An annalistic code of the tale of bygone years was compiled. The history of the creation of the Tale of Bygone Years

1) The history of the creation of "The Tale of Bygone Years".

"The Tale of Bygone Years" is one of the oldest chronicle works of Russian literature, created at the beginning of the 12th century by Nestor the Chronicler, a monk of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. The chronicle tells about the origin of the Russian land, about the first Russian princes and about the most important historical events. The peculiarity of The Tale of Bygone Years is poetry, the author masterfully mastered the style, the text uses various artistic means to make the story more convincing.

2) Narrative features in The Tale of Bygone Years.

In The Tale of Bygone Years, two types of narration can be distinguished - weather records and chronicle stories. Weather records contain reports of events, while chronicle stories describe them. In the story, the author seeks to depict the event, to give specific details, that is, he tries to help the reader imagine what is happening and causes the reader to empathize. Russia broke up into many principalities and each had its own chronicles. Each of them reflected the peculiarities of the history of their region and was written only about their princes. "The Tale of Bygone Years" was part of the local chronicles, which continued the tradition of Russian chronicle writing. "The Tale of Temporary Lies" determines the place of the Russian people among the peoples of the world, draws the origin Slavic writing, the formation of the Russian state. Nestor enumerates the peoples who pay tribute to the Russians, shows that the peoples who oppressed the Slavs have disappeared, and the Slavs remained and decide the fate of their neighbors. "The Tale of Bygone Years", written in the heyday of Kievan Rus, became the main work on history.

3) Artistic features"The Tale of Bygone Years". How does Nes Horus the chronicler narrate historical events?

Nestor narrates about historical events poetically. The origin of Russia Nestor draws against the backdrop of the development of the entire world history. The chronicler unfolds a wide panorama historical events. A whole gallery of historical figures passes through the pages of the Nestor Chronicle - princes, boyars, merchants, posadniks, church servants. He talks about military campaigns, about the opening of schools, about the organization of monasteries. Nestor constantly touches the life of the people, their moods. On the pages of the annals, we will read about the uprisings, the murders of princes. But the author describes all this calmly and tries to be objective. Murder, betrayal and deceit Nestor condemns; honesty, courage, courage, fidelity, nobility he extols. It is Nestor who strengthens and improves the version of the origin of the Russian princely dynasty. Its main goal was to show the Russian land among other powers, to prove that the Russian people are not without family and tribe, but have their own history, which they have the right to be proud of.

From afar, Nestor begins his story, with the biblical flood itself, after which the earth was distributed among the sons of Noah. This is how Nestor begins his story:

“So let’s start this story.

After the flood, the three sons of Noah divided the earth - Shem, Ham, Japheth. And Shem got the east: Persia, Bactria, even to India in longitude, and in breadth to Rinokorur, that is, from east to south, and Syria, and Media to the Euphrates River, Babylon, Korduna, Assyrians, Mesopotamia, Arabia the Oldest, Eli-mais, Indy, Arabia Strong, Colia, Commagene, all of Phoenicia.

Ham got the south: Egypt, Ethiopia, neighboring India ...

Japheth got the northern and western countries: Media, Albania, Armenia Small and Great, Cappadocia, Paphlagonia, Hapatia, Colchis ...

Simultaneously, Ham and Japheth divided the land by casting lots, and decided not to enter into the share of a brother to anyone, and each lived in his own part. And there was one people. And when people multiplied on earth, they planned to create a pillar to the sky - it was in the days of Neggan and Peleg. And they gathered in the place of the field of Shinar to build a pillar to heaven, and near it the city of Babylon; and they built that pillar for 40 years, and did not finish it. And the Lord God came down to see the city and the pillar, and the Lord said: “Behold, one generation and one people.” And God confused the nations, and divided them into 70 and 2 nations, and scattered them over all the earth. After the confusion of the peoples, God destroyed the pillar with a great wind; and its remains are located between Assyria and Babylon, and are 5433 cubits high and wide, and these remains have been preserved for many years ... "

Then the author tells about the Slavic tribes, their customs and mores, about the capture of Constantinople by Oleg, about the foundation of Kyiv by the three brothers Kiy, Shchek, Khoriv, ​​about Svyatoslav's campaign against Byzantium and other events, both real and legendary. He includes in his "Tale ..." teachings, records of oral stories, documents, contracts, parables and lives. The leading theme of most chronicles is the idea of ​​the unity of Russia.

The Tale of Bygone Years was created in the 12th century and is the most famous ancient Russian chronicle. Now it is included in the school curriculum - that's why every student who wants not to disgrace himself in the classroom has to read or listen to this work.

What is The Tale of Bygone Years (PVL)

This ancient chronicle is a collection of texts-articles that tells about the events in Kyiv from the time described in the Bible, up to 1137. At the same time, the dating itself begins in the work of 852.

The Tale of Bygone Years: Characteristics of the Chronicle

The features of the piece are:

All this singled out the Tale of Bygone Years from among other ancient Russian works. The genre can not be called either historical or literary, the chronicle only tells about the events that took place, without trying to make an assessment of them. The position of the authors is simple - everything is the will of God.

History of creation

In science, the monk Nestor is recognized as the main author of the chronicle, although it has been proven that the work has several authors. However, it was Nestor who was named the first chronicler in Russia.

There are several theories explaining when the chronicle was written:

• Written in Kyiv. Date of writing - 1037, author Nestor. Based on folklore works. Repeatedly corresponded with various monks and Nestor himself.
• The date of writing is 1110.

One of the variants of the work has survived to this day, the Laurentian Chronicle - a copy of the Tale of Bygone Years, performed by the monk Lavrenty. Unfortunately, the original edition has been lost.

The Tale of Bygone Years: a summary

We suggest that you familiarize yourself with the summary of the chronicle chapter by chapter.

The beginning of the chronicle. About Slavs. First princes

When it ended global flood, the creator of the ark Noah died. His sons had the honor of dividing the land among themselves by lot. North and west went to Japheth, Ham to the south, Shem to the east. The angry God destroyed the majestic Tower of Babel and, as a punishment for the proud people, divides them into nationalities and endows different languages. This is how the Slavic people was formed - the Rusichi, who settled along the banks of the Dnieper. Gradually, the Russians also divided:

• Meek peaceful clearings began to live across the fields.
• In the forests - warlike robbers Drevlyans. Even cannibalism is not alien to them.

Andrey's journey

Further in the text you can read about the wanderings of the Apostle Andrew in the Crimea and along the Dnieper, everywhere he preached Christianity. It also tells about the creation of Kyiv, a great city with pious inhabitants and an abundance of churches. This is what the apostle tells his disciples. Then Andrei returns to Rome and talks about the Slovenes who build wooden houses and take strange water procedures called ablutions.

Three brothers ruled over the glades. By the name of the eldest, Kiya, and was named great city Kyiv. The other two brothers are Shchek and Khoriv. In Tsargrad, Kiyu was given a great honor by the local king. Further, the path of Kyi lay in the city of Kievets, which attracted his attention, but the locals did not allow him to settle here. Returning to Kyiv, Kyi and his brothers continue to live here until their death.

Khazars

The brothers were gone, and the militant Khazars attacked Kyiv, forcing the peaceful, good-natured glades to pay tribute to them. After consulting, the inhabitants of Kyiv decide to pay tribute with sharp swords. The elders of the Khazars see this as a bad sign - the tribe will not always be submissive. Times are coming when the Khazars themselves will pay tribute to this strange tribe. In the future, this prophecy will come true.

Name of the Russian land

In the Byzantine chronicle there is information about a campaign against Constantinople by a certain "Rus", suffering from civil strife: in the north, Russian lands pay tribute to the Varangians, in the south - to the Khazars. Freed from oppression northern peoples begin to suffer from constant conflicts within the tribe and the lack of a unified authority. To solve the problem, they turn to their former enslavers - the Varangians, with a request to give them a prince. Three brothers came: Rurik, Sineus and Truvor, but when younger brothers died, Rurik became the only Russian prince. And the new state was called the Russian land.

Dir and Askold

With the permission of Prince Rurik, two of his boyars, Dir and Askold, undertook a military campaign to Constantinople, on the way meeting glades paying tribute to the Khazars. The boyars decide to settle here and rule Kyiv. Their campaign against Constantinople turned out to be a complete failure, when all 200 ships of the Varangians were destroyed, many soldiers drowned in the abyss of water, few returned home.

After the death of Prince Rurik, the throne was to pass to his young son Igor, but while the prince was still a baby, the governor, Oleg, began to rule. It was he who found out that Dir and Askold illegally appropriated the princely title and ruled in Kyiv. Having lured the impostors by cunning, Oleg arranged a trial for them and the boyars were killed, since they ascended the throne without being a princely family.

When the famous princes ruled - Prophetic Oleg, Prince Igor and Olga, Svyatoslav

Oleg

In 882-912. Oleg was the governor of the Kyiv throne, he built cities, conquered hostile tribes, so it was he who managed to conquer the Drevlyans. With a huge army, Oleg comes to the gates of Constantinople and cunningly scares the Greeks, who agree to pay a huge tribute to Russia, and hangs his shield on the gates of the conquered city. For extraordinary insight (the prince realized that the dishes presented to him were poisoned), Oleg was called the Prophetic.

Peace reigns for a long time, but when he sees an evil omen in the sky (a star resembling a spear), the prince-governor calls the soothsayer to him and asks what kind of death awaits him. To Oleg's surprise, he reports that the death of the prince awaits from his beloved war horse. So that the prophecy does not come true, Oleg orders to feed the pet, but no longer approaches him. A few years later, the horse died and the prince, coming to say goodbye to him, is amazed at the error of the prophecy. But alas, the predictor was right - a poisonous snake crawled out of the skull of the animal and bit Oleg, he died in agony.

Death of Prince Igor

The events in the chapter take place in the years 913-945. Prophetic Oleg died and the reign passed to Igor, who had already matured enough. The Drevlyans refuse to pay tribute to the new prince, but Igor, like Oleg earlier, managed to subdue them and imposed even greater tribute. Then the young prince gathers a large army and marches on Constantinople, but suffers a crushing defeat: the Greeks use fire against Igor's ships and destroy almost the entire army. But the young prince manages to gather a new large army, and the king of Byzantium, deciding to avoid bloodshed, offers Igor a rich tribute in exchange for peace. The prince confers with the warriors, who offer to accept tribute and not fight.

But this was not enough for the greedy warriors, after a while they literally force Igor to go to the Drevlyans again for tribute. Greed killed the young prince - not wanting to pay more, the Drevlyans kill Igor and bury him not far from Iskorosten.

Olga and her revenge

Having killed Prince Igor, the Drevlyans decide to marry his widow to their prince Mal. But the princess, by cunning, managed to destroy all the nobility of the recalcitrant tribe, burying them alive. Then the smart princess calls matchmakers - noble Drevlyans and burns them alive in a bathhouse. And then she manages to burn Iskorosten by tying burning tinder to the legs of pigeons. The princess establishes a huge tribute to the Drevlyansk lands.

Olga and baptism

The princess shows her wisdom in another chapter of the Tale of Bygone Years: wanting to avoid marriage with the king of Byzantium, she is baptized, becoming his spiritual daughter. Struck by the woman's cunning, the king lets her go in peace.

