to be a failure. In a naval battle, the Russian fleet was indeed defeated and out of 10,000 thousand ships only ten remained. About this unfortunate Igor's campaign, not only Byzantine, but Arab Elmakin and Bishop Liutprand of Cremona and other historians speak. In the second campaign, Igor accepted the offer of the Greeks for peace and signed an agreement with them in 944, which was less beneficial for Rus' compared to the agreement in 911.

It must be borne in mind that the treaties of Kievan Rus with Byzantium reflected the most early stage international relations. Then the subjects of various states looked at each other as hidden enemies, and everyone who got into a foreign country felt in it, as in an enemy camp.

1. Hike of Oleg the Prophet

rurikovich treaty byzantium rus

The first trip to Byzantium Oleg the Prophet went in 907. The purpose of this campaign was not only the rich ransom of the empire, which was paid to the pagans in order to avoid ruin, but also the conclusion of agreements on favorable terms for the Grand Duke.

On the campaign he took with him the Varangians, Slavs, Chuds, Krivichi, Meryu, Drevlyans, Radimichi, Polyans, Northerners, Vyatichi, Croats, Dulebs, Tivertsy, known as interpreters. According to The Tale of Bygone Years, 2,000 boats of 40 warriors each took part in the campaign. The Byzantine emperor Leo the Philosopher gave the order to close the gates of the city and block the harbor with chains, thus giving the Vikings the opportunity to rob and ravage the suburbs of Constantinople. And Oleg went ashore, and began to fight, and did many murders in the vicinity of the city to the Greeks, and they broke many chambers, and burned the churches. And those who were captured, some were cut off, others were tortured, others were shot, and some were thrown into the sea, and the Russians did many other evils to the Greeks, as enemies usually do.

And Oleg ordered his soldiers to make wheels and put ships on wheels. And when a favorable wind blew, they raised sails in the field and went to the city. The Greeks, seeing this, were frightened and offered peace and tribute to Oleg.

Oleg, having moved a little away from the capital, began negotiations on peace with the Greek kings Leon and Alexander and sent Charles, Farlaf, Vermud, Rulav and Stemid to them in the capital with the words: “Pay tribute to me.” And the Greeks said: "Whatever you want, we will give you." And Oleg ordered to give his soldiers 12 hryvnias per person for 2000 ships, and then to pay tribute to Russian cities: first of all for Kiev, then for Chernigov, Pereyaslavl, Polotsk, Rostov, Lyubech and for other cities: for these cities sit great princes subject to Oleg. “When the Russians come, let them take the content for the ambassadors as much as they want; and if merchants come, let them take monthly for 6 months: bread, wine, meat, fish and fruits. And let them arrange a bath for them - as much as they want. When the Russians go home, let them take food from the tsar for the road, anchors, ropes, sails, and whatever they need.” And the Greeks pledged themselves, and the tsars and all the boyars said: “If the Russians do not come for trade, then let them not take a monthly allowance; let the Russian prince by his decree forbid the Russians who come here to commit excesses in the villages and in our country. Let the Russians who come here live near the church of St. Mammoth, and they will send them from our kingdom, and rewrite their names, then they will take the month due to them - first those who came from Kiev, Chernigov, Pereyaslavl, and from other cities. And let them enter the city only through one gate, accompanied by the royal husband, without weapons, 50 people each, and trade as much as they need, without paying any fees.

The kings Leon and Alexander made peace with Oleg, pledged to pay tribute and swore allegiance to each other. And he hung his shield on the gates as a sign of victory, and went from Constantinople. And Oleg returned to Kyiv, carrying gold, and curtains, and fruits, and wine, and all sorts of patterns. And they called Oleg the Prophetic, since people were pagans and unenlightened.

According to the agreement concluded on very favorable terms for the ancient Russian princes. The Russians coming to the city were in fact on the payroll of the Byzantine authorities and did not pay duties.

In 911, Oleg confirmed his peace treaty with Byzantium. AT

In the course of lengthy embassy agreements, the first detailed written agreement in the history of Eastern Europe between Byzantium and Russia was concluded. This agreement was opened with a polysemantic phrase: “We are from the Russian family ... sent from Oleg the Grand Duke of Russia and from all who are at his fingertips - light and great princes and his great boyars ...”

The treaty confirmed "peace and love" between the two states. In 13 articles, the parties agreed on all economic, political, legal matters determined the responsibility of their subjects in case they commit any crimes. One of the articles dealt with the conclusion of a military alliance between them. From now on, Russian detachments regularly appeared as part of the Byzantine army during its campaigns against enemies. It should be noted that among the names of the 14 nobles used by the Grand Duke to conclude peace terms with the Greeks, there is not a single Slavic one. After reviewing this text, one might think that only the Varangians surrounded our first sovereigns and used their power of attorney, participating in the affairs of government.

