The name of the son of the Grand Prince of Kyiv Vladimir the Holy, Yaroslav, is widely known not only to historians, but also to ordinary people. During his more than thirty years of rule, he committed many serious actions for the state, for which Yaroslav was called the wise one.
Early life
The future Grand Duke was born in the family of Vladimir Svyatoslavovich. He was the second oldest son, from childhood he showed serious abilities in studies, but early began to participate in the political life of the country. The imperious father tried to make his sons realize from the earliest times the need to think on a national scale, and, in addition, demanded unquestioning obedience to himself. Initially, young Yaroslav was appointed prince to Rostov, where he stayed until the death of his brother Vysheslav, after which he was appointed prince-governor of the second most important city in Russia - Novgorod. The prince had a rather difficult character, which his subordinates and squad spoke about more than once, nevertheless he tried to resolve all conflict situations through negotiations, and only in the extremecase went to an open gap. Perhaps that is why Yaroslav the Wise was called wise.
The start of the struggle for the throne
Being a prince of Novgorod, he was not without reason considered the heir to the throne of Kyiv. However, Vladimir, who was known among his contemporaries as a “loose womanizer”, became very pious at the end of his life, and more than all his children fell in love with the offspring of the Byzantine princess Anna, Boris and Gleb. Perhaps the prince wanted to transfer his throne to the first of them. But Vladimir did not take into account that other brothers also claimed the title of supreme ruler of the country, and one of them was Prince Yaroslav of Novgorod. In 1014 a conflict broke out between father and son. Vladimir was even going to go to war against his rebellious son, but in the midst of the preparations for the campaign, the baptist of Russia died. Immediately after that, large parts began to break away from the state - this always happened when the central government weakened. The situation was aggravated by the fact that the adopted son of Vladimir, Svyatopolk, seized power in the state.
The path to power
The stepson did not want to lose power and decided to deal with his competitors. The first to fall under the blow of a cousin were two of Vladimir's favorite brothers - Gleb and Boris. Both did not want to join the fight for the throne, for which the squad left them. In 1015, Prince Boris was killed not far from Kyiv, and soon the same fate befell the Murom prince Gleb, on the orders of Svyatopolk, he was stabbed to death by his own cook. He also killed another son of Vladimir I, Svyatoslav, who was killed by conspirators sent by the prince. And here the Prince of Novgorod Yaroslav enters into an open struggle. Even at the time of preparing responses to his father's threats, he turned to the Varangians for help, with the help of which he organized his army. Svyatopolk, in turn, attracted to the aid of the nomadic Pechenegs, who more than once made devastating raids on Russia, and thereby further turned the people against themselves. In this struggle, Yaroslav acted as the personification of centripetal forces, which is why Yaroslav the Wise was called wise.
Yaroslav at the head of state
Two opposing sides met in 1016 near the city of Lyubech. In the battle that began, Svyatopolk's army was completely defeated, and he himself ran for help to his father-in-law, the Polish king. Together with the provided troops, he returned to Russia. At the same time, the Poles behaved like invaders, which caused violent discontent among the population. The fight continued. Using the popular mood, Yaroslav again defeated his cousin. However, it was not immediately possible to immediately restore the former united state. Mstislav did not want to submit to the power of Kyiv, and a major battle took place between the brothers in 1024. In it, the Kyiv prince was defeated, but he did not fight again with his brother, but only concluded an agreement with him, according to which the brothers divided their possessions, but at the same time repelled the attacks of enemies and helped each other in different situations. That is why contemporaries calledYaroslav the wise. After the death of Mstislav, all his lands were annexed to Kyiv.
Yaroslav the legislator
Becoming the sole ruler of Russia, Yaroslav directed all his efforts to strengthening it. One of the most important actions of the new ruler was to restore order in the state. To do this, it was necessary to create a legal system, which Yaroslav Vladimirovich took up with remarkable energy. Already at the initial stage of his reign, he put into effect a code of laws, called "Russian Truth". This legal monument of ancient Russia became the first written collection of laws of the country. The norms regulated, first of all, public order, protected property. In addition, blood feuds were prohibited. Causing significant damage to the country, now it was allowed only by close relatives or was replaced by a fine. That is why Yaroslav the Wise was called wise.
What else did the Kyiv prince become famous for?
The name of Yaroslav the Wise is known for the fact that he intermarried with many ruling European dynasties. His daughters became the wives of the kings of France, Norway, Hungary, Denmark, his sons married princesses from Byzantium, Germany, Poland. By this, the prince significantly strengthened the position of his dynasty and state. Already before his death, he bequeathed that the eldest in the family should become the Grand Duke in Russia. This ancient family tradition will later become one of the causes of destructive civil strife. In the meantime, the prince enjoyed nationwide fame, in fact, that's why Yaroslav the Wise was called wise.
