The Old Russian Principality of Tmutarakan: description, history and territory

The ancient Russian principality of Tmutarakan is one of the most mysterious and poorly studied formations, a corner that has become home to the Eastern Slavs. It existed on the Taman Peninsula.

General information

Tmutarakan princedom existed throughout the X-XI centuries. It was several hundred kilometers from the main territory of Kievan Rus. These lands were separated by the Black Sea steppes inhabited by nomads.

The capital of the principality was the city of Tmutarakan. There is no exact information on the date of his accession to the Kiev power. Perhaps the fortress was conquered by Svyatoslav Igorevich during his eastern campaigns against the Khazars. Then he destroyed the enemy capital of Sarkel on the banks of the Don and, probably, visited the Taman Peninsula.

The merchant port attracted numerous merchants from many different countries. Because of this, the principality of Tmutarakan was the most multinational among the Russian provinces. Here lived the Khazars, Greeks, Jews, as well as numerous people from the Caucasus: Ossetians, Alans, etc.

Accession to Kiev

Due to a successful geographical position the port became a link between Rus and Byzantium. Grand Duke Vladimir Svyatoslavich sent his son Mstislav the Brave to this region, who ruled here in 990-1036. It is possible that it was the Baptist of Rus that added Tmutarakan to his state. The fact is that during the war with Byzantium he went with an army to the Crimea, which was separated from the port by a small strait. Until then Tmutarakan belonged to Byzantium. Constantinople emperors during crises could not control the far corners of their power on the North Black Sea coast. When Rus was baptized, Vladimir could get Tmutarakan as her protector from the threat of the steppe people.

Mstislav Vladimirovich

His son Mstislav regularly waged wars with his neighbors. So, in 1022 he organized a campaign against the mountain Alan. In the war Mstislav was an ally of Byzantium, which also fought in this region against the Georgian kingdom. This conflict became famous due to the fact that in folklore there remained the memory of the duel duel of the Russian commander and Rededi. It was the prince of the local tribe of Kasogs. According to local customs, conflicts between troops could be settled after a duel between their leaders. Thus, the winner in single combat between Rededey and Mstislav could get everything that his opponent owned. The Russian prince managed to defeat the kasoga. Mstislav explained this outcome by the fact that the Mother of God interceded for him.

After the victory, the Tmutarakan ruler took his wife and children Rededi. In addition, he imposed a tribute to all kasogs. The duel was featured in several ancient chronicles and was mentioned in The Lay of Igor's Host, which made it widely known. The famous artist Nikolai Roerich captured this story on canvas in 1943, during the Great Patriotic War, conveying in it the extreme tension of the battle and predicting victory over the hated enemy.

War with Kiev

Mstislav's ambitions did not stop at the distant Tmutarakan princedom. He wanted to get Kiev. A few years after the death of his father Vladimir Svyatoslavich, Mstislav declared war on his brother Yaroslav the Wise. He failed to get Kiev, but he took over Chernigov, which made his residence. Nevertheless, Mstislav did not forget about Tmutarakan. He organized several more hikes in the mountains. In 1029 he fought with yasas. A few years later the Russian fleet found itself in the Caspian Sea, and the Slavic army even went to Transcaucasia, to the ancient region of Arran. At this time Tmutarakan supported Alan. The city has become home to a wide variety of adventurers and mercenaries from around the world.

Mstislav the Brave was a zealous Christian. After the victory over Rededey, he laid the first stone church in Tmutarakan. After the desolation of the city, it collapsed - its ruins were discovered by modern archaeologists. After the death of Mstislav at the hunt in 1036, the principality of Tmutarakan again moved to the Kiev princes.

Princes of the Outcast

Following Mstislav Vladimirovich, the distant land was ruled by rogue princes, who were sent here either on an early age or because of a disgusting nature. So, in 1064 the grandson of Yaroslav the Wise rules here - Gleb Svyatoslavich, who was expelled by his cousin Rostislav Vladimirovich. Remoteness from Kiev made Tmutarakan a convenient arena for endless internecine wars. Often princes were established here thanks to mercenaries from the Polovtsian nomads. Therefore it is not surprising that few governors agreed to rule in such a remote region as the Tmutarakan principality. Highlanders and steppe inhabitants were a constant threat to local residents.

