Andrey Bogolyubsky: a historical portrait. Prince Andrey Bogolyubsky: years of reign, short biography
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Andrei Bogolyubsky was the second oldest son of Yuri Vladimirovich Dolgoruky and a grandson. The future Grand Duke was born presumably in 1110 or 1111 in the North-East of Russia, in the Rostov-Suzdal land. His mother was a Polovtsian princess, daughter of Khan Aepa and granddaughter of Asen.
Andrei's father was the youngest son of the great Kiev prince Vladimir Monomakh, who received the Rostov-Suzdal lands as an inheritance. In the 30s of the 12th century, Yuri entered the struggle for the main Old Russian table. Andrei accompanied his father during the hostilities and spent several years in the south, in constant battles and campaigns. The young prince was distinguished by his personal courage and prowess, which stood out even against the background of his warriors; he often cut himself into the very thick of the enemy's ranks in battle. Horses were killed under it, the helmet was knocked off the head. At the same time, at the end of the battle, the brave warrior turned into a prudent and cold-blooded politician.
Andrei took part in the expulsion of one of his opponents from Ryazan, in the capture of Kiev, in the campaign against Volyn, during which he almost died from the spear of a German mercenary. Over the years, he managed to reign in various places, including the suburb of Kiev Vyshgorod, Dorogobuzh, Ryazan and the city of Turovo-Pinsk land. But, despite the military prowess and popularity among the squad, Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky most of all loved the North-East with its relatively measured life. In the interfluve of the Oka and the Upper Volga during these years, there was an intensified internal colonization of virgin lands, the construction of new cities, the construction of fortress walls, churches and monasteries. Andrey's favorite city was a small suburb in those years, Vladimir-Zalessky, given to him by his father Yuri Dolgoruky as an inheritance. 
In 1154 the old prince's cherished dream comes true. After the death of the elders in the family of Rurikovich, the son of Monomakh Vyacheslav and his eldest grandson Izyaslav Mstislavovich, Yuri Dolgoruky becomes a full-fledged Kiev prince. Andrey takes a table in Vyshgorod for the second time. However, the very next year Bogolyubsky leaves for his beloved North-East. At the same time, he takes with him from Vyshgorod an icon of the Mother of God, according to legend, written by the Evangelist Luke himself. This icon subsequently receives the status of one of the greatest Russian shrines and becomes known under the name of Vladimirskaya. According to legend, on the way of the prince from Vladimir to Rostov, the horses stopped and did not want to go further. Andrew made a halt, and at night the Mother of God appeared to him, who told him to leave the icon in. The prince did so, and on that memorable place he built his beloved residence Bogolyubovo, from which he later received his nickname.
In the North-East, Andrei immediately begins to deal with the organization of land, he pays especially a lot of attention to urban and church building. Under him, many temples and monasteries were erected. In 1156 a moat was built around Moscow and the first walls were erected. Chronicle, however, attributes this act to Yuri Dolgoruky, but at that time he reigned in Kiev. The completely unique Church of the Intercession on the Nerl, one and a half kilometers from Bogolyubov, has become a real pearl of not only Old Russian, but also world architecture. The temple is located right on a flood meadow directly above the river. Previously, it was generally located on the spit of the cape, created by the current of the Klyazma and the Nerl flowing into it.
In 1157, Yuri Dolgoruky dies, and Bogolyubsky becomes the Rostov-Suzdal prince. Moreover, he was elected contrary to the will of his father, who read the Kiev table to Andrey, and took oaths from the inhabitants of Suzdal, recognizing the rights of his younger sons to these cities. However, it is obvious that Bogolyubsky's ebullient energy and prudence turned out to be more weighty arguments for the population of northeastern Russia than the promises given to the old prince.
In the future, Andrei Bogolyubsky, whose biography is now becoming forever associated with the Rostov-Suzdal land, is taking effective measures to strengthen the sole power. He finally transfers the capital of his principality to Vladimir. Yesterday's suburb becomes the capital city of a huge territory that occupies the entire interfluve of the Oka and Volga rivers, as well as many other lands. This measure was supposed to limit the influence of Suzdal and Rostov, which were ruled by each with their own echelons. The interests of the big boyars and wealthy townspeople were in a certain contradiction in the processes of state centralization. In fact, the internal policy of Andrei Bogolyubsky was aimed at building a separate state, including the lands of North-Eastern Russia.
