Ancient chronicles tell that in 990, the Grand Duke of Kyiv Vladimir, the baptizer of the Russian land, founded a city on the Klyazma River, which he named after himself. At the beginning of the 12th century, his offspring was destined to become the center of the Vladimir-Suzdal principality, which for a century and a half united Russian lands around itself. The list of Vladimir princes is given in the article, but before briefly talking about those of them who left the most striking mark in the history of Ancient Russia, we will devote a few lines to the very founder of the city of Vladimir. Both historical documents and legends, which have become examples of the folk epos, tell about him.
Prince Vladimir Cathedral - a monument to the Baptist of Russia
The role that Prince Vladimir of Kyiv played in the formation of the Old Russian state is so great that he can rightfully be classified as one of the most prominent figures in Russian history. Leaving the darkness of paganism in the past, he introduced Russia into the families of Christian peoples. His merit is also important in the formation of its administrative-territorial system. The memory of the prince is immortalized in the works of many domesticsculptors and architects.
His figure is one of the central figures in the famous monumental composition erected in 1862 in Veliky Novgorod on the occasion of the celebration of the Millennium of Russia. An equally famous monument is the Prince Vladimir Cathedral in St. Petersburg, built by order of Catherine II in 1789. And today the image of the prince serves as a source of inspiration for many artists.
So, in November 2016, his monument by Salavat Shcherbakov was opened in Moscow. In its compositional solution, it echoes the recognized masterpiece of the past - the monument that adorned the Volodymyr's Hill in Kyiv in 1852. Many other works of art dedicated to him were also created. Among the temple buildings, the most famous is the above-mentioned Prince Vladimir Cathedral in St. Petersburg.
Fictitious genealogy
As for the subsequent successors of the Kyiv prince, who settled on the banks of the Klyazma, information about them was widely disseminated at one time, gleaned from a literary monument of the 16th century, known as the “Legend of the princes of Vladimir”. It cited a legend according to which the grand dukes were distant descendants of the Roman emperor Augustus. This version was used by its creators solely for political purposes, and has no real justification for itself. Therefore, it should be considered only as a literary curiosity.
Successors of the Prince of Kyiv
However, let's turn to the princes of Vladimir - the rulers of the state, the center of which was the city, founded in 990 on the Klyazma River. By the middle of the 12th century, it had turned from a small settlement into a powerful capital of the newly formed principality. The city owes its flourishing to the first Prince of Vladimir, Andrei Bogolyubsky (1111-1174), who transferred his palace to the banks of the Klyazma and gave it the status of an administrative center.
No less significant in the history of the Vladimir Principality was the period of the reign of his successor - Vsevolod Yuryevich, nicknamed the Big Nest. Thanks to his activities aimed at uniting small specific principalities into a single state, which reached unprecedented prosperity under his leadership, he went down in history as one of the most powerful rulers. It is characteristic that it was under him that the title of “great” was established for the Vladimir princes.
Defender of the Russian land - Prince Alexander Nevsky
Among the rulers of the Vladimir Principality there were such outstanding personalities that their activities left an imprint not only on the development of the Old Russian state, but also on the course of all European history. One of them can rightfully be called the son of the Grand Duke of Vladimir Yaroslav Vsevolodovich Alexander, who received the title of "Nevsky" for the victory over the Swedes.
He entered the history of Ancient Russia primarily as an outstanding commander who managed to defeat the Swedish invaders, givinghe fought a battle in the summer of 1240 at the mouth of the Neva, and defeated in 1242 on the ice of Lake Peipsi, the previously invincible Teutonic knights. With these victories, he moderated the aggressive aspirations of his opponents, and, according to historians, saved a number of European peoples from their invasion.
