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"The Fifth Column" of Ancient Russia [History in betrayals and intrigues] Shambarov Valery Evgenievich

The first tangle Svyatopolk the Accursed

tangle first

Svyatopolk the Cursed

Betrayal has existed among people since ancient times. We can find examples in the Old Testament, in the mythology of different peoples, and in historical sources. People cheated on their kings, bosses, patrons, relatives. It also happened that they betrayed all their people. Sometimes for selfish reasons - let them conquer your fellow tribesmen, but personally you will warm your hands on this or find yourself in a privileged position. Although it happened that they cheated without any self-interest. Infected with a foreign culture, customs. They were considered more prestigious than their relatives, and for this they spread to foreigners.

In the VI century. BC e. in Scythia, even one of the kings, Skil, was carried away by foreign customs and fashions. He got into the habit of going to the Greek colony of Borisfenida. He stayed there for a long time and built himself a palace in the city. Hellenic culture completely captivated him, he dressed in Greek clothes, got a Greek wife. He openly declared that the way of life of the Hellenes was sweeter and more attractive for him than the traditions of his people. Skil also betrayed the beliefs of the Scythians, made sacrifices in the temples of Borisfenida, and participated in other people's religious rites. But once the Scythians learned that their king in the celebrations of Dionysus jumps and rages in the processions of the Bacchantes. The whole country revolted, Skil was overthrown and killed.

Subsequently, Roman and Byzantine diplomacy learned very well to look for suitable candidates among the Sarmatian, German, Slavic leaders, to win them over to their side - some with flattery, some with gifts, some with political benefits, promises of support. In such ways, conspiracies against the Hun king Attila were repeatedly organized. Emperor Mauritius in his manual on martial arts, the "Strategicon", frankly taught how to attract and work with the Slavic "kings", quarrel them among themselves.

However, it would probably be simply unrealistic to seek out and analyze all the betrayals in Russian history. We will start with the period of Kievan Rus. The period is quite "historical", quite fully illuminated by both Russian chronicles and foreign chronicles. And the first striking figure that comes to our attention is Prince Svyatopolk, nicknamed the Accursed. However, his abilities in terms of treason were hereditary. Such qualities were already shown by the father of the prince, Yaropolk.

In 969, the great warrior and sovereign of Russia Svyatoslav Igorevich went to the Balkans. In Kyiv, he left to reign the young son of Yaropolk, in the Drevlyansk land - Oleg, in Novgorod - the natural son of Vladimir. None of them was named heir. Svyatoslav left the great reign behind him, he only intended to transfer the capital to the Danube. But in the war with the Byzantines, he suffered heavy losses. Negotiations began. From the Russian side they were led by the governor Sveneld, from the Greek side - by the head of the foreign affairs department, Bishop Theophilus. An agreement was concluded, according to which the Russians pledged to leave for their homeland. But for this they kept access to the sea, took away innumerable trophies, the Greeks paid them subsidies, a disguised tribute. They also pledged to help the Pechenegs, the Byzantine allies, let Svyatoslav through the Dnieper.

Reality has become different. The same Bishop Theophilus went to the Pechenegs and actually informed them that there were few Russians left, they were carrying countless booty. The delighted Pechenegs did not hide the fact that they would definitely attack. The Greeks did not tell Svyatoslav about this. Well, the Russian sovereign sent Sveneld with an equestrian squad along the steppe route. He himself sailed in boats with foot warriors - they carried the wounded, the sick, huge wealth. We began to climb the Dnieper and found: hordes of steppes were waiting near the river rapids. The thinned detachments had no chance to break through. We returned to the mouth of the river.

We wintered on Beloberezhye - Kinburn Spit, in fishing dugouts. They starved, they were poor, they died. They were waiting for help from Kyiv, Sveneld was supposed to send it.

But the governor betrayed. Prince Yaropolk sat in Kyiv, he was 10-11 years old. Under the boy-prince, the boyars were accustomed to hosting, and Svyatopolk easily found a common language with them. By the way, we can recall that the main master of Byzantine intrigues, Bishop Theophilus, negotiated with Sveneld. And then he went to the Pechenegs ... Is it a coincidence? No, I do not believe in such accidents.

