There are few cities in our country, the history of which causes as much controversy as Vladimir-on-Klyazma. The year of Vladimir’s foundation is a subject of scientific debate that has been going on for about two centuries. So far, the results of this protracted discussion have not yet been summed up. And today, the year of Vladimir’s founding is a controversial issue.
Two main versions
It is customary to calculate the age of the cities of Ancient Rus at the first mention of them in the annals. But with regard to the city of interest to us, this principle cannot be applied, since there are certain complications. The year of foundation and mention of Vladimir in the annals is indicated differently. This city, according to one of them (The Power Book, Vladimir Chronicler, Nikonovskaya, Voskresenskaya, Sofia First Annals, etc.), was erected by Vladimir Svyatoslavich at the end of the 10th century.
According to other sources, the year of Vladimir’s founding in the annals (Lviv, Novgorod first) is 1108 or around this time. The city was founded, according to the second point of view, by Vladimir Monomakh, the Pereyaslavl prince.
Depending on which annals scientists consider the most authoritative, they put forward and substantiate various conclusions about dating. The foundation year of Vladimir and the year of the first mention of it are of interest to many historians today.
Opinions of Tatishchev and Karamzin
For example, V.N. Tatishchev was one of the first to question the initial point of view. He believed that the 90s of the 10th century in the annals refers to the foundation of Vladimir Volynsky, and not Vladimir-on-Klyazma. The scientist substantiated his point of view by the fact that until the time of Yuri Dolgoruky, Vladimir Zalessky was not mentioned anywhere. N.M. Karamzin also referred the foundation of this city to the beginning of the 12th century.
What did Fedotov, Bunin and Voronin think?
Most scholars of later times took the positions of Karamzin and Tatishchev. They tried to reinforce the argument that the foundation year of Vladimir was the 1108th (or roughly the beginning of the 12th century) with new arguments. Suzdal and Rostov, Fedotov pointed out, were proud that their cities were more ancient than Vladimir. Repeating Tatishchev's argument that this city is not mentioned in the annals in connection with Oleg’s war with Mstislav at the end of the 11th century, A.I. Bunin added that Mstislav, after having freed the scorched Suzdal, decided to stay in it. And if Vladimir already existed at that time, it would be more convenient to settle in it.
In several works, Voronin N.N. It also raises the question of which year the founding of Vladimir should be considered true. The scientist in the works of the 30-40s defined him as the end of the 11th century. Later, on the basis of the Lviv and Novgorod first annals, he decided that the year Vladimir was founded was 1108. However, there are other opinions.
Opinions of Kosatkin and Joseph
The arguments of those who believe that Vladimir was the year the city was founded are not sufficiently substantiated and few in number. Kosatkin and Josaph pointed to the correspondence, known from the Nikon Chronicle, of Andrei Bogolyubsky with Luke Khrizoverg, the Byzantine patriarch. It mentions that the city was founded by Vladimir Svyatoslavich. However, these authors are reproached for the fact that the authority of this correspondence has not been proven.
Question of Buried Coins
The year of the founding of Vladimir and the year of the first mention of him were also of interest to Tikhonravov. One cannot call convincing the argumentation of this scientist who tried to justify the early date by finds in the vicinity of the city of treasures of coins dating back to the 7-10th centuries.
Opponents objected that these coins could be buried many centuries after they were put into circulation. However, this is possible only theoretically, but practically unlikely. It is difficult to assume that many coins of the 7-10th centuries were completely inviolable to someone, and during the burial, not a single coin was added that belonged to the time when the treasure was hidden. It seems, however, that the vulnerability of Tikhonravov’s position is different. Treasures of coins are located along a very busy Volga trade route in antiquity. It is very likely that they may not have a direct relationship with Vladimir, despite the fact that they were sheltered at the end of the 10th century.
Moments missed by some scholars
It is impossible not to notice, referring to the argumentation of scientists who believed that the foundation of Vladimir was at the beginning of the 12th century, the tendency to consider this issue in isolation, without touching the problems of the Christianization of North-Eastern Russia, which narrows the already artificially poor source research base. Often the study of written monuments is replaced by constructions that are based on indirect evidence. From chronicles, sometimes places are omitted that contradict the established conclusions of various scholars.
Did Vladimir Monomakh really founded the city?
Annalistic news that the city was founded by Vladimir Svyatoslavich, N.N. Voronin declared legendary. He associated their appearance with the processing of chronicles by the surroundings of Andrei Bogolyubov, who sought to prove the antiquity of the city that interests us in order to strengthen the prestige of the capital of Vladimir-Suzdal principality and, accordingly, this principality itself.
What can I say about this? Let, according to the generally accepted opinion about which year the founding of the city of Vladimir is historically correct, it was erected in 1108. In 1111, Andrei Bogolyubsky was born, that is, only three years after the city was founded by Vladimir Monomakh. It is difficult to imagine the prince's scientific squad proving to contemporaries who witnessed the bookmark of Vladimir that it was not founded by Monomakh, but more than a hundred years ago. It is unlikely that a clever politician, Prince Andrei, could count on the unconsciousness of his contemporaries, as well as show disrespect for Vladimir Monomakh, his great grandfather, who enjoyed exceptional authority in Russia.
However, the well-known “Instruction” of Vladimir Monomakh to children and the chronicle of his life as part of the Lavrentievsky Chronicle reached us . It narrates about the numerous campaigns of this prince, however, there is no mention of the foundation of Vladimir.
The main argument of the supporters of a later version
Let us dwell on the argument, which is the most important in favor of the version that the city was founded at the beginning of the 12th century. Oleg Svyatoslavich captured Suzdal and Rostov in 1096, however, under the onslaught of the troops of Mstislav Novgorodsky, he was soon forced to retreat to Murom. He burned Suzdal, retreating. At the same time, nothing is said about Vladimir, although he had to share his fate, since he was on the path of Oleg. From this we can conclude that at that time the city did not exist.
Can this argument be considered convincing?
This argument can hardly be considered convincing. First, it was not necessary for Oleg to follow through this city, since there was a shorter route from Suzdal to Murom, located along the bank of the Nerl River. With a hasty retreat, it would be unreasonable to extend it by as much as ten versts. In the Printing Annals, secondly, under 1095 there is news of Vladimir, which refers to events of the same time. It says that Oleg took Vladimir among other cities.
Toponyms such as Pochayna, Lybed, Irpin contradict late dating. They are Kiev. If the city was founded by Monomakh, it would be more logical to expect Pereyaslavl names, since this prince was Pereyaslavl before 1113 , and the people who arrived with him could only be from this princedom. N.N. Voronin, however, is inclined to attribute the appearance of these names to the middle of the 12th century. However, this is unlikely, since at that time Andrei Bogolyubsky was in opposition to Kiev and relied in the arrangement of the capital on the craftsmen from Galich.
And yet, what year is the foundation of Vladimir historically correct? Unfortunately, today we cannot unambiguously answer this question. The incontrovertible argument that Vladimir arose later is not, for example, the fact that the cultural layer dating back to the 10-11th centuries was not found in it. After all, many of the ancient cities are not archaeologically confirmed. However, this is also not proof of the opposite - an earlier date of its occurrence. It is traditionally believed that the year of foundation of the city of Vladimir is 1108th. In 1958, its 850th anniversary was celebrated.
Whenever this city was founded, it began to grow and grow over time thanks to the cares of Yuri Dolgoruky and Vladimir Monomakh. In 1157, Andrei Bogolyubsky moved here the capital of the principality.