In Russia there have always been prominent and strong princes, who were distinguished by their originality and uniqueness in the milestones of history. None of them looked like anyone else. If we are talking about Yaroslav the Wise, then he is a legislator. If about Princess Olga, then this is a successful diplomat of her time.
But what can we say about Prince Svyatoslav Igorevich?
Svyatoslav - who are you?
Prince Svyatoslav Igorevich became the Grand Duke of All Russia at the age of three. This happened after his father Igor was killed by the people of the Drevlyans in 945 AD. This happened due to the fact that the Grand Duke returned to collect polyudie (tribute) from the people with a small number of his troops. He was killed.
Svyatoslav could not rule at the age of three. Instead, his mother, Princess Olga, sat on the throne.
Independent rule of Svyatoslav Igorevich in Kyiv will begin in 964. His mother made the state stronger and more powerful during her reign, transferring the right of succession to the throne to her son.
However, Svyatoslav's foreign and domestic policy will be radically different from Olga's policy.
Childhood of Svyatoslav Igorevich
If you believe the annals of the late XII century, then Svyatoslav was the only child in the familyPrince Igor and Princess Olga. The exact date of his birth is unknown.
Svyatoslav spent all his childhood near his mother in Kyiv. She raised him, instructed him in life and took care of him. It was from his mother that Svyatoslav received important skills with which he went through his whole life. She brought up in him a real faithful warrior of her state. However, Svyatoslav's foreign and domestic policy was not inherited from his mother and was not passed on in the process of upbringing. He will rule in his own way.
Foreign policy
Svyatoslav's foreign and domestic policies are completely different from each other. Svyatoslav Igorevich was active in the foreign arena. He devoted much more energy to foreign policy than domestic. By nature, he was a conqueror and commander.
Unlike his mother Olga, he did not change his faith to Christianity in order to be closer to his army. The warriors respected him for this and took him for their own. It was this closeness with his own army that in many ways helped him achieve success in military clashes and conquests.
What was Svyatoslav's foreign policy? The table below will answer this question. The prince was active both in the west and in the east.
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Western vector |
Prince Svyatoslav led active military campaigns against the Bulgarian principality. Most military campaigns for Kievan Rus were successful. |
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Oriental vector |
OnIn the eastern direction, the prince successfully fought against the Khazar Khaganate. Subsequently, he completely destroyed it. However, he could not save the Kyiv lands from the Polovtsian raids. |
The Tale of Bygone Years repeatedly mentions that in 964 Svyatoslav Igorevich went to war against the formidable Khazar Khaganate.
The Khazar Khaganate was the main commercial and military opponent of Kievan Rus. Having defeated them, Svyatoslav wanted to nullify their influence in the region and wipe their cities off the face of the earth. He managed to do this, and he, led by his army, won a landslide victory.
However, the victory over the Khazars brought more disappointment than triumph. The Kaganate held back the nomad raids towards Kievan Rus from the east. When he fell, the hordes of nomads could easily move towards Kyiv.
In the western direction, Svyatoslav Igorevich waged war against the Bulgarian principality. These campaigns were successful. Svyatoslav on his way swept away city after city and stopped in the city of Pereyaslavets. He began to collect tribute and planned to move the capital from Kyiv to Pereyaslavets. However, this was not destined to happen. The sad news that nomads were raiding Kyiv and haunting the inhabitants forced him to return home and defend the city from raids. Only in 970 was Prince Svyatoslav able to return to the Balkans again and continue the war.
In 972, Svyatoslav was defeated by the Pechenegs on the island of Khortitsa together with the army. The prince died in this battle. King of the Pechenegs KuryaHe made dishes from his skull for himself, from which he drank in the future. It was believed, according to the customs of the Pechenegs, that the power of Svyatoslav was now transferred to Kura.
Domestic policy
We have already said that the policy of Prince Svyatoslav Igorevich was more aimed at external conquests than at internal transformations. He was more of a general than a diplomat or reformer.
However, Svyatoslav's activities also affected the internal life of the country.
The domestic policy of Prince Svyatoslav Igorevich was aimed at formalizing the tax collection system. His mother Olga approved churchyards during her reign. This means that the prince should not go independently to each nation to collect polyudye, but the people themselves or representatives of the people came to certain places and paid tribute to the treasury.
Svyatoslav once pacified the Vyatichi tribes, who refused to pay tribute in favor of the princes of the treasury. After this campaign, tribute began to flow regularly to the treasury.
Becoming the Grand Duke, in the leading cities of Kievan Rus, he began to assert the rule of his sons, so that they kept everything under control when he was on campaigns. It was the right and wise decision on his part. He could completely rely on his sons in all matters of the internal administration of Kievan Rus.
His sons were Yaropolk, Oleg and Vladimir (the baptist of Kievan Rus).
Svyatoslav in literature and art
Svyatoslav Igorevich's policy was reflected not only in military affairs.
Svyatoslav is dedicated to many paintings, poems, stories, stories and even modern songs. He was an extraordinary person, lived his life briefly and brightly.
There is a painting by the artist Akimov "Grand Duke Svyatoslav", which refers to the end of the 18th century.
Velimir Khlebnikov dedicated his poem “Svyatoslav” to him, Sklyarenko - his novel “Svyatoslav”, Lev Prozorov - “Svyatoslav. I'm going to you! By the way, "I'm coming for you!" Svyatoslav Igorevich often said when he went into battle.
The print edition of the fans of the football club "Dynamo Kyiv" is called "Svyatoslav".
Who is the Grand Duke in history?
For current generations, Prince Svyatoslav Igorevich remained a warlike ruler and conqueror who put the interests of Kievan Rus above his own and anyone else.
Svyatoslav's foreign and domestic policy helped make Kievan Rus an even more powerful state. Despite the defeat from the Pechenegs, he will remain in history as one of the greatest commanders of his time, who resisted the raids of several peoples at once.
