If we talk about the history of our country, then there are enough vivid figures in it. Almost all are known about some people, and we know practically nothing about someone. What unites them is that their life had a huge impact on the development of Russia. One of such figures is Andrei Bogolyubsky. His historical portrait suggests that he was an outstanding person.
Brief information
It is generally accepted that the future prince was born between 1120 and 1125. He was the second (or third, unknown) son of Prince Yuri Dolgoruky. His mother is the daughter of the then famous Polovtsian khan Aepa Osenevich, for the sake of the union with which this marriage was arranged.
Why is the future prince Andrei Bogolyubsky so important for the history of our country? The historical portrait says that he was the most important political and spiritual figure in 1160-1170, as he not only contributed to the creation of the powerful Vladimir-Suzdal principality (on the site of the former Rostov patrimony of his grandfather, Vladimir Monomakh), but also turned the city of Vladimir-on -Klyazme to the center of the political and spiritual life of Russia. Thus, he squeezed Kiev in this “post”.
Activities of the prince before accession to the throne of Vladimir
We know absolutely nothing about what Andrei Bogolyubsky did and how he lived (a brief biography of which is given in the article) until 1146. But there is still reliable information that after 1130 he married the daughter of boyar Kuchka. The latter left its mark in history by the fact that he was the owner of extensive land plots along the banks of the Moscow river.
His father, Yuri Dolgoruky, always wanted to reign on the throne of Kiev. And a convenient excuse soon introduced itself. In 1146, the people of Kiev invited Izyaslav Mstislavich, who was Dolgoruky’s native nephew, to reign. A stubborn and fierce struggle began, in which not only all the political forces of Russia took part, but even the Poles and Polovtsy, who never missed a chance to cash in on another turmoil.
Yuri managed to take possession of the city twice, but he also managed to be banished from there twice. Only in 1155, when Izyaslav died (perhaps in 1154), he managed to completely subjugate Kiev. His happiness did not last so long: the active prince himself died already in 1157. Andrei throughout this eight-year struggle has repeatedly proved his unparalleled courage. His military talents and analytical mind more than once served the father well.
First appearance on the political scene
For the first time, the young prince Andrei Bogolyubsky (whose brief biography is full of such moments) clearly manifests himself in the aforementioned 1146, when with Rostislav, his own brother, he knocks Prince Rostislav (an ally of Izyaslav) from his own capital. When Dolgoruky once again captures Kiev, Andrey receives Vyshgorod (not far from Kiev) as a gift from him.
In addition, he accompanied his father on a campaign to the Volyn volost, which was the inheritance of Izyaslav. Near Lutsk, in which Vladimir (Izyaslav's brother) sat, he almost died in 1149. The prince was so carried away by the pursuit of enemies that he rode away from his warriors. His horse was wounded, stones were thrown at him from the walls of the city, and some hefty retinue of Vladimir was already prepared to pierce Andrei with a horn.
That day they remembered the martyr Fyodor, to whom the prince prayed: fighting off enemies, he managed to break through the enemy’s barrier with all his might. He owed his final salvation to the faithful horse. He, being mortally wounded, still managed to convey his master to his warriors. For this, Andrew arranged a magnificent funeral for his friend. His horse rested on the banks of the Styr River. Contemporaries noted that the prince was extremely modest and simple man: he never sought the approval of his father, preferring to do everything according to his honor, he was religious. However, Dolgoruky probably saw these qualities, because he loved his son very much.
Andrey peacekeeping
After the siege of Lutsk, Izyaslav began to ask for peace. Only due to the fact that Dolgoruky listened to the opinion of his son, and he extremely disliked senseless civil strife, a peace treaty was signed.
Just a year later, Izyaslav was again able to enter Kiev due to the fact that the townspeople were located to him. Having expelled Dolgoruky, the prince did not want to stop there, having decided to send home and his sons. He decided to start with Rostislav, who at that time reigned in Pereyaslavl. But Andrew came to the aid of his brother. Together they managed to stand the city. Dolgoruky also did not sit still and, with the assistance of Prince Volodimirk, re-captured Kiev. Andrei was entrusted with the defense in Peresopitsa, where it was possible to effectively defend the border from Volyn.
Izyaslav sent messengers to him with the order to ask his father to give the nephew the volosts "along the Goryn". But this time, Andrei could not soften his father, who was terribly angry at Izyaslav. Then he called for help from the Ugrian tribe, with the help of which, and with the active assistance of the people of Kiev, he was again able to occupy the long-suffering city. Yuri was forced to retreat to Gorodets-Oster, where Andrei soon arrived.
