Why did ancient civilizations arise in the valleys of great rivers? Thanks to the fertility of the soil, which prompted our ancestors to think about farming. Something like this was explained to us at school in history lessons. But this is just one of the theories. There are many others, some of which are no less believable. According to one hypothesis, it was there that ancient paths ran, real highways, along which huge herds of animals moved long before our era. If drought occurred in their habitats, they were forced to seek salvation, often moving thousands of kilometers. There were many reasons for this migration. Earthquakes, floods, volcanic eruptions. And there were places where crowds of animals were so massive that people founded permanent hunting camps there. Between the rivers, for example, as between the Tigris and the Euphrates. And so as not to completely depend on the direction of migration of their prey, they began to create food reserves, mastering agriculture and cattle breeding.
There were several such transcontinental highways. One of them led north to the Arctic regions and back. The Dnieper, Danube, Volga and the great Siberian rivers were no less attractive to ancient hunters than the Nile or the Yangtze. Especially if the climate in the Arctic was much warmer, and most scientists now agree on this. It was these rivers that later became the birthplace of Russian civilization. The harsh climate delayed its development for a long time, but he also developed survival skills in conditions that would become unacceptable for the inhabitants of Mesopotamia.
From the Carpathians to the Oka
Perhaps the first inhabitants of Russia moved from the Carpathians and the Dnieper, gradually populating the northern and eastern lands. Part of the tribes chose the northern land route. Here, almost in the center of the future Russian state, this path intersected with the road from Valdai to Ararat and further to West Asia and Africa. The turn to Scandinavia also ended up within Russia. When did the first centers of civilization appear on this territory?
At the end of the XIX century in the upper reaches of the Oka, Moscow and Dnieper rivers, vessels were found with unknown letters written on them. Perhaps these are the first, yet Proto-Slavic letters. But the material monuments of the cultures existing there in a damp and humid climate were quickly destroyed. In addition, the main building material of the inhabitants of these territories has always been wood. Thus, the baptism of Ancient Russia, with all the enormous significance of this fact, did not become the main reason for the emergence of the state, now called Russia. And what was the significance of this event? The prerequisites, causes and consequences of the baptism of Rus will be considered below.
Varangians and Bulgars
It was unlikely that the Varangians could create it out of nothing, which until recently was considered historical reality. If only because they were unable to create a state even in their homeland, in Scandinavia. Rurik with the squad captured Ladoga and Novgorod in 862. It is unlikely that these same people threatened Constantinople in the ranks of Oleg’s squad in 911. There could be their descendants, assimilated in numerous tribes of the Slavs, who developed the lands in the north. Prior to this, scattered Finno-Ugric tribes lived here. But the territory was so large that no significant military clashes between aliens and people already settled in the northeast did not occur. The first cities in this territory were built by the Eastern Slavs. Only one state is known that hindered the advance of Russia to the east. This is Volga-Kama Bulgaria. Collisions with her in the X century did not lead to the victory of either side.
Russia under Yaroslav
To this day, disputes about the geographical location of Russia have not subsided. The famous historian Arnold Toynbee considered our country to be one of two Christian civilizations, a Western twin brother, European. But the Western brothers still understand Russia no more than in the days of Kievan Rus, or maybe even less. Then Kievan Rus, occupying most of Eastern Europe, played a very important role in this region.
Three daughters of Yaroslav the Wise became spouses of European kings: French, Norwegian and Hungarian. His sister was married to the king of Poland, and the princess from Sweden became the wife of the Grand Duke himself. At the court of Yaroslav the Wise, two princes from England found refuge. Such was the era of the highest power of the Old Russian state that had already become Orthodox, centered on the banks of the Dnieper. But even before the baptism, the Russians were well known to Western states. So, what are the prerequisites for the baptism of Russia? This will be briefly described below.