According to the Tale of Bygone Years, in the same year, 912, Prince Oleg dies from a snake bite.

. Campaign of Igor Rurikovich

Prince Igor went on his first campaign in 941. With a fleet of several hundred people, Igor landed on the shores of Bithynia, spread his devastation to the Thracian Bosporus and approached Constantinople; but his ships could not withstand the "Greek fire", and Igor himself escaped with only 10 ships.

Igor was not discouraged, but he wanted to take revenge on the Greeks and in 944 he gathered another large army, summoned the Varangians from across the sea, hired the Pechenegs - who gave him amanats as proof of their loyalty - and two years later went to Greece again with a fleet and cavalry. The Kherson and Bulgarians for the second time let the Emperor know that the sea was covered with Russian ships. Lakapin, not sure of victory and wanting to save the Empire from the new disasters of war with a desperate enemy, immediately sent envoys to Igor. Having met him near the Danube mouth, they offered him a tribute, which the brave Oleg had once taken from Greece; promised even more, if the Prince prudently agrees to peace; they also tried with rich gifts to disarm the greedy Pechenegs. Igor stopped and, having called his squad, announced to her the desire of the Greeks. “When the Tsar,” answered the faithful comrades of the Prince of Russia, “gives us silver and gold without war, then what more can we demand? Do you know who will win? are we? are they? and who advises with the sea? Below us is not the earth, but the depth of the sea: in it total death people." Igor accepted their advice, took gifts from the Greeks for all his soldiers, ordered the hired Pechenegs to ruin neighboring Bulgaria and returned to Kyiv.

Lekapin sent Pslov to Igor, and the Prince of Russia to Tsargrad, where they concluded a solemn peace (treaty of 944).

The treaty of 944 mentions all Russian people in order to emphasize more strongly the idea immediately following this phrase about the binding nature of treaties for all Russian people. Treaties were concluded not on behalf of the veche, but on behalf of the prince and the boyars. Now we can be sure that all these noble and powerful men were large landowners, not since yesterday, but having their own long history, having managed to get stronger in their estates. This is evidenced by the fact that with the death of the head of the family, his wife became the head of such a noble house. Russkaya Pravda confirms this position: “What a husband puts on a nude, there is a mistress for the same” (Trinity List, Art. 93). A significant part of the norms of customary oral law in a processed form entered the Russian Pravda. For example, article 4 of the treaty of 944 is generally absent from the treaty of 911, which establishes a reward for the return of a runaway servant, but a similar provision is included in Long Truth(Art. 113). Analyzing Russian-Byzantine treaties, it is not difficult to come to the conclusion that there can be no question of any domination of Byzantine law. They either give the so-called contractual, on the basis of a compromise between Russian and Byzantine law (a typical example is the norm on murder) or the principles of Russian law - Russian law, are carried out, as we observe in the norm on sword strikes “Is it possible to strike with a sword or hit with a katz? or a vessel, for that accent or beating and a liter of 5 silver according to Russian law ”or in the norm on theft of property. They testify enough high development inheritance law in Rus'.

Conclusion

In conclusion, on this topic, we can say that the campaigns of Prince Oleg the Prophetic and Prince Igor Rurikovich had great importance for ancient Russian state. The result of the campaigns of these two princes was not only the establishment of one-time payments, the imposition of a permanent tribute, but also the conclusion of a peace treaty in 907, according to which the Russians who came to the city were actually supported by the Byzantine authorities and did not pay duties.

Kievan Rus of the 9th-12th centuries is, firstly, the cradle of the statehood of three fraternal peoples - Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians, and secondly, it is one of the largest powers medieval Europe, which played an important historical role in the fate of the peoples and states of the West, East and distant North.

The young state of Rus', which emerged at the beginning of the 9th century, very soon became known in all parts of the Old World: the English, Norwegian and French kings sought to establish marriage ties with the grand dukes of Kyiv; The Byzantine Empire was a constant trade partner of Rus', and in the east, Russian merchants sailed all over the “Khorezmian” (Caspian) Sea and reached Baghdad and Balkh (modern Afghanistan) with camel caravans.

Bibliography

1. "Ancient Rus'" Tikhomirov M.N., 1972

2. "From Rus' to Russia", Gumilyov L.N., 1992

."History of Russia", Zuev M.N., 1998

."History of Russia", Munchaev Sh.M., V.M. Ustinov, 1997

."History of Russia", Orlov A.S., 1999

."Native Antiquity", Sipovsky V.D., 1993

In the year 6415 (907). Oleg went to the Greeks, leaving Igor in Kyiv; he took with him a lot of Varangians, and Slavs, and Chuds, and Krivichi, and Meryu, and Polyans, and Severians, and Drevlyans, and Radimichi, and Croats, and Dulebs, and Tivertsy, known as interpreters: these were all called "The Great Scythian ". And with all these Oleg went on horseback and in ships; and there were two thousand ships. And he came to Tsargrad; the Greeks closed the Judgment, and closed the city ...