Defeat Dolgoruky
In 1151, Yuri again unleashed a war in which Andrei showed no less valor than during the siege of Lutsk. However, everything was unsuccessful, Dolgoruky’s troops were defeated. He himself was blocked in Pereyaslavl by Izyaslav, and therefore was forced to swear to his nephew that he renounces his claims to Kiev, promising to leave for Suzdal in a month. Andrei, in his peaceful manner, immediately went to his beloved Suzdal, ardently persuading his father to abandon the stupid and meaningless war and follow his example. The stubborn Yuri still made another attempt to gain a foothold on Kiev land: he settled in Gorodok, but Izyaslav defeated him again and, under the threat of imprisonment, managed to force his uncle to leave.
Occupation of the Suzdal throne
In 1152, Andrei participated in his father’s campaign in the city of Chernihiv. This event was unique in that Dolgoruky managed to put under his banner not only many Russian princes, but also Polovtsy allied with them. But the combined squad could not take the city, as Izyaslav Mstislavich arrived to the rescue of the besieged. When in 1155, Yuri still managed to finally ascend the throne of Kiev, he put Andrei to reign in Vyshgorod. But the young prince did not like those places, and therefore, tired of the endless contention, without the will of his father went to Suzdal. In those lands, the reign of Andrei Bogolyubsky led to the emergence of a new and very strong principality.
There, the devout Andrei took away the Vyshgorod clergy, as well as the sword of St. Boris and the Mother of God image, which today is known throughout the Orthodox world as the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. With this, he so endeared to the local nobility that the will of his father, offended by his son because of his refusal to occupy the Vyshgorod throne and bequeathed Suzdal to his younger brothers Andrei, was not fulfilled: the boyars sent them home, and unanimously proposed the throne to Bogolyubsky. After that, he started reforms, which resulted in the transfer of the capital of the Suzdal principality to Vladimir.
Grand Duke (1157-1174)
Mindful of the bloody and fatal wars for the state that the father unleashed, initially Andrei Bogolyubsky (reigned from 1157 to 1174) devoted all his strength to creating a strong and united principality. Around 1161, he withstands a clash with a number of younger Yuryevichs, each of whom wanted to reign alone.
As a result, he expels all his younger brothers, Dolgoruky’s wife and a galaxy of other relatives to Byzantium, where they find refuge and protection from Emperor Manuel I Komnin. In addition, the prince expelled almost all the boyars of his father, which clearly indicates the incredible scale of the reforms undertaken by him.
Relations with the Church
At this time, a heated conflict broke out with the Rostov bishop Leon (t) om, whom the prince in the interval between 1159-1164 twice expelled from the city. The reason for the fierce hostility of the prince, who was distinguished by great piety, with the church, was the bishop's desire to introduce Byzantine practice. And the domestic policy of Andrei Bogolyubsky has never been distinguished by the desire for concessions.
We are talking about the Russian custom of canceling posts on Wednesday and Friday, if that day was a church or a great holiday. The bishop fiercely protested against such "liberties." The background of this dispute was precisely ecclesiastical; one should not see in it the prince’s attempt to challenge the supremacy of Byzantium: at that time similar conflicts were spread throughout Russia, not only Andrei Bogolyubsky was involved in them. Briefly summarizing, it can be assumed that the acute church-political situation that prevailed in Russia at that time also contributed to this contradiction.
The fact is that Andrew seriously intended to separate the Kiev Metropolis from Rostov. The prince wanted to put his favorite, Bishop Theodorets, over the Rostov Metropolitanate, which was contrary to the politics of not only Kiev, but also Rostov church leaders. Of course, Andrei received a categorical refusal of the Patriarch of Constantinople, Luke Chrisoverga. However, for diligence and sincere participation in church affairs, the prince was granted permission to transfer the bishop's residence to Vladimir.
But this was done only in 1169. Due to some sharp disagreements with Theodorets, Andrei Bogolyubsky sends him to Kiev, where the former bishop is brutally executed.
Monastery construction
Andrei Bogolyubsky (whose historical portrait we are describing) is still revered in the Church not only for his reform work in the spiritual sphere, but also for his active participation in the construction of many churches and monasteries. All these architectural objects are unique in that they bear the distinctive seal of Western European church construction. This was largely due to the fact that Galician artels of stone workers and builders took part in their construction. However, this is of interest only to architects, while something else is important.
