Prince of Kiev and Smolensk Rostislav Mstislavich

This prudent and far-sighted prince of the ruling dynasty of Rurikovich left a major mark in the history of Russia. He managed to turn an ordinary princedom into a prosperous and prosperous land that began to enjoy wide autonomous rights. He also showed wisdom in public affairs after he received the throne in Kiev. But his main merit historians believe the fact that Prince Rostislav Mstislavich prevented feudal fragmentation, trying to pursue a policy of consolidation and consolidation of Russian lands. What was his way of life, and what specific successes he managed to achieve, being the ruler of Russia? Let's consider this issue in more detail.

Pedigree line

Rostislav Mstislavich, briefly about which it would be inexpedient to narrate, was the third son of the Novgorod ruler Mstislav Vladimirovich. Sources are controversial in the question of when he was born. In many of them there appears 1100 year. Brother Rostislav (Izyaslav) was born several years earlier (1097 or 1098 years). The mother of the future ruler of the Smolensk land is the daughter of the Swedish king Inge.

According to the chronicles, Prince Rostislav Mstislavich was given control of the Smolensk region when he was only fifteen. He himself was baptized in honor of the Archangel Michael, therefore in Orthodoxy the prince is known as Mikhail Fedorovich.

It was in 1127 that it was first mentioned in the sources. This period of history was remembered, first of all, by the fact that the military alliance of Monomaxis encroached on the borders of the Polotsk principality, and Rostislav Mstislavich himself launched a campaign against the city of Drutsk.

When did you receive the inheritance?

Historians also argue that when the son of Mstislav Vladimirovich began to "manage" affairs in the Smolensk Principality. Some argue that this happened in 1125, others - in 1127. It is precisely known that Rostislav Mstislavich until 1132 in the Smolensk region performed the functions of the will of his own father. In this case, the inheritance was under the "jurisdiction" of the Kyiv principality. In 1132 Mstislav Vladimirovich died, and his brother Yaropolk became ruler of Rus . The new Prince of Kiev gives Smolensk the status of a vassal principality. Yaropolk is at the same time ready to assist the principality in exchange for a tribute.

The way of prosperity of the principality

In the period from 30 to 50 years of the XII century Rostislav Mstislavich makes every effort to ensure that the entrusted to him turned into a strong and prosperous economic autonomy. And he really manages to realize his plans.

First of all, the son of Mstislav the Great turned the territory entrusted to him into a principality and began to be called the Smolensk prince. Moreover, the lands in which he ruled included parts of the Mogilev, Pskov, Tver, Vitebsk, Kaluga and Moscow provinces. In the mid-30s of the 12th century, territories stretching along the Protva River, namely the volosts of Puttino, Dobriatino, Bobrovnitsa, Dobrochkov, Bennitsa, are moving to Rostislav. Thus, the Smolensk princedom is located in the center of the destinies of Rus, so external threats to it practically did not matter. At the same time, Rostislav Mstislavich, whose biography was not thoroughly studied by historians, tried to make the princely squad consolidate with the zemstvos, which played a dominant role in solving public and political issues.

Urban Development

Until 1125 in the lot of Mstislav the Great's son There were only three cities: Kasply, Verzhavsk, Toropets. Rostislav Mstislavich (Prince of Smolensk) ordered the cities Rostislavl, Mstislavl, Izyaslavl, Yelnya, Dorogobuzh to be laid, and such settlements as Vasiliev, Luchin, Propoysk, Krichev were transformed into cities in time.

Transformations of the religious plan

In addition to urban policy, the prince is engaged in reforms of religious significance. He takes the Smolensk Principality out of Pereyaslavl bishops and creates an autonomous "spiritual" district.

To guide them, the prince trusts Bishop Manuel, and after a while passes him a document that provides the church with enormous privileges. The charter of Rostislav Mstislavich allowed the Smolensk bishopric to receive tithing from all incomes of the principality. After Manuel became head of the diocese, he soon consecrated the Assumption Cathedral in Smolensk, which the son of Mstislav the Great built in 1101.

The prince also erected a number of stone buildings of religious significance, which was a real innovation for the Smolensk region.

Annals

Rostislav Mstislavich also started the Smolensk chronicle. In its original form, the chronicles, unfortunately, have not survived to the present day, but the sources of the late time periods still became the property of the historians of our time.

"Smolenskie Izvestia", describing the life of the principality in the 30s-60s of the 12th century, was taken as a basis for the creation of the Chronicle of Rostislavovich (the 80s of the 12th century) and the Kiev arch (1200). In Izvestia, in particular, mention was made of the establishment in 1136 of the Smolensk Episcopate and the beginning of stone construction. It was the year 1136 that was considered the beginning of the chronicle in the Smolensk region.

Creation of communities

With Rostislav Mstislavich, the process of forming communities has also intensified. The city top of Smolensk begins to become more and more happy for its own political interests and dictate its will to the supreme prince. In such circumstances, he simply becomes the spokesman for the political course of the local elite of power.

The era of civil strife

Rostislav Mstislavich (Smolensky) lived at a time when internecine war was being waged in Russia .

As soon as his father died, the prince joins his own brothers (Izyaslav and Vsevolod) in order to win in political opposition against uncle Yuri Dolgoruky and ruler of Volyn region Andrei Vladimirovich. At stake is the Pereyaslavl land. And in 1141 Mstislavichi comes into conflict with Chernigov's Olgovichi, who have high chances to sit down for Kiev and Novgorod's thrones. The Ol'govichi immediately go to conquer Smolensk. A few months later, Rostislav and his brother Izyaslav were sent to reign in Novgorod their brother, and then moved to Chernigov. But the main goal of Mstislavich is Kiev, for which Yury Dolgoruky is fiercely fighting . Ten years this opposition lasted. Rostislav and Izyaslav managed to subordinate Suzdal and Yaroslavl lands. Everywhere they criticize and question the justice of the policy of Yuri Dolgoruky. But in 1155 he managed to seize the throne in Kiev.