And Oleg ordered his soldiers to make wheels and put ships on wheels. And when a favorable wind arose, they raised sails in the field and moved towards the city. The Greeks, seeing this, were frightened and said, sending to Oleg: “Do not destroy the city, we will agree to the tribute you want.” And Oleg stopped the soldiers, and brought him food and wine, but did not accept it, since it was poisoned. And the Greeks got scared and said: “This is not Oleg, but Saint Dmitry, sent to us by God.” And Oleg demanded to pay tribute to two thousand ships: twelve hryvnias per person, and there were forty husbands in each ship ...

The Caesars, Leon and Alexander, made peace with Oleg, pledged to pay tribute and swore allegiance to each other: they themselves kissed the cross, and Oleg and his husbands were led to swear allegiance according to Russian law, and they swore by their weapons and Perun, their god, and Volos, the god of cattle, and made peace. And Oleg said: “Sew sails from curtains for Rus', and silk for the Slavs,” and it was so. And they hung their shields on the gates as a sign of victory, and went from Constantinople. And Rus raised the sails of the curtains, and the Slavs of silk, and the wind tore them apart. And the Slavs said: "Let's take our thicknesses, they are not given, to know, the Slavs have silk sails." And Oleg returned to Kyiv, carrying gold and curtains, and fruits, and wine, and all sorts of patterns. And they called Oleg the Prophetic, since people were pagans and unenlightened.

NAILS YOUR SHIELD ON THE GATES

At the end of the chronicle story, a fact is cited that caused particular delight of those who doubted the authenticity of the chronicle messages: it says that after the establishment of the world, which is still to come, Oleg, as a sign of victory, hung his shield on the gates of the city and only then left for his homeland : "And hang your shield in the gates to show victory, and go away from Constantinople."

Nihilist historians laughed a lot about this, considering this message the most legendary in the whole story, along with the movement of the rooks on dry land under sail. But, in general, there was nothing to laugh at. Many historians have noted that reports of this kind of symbolic acts repeatedly reach us from antiquity and do not represent any legend. So, the Bulgarian Khan Tervel at the beginning of the VIII century, after the war with Byzantium and the conclusion of peace with it, hung his shield on the gates of one of the Byzantine fortresses. And a few decades later, another Bulgarian lord, Khan Krum, tried to stick a spear into the gates of Constantinople as a sign of victory over the Byzantines.

The custom of hanging your shield on the gates of the city as a sign of peace was widespread among the ancient Normans. Thus, the "legend" acquires real features and may be another confirmation of the authenticity of Oleg's campaign against Constantinople in 907.

LEGENDS ABOUT PROPHETIC OLEG

Oleg was the hero of the Kyiv epics. The chronicle history of his war with the Greeks is permeated with folklore motifs. The prince moved to Byzantium as if a quarter of a century after the "prince" in Kyiv. When the Russians approached Tsargrad in 907, the Greeks closed the fortress gates and blocked the bay with chains. "Prophetic" Oleg outwitted the Greeks. He ordered to put 2000 of his rooks on wheels. With a fair wind, the ships moved towards the city from the side of the field. The Greeks got scared and offered tribute. The prince won and hung his shield on the gates of Constantinople. The Kievan epics, retold by the chronicler, described Oleg's campaign as a grandiose military enterprise. But this attack of the Rus was not noticed by the Greeks and was not reflected in any Byzantine chronicle.

The campaign "in boats on wheels" led to the conclusion of a favorable peace for the Rus in 911. Oleg's success can be explained by the fact that the Greeks remembered the pogrom perpetrated by the Rus in 860, and hurried to pay off the barbarians under reappearance them at the walls of Constantinople in 907. The payment for peace at the borders was not burdensome for the rich imperial treasury. But to the barbarians, “gold and pavoloki” (pieces of precious fabrics) received from the Greeks seemed like great wealth.