The splendor and truly divine beauty of the temples built then clearly demonstrated the superiority of Orthodoxy over pagan cults. Andrei Bogolyubsky built not only churches - he built the strong foundation of Orthodoxy in his land.
In addition, all this contributed to the enlightenment of the Rostov-Suzdal land. Many foreign ambassadors, as contemporaries wrote, "Yes, see true Christianity and be baptized." Simply put, Andrew was also a talented missionary, who contributed to the mass transition of people to Orthodoxy. The church has noted this. So, the portrait of Andrei Bogolyubsky was captured on many icons of that time.
But the prince was not at all a zealous confessor who lived in isolation from earthly affairs. First, we have already pointed out the importance of building temples in enlightenment. Secondly, building churches on previously undeveloped lands, Andrei contributed to their active involvement in economic activity. The fact that the templars perfectly collected taxes, and it turned out that they are much better than the secular rulers. Finally, historians are sincerely grateful to the reformer.
It was Andrei Bogolyubsky, whose reign was marked by many important events, who approved the orderly chronicle in the Principality of Rostov, in which the monks of the Assumption Cathedral took an active part. There is also a well-founded assumption that it was he who participated in the creation of the Charter of St. Vladimir, which to this day lies at the heart of many church documents.
Strengthening the Principality of Vladimir
Do not think that Andrei Bogolyubsky was completely devoid of power ambitions. So, the main focus of many of his reforms was the future elevation of the Principality of Vladimir. Everything rested on the need to subordinate their power to Novgorod and Kiev. When the prince, who turned out to be also a talented politician, managed to resolve issues with the Ryazan princes, but they proved to be his faithful allies, participating in all military campaigns of the Principality of Vladimir. Inspired by success, Andrei Bogolyubsky begins to directly intervene in the internal politics of independent Novgorod, demanding that his nobility enthrone only the princes he pleases.
When Svyatoslav Rostislavich, who was personally hostile to Prince Vladimir of Vladimir, sat on the throne of Novgorod in 1160, Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky sent an unambiguous letter to the townspeople: “If you know: I want to look for Novgorod kindly and courageously.” The Novgorodians were afraid of terrible words, immediately expelled Svyatoslav and put him on the reign of Mstislav, who was Andrei Bogolyubsky's native nephew. But already in 1161, the father of Svyatoslav reconciled with Andrei, and together they again put the exiled prince to reign in Novgorod. It is not surprising that the rule of Andrei Bogolyubsky led to his confrontation with the southern princes, who rightly saw in him a direct competitor to their independence.
Expansion of spheres of influence
By the end of 1160, the interests of the prince went far beyond the borders of his lands. If during the reign of Rostislav Mstislavich Smolensky (cousin Andrei) there was a special agreement that delimited the spheres of influence between different princes, then after his death it suddenly turned out that the superiority of forces in political life indicates the complete superiority of the Principality of Vladimir. The competent policy of Andrei Bogolyubsky led to this.
Campaign to Kiev
When the city was conquered by the Volyn prince Mstislav Izyaslavich, who had allies of the Galician princes and Poles, Bogolyubsky immediately went on a campaign of “eleven princes”. Among them were not only faithful Ryazans, but even the heirs of Rostislav Rurik and David, Roman Rostislavich Smolensky, Chernigov rulers Oleg and Igor Svyatoslavichi, as well as prince Dorobuzhsky Vladimir Andreevich. In modern language, Andrei created a powerful allied coalition.
A strong and experienced army was taken from Kiev in the summer (Andrei Bogolyubsky had many personal accounts for the city) in 1169, and the “capital city” was completely plundered. However, no one sympathized with the people of Kiev, since shortly before that a new church confrontation had arisen with them again. The fact is that Metropolitan Constantine II imposed a ban on the ministry of the Kiev-Pechora Father Superior Polycarp, who supported Andrei in a memorable “fast” dispute. After the conquest of Kiev, his younger brother, Andrei Gleb Yurievich, was seated on his throne. In those days, this clearly indicated that Kiev had become a subordinate city. Thus, the policy of Andrei Bogolyubsky bore fruit.
