Ancient chronicles tell us that in 990 the Grand Duke of Kiev Vladimir, the baptist of the Russian land, founded the city on the Klyazma River, which he named his name. At the beginning of the XII century, his brainchild was destined to become the center of the Vladimir-Suzdal principality, uniting Russian lands around itself for a century and a half. The list of princes of Vladimir is given in the article, but before briefly telling about those who left the most striking mark in the history of Ancient Russia, we will devote several lines to the very founder of the city of Vladimir. It is narrated both by historical documents and legends that have become examples of the folk epos.
Prince Vladimir Cathedral - a monument to the Baptist of Russia
The role played by Kiev Prince Vladimir in the formation of the Old Russian State is so great that it can rightly be attributed to the number of the most prominent figures in Russian history. Leaving in the past the darkness of paganism, he introduced Russia into the families of Christian peoples. His merit is also important in the formation of its administrative-territorial system. The memory of the prince is immortalized in the works of many domestic sculptors and architects.
His figure is one of the central ones in the famous monumental composition, erected in 1862 in Veliky Novgorod to mark the Millennium of Russia. No less famous monument is the Prince Vladimir Cathedral in St. Petersburg, built by order of Catherine II in 1789. And today, the image of the prince serves as a source of inspiration for many artists.
So, in November 2016 in Moscow, his monument to the work of Salavat Shcherbakov was opened. By his compositional decision, he echoes the recognized masterpiece of the past - the monument that adorned Vladimir Hill in Kiev in 1852. Many other works of art dedicated to him were created. Among the temple buildings, the most famous is the above-mentioned Prince Vladimir Cathedral in St. Petersburg.
Fictional Genealogy
As for the subsequent successors of the Kiev prince, who settled on the banks of the Klyazma, information about them from the 16th-century literary monument known as the “Legend of the Princes of Vladimir” was widely spread about them at one time. It cited a legend according to which the great princes were distant descendants of the Roman emperor Augustus. This version was used by its creators solely for political purposes, and has no real justification for it. Therefore, it should be considered only as a literary curiosity.
Successors of the Kiev prince
However, we turn to the princes of Vladimir - the rulers of the state, the center of which was the city, founded in 990 on the Klyazma River. By the middle of the XII century, it turned from a small settlement into a powerful capital of the newly formed principality. The city owes its heyday to the first Vladimir prince - Andrei Bogolyubsky (1111-1174), who transferred his palace to the banks of Klyazma and gave it the status of an administrative center.
No less significant in the history of the Principality of Vladimir was the reign of his successor - Vsevolod Yuryevich, nicknamed the Big Nest. Thanks to his activities aimed at uniting small specific principalities into a single state, which had reached unprecedented prosperity under his leadership, he went down in history as one of the most powerful rulers. It is characteristic that it was under him that the title of “greats” was established for the Vladimir princes.
Defender of the Russian land - Prince Alexander Nevsky
Among the rulers of the Principality of Vladimir there were such outstanding personalities that their activities left an imprint not only on the development of the Old Russian state, but also on the course of all European history. One of them can rightfully be called the son of the Grand Duke of Vladimir Yaroslav Vsevolodovich Alexander, who received the title of “Nevsky” for the victory over the Swedes.
He entered the history of Ancient Russia primarily as an outstanding commander who managed to defeat the Swedish interventionists, giving them a battle in the summer of 1240 at the mouth of the Neva, and defeating in 1242 on the ice of Lake Peipsi, previously invincible Teutonic knights. With these victories he tempered the predatory aspirations of his opponents, and, according to historians, saved a number of European peoples from their invasion.
Warrior diplomat
A characteristic feature of the son of Grand Duke Vladimir Yaroslav Vsevolodovich was the combination of unbridled courage with the ability, when required, to build a delicate political calculation. This was especially pronounced in his diplomatic activities. Realizing that having gained military victories over his western opponents, Russia could not resist the Tatars, Alexander Nevsky did his best to prevent their raids. During his trip to the Golden Horde, he managed not only to establish relations with Batu Khan, but even to become related to one of his sons. This was a very delicate diplomatic move, thanks to which a significant part of Russia received a respite from unceasing robberies, and he himself was awarded the Khan's label for the reign of Kiev.
Researchers note that Alexander Nevsky inherited the ability to negotiate with the proud and arrogant Tatar khans from his father, Vladimir Prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich. In 1238, after the defeat inflicted by the Tatars in Vladimir, he was summoned by Batu to his headquarters, located in the lower Volga. Having proved himself to be a subtle psychologist and a skilled diplomat, Prince Yaroslav managed to win the sympathy of the Khan and gain from him the right to reign throughout Russia.
Nephew of Alexander Nevsky
An attempt to resist by force the hordes of Batu Khan was made in 1252 by the second son of Yaroslav Vsevolodovich (nephew of Prince Alexander Nevsky), also the future ruler of the Principality of Vladimir - Yaroslav Yaroslavovich. With the support of his brother Andrei, and contrary to the prohibitions of the then reigning Alexander Nevsky, he tried to fight the Tatars in the region of Pereslavl, but was defeated and barely escaped. However, he subsequently managed to establish relations with the khan and after the death of his brother to take his place in the reign of Vladimir.
Prince Dmitry Alexandrovich
History has also preserved the names of those Vladimir princes, who, having spent many years in internecine wars and, finally, having been awarded the grand princely title, did not glorify their names with any notable deeds. In this regard, it is appropriate to recall the second son of Alexander Nevsky - Dmitry, whom his father set during his lifetime to rule Veliky Novgorod. However, he could not gain authority from his subjects, and after the death of Alexander, he was expelled with dishonor.
To his uncle, Yaroslav Yaroslavovich, who occupied the throne of Vladimir after Alexander Nevsky, he was very loyal, but when he died, he did his best to take his place. A long and bloody civil war broke out, in which the blood of both Dmitry Yaroslavovich himself and two other applicants - his uncle Vasily and his younger brother Andrei - spilled.
Each of them, for the sake of defeating his relatives, went to the most unseemly tricks. Both false denunciations, which ruled the Khan Tuda-Mengu in the Horde, and betrayal and false oaths were launched. As a result, Dmitry Alexandrovich still achieved what he wanted and became known as the Grand Duke of Vladimir, but in 1293 he was removed from the throne by his brother Andrei and ingloriously fled to Pskov. On the way, he fell into the hands of robbers and died from his wounds.
The last ruler of Vladimir Russia
Completes the above list, Prince Alexander Mikhailovich of Tver. He received this title in view of the fact that, being the son of the Tver ruler, he inherited his estate. In 1326, he visited the Golden Horde, and there he received a label for the reign of Vladimir. However, his rule was short-lived. Accidentally finding himself in a Tver rebellion against the units of the khan’s governor Cholkhan, the prince was forced to flee to Pskov and seek salvation there. Alexander Mikhailovich ended his life in a very tragic way: in 1339 he was extradited to the Tatars and, with the stipulation of Prince Ivan I Kalita, was executed in the Horde together with his son Fedor.
Completion
His tragic and extremely failed reign completes the history of the Principality of Vladimir. A significant part of the period of the formation of the Old Russian state coincided with the era of the Tatar-Mongol yoke and was marked by many dramatic events. Having lasted a little over a century and a half, it gave way to a new state entity, called Moscow Russia. Her story began with the reign of Prince Ivan Kalita, who caused the death of the last Vladimir governor Alexander Mikhailovich Tversky. Monument erected in honor of its founder, and Prince Vladimir Cathedral, built in the city on the Neva, can serve as a monument to the glorious days of the city of Vladimir.