Prince Yuri Vladimirovich Dolgoruky is considered one of the greatest people in the history of Russia. The features of his historical portrait were determined by the desire to conquer as many lands as possible.
A brief biography of the prince
The year of birth of the prince is still unknown, historians do not leave debates about this. Some chroniclers claim that this happened in 1090, others in 1095 or 1097. But one thing is certain: his father was the great Kiev ruler V. Monomakh. Almost nothing is known about the prince’s mother.
During the life of his father, Yuri ruled the Vladimir-Suzdal principality. When the father died, the reins of Kievan Rus completely passed into the hands of the heir. From this time begins the sole policy of Yuri Dolgoruky.
During his life, he built many cities, including Zvenigorod, Yuryev-Podolsky, Moscow and others. The hero of our article was a very pious man, he wanted to achieve the complete independence of the city of Vladimir from the Kiev Metropolis, but the Church of Constantinople did not allow this.
Prince's Activities
Yuri Dolgoruky, whose domestic and foreign policy was peculiar, ruled alone, without gathering the veche (national assemblies) and boyar advisers. For this he paid cruelly. Due to the violation of centuries-old traditions, many boyars were opposed to him. There is a version according to which the death of the prince is not accidental, but a consequence of the conspiracy of his opponents.
What distinguished Yuri Dolgoruky? Domestic and foreign policies are summarized in the table below.
Domestic policy | Foreign policy |
1. Strengthening the power of the ruler in the ranks of the people. | 1. One of the main points of foreign policy was the protection of the borders of Russia. |
2. The struggle for the throne of the city of Kiev. (The prince managed to conquer him twice, but did not succeed. The first time the throne was lost, the second time Yuri’s venture was successful, but death prevented him from realizing all his plans). | 2. The second important matter of foreign policy was the establishment of peaceful relations with Byzantium. |
3. Development of land near the Volga, Ryazan and Murom. | 3. During the reign, the prince expanded his borders. He made the cities of Murom and Ryazan his possessions. Often in civil strife, he resorted to the help of the Polovtsians. |
4. Construction of temples. | |
5. Construction of new cities: Gorodets, Dmitrov, Moscow and others. | |
6. Strengthening the power of the Rostov-Suzdal principality. | |
Yuri Dolgoruky, whose domestic and foreign policy was aimed at subordinating the specific principalities formed during the collapse of Kievan Rus, made progress, but also made mistakes. An important factor in foreign policy was the preservation of personal borders and the protection of the state from frequent raids of the Volga Bulgars.
The results of the policy Dolgoruky
Prince Yuri Dolgoruky, whose domestic and foreign policy was competent, but not fully thought out, achieved such successes:
1. The Vladimir-Suzdal principality under the rule of Dolgoruky was well fortified.
2. During his leadership, a number of cities were formed and many temples were built. Some of the temples operate to this day.
3. Yuri initiated many civil wars. In the course of his policy, he could not reach agreement and peace in the principality, for which he cruelly paid for his death at the hands of poisoners.
Now you know how Prince Yuri Dolgoruky contributed to history.