The Kiev Grand Duke Vsevolod wanted his son to rule the Grand Duchy after him, as history says. Vladimir Monomakh, however, did not want civil strife and voluntarily abandoned the throne, passing it to his cousin Svyatopolk II Izyaslavich. He went with him on campaigns against the Polovtsy and supported his rule. However, the will of Vsevolod was still destined to come true. Svyatopolk died in 1113.
The beginning of reign
After the death of Svyatopolk, the people rebelled against usurers. The noble top of Kiev called on Vladimir to reign in the hope of ending the unrest and unrest. He agreed and, as expected, crushed the rebellion. Then the new ruler of Kiev decided to figure out the reasons for the discontent of the people. He acted as a conciliator of the contradictions of different social strata of the population. By his will, a number of rules regarding debt law were regulated.
Vladimir Monomakh issued a charter, thanks to which the situation of the poor class of people improved much - arbitrariness of moneylenders was banned, enslavement due to debts was stopped. For many years, Kievans wanted to see him as the prince of Kiev, and their expectations were justified.
Vladimir Monomakh: years of rule
From 1067 and 1078, he became Prince of Smolensk and Chernigov, respectively. He was also a writer, a military leader. Prince Vladimir Monomakh, whose reign was 1113 - 1125, ruled the state for 12 years. His mother was Greek. Anna (Maria) Konstantinovna was the daughter of the emperor of Byzantium, Constantine IX Monomakh, hence the nickname of the great Kiev prince. The reign of Vladimir was marked by the political and economic strengthening of Russia, and literature and culture flourished. This was the time of the construction of churches, the creation of annalistic vaults, the Pechersky Patericon began to be written, which included the lives of many Russian princes. During this period, Daniel describes his journey to Jerusalem.
Vladimir Monomakh was a comprehensively developed and educated person, had a penchant for literary activity. In his “Instruction”, the Prince of Kiev left wise advice to his descendants, he condemned the feuds and called for rallying and being one unshakable people. He did not forget about legislative work and after Yaroslav the Wise finalized it.
Prince's family
Historians suggest that in total Vladimir had three wives. He also had ten sons. He bequeathed the prince to the youngest, whose name was Mstislav Udaloy, he ruled for seven years. Vladimir Monomakh, whose years of rule were marked by a noticeable upsurge in the life of the whole people, was one of the last rulers during which Russia was united. His sons won many victories and made successful campaigns, were brave warriors and captured cities. These feats glorified the prince throughout Europe. Vladimir Monomakh, whose portrait is presented below, always stood up for the people, for which the latter respected him very much.
Board Policy
Vladimir Monomakh, whose reign has become one of the calmest for the state, has always been for peacekeeping and against strife. As a wise man, he understood that internal discord only harms the state. However, in his quest to keep the peace, he often found himself at the center of controversy. In 1078, he was a participant in the battle on Nezhatina Niva during the resolution of the internecine dispute, the cause of which was his father’s ascension to the throne.
After that, Vladimir became Prince of Chernigov. Then he handed over the city to Oleg Svyatoslavovich, who wanted to attack and arrange a battle. But Vladimir left Chernigov and moved to Pereslavl. Here the people were very happy with his principality, because in his person he received protection from the atrocities of the Polovtsy. Pereslavl was later transferred to his younger brother Rostislav, and Vladimir himself moved to Smolensk. He always tried to maintain peace with the princes of the specific lands, helped them to confront external enemies, was among the initiators and an active participant in the congresses.
Of course, Vladimir Monomakh, whose reign was one of the most successful, was decisive and wise, recognized the need to avoid contention and internecine disputes. Also, the prince was cruel, but fair. He did not tolerate high-handed rulers who threatened to shake the borders of Russia. He did not hesitate in the least and suppressed aggression from both external and internal enemies. Other rulers feared him - the Greek emperor, realizing the growing power of Kievan Rus, presented gifts to Vladimir, among which - a scepter, hat, ancient barmas and a power. These objects began to symbolize reigning in the future.
Board Result
Thanks to the reign of Monomakh, Russia became stronger, its authority in the eyes of other states increased. Many Kievans hoped that Vladimir’s reforms would affect the succession system. However, as a wise ruler, Monomakh saw that he could follow such changes in the state system - a series of wars and a struggle between all the princes who would not want to lose the right to take power.
Vladimir lived 73 years. In May 1125, he went to church on the banks of the Alt River. It was once built by his own order. He died at the entrance to his beloved church. In the same place, Prince Boris was once killed. The great ruler was buried in the Kiev-Sofia Cathedral.