At the same time, Bogolyubsky pursued an active, if I may say so, "foreign policy." Under his leadership, the campaign of eleven princes to Kiev was made (the very young future hero of the famous "Lay of Igor's Regiment" Novgorod-Seversky Prince Igor also took part in it). Bogolyubsky also controlled the Novgorod table, on which he also removed the princes. At the same time, being recognized as the Grand Duke and the head of the Rurik family, Andrei for the first time did not move to Kiev, remaining in his inheritance. By this, firstly, he asserted his hereditary right to the Rostov-Suzdal principality, and, secondly, he emphasized the strength and power of North-Eastern Russia.
Bogolyubsky also made campaigns against a really external enemy, in the Volga Bulgaria. After one of these expeditions a conspiracy was ripe against the elderly sovereign. Several confidants of the prince, among whom the chronicle names the boyars Kuchkovich (Andrei was married to their sister), the housekeeper of "Anbal Yasin" and a certain Ephraim Moizich, burst into the room of their master at night. According to the legend, Bogolyubsky wanted to grab the sword of Saint Boris, but he was prudently carried out in advance by the key keeper Yasin. The physically strong prince fought with his bare hands in the dark against several opponents, but was eventually killed.
Subsequently, Andrei Bogolyubsky was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church. His figure, and especially the role of the prince in ancient Russian history, stands somewhat apart among the rulers of the pre-Mongol period. In fact, it was Bogolyubsky who laid the future contours of Great Russia, from which Russia would later be born. No wonder the historian Kostomarov called Andrei Yuryevich “the first Great Russian prince”. And, as a reminder of the outstanding prince, the cities and temples built under him remained, and among them - one of the most beautiful pearls of Ancient Russia, the Church of the Intercession on the Nerl.
Andrey Bogolyubsky (not earlier than 1100 - 1174), Grand Duke of Vladimir (from 1157).
Andrei's father, the Suzdal prince Yuri Dolgoruky, strove to establish himself in Kiev and led endless feuds with his opponents. Andrei was forced for the time being to obey his father's will. During the periods of Yuri's short-term reigns in Kiev, he ruled in the neighboring estates - Vyshgorod, Turov, Pinsk (1149-1151, 1155). But he did not like reigning in the troubled southern lands, where his fate would depend on the mood of the squad and the veche decisions of the townspeople.
Power-loving and wayward in character, Andrei cherished the idea of giving the Rostov-Suzdal land a dominant position among the Russian principalities, making it the focus of state life in Russia. This prompted him in 1155 to flee to the Suzdal land against the will of his father. Andrei's younger brothers reigned in Rostov and Suzdal at that time. That is why his path lay in the small Vladimir on the Klyazma, which he planned to make the center of the entire principality. Such neglect of the oldest cities of the earth could cause discontent among the residents of Rostov and Suzdal. Andrew needed the support of the Church. On the way to Vladimir, he stole from the Vyshgorod monastery the miraculous icon of the Mother of God, according to legend, written by the evangelist Luke and taken out of Constantinople. The transfer of this revered shrine in Russia to Vladimir would give the city the significance of a blessed place.
According to legend, not far from Vladimir, the Mother of God appeared to Andrei in a dream and ordered to build a church in the name of the Nativity of the Mother of God in the village where he spent the night, and around it a monastery. The residence laid by the prince in Bogolyubov became the favorite place of stay of Andrey, who has since been nicknamed Bogolyubsky. In 1157, after the death of Yuri Dolgoruky, the residents of Rostov and Suzdal unanimously proclaimed Andrew a prince. But he chose Vladimir as the capital of the principality, not Suzdal, where he launched stone construction on a grand scale.
Under Andrei, the Golden Gates, the Church of the Intercession on the Nerl, the Assumption Cathedral - world-famous masterpieces of ancient Russian architecture, - many monasteries, temples, fortifications were built.
Bogolyubsky deprived of possessions and expelled four of his brothers, two nephews, dissatisfied with his autocracy of the boyars. These measures strengthened the princely position, but at the same time increased the number of enemies.
However, Andrey's political interests extended far beyond the borders of North-Eastern Russia. The reason for one of the quarrels was the fact that the Kiev prince Mstislav Izyaslavich - a longtime adversary of Andrey - voluntarily sent his son Roman to reign in Novgorod.
In 1169 the united army of 11 princes, equipped with Bogolyubsky, moved to Kiev.
The ruined and plundered city forever lost its former significance as the center of Russia, and the supremacy in the Russian lands finally passed to Vladimir. Bogolyubsky's despotic character, his harsh and sometimes cruel treatment of those close to him, quarrels with church hierarchs led to the fact that a conspiracy was drawn up against him, in which his closest boyars and servants participated.