Svyatoslav

The next chapter describes the events of 964-972 and the war of Prince Svyatoslav. He began to rule after the death of his mother, Princess Olga. He was a courageous warrior who managed to defeat the Bulgarians, save Kyiv from the attack of the Pechenegs and make Pereyaslavets the capital.

With an army of only 10,000 soldiers, the brave prince attacks Byzantium, which sent a hundred thousandth army against him. Inspiring his army to go to certain death, Svyatoslav said that death is better than the shame of defeat. And he manages to win. The Byzantine king pays a good tribute to the Russian army.

The brave prince died at the hands of the Pecheneg prince Kuri, who attacked the army of Svyatoslav, weakened by hunger, going to Russia in search of a new squad. A bowl is made from his skull, from which the treacherous Pechenegs drink wine.

Russia after baptism

Baptism of Russia

This chapter of the chronicle tells that Vladimir, the son of Svyatoslav and the housekeeper, became a prince and chose a single god. Idols were overthrown, and Russia adopted Christianity. At first, Vladimir lived in sin, he had several wives and concubines, and his people made sacrifices to idol gods. But having accepted faith in one God, the prince becomes pious.

On the fight against the Pechenegs

The chapter recounts several events:

• In 992, the struggle between the troops of Prince Vladimir and the attacking Pechenegs began. They offer to fight the best fighters: if the Pecheneg wins, the war will be three years, if the Rusich - three years of peace. The Russian youth won, peace was established for three years.
• Three years later, the Pechenegs attack again and the prince miraculously manages to escape. A church was erected in honor of this event.
• The Pechenegs attacked Belgorod, a terrible famine began in the city. The inhabitants managed to escape only by cunning: on the advice of a wise old man, they dug wells in the ground, put a vat of oatmeal jelly in one, and honey in the second, and the Pechenegs were told that the earth itself gives them food. They lifted the siege in fear.

Massacre with the Magi

Magi come to Kyiv, they begin to accuse noble women of hiding food, causing hunger. The cunning people kill many women, taking their property for themselves. Only Jan Vyshatich, the Kyiv governor, manages to expose the Magi. He ordered the townspeople to give him the deceivers, threatening that otherwise he would live with them for another year. Talking with the Magi, Yang learns that they worship the Antichrist. The governor orders people whose relatives died due to the fault of deceivers to kill them.

Blindness

This chapter describes the events of 1097 when the following happened:

• Princely council in Lubitsch for the conclusion of peace. Each prince received his own oprichnina, they entered into an agreement not to fight with each other, focusing on the expulsion of external enemies.
• But not all the princes are satisfied: Prince Davyd felt left out and forced Svyatopolk to go over to his side. They conspired against Prince Vasilko.
• Svyatopolk tricks the gullible Vasilko into his place, where he blinds him.
• The rest of the princes are horrified by what the brothers did with Vasilko. They demand from Svyatopolk the expulsion of Davyd.
• Davyd dies in exile, and Vasilko returns to his native Terebovl, where he reigns.

Victory over the Polovtsy

Final chapter The Tale of Bygone Years tells about the victory over the Polovtsy of princes Vladimir Monomakh and Svyatopolk Izyaslavich. The Polovtsian troops were defeated, and Prince Beldyuzya was executed, the Russians returned home with rich booty: cattle, slaves and property.

This event ends the narrative of the first Russian chronicle.

After the flood, the three sons of Noah divided the earth - Shem, Ham, Japheth. And Shem got the east: Persia, Bactria, even to India in longitude, and in breadth to Rinokorur, that is, from east to south, and Syria, and Media to the Euphrates River, Babylon, Korduna, Assyrians, Mesopotamia, Arabia the Oldest, Elimais, Indy, Arabia Strong, Kolia, Commagene, all Phoenicia.

Ham got the south: Egypt, Ethiopia, neighboring India, and another Ethiopia, from which flows the Ethiopian Red River, flowing to the east, Thebes, Libya, neighboring Kyrenia, Marmaria, Sirte, another Libya, Numidia, Masouria, Mauritania, located opposite Gadir. In his possessions in the east are also: Cilicia, Pamphylia, Pisidia, Mysia, Lycaonia, Phrygia, Kamalia, Lycia, Caria, Lydia, other Mysia, Troad, Aeolis, Bithynia, Old Phrygia and the islands of some: Sardinia, Crete, Cyprus and the river Geona, otherwise called the Nile.

Japheth got the northern and western countries: Media, Albania, Armenia Small and Great, Cappadocia, Paphlagonia, Galatia, Colchis, Bosphorus, Meots, Depevia, Capmatia, the inhabitants of Taurida, Scythia, Thrace, Macedonia, Dalmatia, Malosia, Thessaly, Locris, Swaddling, which is also called the Peloponnese, Arcadia, Epirus, Illyria, Slavs, Lichnitia, Adriakia, the Adriatic Sea. The islands also got: Britain, Sicily, Euboea, Rhodes, Chios, Lesbos, Kitira, Zakynthos, Kefallinia, Ithaca, Kerkyra, a part of Asia called Ionia, and the Tigris River, flowing between Media and Babylon; to the Pontic Sea to the north: the Danube, the Dnieper, the Caucasus Mountains, that is, the Hungarian ones, and from there to the Dnieper, and other rivers: the Desna, Pripyat, Dvina, Volkhov, Volga, which flows east to the part of Simov. In the Japhet part, Russians, Chud and all sorts of peoples are sitting: Merya, Muroma, the whole, Mordovians, Zavolochskaya Chud, Perm, Pechera, Yam, Ugra, Lithuania, Zimigola, Kors, Letgola, Livs. The Poles and the Prussians, the Chud, are sitting near the Varangian Sea. The Varangians sit along this sea: from here to the east - to the limits of Simov, they sit along the same sea and to the west - to the land of England and Voloshskaya. The offspring of Japheth also: Varangians, Swedes, Normans, Goths, Rus, Angles, Galicians, Volokhi, Romans, Germans, Korlyazis, Venetians, Fryags and others - they adjoin the southern countries in the west and neighbor with the Khamov tribe.

Shem, Ham and Japheth divided the land by casting lots, and decided not to enter into the share of a brother to anyone, and each lived in his own part. And there was one people. And when people multiplied on earth, they planned to create a pillar to the sky - it was in the days of Nectan and Peleg. And they gathered in the place of the field of Shinar to build a pillar to heaven, and near it the city of Babylon; and they built that pillar for 40 years, and did not finish it. And the Lord came down to see the city and the pillar, and the Lord said: “Behold, one generation and one people.” And God confused the nations, and divided them into 70 and 2 nations, and scattered them over all the earth. After the confusion of the peoples, God destroyed the pillar with a great wind; and its remnants are found between Assyria and Babylon, and are 5433 cubits high and wide, and these remnants have been preserved for many years.

After the destruction of the pillar and the division of the peoples, the sons of Shem took the eastern countries, and the sons of Ham - the southern countries, while Japheth took the west and the northern countries. From the same 70 and 2 language came the Slavic people, from the tribe of Japheth - the so-called Noriki, who are the Slavs.

After a long time, the Slavs settled along the Danube, where now the land is Hungarian and Bulgarian. From those Slavs, the Slavs dispersed throughout the earth and were called by their names from the places where they sat down. So some, having come, sat down on the river by the name of Morava and were called Morava, while others were called Czechs. And here are the same Slavs: white Croats, and Serbs, and Horutans. When the Volokhi attacked the Danubian Slavs, and settled among them, and oppressed them, these Slavs came and sat on the Vistula and were called Poles, and from those Poles came Poles, other Poles - Lutich, others - Mazovshan, others - Pomeranians.

In the same way, these Slavs came and sat down along the Dnieper and called themselves glades, and others - Drevlyans, because they sat in the forests, while others sat down between Pripyat and Dvina and called themselves Dregovichi, others sat down along the Dvina and were called Polochans, along the river flowing into the Dvina , called Polota, from which the Polotsk people were named. The same Slavs who sat down near Lake Ilmen were called by their own name - Slavs, and built a city, and called it Novgorod. And others sat down along the Desna, and along the Seim, and along the Sula, and called themselves northerners. And so the Slavic people dispersed, and after his name the charter was called Slavic.

When the glade lived separately along these mountains, there was a path from the Varangians to the Greeks and from the Greeks along the Dnieper, and in the upper reaches of the Dnieper it dragged to Lovot, and along Lovot you can enter Ilmen, a great lake; Volkhov flows out of the same lake and flows into the Great Lake Nevo, and the mouth of that lake flows into the Varangian Sea. And on that sea you can sail to Rome, and from Rome you can sail along the same sea to Constantinople, and from Constantinople you can sail to the Pontus Sea, into which the Dnieper River flows. The Dnieper flows out of the Okovsky forest and flows south, and the Dvina flows from the same forest, and heads north, and flows into the Varangian Sea. From the same forest, the Volga flows to the east and flows through seventy mouths into the Khvalis Sea. Therefore, from Russia you can sail along the Volga to the Bolgars and Khvalisy, and go east to the lot of Sim, and along the Dvina to the land of the Varangians, from the Varangians to Rome, from Rome to the Khamov tribe. And the Dnieper flows at its mouth into the Pontic Sea; this sea is reputed to be Russian, - it was taught along the shores, as they say, by St. Andrew, brother of Peter.

When Andrei taught in Sinop and arrived in Korsun, he learned that the mouth of the Dnieper was not far from Korsun, and he wanted to go to Rome, and sailed to the mouth of the Dnieper, and from there he went up the Dnieper. And it so happened that he came and stood under the mountains on the shore. And in the morning he got up and said to the disciples who were with him: “Do you see these mountains? On these mountains the grace of God will shine, there will be a great city, and many churches will be built.” And ascending these mountains, he blessed them, and put up a cross, and prayed to God, and descended from this mountain, where Kyiv would later be, and went up the Dnieper. And he came to the Slavs, where Novgorod now stands, and saw the people living there - what is their custom and how they wash and whip, and was surprised at them. And he went to the country of the Varangians, and came to Rome, and told about how he taught and what he saw, and said: “I saw a miracle in the Slavic land on my way here. I saw wooden bathhouses, and they would heat them up strongly, and they would undress and be naked, and they would cover themselves with leather kvass, and the young would lift the rods on themselves and beat themselves, and they would finish themselves off so much that they would barely get out, barely alive, and would pour themselves over with icy water, and that's the only way they'll come alive. And they do this all the time, they are not tormented by anyone, but they torment themselves, and then they make ablution for themselves, and not torment. Those, hearing about it, were surprised; Andrew, having been in Rome, came to Sinop.

The meadows lived separately in those days and were ruled by their own clans; for even before that brethren (which will be discussed later) there were already clearings, and they all lived in their own families in their places, and each was governed independently. And there were three brothers: one named Kyi, the other Shchek, and the third Khoriv, ​​and their sister Lybid. Kiy sat on the mountain, where the Borichev rise is now, and Shchek sat on the mountain, which is now called Shchekovitsa, and Khoriv on the third mountain, which was nicknamed Horivitsa after his name. And they built a city in honor of their elder brother, and called it Kyiv. There was a forest around the city and a large pine forest, and they caught animals there, and those men were wise and sensible, and they were called glades, from them the glade is still in Kyiv.