Three princes and the holy princess
Speaking of Kievan Rus (the prerequisites and consequences of baptism will be discussed later) before the adoption of Christianity, three princes are usually mentioned: Oleg, Igor and Svyatoslav. In addition to strengthening their power in the already developed territory, they were characterized by attempts to spread the influence of the newly emerged power to the south. Here clashes with Byzantium were inevitable. Everyone knows the campaign of Prince Oleg, when he nailed his shield to the gates of Constantinople. His son was more concerned about the subordination of neighboring Slavic tribes, but Svyatoslav almost managed to push the borders of Russia to the Danube. Novgorod, and later the Prince of Kiev, he began to rule the power on his own in about 961. Prior to this, according to the infancy of her son, Princess Olga was the sovereign ruler. And later, he was little interested in affairs within the state.
Svyatoslav and his campaigns
In 955-957, a significant event took place for Russia: Princess Olga was baptized. But she failed to persuade her son to abandon pagan beliefs. He was busy with other things. In the early 60s of the X century, he took his first significant trip to the valleys of the Oka and Volga, where he imposed tribute to the Vyatichi tribes. According to some sources, he had serious clashes with the Volga Bulgaria. But this is not entirely reliable information.
The main goal of Svyatoslav was the powerful Khazar Khaganate. According to one of the well-known versions, Sarkel, the Khazar city on the banks of the Don, was taken first. Then the capital of the Kaganate fell, the city of Itil at the mouth of the Volga. The last victim of the prince was Semender, located on the coast of the Caspian Sea. It is possible that it was then that the legendary Tmutarakan on the Taman Peninsula became Russian.
But Svyatoslav did not stop there. He was drawn to the banks of the Danube, where a clash with the First Bulgarian Kingdom was inevitable. It, in turn, was at war with Byzantium. All this was far from the interests of Russia itself. The founding of the capital of the state at the mouth of the Danube was also hardly possible. In the end, the border in the west remained unchanged. Attempts to seize the lower reaches of the Volga and the trade route through the Caspian Sea to Iran and India were also unsuccessful. But the movement to the north and northeast continued.
Christians before baptism
If, speaking about Russian civilization before the X century, we can not touch on religious issues, then after 988 we should already be talking about the Orthodox state, although it became so, of course, not in the blink of an eye. But the idea of ​​a completely pagan Kievan Rus before the conversion of Prince Vladimir is also historically incorrect.
So, from 945 to 969, the state was ruled by a Christian, Princess Olga. She could not convert her son to true faith, but she certainly managed to raise the grandchildren of Yaropolk and Vladimir in the right spirit. They were under her care until the age of 12-13 years old, the age at that time was already quite capable. Yaropolk, having become the ruler of the country for a short time, patronized the Christians, although it is not known whether he himself was baptized.
Orthodoxy at that time simply could not be completely unknown in Russia. It is located along the famous caravan route. Economic and sociocultural ties led to a variety of religious beliefs. This information cannot be trusted one hundred percent, but, apparently, Prince Askold, who died in 882, could also be a Christian.
The first reliable information that a community of Christians existed in Kiev dates back to the middle of the 10th century. At the time of signing the contract with Byzantium, Prince Igor mentioned the collegiate church of the holy prophet Elijah. It was she who was sworn allegiance to the word by adherents of the right faith who arrived with the prince. The others swore an oath on weapons in the name of Perun. Thus, two communities peacefully coexisted in Kiev: pagan and Christian.
There are indications of two baptisms of the Rus in the 9th century. The sacrament happened over those who took part in the attack on Constantinople, and this is mentioned in the epistle by Patriarch Photius. This is also mentioned in the Byzantine chronicles. But the metropolis of "Russia" did not apply to Kiev. It is possible that this was the territory of the Eastern Crimea and the Taman Peninsula, that is, Tmutarakan. Such is the first reason and premise of the baptism of Russia. In any case, Christianity in Russia by the 10th century was no longer something unknown, and this facilitated the general Christianization of the state.
Where was Vladimir baptized?