Lived 1111-1174
Reign 1169-1174
Prince Andrey Yurievich Bogolyubsky- the son of Yuri Dolgoruky - was born in the Rostov region, which by that time had become a separate principality. The father gave the young prince Vladimir to manage - then a small suburb of the city of Suzdal, founded on the Klyazma River by Vladimir Monomakh. Andrei reigned in Vladimir for many years, and in the north of Russia he lived most of his life - 35 years.
In 1146, a struggle for power began between Yuri Dolgoruky and his cousin Izyaslav, which lasted for several years. Prince Andrew took part in the battles on the side of his father. Then the fighting prowess of Prince Andrey was revealed. He was in the most dangerous places of the battle and fought, not noticing the knocked down helmet, fiercely slashing his opponents with his sword. They said about Andrei that he could not be taken by surprise. In 1149, Yuri Dolgoruky entered Kiev and occupied it, but soon Izyaslav, returning with his retinue, forced him to leave the city.
When, after the death of Izyaslav, Yuri Dolgoruky sat on the Kiev grand throne, he seated Andrei next to him, in Vyshgorod. However, Andrei did not want to live in the south of Russia and secretly left his father to the north, to the Suzdal region.
From Vyshgorod Andrey took to Vladimir a miraculous icon of the Mother of God, painted, according to legend, by the Evangelist Luke and brought from Greece by a merchant named Pirogoschi.
Andrey Bogolyubsky
The legend says that on the way of Andrey to the house, about 20 kilometers from Vladimir, the horses stood up and did not want to budge. And after the change of horses, the cart again did not move.
Andrey and his companions had no choice but to spend the night here. At night, Prince Andrei dreamed of the Mother of God, who commanded to build a temple in honor of the Nativity of the Mother of God on this place and establish a monastery here. After a while, the church and the monastery were built, around them a settlement called Bogolyubov grew. Hence the nickname of Prince Andrei - Bogolyubsky.
Subsequently, the icon, brought to Vladimir by Prince Andrey, became the main shrine of the Vladimir-Suzdal land under the name of the Vladimir Mother of God. In Vladimir, by order of the devout Andrey, two monasteries were built: Spassky and Resurrection, as well as other Orthodox churches.
And in addition, following the example of Kiev, the Golden and Silver Gates were erected in Vladimir. The rich churches of Vladimir gave the city a special significance, and it rose above other cities. The population of the city grew rapidly, from a small suburb of Suzdal Vladimir-on-Klyazma soon turned into a large populous city.
After the death of Yuri Dolgoruky in 1157, the Rostov and Suzdal people chose Andrey to reign. But Andrey did not go to Kiev to take the grand-ducal throne. He remained in Vladimir, losing Kiev to Rostislav Mstislavich.
Prince Andrew decided not to give inheritance to his sons, thereby strengthening the Vladimir principality, protecting it from fragmentation. He continued to expand the new capital and even tried to transfer the center of the Russian clergy to Vladimir. But Constantinople patriarch, to whom Prince Andrew applied for permission, refused to consecrate the Vladimir priest to the Metropolitan.
Vladimir. Golden Gate
Prince Andrew not only built churches, but also fought against the Gentiles. So, in 1164, he and his army first attacked the Bulgarian kingdom, where the Mohammedan faith (Islam) was preached.
After the death of the Kiev prince Rostislav, Andrei Bogolyubsky agreed that his nephew, Mstislav Izyaslavich, would be the Grand Duke in Kiev.
But soon, together with his son (also Mstislav), Andrei Bogolyubsky gathered the Suzdal militia, which was joined by 11 princes, and went to Kiev. The united army fought for two days under the walls of Kiev. On the third day, the city was taken. The warriors of the allied princes plundered and destroyed the city, killed the inhabitants, forgetting that these are the same Russian people as themselves.
After his victory, Andrei put his younger brother Gleb on the Kiev table, and he himself took the title of Grand Duke and remained in Vladimir. The chroniclers date this event to 1169.
After the fall of Kiev, Andrei Bogolyubsky gathered under his hand the entire Russian land. Veliky Novgorod alone did not want to submit to Bogolyubsky. And Prince Andrey decided to do the same with Novgorod as with Kiev.
In the winter of 1170, the army under the command of the son of Prince Andrei - Mstislav Andreich - set out to suppress the revolt in Novgorod, where the young prince Roman Mstislavich ruled. The Novgorodians fought bravely for their independence. They fought so fiercely that Mstislav had to retreat.