Novgorod campaign
In the winter of 1169-1170, a campaign was made to Novgorod. This was due to the intersection of the interests of the two principalities in Podvinye, where at that time there was an intensive colonial expansion. In battle, the Suzdal-Vladimir army was defeated. There is a legend that Novgorod managed to be defended only thanks to the miraculous intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos through the icon of the Sign. In honor of this event, the icon “The Battle of Novgorodians with Suzdal” was painted.
However, this did not help much to the Novgorodians. A year later, in the winter of 1171-1172, they were forced to recognize the power of the Vladimir prince. This was due to the fact that his troops simply blocked the supply of bread from the south. In 1172, Yuri, son of Andrei, was seated on the Novgorod throne. Soon, the power was recognized by the Rostislavichs, who entered into a military alliance with Bogolyubsky. Thus, by that time the foreign policy of Andrei Bogolyubsky began to resemble the behavior of his father, Yuri Dolgoruky.
Recession crisis
By that time, the territory of the Vladimir-Suzdal principality had expanded significantly from the eastern direction due to the lands of the Volga Bulgaria (after the laying of Gorodets-Radilov). In addition, the expansion occurred due to the accession of part of the northern territories. So, managed to capture Zavolochye (Dodge).
But in the 1170s, signs of a crisis in foreign and domestic politics began to grow. The fact of constant military campaigns and military intimidation indicates that the Vladimir prince simply had no other arguments, and the activities of Andrei Bogolyubsky at that time were aimed only at maintaining power.
The campaign against the Volga Bulgars, organized in 1172, was not adequately supported by the allied forces of the princes of Murom and Ryazan.Social politics
Historians say that the activity of Andrei Bogolyubsky led to this situation. Constant military and fiscal pressure led to the fact that the relations of the prince with the nobility began to upset. And this concerned not only the Rostov boyars, but also those people loyal to the prince from Vladimir whom he had elevated from the service class. Soon relations with Rostislavovich were broken. Andrei received a denunciation in which it was said that his brother Gleb was poisoned, and the names of some Kiev boyars who were involved in this were mentioned. The prince demanded that the Rostislavichs issue the people indicated in the denunciation.
But they considered that the denunciation did not have sufficient grounds, and therefore disobeyed the order. Angry, Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky ordered them to leave the cities in which they ruled by his will. Prince Roman obeyed, but the other rulers were offended. They sent a message to Andrei, in which they directly indicated their good attitude towards him, but warned that they would be forced to go to war against Prince Vladimir if he continued to force them to obey.
There was no response. Then the Rostislavichs captured Kiev, drove out the brother of Bogolyubsky, Vsevolod, and put their own brother Rurik on reign. Andrei's other brother, Mikhail, who was besieged in Torchesk, concluded an alliance agreement with them, but demanded that Pereyaslavl go under his arm.
Having learned about these events, Bogolyubsky sent an ambassador to the Rostislavich brothers, who once again gave them his order to leave the cities under their reign and leave "back home." The ambassador was not lucky: Mstislav, the eldest of the princes, was not accustomed to fear and tremble, and therefore ordered to shave the messenger baldly and cut his beard. He ordered the latter to tell Andrei: “Until now, we have honored you as a father ... but if you send ambassadors to me with such speeches, the way God will judge us.” Contemporaries of the prince testified that Bogolyubsky terribly darkened his face upon hearing such words, and then ordered to assemble a huge army (up to 50 thousand) and go to Mstislav in Vyshgorod.
The social portrait of Andrei Bogolyubsky by that time underwent dramatic changes: instead of a peacemaker and a neat politician, a tough and cruel figure appeared in which the features of his imperious father were more clearly visible. In the end, this had a bad effect on the internal affairs of the principality.
Loss of influence
His chronicler noted with regret that the valiant Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky in all respects (whose biography had not had such moments before) succumbed to irrepressible anger and pride, and therefore said such impudent and evil words. Having added Smolyan (involuntarily) to his army, as well as the troops of some Russian princes and Polovtsians, he went on a campaign. But the
brave Mstislav defended Vyshgorod so well that the whole huge army took to flight.
Prince Andrew completely lost his influence on the southern rulers. But even those things were not going so smoothly: just a year later, confusion began in their possessions connected with the loss of the Kiev throne, and therefore the Rostislavichs sent ambassadors to Bogolyubsky in order to ask him about the Kiev throne for Prince Roman. No one knows how the negotiations would end, but at this time Andrei Bogolyubsky, whose historical portrait we presented in this article, is dying.