The Kiev chronicler wrote down the legend that Oleg was a prince "at the Varangians" and in Kiev he was surrounded by the Varangians: "Oleg was the prince in Kiev and the men of the Varangians were besha from him." In the West, the Varangians from Kievan Rus were called Rus, or Normans. The Bishop of Cremona Liutprand, who visited Constantinople in 968, listed all the main neighbors of Byzantium, harming them the Rus, “which otherwise we (the inhabitants Western Europe. - R. S.) we call the Normans. The data of the annals and chronicles are confirmed in the text of the treaties of Oleg and Igor with the Greeks. Oleg's treaty of 911 begins with the words: "we are from the Russian family of Karla, Inegelf, Farlof, Veremud ... even messages from Oleg ..." All the Rus who participated in the conclusion of the treaty of 911 were undoubtedly Normans. The text of the treaty does not indicate the participation of merchants in negotiations with the Greeks. An agreement with Byzantium was concluded by the Norman army, or rather, by its leaders.

The largest campaigns of the Rus against Constantinople in the X century. took place at a time when the Normans created for themselves extensive strongholds at a close distance from the borders of the empire. These points began to turn into the possessions of the most successful leaders, who there themselves turned into the owners of the conquered territories.
Oleg's treaty with Byzantium in 911 included a list of persons sent to the emperor "from Oleg, the Grand Duke of Russia, and from all those who are under the hand of his bright and great princes and his great boyars." By the time Oleg invaded, the Byzantines had very vague ideas about internal orders Rus and the titles of their leaders. But they nevertheless noticed that the “Grand Duke” Oleg had other “bright and great princes” under his command. The title of the kings reflected a fact aptly noticed by the Greeks: the equality of military leaders - the Norman Vikings, who gathered "at hand" Oleg to march on the Greeks.

It follows from The Tale of Bygone Years that both the semi-legendary Askold and Dir and King Oleg collected tribute only from the Slavic tribes on the territory of the Khazar Khaganate, without encountering resistance from the Khazars. Oleg told the Khazar tributaries - the northerners: “Az them (the Khazars) are disgusted ...” But that was all. There is evidence that in Kyiv before the beginning of the X century. the Khazar garrison was located. Thus, the power of the kagan over the surrounding tribes was not nominal. If the Rus had to wage a long war with the Khazars, memories of it would certainly be reflected in folklore and on the pages of the annals. The complete absence of such recollections leads to the conclusion that Khazaria sought to avoid clashes with the militant Normans and let their fleets pass through their possessions to the Black Sea when this met the diplomatic goals of the khaganate. It is known that the Khazars carried out the same policy towards the Normans in the Volga region. With the consent of the kagan, the kings descended the Volga into the Caspian Sea and ravaged the rich cities of Transcaucasia. Without conducting major military operations against the Khazars, their “allies”, the Rus, nevertheless robbed the Khazar tributaries through whose lands they passed, since they had no other way to provide themselves with food.

The short-lived Norman Khaganates that appeared in Eastern Europe in early period, least of all resembled durable public entities. After successful campaigns, the leaders of the Normans, having received rich booty, most often left their camps and went home to Scandinavia. No one in Kyiv knew for sure where Oleg died. According to early version, the prince, after a campaign against the Greeks, returned through Novgorod to his homeland (“beyond the sea”), where he died from a snake bite. The Novgorod chronicler wrote down the local Ladoga legend that Oleg, after the campaign, passed through Novgorod to Ladoga and "there is his grave in Ladoza." Kyiv chronicler of the XII century. could not agree with these versions. In the eyes of the Kyiv patriot, the first Russian prince could not die anywhere except Kyiv, where "there is his grave to this day, the word is Olgov's grave." By the XII century. more than one king Oleg could be buried in Kyiv land, so the words of the chronicler about the "Olgov's grave" were not fiction. But whose remains rested in this grave, it is impossible to say.

Skrynnikov R.G. Old Russian state

HOW OLEG GOT LOST

Oleg, after a victorious campaign against Tsargrad (911), returned not to Kyiv, but to Novgorod “and from there to Ladoga. There is a grave of him in Ladoza. Other chronicles speak of Oleg’s burial place differently: “friends say [that is, they sing in legends] that I will go across the sea to him and peck a snake in his leg and die from that.” Disagreements over where the founder of the Russian state died (as the Normans characterize Oleg) are curious: the Russian people of the middle of the 11th century did not know exactly where he died - in Ladoga or in his homeland across the sea. Seven decades later, another unexpected answer will appear: Oleg's grave will be on the outskirts of Kyiv. All the data of the Novgorod “Ostromir Chronicle” are such that they do not allow us to draw a conclusion about the organizing role of the Normans, not only for the long-established Kievan Rus, but even for that federation of northern tribes that experienced the burden of the Varangian raids ...

For decades, the Russians landed on any shore of the "Khorezmian" ("Khvalynsky", Caspian) Sea and conducted peaceful bargaining, and at the very beginning of the 10th century, when Oleg owned Kiev, the "Rus" (in this case, obviously, the Varangians of the Russian service) carried out a series of cruel and senseless attacks on the inhabitants of the Caspian coast.