The legend says that at the height of the battle, when the preponderance was on the side of Mstislav Andreich, the townspeople carried the icon of the Mother of God of the Sign to the fortress wall. Monks and priests prayed, trying to support those who fought. The arrow of the attackers hit the icon, and tears flowed from the eyes of the Mother of God. Seeing this, the Novgorodians rushed into battle with renewed vigor. And in the camp of the attackers something strange began to happen: inexplicable fear gripped the entire army, the soldiers stopped seeing the enemy and began to shoot at each other, and soon Mstislav shamefully fled with the army.
Andrei Bogolyubsky did not forgive the Novgorodians for the defeat of his troops and decided to act differently. A year after the defeat, he cut off the supply of grain to Novgorod, and the townspeople recognized his power. Prince Roman was expelled from Novgorod, and the Novgorodians came to bow to Bogolyubsky.
At this time, Prince Gleb suddenly died in Kiev. Andrei Bogolyubsky gave the Kiev table to the Smolensk princes Rostislavich. Kiev lost its former greatness, the rule in it began to pass from hand to hand, and, in the end, Kiev submitted to the Vladimir prince.
Bogolyubsky fell victim to a conspiracy in 1174. His wife's brother committed a crime and was executed by order of Andrei Bogolyubsky. Then the second brother of Andrei's wife organized a conspiracy. When Andrei Bogolyubsky went to bed, conspirators burst into his bedroom (the prince's sword was taken from the bedroom in advance). Twenty people pounced on the unarmed Bogolyubsky, stabbing him with swords and spears. The devout Andrey happily accepted death, he had long since repented of many of his unseemly deeds, which he had committed during the struggle for power. The chronicle says that the last words of Andrei Bogolyubsky were: “Lord! In your hands I commend my spirit! "
The body of Prince Andrew was thrown into the garden. The murdered prince was not given a funeral service according to the Orthodox tradition and was not buried for five days. The prince's associates plundered the palace. The robberies spread to the whole of Bogolyubov and to Vladimir. The atrocities in Bogolyubov and Vladimir continued until one of the priests took the miraculous icon of the Vladimir Mother of God and began to walk with her around the city with prayers.
On the sixth day after the murder of Andrei Bogolyubsky, they were buried in the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin, which he built. Later the Russian Orthodox Church canonized Andrew.
Mongol cavalry
Since the reign of Andrei Bogolyubsky, Kievan Rus ceased to exist as a state formation and began its history Vladimir-Suzdal Rus.
Mongol-Tatar invasion of Russia
Russia at the beginning of the XIII century consisted of several isolated principalities and lands, the most significant were Vladimir-Suzdal, Galicia-Volyn, Chernigov, Ryazan principality and Novgorod land. Chernigov, Smolensk and Vladimir-Suzdal princes did not get along with each other. There were frequent clashes between the squads of different principalities. The Russian principalities were fragmented and split in the face of a terrible enemy who was approaching Russia from the east.
The first battle with the Mongols in the Polovtsian steppe took place on the river Calca May 31, 1223, in which the troops of several Russian princes were completely defeated. The Mongols laid the captured Russian princes on the ground, laid boards on top and sat down to feast on them. After the battle on the Kalka River, Rus first heard about the existence of a formidable enemy.
After the victory at Kalka, the Mongols left for Central Asia and returned to Russia only 14 years later.
When the Ryazan prince learned about the Mongol-Tatar army approaching the borders of the Russian principalities, he immediately sent messengers to Vladimir and Chernigov for help. But other princes did not perceive the Mongols as a serious enemy and refused to help him. On December 21, 1237, after a five-day siege and storming of the city walls with the use of rams and metal guns, Ryazan fell. The city was burned, the inhabitants were partly exterminated, partly taken away into the full.
Burning and plundering cities and villages on their way, the troops of the conquerors under the command of Batu and Subedei approached Vladimir. On February 7, 1238, the Mongols burst into the city through the gaps in the walls, and soon ruins were smoking in its place.
A 200-year era began in the history of Russia, which was named - Mongol-Tatar yoke(yoke). All Russian principalities had to recognize the heavy Mongol-Tatar yoke over themselves and pay tribute. The princes were forced to take permission (label) from the conquerors for their reign. For receiving shortcut the princes went to the capital Golden Horde the city of Saray, which was located on the Volga River.
The Mongol-Tatar yoke formally began in 1243, when the father of Alexander Nevsky, Prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich, received a label from the Mongol-Tatars to the Grand Duchy of Vladimir and was recognized by them as "old by all the prince in the Russian language."