Some, not knowing, say that Kiy was a carrier; there was then a transfer from Kyiv from the other side of the Dnieper, which is why they said: “For transport to Kyiv.” If Kiy had been a carrier, he would not have gone to Constantinople; and this Kiy reigned in his generation, and when he went to the king, they say that he received great honors from the king to whom he came. When he was returning, he came to the Danube, and chose the place, and cut down a small town, and wanted to sit in it with his family, but the people living around did not give him; this is how the inhabitants of the Danube still call the settlement that - Kievets. Kiy, returning to his city of Kyiv, died here; and his brothers Shchek and Khoriv and their sister Lybid died immediately.

And after these brothers, their family began to reign among the glades, and the Drevlyans had their own reign, and the Dregovichi had their own, and the Slavs had their own in Novgorod, and another on the Polota River, where the Polochans. From these latter came the Krivichi, sitting in the upper reaches of the Volga, and in the upper reaches of the Dvina, and in the upper reaches of the Dnieper, their city is Smolensk; that's where the krivichi sit. From them come the northerners. And on Beloozero he sits all, and on Lake Rostov he measures, and on Lake Kleshchina he also measures. And along the Oka River - where it flows into the Volga - Muroma, speaking their own language, and Cheremis, speaking their own language, and Mordovians, speaking their own language. That's just who speaks Slavic in Russia: the Polans, the Drevlyans, the Novgorodians, the Polochans, the Dregovichi, the northerners, the Buzhans, so called because they sat along the Bug, and then became known as the Volhynians. And here are other peoples who pay tribute to Russia: Chud, Merya, All, Muroma, Cheremis, Mordovians, Perm, Pechera, Yam, Lithuania, Zimigola, Kors, Narova, Livs - these speak their own languages, they are from the tribe of Japheth and live in northern countries.

When the Slavic people, as we said, lived on the Danube, they came from the Scythians, that is, from the Khazars, the so-called Bulgarians, and settled along the Danube, and were settlers on the land of the Slavs. Then the white Ugric people came and settled the Slavic land. These Ugrians appeared under King Heraclius, and they fought with Khosrov, Persian king. In those days, obras also existed, they fought against King Heraclius and almost captured him. These obry fought against the Slavs and oppressed the dulebs - also Slavs, and did violence to the wives of the duleb: it happened, when an obryn went, he did not allow a horse or an ox to be harnessed, but ordered to harness three, four or five wives in a cart and take him - an obryn, - and so they tormented the dulebs. These obry were great in body and proud in mind, and he destroyed them, they all died, and not a single obry remained. And there is a saying in Russia to this day: “They perished like obry,” - they don’t have either a tribe or offspring. After the Obrovs, the Pechenegs came, and then the Black Ugrians passed by Kyiv, but it was after - already under Oleg.

The glades, who lived on their own, as we have already said, were from the Slavic family and only after that they were called glades, and the Drevlyans descended from the same Slavs and also did not immediately call themselves Drevlyans; radimichi and vyatichi are from the kind of Poles. After all, the Poles had two brothers - Radim, and the other - Vyatko; and they came and sat down: Radim on the Sozh, and from him they called the Radimichi, and Vyatko sat down with his family along the Oka, from him the Vyatichi got their name. And the glade, the Drevlyans, the northerners, the Radimichi, the Vyatichi and the Croats lived among themselves in the world. The Dulebs lived along the Bug, where the Volhynians are now, and the Ulichi and Tivertsy sat along the Dniester and near the Danube. There were many of them: they sat along the Dniester to the sea, and their cities have survived to this day; and the Greeks called them "Great Scythia".

All these tribes had their own customs, and the laws of their fathers, and traditions, and each had its own disposition. Glades have the custom of their fathers meek and quiet, bashful in front of their daughters-in-law and sisters, mothers and parents; before mothers-in-law and brothers-in-law they have great modesty; they also have a marriage custom: the son-in-law does not go for the bride, but brings her the day before, and the next day they bring for her - what they give. And the Drevlyans lived as an animal custom, lived like a beast: they killed each other, ate everything unclean, and they did not have marriages, but they kidnapped the girls by the water. And the Radimichi, Vyatichi and northerners had a common custom: they lived in the forest, like all animals, ate everything unclean and shamed with their fathers and daughters-in-law, and they did not have marriages, but games were arranged between villages, and converged on these games, on dances and all sorts of demonic songs, and here they kidnapped their wives in collusion with them; and they had two and three wives. And if someone died, they arranged a funeral feast for him, and then they made a large deck, and laid the dead man on this deck, and burned it, and then, having collected the bones, they put them in a small vessel and placed them on poles along the roads, as they still do now. Vyatichi. The same custom was followed by the Krivichi and other pagans, who did not know the law of God, but established the law for themselves.

George says in his chronicle: “Every nation has either a written law or a custom that people who do not know the law observe as the tradition of the fathers. Of these, the first are Syrians living at the end of the world. They have by law the customs of their fathers: not to engage in fornication and adultery, not to steal, not to slander or kill, and, especially, not to do evil. This is the same law among the Bactrians, otherwise called Rahmans or islanders; these, according to the covenants of their great-grandfathers and out of piety, do not eat meat and do not drink wine, do not commit fornication and do no evil, having great fear of God's faith. Otherwise, the Indians next to them. These are murderers, foul-workers, and wrathful beyond measure; and in the interior of their country, people are eaten and travelers are killed, and even eaten like dogs. Both the Chaldeans and the Babylonians have their own law: take mothers to bed, commit fornication with children of brothers and kill. And they do all shamelessness, considering it a virtue, even if they are far from their country.

The hylia have another law: their wives plow, and build houses, and do men's deeds, but they also indulge in love as much as they want, not restrained by their husbands and not ashamed; there are among them brave women skilled in hunting animals. These wives rule over their husbands and command them. In Britain, however, several husbands sleep with one wife, and many wives have intercourse with one husband and commit iniquity like the law of the fathers, not condemned or restrained by anyone. The Amazons, on the other hand, do not have husbands, but, like dumb cattle, once a year, close to spring days, they come out of their land and combine with the surrounding men, considering that time, as it were, some kind of celebration and a great holiday. When they conceive in their wombs, they will again flee from those places. When the time comes to give birth, and if a boy is born, then they kill him, but if it is a girl, then they will feed her and diligently educate her.

So now, even with us, the Polovtsians adhere to the law of their fathers: they shed blood and even boast about it, they eat carrion and all kinds of uncleanness - hamsters and gophers, and take their stepmothers and daughters-in-law, and follow other customs of their fathers. But we, Christians of all countries where they believe in the Holy Trinity, in one baptism and profess one faith, have one law, since we were baptized into Christ and put on Christ.

As time passed, after the death of these brothers (Kiya, Shchek and Khoriv), the Drevlyans and other surrounding people began to oppress the glades. And the Khazars found them sitting on these mountains in the forests and said: "Pay tribute to us." The meadows, after conferring, gave each a sword from the smoke, and the Khazars took them to their prince and to the elders, and said to them: “Here, new tribute we found." They asked them: "Where?" They answered: "In the forest on the mountains above the Dnieper River." Again they asked: “What did they give?”. They showed the sword. And the Khazar elders said: “This is not a good tribute, prince: we got it with weapons sharp only on one side - sabers, and these weapons are double-edged - swords. They are destined to collect tribute from us and from other lands. And all this came to pass, for they did not speak of their own free will, but according to God's command. So it was in the time of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, when they brought Moses to him and the elders of the pharaoh said: "This is destined to humiliate the land of Egypt." And so it happened: the Egyptians died from Moses, and at first the Jews worked for them. It is the same with these: at first they ruled, and then they themselves rule over them; so it is: the Russian princes own the Khazars to this day.

In the year 6360 (852), index 15, when Michael began to reign, the Russian land began to be called. We learned about this because, under this king, Russia came to Constantinople, as it is written about this in the Greek annals. That is why we will begin from now on and set the numbers. “From and to the flood of 2242, and from the flood to Abraham 1000 and 82 years, and from Abraham to the exodus of Moses 430 years, and from the exodus of Moses to David 600 and 1 year, and from David and from the beginning of the reign of Solomon to the captivity of Jerusalem 448 years" and from captivity to Alexander 318 years, and from Alexander to the birth of Christ 333 years, and from nativity to Constantine 318 years, from Constantine to Michael this 542 years. And from the first year of the reign of Michael to the first year of the reign of Oleg, the Russian prince, 29 years, and from the first year of the reign of Oleg, since he sat down in Kyiv, to the first year of Igor, 31 years, and from the first year of Igor to the first year of Svyatoslav 33 years, and from the first year of Svyatoslavov to the first year of Yaropolkov 28 years; and Yaropolk reigned for 8 years, and Vladimir reigned for 37 years, and Yaroslav reigned for 40 years. Thus, from the death of Svyatoslav to the death of Yaroslav, 85 years; from the death of Yaroslav to the death of Svyatopolk 60 years.

But we will return to the former and tell what happened in these years, as we have already begun: from the first year of the reign of Michael, and arrange them in the order of the year.

In the year 6361 (853).

In the year 6362 (854).

In the year 6363 (855).

In the year 6364 (856).

In the year 6365 (857).

In the year 6366 (858). Tsar Michael went with soldiers to the Bulgarians along the coast and the sea. The Bulgarians, seeing that they could not resist them, asked to be baptized and promised to submit to the Greeks. The king baptized their prince and all the boyars and made peace with the Bulgarians.

In the year 6367 (859). The Varangians from overseas levied tribute from the Chud, and from the Slavs, and from the Mary, and from the Krivichi. And the Khazars took from the field, and from the northerners, and from the Vyatichi, a silver coin and a squirrel from the smoke.

In the year 6368 (860).

In the year 6369 (861).

In the year 6370 (862). They expelled the Varangians across the sea, and did not give them tribute, and began to rule themselves, and there was no truth among them, and clan stood against clan, and they had strife, and began to fight with each other. And they said to themselves: "Let's look for a prince who would rule over us and judge by right." And they went across the sea to the Varangians, to Russia. Those Varangians were called Rus, as others are called Swedes, and others are Normans and Angles, and still others are Gotlanders, and so are these. The Russians said Chud, Slovenes, Krivichi and all: “Our land is great and plentiful, but there is no order in it. Come reign and rule over us." And three brothers were elected with their clans, and they took all of Russia with them, and they came, and the eldest, Rurik, sat in Novgorod, and the other, Sineus, on Beloozero, and the third, Truvor, in Izborsk. And from those Varangians the Russian land was nicknamed. Novgorodians are those people from the Varangian family, and before they were Slovenes. Two years later, Sineus and his brother Truvor died. And one Rurik took all the power, and began to distribute cities to his men - Polotsk to that, Rostov to that, Beloozero to another. The Varangians in these cities are nakhodniki, and the indigenous population in Novgorod is Slovene, in Polotsk - Krivichi, in Rostov - Merya, in Beloozero - all, in Murom - Murom, and Rurik ruled over all of them. And he had two husbands, not his relatives, but the boyars, and they asked for leave to Tsargrad with their family. And they set off along the Dnieper, and when they sailed by, they saw a small city on the mountain. And they asked: “Whose town is this?”. The same answered: “There were three brothers” Kiy “Shchek and Khoriv, ​​who built this town and disappeared, and we are sitting here, their descendants, and pay tribute to the Khazars.” Askold and Dir remained in this city, gathered many Varangians and began to own the land of the meadows. Rurik reigned in Novgorod.