What else relates to the premises of the baptism of Rus? This will be discussed later. The religious representations of the Slavs, especially of the tribes for which Kiev became the center of attraction, were the result of observing nature, and then worshiping the most formidable manifestations of the elements. The religion of the ancient peoples, but not the Slavs, can be called God-seeking. They did not even have any hint of faith in the One God. In addition, in most of the tribes of our ancestors, the priests did not have any special power. The priestly caste has simply not yet developed. Princely power was much more tangible. This means that the decision of the ruler to change the religion of an entire nation could well find support, and there was no one to lead the opposition. This fact can be considered the next reason and prerequisite for the baptism of Russia (in the 10th grade, students study this topic in more detail). The first centuries of Kievan Rus did not fight pagan beliefs at the state level. On the contrary, the “natural history” representations of the people were adapted by Christianity without much damage to themselves.
The baptism of Russia refers to completely different sacraments, not those that happen to man. An event of a thousand years ago is primarily a political affirmation of Christianity. Here the local church established itself. She, in turn, was ruled by an episcopate.
It is not known how this happened. The canonical version is based on The Tale of Bygone Years. The prince sent ambassadors who liked the divine service in Constantinople most of all. Even at first glance, this version seems naive. And the conversion of Vladimir himself in Chersonesos is questioned by many. He could even be baptized by the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga in early childhood. In addition, the sacrament could be performed on him in Kiev or in the princely residence in Vasilev.
Nevertheless, the Byzantine version is still considered the main one. It is confirmed by long-standing and strong ties between Kiev and Constantinople. On the other hand, Russia had no less close ties with Bulgaria. But the political reasons for joining the number of Christian countries, of course, were also.
The choice of Orthodoxy
There were chronicles before the "Tale of Bygone Years." Information about them has been preserved in the “Memory and Praise to the Prince of Russia Vladimir” by Jacob Mnikh (monk). He attributes the baptism of the Grand Duke to 987, and the campaign to Korsun (Khersones) to 989. That is, the campaign was undertaken three years after the main event of Russian history. The point here may be as follows. The Tale lags behind the events described in it by almost 100 years. Therefore, the chronicler could well combine several events into one. Knowing the hesitations of the Russian prince, the Bulgars, the former Mohammedans, the Jews of the Khazars and the "Germans" could well send embassies to him, as representatives of all Catholic countries called us for many centuries. The fact of the arrival of ambassadors from Rome to Kiev is known. But their mission was not successful. Eastern Christians also offered their faith. Most likely, they were the Bulgarians. It is worth mentioning the problems of the prince with eyesight and the same trip to the Crimea. He was committed in retaliation for the violation of the oath by the Byzantines: for military assistance they pledged to give princess Anna as wife to Vladimir. With the help of such a profitable marriage, he could stand on a par with all European monarchs. What, in fact, happened after baptism. Therefore, the prerequisites for the baptism of Russia include politics.
Why, then, does the church honor the choice of the Grand Duke as one of the manifestations of God's Providence? After all, it was beneficial both from a political and economic point of view. In addition, the appeal of Vladimir can be considered one of the stages of the consistent Christianization of the rulers of other countries of Central Europe. In the X century, the rulers of Poland, Denmark, Norway, and Hungary received baptism. But its steppe neighbors were much more often the allies of Russia, and the Bulgars on the Volga were economic partners and competitors. Therefore, the version of "imitation" is unconvincing. Although one of the motivating reasons, prerequisites for the formation of the Old Russian state and the baptism of Russia, this could well become. It is more interesting why the “Latin” option was not chosen. After all, Princess Olga sent ambassadors to the German king Oton I. And asked to send preachers. However, the missionaries who arrived in Kiev met a very unkind reception. Simply put, they barely took their feet. The request of the princess was probably caused by some political claims of Byzantium. But submission to the Pope seemed even more unacceptable, which was confirmed by the further course of history.