Andrei Bogolyubsky with his father, Yuri Dolgoruky, had a difficult relationship. Dolgoruky did not want to give up the idea of Kiev's domination and stubbornly strove to "sit down" there. Andrei Yurievich, on the contrary, worked very successfully on the creation of a new center of gravity - Vladimir. But both the one and the other - one involuntarily, the other quite deliberately - determined the further development of Russia. And this happened precisely in the middle of the XII century.
In life and deeds Grand Duke Andrey Yuryevich Bogolyubsky there were many contradictions. As a man of his age, he was cruel. Political foresight was combined in him with cunning and lust for power.
Love for piety and divine service beauty - with the desire of eels to help the Church to solve momentary administrative tasks. But in history he remained exactly as "Bogolyubsky".
Briefly the years of the reign of Andrei Bogolyubsky:
- Prince Vyshgorodsky (1149, 1155)
- Dorogobuzhsky (1150-1151)
- Ryazan (1153)
- Grand Duke Vladimirsky (1157-1174).
Andrey Bogolyubsky, years of life and reign of Prince Andrey.
The first date seems more plausible, for Andrei Bogolyubsky was, apparently, the second son of the large Yuri Dolgoruky. Yuri Vladimirovich entered his first marriage in 1107, marrying the daughter of the Polovtsian prince Aepa, and four years later Andrei Yurievich was born. It all fits together.
The place of his birth is Rostov-Suzdal Rus, here he received the first impressions of life and it was this deaf and wooded land that he considered his homeland. Bogolyubsky is very significant and bright in the history of the formation of the Russian state.
The youth of Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky, internecine wars
From a young age, Prince Andrew found himself immersed in a maelstrom of internecine strife, in which his father took a lively part. The struggle was conducted mainly around, he changed hands several times, and Andrei Yurievich regularly participated in battles on the side of Yuri Dolgoruky, showing undoubted courage. In one of the battles, near Lutsk, he almost died, a horse carried him out of the battle. The noble animal, being mortally wounded, saved its master, and he honored the memory of his faithful friend as best he could: he buried him on a hill near the Styr River.
At the same time, against the background of his relatives, Prince Andrei Yurievich demonstrated exceptional peacefulness. In particular, in 1150 it was he who insisted on reconciling the old enemies and rivals for the Kiev throne - Yuri Vladimirovich and Izyaslav Mstislavich. However, the peace was short-lived. Yuri Dolgoruky refused to return to Izyaslav the booty captured under, which was one of the terms of the contract, and the strife broke out with renewed vigor.
In 1151, Izyaslav Mstislavich defeated his rival. The victory seemed to be final. He established himself in Kiev, and concluded an agreement with the defeated Yuri Dolgoruky, according to which he was to return with all his sons to his native land.
However, Yuri Vladimirovich was in no hurry to go home, arousing the discontent of his son Andrei, who felt uncomfortable in the southern Russian lands and understood that the local population treated Dolgoruky and his seed as alien invaders and in no way supported their claims to the Kiev throne.
In July 1151, Prince Yuri went on a pilgrimage with his sons to the temple of Boris and Gleb, built on the Alta River, where he was killed in due time. Here a quarrel broke out between Yuri and Andrei, and Andrei, disobeying his father, left for.
Nevertheless, in 1152 he again took part in the battle on the side of Yuri Dolgoruky, when he laid siege to Chernigov, plotting to punish the Chernigov prince Izyaslav Davydovich, who went over to the side of Izyaslav Mstislavich. The siege was not crowned with success, and Prince Andrey was wounded near the walls of Chernigov.
In 1154, the long-term rivalry between the princes Izyaslav and Yuri ended due to an event as natural as it was unexpected: Izyaslav Mstislavich died. In March 1155, Yuri Dolgoruky established himself in Kiev, giving Andrey Vyshgorod, very important from a strategic point of view (which speaks of Yuri Vladimirovich's confidence in his rebellious son). Apparently, Yuri Vladimirovich had in mind to transfer the Kiev throne to Andrey over time, but Andrey Yuryevich himself was not carried away by this prospect. In Kievan Rus, he still felt embarrassed, and eventually decided to escape to his native land.
Andrey Bogolyubsky steals the icon of the Mother of God and escapes to rule in Vladimir
N.I. Kostomarov writes:
“Andrei, as you can see, then matured a plan not only to retire to the Suzdal land, but to establish in it a focus from which it would be possible to turn the affairs of Russia ...