In the year 6371 (863).

In the year 6372 (864).

In the year 6373 (865).

In the year 6374 (866). Askold and Dir went to war against the Greeks and came to them in the 14th year of the reign of Michael. The tsar was at that time on a campaign against the Agarians, had already reached the Black River, when the eparch sent him news that Russia was marching against Tsargrad, and the tsar returned. The same went inside the Court, killed many Christians and laid siege to Constantinople with two hundred ships. The king, with difficulty, entered the city and prayed all night with Patriarch Photius in the church of the Holy Mother of God in Blachernae, and they carried out the divine robe of the Holy Mother of God with songs, and soaked it in the sea floor. There was silence at that time and the sea was calm, but then suddenly a storm arose with the wind, and huge waves arose again, scattered the ships of the godless Russians, and washed them ashore, and broke them, so that few of them managed to avoid this disaster and return home .

In the year 6375 (867).

In the year 6376 (868). Basil began to reign.

In the year 6377 (869). The whole Bulgarian land was baptized.

In the year 6378 (870).

In the year 6379 (871).

In the year 6380 (872).

In the year 6381 (873).

In the year 6382 (874).

In the year 6383 (875).

In the year 6384 (876).

In the year 6385 (877).

In the year 6386 (878).

In the year 6387 (879). Rurik died and handed over his reign to Oleg, his relative, giving him his son Igor, for he was still very small.

In the year 6388 (880).

In the year 6389 (881).

In the year 6390 (882). Oleg went on a campaign, taking with him many warriors: Varangians, Chud, Slovenian, I measure, all, Krivichi, and came to Smolensk with Krivichi, and took power in the city, and planted his husband in it. From there he went down, and took Lyubech, and also made his husband sit down. And they came to the mountains of Kyiv, and Oleg found out that Askold and Dir reigned here. He hid some of the soldiers in the boats, and left the others behind, and he himself set about, carrying the baby Igor. And he swam to Ugorskaya Gora, hiding his soldiers, and sent to Askold and Dir, telling them that “we are merchants, we are going to the Greeks from Oleg and Prince Igor. Come to us, to your relatives." When Askold and Dir arrived, everyone else jumped out of the boats, and Oleg Askold and Dir said: “You are not princes and not a princely family, but I am a princely family,” and showed Igor: “And this is the son of Rurik.” And they killed Askold and Dir, carried them to the mountain and buried Askold on the mountain, which is now called Ugorskaya, where Olmin's court is now; Olma placed St. Nicholas on that grave; and Dir’s grave is behind the church of St. Irina. And Oleg, the prince, sat down in Kyiv, and Oleg said: "May this mother be Russian cities." And he had Varangians, and Slavs, and others, nicknamed Rus. That Oleg began to establish cities and established tributes to Slovenes, and Krivichi, and Mary, and established the Varangians to pay tribute from Novgorod 300 hryvnias annually in order to preserve peace, which was given to the Varangians until the death of Yaroslav.

In the year 6391 (883). Oleg began to fight against the Drevlyans and, having conquered them, took tribute from them for the black marten.

In the year 6392 (884). Oleg went to the northerners, and defeated the northerners, and laid a light tribute on them, and did not order them to pay tribute to the Khazars, saying: "I am their enemy" and you (they) have no need to pay.

In the year 6393 (885). He sent (Oleg) to the Radimichi, asking: “To whom do you give tribute?” They answered: "Khazars." And Oleg told them: "Don't give to the Khazars, but pay me." And they gave Oleg a crack, just like they gave the Khazars. And Oleg ruled over the meadows, and the Drevlyans, and the northerners, and the Radimichi, and fought with the streets and Tivertsy.

In the year 6394 (886).

In the year 6395 (887). Leon, the son of Basil, who was nicknamed Leo, and his brother Alexander reigned, and reigned for 26 years.

In the year 6396 (888).

In the year 6397 (889).

In the year 6398 (890).

In the year 6399 (891).

In the year 6400 (892).

In the year 6401 (893).

In the year 6402 (894).

In the year 6403 (895).

In the year 6404 (896).

In the year 6405 (897).

In the year 6406 (898). The Ugric peoples went past Kyiv by the mountain, which is now called the Ugorskaya, they came to the Dnieper and became vezhas: they walked in the same way as the Polovtsy now. And, coming from the east, they rushed through the great mountains, which were called the Ugric mountains, and began to fight with the Volokhi and Slavs who lived there. After all, the Slavs sat here before, and then the Volokhi captured the Slavic land. And after the Ugrians drove out the Volokhovs, inherited that land and settled with the Slavs, subjugating them to themselves; and since then the land of Ugric was nicknamed. And the Ugrians began to fight with the Greeks and captivated the land of Thrace and Macedonia to the very Seluni. And they began to fight with the Moravians and Czechs. There was one Slavic people: the Slavs, who sat along the Danube, conquered by the Ugrians, and the Moravians, and the Czechs, and the Poles, and the meadow, which are now called Rus. After all, for them, the Moravians, the first letters were created, called the Slavic letter; the same charter is also among the Russians and the Bulgarians of the Danube.

When the Slavs lived already baptized, their princes Rostislav, Svyatopolk and Kotsel sent to Tsar Michael, saying: “Our land is baptized, but we do not have a teacher who would instruct us and instruct us and explain the holy books. For we know neither Greek nor Latin; some teach us in this way, and others in another way, because of this we do not know either the outline of the letters or their meaning. And send us teachers who could interpret for us the words of the book and their meaning. Hearing this, Tsar Michael called all the philosophers and conveyed to them everything said by the Slavic princes. And the philosophers said: “There is a man in Selun named Leo. He has sons who know Slavic; two of his sons are skilled philosophers. Hearing about this, the king sent for them to Leo in Selun, with the words: "Send your sons Methodius and Constantine to us without delay." Hearing about this, Leo soon sent them, and they came to the king, and he said to them: “Here, the Slavic land sent messengers to me, asking for a teacher who could interpret the sacred books for them, because this is what they want.” And the king persuaded them, and sent them to the Slavic land to Rostislav, Svyatopolk and Kotsel. When (these brothers) came, they began to compose Slavic alphabet and translated the Apostle and the Gospel. And the Slavs were glad that they heard about the greatness of God in their own language. Then they translated the Psalter and the Octoechos and other books. Some began to blaspheme the Slavic books, saying that "no nation should have its own alphabet, except for the Jews, Greeks and Latins, according to the inscription of Pilate, who wrote on the cross of the Lord (only in these languages)". Hearing about this, the Pope condemned those who blaspheme the Slavic books, saying this: “May the word of Scripture be fulfilled: “Let all peoples praise God,” and another: “Let all peoples praise the greatness of God, since the Holy Spirit gave them to speak.” If anyone scolds the Slavic letter, let him be excommunicated from the church until he corrects himself; these are wolves, not sheep, they should be recognized by their deeds and beware of them. You, children, listen to the divine teaching and do not reject the church teaching that your mentor Methodius gave you. Constantine returned back and went to teach the Bulgarian people, while Methodius remained in Moravia. Then Prince Kotzel appointed Methodius Bishop in Pannonia on the table of the holy Apostle Andronicus, one of the seventy disciples of the holy Apostle Paul. Methodius imprisoned two priests, good shorthand writers, and translated all the books completely from Greek into Slavonic in six months, starting in March and finishing on the 26th day of October. Having finished, he gave worthy praise and glory to God, who gave such grace to Bishop Methodius, the successor of Andronicus; for the teacher of the Slavic people is the Apostle Andronicus. The Apostle Paul also went to the Moravians and taught there; Illyria is also located there, to which the Apostle Paul reached and where the Slavs originally lived. Therefore, the teacher of the Slavs is the Apostle Paul, from the same Slavs - we, Russia; therefore, for us, Russia, the teacher Pavel, since he taught the Slavic people and appointed Andronicus as bishop and governor among the Slavs. And the Slavic people and the Russian are one, after all, they were nicknamed Rus from the Varangians, and before that there were Slavs; although they were called glades, but the speech was Slavic. The glades were nicknamed because they were sitting in the field, and the language was common to them - Slavic.

In the year 6407 (899).

In the year 6408 (900).

In the year 6409 (901).

In the year 6410 (902). King Leon hired the Ugrians against the Bulgarians. The Ugrians, having attacked, captured the whole land of Bulgaria. Simeon, learning about this, went to the Ugrians, and the Ugrians moved against him and defeated the Bulgarians, so that Simeon barely escaped to Dorostol.

In the year 6411 (903). When Igor grew up, he accompanied Oleg and listened to him, and they brought him a wife from Pskov, named Olga.

In the year 6412 (904).

In the year 6413 (905).

In the year 6414 (906).

In the year 6415 (907). Oleg went to the Greeks, leaving Igor in Kyiv; he took with him many Varangians, and Slavs, and Chuds, and Krivichi, and Meryu, and Drevlyans, and Radimichi, and Polyans, and Severians, and Vyatichi, and Croats, and Dulebs, and Tivertsy, known as interpreters: these were all called Greeks "Great Scythia". And with all these Oleg went on horseback and in ships; and there were 2000 ships. And he came to Constantinople: the Greeks closed the Court, and closed the city. And Oleg went ashore, and began to fight, and did many murders in the vicinity of the city to the Greeks, and they broke many chambers, and burned the churches. And those who were captured, some were cut off, others were tortured, others were shot, and some were thrown into the sea, and the Russians did many other evils to the Greeks, as enemies usually do.

And Oleg ordered his soldiers to make wheels and put ships on wheels. And when a favorable wind blew, they raised sails in the field and went to the city. The Greeks, seeing this, were frightened and said, sending to Oleg: “Do not destroy the city, we will give you whatever tribute you want.” And Oleg stopped the soldiers, and brought him food and wine, but did not accept it, since it was poisoned. And the Greeks were frightened, and said: "This is not Oleg, but St. Dmitry, sent to us by God." And Oleg ordered to give tribute to 2000 ships: 12 hryvnia per person, and there were 40 husbands in each ship.

And the Greeks agreed to this, and the Greeks began to ask for peace, so that the Greek land would not fight. Oleg, having moved a little away from the capital, began negotiations on peace with the Greek kings Leon and Alexander and sent Charles, Farlaf, Vermud, Rulav and Stemid to them in the capital with the words: “Pay tribute to me.” And the Greeks said: "Whatever you want, we will give you." And Oleg ordered to give his soldiers 12 hryvnias per oarlock for 2000 ships, and then to pay tribute to Russian cities: first of all for Kyiv, then for Chernigov, for Pereyaslavl, for Polotsk, for Rostov, for Lyubech and for other cities: for according to to these cities sit the great princes, subject to Oleg. “When the Russians come, let them take the content for the ambassadors as much as they want; and if merchants come, let them take monthly for 6 months: bread, wine, meat, fish and fruits. And let them arrange a bath for them - as much as they want. When the Russians go home, let them take food from the tsar for the road, anchors, ropes, sails, and whatever they need.” And the Greeks pledged themselves, and the tsars and all the boyars said: “If the Russians do not come for trade, then let them not take a monthly allowance; let the Russian prince by his decree forbid the Russians who come here to commit atrocities in the villages and in our country. Let the Russians who come here live near the church of St. Mammoth, and send them from our kingdom, and rewrite their names, then they will take the month due to them - first those who came from Kyiv, then from Chernigov, and from Pereyaslavl, and from other cities . And let them enter the city only through one gate, accompanied by the royal husband, without weapons, 50 people each, and trade as much as they need, without paying any fees.