The voivode took Yaropolk under his influence. How, we do not know, but in fact the boy agreed to the coup. Russian soldiers lived in poverty on Beloberezhye, died from diseases, and there was no help. In the spring, exhausted and weakened, they decided to go for a breakthrough. They still hoped that now the Kievans would strike towards them, clear the way. No, there were no Kyivans. Sveneld and Yaropolk did not send them. And the Pechenegs cheated. They pretended to retreat from the rapids, otherwise Svyatoslav would not have gone by sea to other shores. But, when the Russians unloaded the boats and began to drag them around the rapids, the enemy army swooped in. In the last desperate felling, both the prince himself and all his faithful warriors laid down their heads.

Yaropolk turned out to be a usurper, and even a parricide. Sveneld and the Kyiv elite ruled on his behalf. The other sons of Svyatoslav were also still children. Oleg is 9-10 years old, Vladimir is even younger. But the boyars assigned to them did not recognize the Kyiv government. The coup was not approved by the majority of the people, in his memory Svyatoslav remained an epic hero, the winner of the Khazars and Greeks. As a result, Russia split. Western and northern lands took the side of Oleg. Brother Vladimir also submitted to him, that is, the Novgorodians, whose position was symbolized by Vladimir.

To hold on, Sveneld sought support among the enemies of Russia. He pushed Yaropolk to make an alliance with the Pechenegs. The prince made friends with the direct killers of his father! But what difference does it make if the help of the steppes may be needed against the Drevlyans, Novgorodians, against the brothers? An alliance with the Pechenegs could not have taken place without the blessing of Byzantium. But the emperor Tzimisces was completely satisfied with the new government in Kyiv. And Sveneld took measures for further rapprochement with Constantinople. When Yaropolk grew up, the temporary worker allegedly married him to a captive Greek nun. Although Svyatoslav and Sveneld, making peace, returned all the prisoners to the Byzantines. It can be safely assumed that the nun (in Russia she was called Preslava) was a spy. She was much older than her husband, she could regulate him. With her, other Greek spies appeared in the palace.

In 977, Sveneld and Yaropolk delivered a sudden blow to their rivals. Prince Oleg's brother was defeated and died. Vladimir and his uncle Dobrynya were forced to flee across the sea. But the position of the common people turned out to be decisive. When Sveneld died, Vladimir returned to his homeland. It turned out that they were waiting for him. Novgorodians, Krivichi, Chud, all immediately took his side. Then other tribes and cities began to pass to him. The campaign against Kyiv in 980 cost no fights at all. And Yaropolk was afraid even to stay in his own capital, he did not trust his subjects. He fled to the fortress Rodnya, was besieged.

Approximate Varyazhko advised Yaropolk: “Do not go, sovereign, to your brother, you will die. Leave Russia for a while and gather an army in the land of the Pechenegs. As you can see, the last faithful servant of the prince was a foreigner, and he even had nowhere to run, except to the Pechenegs, to bring nomads to Russia! But another adviser, Blud, persuaded the prince to surrender. He went to his brother, and the Varangian mercenaries, who were waiting in the hallway, pierced him with their swords.

Was he executed according to the law, as an accomplice in the coup, a parricide, a fratricide? Later, under Yaroslav the Wise, "Russian Truth" in the first article said: "Whoever kills a person, the relatives of the murdered person will avenge death by death." Vladimir fulfilled the law. And Yaropolk's wife Preslava was pregnant at that time, and the winner included her among his wives. It was not a perversion, not a manifestation of lust, but also according to the law. After all, the wife was not responsible for the crimes of her husband, and the sovereign acted as required by pagan Slavic law - a brother inherits his brother's widow. He did not live with the Greek woman as with his wife (she was 12–15 years older than Vladimir), but he accepted into the family, kept him on an equal footing with other wives, and recognized her son Svyatopolk as his. In Russia, such children were called "sons of two fathers."

