On the lands of ancient Belarus there were several dozen small states. But the largest and most significant were the Polotsk and Turov principalities. Under their authority were the smaller voivodships. Such as Pinsk, Minsk, Vitebsk and others. In this article we will consider the history of education, culture and the rulers of the largest and most famous state entity - the Principality of Polotsk.
One can hear that the Principality of Polotsk is the first Belarusian state. The way it is. After all, the first mention of the origin of feudal relations dates back to Polotsk land. It was here, on the famous waterway "from the Varangians to the Greeks", that the strongest principality of the Belarusian tribes (Radimichi, Krivichi, Dregovichi) was formed.
Education
How did the Principality of Polotsk appear on the Belarusian lands? Unfortunately, properly answering this question is not possible. To date, no written sources or archaeological finds have been preserved with which to establish when the formation of the Principality of Polotsk began. Only the assumptions of historians remain. And the most common theory calls IX century. It was at this time that collective tombs (long mounds) disappeared. Instead, single mounds appeared, less often - paired mounds. Scientists attribute this fact to the strong weakening of tribal and tribal ties. In addition, it was in the 9th century that class differences between tombs began to appear. Some were expensively furnished, others much simpler. This testified to property inequality.
The division of the tribe into rich and poor led to the emergence of nobles, which towered above other members of the community and seized central power. From the nobility, in turn, local princes stood out. They built fortified cities in which they were safe with their tribes. So, in the first half of the 9th century, the tribal nobility of the Krivichs built a city for themselves in the place where the Polota River flowed into West Berezina. Here, tributes were collected from all around.
Mother of Belarusian cities
The history of the Principality of Polotsk begins simultaneously with the creation of the city of Polotsk. The first official mention of the city dates back to 862. However, historians claim that he appeared much earlier. So, even in the undated part of the "Tale of Bygone Years" (the oldest annalistic vault on the Slavic lands), the name "Polocians" is mentioned simultaneously with "Krivichi". From this we can conclude that even at the time of the Krivichi a separate state stood out with its capital in Polotsk. Long before the first Varangians appeared on those lands and the Old Russian state was formed.
The city received its name thanks to the river, on the banks of which it is located. As already mentioned, not far from this settlement, the Polota River flowed into West Berezina.
Territory
The Polotsk and Turov principalities were located on extremely bad lands. However, Polotsk had one important advantage. It was here that the intersection of significant trade routes along the Berezina, Dvina and Neman was located. That is, the waterway "from the Varangians to the Greeks." This contributed not only to the development of trade and the economy in the state, but also caused a massive relocation of other peoples and tribes to the Polotsk lands. And the territory of the principality was surrounded by impenetrable forests, which served as reliable protection from enemies. And the inhabitants of Poltava made more and more every year. Since the control of the principality over trade routes did not like the neighboring states - Kiev and Novgorod. Which ultimately led to territorial disputes and mass bloodshed.
The Principality of Polotsk included not only the Polotsk lands, but also part of the territory of the Dregovichi, Lithuanian and Finnish tribes. The inhabitants of Polotsk settled throughout the Western Dvina, the Polota, as well as in the basins of the Berezina, Svisloch and Neman. The principality included such large cities as Minsk, Vitebsk, Orsha, Borisov, Logoisk, Zaslavl, Drutsk, Lukoml and others. Thus, during the IX-XIII centuries it was a large and strong European state.
First prince
The first mention of the sovereign, uniting the Principality of Polotsk, refers to the second half of the X century. According to the annals, "Valadaryu, Tramau and Princes Ragvalod of Polatsk, I am sinking."
Norman Rogvolod “came from overseas” and ruled from 972 to 978. This period is considered the final stage in the formation of the Principality of Polotsk. The state has its own borders, political and managerial systems have been established, a strong army has formed, and trade relations have begun to be established. The city of Polotsk became the historical core and center.
Princess with three names
The history of the Principality of Polotsk is the history of the struggle for independence, which was eventually lost. So, already in 980, the lands were listed as part of the Old Russian State. The Principality became a bargaining chip between the then warring Novgorod and Kiev.