Tsars Leon and Alexander made peace with Oleg, pledged to pay tribute and swore allegiance to each other: they themselves kissed the cross, and Oleg and his husbands were led to swear allegiance according to Russian law, and they swore by their weapons and Perun, their god, and Volos, the god of cattle, and made peace. And Oleg said: “Sew sails from curtains for Russia, and koprinny sails for the Slavs,” and it was so. And he hung his shield on the gates as a sign of victory, and went from Constantinople. And Rus raised the sails from the curtains, and the Slavs were kopriny, and the wind tore them apart; and the Slavs said: "Let's take our thick ones, the sails from the curtains are not given to the Slavs." And Oleg returned to Kyiv, carrying gold, and curtains, and fruits, and wine, and all sorts of patterns. And they called Oleg the Prophetic, since people were pagans and unenlightened.

In the year 6417 (909).

In the year 6418 (910).

In the year 6419 (911). A large star in the form of a spear appeared in the west.

In the year 6420 (912). Oleg sent his husbands to make peace and establish an agreement between the Greeks and Russians, saying this: “A list from the agreement concluded under the same kings Leo and Alexander. We are from the Russian family - Karla, Inegeld, Farlaf, Veremud, Rulav, Guda, Ruald, Karn, Frelav, Ruar, Aktevu, Truan, Lidul, Fost, Stemid - sent from Oleg, the Russian Grand Duke, and from everyone who is at hand him, - bright and great princes, and his great boyars, to you, Leo, Alexander and Constantine, great autocrats in God, kings of Greece, to strengthen and to certify the many years of friendship that was between Christians and Russians, at the request of our great princes and by command, from all the Russians under his hand. Our Grace, above all desiring in God to strengthen and certify the friendship that has always existed between Christians and Russians, judged fairly, not only in words, but also in writing, and with a firm oath, swearing by their weapons, to affirm such friendship and certify it by faith and according to our law.

Such are the essence of the chapters of the covenant to which we have committed ourselves in God's faith and friendship. With the first words of our agreement, let us make peace with you, Greeks, and begin to love each other with all our hearts and with all our good will, and we will not allow any deceit or crime to occur, since it is in our power, from our bright princes who are at hand; but we will try, as far as we can, to preserve with you, Greeks, in future years and forever an unalterable and unchanging friendship, by expression and tradition of a letter with confirmation, certified by an oath. In the same way, Greeks, observe the same unshakable and unchanging friendship towards our bright Russian princes and to everyone who is under the hand of our bright prince always and in all years.

And about the chapters concerning possible atrocities, we will agree as follows: those atrocities that will be clearly certified, let them be considered indisputably committed; and by whom they will not believe, let the side that strives not to believe this atrocity swear; and when that party swears, let there be such a punishment as the crime will be.

About this: if anyone kills - a Russian Christian or a Russian Christian - let him die at the scene of the murder. If the murderer runs away, but turns out to be a property owner, then let the relative of the murdered person take that part of his property that is due by law, but let the murderer's wife keep what is due to her by law. But if the fugitive murderer turns out to be indigent, then let him remain on trial until he is found, and then let him die.

If someone strikes with a sword or beats with some other weapon, then for that blow or beating let him give 5 liters of silver according to Russian law; if the one who committed this offense is poor, then let him give as much as he can, so that he takes off the very clothes in which he walks, and on the remaining unpaid amount, let him swear by his faith that no one can help him, and let him not this balance is collected from him.

About this: if a Russian steals from a Christian or, on the contrary, a Christian from a Russian, and the thief is caught by the victim at the very time when he commits the theft, or if the thief prepares to steal and is killed, then he will not be exacted either from Christians or from Russians; but let the afflicted take what is his that he has lost. But if the thief voluntarily surrenders himself, then let him be taken by the one from whom he stole, and let him be bound, and give back what he stole in threefold.

About this: if any of the Christians or Russians, through beatings, attempts (on robbery) and obviously by force takes something that belongs to another, then let him return it in a triple amount.

If a rook is thrown strong wind to a foreign land and one of us Russians will be there and will help save the boat with its cargo and send it back to the Greek land, then we will lead it through every dangerous place until it comes to a safe place; if this boat is delayed by a storm or stranded and cannot return to its places, then we, Russians, will help the rowers of that boat, and see them off with their goods in good health. If, however, the same trouble happens with the Russian boat near the Greek land, then we will lead it to the Russian land and let them sell the goods of that boat, so that if it is possible to sell something from that boat, then let us take (to the Greek coast) we Russians. And when (we, Russians) come to the Greek land for trade or as an embassy to your king, then (we, Greeks) let the sold goods of their boat pass with honor. If it happens to any of us, the Russians, who arrived with the boat, be killed or something is taken from the boat, then let the culprits be sentenced to the above punishment.

About these: if a prisoner of one side or another is forcibly held by Russians or Greeks, being sold into their country, and if, in fact, it turns out to be Russian or Greek, then let them ransom and return the ransomed person to his country and take the price of his buyers, or let him be a price was offered for him, which is due for a servant. Also, if he is taken by those Greeks in the war, let him return to his own country anyway and his usual price will be given for him, as already mentioned above.

If, however, there is a recruitment into the army and these (Russians) want to honor your king, and no matter how many of them come at what time, and want to stay with your king of their own free will, then so be it.

More about the Russians, about the prisoners. Those who came from any country (captive Christians) to Russia and are sold (by Russians) back to Greece or captive Christians brought to Russia from any country - all these must be sold for 20 gold coins and return to the Greek land.

About this: if a Russian servant is stolen, either he runs away, or he is forcibly sold and the Russians begin to complain, let them prove this about their servant and take him to Russia, but also the merchants, if they lose the servant and appeal, let them demand a court and, when they find , will take it. If someone does not allow an inquiry to be made, then he will not be recognized as right.

And about the Russians serving in the Greek land with the Greek king. If someone dies without disposing of his property, and he does not have his own (in Greece), then let his property be returned to Russia to the closest younger relatives. If he makes a will, then the one to whom he wrote to inherit his property will take what was bequeathed to him, and let him inherit it.

About Russian traders.

O various people who go to the Greek land and remain in debt. If the villain does not return to Russia, then let the Russians complain Greek kingdom, and he will be captured and returned by force to Russia. Let the Russians do the same to the Greeks if the same happens.

As a sign of the strength and immutability that should be between you, Christians, and Russians, we created this peace treaty by Ivan's writing on two charters - your Tsar and with our own hand - we sealed it with an oath by the presenting honest cross and the holy consubstantial Trinity of your one true God and given to our ambassadors. We swore to your king, appointed from God, as a divine creation, according to our faith and custom, not to violate us and anyone from our country any of the established chapters of the peace treaty and friendship. And this writing was given to your kings for approval, so that this agreement would become the basis for establishing and certifying the peace that exists between us. Month September 2, indict 15, in the year from the creation of the world 6420.

Tsar Leon, however, honored the Russian ambassadors with gifts - gold, and silks, and precious fabrics - and assigned his husbands to them to show them the beauty of the church, the golden chambers and the riches stored in them: a lot of gold, curtains, precious stones and the passion of the Lord - a crown, nails , scarlet and the relics of the saints, teaching them their faith and showing them the true faith. And so he let them go to his land with great honor. The envoys sent by Oleg returned to him and told him all the speeches of both kings, how they made peace and put an agreement between the Greek land and the Russians and established not to violate the oath - neither the Greeks nor Russia.

And Oleg lived, the prince in Kyiv, having peace with all countries. And autumn came, and Oleg remembered his horse, which he had previously set to feed, deciding never to sit on it, For he asked the sorcerers and magicians: “What will I die from?”. And one magician said to him: “Prince! From the horse of your beloved, on which you ride, - from him you and die? These words sunk into Oleg's soul, and he said: "I will never sit on him and I will not see him again." And he ordered to feed him and not to bring him to him, and lived for several years without seeing him, until he went to the Greeks. And when he returned to Kyiv and four years had passed, on the fifth year he remembered his horse, from which the sorcerers predicted his death. And he called the elder of the grooms and said: "Where is my horse, which I ordered to feed and protect?" He answered: "He died." Oleg laughed and reproached that sorcerer, saying: “The magi speak incorrectly, but all this is a lie: the horse died, but I am alive.” And he ordered to saddle his horse: "Let me see his bones." And he came to the place where his bare bones and naked skull lay, got off the horse, laughed and said: “Should I accept this skull?” And he stepped with his foot on the skull, and a snake crawled out of the skull, and bit him in the leg. And from that he fell ill and died. All the people mourned him with a great cry, and they carried him and buried him on a mountain called Shchekovitsa; there is his grave to this day, it is reputed to be Oleg's grave. And all the years of his reign were thirty and three.

It is not surprising that sorcery comes true from sorcery. So it was in the reign of Domitian, then a certain sorcerer was known by the name of Apollonius of Tyana, who walked and performed demonic miracles everywhere - in cities and villages. Once, when he came from Rome to Byzantium, he was asked by those living there to do the following: he expelled many snakes and scorpions from the city so that there would be no harm to people from them and curbed horse fury in front of the boyars. So he came to Antioch, and, having been urged by those people, the Antiochians, who suffered from scorpions and mosquitoes, he made a copper scorpion, and buried it in the ground, and placed a small marble pillar over it, and ordered the people to take sticks and walk around the city and call out, shaking those sticks: "To be a city without a mosquito!". And so scorpions and mosquitoes disappeared from the city. And they asked him more about the earthquake that threatened the city, and, sighing, he wrote on the tablet the following: “Alas for you, unfortunate city, you will be shaken a lot and you will be burned by fire, (he who will be) will mourn you on the banks of the Orontes.” About this (Apollonius) the great Anastasius of the city of God said: “The miracles performed by Apollonius are even still being performed in some places: some - to drive away four-legged animals and birds that could harm people, others - to keep river jets, escaped from the banks, but others both to the death and to the detriment of people, although to curb them. Not only did demons perform such miracles during his lifetime, but after death, at his tomb, they performed miracles in his name in order to deceive miserable people, often caught by the devil on them. So, who will say anything about the works that create magical temptation? After all, behold, Apollonius was skilled at magical seduction and never reckoned with the fact that in madness he indulged in a wise trick; but he should have said: “I only do with the word what I wanted,” and not perform the actions expected of him. Then everything happens by the permission of God and the creation of demons - our Orthodox faith that she is firm and strong, staying near the Lord and not carried away by the devil, his ghostly miracles and satanic deeds, done by the enemies of the human race and the servants of evil. It happens that some even prophesy in the name of the Lord, like Balaam, and Saul, and Caiaphas, and even cast out demons, like Judas and the sons of Skevabel. Because grace repeatedly acts on the unworthy, as many testify: for Balaam was a stranger to everything - both a righteous life and faith, but nevertheless grace appeared in him to convince others. And the Pharaoh was the same, but the future was revealed to him. And Nebuchadnezzar was a transgressor, but the future of many generations was also revealed to him, thereby testifying that many who have perverse ideas, even before the coming of Christ, do signs not of their own free will to deceive people who do not know good. Such was Simon the Magus, and Menander, and others like him, because of whom it was truly said: "Do not deceive with miracles ...".

