The Old Russian Principality of Tmutarakan is one of the most mysterious and little-studied formations, a corner that has become home to the Eastern Slavs. It existed on the Taman Peninsula.
General information
Tmutarakan principality existed during the X-XI centuries. It was located several hundred kilometers from the main territory of Kievan Rus. These lands were separated by the Black Sea steppes inhabited by nomads.
The capital of the principality was the city of Tmutarakan. There is no exact information about the date of his accession to the Kyiv state. Perhaps the fortress was conquered by Svyatoslav Igorevich during his eastern campaigns against the Khazars. Then he destroyed the enemy capital Sarkel on the banks of the Don and probably visited the Taman Peninsula.
The trading port attracted numerous merchants from various countries. Because of this, the Principality of Tmutarakan was the most multinational among the Russian provinces. Khazars, Greeks, Jews, as well as numerous people from the Caucasus lived here: Ossetians, Alans, etc.
Joining Kyiv
Thanks to the goodGeographically, the port became a link between Russia and Byzantium. Grand Duke Vladimir Svyatoslavich sent his son Mstislav the Brave to this region, who ruled here in 990-1036. Perhaps it was the baptist of Russia who annexed Tmutarakan to his state. The fact is that during the war with Byzantium, he went with an army to the Crimea, which was separated from the port by a small strait. Before that, Tmutarakan belonged to Byzantium. The emperors of Constantinople during the crises could not control the far corners of their state on the northern Black Sea shores. When Russia was baptized, Vladimir could get Tmutarakan as her protector from the threat of the steppes.
Mstislav Vladimirovich
His son Mstislav regularly waged wars with his neighbors. So, in 1022 he organized a campaign against the mountain Alans. In the war, Mstislav was an ally of Byzantium, which also fought in this region against the Georgian kingdom. This conflict became famous due to the fact that the memory of the duel duel between the Russian commander and Rededi remained in folklore. It was the prince of the local Kasog tribe. According to local customs, conflicts between troops could be settled after a duel between their leaders. Thus, the winner in the single combat between Rededey and Mstislav could get everything that his opponent owned. The Russian prince managed to defeat the Kasog. Mstislav explained this outcome by the fact that the Mother of God stood up for him.
After the victory, the Tmutarakan ruler took Rededi's wife and children for himself. In addition, he overlaida tribute to all Kasogs. The duel appeared in several ancient chronicles and was mentioned in the Tale of Igor's Campaign, thanks to which it became widely known. The famous artist Nicholas Roerich captured this story on canvas in 1943, during the Great Patriotic War, conveying the extreme tension of the battle and predicting victory over the hated enemy.
War with Kyiv
Mstislav's ambitions did not stop at the distant Tmutarakan principality. He wanted to get Kyiv. A few years after the death of his father Vladimir Svyatoslavich, Mstislav declared war on his brother Yaroslav the Wise. He failed to get Kyiv, but he took possession of Chernigov, which he made his residence. Nevertheless, Mstislav did not forget about Tmutarakan. He organized several more trips to the mountains. In 1029 he fought with the Yasses. A few years later, the Russian fleet ended up in the Caspian Sea, and the Slavic army even went to Transcaucasia, to the ancient region of Arran. At this time, Tmutarakan supported the Alans. The city has become home to a wide variety of adventurers and mercenaries from around the world.
Mstislav the Bold was a zealous Christian. After the victory over Rededey, he founded the first stone temple in Tmutarakan. After the desolation of the city, it collapsed - its ruins were discovered by modern archaeologists. After the death of Mstislav on a hunt in 1036, the Principality of Tmutarakan again went to the Kyiv princes.
Rogue Princes
Following MstislavVladimirovich, a distant land, was ruled by outcast princes, who were sent here either because of their infancy or because of their disgusting nature. So, in 1064, the grandson of Yaroslav the Wise, Gleb Svyatoslavich, who was expelled by his cousin Rostislav Vladimirovich, ruled here. Remoteness from Kyiv made Tmutarakan a convenient arena for endless internecine wars. Often the princes were established here thanks to mercenaries from among the Polovtsian nomads. Therefore, it is not surprising that few governors agreed to rule in such a remote region as the Tmutarakan principality. Highlanders and steppe dwellers were a constant threat to the locals.
