The Old Russian Principality of Tmutarakan is one of the most mysterious and little-studied formations, a corner that has become home to the Eastern Slavs. It existed on the Taman Peninsula.
General information
The Principality of Tmutarakan existed during the X – XI centuries. It was located several hundred kilometers from the main territory of Kievan Rus. These lands were separated by the Black Sea steppes inhabited by nomads.
The capital of the principality was the city of Tmutarakan. There is no exact information about the date of his accession to the Kiev state. Perhaps the fortress was conquered by Svyatoslav Igorevich during his eastern campaigns against the Khazars. Then he destroyed the enemy capital Sarkel on the banks of the Don and, probably, visited the Taman Peninsula.
The trading port attracted numerous merchants from various countries. Because of this, the principality of Tmutarakan was the most multinational among the Russian provinces. Here lived the Khazars, Greeks, Jews, as well as numerous immigrants from the Caucasus: Ossetians, Alans, etc.
Joining Kiev
Due to its favorable geographical position, the port became a connecting link between Russia and Byzantium. Grand Duke Vladimir Svyatoslavich sent his son Mstislav the Brave to this land, who ruled here in 990-1036. Perhaps it was the baptist of Rus who joined Tmutarakan to his state. The fact is that during the war with Byzantium, he went with an army to the Crimea, which was separated from the port by a small strait. Before this, Tmutarakan belonged to Byzantium. During the crises of Constantinople, emperors could not control the far corners of their power on the northern Black Sea shores. When Russia was baptized, Vladimir could receive Tmutarakan as its protector from the threat of the steppes.
Mstislav Vladimirovich
His son Mstislav regularly waged wars with his neighbors. So, in 1022, he organized a campaign against the mountain Alans. In the war, Mstislav was an ally of Byzantium, who also fought in this region against the Georgian kingdom. This conflict became famous due to the fact that in folklore there was a memory of a duel between the Russian commander and Ruedy. This was the prince of a local tribe of kasogs. According to local customs, conflicts between troops could be settled after a duel between their leaders. Thus, the winner of the martial arts between Rededey and Mstislav could get everything that his opponent owned. The Russian prince managed to defeat Kasog. Mstislav explained this outcome by the fact that the Virgin Mary stood up for him.
After the victory, the Tmutarakan ruler took his wife and children to Rheddy. In addition, he imposed a tribute to all the kasogs. The duel was featured in several ancient chronicles and was mentioned in the "Word of Igor's Regiment", due to which it became widely known. The famous artist Nicholas Roerich captured this plot on canvas in 1943, during the Great Patriotic War, conveying the extreme tension of the battle and predicting victory over the hated enemy.
The war with Kiev
The ambitions of Mstislav did not stop at the distant Tmutarakan principality. He wanted to get Kiev. A few years after the death of his father, Vladimir Svyatoslavich, Mstislav declared war on his brother Yaroslav the Wise. He was not able to get Kiev, but he took possession of Chernihiv, which he made his residence. However, Mstislav did not forget about Tmutarakan. He organized several more hiking in the mountains. In 1029, he fought with the yasas. A few years later, the Russian fleet ended up in the Caspian Sea, and the Slavic army even went to Transcaucasia, to the ancient region of Arran. At this time, Tmutarakan supported the Alans. The city has become home to a wide variety of adventurers and mercenaries from around the world.
Mstislav the Bold was a zealous Christian. After defeating Rededey, he laid the first stone temple in Tmutarakan. After the desolation of the city, it collapsed - its ruins were discovered by modern archaeologists. After the death of Mstislav on a hunt in 1036, the principality of Tmutarakan again departed to the Kiev princes.
Outcast Princes
Following Mstislav Vladimirovich, the distant princes were ruled by outcast princes who were sent here either by infancy or because of a disgusting character. So, in 1064, the grandson of Yaroslav the Wise - Gleb Svyatoslavich, who was expelled by his cousin Rostislav Vladimirovich, ruled here. The remoteness from Kiev made Tmutarakan a convenient arena for endless internecine wars. Often princes were established here thanks to mercenaries from among the Polovtsian nomads. Therefore, it is not surprising that few governors agreed to rule in such a remote land as the Tmutarakan principality. Highlanders and steppe inhabitants were a constant threat to local residents.