In the year 6421 (913). After Oleg, Igor began to reign. At the same time, Constantine, the son of Leon, began to reign. And the Drevlyans shut themselves up from Igor after the death of Oleg.

In the year 6422 (914). Igor went to the Drevlyans and, having defeated them, laid a tribute on them more than Oleg's. In the same year, Simeon of Bulgaria came to Constantinople and, having made peace, returned home.

In the year 6423 (915). For the first time, the Pechenegs came to the Russian land and, having made peace with Igor, went to the Danube. At the same time, Simeon came, capturing Thrace; the Greeks sent for the Pechenegs. When the Pechenegs came and were about to attack Simeon, the Greek governors quarreled. The Pechenegs, seeing that they themselves were quarreling among themselves, went home, and the Bulgarians fought the Greeks, and the Greeks were killed. Simeon also captured the city of Adrian, which was originally called the city of Orestes - the son of Agamemnon: for Orestes once bathed in three rivers and got rid of his illness here - that's why he named the city after himself. Subsequently, it was updated by Caesar Adrian and named in his name Adrian, but we call him Adrian-city.

In the year 6424 (916).

In the year 6425 (917).

In the year 6426 (918).

In the year 6427 (919).

In the year 6428 (920). The Greeks installed Tsar Roman. Igor fought against the Pechenegs.

In the year 6429 (921).

In the year 6430 (922).

In the year 6431 (923).

In the year 6432 (924).

In the year 6433 (925).

In the year 6434 (926).

In the year 6435 (927).

In the year 6436 (928).

In the year 6437 (929). Simeon came to Constantinople, and captivated Thrace and Macedonia, and approached Constantinople in great strength and pride, and made peace with Roman the Tsar, and returned home.

In the year 6438 (930).

In the year 6439 (931).

In the year 6440 (932).

In the year 6441 (933).

In the year 6442 (934). For the first time, the Ugrians came to Constantinople and captured the whole of Thrace, Roman made peace with the Ugrians.

In the year 6444 (936).

In the year 6445 (937).

In the year 6446 (938).

In the year 6447 (939).

In the year 6448 (940).

In the year 6449 (941). Igor went to the Greeks. And the Bulgarians sent a message to the tsar that the Russians were going to Tsargrad: 10 thousand ships. And they came, and sailed, and began to fight the country of Bithynia, and captivated the land along the Pontic Sea to Heraclia and to the Paphlagonian land, and captured the whole country of Nicomedia, and burned the whole Court. And those who were captured - some were crucified, while in others, putting them in front of them, they shot, grabbed, tied their hands back and drove iron nails into their heads. They set fire to many holy churches, burned monasteries and villages, and seized a lot of wealth along both banks of the Court. When the soldiers came from the east - Panfir-demestik with forty thousand, Foka the patrician with the Macedonians, Fedor the Stratelat with the Thracians, and with them the high-ranking boyars, they surrounded Russia. The Russians, having consulted, went out against the Greeks with weapons, and in a fierce battle the Greeks barely defeated. The Russians, by evening, returned to their squad and at night, sitting in the boats, sailed away. Theophanes met them in the boats with fire and began to fire with pipes on the Russian boats. And a terrible miracle was seen. The Russians, seeing the flame, rushed into the sea water, trying to escape, and so the rest returned home. And, having come to their land, they told - each to their own - about what had happened and about the boat fire. “As if lightning from heaven,” they said, “the Greeks have in their place and, releasing it, they set fire to us; That's why they didn't overcome them." Igor, on his return, began to gather a lot of soldiers and sent across the sea to the Varangians, inviting them to the Greeks, again intending to go to them.

And the year is 6430 (942). Simeon went to the Croats, and the Croats defeated him, and died, leaving Peter, his son, a prince over the Bulgarians.

In the year 6451 (943). The Ugrians came to Tsargrad again and, having made peace with Roman, returned home.

In the year 6452 (944). Igor gathered many warriors: Varangians, Rus, and Polyans, and Slovenes, and Krivichi, and Tivertsy, and hired the Pechenegs, and took hostages from them, and went to the Greeks in boats and on horses, trying to avenge himself. Hearing about this, the Korsun people sent to Roman with the words: “Here come the Russians, without the number of their ships, the ships covered the sea.” Also, the Bulgarians sent a message, saying: "The Russians are coming and hired the Pechenegs for themselves." Hearing about this, the tsar sent the best boyars to Igor with a prayer, saying: “Do not go, but take the tribute that Oleg took, I will add more to that tribute.” He also sent curtains and a lot of gold to the Pechenegs. Igor, having reached the Danube, convened a squad, and began to hold advice with her, and told her a speech to the tsar. Igor's squad said: “If the tsar says so, then what else do we need - without fighting, take gold, and silver, and curtains? Does anyone know - whom to overcome: is it for us, or for them? Or who is in alliance with the sea? After all, we do not walk on the earth, but on the depths of the sea: a common death for all. Igor listened to them and ordered the Pechenegs to fight the Bulgarian land, and he himself, having taken gold and curtains from the Greeks for all the soldiers, returned back and came home to Kyiv.

In the year 6453 (945). Roman, Konstantin, and Stefan sent ambassadors to Igor to restore the former peace, while Igor spoke with them about peace. And Igor sent his husbands to Roman. Roman summoned the boyars and dignitaries. And they brought Russian ambassadors, and ordered them to speak and write down the speeches of both of them on the charter.

“A list from the treaty concluded under Tsars Roman, Constantine and Stefan, Christ-loving lords. We are ambassadors and merchants from the Russian family, Ivor, ambassador of Igor, the Grand Duke of Russia, and general ambassadors: Vuefast from Svyatoslav, son of Igor; Iskusevi from Princess Olga; Sludy from Igor, nephew Igorev; Uleb from Volodyslav; Kanitsar from Predslava; Shihbern Sfandr from Uleb's wife; Prasten Tudorov; Libiar Fastov; Grim Sfirkov; Prasten Akun, Igorev's nephew; Kara Tudkov; Karshev Tudorov; Egri Evliskov; Voist Voikov; Istr Aminodov; Prasten Bernow; Yavtyag Gunarev; Hybrid Aldan; Kol Klekov; Steggy Etonov; Sfirka...; Alvad Gudov; Fudri Tuadov; Mutur Utin; merchants Adun, Adulb, Yggivlad, Uleb, Frutan, Gomol, Kutsi, Emig, Turobid, Furosten, Bruny, Roald, Gunastre, Frasten, Igeld, Turbern, Monet, Ruald, Sven, Stir, Aldan, Tilen, Apubeksar, Vuzlev, Sinko , Borich, sent from Igor, the Grand Duke of Russia, and from every prince, and from all the people of the Russian land. And they are instructed to resume old world, violated for many years by a hater of good and a lover of enmity, and to establish love between Greeks and Russians.

Our Grand Duke Igor, and his boyars, and all Russian people sent us to Roman, Konstantin and Stefan, to the great kings of Greece, to conclude an alliance of love with the kings themselves, with all the boyars and with all Greek people for all the years, while the sun is shining and the whole world stands. And whoever from the Russian side plans to destroy this love, then let those of them who were baptized receive retribution from Almighty God, condemnation to death in afterlife, and those of them who are not baptized, may they have no help from either God or Perun, may they not defend themselves with their own shields, and may they die from their swords, from arrows and from their other weapons, and may they be slaves in all your afterlife.

BUT Grand Duke let the Russian and his boyars send ships to the Greek land to the great kings of the Greeks, as much as they want, with ambassadors and merchants, as it is established for them. Formerly, ambassadors brought gold seals, and merchants silver ones; now your prince commanded to send letters to us kings; those ambassadors and guests who will be sent by them, let them bring a letter, writing it like this: sent so many ships, so that from these letters we learn that they came in peace. If they come without a letter and end up in our hands, then we will keep them under supervision until we inform your prince. But if they do not yield to us and resist, then let us kill them, and let them not be exacted from your prince. If, having escaped, they return to Russia, then we will write to your prince, and let them do what they want. If the Russians do not come for trade, then let them not take a month. Let the prince punish his ambassadors and the Russians who come here, so that they do not commit atrocities in the villages and in our country. And when they come, let them live at the church of St. Mammoth, and then we, the kings, will send to rewrite your names, and let them take a month - ambassadors of the embassy, ​​and merchants a month, first those who are from the city of Kyiv, then from Chernigov, and from Pereyaslavl, and from other cities. Yes, they enter the city through the gate alone, accompanied by the king's husband without weapons, about 50 people, and trade as much as they need, and go back; let our royal husband protect them, so that if any of the Russians or Greeks does wrong, then let him judge that matter. When the Russians enter the city, then let them not do harm and have no right to buy curtains more expensive than 50 spools; and if anyone buys those curtains, then let him show it to the king's husband, and he will seal it and give it to them. And those Russians who leave from here, let them take everything they need from us: food for the road and what the boats need, as it was established earlier, and let them return safely to their country, and let them not have the right to spend the winter at St. Mammoth.

If a servant runs away from the Russians, then let them come for him to the country of our kingdom, and if he turns up at the holy Mammoth, then let them take him; if not, then let our Russian Christians swear according to their faith, and non-Christians according to their own law, and then let them take their price from us, as was established before - 2 pavoloks per servant.

If one of the servants of our royal or our city, or other cities, runs away to you and takes something with him, then let them return him again; and if what he brought is all intact, then they will take from him two spools for the capture.

If someone among the Russians attempts to take something from our royal people, then the one who does this, let him be severely punished; if he already takes, let him pay twice; and if a Greek does the same to a Russian, he will receive the same punishment that he received.

If, however, it happens to steal something to a Russian from the Greeks or to a Greek from the Russians, then not only what was stolen should be returned, but also the price of what was stolen; if it turns out that the stolen has already been sold, let him return its price twice and be punished according to the Greek law and according to the charter and according to the Russian law.

No matter how many captive Christians of our subjects the Russians bring, then for a young man or a good girl let ours give 10 gold coins and take them, but if they are of middle age, then let them give them 8 gold coins and take him; if there is an old man or a child, then let them give 5 pieces of gold for him.

If the Russians find themselves in slavery to the Greeks, then if they are prisoners, let the Russians redeem them by 10 spools; if it turns out that they were bought by a Greek, then he should swear on the cross and take his price - how much he gave for the captive.

And about the Korsun country. Yes, the Russian prince has no right to fight in those countries, in all the cities of that land, and let that country not submit to you, but when the Russian prince asks us for soldiers to fight, I will give him as much as he needs.

And about this: if the Russians find a Greek ship, thrown somewhere on the shore, let them not cause damage to it. If someone takes something from him, or converts one of him into slavery, or kills him, he will be subject to judgment according to Russian and Greek law.

If, however, the Russians of Korsun are caught at the mouth of the Dnieper fishing, let them not do them any harm.

And let the Russians not have the right to spend the winter at the mouth of the Dnieper, in the Beloberezhye and at St. Elfery; but with the onset of autumn, let them go home to Russia.

And about these: if black Bulgarians come and start fighting in the Korsun country, then we order the Russian prince not to let them in, otherwise they will cause damage to his country.

If a crime is committed by one of the Greeks - our royal subjects - yes, you do not have the right to punish them, but according to our royal command, let him receive punishment in the measure of his offense.

