The reign of Vladimir Monomakh falls on 1112-1125. He sat on the Kiev reign, being a 60-year-old man, educated and wise. Maybe that's why the years of his reign are considered the best for the Old Russian state.
One of the Rurikovichs
The grandson of Yaroslav the Wise, the beloved son of the Great Kyiv Prince Vsevolod and the Byzantine Princess Anna (daughter of Constantinople Emperor Constantine Monomakh) was born in 1053. After maturity, he was the support of his father in everything. Naturally, Vsevolod bequeathed the throne of Kyiv to him. But Vladimir, who hated civil strife, abandoned the Great reign in favor of his cousin Svyatopolk II Izyaslavich, since Monomakh's father Vsevolod occupied the throne of Kyiv after the expulsion of his brother Izyaslav. The people of Kiev did not really like Svyatopolk and his entourage, primarily for their friendship with the Polovtsy and for the fact that usury reached unprecedented proportions under him.
Wise and popular
Immediately after the death of the Kievan prince Monomakh was sent an invitation toGreat reign, but he did not rush to the capital, because he did not want to violate the succession of the throne, since he believed that either Oleg Seversky, or David of Chernigov, or Yaroslav of Murom - all descendants of Svyatoslav - should rule after Svyatopolk. The people of Kiev, suffering from the unbearable oppression of Jewish usurers, took advantage of his slowness, and an uprising broke out in the city, accompanied by pogroms. Again they sent a messenger to Monomakh. This time he didn't hesitate. Even before the occupation of the Kyiv throne, Vladimir (his church name is Vasily) had the glory of a peacemaker, the winner of the Polovtsy (he concluded 19 peace treaties with them) and the unifier of Russian lands (his sons were in large cities - Novgorod, Smolensk and Rostov, and his brother Rostislav reigned in Pereyaslavl).
Brilliant start
The reign of Vladimir Monomakh in any city - Smolensk 1073-1078, Chernigov 1078-1094, Pereyaslavl 1094-1113 - was wise and successful. The rebellious Kievans demanded only Vladimir to reign, upon whose arrival the uprising subsided. But Monomakh figured out his reasons in order to avoid unrest in the future, and significantly cut the rates of usurers (no more than 20% per annum), which made life easier for the lower classes. The "Charter on cuts" was adopted after a difficult agreement with the representatives of the elite. After they managed to explain that usury ultimately harms not only Russia, but also themselves, it was decided to expel all Jewish usurers from the country. It was stipulated that all acquired property "financiers" couldtake with you, but never again should return to Russia. Naturally, many of the Jews converted to Orthodoxy.
The second prototype of Vladimir the Red Sun
The years of the reign of Prince Vladimir Monomakh were the last rise of Kievan Rus. A successful commander, a good politician, an educated person and a talented writer who left behind literary works, he provided Russia with years of a quiet life - the Pechenegs were expelled, the Polovtsy were afraid to rob Russian lands, because in campaigns against them the prince relied on the people's militia, and not on mercenaries. He was very popular among the people, his features complemented the image of the epic Vladimir the Red Sun (the first prototype was his grandfather Vladimir, the baptist of Russia). The exploits of Ilya Muromets fall on the years of the reign of Vladimir Monomakh
Big foreign policy victory
The foreign policy of this Grand Duke reached its peak under the son of the deceased Byzantine emperor Alexei I, John II, who prevented the campaign of a large Russian army against Constantinople. Desiring peace with Kievan Rus, the Greeks voluntarily made huge concessions - they awarded Monomakh the title of king, equal in importance to the basileus of Byzantium. He was presented with royal clothes, a scepter, an orb and a crown, the famous and legendary “Monomakh's hat”. The union was secured by a dynastic marriage - the son of John, heir Alexei, married the granddaughter of the Kyiv prince. Thus, the reign of Vladimir Monomakh was marked by the establishment of a strong kinship with Byzantium.union.
Flexible politician
True, the warned campaign against Constantinople provided for the capture of the Danubian lands along the way, but Monomakh could always give up something for the sake of peace. Therefore, these lands remained with Byzantium. After the struggle with the Minsk prince Gleb and his capture, these lands became friendly to Kyiv - his supreme power was recognized there.
The undoubted advantages include the fact that during the reign of Vladimir Monomakh, three-quarters of all Russian lands were concentrated in his hands. Peace agreements were concluded with all the neighbors, where by contract and where by military means. So, the rebellion was suppressed in Volhynia, where the son of Svyatopolk, who was the son-in-law of Vladimir, Yaroslav, ruled. He turned his yard into a den hostile to Kyiv. Both Jewish usurers and all kinds of eternal enemies of Russia fled here. A large army of Czechs, Hungarians, Poles headed for Kyiv. The army of Mstislav Vladimirovich was walking towards him. Yaroslav himself had already been killed by Russian soldiers during the siege of Volhynia. It was illogical to help the deceased, the enemy army retreated.
The growth of the power of Russia
Neither the Volga Bulgars, whose flotilla was defeated by Russian soldiers, nor the inhabitants of the B altic and Finland, who regularly paid tribute, raided Russian lands during the reign of Vladimir Monomakh. All this made it possible to engage in the improvement of the state. Churches were built, trade expanded, coins began to be minted, andbooks from the Byzantine language, schools began to open, in which the children of the best families were given for education. Being an educated person and a gifted writer, Vladimir left to his descendants his works - "Instruction" and "Walking". In addition, Nestor, a monk of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, created the "Tale of Bygone Years" (1117). The reign of Vladimir Monomakh in Kyiv turned the city into a major commercial and cultural center. He left a good memory of himself for centuries and an example of government, which makes the country prosperous. They speak well of him not only in the Tale of Bygone Years written during his reign, but also in the Ipatiev Chronicle and in the Tale of the Destruction of the Russian Land. And after his death, some of his descendants were crowned with the "cap of Monomakh" to the kingdom.
The reign of Vladimir Monomakh began on April 20, 1113, and ended on May 19, 1125, the day of his death. Under Vladimir Monomakh, dynastic marriages became widespread. He married all his numerous children with almost all the crowned heads of Europe. Marriages were also made with the children of khans.
Results of the Board
A strong power, with which the neighbors were considered, was left behind by Vladimir Monomakh, the results of whose reign can be summed up as follows. The main achievement was the cessation of the Polovtsy raids that ravaged the country. The authority of Russia increased inexpressibly after the victory over them. A balanced foreign policy and dynastic marriages contributed to its further growth.
Monomakh strengthened centralizationpower, and thus he managed to maintain complete control over all the cities and trade routes of Russia. As a result of the cessation of civil strife and the onset of peaceful life, all branches of the economy, literature and art began to develop, and the power of the country, both military and economic, increased significantly.
