Kyiv is the capital of Ukraine, one of its largest cities. Its history goes back at least one thousand two hundred years. According to the chronicle, it was founded by three brothers and a sister. We are talking about Kiya, Shchek, Khoriv, and also Lybid. The article will tell about the early period in the history of Kyiv. Starting from its foundation and until the period of fragmentation of Russia. And the question of who said: "Kyiv is the mother of Russian cities" will also be considered.
Historical and etymological reference
Before explaining why Kyiv is the mother of Russian cities, one should start with its foundation and versions of the origin of the name. As archaeological excavations show, settlements existed on the territory of the present Kyiv region already about fifteen to twenty thousand years ago. As for the year of foundation of Kyiv, the exact date is unknown to historians.
If we talk about the origin of the name, then itsthere is no clear explanation. As it is said in the chronicle, the name of the city is connected with the name of its founder. The Tale of Bygone Years, dating back to the 12th century, claims that three brothers and a sister founded a settlement that was the center of the Glade tribe, named after the elder, Kiy. Then the city consisted of a tower and a princely court.
Quar and Kiyane
The essay "History of Taron", written by the Armenian author Zenob Glak, tells about the formation of Kuar (that is, Kyiv) in the country of the polun (that is, glade) tribe by three brothers. Their names are Kuar, Mentei, Kherean.
There is also a popular version. She reduces the etymology of the name to the word "kiyans", or "kiyans". These are the first residents who worked at the crossing of the Dnieper River. It, in fact, was a wooden flooring on poles driven into the bottom. These pillars were called cues.
Archaeological excavations
Studying the question of why Kyiv is the mother of Russian cities, let's continue consideration of its early chronicle. This is necessary to give a detailed answer. As mentioned above, in the history of Kyiv, scientists count no less than 1200 years, and the exact date of its formation has not been established.
Archaeological excavations suggest that on the right bank of the Dnieper in the 6th-7th centuries. there were already settlements that can be considered as urban. The researchers found the remains of dwellings, fortifications, ceramics, Byzantine coins, and jewelry. In the 9th century Kyiv was in the zone of conflict between the Hungarians and the Khazars, characterized by instability.
Prince Oleg
In the second half of the 9th c. representatives of the Varangian tribe ruled on Kyiv land - Askold and Dir. Most likely, they were members of Rurik's squad and freed the meadows from the Khazar dependence. While he himself ruled on Novgorod land until his death in 879. After that, power passed to Oleg, who was regent under Igor, the young son and heir of Rurik.
In 882, Oleg from Novgorod went on the offensive against Kyiv. He seized power by killing Dir and Askold. After that, the unification of Kyiv and Novgorod by Prince Oleg took place. As the chronicle testifies, the first of these cities became the main one in the united principalities. And now let's go directly to the answer to the question of why Kyiv is the mother of Russian cities.
Testimony of the Chronicler
Let's turn again to the Russian chronicle "The Tale of Bygone Years". As already mentioned, it was compiled in the 12th century. She has other names as well. In one case, we are talking about the "Original Chronicle", another option is the "Nestor Chronicle". It is believed that it was compiled by Nestor, a monk of the Kiev Caves Monastery.
According to his testimony, 822 is the year when Kyiv was proclaimed the mother of Russian cities. This phrase was uttered by Prince Oleg after he seized power in it. According to academician D. S. Likhachev, it is a semantic copy, that is, a borrowing by literal translation of the word "metropolis" - "mother city". From the ancient Greek language Μήτηρ is translated as "mother", and πόλις means nothing more than "city".
Thus, according to Nestor, Oleg announced that Kyiv became the capital of the possessions that he got to reign. The author of the chronicle belonged to the school of the Kiev Caves Monastery. His novices were followers of the Byzantine tradition, which they strictly adhered to. Therefore, the learned monk used such a term as "metropolis", which was literally translated as "mother of cities".
Today this word is understood as a state that has colonies, settlements located outside their borders. They depend on the mother country and are exploited by it. The ancient Greeks had metropolises, that is, city-states that had their own settlement territories in foreign lands, the barbarians.
As for the date of pronunciation of the expression in question, it causes controversy among historians. However, they all agree that the unification of the two largest cities among the tribes of the Eastern Slavs was the most important step for them. It gave impetus to the creation of a strong state in Eastern Europe.
Accession of lands
In the same period, there is an increase in the scale of construction work in the territory of Kyiv. Evidence of this are archaeological excavations made in Podil, in the Upper Town, Pechersk, on Kirillovskaya Gora. This was due to the fact that the urban population was rapidly increasing. This happened at the expense of people arriving from various regions of Russia. During the reign of Oleg, the territories inhabited by the Drevlyans were annexed to the lands of Kievan Rus,Northerners, Tivertsy, Ulichi, Radimichi, Krivichi and Novgorod Slavs.