In 1069–1079 in the city ruled bat Gleb - Roman. He was killed by the Polovtsy during another war. Then the last reliable Tmutarakan prince Oleg Svyatoslavich appeared here. He could become the ruler of Chernigov, however, due to spoiled relations with the throne of Kiev, he had to flee to the ends of the earth. He was next to Roman during his last unsuccessful trip. If Roman died, then Oleg was captured and was extradited to the Byzantines for ransom. At this time, the emperor of Constantinople was an ally of the Kiev prince - the enemy of Svyatoslavich. Therefore, for several years Oleg was in exile on the island of Rhodes. At this time, princely leapfrog reigned in Tmutarakan. Here, the descendants of Yaroslav the Wise — prince-outcasts David Igorevich and Volodar Rostislavich, were briefly entrenched. The territory of the Tmutarakan principality was terrorized by the Polovtsian hordes. The Greeks considered these lands to be their own, and they considered the local Russian princes as short-term allies and vassals.
Oleg Svyatoslavich
Because of the robberies of the Polovtsy, the new emperor Alexei Komnin in 1081 decided to remove the disgrace from Oleg. By this time, the Chernigov exile managed to marry a Greek woman and become related with the famous aristocratic families of Constantinople. In 1083, thanks to the support of the emperor, he managed to recapture the Old Russian Tmutarakan principality. Oleg received the title of archon (i.e., imperial governor). This state of affairs persisted for ten years, when the province enjoyed peace and profitable trade.
However, in 1094 Oleg decided to return to his homeland. He gathered an army of Polovtsy and set off to conquer Chernihiv, which his father had once ruled. Thus began the war between Oleg and Vladimir Monomakh. Due to the fact that the Tmutarakan outcast brought hordes of nomads to Russia and began a merciless war, he received the nickname Gorislavich. In 1097, Oleg finally received Novgorod-Seversky. Until his death, he no longer returned to the distant Tmutarakan.
The End of Tmutarakan
The principality of Tmutarakan was last mentioned in Russian chronicles in 1094. After that, the region was isolated from its metropolis. The Russian population gradually disappeared from here. In the XII century, power on the Taman Peninsula passed to Byzantium. After the Western crusaders captured Constantinople in 1204, the chaos reigned in the Black Sea colony and the last signs of statehood left these lands. Here began the hegemony of the steppes. But even so, in the late Middle Ages, trading colonies of Genoa appeared on the Taman shores, the merchants of which delivered exotic oriental goods from the Crimea and the Kuban to Western Europe.
Studying the history of the principality
The Old Russian Tmutarakan Principality and its features even today attract the attention of many experts: historians, archaeologists and archivists. Excavations are being conducted on the site of the Russian colonies today, which help to open the veil of secrecy over the life of this state. The coins of the Principality of Tmutarakan are of particular interest. Each new ruler began minting his own currency. Systematization of knowledge about medieval money issued in Tmutarakan allows you to learn more about the then power and order.
From the bygone era, we also left the ruins of Christian temples. One of the Soviet expeditions also discovered a necropolis. In addition, near the city was a Christian monastery.
Everyday life of Tmutarakani
Tmutarakan was a fortress with defensive walls. Fragments of some of them are also preserved. The city was rebuilt several times. In the X century, a new layout was established here, which corresponded to the cardinal points. The Tmutarakan principality in the Kuban possessed lands giving a bountiful harvest. In the capital, next to each house, there were granaries or cellars for similar purposes.
The history of the Principality of Tmutarakan is also studied in everyday objects discovered during archaeological expeditions. Unlike other principalities of Kievan Rus, here, Byzantine-made dishes were used in abundance. This is evidenced by the large number of ceramics found (jugs, amphorae, etc.). Therefore, it is not surprising that some written artifacts found in Tmutarakan are written in Greek. Slavic finds in this fortress are mainly associated with the things of princes, squads, Orthodox ministers and monks. Tmutarakan is a valuable storehouse of rarities due to the brisk trade that was conducted in the port here. The convenient harbor attracted merchants from many different countries.