Weakness on both sides is, as you know, a feature of all quarrels.

F. Voltaire

If we try to describe in a few words the state in which Russia was at the time when Prince Vsevolod ruled it, then it can be characterized as one big internecine war. In the annals, a description of the Kyiv prince was preserved, according to which he was characterized as a noble man, but weak in character.

Beginning of the reign

In the first year of his reign, in 1077, Prince Vsevolod solved the problems of dividing power between himself, his children and the children of Izyaslav. Vseslav ruled in Kyiv. The eldest son of Izyaslav, Svyatopolk, was sent to reign in Novgorod. Another sun of Izyaslav Yaroslavich, Yaropolk, was left the city of Vladimir-Volynsky to rule. Prince Vsevolod gave Chernigov to his own son, Vladimir Monomakh.

The first to speak out against Vsevolod was Prince Roman Svyatoslavich of Tmutarakansky, who declared his rights to the throne. Roman, together with his brother Oleg, gathered a large army, which consisted not only of Slavs, but also of hired Polovtsy, and moved to Kyiv. As a result, the Grand Duke entered into secret negotiations with the Polovtsy, as a result of which a peace treaty was signed. Polovtsian mercenaries captured Roman and Oleg and moved north with them. During the campaign, Roman was killed. Oleg was taken to the island of Rhodes. The chroniclers say that Oleg stayed there for two whole years and only then was able to return to Tmutarakan and regain the throne.

Deterioration of the situation in the country

The reign of a new internecine war, which the Rostislavichs began, continued. In 1084, they took advantage of the fact that the ruler was not in the city, and the Easter holiday was celebrated in the city itself, they gathered an army and captured Vladimir-Volynsky. Prince Vsevolod was furious when he learned about this. He ordered his son Vladimir to gather an army and return the city to its rightful owner by force. The prince of Chernigov fulfilled his father's will: he captured the city and severely punished the invaders.

Yaropolk himself unleashed the next war. Under the influence of his advisers, he went to war against Vsevolod, who again ordered his son Vladimir to gather an army and go to the rebel. Having met with the army of Vladimir Monomakh, Yaropolk did not dare to join the battle with him, got scared and fled, leaving his squad. According to the chroniclers, Yaropolk went to Poland in order to ask the Polish king for help there. This plan failed. Respecting the rule of the Kyiv prince, the Polish king refused Yaropolk, and did not give the army. So Prince Vladimir Volynsk was forced to return to Kievan Rus in 1087 and ask for forgiveness from his uncle. Prince Vsevolod believed his nephew and returned the city of Vladimir-Volynsky to his reign. Yaropolk's reign was not long. Just a few days after the prince returned to the city, he was killed by his own servant. The chroniclers do not disclose the reasons for this murder.

On this internecine wars ceased, but a new misfortune befell Russia. The terrible heat led to the fact that fires blazed all over the country. Fields burned. A terrible famine began. In the winter of 1092, in Kyiv alone, more than 7,000 people died from hunger and disease in three winter months. The situation was aggravated by the constant raids of the Polovtsy, who plundered and burned Russian villages.

Prince Vsevolod weakened in body from the troubles that fell on the country. In 1093, anticipating his imminent death, he summoned his eldest son Vladimir Monomakh from Chernigov, in whose arms he died.

holy faithful, days of remembrance 24(11)February, May 5(April 22) December 10(November 27).

(1092? - 1138)

Vsevolod Mstislavich, baptized Gabriel, was the eldest grandson of Vladimir Monomakh and the son of Grand Duke Mstislav and Christina Ingesdotter, daughter of the Swedish king Inge I the Elder, and was born in his father's estate in Novgorod the Great.

Almost all of his life was spent in Novgorod, where his father reigned. Here he spent his childhood and ruled for twenty years.

When in 1117 Grand Duke Vladimir Monomakh gave Belgorod of Kyiv as inheritance to Mstislav, bringing him closer to the Kyiv throne, young Vsevolod remained his father's viceroy in the Novgorod principality.

The young prince ruled wisely and prudently.

