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YAROSLAV THE WISE |
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For
thirty-five years (1019-1054) in Kiev ruled prince Yaroslav
called the Wise. During his reign Rus achieved the highest
political development, significance and power, although in
the beginning Yaroslav faced numerous problems. Particularly,
a lot of troubles were made by his brother Mstislav, at that
time the prince of Tmutarakan, who in 1023 took the Severyan
Rus, and next year tried to take Kiev. Both brothers had
even clashed in a battle, which Mstislav won. But at the end
both brothers came to an agreement, although it was
necessary to divide the country: Mstislav obtained for
himself all the lands east of the Dnieper with the capital
city in Chernigov. It was not until Mstislav's death in 1036
that Yaroslav became the only ruler of |
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Russia.
Some separate rule of the Vladimiroviches remained
only in Polotsk, where since the times of Vladimir
ruled his son Izyaslav, and after his death in 1001 -
Izyaslav's son, Bryachislav, who opposed the complete
hommage to Kiev. In 1024 in Suzdal took place a
people's uprising. Directly it was caused by poor
harvest and famine, but regardless of that the
uprising was strongly connected to the pagan
opposition to the consolidation of the Christianity.
After its suppression and the peace with Mstislav,
there came a period of struggle and military campaigns
in all the directions. Among them there was a war with
Poland, which secured the cities of Cherven for Rus
(1031), expeditions into Mazovia and Lithuania, and
several expeditions against the Sudovians.
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Yaroslav also campaigned in the lands of the Ests
(Chud), where he had founded cities of Yuriev (Derpt)
and Kolyvan (Reval). In 1036 he dealt the decisive
defeat to the Pechenegs, who had never recovered
afterwards; since then they started to disappear
from the political scene under the pressure of the
Polovtsi. Finally, in 1043 there took place the
last in the history of the Russo-Byzantine
relations expedition against Constantinople; it
was led by one of Yaroslav's sons, Vladimir. That
daring expedition, though, did not bring any
results, although it was undertaken by a
substantial military force and in alliance with
the Varangians. The Greeks had the Rus fleet
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burnt in the famous "Greek fire", and its remnants
had been scattered by the storms. |
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М. Арушев |
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