According to the annals, in 978, Prince Rogvolod, in order to strengthen the borders of his state, decided to extradite his daughter Rogneda to Kiev Prince Yaropolk, while refusing Vladimir Svyatoslavich (Sovereign of Novgorod from the Rurikovich dynasty). Without suffering insults, Vladimir stormed Polotsk, killed Rogvolod and his two sons, and Rogneda forcibly made his wife, giving her the name Gorislav. Then the prince of Novgorod captured Kiev and introduced a new religion on Christian lands in Polotsk - Christianity.
According to The Tale of Bygone Years, Rogneda and Vladimir had four sons: Izyaslav (Prince of Polotsk), Yaroslav the Wise (Prince of Kiev and Novgorod), Vsevolod (Prince Vladimir-Volynsky) and Mstislav (Prince of Chernigov). And also two daughters: Premislava, who later married Laszlo Lysy (Ugrian king), and Predslava, who became the wife of Boleslav III the Red (Czech prince).
After Rogneda tried to kill Vladimir, she and her son Izyaslav (who interceded with her father for her mother) were sent to Polotsk lands, to the city of Izyaslavl. The princess cut her hair as a nun and took a third name - Anastasia.
Princes of the Principality of Polotsk
In 988, the inhabitants of Izyaslavl invited the son of Rogneda and Vladimir Izyaslav to reign. He became famous as a sovereign scribe and distributor of a new belief, Christianity, on Polotsk land. It is with Izyaslav that a new branch begins in the Rurik dynasty - Izyaslavichi (Polotsk). The descendants of Izyaslav, unlike the children of his brothers, emphasized their kinship with Rogvolod (on the maternal side). And they called themselves Rogvolodovichi.
Prince Izyaslav died young (in 1001), having outlived his mother Rogneda for only one year. The Principality of Polotsk was ruled by his youngest son, Bryachislav Izyaslavich. Until 1044, the sovereign pursued his own policy aimed at expanding land. Taking advantage of civil strife and the weakening of Russia, Bryachislav seized Veliky Novgorod and for five years held power together with his uncle Yaroslav the Wise. At that time, the city of Bryachislavl (modern Braslav) was also built.
Heyday
The peak of its power, the Principality of Polotsk, reached in 1044–1101, during the reign of Vseslav the Prophet, son of Prince Bryachislav. Knowing that he was facing battles not for life, but for death, the prince was preparing for war until the mid-60s of the XI century - he strengthened the cities and gathered an army. So, Polotsk was transferred to the right bank of the Western Dvina, to the mouth of the Polota river.
Vseslav began to expand the Polotsk lands far to the north, subjugated the tribes of Latgals and Livs. However, in 1067, when his campaigns in Novgorod ended unsuccessfully, the prince, along with his sons, was captured by Izyaslav Yaroslavich, and the state was captured. But a year later the rebellious people liberated Vseslav, and he managed to recover the lost lands.
From 1069 to 1072, the Principality of Polotsk waged a relentless and bloody war with the Kiev sovereigns. The Principality of Smolensk was captured, as well as part of the Chernigov lands in the north. In those years, the population of the capital of the principality was more than twenty thousand people.
A fall
After the death of Vseslav in 1101, his sons divided the principality into divisions: Vitebsk, Minsk, Polotsk, Logoisk and others. And already in 1127, the son of Vladimir Monomakh, taking advantage of the disagreements between the princes, captured and plundered Polotsk land. Izyaslavichi were captured, and then completely sent to distant Byzantium. So, by the end of the XII century the authority of the Principality of Polotsk on the international scene finally fell, and part of the territories was captured by Novgorodians and Chernigov.
In the XIII century a new misfortune fell on the Polotsk lands - the Order of the Swordsmen, which later became Livonian. Prince Vladimir Polotsky, who ruled then, fought with the crusaders for more than twenty years, but he could not stop them. This was the beginning of the end of independence. And in 1307, Polotsk became part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
Culture of the Principality of Polotsk
It was this principality that became the place where Belarusian statehood was born, as well as culture and writing. Names associated with Polotsk are Euphrosyne of Polotsk, Lazar Bogsch, Francis Skorin, Cyril of Turov and Simeon of Polotsk. They make up the pride of the Belarusian nation.
With the advent of Christianity in the Polotsk lands, architecture began to develop. So, the first monumental building made of stone was the Polotsk Sophia Cathedral, built in the 1050s. And in 1161, the jeweler Lazar Bogshey created a masterpiece of applied art of the Eastern Slavs - a unique cross of Euphrosyne of Polotsk. The 13th century became the time when the Belarusian language appeared.