Several years passed, and in 988 St. Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duke Vladimir Svyatoslavich established Christianity in Kyiv. At the same time, he married the Byzantine princess Anna. But he already had several pagan wives and children born from them. They needed to be removed, and the sovereign did the same as his father: he assigned inheritances to his sons. And he sent the mothers along with the children. At the same time, the eight-year-old Svyatopolk and Preslav got Turov, the land of the Dregovichi tribe.

It can be noted that the sovereign did not offend his adopted son at all. His inheritance was vast and fertile, covering the southern part of Belarus. The principality was much more comfortable than the wilderness of Suzdal or Rostov, in 1006 an independent diocese was established here. In addition to Turov, the cities of Pinsk and Brest fell into the possession of Svyatopolk. But next to Svyatopolk was his mother. She never had warm feelings for Vladimir. While living in Kyiv, I had to hold my tongue. And in Turov, the mother and her entourage processed Svyatopolk in full.

Well, Russian craftsmen built wonderful mansions - bright, cheerful, decorated them with intricate carvings. So was the Turov Palace. But he was filled with anger and hatred. Svyatopolka was drummed into how the usurper-uncle treacherously overthrew and killed his father. What a brilliant position he would have occupied under Yaropolk - the firstborn, the heir! Svyatopolk was over 30, but his mother tenaciously kept him under her influence, not even allowing him to marry. For the true heir to the throne of Kyiv, any boyar daughter looked like an unsuitable party ...

Poland was next door. King Boleslav the Brave, powerful and extremely warlike, ruled there. He conquered the Czech Republic, smashed the Germans, Lithuanians, Polabian Slavs - Lusatians and Luticians. Lutici and Czechs united with the German Emperor Henry II, fought back. Then Boleslav turned to St. Vladimir. He proposed an alliance against the Germans and wooed him to his daughter Predslava. No, the Russian sovereign refused. He did not want to enter into a completely unnecessary war, and he simply felt sorry for his daughter - Boleslav was already an old man. And according to his complexion, he was extremely fat, he even moved with difficulty. Servants helped him into the saddle.

But he was ready to fight with anyone, no difference! He was offended by the refusal. He immediately made peace with the same Germany with which he had just fought, and in 1013 climbed into Russia. However, the heroes at St. Vladimir were strong, the squads were soldered and well trained. The Poles were immediately heavily tampered with, and Bolesław soon realized that he, perhaps, got excited. Zayulil, offered to negotiate. St. Vladimir was not at all opposed to stopping the fight: he did not start it. We agreed with a neighbor to furnish the world more simply, in a kindred way, and the wedding nevertheless took place. But no longer the king and the young princess. Now Boleslav offered to marry his own daughter from his first marriage to Prince Svyatopolk of Turov. The contract was signed, the young people were married. As usual, they feasted, sang, danced.

Although Boleslav's courage was by no means combined with honesty and nobility. In fact, his move was a masterfully calculated diversion. He knew very well about Svyatopolk's moods, he lived nearby. A confessor was attached to the bride. And not simple, but the royal, Kołobrzeg Bishop Reinburn. When the celebrations died down and the guests departed, on behalf of Boleslav he laid out far-reaching proposals for Svyatopolk. Isn't it time for the prince to separate from his hated uncle? To pass under the arm of a kind father-in-law? Of course, together with the Principality of Turov. At the same time, change the faith, spread under the auspices of the pope. In general, the shot was aimed accurately. Hit the bull's-eye. Svyatopolk caught fire.

But after all, Vladimir Krasno Solnyshko was in power not for the first day. He would be a bad sovereign if he did not know that things are very, very wrong in Turov. He would be a bad sovereign if he did not look after Svyatopolk and his entourage through loyal people. He did not allow the conspiracy to ripen. As soon as it was discovered that the "son of two fathers" was inciting the boyars to change, Vladimir decided that his father's duties to the adoptive child had been exhausted. Vigilantes swooped in suddenly and arrested a warm company. Brought to Kyiv, the princess was arranged delicately, at court. And Svyatopolk and Reinburn were assigned to the place where traitors are supposed to be - to the dungeon. The bishop could not bear such a shock, he died in prison.