The postulates of Christianity had to be taught. The Greek priesthood was not numerous, and their knowledge of the Russian language left much to be desired. The first Greek metropolitan, who arrived from the Patriarch of Constantinople, headed the Kiev department only in 1037. Bulgaria was baptized almost a hundred years earlier than Russia, and there was a rich library of patriotic works in the Slavic language. Naturally, the fraternal state played a huge role in the baptism of the northeastern neighbor. This is another secret of the relative ease with which pagan tribes accepted faith in one god. People accepted and adopted the religion, which they spoke about in their native language. Literature was also available after the works of Cyril and Methodius. In Western Europe, there were great difficulties, since few knew Latin, and the priests had to take their word for it. Therefore, in 990, Prince Vladimir was not afraid to call on Kiev for baptism almost in a commanding tone.
Pagan Russia
By that time, the pantheon of pagan deities in Kiev was headed by Perun. It was a “newcomer” god. After a quarrel with his brothers and the death of Oleg, Vladimir fled to the Vikings. Apparently, he also visited the Baltic Slavs. From there he brought the cult of the god of war, thunder and lightning. There is a need to strengthen the vertical of power not only in the state, but also in the other world. Especially after the seizure of power, as a result of which Yaropolk was killed. Moreover, Vladimir most likely relied on the support of those who were dissatisfied with the pro-Orthodox policies of the former prince. The beliefs of the Rus were very diverse. Most respected were the Dajd-god, the giver of light, and Veles, the patron saint of herds. Stribog personified the wind. Svarog was considered the father of the sun, although he had no specific functions. But Dazhd-god was called Svarozhich, therefore, the son of Svarog, who can be considered the supreme deity. The female deity Mokosh is also known. And, of course, Mother of the Earth-Cheese was revered. No cult buildings existed, limited to primitive wooden idols. Ancestors were honored. Genus (Schur) made plant sacrifices. Human sacrifices are not widespread in Russia.
Perun was more bloodthirsty. The story of the death of the first Christian martyrs in Russia is associated with the advancement of the “Thunderer” to first place in the pantheon. The victory over the Lithuanian tribe of the Yatvyag, according to the prince, required a sacrifice. The lot fell on the son of a Christian. They locked themselves at home, and were torn to pieces by the crowd. Such was the first Orthodox prince of Kievan Rus. He did not differ in the sanctity of life. It is even more amazing how such a person could choose faith, where repentance and humility come first.
The meaning of the baptism of Rus
We have already considered the background of this event. What did this lead to? It was Orthodoxy that gave our country such a long history. In modern language, with it Russia acquired its national idea. Catholicism changed and transformed, divided into many movements and faiths, which gave rise to many religious wars. Orthodoxy, at its core, has remained unchanged. What did it give Russia in the secular sense of the word? The ancient Slavs did not have very pious customs. For example, blood feud was considered a duty of honor and replaced the law. The state did not have any judicial functions until the reign of Yaroslav the Wise.
There was also human trafficking. It was not so widespread as that of the Normans, but it was not very rare either. If Christianization meant enslavement for the same Baltic Slavs, then in Russia the baptism of Russia (the preconditions for the adoption of Christianity are discussed in the article) took place almost in a natural way. The Russian princes did not organize crusades against the rebellious tribes. In Western Europe, starting from the early Middle Ages, bonfires began to burn. In Russia, this was recorded in writing in 1227, and only then in the 15th century. The clergy were tolerant of pagan remnants.
The positive role of the baptism of Rus is undeniable (the background and results became the subject of our review) in strengthening statehood. New economic conditions required new forms of governance. Tensions arose between different strata of the population. Community self-government could not remove it.
The sphere of secular culture has also undergone changes. Many travelers from Europe marveled at the literacy of the "barbarians" in the east. Her training began already under Vladimir. On a wider scale, his work was continued by Yaroslav. Novgorod and Kiev were the largest cities of their time and were amazing in the beauty of stone buildings. Meanwhile, more recently, this material was hardly used in construction.
The creation of the vertical of power contributed to the strengthening of the state. Close ties with Byzantium became not only political, but also spiritual. The support of Kiev by Constantinople played a significant role in the early history of our state. Previously, Russia was reckoned with, as a rule, because of the military power of the "barbarian" power, but after baptism, it is one of the civilized countries on equal terms, and begins to develop trade relations with many Asian and European states. That's all the prerequisites and the significance of the baptism of Russia.