Andrei Bogolyubsky: a historical portrait. Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky: years of government, brief biography

If we talk about the history of our country, then there are bright figures in it. Almost everyone is aware of some people, and we know practically nothing about someone. What unites them is that their life had a huge impact on the development of Russia. One of these figures is Andrei Bogolyubsky. His historical portrait shows that he was an outstanding personality.

Brief information

It is generally accepted that the future prince was born between 1120 and 1125. He was the second (or third, precisely unknown) son of Prince Yuri Dolgoruky. His mother - the daughter of the then famous Polovtsian khan Aepa Osenevich, for the sake of union with whom this marriage was arranged.

Why is the future prince Andrei Bogolyubsky so important for the history of our country? The historical portrait says that he was the most important political and spiritual figure in 1160-1170, as he not only contributed to the creation of a powerful Vladimir-Suzdal principality (on the site of the former estate of his grandfather, Vladimir Monomakh), but also turned the city of Vladimir-on -Klyazma in the center of political and spiritual life of Russia. Thus, he pushed the "post" in Kiev.

The activities of the prince before the accession to the throne of Vladimir

About what Andrei Bogolyubsky (whose brief biography is shown in the article) did and how he lived until 1146, we know absolutely nothing. But there is still reliable information that after 1130 he married the daughter of boyar Kuchka. The latter left its mark in history by the fact that he owned vast tracts of land along the banks of the Moscow River.

His father, Yuri Dolgoruky, always dreamed of reigning on the throne of Kiev. And a convenient excuse soon appeared. In 1146, the people of Kiev were invited to the reign of Izyaslav Mstislavich, who was Dolgoruky's nephew. A stubborn and bitter struggle began, in which not only all the political forces of Rus, but even Poles and Polovtsi, who never missed an opportunity to cash in on the next turmoil, took part.

Yuri twice managed to seize the city, but twice had to be exiled from there. Only in 1155, when Izyaslav died (perhaps in 1154), he managed to finally subjugate Kiev. His happiness lasted not so long: the active prince himself reposed already in 1157. Andrew throughout the whole of this eight-year struggle has repeatedly proved his unprecedented courage. His military talents and analytical mind more than once served a good service to his father.

The first appearance on the political scene

For the first time, the young Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky (whose brief biography is full of such moments) clearly manifests itself in the aforementioned 1146, when Rostislav, his own brother, knocks out Prince Rostislav (Izyaslav's ally) from his own capital. When Dolgoruky once again captures Kiev, Andrew receives a gift from him Vyshgorod (near Kiev).

In addition, he accompanied his father on a march to the Volyn volost, which was the lot of Izyaslav. Under Lutsk, which was occupied by Vladimir (Izyaslav's brother), he nearly died in 1149. The prince was so carried away by the persecution of his enemies that he was far away from his warriors. His horse was wounded, stones were thrown at him from the walls of the city, and some stalwart Vladimir's squadron had already been made to pierce Andrei with a rogatina.

On that day, they remembered the martyr Fedor, whom the prince prayed: fighting back from the enemies, he managed to break through the enemy's forces with the latest strength. His final salvation was due to the faithful horse. He, being mortally wounded, nevertheless managed to convey his master to his vigilantes. For this Andrei arranged a lavish funeral for his friend. His horse settled on the bank of the river Styrim. Contemporaries noted that the prince was an extremely modest and simple man: he never sought approval from his father, preferring to do everything by honor, was religious. However, Dolgoruky certainly saw these qualities, because he was very fond of his son.

Peacekeeping activity of Andrey

After the siege of Lutsk Izyaslav began to ask for peace. Only thanks to the fact that Dolgoruky listened to the opinion of his son, and he did not like the senseless civil strifes, the peace treaty was signed.

Only a year later, Izyaslav was able to enter Kiev again due to the fact that the townspeople were located to him. Having expelled Dolgoruky, the prince did not want to stop at what he had achieved, deciding to send his wives and his sons. He decided to start with Rostislav, who at that time reigned in Pereyaslavl. But Andrei came to help his brother. Together they managed to defend the city. Dolgoruky also did not sit still and, with the assistance of Prince Volodymyrk, re-seized Kiev. Andrei was entrusted with the defense in Peresopitse, where it was possible to effectively protect the border from Volyn.