It seemed that calm in Russia had improved, but no ... Novgorod raised his voice. The city is rich, the region is vast, and he paid a considerable tax - 3,000 hryvnias of silver per year. A third went to the maintenance of the local prince and his squad, two-thirds went to Kyiv. Novgorod boyars have long grumbled, but is it necessary to pay? On whom does all Russia stand, if not on the people of Novgorod? Was it not Novgorod that called Rurik, marched on Kyiv under the banner of the Prophetic Oleg, elevated Vladimir himself to the throne of Kyiv? And where is the gratitude?

Ruled here by the son of the sovereign Yaroslav, later he will receive the nickname of the Wise. He was young, hot. He led the Novgorodians in the victorious war against the Swedes, married the Swedish princess Ingigerda. Local boyars incited the prince. The capital already bathes in luxury, surely they themselves would not have found where to put the money? Temples and palaces would be no worse than those in Kyiv! Yaroslav their arguments seemed reasonable. In 1014, he wrote to his father that he would not send tribute.

Vladimir got angry. He threatened the disobedient that he would bring him to order by force. But I found a scythe on a stone. Yaroslav regarded his father's anger as undeserved, in turn wound up. Yes, he would be ashamed to retreat - in front of the Novgorodians, in front of his young wife. Cut off: we will not pay and that's it. Obstinacy went off scale, and St. Vladimir ordered to gather an army. Did he intend to fight against his son? The facts show that it is not. He knew perfectly well that the porridge was brewed by the Novgorod boyars, who spared their wallets. He also knew something else: these boyars would not want war either. Indeed, during the siege, their homes and wealth could perish, their villages would be ruined.

They only tried to intimidate, to bargain for concessions. Fights with the Pechenegs taught the people of Kiev to instantly raise the shelves. The sovereign had the opportunity to speak immediately, along a convenient winter road. But the army gathered and pushed in Kyiv all winter and spring ... Vladimir gave Novgorod time to think again. The boyars realize that he will not give in, they will throw fishing rods for negotiations.

But the betrayal of Svyatopolk and the trick of Yaroslav made the Grand Duke think about something else ... He had many sons, from different mothers, different upbringing. But formally, Svyatopolk was listed as the eldest! Although in that era it was not necessarily the eldest son who became the heir. In Germany, the successor of kings and emperors was chosen by the congress of princes, and in Byzantium and Bulgaria, the monarchs themselves determined the successors. Often, Greek and German emperors crowned heirs during their lifetime, appointed them co-rulers, so that the transfer of power would take place without shocks.

Vladimir decided to do the same. He summoned his son from his Bulgarian wife, Boris, who ruled in distant Rostov. It was to him that the Grand Duke planned to leave the throne. Let him be there, enter the intricacies of Kyiv politics, get used to the state scale. And let the boyars, the army, and other sons get used to the fact that here he is, the future ruler. Boris arrived joyful, inspired. I missed my father, my relatives, the beautiful Kyiv churches. Even more so, Boris was not in the mood to fight Yaroslav, he treated him with respect. And in general, Boris's evangelical consciousness did not contain the possibility of crossing arms with his own brother. He is not an enemy of Russia, not a foreigner!

Predslava's daughter stood up for Yaroslav before her father. She was friends with her older brother, corresponded with him. You never know who does not happen - he got excited, the advisers beguiled. The Grand Duke pondered how best to eliminate the conflict. If the army moves out, the Novgorodians will back down anyway. Then Yaroslav himself will understand what their instigation is worth. Yes, and peace-loving Boris will help to convince his brother. It will be possible to make concessions to the Novgorodians, but not immediately. To wait for them to bow, to obey ... The sovereign did not have time to realize these plans.