However, the relationship between the son of Mstislav the Great and Yuri Dolgoruky is exacerbated to the limit. The Kiev prince bribes the Polovtsian princes and asks them to organize a march to the principality of Smolensk. As a result, he managed to carry out his plans.

But Rostislav has an unshakable authority in the southern lands, and Yuri Dolgoruky knows about it, so the nephew and uncle decide to compromise.

Throne in Kiev

After some time Rostislav Mstislavich on an equal footing with his brother and uncle actually becomes the ruler of Kiev. Prince Smolensky makes his vassalage Ryazan land. But then Izyaslav's brother died. And in 1157, Izyaslav Davydovich Chernigov became the head of the main principality. Two years later, the Kievites officially offer Rostislav manage their principality on a one-on-one basis. He agrees.

In order to observe the customs, the prince sends two ambassadors to Kiev: Smolensk Ivan Ruchechnik and Novgorod Yakun. They had to find out on what conditions Rostislav was allowed to rule the main principality.

Years of government in Kiev

Having taken the throne, Rostislav Mstislavich made every effort to make Rus a developed and prosperous state. He tried to stop internecine wars, adhering to the policy of consolidating the Russian lands. Being at the helm of power in Kiev, the son of Mstislav the Great devotes much time to spiritual development. He contacts with the bishops, regularly invites the hegumen of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra Polycarp to dinner, and even orders to prepare for himself a separate cell in the monastery, where he could be alone. That's why Prince Rostislav Mstislavich was called devout. Adhering to a verified and peace-loving policy, the ruler of Rus' won the trust and authority of a huge number of sovereigns of specific lands. Indeed, many could learn from Mstislav the Great's son how to make their region prosperous. Everyone understood that on the throne of Kiev the one who deserves him is sitting. Rostislav Mstislavich tried in every possible way to avoid conflicts and wars. The foreign policy of the Russian ruler was also peaceful. Even with the eternal enemies Polovtsy, he tried not to aggravate relations. But with some specific Polovtsian princes, he sometimes had to engage in skirmishes. Also, the prince organized military campaigns against Lithuania, and very successfully.

Novgorod

At the final stage of Rostislav Mstislavich's reign, his offspring begins to be squeezed out of Novgorod by the local authorities. There comes a time when Svyatoslav (the son of Rostislav Mstislavich) can no longer rule in an independent principality. Then the Kiev prince personally goes to Novgorod to reconcile the townspeople with his son. Passing through Smolensk, he saw how pleased his ruler his subjects and welcomed them.

But after arriving at Toropets, Rostislav Mstislavich (Prince of Kiev) complained and ordered the messenger to go to Novgorod for his son to come with representatives of the Novgorod nobility to meet him at Velikie Luki. In the end, he managed to reconcile Svyatoslav with the townspeople, after which he went to his native Smolensk, to stay a little with his sister Rogneda. Despite the illness, the prince soon hastened to go to Kiev, referring to state affairs. But he could not get to the "mother of Russian cities". The health of Rostislav Mstislavovich seriously deteriorated, and in the spring of 1167 his hour struck the territory of the settlement of Zaruba (Smolensk). He managed to confess before his death and complained to the priest Semyon that he had not been allowed to perform the ceremony of tonsure earlier. The prince's body was taken to Kiev and buried in Feodorovsky Monastery, as he punished. The power in the main principality was to pass to his son Roman, who reigned in Belgorod. But after Rostislav Mstislavich (Smolensky) died, between his sons and Suzdal princes, headed by Andrei Bogolyubsky, an acute struggle for the throne will unfold.

A family

Details of the family life of the Kiev and Smolensk ruler are almost unknown. Until now, the question of who Rostislav Mstislavich (the prince of Smolensk) was married to remains a mystery, and whether he had other marriages. Mention of his sons appear for the first time in the sources of 40-50 years of the XII century. It is known that in 1149 Rostislav Mstislavich blessed the marriage of his son Roman, who took as his wife the daughter of Svyatoslav Olgovich, who ruled the northern lands. In 1154 the prince of Kiev and Smolensk gives his sons David and Roman Novgorod inheritance. Who is older and who is younger is an open question. According to the chronicles, David was born in 1140.

One of the sons died in 1170, but it is not known who exactly. The smaller son of Rostislav Mstislavich, Mstislav the Brave, was born in the mid-1940s, and in the mid-sixties he took as his wife the daughter of Gleb Rostislavich, who reigned in Ryazan. Mstislav the Brave inherited the best qualities of his grandfather. The younger son of Rostislav Mstislavich is baptized under the name of Fedor.

It is known that the Prince of Kiev and Smolensk had five sons and two daughters. Sources report only one daughter, Elena. In 1163, she became the wife of Prince Krakow Leszek Bely, and after he died in 1194, Elena became a full-fledged ruler in the Polish city. The daughter of Rostislav Mstislavich died in 1198.

Conclusion

The years of the reign of the prince of Kiev and Smolensk became significant in the history of Ancient Rus. It was he who made the rulers of the principalities cease to be hostile to each other. Rostislav Mstislavich is a representative of the ruling dynasty, who in the first place put not personal, but state interests, unlike many of his relatives. He was able to raise the authority of the authorities even higher in the eyes of the common people.