Izyaslav sent messengers to him with a request to ask his father for the gift to the nephew of the volosts "on the Hills". But this time Andrei could not soften his father, who was very angry with Izyaslav. Then he called to the aid of the tribes of the Ugrians, with the help of which, and with the active assistance of the people of Kiev, he again could occupy the long-suffering city. Yuri was forced to retreat to Gorodets-Ostersky, where Andrei soon arrived.

The defeat of Dolgoruky

In 1151, Yuri again unleashed a war in which Andrew showed no less valor than the siege of Lutsk. However, everything was unsuccessful, Dolgoruky's troops were defeated. He himself was blocked in Pereyaslavl by Izyaslav, and therefore had to swear to his nephew that he renounced his claims to Kiev, promising to leave in Suzdal in a month. Andrew, in accordance with his peace-loving custom, immediately went to his beloved Suzdal, warmly persuading his father to abandon a stupid and senseless war and follow his example. Stubborn Yuri still made another attempt to gain a foothold in the Kiev land: he settled in Gorodok, but Izyaslav again broke it and, under the threat of imprisonment, managed to get his uncle away.

The occupation of the Suzdal throne

In 1152, Andrew participated in his father's campaign on the city of Chernigov. This event was unique in that Dolgoruky managed to put under his banner not only a lot of Russian princes, but allied Polovtsians. But the city of the combined squad could not take it, as Izyaslav Mstislavich came to rescue the besieged. When in 1155 Yuri still managed to climb the Kiev throne definitively, he planted Andrei to reign in Vyshgorod. But the young prince did not like those places, and because he, tired of endless strife, without the will of his father went to Suzdal land. In those lands, the rule of Andrei Bogolyubsky led to the emergence of a new and very strong principality.

There the devout Andrew took away the Vyshgorod Clement, as well as the sword of St. Boris and the Mother of God image, which today is known throughout the Orthodox world as the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. In this way he arranged for himself local nobility that the will of his father, who was offended by his son because of his refusal to take Vyshgorodsky throne and bequeathed Suzdal to Andrey's younger brothers, was not fulfilled: the boyars sent those back home, and the throne was unanimously offered to Bogolyubsky. After that, he started reforms, which resulted in the transfer of the capital of the Suzdal Principality to Vladimir.

The Great Reign (1157-1174)

Mindful of the bloody and destructive wars for the state that his father unleashed, initially Andrei Bogolyubsky (from the years 1157 to 1174) directed all his forces to create a strong and united principality. Around 1161, he stood a collision with a number of younger Yurevich, each of whom wished to reign alone.

As a result, he expels all his younger brothers, Dolgoruky's wife and a whole galaxy of other relatives to Byzantium, where they find shelter and protection from Emperor Manuel I Comnenus. In addition, the prince drove out almost all boyars of his father, which vividly points to the incredible scale of the reforms he undertook.

Relations with the Church

At this time a heated conflict with the Rostov bishop Leon (t), which the prince in the interval between 1159-1164 years twice expelled from the city, broke out. The reason for such virulent hostility of the prince, which was very religious, with the church, was the desire of the bishop to introduce Byzantine practice. And the internal policy of Andrei Bogolyubsky never differed in the desire for concessions.

It's about the Russian custom of canceling posts on Wednesday and Friday, if on that day there was a church or a great holiday. The bishop was against such "liberties", he was desperately protesting. The reason for this dispute was the ecclesiastical one, you should not see in it the prince's attempt to challenge the primacy of Byzantium: such conflicts were spread all over Russia at that time, not only Andrei Bogolyubsky was involved. Summarizing, it can be assumed that the complicated church and political situation that prevailed in Russia at the time attached great importance to this contradiction.

The fact is that Andrei seriously intended to separate the Kiev Metropolitan from Rostov. The prince wanted to place his favorite, Bishop Theodorets, over the Rostov Metropolis, which was contrary to the policy of not only Kiev, but also Rostov church leaders. Of course, Andrew received a categorical refusal of the Patriarch of Constantinople Luke Chrysoverg. However, for diligence and sincere participation in church affairs, the prince was granted permission to transfer the bishop's residence to Vladimir.

But this was done only in 1169. Due to some acute disagreements with Theodore, Andrei Bogolyubsky expels him to Kiev, where the former bishop is cruelly executed.

Construction of monasteries

Andrei Bogolyubsky (whose historical portrait we describe) is still revered in the Church not only for his reformist activities in the spiritual sphere, but also for the active participation in the construction of many churches and monasteries. All these architectural objects are unique in that they bear the distinctive stamp of Western European church construction. In many respects this was due to the fact that Galician artels of rockets and builders took part in their erection. However, this is of interest only for architects, whereas it is completely different.