The course of subsequent events shows that the conspiracy began to intertwine in Kyiv itself. Its basis was the metropolitan boyars. In the great and powerful state, gathered through the efforts of St. Vladimir, it also intensified, grew richer. Hereditary lands were supplemented with awards and new awards from the sovereign. But the strong centralized power, which the Grand Duke asserted, embarrassed and annoyed the aristocrats. Isn't it better to live like in the West? Like Polish lords or Hungarian barons? The boyars did not forget how their fathers, under the weak Yaropolk, ruled the whole country. Now his son is in jail...

Arrival of St. Boris and the talk that he would be proclaimed heir spurred the traitors. The Grand Duke was still not at all old, he was barely over fifty. His health was excellent, never once and nowhere was his illness mentioned, he was constantly on campaigns, on horseback. And in the spring of 1015 he suddenly fell ill. Was his illness due to natural causes? This can be doubted. Somehow it all happened too "on time".

The seditious needed to remove the assembled army from Kyiv, and a false report was received about the attack of the Pechenegs. It was not difficult to inspire him: among the conspirators was the chief governor of Vladimir, Wolf's Tail. The sovereign instructed the army of St. Boris - this is his first assignment in the role of the “right hand” of his father. We emphasize: the state of the Grand Duke at that moment did not cause any concern. Otherwise, would his son have left him? But as soon as the army left, the well-being of St. Vladimir's condition deteriorated sharply. On July 15, the Baptist of Russia gave up his soul to the Lord...

The conspirators played the first Kyiv "Maidan" in history. They brought out crowds of their own servants, took possession of the capital. Svyatopolk was released from prison and placed on the throne. No one bothered with legality, the matter was decided by fists, knives and tinned throats. From the people of Kiev, the will of St. Vladimir was hidden, and even the fact of his death was hidden from the rest of the country. Svyatopolk first of all began to distribute the treasury accumulated by his adoptive father, paid off his supporters, and recruited new ones. St. Boris wandered aimlessly through the steppes and returned back. He suddenly learned about the coup, the traitorous governors took the regiments away from him, and Svyatopolk the Accursed sent assassins. He decided to get rid of all his stepbrothers. Another detachment overtook and finished off Svyatoslav Drevlyansky, who was trying to hide abroad. St. Gleb was lured out of Murom. They reported not about the death, but about the illness of the father. When he rushed to Kyiv, the killers were waiting on the road.

But Yaroslav the Wise sister Predslava managed to send a letter about what happened in the capital. And the outcome of the confrontation was once again decided not by the boyars, not to know. Decided the position of the Russian common people. It did not yet know about all the details of the atrocities, but it felt with its soul which side the truth was on. Novgorodians at that time just quarreled with Yaroslav, rebelled against him. However, they heard about the coup and decided to discard the old scores. Collected money, armed. But Svyatopolk the Accursed was still an intelligent person. He was aware that the people were not on his side. He did not even try to attack Novgorod. For defense, he made an alliance with the eternal enemies of Russia, with the Pechenegs. St. Vladimir fought with them for a quarter of a century, and did not manage to make peace. But the usurper had no difficulty. Come, dear friends!

Both sides came together in the late autumn of 1016 on the Dnieper near Lyubech. The cold river separated the opponents. There were much more Kyivans, and besides, they had professional soldiers - squads of the capital's boyars, Pechenegs. Yaroslav brought armed commoners. They were mocked at, the commander Wolf's Tail rode along the shore and yelled: "Hey, you carpenters, why did you come here with your lame prince?" But many Kyiv warriors sympathized with Yaroslav, sent them and suggested where it was better to hit. And Svyatopolk tried to arouse the sympathy of the soldiers for himself, to warm up the fighting ardor by other means. He gave them a good drink every evening.

Novgorodians decided: anyone who is afraid to be considered a traitor and killed. They crossed at night and pushed the boats away, cutting off their own retreat. They tied their heads with handkerchiefs in order to distinguish their own in the darkness, and fell upon the drunken camp. Axes and swords flashed. The rout was complete ... Svyatopolk fled to Poland in a panic, left his wife in Kyiv. And the capital, having lost such a prince, did not even think of resisting. Yaroslav entered Kyiv. He organized the search and burial of the relics of the holy martyrs Boris and Gleb.