Andrei, who in this case acted against his father's will, needed to sanctify his actions in the eyes of the people with some kind of right. Until now, in the minds of Russian princes, there were two rights - origin and election, but both of these rights got confused and destroyed, especially in southern Russia. The princes, past any eldership by birth, sought princely tables, and the election ceased to be a unanimous choice of the whole land and depended on the military crowd - on the squads, so that, in essence, only one more right was retained - the right to be princes in Russia to persons from Rurik's house ; but to which prince where to reign - for that there was no other right than strength and luck. A new law had to be created. Andrew found him; this right was the highest direct blessing of religion. "
At that time, there was a women's monastery in Vyshgorod, which housed the miraculous icon of the Mother of God, brought from Constantinople. The strangest stories circulated about this icon among the people. It was said, for example, that, being placed against the wall, the icon “receded” from it to the middle of the church, as if showing thereby the unwillingness to be here. It was this icon that Prince Andrey planned to take with him to the Rostov-Suzdal land, wishing to give his native land a shrine, which would be a visible proof of the special Divine care for him and its inhabitants.
He could not openly take the icon from the monastery: the locals would never give it away. Hiding from them, he was forced to act at night, with the help of accomplices from the monastery clergy, who carried the icon out of the temple and - they had nowhere to retreat - left Vyshgorod with the prince and his family. One of these accomplices, the priest Mikola, would later write a story about the assassination of Andrei Bogolyubsky and will remain so for centuries.
The rise of Vladimir during the reign of Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky
Already on the road, the taken away icon of the Mother of God began, as legend says, to show miraculous properties, thereby showing God's mercy to the "pious thief." (In general, it should be noted that the transfer of certain shrines from place to place often resembles a banal theft. The most famous of these events was the transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas, Archbishop, to Bari, today marked in the church calendar as one of the important holidays.) But the main miracle happened near Vladimir, where the horses stood up, not having the strength to carry the shrine further. The Mother of God clearly showed her intention to stay in Vladimir. But at that time he was a seedy town, to which the inhabitants of Suzdal and Rostov treated with undisguised contempt!
Over the next few years, Vladimir, thanks to the labors of Prince Andrei, changed beyond recognition. While rebuilding and decorating his residence in Bogolyubovo, he did not forget about the city itself, where the Golden Gate appeared in the shortest possible time (as if “in defiance” to a similar building in Kiev) and the amazing Assumption Cathedral. In general, the prince did not spare the costs of building and decorating churches - apparently, both for personal gravitation towards church piety, and for reasons of strengthening his authority, because the construction of any new church, especially a stone one, richly decorated, aroused among the people respect for its builder. Vladimir has grown, moved in and "grew fat". The number of priests was also added to it, as a result of which, presumably, literacy spread. The surrounding villages also revived, the wilderness of the forest began to look more cheerful.
So, Vladimir was entirely indebted to Prince Andrei Yuryevich Bogolyubsky for his rise, and the inhabitants of the local land for the time being showed, as they would say now, "loyalty" to him. If Andrei ruled in Suzdal and Rostov, then there he would inevitably have to enter into friction with the townspeople, who, although they were not as obstinate as the Novgorodians, still considered the veche power higher than the princely one. At first, there were external obstacles to his reign here: Yuri Dolgoruky, not forgiving his stubborn son, put his youngest sons from his second wife to reign in Rostov and Suzdal. Of these, the smaller one, Vsevolod (future), was only two years old. Thus, the father sought to humiliate Andrei, a mature husband, putting him on a par - and even lower, since Vladimir was considered lower than both Rostov and Suzdal - with foolish babies.
And now, there is a silver lining! Not so much Andrei was offended by his father, as the inhabitants of Suzdal and Rostov. And after the death of Yuri Dolgoruky in 1157, they unanimously elected Andrew at the veche as their prince. He graciously accepted the election, but he remained in Vladimir, or rather, in Bogolyubovo.
Andrey Bogolyubsky prince of Rostov-Suzdal land
Having become the sovereign ruler of the entire vast Rostov-Suzdal land, Prince Andrei led a rather tough policy, in every possible way trying to belittle the importance of the two primordial centers of Ancient Rus - Kiev and Novgorod. For this, he undertook a series of military actions. One of them, the seizure and unprecedented three-day plundering of Kiev, entered the brightest page in the Russian chronicles (the robbers not only killed and captured everyone in a row, but swung at the sacred, at the church - "poimash icons, and books, and vestments ..." ). Another is reflected in the famous icon "Battle of Novgorodians with Suzdalians".
At the same time, Andrei Bogolyubsky for himself did not want neither Kiev, nor even more so Novgorod reign. He only wanted to confirm his own supremacy not only in the land where he actually ruled, but throughout Russia. And he succeeded up to a certain point. In the 1160s, he was perhaps the most prominent "political player" in the entire Russian space.