During one of the campaigns in neighboring territories, the prince died. Igor, who began to rule after him, in 914 carried out a campaign against the Drevlyans, who sought to secede from Kyiv. In 941, in the interests of trade, he organized a campaign against Byzantium. Large-scale and numerous military actions demanded the consumption of large resources. This prompted an increase in the amount of tribute from the conquered lands. As a result, in 945 there was an uprising of the Drevlyans who killed Igor.
Kyiv as a capital in the 9th-12th centuries
From the moment Prince Oleg captured Kyiv and until the second half of the 13th century. This city was the capital of Russia. Traditionally, the princes "sitting" in it held supremacy over the rulers of other Russian lands. At the same time, the Kyiv table acted as the main goal of rivalry within dynasties. In 968, the city withstood a siege by the Pechenegs, which was helped by well-fortified outposts. Of these, Vyshgorod was the largest.
In 988, at the direction of Prince Vladimir, the baptism of the urban population took place in the Dnieper River. Russia has become a Christian state. The Kyiv Metropolis was organized, which lasted until 1458. In 990, they began to build the first stone church. In 1240, it was destroyed by the hordes of Batu, who attacked Kyiv. As the "Tale of Bygone Years" testifies, in the 1st half of the 10th century. a Christian cathedral church dedicated to the prophet Elijah operated in the city.
Under the reign of Prince Vladimir, the urbanconstruction, including residential buildings. Kyiv almost a third consisted of lands belonging to the prince. They had a palace. The city of Vladimir, with an area of about 10 hectares, was surrounded by an earthen rampart and a moat. Then Kyiv had extensive international ties. His partners include the Byzantine Empire, the Eastern and Scandinavian countries, and Western Europe.
The murder of Boris and Gleb
After the death of Vladimir in 1015, an internecine war broke out for the throne of Kyiv. According to the official version, his sons Boris and Gleb were killed by Svyatopolk the Accursed, who was their elder brother. They became the first of the Russian saints, the patrons of Russia and Russian princes.
However, Svyatoslav was defeated by the fourth brother, who was Yaroslav the Wise. Having lost in the battle that took place near Lyubech, he (Svyatoslav) lost his reign in Kyiv. At the request of the exiled prince, the Polish king Boleslav I moved to the capital and defeated the army commanded by Yaroslav the Wise on the Bug River. However, the people of Kiev did not accept the new prince. As a result of the uprising that broke out in 1018, the throne was returned to Yaroslav. Studying why Kyiv is the mother of Russian cities, it is necessary to say about its "golden age".
City of Yaroslav
With him, the "golden age" began here. At the beginning of the 11th c. Kyiv was a rather large formation, the size of which increased. It had 400 temples and 8 markets. By the end of the century, it was already being called a rival of Constantinople. In addition to the court of the prince himself, about ten courtyards were builtother dignitaries.
From the "Tale of Bygone Years" it is known that the city of Yaroslav had an area of more than sixty hectares. It was surrounded by a moat filled with water and having a depth of twelve meters. A high shaft approached him, the length of which was equal to three and a half kilometers. Its width at the base is thirty meters. The height, together with the palisade, reached sixteen meters.
Spiritual Affairs
It was at the time when Yaroslav the Wise ruled that St. Sophia Cathedral was built, decorated with many frescoes and mosaics. The most famous is the image of the Virgin Oranta. In 1051, the Kyiv prince gathered bishops in the St. Sophia Cathedral, where Metropolitan Hilarion was elected from the local natives. Thus, confessional independence from Byzantium was demonstrated.
In the same year, monk Anthony of the Caves and his disciple Theodosius founded the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. The son of Yaroslav the Wise, Prince Svyatoslav II, gave the monastery a plateau above the caves. Later, stone temples, richly decorated with paintings, were built on it. And also there are fortress towers, cells, and other buildings. The names of such historical figures as the chronicler Nestor and the artist Alipiy are closely associated with the Lavra.
There was also such a part of old Kyiv, which was called the city of Izyaslav-Svyatopolk. In terms of time of occurrence, it is in third place. Its center was the Golden-Domed St. Michael's Monastery. In 1068, after Izyaslav lost the battle with the Polovtsy on the Alta River, a veche was organized against him.performance. He was forced to hide in Polotsk. After him, Vseslav Bryachislavich temporarily ascended the throne.
In conclusion of the consideration of the question of why Kyiv is the mother of Russian cities, it should be noted that in the 12th century. the process of the collapse of the Old Russian state and the onset of feudal fragmentation began.