In the years 1069-1079. In the city of Bat Gleb rules - Roman. He was killed by the Polovtsi during the next war. Then the last reliable Tmutarakan prince Oleg Svyatoslavich appeared here. He could become the ruler of Chernigov, but because of the spoiled relations with the throne of Kiev he had to flee to the edge of the earth. He was next to Roman during his last unsuccessful campaign. If Roman was killed, then Oleg was taken prisoner and was extradited to Byzantines for ransom. At this time the Constantinopolitan emperor was an ally of the Kiev prince - Svyatoslavich's enemy. Therefore, for several years, Oleg was in exile on the island of Rhodes. At this time in Tmutarakan princely leapfrog reigned. Here, the descendants of Yaroslav the Wise, the outcast princes David Igorevich and Volodar Rostislavich, were fixed for a short time. The territory of the Tmutarakan princedom was terrorized by Polovtsian hordes. The Greeks considered these lands their own, and local Russian princes they regarded as short-term allies and vassals.

Oleg Svyatoslavich

Because of the robbery of the Polovtsians, the new emperor Alexei Komnin decided in 1081 to remove Opal from Oleg. By this time, the Chernigov exile had managed to marry a Greek woman and become related to the famous Constantinople aristocratic families. In 1083, thanks to the support of the emperor, he managed to recapture the ancient Tmutarakan principality. Oleg received the title of archon (that is, the imperial governor). This state of affairs persisted for ten years, when the province enjoyed peace and profitable trade.

However, in 1094 Oleg decided to return to his homeland. He assembled an army consisting of Polovtsians, and went to conquer Chernigov, who once ruled his father. This is how the war between Oleg and Vladimir Monomakh began. Due to the fact that the Tmutarakan outlaw brought the hordes of nomads to Russia and started a merciless war, he received the nickname of Gorislavich. In 1097, Oleg finally received Novgorod-Seversky. Until his death, he no longer returned to distant Tmutarakan.

The End of Tmutarakan

The last time the principality of Tmutarakan was mentioned in the Russian annals in 1094. After that, the edge turned out to be isolated from its metropolis. The Russian population gradually disappeared from here. In the XII century, power on the Taman Peninsula passed to Byzantium. After in 1204 the western crusaders seized Constantinople in the Black Sea colony, the final chaos reigned and the last signs of statehood left these lands. Here the hegemony of the steppe people began. But even so, in the late Middle Ages, commercial colonies of Genoa appeared on the Taman coasts, the merchants of which supplied exotic oriental goods from the Crimea and the Kuban to Western Europe.

Studying the history of the Principality

The ancient Tmutarakan principality and its features still attract the attention of many specialists: historians, archaeologists and archivists. At the site of the Russian colonies excavations are being conducted today, which help to reveal the veil of secrecy over the life of this state. Coins of the Tmutarakan princedom are of special interest. Each new ruler began to chase his own currency. The systematization of knowledge about medieval money, released in Tmutarakan, allows you to learn more about the then government and orders.

From a long-gone era we also have the ruins of Christian churches. One of the Soviet expeditions also discovered a necropolis. In addition, near the city was a Christian monastery.

The daily life of Tmutarakan

Tmutarakan was a fortress with defensive walls. Fragments of some of them also survived. The city was rebuilt several times. In the 10th century a new layout was established here, which corresponded to the parties of the world. The Tmutarakan princedom on the Kuban had lands yielding a plentiful harvest. In the capital next to each house there were own granaries or cellars for similar purposes.

The history of the Tmutarakan princedom is also studied in everyday life, discovered during archeological expeditions. Unlike other principalities of Kievan Rus, here in the abundance of used dishes of Byzantine production. This is indicated by a large number of found pottery (pitchers, amphorae, etc.). Therefore it is not surprising that some written artifacts found in Tmutarakan are written in Greek. Slavic finds in this fortress are mainly connected with the things of princes, squads, Orthodox ministers and monks. Tmutarakan is a valuable storehouse of rarities thanks to the brisk trade that was conducted in the local port. A convenient harbor attracted merchants from many different countries.