In order to further elevate the importance of Vladimir, Prince Andrew wanted to establish his own metropolitanate, placing his favorite false bishop Theodorets as metropolitan, but in the end he was forced to abandon this intention, which met stubborn resistance both in Kiev and in Constantinople, and even betray Theodorets to the metropolitan court in Kiev, where he was executed as a heretic.
The assassination of Andrei Bogolyubsky on the night of June 30, 1174
Over time, the policy of Andrei Bogolyubsky began to falter. The authoritarian style of his government revived the nobility of Rostov, Suzdal and Vladimir against him. Not to mention the fact that by the beginning of the 1170s, he had almost no allies left among the princes. Too often he pointed them out. The prince lost the support of his relatives and boyars.
A conspiracy was drawn up, and Andrei Yuryevich Bogolyubsky was brutally murdered in his palace. It happened on the night of June 30, 1174. And the Vladimir mob, like bad children left unattended, robbed and ruined Vladimir and Bogolyubovo for several days in a row. Only on the fifth day did the people come to their senses and "with great lamentation" buried the murdered prince at the walls of the Assumption Cathedral.
Canonization of the Grand Duke Andrey Bogolyubsky in 1702
The next point in our story about Andrei Bogolyubsky should be his canonization, which took place in 1702. And we already foresee the surprised question of the reader: for what? As a matter of fact, he differed from most of his contemporaries, who now and then fought among themselves (while peaceful villagers and townspeople suffered), he differed only in his great political talents and will to power. Peaceful? Yes, but only in comparison with others. Pious? Yes, but he almost caused a schism in the church with the zealous "advancement" of Theodorets. And yet - canonized.
It must be remembered that the Church from time to time canonizes certain statesmen not thanks to, but in spite of many of their deeds, and the case of Andrei Bogolyubsky is no exception. By the way, Dmitry Donskoy (holy saint) also took persistent steps towards the elevation of his confessor, archimandrite of the Novospassky monastery, Mityai, to the Moscow Metropolitanate. But no one, except the meticulous historians of the Church, has long ago put this bast on him. And they don't remember about it. And they remember - the Battle of Kulikovo and the blessing of St. Sergius of Radonezh. So it is here.
Forgotten the story of Andrei Bogolyubsky's expulsion of his younger (from another mother) brothers from the Rostov-Suzdal limits, the plunder of Kiev initiated by him was forgotten. Much has been forgotten. But it is not forgotten that it was him, Andrei, who was chosen by the Lord as an instrument of glorification of the icon of the Mother of God stolen from Vyshgorod as precisely “the very Vladimir”, to which all of Russia, for countless centuries, has been praying. Wonderful white-stone churches have not been forgotten - all the more so because here they are: the five-domed Assumption Cathedral, the unique Church of the Intercession on the Nerl. Finally, death, truly a martyr's, is worth something. And so, the relics of the God-loving prince rest in the Assumption Cathedral of Vladimir, and the people of Vladimir honor him as "their" saint, and the pilgrims, approaching his shrine, say:
In 1702 Andrey Bogolyubsky was canonized. At the same time, they were acquired and relics.
In 1753, the relics of Andrei Bogolyubsky were re-veiled, placed in a new shrine.
In 1919, the relics of the holy prince were opened, after which they were transferred to the museum. The first serious study of the remains was undertaken in 1934, when they - without any description, so as not to mislead researchers from the empirical path - were sent to the Leningrad Institute of the History of Feudal Societies (now the Institute of Archeology). The conclusions of the scientists turned out to be in complete agreement with what we know about Andrei Bogolyubsky. The data on his death were also confirmed - the skeleton bore traces of many wounds inflicted on the back, side and on the already lying body.
It also turned out that the prince had partially accrete cervical vertebrae. This made him always hold his head high, which gave him a haughty, proud look.
From Leningrad, the relics returned to Vladimir. When the wave of outrageous atheism subsided and atheism took on "scientific" features, it seemed indecent to exhibit them in a museum (after all, it was a mockery of the remains of a prominent historical figure). And they "silently", until 1982, not even being entered in the inventory book, were kept in a closed museum fund.
In 1987, the transfer of the relics of Andrei Bogolyubsky to the Vladimir-Suzdal diocese took place. Now they are again in the Assumption Cathedral.