Although the fight is by no means over. Svyatopolk galloped up to Boleslav the Brave, asking for help. Paid generously. He waved the treaty that gave Poland Chervonnaya Rus. That is, the Carpathians. There were salt deposits. In the Middle Ages, the product was very expensive; without salt, it was impossible to prepare meat, lard, and fish for future use. Therefore, the Carpathian region was very interested in both the king and his financiers, the Polish Jews. True, at first Boleslav could not help his son-in-law. He was busy with another war with the German emperor. And he assessed the situation, sent an embassy to Yaroslav the Wise, concluded an alliance with him. But they did not manage to realize it and failed. The Poles fell on the Germans, smashed them to smithereens. The emperor accepted all the conditions that were dictated to him. Not only gave away several regions, but also renounced friendship with the Russians. On the contrary, he singled out a detachment of German knights for a campaign against Kyiv.

In addition to the Germans, Boleslav called the Hungarians, and Svyatopolk invited the Pechenegs. In 1018, a huge army surged to the east. Supporters of the runaway prince also acted in Kyiv. Someone arranged an arson, and targeted, fortifications. The strongest fire destroyed part of the walls and towers. And for Yaroslav, such a massive invasion was unexpected. He hastily gathered warriors, met the enemy on the banks of the Bug. But Boleslav was an experienced warrior, he cheated. He set up camp and began to build a bridge. Yaroslav considered that while everything was going well, he was gaining time, detachments from distant cities would have time to catch up to him. And the Russian knights saw: until the construction is completed, you can relax. But the river became shallow in the summer heat, the king ordered to covertly measure the depth. Having chosen the right moment, he rushed to the ford.

Our soldiers did not even have time to prepare. An avalanche of enemies scattered them. Yaroslav was saved by the warriors who covered him and the speed of the horse. But he did not have to count on the loyalty of the capital's boyars, he rushed to the north. I got to Novgorod with only four companions. He was defeated not only physically, but also mentally. Did he have any hope of defeating the combined forces of Svyatopolk, the Poles, and the Pechenegs? It seemed that the only thing left to do was to emigrate. He ordered to prepare the boats, to sail to his wife's relatives, the Swedes. But the Novgorodians reared up. They defiantly chopped up the rooks and announced: “We want and we can still oppose Boleslav. You have no treasury - take everything we have. They introduced an additional tax, equipped warriors.

And Southern Russia found itself in the power of the victors. Cities, seeing countless hordes and not hoping for help, surrendered. Only one resisted, he was taken by storm, Boleslav sold all the inhabitants, young and old, into slavery. In Kyiv, the burnt walls have not yet been restored, but the boyars have changed. They convinced the population that the "liberators" had come. On August 14, the city elite solemnly met Boleslav and Svyatopolk, swore an oath to the fratricide. The repressions began. Opponents of Svyatopolk and those who advanced under Yaroslav were seized, executed, turned into captivity. The sisters of Yaroslav, Predslava and Dobrognev also ended up in the hands of the invaders. The story was revealed how Predslava helped her brother, and Boleslav came up with a special punishment for her. Made him his concubine. Recently St. Vladimir refused to marry the king, now the princess was forced to lay under the royal carcass.

But... Svyatopolk and his supporters didn't get what they wanted at all. Because Boleslav really liked the rich and beautiful Russian capital. Much better than Polish towns and damp, torch-smoked castles. Did it make sense to be content with the Carpathians? Much more was at his disposal. In words, the king recognized his son-in-law as a “legitimate” prince, but in reality he ceased to reckon with him. He didn't want to leave now. He simply occupied Kyiv and the surrounding cities, unleashing an outright robbery. He cleaned the treasury, temples.