If our subject kills a Russian or a Russian our subject, then let the killer be apprehended by the relatives of the victim, and let him be killed.

If the murderer runs away and hides, and he has property, then let the relatives of the murdered person take his property; if the murderer turns out to be indigent and also hides, then let them look for him until he is found, and when he is found, let him be killed.

If a Russian strikes a Greek or a Russian Greek with a sword, or a spear, or any other weapon, then let the guilty person pay 5 liters of silver according to the Russian law for that iniquity; if he turns out to be indigent, then let them sell everything that is possible from him, so that even the clothes in which he walks, and let them be removed from him, and about what is missing, let him take an oath according to his faith that he has nothing, and only then let it be released.

If we, kings, wish you have soldiers against our opponents, let us write about this to your Grand Duke, and he will send us as many of them as we wish: and from here they will know in other countries what kind of love Greeks and Russians have among themselves.

We wrote this agreement on two charters, and one charter is kept by us, the kings, - on it there is a cross and our names are written, and on the other - the names of your ambassadors and merchants. And when our royal ambassadors leave, let them take them to the Grand Duke of Russia Igor and to his people; and those, having accepted the charter, will swear to truly observe what we have agreed and what we have written on this charter, on which our names are written.

But we, those of us who are baptized, swore in the cathedral church by the church of St. Elijah in the presentation of the honest cross and this charter to observe everything that is written in it, and not to violate anything from it; and if anyone from our country violates this - whether a prince or someone else, baptized or unbaptized - may he not receive help from God, may he be a slave in his afterlife and may he be slain with his own weapons.

And unbaptized Russians lay down their shields and naked swords, hoops and other weapons to swear that everything that is written in this charter will be observed by Igor, and all the boyars, and all the people of the Russian country in all future years and always.

If any of the princes or of the people of Russia, Christians or non-Christians, violates what is written in this charter, let him be worthy to die from his weapon and be damned from God and from Perun for having violated his oath.

And if, for the good, Igor, the Grand Duke, preserves this true love, may it not be broken as long as the sun shines and the whole world stands still, in these times and in all future times.

The ambassadors sent by Igor returned to him with the Greek ambassadors and told him all the speeches of Tsar Roman. Igor called the Greek ambassadors and asked them: "Tell me, what did the king punish you?" And the ambassadors of the tsar said: “Here the tsar sent us, delighted with the world, he wants to have peace and love with the Russian prince. Your ambassadors swore our kings, and we were sent to swear you and your husbands." Igor promised to do so. The next day, Igor called on ambassadors and came to the hill where Perun stood; and they laid down their weapons, and shields, and gold, and Igor and his people swore allegiance - how many pagans were among the Russians. And Russian Christians were sworn in in the church of St. Elijah, which stands over the Brook at the end of the Pasyncha conversation and the Khazars - it was a cathedral church, since there were many Christians - Varangians. Igor, having established peace with the Greeks, released the ambassadors, endowing them with furs, slaves and wax, and released them; the ambassadors came to the king and told him all the speeches of Igor, and about his love for the Greeks.

Igor began to reign in Kyiv, having peace to all countries. And autumn came, and he began to plot to go to the Drevlyans, wanting to take even more tribute from them.

In the year 6453 (945). That year, the squad said to Igor: “The youths of Sveneld dressed up in weapons and clothes, and we are naked. Come, prince, with us for tribute, and you will get it for yourself, and for us. And Igor listened to them - he went to the Drevlyans for tribute and added a new tribute to the previous one, and his men did violence to them. Taking tribute, he went to his city. When he was walking back, on reflection, he said to his squad: “Go home with tribute, and I will return and look like more.” And he sent his retinue home, and he himself returned with a small part of the retinue, desiring more wealth. The Drevlyans, having heard that he was coming again, held a council with their prince Mal: ​​“If a wolf gets into the habit of sheep, he will carry out the whole herd until they kill him; so is this one: if we do not kill him, he will destroy us all.” And they sent to him, saying: “Why are you going again? I've already taken all the tribute." And Igor did not listen to them; and the Drevlyans, leaving the city of Iskorosten, killed Igor and his warriors, since there were few of them. And Igor was buried, and there is his grave at Iskorosten in the Derevskaya land to this day.

Olga was in Kyiv with her son, the child Svyatoslav, and his breadwinner was Asmud, and the governor Sveneld was the father of Mstisha. The Drevlyans said: “Here we killed the Russian prince; we will take his wife Olga for our prince Mal and Svyatoslav we will take and do to him what we want. And the Drevlyans sent their best husbands, twenty in number, in a boat to Olga, and landed in a boat near Borichev. After all, the water then flowed near the Kyiv mountain, and people were not sitting on Podil, but on the mountain. The city of Kyiv was where the court of Gordyata and Nikifor is now, and the princely court was in the city, where the court of Vorotislav and Chudin is now, and the place for catching birds was outside the city; there was another courtyard outside the city, where the courtyard of the domestic now stands, behind the church of the Holy Mother of God; above the mountain there was a tower yard - there was a stone tower there. And they told Olga that the Drevlyans had come, and Olga called them to her, and told them: "Good guests have come." And the Drevlyans answered: "Come, princess." And Olga said to them: “So tell me, why did you come here?” The Drevlyans answered: “The Derevskaya land sent us with these words: “We killed your husband, because your husband, like a wolf, plundered and robbed, and our princes are good, because they protect the Derevskaya land, - marry our prince for Mala "". After all, his name was Mal, the prince of the Drevlyansk. Olga said to them: “Your speech is kind to me, I can no longer resurrect my husband; but I want to honor you tomorrow before my people; now go to your boat and lie down in the boat, magnifying, and in the morning I will send for you, and you say: “We don’t ride horses, we won’t go on foot, but carry us in the boat,” and they will lift you up in the boat. and released them to the boat. Olga ordered to dig a great and deep pit in the terem courtyard, outside the city. The next morning, sitting in the terem, Olga sent for the guests, and they came to them and said: “Olga is calling you for the great honor.” They answered: “We do not ride either on horses or carts, and we do not go on foot, but carry us in a boat.” And the people of Kiev answered: “We are not free; our prince is killed, and our princess wants for your prince, ”and they carried them in a boat. They sat, magnifying themselves, leaning on their sides and in great chest badges. And they brought them to the yard to Olga, and as they carried them, they threw them together with the boat into the pit. And, leaning towards the pit, Olga asked them: “Is honor good for you?” They answered: "Worse for us than Igor's death." And ordered them to fall asleep alive; and covered them up.

And Olga sent to the Drevlyans, and said to them: “If you really ask me, then send the best husbands to marry your prince with great honor, otherwise the people of Kyiv will not let me in.” Hearing about this, the Drevlyans chose the best men who ruled the Derevskoy land, and sent for it. When the Drevlyans arrived, Olga ordered a bath to be prepared, telling them this: “After washing, come to me.” And they heated the bath, and the Drevlyans entered it, and began to wash; and they locked the bathhouse behind them, and Olga ordered to light it from the door, and then everything burned down.

And she sent it to the Drevlyans with the words: “I’m already coming to you, prepare many honeys in the city where my husband was killed, let me cry on his grave and create a feast for my husband.” They, having heard about it, brought a lot of honey and brewed it. Olga, taking a small squad with her, went light, came to the grave of her husband and mourned him. And she ordered her people to pour a high burial mound, and when they poured it, she ordered to perform a feast. After that, the Drevlyans sat down to drink, and Olga ordered her youths to serve them. And the Drevlyans said to Olga: “Where is our squad, which was sent for you?” She answered: "They are following me with my husband's retinue." And when the Drevlyans got drunk, she ordered her youths to drink in their honor, and she herself went not far and ordered the squad to chop down the Drevlyans, and cut them down 5000. And Olga returned to Kyiv and gathered an army for the rest.

The title of historian is great and responsible. We know Herodotus, and Plutarch, and Tacitus, and N.M. Karamzin. But for Russian history there is no higher authority, no higher name than the monk (c. 1056-114) - a monk of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, father of Russian history.

November 9 Memorial Day of the chronicler Nestor is celebrated. The years of his life fell on the XI century. For him, literally recently, in 988, the waters of the Dnieper received the baptized people of Kiev, witnesses of this miracle were still alive. But civil strife, attacks by external enemies have already overtaken Russia. The descendants of Prince Vladimir could not or did not want to be united, with each decade internecine strife among the princes increased.

Scientist Monk Nestor

Who was the Monk Nestor? Tradition says that, being a seventeen-year-old boy, he came to the monastery to the holy elder Theodosius of the Caves(c. 1008-May 3, 1074), where he accepted the monastic dignity. There is no doubt that Nestor came to the monastery already quite literate and even, according to the level of that time, an educated young man. By that time, there were many teachers in Kyiv, from whom Nestor could study.

At that time, according to the Monk Nestor

blacks, like luminaries, shone in Russia. Some were strong mentors, others were firm in vigil or in kneeling prayer; others fasted every other day and two days later, others ate only bread and water; others a boiled potion, others only raw.

Everyone was in love: the younger ones obeyed the elders, not daring to speak before them, and showed humility and obedience; and the elders showed love to the younger ones, instructed and consoled them, like fathers of small children. If any brother fell into any sin, they consoled him and great love divided the penance into two and three. Such was mutual love, with strict abstinence.

And the days of the monk Nestor were indistinguishable from the days of other Chernorizians. Only his obedience was different: with the blessing of the rector Theodosius of the Caves wrote the history of Russia. In his literary works, the chronicler calls himself " sinful», « cursed», « unworthy servant of God". In these assessments of oneself, humility and God-fearing are manifested: a person who has reached such heights of humility sees the smallest sins in his soul. To imagine the spiritual level of the saints, it is enough to delve into the following saying: The saints mistook for sin the shadow of the thought of sin”, even the slightest thought, and often even mourned their virtues as sins.

The first literary works of Nestor the Chronicler

The first in time was the work of Nestor " The life of the holy princes Boris and Gleb, in holy baptism named Roman and Davyd". It contains high prayerfulness, accuracy of description, moralizing. Nestor speaks of the creation of man, his fall and his rise by the grace of God. In the words of the chronicler one can see a heavy sadness that the Christian faith is slowly spreading in Russia. Nestor writes:

While Christians multiplied everywhere and idol altars were abolished, the Russian country remained in its former idol charm, because it did not hear a word from anyone about our Lord Jesus Christ; no apostles came to us and no one preached the word of God.

The second, and no less interesting and significant work of the chronicler is “ Life of St. Theodosius of the Caves". Nestor, as a very young novice, saw Saint Theodosius, then, many years later, he participated in the uncovering of the relics of the monk, and now he compiled his biography. It is written simply and inspirationally.

My goal,” writes Nestor, “is that the future Chernorizians, reading the life of the saint and seeing his valor, glorify God, glorify the saint of God and be strengthened for the feat, especially by the fact that such a man and saint of God appeared in the Russian country.

Nestor's Chronicle "The Tale of Bygone Years"

The main feat of the life of the Monk Nestor was the compilation by the years 1112-1113 "The Tale of Bygone Years". extraordinarily wide circle sources, meaningful from a single, church point of view, allowed the Monk Nestor to write the history of Russia as part world history, the history of the salvation of the human race. " Tale of Bygone Years”came down to us as part of later codes:

1. Laurentian Chronicle(1377)
2. First Novgorod Chronicle(XIV century) and
3. Ipatiev Chronicle(XV century).

It is assumed that Nestor used the material ancient vault(IX century), Code of Nikon(70s of the XI century) and Initial Code(1093-1095). The text clearly echoes the Byzantine chronicle. George Amartola. The authenticity and completeness of the writings of St. Nestor is such that historians resort to them to this day as the most important and reliable source of information about Ancient Russia.