The splendor and truly divine beauty of the temples built then clearly demonstrated the superiority of Orthodoxy over pagan cults. Andrei Bogolyubsky built not only churches - he erected a solid foundation of Orthodoxy on his land.

In addition, all this contributed to the education of Rostov-Suzdal land. Many foreign ambassadors, as contemporaries wrote, "let them see true Christianity and be baptized." Simply put, Andrew was also a talented missionary who contributed to a massive transition of people to Orthodoxy. The church noted this. So, the portrait of Andrei Bogolyubsky was captured on the set of icons of that time.

But the prince was not at all a zealous confessor who lived in isolation from the affairs of the earth. First, we have already pointed out the importance of building temples in the field of education. Secondly, building churches on previously undeveloped lands, Andrew contributed to their active involvement in economic activities. The fact is that the Templars collected taxes very well, and this turned out to be much better for them than for the secular rulers. Finally, historians are sincerely grateful to the reformer.

It was Andrei Bogolyubsky, whose reign was marked by many important events, approved the orderly chronicle in the Rostov principality, in which the monks of the Assumption Cathedral took the most active part. There is also an unreasonable assumption that it was he who took part in the creation of the Charter of St. Vladimir, which to this day lies at the heart of many church documents.

Strengthening the Principality of Vladimir

Do not think that Andrei Bogolyubsky was completely devoid of power ambitions. Thus, the main thrust of many of his reforms was the future elevation of the Vladimir principality. All rested against the need to subordinate their power to Novgorod and Kiev. When the prince, who turned out to be also a talented politician, managed to solve problems with the Ryazan princes, but they showed themselves as his loyal allies, participating in all the military campaigns of the principality of Vladimir. Inspired by success, Andrei Bogolyubsky begins to directly interfere in the internal policy of independent Novgorod, demanding from his nobility to erect on the throne only the princes favored him.

When in 1160, Svyatoslav Rostislavich sat on the throne of Novgorod, who was hostile personally to Prince Vladmirsky, Prince Andrey Bogolyubsky sent an unambiguous letter to the citizens: "If you know, I want to look for Novgorod with good and evil." Novgorodians were afraid of terrible words, immediately expelled Svyatoslav and seated on the reign of Mstislav, who was Andrei Bogolyubsky's nephew. But already in 1161, Svyatoslav's father reconciled with Andrew, and together they again put the prince in exile in Novgorod. It is not surprising that the rule of Andrei Bogolyubsky led to his confrontation with the southern princes, who rightly saw in him a direct competitor of their independence.

Expansion of spheres of influence

By the end of 1160, the prince's interests had gone far beyond his lands. If during the reign of Rostislav Mstislavich Smolensky (Andrei's cousin) there was a special treaty that differentiated spheres of influence between different princes, after his death, it suddenly turned out that the superiority of forces in political life indicates the complete superiority of the Vladimir principality. This led to the competent policy of Andrei Bogolyubsky.

Trekking to Kiev

When the city was conquered by the Volyn prince Mstislav Izyaslavich, who had Galician princes and Poles in his allies, Bogolyubsky immediately went on a campaign of "eleven princes". Among them were not only faithful Ryazans, but even Rostislav's heirs Rurik and David, Roman Rostislavich of Smolensk, Chernigov rulers Oleg and Igor Svyatoslavichy, as well as prince Dorodubuzhsky Vladimir Andreevich. Speaking in modern language, Andrew created a powerful allied coalition.

A strong and experienced army from the summer took Kiev (Andrei Bogolyubsky had many personal accounts to the city) in 1169, and the "hailstorm" was looted. However, no one sympathized with the people of Kiev, since a new church confrontation arose with them a little while ago. The fact is that Metropolitan Constantine II imposed a ban on the services of the Kiev-Pechora hegumen Polikarp, who supported Andrei in the memorable "guard" dispute. After the conquest of Kiev, his younger brother Andrey Gleb Yurievich was placed on his throne. In those days it unambiguously indicated that Kiev became a subordinate city. Thus, the policy of Andrei Bogolyubsky gave its fruits.

The Novgorod expedition

In the winter of 1169-1170 a campaign was undertaken to Novgorod. This was due to the intersection of the interests of the two principalities in Dzvina, where at that time there was an intensive colonial expansion. In the battle the Suzdal-Vladimir army was defeated. The legend is preserved that Novgorod managed to be defended only thanks to the miraculous intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary through the icon "The Sign". In honor of this event was painted the icon "The Battle of Novgorod with Suzdal".