Sasha Mitrakhovich 27.04.2017 17:32
One of the most prominent rulers of Ancient Russia is rightfully considered Andrei Bogolyubsky, who had the loud title "Holy Blessed Prince". He, like the son of Yuri Dolgoruky, ruled with dignity, honorably continuing the work of his famous ancestors. He founded the city of Bogolyuby, in whose honor he received his nickname, and moved the center of Russia from Kiev to Vladimir. Under him, the city and the entire Vladimir principality developed at an active pace and became truly powerful. In 1702, the Russian Orthodox Church canonized Andrei Bogolyubsky, today his relics are in the Assumption Cathedral in his beloved city of Vladimir.
Biography
When the great prince was born Not a single historian will say for sure, in the annals most often 1111 is indicated, but there are other dates, for example - 1115. But the place of birth is definitely Rostov-Suzdal Rus, it was this remote forest edge that he recognized as his homeland.
All that is known about his early years of life is that he received a good education and upbringing based on spirituality and the Christian religion. Much more information is available about the time when, by order of his father, Andrei, having reached adulthood, began to rule in different cities.
Years of his principality can be conditionally divided into several periods:
- Vyshgorod (1149 and 1155)
- Dorogobuzhsk (1150-1151)
- Ryazan (1153)
- Vladimir (1157-1174).
In 1149, Andrei Bogolyubsky was sent by his father to rule Vyshgorod, but a year later he received a transfer to the west, but he did not stay there for a long time either. Contrary to the wishes of Yuri Dolgoruky to see his son in Vyshgorod, after his return, he remains to live and rule in his beloved city of Vladimir, where, according to some historians, he transports the famous icon of the Vladimir Mother of God.
Even having inherited the title of Grand Duke after the death of his father in 1157, Andrei Bolubsky does not return to Kiev. Experts believe that this fact gave rise to the organization of centralized power and influenced the transfer of the capital to Vladimir.
In 1162 the prince, enlisting the support of his squad, expels all his relatives and his father's army from the Rostov-Suzdal lands, which makes him the only ruler of these lands. During the reign of Andrei Bogolyubsky, Vladimir's power was greatly strengthened and expanded, many surrounding lands were conquered, this gave him significant influence in politics in the northern and eastern parts of Russia.
In 1169, the prince and his warriors, as a result of a successful campaign, almost completely ruined Kiev.
Many boyars were angry with his rapidly growing power, cruel reprisals and autocratic character, and therefore, already in 1174, they conspired Andrey Yuryevich is killed in Bogolyubov founded by him.
Foreign and domestic policy
The main achievement of Prince Andrei in domestic politics is rightfully considered to be an increase in the prosperity and consistency of the Rostov-Suzdal lands. At the beginning of his reign, many people came to this principality from neighboring cities, Kiev refugees, who dreamed of settling in a quiet and safe place. Large influx of people influenced the rapid economic growth of the region. The principality, and later the city of Vladimir, at an unusually fast pace, increased their influence on the political arena and welfare in general, thanks to which, by the last years of Andrei Bogolyubsky's life, they, bypassing Kiev, became the center of Russia.
Under Andrei Bogolyubsky, great attention paid to the development of the spiritual and cultural sphere, he more than once made attempts to make Russia independent from Byzantium in religious terms, established new Orthodox holidays. Frequent guests were architects invited to build churches and cathedrals, due to which a special Russian tradition appeared in architecture and the famous Golden Gate, the city-castle of Bogolyubovo and several temples, for example, the Intercession-on-Nerl, the Nativity of the Virgin in Bogolyubovo, were erected.
The prince's foreign policy was also carefully conducted. Most of all, he was worried about protecting the land from nomads who regularly made their raids. He twice spent campaigns in the Volga Bulgaria. As a result of the first. held in 1164, the city of Ibragimov was taken, three other cities were burned, the second campaign in 1171 took place with the participation of the sons of the princes of Murom and Ryazan and brought rich booty.
Board results
The most important and important result reign of Prince Andrey Bogolyubsky undoubtedly was the shift of the political and economic center from Kiev to Vladimir.
But the prince's successes were not limited to this., among his main achievements should be mentioned:
- largely successful attempts to unite the country,
- a change in the political system (got rid of inheritances and created a centralized power),
- had a significant impact on the creation of the Russian tradition in architecture.
In 1702, the prince was canonized. Despite the fair criticism of such a decision, it is possible to understand the motives of the Church. The history of exile by Andrey Bogolyubsky his younger brothers and the ruin of Kiev are forgotten, but everyone remembers that it was he who brought the icon of the Mother of God to Vladimir. Under him magnificent temples were built and, of course, he was martyred.