Warrior Diplomat
A characteristic feature of the son of the Grand Duke of Vladimir Yaroslav Vsevolodovich was a combination of unbridled courage with the ability, when required, to build a subtle political calculation. This was especially evident in his diplomatic activity. Realizing that having won military victories over their Western opponents, Russia could not resist the Tatars, Alexander Nevsky made every effort to prevent their raids. During his trip to the Golden Horde, he managed not only to establish relations with Batu Khan, but even to intermarry with one of his sons. It was a very subtle diplomatic move, thanks to which a significant part of Russia received a respite from the incessant robberies, and he himself was awarded the khan's label for the reign of Kiev.
Researchers note that Alexander Nevsky inherited the ability to negotiate with the proud and arrogant Tatar khans from his father, Vladimir Prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich. In 1238, after the defeat perpetrated by the Tatars in Vladimir, he was summoned by Batu to his headquarters, located in the lower reaches of the Volga. Having shown himself to be a subtle psychologist and a skilled diplomat, Prince Yaroslav managed to win the sympathy of the Khan and receive from him the right to reign throughout Russia.
Nephew of Alexander Nevsky
An attempt to resist by force the hordes of Batu Khan was made in 1252 by the second son of Yaroslav Vsevolodovich (nephew of Prince Alexander Nevsky), also the future ruler of the Vladimir principality - Yaroslav Yaroslavovich. With the support of his brother Andrei and contrary to the prohibitions of Alexander Nevsky, who was then ruling, he tried to give battle to the Tatars in the Pereslavl region, but was defeated and barely escaped. However, he later managed to improve relations with the Khan and, after the death of his brother, take his place in the reign of Vladimir.
Prince Dmitry Alexandrovich
History has also preserved the names of those Vladimir princes who, having spent many years in internecine wars and finally awarded the grand ducal title, did not glorify their names with any noticeable deeds. In this regard, it is appropriate to recall the second son of Alexander Nevsky - Dmitry, whom his father appointed to rule Veliky Novgorod during his lifetime. However, he could not win authority over his subjects, and after the death of Alexander, he was expelled with dishonor.
To his uncle Yaroslav Yaroslavovich, who took the Vladimir throne after Alexander Nevsky, he was very loyal, but when he died, he made every effort to take his place. A long and bloody internecine war began, in which the blood of both Dmitry Yaroslavovich himself and two other contenders, his uncle Vasily and younger brother Andrei, was shed.
Each of them, in order to defeat their relatives, went to the most unseemly tricks. In the course wereFalse denunciations were launched to the Khan Tuda-Meng, who ruled in the Horde, and betrayal and false oaths. As a result, Dmitry Alexandrovich nevertheless achieved what he wanted and began to be called the Grand Duke of Vladimir, but in 1293 he was removed from the throne by his brother Andrei and ingloriously fled to Pskov. On the way, he fell into the hands of robbers and died from his wounds.
The last ruler of Vladimir Russia
The above list is completed by Prince Alexander Mikhailovich of Tverskoy. He received this title due to the fact that, being the son of the Tver ruler, he inherited his estate. In 1326 he visited the Golden Horde, and there he received a label for the reign of Vladimir. However, his reign was short-lived. Having accidentally become a participant in the Tver uprising against the detachments of the Khan's governor Cholkhan, the prince was forced to flee to Pskov and seek salvation there. Alexander Mikhailovich ended his life extremely tragically: in 1339 he was extradited to the Tatars and, under the slander of Prince Ivan I Kalita, was executed in the Horde along with his son Fedor.
Finishing
His tragic and extremely unsuccessful reign completes the history of the Vladimir principality. A significant part of the period of the formation of the Old Russian state coincided with the era of the Tatar-Mongol yoke and was marked by many dramatic events. After a little more than a century and a half, it gave way to a new state formation, called Muscovite Rus. Its history began with the reign of Prince Ivan Kalita, who caused the death of the latter. Vladimir ruler Alexander Mikhailovich of Tver. The monuments erected in honor of its founder, and the Prince Vladimir Cathedral, built in the city on the Neva, can serve as a monument to the glorious days of the city of Vladimir.