He developed a charter for a community of merchants selling wax and honey called "Ivanovskoe Sto". Creating a merchant brotherhood or the first Novgorod guild, he gave them the use of the Church of John the Baptist and the rules - charter. In this letter, for the first time, a measure of weight is mentioned - a pood.

The very church of John the Baptist with side churches was equipped by him with all diligence. The cathedral is decorated with expensive icons, the Gospel, liturgical books. By a special decree, Vsevolod provided for the maintenance of the temple and the clergy, partly from duties on all items of trade, of which a certain amount went to the maintenance of St. Sophia Cathedral.

Zealot of the faith, Vsevolod built churches and temples, was a generous donor, revered the clergy and monks "as brothers of God." He is credited with the authorship of the Novgorod church charter.

Some letters issued by Vsevolod-Gabriel streamlined the issues of inheritance of property, for example, the property of a free person (smerda) by his decree was inherited by children in equal shares, regardless of gender. Previously, women could not be heirs and property went to the prince.

When in 1127 there was a severe famine in Novgorod, Prince Vsevolod opened his barns to support the starving.

There were during the period of his Novgorod viceroy and the war, although the Life of the Blessed Prince emphasizes that "... victoriously went to the pit (in 1123) and to the Chud, but never took up the sword for the sake of self-interest and power."

In 1132, after the death of Vsevolod's father, Prince Mstislav, his uncle, Prince Yaropolk Vladimirovich of Kyiv, transferred Vsevolod to Pereyaslav Yuzhny, which was considered the oldest city after Kyiv. The younger sons of Monomakh came out against their nephew, and not wanting civil strife, the holy prince returned to Novgorod.

They met him unkindly. Novgorodians condemned his attempt to change Novgorod to Pereyaslav. In 1133, the prince undertook a new victorious campaign against the Chud and annexed Yuryev to the Novgorod possessions. But after the hard winter campaign of 1135 - 1136 to Suzdal ended in failure, the Novgorodians decided to change the prince.

In 1136, the veche, which also included Ladoga and Pskov, decided to call on the prince from the Olgovich family, and expel Prince Vsevolod. For a month and a half, the prince and his family were kept in custody at the bishop's court, and when Prince Svyatoslav Olgovich arrived, "wasteland from the city."

Vsevolod went to Kyiv, where he received the Vyshgorod volost near Kyiv as an inheritance. Literally after him, the people of Pskov sent elected officials with a zealous petition so that he would go to reign with them: at that time there was no prince in the city. Vsevolod agreed and moved to reign in Pskov.

Thus, in 1137 Vsevolod became the first prince elected by the will of the Pskovites themselves. He had sons Ivan, Mstislav and Vladimir, and a daughter, Verkhuslav, married to one of the Polish princes.

Vsevolod-Gavriil ruled Pskov for a little over a year and left a good memory in the hearts of its inhabitants. His main business was the construction on the site of a wooden one, from the time of Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga, the first stone church in the name of the Holy Trinity.

On February 11, 1138, he died at the age of 46. The whole of Pskov gathered for the burial of the beloved prince, church singing was not heard from the people's weeping.

Life tells that “The Novgorodians, having come to their senses, sent the archpriest from St. Sophia Cathedral to take his holy body to Novgorod, but the prince turned away from Novgorod and the shrine did not move. Novgorodians wept bitterly, repenting of their ingratitude, and begged to grant them at least a small particle of holy dust "for the approval of the city." Through their prayers, the nail fell off the saint’s hand.”

The body of Prince Vsevolod was laid by the Pskovians in the Church of the Holy Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica, located in the Dovmontov city. The prince's sword and shield were laid on the coffin, and from that moment on, Vsevolod-Gabriel was revered by the Pskovites as a saint. A tradition appeared: on the icons the holy prince is depicted with a cathedral in his hand.

Open and solemn veneration of the prince began 55 years after his death: in 1193 he was canonized by the Novgorod diocese.

The legend says that in 1192 he appeared to a God-lover and said to him: “Announce that my body be transferred to the temple of the Holy Trinity. I want to lay there. The Lord Jesus Christ handed over the city of Pskov to me so that I would keep it.”

On November 27, 1192, the relics of the Holy Prince Vsevolod were found incorrupt and transferred to the Trinity Cathedral, in which a chapel was consecrated in honor of him. Since then, miracles have begun at his tomb.