Ordinary Poles behaved similarly. They were the winners! Chests being broken open and storeroom doors creaked in the yards, pigs being slaughtered squealed, cows mooed, hens clucked. Girls and young people were raped. You can't go against the sword! But they intimidated with swords during the day, and at night the Poles fell asleep, and the Russians took up knives. Dead bodies were found on the streets. Who, how? And nobody knows. From night to night, more and more people were killed. The Poles were very cordially received by Kyiv Jews, who bought their loot and Russian slaves. But the Jews also found an attack, their houses began to be set on fire.

And Svyatopolk was generally hot on both sides. On the one hand, the king, who seized power from him. On the other hand, the growing Russian fury. It seemed to the prince that he had thought of a way out. He whispered to those close to him, let them spread rumors that he himself was fighting against the Poles. But his close associates were a match for the master, they immediately laid Boleslav. He was indignant at such black ingratitude. But the Polish army was melting away, and the king considered it best to say goodbye to Kyiv after all.

A huge convoy crawled out of the city. They took away such riches that they had never seen in Poland. Boleslav led away the prisoners, took with him two princesses: the young Dobrogneva, the youngest of the daughters of St. Vladimir, and the trampled Predslava. But even the capital's traitors realized that Svyatopolk's affairs were completely rotten. Some hoped to get out before Yaroslav. And those whose snout was completely dirty joined the king, left with their families, carts of junk forever. From Russia, the Poles cut off those areas that they hoped to keep - the Carpathians and Volhynia. Boleslav marked the border along the Bug, placing garrisons to the west of this river.

As for Svyatopolk the Accursed, now he was completely without support. The people of Kiev did not believe his attempts to cling to the guerrilla war. They cursed the prince who dragged the enemy horde on their heads. When Yaroslav marched south with the Novgorodians, no one wanted to fight for Svyatopolk. He abandoned Kyiv and disappeared. Yaroslav entered the city without a fight, and was greeted with sincere joy.

Although his opponent still did not calm down. He again drove the horses to the enemies of Russia - this time to the Pechenegs. He no longer had any money or valuables, but he could pay with his subjects! The steppes will have the right to recruit as many Russian slaves as they like! Svyatopolk campaigned well, all the hordes went on a campaign. News of the threatening movement in the steppe reached the border fortresses and reached Kyiv. Yaroslav managed to gather a large army, stood on the river. Alte. At the same place where the killers overtook St. Boris.

The steppe turned black from the spilled cavalry. The chroniclers noted that the masses of enemies advanced like a continuous dense forest, the Russians had never seen such a number of Pechenegs. But Novgorodians, Kievans, Belgorods, Pereyaslavtsy, Chernigovtsy, Smolyans stood shoulder to shoulder against them. Now they stood not for a fight for power, but covered Russia with themselves. And Yaroslav recalled that it was from this place that the chain of meanness and atrocities began. He called out: "The blood of my innocent brother cries out to the Almighty."

The Ratis collided so that the earth trembled. Arrows eclipsed the sun like clouds and fell like rain of steel. Spears and bones crunched, opponents were cut with swords, seized in deadly embraces and strangled each other. Three times the battle fizzled out on its own. Exhausted opponents dispersed or fell exhausted. But, taking a breath, sipping water heated in the sun, they seized again. Only in the evening the Pechenegs trembled, began to back away - and broke, rolled away ...

Svyatopolk with several servants slipped away to the west. From the transferred stresses he was paralyzed, he could not sit on a horse. He was brought to Brest, the city of his former principality. But the prince was no longer himself. He fancied that he was being chased, that he was being overtaken. He looked around in horror, forbade to stop, ordered to go further. But where? It was no longer possible to visit Boleslav, the father-in-law was distinguished by rancor. And anyway, who needed him, the loser and good-for-nothing princeling anymore? We moved towards the Czech Republic by deaf forest roads. Somewhere along the way, Svyatopolk the Accursed died.

Yaroslav the Wise managed to rescue his sister Dobrogneva. Exchanged for the widow of Svyatopolk, daughter of the Polish king. The fate of Predslava is unknown. Either she disappeared in a foreign land, or she returned with Dobrogneva, but she renounced the world and retired to a monastery.