In 1069-1079 Bat Gleba - Roman ruled in the city. He was killed by the Polovtsy during another war. At the same time, the last reliable Tmutarakan prince Oleg Svyatoslavich appeared here. He could become the ruler of Chernigov, but because of the spoiled relations with the Kyiv throne, he had to flee to the ends of the earth. He was next to Roman during his last unsuccessful campaign. If Roman died, then Oleg was captured and was given to the Byzantines for a ransom. At this time, the Emperor of Constantinople was an ally of the Kievan prince, the enemy of Svyatoslavich. Therefore, Oleg ended up in exile on the island of Rhodes for several years. At this time, princely leapfrog reigned in Tmutarakan. The descendants of Yaroslav the Wise, the outcast princes David Igorevich and Volodar Rostislavich, settled here for a short time. The territory of the Tmutarakan principality was terrorized by the Polovtsian hordes. The Greeks considered these lands their own, and they considered the local Russian princes as short-term allies andvassals.
Oleg Svyatoslavich
Because of the robberies of the Polovtsy, the new emperor Alexei Komnenos in 1081 decided to remove Oleg from disgrace. By this time, the Chernigov exile had managed to marry a Greek woman and intermarry with the famous aristocratic families of Constantinople. In 1083, thanks to the support of the emperor, he managed to recapture the ancient Russian principality of Tmutarakan. Oleg received the title of archon (that is, the imperial governor). This state of affairs continued for ten years as the province enjoyed peace and lucrative trade.
However, in 1094 Oleg decided to return to his homeland. He gathered an army, consisting of Polovtsy, and went to conquer Chernigov, which was once ruled by his father. Thus began the war between Oleg and Vladimir Monomakh. Due to the fact that the Tmutarakan outcast brought hordes of nomads to Russia and started a merciless war, he received the nickname Gorislavich. In 1097, Oleg finally received Novgorod-Seversky. Until his death, he never returned to distant Tmutarakan.
The end of Tmutarakan
The last time the Principality of Tmutarakan was mentioned in Russian chronicles was in 1094. After that, the region was isolated from its mother country. The Russian population gradually disappeared from here. In the XII century, power on the Taman Peninsula passed to Byzantium. After the Western crusaders captured Constantinople in 1204, final chaos reigned in the Black Sea colony and the last signs of statehood left these lands. Here the hegemony of the steppes began. But even despite this, in the late Middle Ages, trading colonies of Genoa appeared on the Taman shores, whose merchants supplied exotic oriental goods from the Crimea and Kuban to Western Europe.
Studying the history of the Principality
The Old Russian Principality of Tmutarakan and its features still attract the attention of many specialists today: historians, archaeologists and archivists. Today, excavations are being carried out at the site of the Russian colonies, which help to lift the veil of secrecy over the life of this state. The coins of the Tmutarakan Principality are of particular interest. Each new ruler began minting his own currency. Systematization of knowledge about medieval money issued in Tmutarakan allows you to learn more about the then power and order.
From a bygone era, we also have the ruins of Christian churches. One of the Soviet expeditions also discovered the necropolis. In addition, there was a Christian monastery not far from the city.
Tmutarakan daily life
Tmutarakan was a fortress with defensive walls. Fragments of some of them have also been preserved. The city was rebuilt several times. In the X century, a new layout was established here, which corresponded to the cardinal points. The Tmutarakan principality in the Kuban had lands that yielded a bountiful harvest. In the capital, next to each house, there were granaries or cellars for similar purposes.
HistoryThe Tmutarakan Principality is also studied on the basis of household items discovered during archaeological expeditions. Unlike other principalities of Kievan Rus, Byzantine-made dishes were used in abundance here. This is evidenced by a large number of found ceramics (jugs, amphoras, etc.). Therefore, it is not surprising that some of the written artifacts found in Tmutarakan are written in Greek. Slavic finds in this fortress are mainly associated with the things of princes, squads, Orthodox ministers and monks. Tmutarakan is a valuable storehouse of rarities due to the brisk trade that took place in the local port. Convenient harbor attracted merchants from various countries.