On April 22, 1834, on the first day of Easter, his holy relics were solemnly transferred to the main temple of the cathedral.

The people of Pskov consider Vsevolod-Gabriel not only their first prince, but also their heavenly protector and patron along with Saint Dovmont-Timothy.

Celebration on November 27, 1893 of the 700th anniversary of the acquisition of the relics of St. pious prince Vsevolod-Gabriel, saint of Pskov [Electronic resource]: publication of the Pskov Archaeological Society - Pskov: Printing House of the Provincial Government, 1894. - 86 p. -

The exact date of birth of Vsevolod Mstislavich is unknown. Historians say that he was born around 1095. Prince Vsevolod was the eldest son of Mstislav the Great and the grandson of Vladimir Monomakh. His maternal grandfather Inge was a Swedish king.

Beginning of government in Novgorod

If in Russia the old order of succession was still preserved, then Vsevolod could become the ruler of Kyiv. However, in the XII century, the East Slavic state finally passed into the stage of feudal fragmentation, when there was no single power, but there were several centers of influence. One of them was It was the second largest city of Russia, its unofficial northern capital.

It was there that young Vsevolod was sent in 1117. However, the citizens of Novgorod were distinguished by the most freedom-loving and restless character. Here, as before, the importance of the veche was still strong - the people's meeting in the central square of the city, where the most important decisions were made. The princely power here competed with the power of the posadniks. It was an elective position. Most often, local merchants or boyars became posadniks.

In the very first year of Vsevolod's reign, Novgorodians began to make independent decisions without asking the young governor about it. Such behavior enraged Vladimir Monomakh, who ruled in Kyiv and was conditionally considered the eldest and most important prince. He called the Novgorod boyars to the southern capital, half of whom he left as hostages. The rest returned to their city and persuaded their fellow citizens to accept the posadnik appointed by Monomakh.

Trekking

In 1131, Vsevolod united with his younger brothers from other principalities (Izyaslav, Rostislav and Yaropolk) and went on a campaign against the Baltic Chud. These were the ancestors of modern Estonians. The first campaign was successful. Russian troops burned many villages, took captives and booty. However, the second campaign ended in defeat and the death of a large number of Novgorod soldiers.

Prince of Pereyaslavl

When Vsevolod's father Mstislav died in 1132, Kyiv passed to his uncle. Even during the life of his older brother, he promised that he would give his nephew his former possession - Pereyaslavl. Vsevolod briefly left Novgorod to get the southern city.

However, he never managed to start ruling there. His other uncle, Yuri Dolgoruky, drove his nephew out of Pereyaslavl. He was afraid that Vsevolod would become Yaropolk's heir in Kyiv. According to the new order, power in the "mother of Russian cities" was transferred by seniority.

The exiled Prince Vsevolod returned to Novgorod. However, the townspeople did not want to accept him, accusing him of betrayal. The prince left them to rule in Pereyaslavl, which means he broke his promise to die with them.

Again the Novgorod prince

However, the Novgorodians soon changed their minds. They returned the prince to the city. However, now his power was limited by the posadniks. They turned from servants and assistants to the prince into his co-rulers.

Meanwhile, the western borders of the Novgorod land continued to be disturbed by the raids of the wild monster. Prince Vsevolod decided to put an end to this. On February 9, 1033, he captured the city of Yuryev. This fortress was founded by Yaroslav the Wise. He called her by his Christian name given to him at baptism. In 1061, the local tribes regained control of the site, while the Russian rulers continued

The news of Yuryev's return was received with great joy by the people of Novgorod. However, there was still no peace inside the city. The people, continuing to worry, fought including local officials. One of them was even thrown from the bridge to Volkhov. This place was for Novgorod akin to a rock in Sparta, where they got rid of frail babies.

War with Yuri Dolgoruky

Therefore, Prince Vsevolod Mstislavich urgently needed something that could distract the restless people. Soon such a reason was found. Wars between warring princes continued in Southern Russia. The younger brother of Vsevolod Izyaslav ruled in Turov, from where he was expelled by his uncles.