« Tale of Bygone Years"- the great creation of the father of Russian history.
Not temporary, but temporary years, covering not some small period, but huge years of Russian life, an entire era. It is called in its entirety as follows: “Behold the tales of the time years, where did the Russian land come from, who in Kyiv began first to reign, and from where did the Russian land begin to eat».

History is comprehended by Nestor strictly from the Orthodox point of view. He talks about the saints Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius, shows the great happiness of the Baptism of Russia, the fruits of its enlightenment. Equal-to-the-Apostles Vladimir- the main character of "The Tale of Bygone Years" by Nestor. The chronicler compares it with John the Baptist. The exploits and life of the prince are depicted in detail and with love. The spiritual depth, historical fidelity and patriotism of The Tale of Bygone Years place it among the highest creations of world literature.

Chronicle of Nestor Tale of Bygone Years» cannot be named clean history, church or civil chronicle. It is also the history of the Russian people, the Russian nation, a reflection on the origins of the Russian consciousness, the Russian perception of the world, the fate and attitude of a person of that time. It was not a simple enumeration of bright events or a familiar European biography, but a deep reflection on the place in the world of a new young people - the Russians. Where are we from? What are beautiful? How are we different from other nations?- these are the questions that confronted Nestor.

"The Tale of Bygone Years". Research

The first researcher of The Tale of Bygone Years was a Russian historian and geographer V. N. Tatishchev. The archaeographer managed to find out a lot of interesting things about the chronicle P. M. Stroev. He expressed a new view of The Tale of Bygone Years, as a collection of several earlier chronicles, and began to consider all the chronicles that have come down to us to be such collections.

Famous Russian philologist and historian late XIX-XX centuries A. A. Shakhmatov put forward the version that each of the annalistic vaults is historical work with his own political position dictated by the place and time of creation. He connected the history of the chronicle with the history of the whole country. The results of his research are presented in the works " Research on the most ancient Russian chronicle vaults"(1908) and" Tale of Bygone Years"(1916). According to Shakhmatov, Nestor wrote the first edition of The Tale of Bygone Years in the Kiev Caves Monastery in 1110-1112. The second edition was written by abbot Sylvester in the Kiev Vydubitsky Mikhailovsky Monastery in 1116. In 1118, the third edition of The Tale of Bygone Years was compiled on behalf, or even political order, of the Novgorod prince Mstislav I Vladimirovich.

Soviet researcher D. S. Likhachev assumed that in the 30-40s of the XI century, by order Yaroslav the Wise Oral folk historical traditions about the spread of Christianity were recorded. This cycle served as the future basis of the chronicle.

Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin, creating your own chronicler Pimena in the drama Boris Godunov"(1824-1825, published in 1831), based on the character traits of the chronicler Nestor, striving for the truth, even if someone does not like it, not at all" does not decorate the writer».

The Monk Nestor survived the fire and destruction of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra in 1196. His last works are permeated with the thought of the unity of Russia, of uniting it with the Christian faith. The chronicler bequeathed to the Pechersk monks to continue the work of their whole lives. His successors in chronicle writing: Rev. Sylvester, hegumen Vydubitsky Kyiv Monastery; hegumen Moses, who extended the chronicle until 1200; hegumen Lawrence- the author of the famous Lavrentiev Chronicle of 1377. All of them refer to the Monk Nestor: for them he is the highest teacher - both as a writer and as a prayer book.

As modern scholars have established, the Monk Nestor died at the age of 65. Now the relics of the Monk Nestor are incorruptible in Near caves(Antoniev) Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. At the beginning of the 21st century Society of History Lovers at Kiev University» bound with silver to the shrine of the reverend.

To the attention of all lovers of Russian history

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Russian chronicle history is monumental monument Old Russian book art, by the scale and breadth of coverage of historical events, as well as by the form of presentation of the material unparalleled in the world. The collection contains weather (by years) chronicles, stories, legends, lives of Russian chronicle history for four and a half centuries (XII-XVI centuries).

Here are the testimonies of the past years about when it was first mentioned and from what the name "Russian Land" comes from and who begins to reign in Kyiv earlier - we will tell a story about this.

About the Slavs

After the flood and the death of Noah, his three sons divide the Earth among themselves and agree not to transgress into each other's possessions. They throw lots. Japheth gets the north and Western countries. But mankind on Earth is still united, and for more than 40 years on the field near Babylon has been building a pillar to heaven. However, God is not pleased, he destroys the unfinished pillar with a strong wind and scatters people across the Earth, dividing them into 72 nations. From one of them come the Slavs, who live in the possessions of the descendants of Japheth. Then the Slavs come to the Danube, and from there they disperse throughout the lands. The Slavs peacefully settle along the Dnieper and receive names: some are glades, because they live in the field, others are derevlyans, because they sit in the forests. The Polyans are meek and quiet compared to other tribes, they are bashful in front of their daughters-in-law, sisters, mothers and mothers-in-law, and, for example, the Derevlyans live bestially: they kill each other, eat all kinds of uncleanness, do not know marriage, but, having attacked, they kidnap girls.

About the Journey of the Apostle Andrew

The Holy Apostle Andrew, teaching the Christian faith to the people along the Black Sea coast, comes to the Crimea and learns about the Dnieper, that its mouth is not far, and sails up the Dnieper. For the night he stops under the desert hills on the shore, and in the morning he looks at them and turns to the disciples around him: “Do you see these hills?” And he prophesies: "The grace of God will shine on these hills - a great city will arise and many churches will be erected." And the apostle, arranging a whole ceremony, ascends the hills, blesses them, puts up a cross and prays to God. Kyiv will indeed appear at this place later.

The Apostle Andrew returns to Rome and tells the Romans that something strange happens every day in the land of Slovenia, where Novgorod will be built later: there are wooden buildings, not stone ones, but the Slovenians heat them up with fire, not being afraid of a fire, pull off their clothes and appear completely naked , not caring about decency, they douse themselves with kvass, moreover, kvass from henbane (intoxicating), begin to slash themselves with flexible branches and finish themselves off so much that they crawl out barely alive, and in addition douse themselves with ice water - and suddenly come to life. Hearing this, the Romans are amazed why the Slovenes are torturing themselves. And Andrei, who knows that the Slovenes are “tailing” in this way, explains the riddle to the slow-witted Romans: “This is ablution, not torment.”

About cue

Three brothers live in the land of the glades, each with his family sits on his hill near the Dnieper. The first brother's name is Kiy, the second - Shchek, the third - Khoriv. The brothers create a city, call it Kyiv after their elder brother and live in it. And near the city there is a forest in which the meadows catch animals. Kiy travels to Constantinople, where the Byzantine king renders him a great honor. From Tsargrad, Kiy comes to the Danube, he likes one place where he builds a small town called Kievets. But the locals do not allow him to settle there. Kiy returns to his lawful Kyiv, where he ends his life with dignity. Shchek and Khoriv also die here.

About the Khazars

After the death of the brothers, a Khazar detachment stumbles upon the glade and demands: "Pay tribute to us." The meadows consult and give each hut a sword. Khazar warriors bring this to their prince and elders and boast: “Here, they have collected some new tribute.” The elders ask: "Where?" The warriors, obviously not knowing the name of the tribe that gave them tribute, only answer: "They gathered in the forest, on the hills, above the Dnieper River." The elders ask: “What did they give you?” The warriors, not even knowing the names of the things brought, silently show their swords. But the experienced elders, having guessed the meaning of the mysterious tribute, predict to the prince: “An ominous tribute, O prince. We got it with sabers, weapons sharp on one side, and these tributaries have swords, double-edged weapons. They will take tribute from us.” This prediction will come true, the Russian princes will take possession of the Khazars.

About the name "Russian land". 852−862

This is where the name "Russian Land" first begins to be used: the then Byzantine chronicle mentions a campaign of a certain Russia against Constantinople. But the land is still divided: the Varangians take tribute from the northern tribes, including the Novgorod Slovenes, and the Khazars take tribute from the southern tribes, including the glades.

The northern tribes drive the Varangians across the Baltic Sea, stop paying tribute to them and try to govern themselves, but they do not have a common set of laws and therefore are drawn into civil strife, wage a war of self-destruction. Finally, they agree among themselves: "Let's look for a single prince, but outside of us, so that he would rule us, and would judge based on the law." The Estonian Chud, the Novgorod Slovenes, the Krivichi Slavs, and the Finno-Ugric people all send their representatives across the sea to other Varangians, whose tribe is called "Rus". This is the same common name as the names of other nationalities - "Swedes", "Normans", "English". And the listed four tribes offer the following to Russia: “Our land is great in space and rich in bread, but there is no state structure in it. Come to us to reign and govern." Three brothers get down to business with their families, take all of Russia with them and arrive (to a new place): the eldest of the brothers - Rurik - sits down to reign in Novgorod (among the Slovenes), the second brother - Sineus - in Belozersk (near the village), and the third brother - Truvor - in Izborsk (near the Krivichi). Two years later, Sineus and Truvor die, all power is concentrated by Rurik, who distributes cities to the control of his Vikings-Rus. From all those Varangians-Rus, the name (to the new state) arises - "Russian Land".

About the fate of Askold and Dir. 862−882

Rurik has two boyars - Askold and Dir. They are not at all relatives of Rurik, so they ask him (to serve) to Tsargrad along with their families. They float along the Dnieper and see a town on a hill: “Whose town is this?” Residents answer them: “There lived three brothers - Kyi, Shchek, Khoriv - who built this town, but died. And we are sitting here without a ruler, paying tribute to the relatives of the brothers - the Khazars. Here Askold and Dir decide to stay in Kyiv, recruit many Varangians and begin to rule the land of the meadows. And Rurik reigns in Novgorod.

Askold and Dir go to war against Byzantium, two hundred of their ships besiege Constantinople. The weather is calm and the sea is calm. The Byzantine tsar and the patriarch pray for deliverance from godless Russia and, singing, dip the robe of the Holy Mother of God into the sea. And suddenly a storm rises, wind, huge waves rise. Russian ships are swept away, brought to the shore and smashed. Few people from Russia manage to escape and return home.

Meanwhile, Rurik dies. Rurik has a son, Igor, but he is still quite small. Therefore, before his death, Rurik transfers the reign to his relative Oleg. Oleg with a large army, which includes the Varangians, Chud, Slovenes, the whole, Krivichi, captures the southern cities one by one. He approaches Kyiv, learns that Askold and Dir illegally reign. And he hides his soldiers in the boats, swims up to the pier with Igor in his arms and sends an invitation to Askold and Dir: “I am a merchant. We sail to Byzantium, and obey Oleg and Prince Igor. Come to us, your relatives." (Askold and Dir are obliged to visit the arrived Igor, because according to the law they continue to obey Rurik and, therefore, his son Igor; and Oleg also seduces them, calling them his younger relatives; in addition, it is interesting to see what goods the merchant is carrying.) Askold and Dir come to the boat. Here, hidden warriors jump out of the boat. