Many people in their school years did not really like history. Therefore, they are happy to catch up at a more mature age. After all, it is then that the understanding comes that our country has a great history, which every resident should be proud of. And since one cannot be proud of what one does not know, many just sit down for textbooks in order to enrich their intellectual baggage. In this article, we will help you learn a little better about the story of Vladimir Krasnoye Solnyshko. Why he was so named, as well as interesting facts from the life of the prince read below.
Childhood
The exact date of birth of Vladimir is unknown. Officially, his birth year is 960, but this may not be so. He could have been born in 945, just in 960 the future ruler of Russia was first mentioned in the annals. His father was Svyatoslav, and his mother was Olga's housekeeper. Out of sight of an unnecessary child, my grandmother sent to the village of Budutino. It was there that Vladimir Red Sun was brought up. Why he was called so, we will learn further.
It is not known how long the boy lived with his mother, but, according to the annals, he returned to Kiev in 969. The fate of his parent is further unknown. According to some reports, she happily lived life in the village, other sources say that the magnanimous son after taking the throne took his mother to his palace. One way or another, you can believe in any version, because there is simply no reliable information.
Youth
Vladimir’s move to his grandmother is mentioned in the annals in connection with the siege of Kiev. The defense of the city was successful, but the future ruler was not destined to stay in the southern capital of the principality. At the end of the year, Svetoslav receives a notice from Novgorod that the ruler has passed away and they urgently need a new one. The choice of the prince fell on Vladimir the Red Sun. We’ll find out why he was so named, but for now we’ll talk about the young man’s first independent steps.
Moving to Novgorod was the first important event in the boy’s life. Since he was too young to become a full-fledged ruler, they gave him help governor Dobrynya. He had to monitor the formation of the young prince, and also help to make important government decisions. In Novgorod, Vladimir makes friends, mostly they were Scandinavian neighbors. And also the young ruler will build the chapel of Perun. Thanks to this act, which was most likely prompted by Dobrynya, Vladimir was able to quickly gain the favor of the inhabitants of Novgorod.
Family and Children
Why was Prince Vladimir called the Red Sun? Briefly about this, we can say this: Vladimir became the first saint in Russia and laid the foundation for the emergence of Christianity on Russian soil. And what was the prince’s personal life? Vladimir was very loving. The pagan faith encouraged this: “the more the ruler has wives, concubines and children, the stronger the state will be,” the legend said. But the one who advanced this theory was greatly mistaken. The world can only be in monogamy. Towards the end of his life, Vladimir came to this thought. But he could no longer change his actions. Officially, he had 5 wives. The first - Olofi - he found in Scandinavia, the second - Rogneda - took by force from Polotsk, the third - Adele - was originally from the Czech Republic, Manfred - from Bulgaria. Julia, the wife of Vladimir’s brother, was taken into a concubine already pregnant.
Anna was the first wife of the Russian prince after baptism, and his second wife was the granddaughter of Otton I, the German ruler. In addition to official relations, Vladimir had many lovers. The ruler had more than 20 recognized children, 11 of them were boys, which means heirs to the throne.
Baptism of Russia
988 is officially considered the year of the adoption of Christianity in Russia. But, as with all distant events, one cannot say for sure that this is reliable information. In 988, the wedding of the Byzantine Princess Anna and Vladimir the Red Sun took place. Why was he called that? It is for the reason that the ruler introduced the official monotheistic religion. How was the baptism? Of course, baptizing the whole state was impossible. People who believed in pagan gods all their lives could not immediately change their beliefs. Paganism lived in Russia for at least another 50 years after its baptism. Nevertheless, the adoption of Christianity was a great step towards the unification of the country and the establishment in it of a new institution of power. Some historians believe that the Christian religion could be imposed on Vladimir by his grandmother, Princess Olga. But this theory is unlikely, as the prince's communication with this woman was too limited. Most likely, Vladimir the Great Red Sun took such a serious step because of foreign policy factors.
Nickname
Why was Prince Vladimir called the Red Sun? Of course, such a nickname was not given to the saint by the people. After all, the figure of the prince did not cause approval from his contemporaries. Many subjects did not support the transition to Christianity. And the dissolute lifestyle says little about the holiness of man. But still, it's worth believing that people are changing. And one fateful event or, as in the case of Vladimir, a person can change them. After all, there is a version according to which the prince received baptism precisely thanks to one of his wives, namely Saint Anna. It is difficult to describe what a huge contribution to the development of Russia Vladimir made. Why red sun? Yes, because as much light and peace as our fatherland received a century later, our homeland has never seen.
Change in the country
What did Vladimir substantially change in the way of life of the state? Well, of course, this is the baptism of Russia and the expulsion of paganism. The unification of our country in the hands of one ruler is also a great achievement. Of course, then the prince made a big mistake by dividing his possessions between his sons, but he must be given his due, he did not really want to do this. The reins of government Vladimir intended to pass into the hands of his beloved son Boris, but you can imagine how other children reacted to this idea.
last years of life
The reign of Vladimir the Red Sun lasted 46 years. At the end of his life, the prince ruled in Kiev and was very afraid for his life. And this is not surprising. After all, he wanted to write a will, according to which only one of his sons became the heir. Of course, the children did not like this alignment, and in 1014 Svyatopolk went to war with his father. By that time, he managed to marry the daughter of the Polish prince, so that his military detachment was assembled in a fairly quick time. In addition, many subjects of Vladimir supported Svyatopolk. After all, he was not the son of the prince, but adopted. His real father was Yaroslav, whom Vladimir, sitting on the throne of Kiev, killed in cold blood. But the military campaign was unsuccessful. The army was defeated, and Svyatopolk imprisoned.
In 1015, the second son, Yaroslav, spoke out against his father. But he did not go to war, simply the Principality of Novgorod wanted independence and stopped paying tribute. Vladimir did not like this alignment, and he sent an army to settle this issue. But the Kiev prince did not manage to live to the end of this war; on July 15 he dies. Vladimir was buried in Kiev in the Tithe Church next to his Christian wife Anna.
Mark on history
Prince Vladimir lived a very eventful life, and, of course, epics and legends could not ignore such a colorful figure. The Kiev ruler appears in the "Word of Igor’s Regiment", Feofan Prokopovich dedicated his works to him. It is not surprising that the image of Vladimir was reflected in epics, for example, he appears as the main character in the tales of three heroes. Even today, filmmakers remove their tapes about the Baptist of Russia. One of the last was released in 2016 and is called the Viking.
But, of course, every schoolchild knows Vladimir the Red Sun precisely because the prince baptized Russia. Our state was very backward relative to even its neighbors, not to mention European countries. That is why Christianity not only helped people to become more united, but also became an impetus to the development of literacy.
Interesting Facts
Vladimir Krasnoye Solnyshko, whose reign was 969-1015, was able to significantly influence the course of history. Here are the most interesting facts about the prince:
- Vladimir was canonized as a saint only in 1888. This event was timed to coincide with the 900th anniversary of Christianity in Russia.
- In 978, Vladimir killed his brother Yaropolk and thus seized the throne of Kiev.
- The prince introduced the first coins in Russia. They were called zlatniks and silver pieces. Despite the fact that Byzantine gold was in use, the chasing of own money allowed to boost the state economy.
- Thanks to the adoption of Christianity, literacy began to spread in Russia. Precisely because it was necessary to read at least the Bible, enlightenment primarily affected the church and monks.
- Vladimir officially had 11 officially recognized sons.