In 1053, Vladimir, a descendant of the Rurikovich, was born into the family of Anna (the Greek princess) and Vsevolod I Yaroslavich. He received the nickname Monomakh from the family of his mother. According to historians, Anna was either the daughter or niece of the Byzantine emperor himself. In this article, you will be presented with a short biography of Vladimir Monomakh.
Childhood
The childhood of the prince passed at the court of his father - Vsevolod. From a young age he showed himself courageous and resourceful. The fault was the training with the centurions of the prince's squad. We can say that the military biography of Vladimir Monomakh began from the moment when the prince turned 14 years old. Just then, he led the squad and periodically made long trips with her. Young Vladimir brutally crushed the uprising of the Vyatichi and made several successful sorties into the Polovtsian territory. The prince also loved hunting. Moreover, he did not allow rangers to protect themselves from danger. Because of this, Vladimir Monomakh, whose brief biography is known to all schoolchildren, constantly fell into unpleasant situations: he was under the legs of an elk and on the horns of a deer. And on one of the hunts, a wild boar managed to tear a sword from his thigh.
Campaigns and the death of the father
The further biography of Vladimir Monomakh included several important campaigns. In 1076, together with the Poles and Oleg Svyatoslavich, he went against the Czechs. And then he twice spoke with Svyatopolk and his father against Prince Polotsky. Two years later, Vsevolod became the prince of Kiev, having given under the leadership of Vladimir Chernigov. In 1080, Monomakh repulsed several Polovtsian raids on his lands, and also destroyed the nomad torks.
In 1093, Vsevolod died, and Vladimir had the opportunity to take the throne in Kiev. But, not wanting a war with his cousin Svyatopolk, he ceded this right to him. Monomakh himself remained to rule in Chernigov and extended his power to Smolensk and Rostov.
When Svyatopolk Izyaslavich
After the death of Vsevolod, Vladimir and Svyatopolk were defeated by the Polovtsy on Stugn. Then they met them again in the new battle of Halep. Nobody knows the outcome of the battle, but after it a truce was immediately concluded, held together by the union of Svyatopolk and the daughter of Khan Tugorkan.
Soon the world was broken, and in 1094, the Polovtsy repulsed Vladimir Chernigov, which forced him to settle in the Pereyaslav Principality. In the next few years, he and Svyatopolk participated in numerous campaigns against the Polovtsy, recapturing the cities he had seized and uniting Russian lands.
The beginning of reign
After the death of Svyatopolk in 1113, the biography of Vladimir Monomakh was marked by a very significant event. Because of the uprising that broke out in Kiev, the upper classes of society asked him to take the throne. Become a prince, Vladimir crushed the rebellion, but nevertheless softened the position of the lower classes by approving several laws. So the “Charter on cuts" appeared, which limited the income of usurers, determined the rules of enslavement and facilitated the situation of purchases and debtors.
During this period, the prince was actively engaged in strengthening Kievan Rus. 3/4 of its territories were under his leadership at the expense of his sons. Another way of control was dynastic marriages between Rurikovich. All the daughters and granddaughters of the ruler were extradited for different princes. According to the biography of Vladimir Monomakh of that period, stability in the state rested only on the authority of the prince. He earned it in the fight against the Polovtsy.
War with Byzantium
The biography of Prince Vladimir Monomakh includes campaigns not only to protect their own lands, but also with the aim of capturing strangers. So, in 1114, False Genius II appeared in Russia, declaring himself a descendant of the Byzantine emperor. Monomakh supported him, betraying his daughter Maria as an impostor. In 1116, having gathered a significant army, Vladimir went to Byzantium by war under the pretext of returning the throne to the “true prince”. With the support of Monomakh, False Genius conquered several Danube cities. In one of them he was overtaken by two assassins sent by Alexei I (Byzantine emperor). But the war did not end there. Vladimir continued to act in the interests of Vasily (the son of False Biogen), but all his attempts were unsuccessful. Soon, Byzantium conquered all the Danube lands. The war ended with a dynastic marriage in 1123: the prince’s granddaughter married the Byzantine emperor. This concludes the short biography of Vladimir Monomakh. It remains to say a few words about his death.
Death
Vladimir Monomakh, whose brief biography was presented in this article, ruled in Kiev for almost 13 years. He died in May 1125 and was buried in St. Sophia Cathedral next to his father. Now, thanks to the lessons of history, everyone knows the name Monomakh. He was the greatest prince who united the Russian land, defended it and nipped all civil strife. To achieve these goals, he made more than eighty campaigns. The merits of the prince are undeniable. No wonder Monomakh’s cap is considered the crown of the autocracy and a symbol of the unification of Russian lands.