However, the Novgorodians did not help much. A year later, in the winter of 1171-1172, they were forced to recognize the power of the Prince of Vladimir. This was due to the fact that his troops simply blocked the delivery of bread from the southern direction. In 1172, Yuri, the son of Andrey, was placed on the throne of Novgorod. Soon the authorities recognized him and Rostislavich, who had concluded a military alliance with Bogolyubsky. Thus, by the time the foreign policy of Andrei Bogolyubsky was very reminiscent of the behavior of his father, Yuri Dolgoruky.

Crisis of government

By that time, the territory of the Vladimir-Suzdal princedom significantly expanded from the eastern direction at the expense of the lands of the Volga Bulgaria (after the Gorodets-Radilov laying). In addition, the expansion was due to the addition of part of the northern territories. So, it was possible to capture Zavolochye (Dzvina).

But in the 1170s, signs of a crisis in foreign and domestic politics begin to increase. The very fact of constant military campaigns and military intimidation indicates that there were simply no other arguments for the Vladimir prince, and the activities of Andrei Bogolyubsky by that time were aimed only at keeping power. Arranged in 1172, the campaign against the Volga Bulgars was not adequately supported by the allied forces of the Murom and Ryazan princes.

Social politics

Historians say that the activity of Andrei Bogolyubsky led to such a situation. Constant military and fiscal pressure led to the fact that the relationship of the prince with the nobility began to get frustrated. And it concerned not only the Rostov boyars, but also those loyal to the prince people from Vladimir, whom he elevated from the service class. Soon relations with Rostislavovich were broken. Andrew received a denunciation, which said that his brother Gleb was poisoned, and the names of some of the Kiev boyars who were involved in this were called. The prince demanded Rostislavichi to extradite the people indicated in the denunciation.

But they considered that the denunciation was not under itself sufficient grounds, and therefore disobeyed the order. Angered, Prince Andrew Bogolyubsky ordered them to leave the cities in which they ruled at his will. Prince Roman obeyed, but other rulers were offended. They sent a message to Andrei, in which they directly pointed to their kind attitude toward him, but warned that they would be compelled to go to Prince Vladimir of the war, if he continues to force them to obey.

There was no answer. Then the Rostislavichi seized Kiev, drove away the brother of Bogolyubsky, Vsevolod, and the reign of his own brother Rurik. Another brother of Andrew, Michael, who was besieged in Torcheska, concluded an alliance with them, but he demanded that Pereyaslavl pass under his arm.

Upon learning of these events, Bogolyubsky sent an ambassador to the Rostislavich brothers, who once again gave them his order to leave the cities under their reign, and leave "to his own home." The service was not lucky: Mstislav, the eldest of the princes, was not accustomed to fear and tremble, and therefore ordered to shave the messenger nalyso and shave his beard. He ordered him to tell Andrei: "Until now, we have esteemed you as a father ... but if you send messengers to me with such speeches, the way God will judge us." Contemporaries of the prince testified that Bogolyubsky terribly darkened face, hearing such words, and then ordered to collect a huge army (up to 50 thousand) and go to Mstislav in Vyshgorod.

The social portrait of Andrei Bogolyubsky by that time underwent a dramatic change: instead of a peacekeeper and a neat politician a hard and cruel figure appeared, in which the features of his powerful father were becoming increasingly clear. In the end, this had a bad effect on the internal affairs of the principality.

Loss of influence

His chronicler noted with grief that Prince Andrey Bogolyubsky, valiant in all respects (whose biography had not had such moments before) succumbed to irrepressible anger and pride, and therefore said such daring and malicious words. Having joined his army also Smolyan (involuntarily), as well as the troops of some Russian princes and Polovtsy, he went on a campaign. Only brave Mstislav defended Vyshgorod so well that the whole huge army turned to flight.

Prince Andrew completely lost his influence on the southern rulers. But even those people did not have everything so smooth: only a year later, in their possessions, a confusion began, connected with the loss of the Kiev throne, and therefore Rostislavich sent ambassadors to Bogolyubsky in order to ask him about the Kiev throne for Prince Roman. Nobody knows what would end the negotiations, but at that time Andrei Bogolyubsky, whose historical portrait we cited in this article, is dying.