The fugitive found refuge in Novgorod. The brothers decided to oppose Yuri Dolgoruky, with whom they had old scores. In addition, the Novgorod people were dissatisfied with the Suzdal prince. The bread they bought in the land of Yuri Dolgoruky was now subject to an additional duty, which caused its price to jump sharply.

The inhabitants themselves demanded a campaign from their prince. The army left the city on December 31, 1134. The journey to the land of the enemy took about a month. The brothers agreed that if successful, Izyaslav would become the prince of Suzdal.

Battle of Zhdana Mountain

On January 26, 1135, the opponents met. Novgorodians stopped at Zhdana Gora. Suzdal had to knock out the enemy from a occupied height. In order to do this, it was decided to allocate a detachment, which went around behind enemy lines.

Finally, the Novgorodians rushed down, trying to defeat the enemy. At first, the Suzdal people found themselves in a very difficult situation, even the princely banner was captured. However, at the most decisive moment, a detachment sent to the rear came to the rescue. Novgorodians found themselves between two fires. Many people were killed, including the city posadnik and the thousand.

Prince Vsevolod Novgorodsky fled the battlefield. In honor of the dead, he ordered the construction of the Church of the Assumption. On the eve of the campaign, the Kyiv Metropolitan Mikhail arrived in the city, who urged the Novgorodians not to start bloodshed. He was detained. After the defeat, the Novgorodians released the servant of the Church with honors. In the Suzdal Principality, a monastery was erected in its place in memory of the battle at Zhdana Mountain. Fearing Western neighbors, he founded Moscow a few years later.

Exile from Novgorod

However, Prince Vsevolod, whose brief biography already knew ups and downs, could not recover from the defeat. Citizens were unhappy with his flight from the battlefield. In 1136 they announced to Vsevolod that they were depriving him of power. The reasons were also named: dislike for the people, leaving for Pereyaslavl a few years ago, flight during the battle at Zhdana Gora, an inconsistent policy in which he supported either the Kyiv or Chernigov princes.

Vsevolod and his family were sent to prison, where he stayed for 7 weeks, waiting for his fate. At this time, the Novgorodians decided to call on the princes by decision of the veche. This was the end of the classical monarchy in this city. Novgorod became the first republic in Russia - later a similar system will appear in Pskov.

The first to be called was Svyatoslav Olgovich, the son of the Chernigov prince. Only after he arrived in the city, Vsevolod, by decision of the veche, was released and banished forever.

Prince of Vyshgorod and Pskov

He arrived in Kyiv to his uncle Yaropolk. He gave him a small Vyshgorod to manage. However, the reign of Prince Vsevolod in Novgorod did not pass without a trace. There he had many supporters, including the local posadnik. At first they almost killed the new prince Svyatoslav Olgovich, but in the end they themselves went to Vyshgorod to their ruler.

Among them were Pskovites. It was they who called Vsevolod to rule in their city, which was in a semi-dependent position from Novgorod. The prince loved the Russian north, in the south he was uncomfortable among the endless strife of local destinies. He happily went to Pskov, on the way enlisting the support of the Polotsk prince Vasilko. He was exiled in 1129 by Vsevolod's father to Constantinople. Therefore, Vasilko even had a serious reason to take revenge on the guest. However, he generously forgot the insult to Mstislav and even accompanied Vsevolod with his army to Pskov.

He was gladly received in the city, which from that moment became an independent principality. However, in Novgorod, this news infuriated the people. Residents of the city plundered the houses of the remaining well-wishers of Vsevolod. In addition, they raised money to buy the necessary weapons needed in the campaign against Pskov. Svyatoslav called for help from his brother, Prince Gleb of Kursk. The nomadic Polovtsy, who were allies of the Chernigov rulers, went to the north. Never before had they plundered the northern borders of Russia, and now they were looking forward to this campaign with joy.

However, the Pskovites did not lose heart. They armed themselves and blocked all roads to the city. To do this, felled trees and built fortifications. Finally, Svyatoslav reached Dubrovna and turned back, not daring to shed blood.

