Why Yaroslav the Wise was called wise? The history of the nickname

The name of the son of the great Kiev prince Vladimir the Saint, Yaroslav, is widely known not only to historians, but also to ordinary inhabitants. For his more than thirty years of government, he committed many serious actions for the state, for which Yaroslav was nicknamed wise.

Early life

The future Grand Duke was born in the family of Vladimir Svyatoslavovich. He was the second son by seniority, since the childhood showed serious abilities in study, however early began to participate in a political life of the country. The powerful father tried to ensure that his sons from the earliest time realized the need to think on a national scale, and, in addition, demanded unquestioning obedience to oneself. In the beginning, the young Yaroslav was appointed prince to Rostov, where he stayed until the death of his brother Vysheslav, after which he was appointed prince viceroy of the second most important city in Russia - Novgorod. The prince had a rather difficult character, as his subordinates and his squad repeatedly spoke out, nevertheless he tried to resolve all conflict situations through negotiations, and only in extreme cases went to an open break. Perhaps this is why Yaroslav the Wise was called wise.

The beginning of the struggle for the throne

Being a Novgorod prince, he was not without reason considered heir to the throne of Kiev. However, Vladimir, who was known among the contemporaries as a "disbanded female love", became very devout at the end of his life, and more than all his children he loved offspring from Byzantine princess Anna, Boris and Gleb. The first of them, perhaps, the prince wanted to transfer his throne. But Vladimir did not consider that other brothers also claimed the title of the supreme ruler of the country, and one of them was the Novgorod prince Yaroslav. In 1014 a conflict erupted between father and son. Vladimir even intended to go to war with his rebellious son, but at the height of the campaign, the baptizer of Rus died. Immediately after that, large parts began to chip away from the state - this was always the case when the central government was weakening. The situation was further aggravated by the fact that Vladimir's adopted son Svyatopolk seized power in the state.

The way to power

The stepson did not want to lose power from his hands and decided to crack down on his competitors. The first to hit a cousin were two brother-favorite Vladimir - Gleb and Boris. Both did not want to fight for the throne, for which the squad left them. In 1015 near Kiev, Prince Boris was killed, and soon the same fate befell Murom Prince Hleb, on the orders of Svyatopolk, his own cook was stabbed. He also killed another son of Vladimir I, Svyatoslav, whom the conspirators sent by the prince killed. And here in the open struggle comes the Novgorod prince Yaroslav. Even at the time of preparing the response to the threats of his father, he asked for help from the Varangians, through which he organized his army. Svyatopolk, in turn, attracted the help of nomadic Pechenegs, who repeatedly made devastating raids on Russia, and thereby even more turned against them the people. In this struggle, Yaroslav acted as the personification of centripetal forces, which is why Yaroslav the Wise was called wise.

Yaroslav the head of state

Two warring parties met in 1016 near the city of Lyubech. In the battle that began Sviatopolk's army was completely defeated, and he himself ran for help to his father-in-law, the Polish king. Together with the troops he provided, he returned to Russia. At the same time, the Poles behaved like invaders, which provoked violent discontent of the population. The struggle continued. Using popular sentiments, Yaroslav again defeated his cousin. However, it was not immediately possible to restore the former unified state right away. Mstislav did not want to obey the authority of Kiev, and a big battle took place between brothers in 1024. In it, the prince of Kiev was defeated, but he did not again fight with his brother, but only concluded a treaty with him, according to which the brothers shared their possessions, but at the same time reflected the attacks of enemies and helped each other in different situations. That is why contemporaries called Yaroslav wise. After the death of Mstislav, all of his lands were annexed to Kiev.

Yaroslav the legislator

Becoming the sole ruler of Russia, Yaroslav directed all efforts to strengthen it. One of the most important actions of the new ruler was the establishment of order in the state. To do this, it was necessary to create a legal system, for which he took with extraordinary energy, Yaroslav Vladimirovich. Already at the initial stage of his reign, he introduced a code of laws, known as the "Russian Truth". This legal monument of ancient Russia became the first written collection of laws of the country. Norms regulated, first of all, public order, protected property. In addition, the blood feud was banned . It caused considerable damage to the country, now it was only allowed by close relatives or was replaced by a fine. That's why Yaroslav the Wise was called wise.

What else was the prince famous for?

The name of Yaroslav the Wise is known for the fact that he became related to many ruling European dynasties. His daughters became the wives of the kings of France, Norway, Hungary, Denmark, sons married princesses from Byzantium, Germany, Poland. This greatly strengthened the position of his dynasty and the state. Already before his death, he bequeathed that the Grand Duke in Russia should become the elder in the family. This ancient family tradition will later become one of the causes of destructive internecine strife. In the meantime, the prince enjoyed the people's glory, in fact, that's why Yaroslav the Wise was called wise.