The conflict persisted, but the biography of Prince Vsevolod was interrupted at this point. He died of health problems in 1138. His place was taken by the younger brother Svyatopolk. Thus, Vsevolod managed to stay the Pskov prince for exactly a year. He had a son, Vladimir, and a daughter, Verkhuslava, who married the Polish ruler Boleslav IV the Curly.

Canonization

It is known that Vsevolod Mstislavovich, Prince of Novgorod, actively invested in the construction of Orthodox churches. In 1127, he founded the Church of John the Baptist in honor of the birth of his son Ivan, who soon died in infancy. Also known is his other temple - the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Both buildings have survived to this day. Za was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church in the 16th century.

reign: 1078-1093)

  VSEVOLOD YAROSLAVICH(in baptism - Andrew) (1030-13.04.1093) - Prince of Kyiv in 1078-1093.

The fourth son of the Kyiv prince Yaroslav Vladimirovich the Wise. After the death of his father, he received the city of Pereyaslav-Yuzhny, Rostov, Suzdal, Beloozero and lands in the Upper Volga region. In 1055, Vsevolod Yaroslavich fought with the Torks, repulsed the attack of the Polovtsy, having agreed with them on peace. In 1060, together with the brothers Izyaslav of Kyiv, Svyatoslav of Chernigov and Prince of Polotsk Vseslav Bryachislavich, he inflicted a significant defeat on the Torks, who no longer tried to threaten Russia. But the very next year, Vsevolod was defeated by the Polovtsy. In 1067, he participated in the campaign of the Yaroslavichs against the Polotsk prince Vseslav Bryachislavich, who captured Novgorod; the allies ravaged Minsk and defeated Vseslav in the battle on Nemiga, and then deceived him into captivity. In September 1068, Vsevolod and his brothers were defeated by the Polovtsians in a battle on the river. Alta. Together with Izyaslav Yaroslavich, he fled to Kyiv, where he witnessed the uprising of the townspeople against Izyaslav and the establishment on the Kiev table of Vseslav Bryachislavich, released by the rebels from prison. In 1069, Vsevolod and Svyatoslav acted as mediators in the negotiations between the people of Kiev and Izyaslav.

Vsevolod was one of the compilers of Pravda Yaroslavichi. In 1072, he participated in the transfer of the relics of the holy princes Boris and Gleb to a stone church built in Vyshgorod. The union of the brothers was fragile. Already in March 1073, Vsevolod helped Svyatoslav expel Izyaslav from Kyiv. Together with Svyatoslav, Vsevolod helped the Polish king Boleslav in his struggle against the Czechs. In January 1077, after the death of Svyatoslav, Vsevolod occupied Kyiv, but already in July of this year he ceded the capital city to Izyaslav Yaroslavich, who relied on the support of the Poles, and took Chernigov for himself. In 1078 he was expelled from Chernigov by Svyatoslav's son Oleg and nephew Boris Vyacheslavich. Vsevolod turned to Izyaslav for help. In the battle on Nezhatina Niva, Oleg and Boris were defeated, and Vsevolod not only returned Chernigov, but also acquired Kyiv, since Izyaslav fell in the same battle. Having become the prince of Kyiv, Vsevolod gave Chernigov to his son Vladimir Monomakh. His reign was not calm. The children and grandchildren of his deceased brothers Vladimir, Svyatoslav and Igor Yaroslavich were deprived of his possessions and constantly fought with him, demanding the return of hereditary inheritances. In 1079, Vsevolod Yaroslavich repulsed the invasion of the Polovtsy, led by Oleg and Roman Svyatoslavich. The cunning prince of Kyiv bribed the nomads, and they betrayed their brothers, and Roman was killed. In the same year, Vsevolod managed to annex Tmutarakan, the refuge of exiled princes, to his possessions, but already in 1081, the young princes Davyd Igorevich and Volodar Rostislavich again occupied this remote area. During these years, his eldest son Vladimir Monomakh became an assistant to the aging Vsevolod. Vsevolod Yaroslavich also had two daughters: Yanka (Anna) Vsevolodovna and Evpraksia Vsevolodovna, who left their mark on the history of Europe. Vsevolod Yaroslavich was a highly educated person, knew five languages. In old age, he preferred to consult with young warriors, neglecting the advice of more experienced boyars. Vsevolod's favorites, having received important positions, began to commit abuses about which the sick prince knew nothing, but which aroused dissatisfaction with him among the people of Kiev.

Vsevolod Yaroslavich(in baptism Andrei; 1030 - April 13, 1093, Vyshgorod near Kyiv) - Prince of Kyiv in 1076-1077 and from 1078 until the end of his life, the first ruler of Kyiv, who used the title "prince of all Russia" (reflected on his seals).

Member of the triumvirate

The fourth son of Yaroslav the Wise and Ingigerda of Sweden. The Tale of Bygone Years puts into Yaroslav's mouth the phrase that he loved Vsevolod more than his other sons. During the life of his father, Vsevolod was not his governor in any city and lived in Kyiv with his parents. From 1054 to 1073 - the prince of Pereyaslavl (Pereyaslavl-Russian) and the Rostov land, a member of the so-called "triumvirate of the Yaroslavichs" (together with his older brothers Izyaslav of Kyiv and Svyatoslav of Chernigov), took an equal part with them in government (new edition of "Russian Truth" ”, campaigns against nomads, the fight against Vseslav Polotsky). The Pereyaslav diocese (as well as Chernihiv) was elevated during this period to the metropolitanate.

Vsevolod, together with his brothers, was defeated on Alta by the Polovtsy, was in Kyiv with Izyaslav during the popular uprising, then, together with Svyatoslav, was in Kyiv when Izyaslav led the Poles to Russia.

Reign in Chernihiv

In 1073, the triumvirate broke up: Svyatoslav and Vsevolod expelled Izyaslav, accusing him of allying with Vseslav of Polotsk against them. Vsevolod moved to Chernigov, giving Pereyaslavl to Davyd Svyatoslavich. Izyaslav did not receive help from his Polish allies, moreover, in 1076 Oleg Svyatoslavich and Vladimir Vsevolodovich led the Russian army in a campaign to help the Poles against the Czechs.

In December 1076, Svyatoslav died suddenly. Vsevolod took his place, but six months later he returned the throne to Izyaslav, who moved to Kyiv with the Poles, not only keeping Chernigov, but also returning Pereyaslavl. But his nephews Oleg Svyatoslavich and Boris Vyacheslavich with the Polovtsy rose up against him and defeated him on the Sozhitsa River. Vsevolod fled to Kyiv for help and returned with Izyaslav to Chernigov, who was under siege in the absence of his princes. The decisive battle took place on October 3, in which Izyaslav and Boris were killed.

Great reign

Vsevolod finally took the throne of Kyiv, according to the chronicler take over all Russian power, despite the fact that Yaropolk and Svyatopolk Izyaslavichi were sitting in Volhynia and Novgorod, respectively. In 1079, Oleg and his brother Roman again moved from Tmutarakan to Kyiv, but Vsevolod bribed the Polovtsy, who killed Roman, and Oleg was sent to Byzantium on the island of Rhodes, where he stayed for another fifteen years; Tmutarakan came under the control of Kyiv.

The fierce struggle with Vseslav of Polotsk continued, which resumed immediately after the death of Svyatoslav Yaroslavich. At the turn of the 1070-1080s, Vseslav led a campaign near Smolensk, after which Vladimir Monomakh led a devastating campaign against the Polotsk principality, and then a second campaign with the Polovtsy, during which Minsk was captured. About these and other events in more precise detail than The Tale of Bygone Years (though without exact dating, reproducing only their sequence), reports the Teaching of Vladimir Monomakh. In particular, about the episodes of the fight against the Polovtsy, when they went to Starodub, but were defeated on the Desna by Vladimir Monomakh, the khans Asaduk and Sauk were captured, then Khan Belkatgin was defeated east of Novgorod-Seversky. In the early 1080s, two consecutive winter campaigns were carried out against the tribal union of the Vyatichi. Their prince Khodota is the last tribal East Slavic prince mentioned in the sources. The land of the Vyatichi finally became part of the Chernigov Principality.

Important events of the Kievan reign of Vsevolod Yaroslavich took place in the south-west of Russia and ended with the fact that, according to the wording of the decision of the Lyubech Congress, cities were distributed: Davyd - Vladimir, Rostislavichs: Volodar - Przemysl, Vasilka - Terebovl. Outcasts, the sons of Rostislav Vladimirovich, the elder great-grandchildren of Yaroslav the Wise, fled from Yaropolk Izyaslavich and occupied the Cherven cities. Davyd Igorevich, having intercepted the trade artery at the mouth of the Dnieper, achieved an inheritance from Vsevolod, moreover, in Volhynia. Thus, the interests of Yaropolk Izyaslavich clashed with the interests of Vsevolod, and soon Yaropolk died at the hands of a hired killer in a campaign against the Rostislavichs (1086). In 1088, Vsevolod gave Turov to Svyatopolk Izyaslavich, placing his 12-year-old grandson Mstislav Vladimirovich in Novgorod.

Foreign policy under Vsevolod was marked by intense contacts with the Holy Roman Empire, whose emperor Henry IV the prince married his daughter, Eupraxia-Adelheida, and later with Pope Urban II, Henry's opponent. Probably, the transition of Russia to the camp of the emperor's opponents was associated with the scandalous conflict between Eupraxia and Henry: Vsevolod's daughter fled from Germany to Verona and appeared before the pope, accusing her husband of bullying her, orgies and participating in satanic rituals.

On the initiative of the prince (apparently due to contacts with Rome), a feast was established in Russia for the transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas of Myra to Bari, which was not celebrated by the Greek church, which always regarded this transfer as a kidnapping.

In "The Tale of Igor's Campaign"

There were centuries of Troyan, the years of Yaroslav passed, there were also wars of Oleg, Oleg Svyatoslavich. He, after all, Oleg forged with a sword of discord and sowed arrows on the ground. He enters the golden stirrup in the city of Tmutorokan, the ringing was heard by the old great Yaroslav's son Vsevolod, and Vladimir laid his ears every morning in Chernigov.

Character

The Laurentian Chronicle characterizes Vsevolod in this way: “I was God-loving from childhood, loved the truth, endowed the poor, paid honor to bishops and presbyters, especially loved the Chernorizians, making donations to them, he himself abstained from drunkenness and lust, for which his father loved more than all his children ".

Prince-polyglot

Vsevolod Yaroslavich is one of the most educated people of his time. His son, Vladimir Monomakh, writes in his "Instruction" that his father, "sitting at home", spoke five languages. Apparently, among these languages ​​were Swedish (the language of Vsevolod's mother), Greek (the language of his wife), and also, possibly, English (the language of his daughter-in-law, Vladimir's wife, Gita of Saxony) and Polovtsian.

Marriages and children

Vsevolod was married twice: the first time - to "Monomakhin", the daughter of the Byzantine emperor Constantine IX Monomakh Mary, who died in 1067.

• Children:
  • Vladimir Vsevolodovich Monomakh (1053-1125)
  • St. Yanka Vsevolodovna (Anna), died in 1112

The second time - on the Polovtsian princess Anna, who died in 1111.

• Children:
  • Rostislav Vsevolodovich (1070-1093) - Prince of Pereyaslavl
  • Evpraksia Vsevolodovna (1069/1071 - 1109) - German Empress
  • Ekaterina (Irina) Vsevolodovna (d. July 11, 1108)
  • Maria

Records of the burial of Vsevolod

His burial is mentioned by graffiti in the Kiev Hagia Sophia, discovered by S. S. Vysotsky and recently re-analyzed by A. A. Zaliznyak. Dmitri, Vsevolod's combatant, wrote that "Andrei, the good Russian prince", died on Wednesday "after dinner" and was buried the next day, on Maundy Thursday, April 14, 1093.

"The Tale of Bygone Years" (text according to the Ipatiev copy of the Ipatiev Chronicle (Library of the Russian Academy of Sciences, code 16.4.4) contains the entry (translation): “In the year 6601 (1093), indiction in the 1st year, Grand Duke Vsevolod, son of Yaroslavov, grandson of Vladimir, died on the 13th day of April, and was buried on the 14th day; the week was then Passionate, and then the day was great Thursday, when he was laid in a coffin in the great church of St. Sophia.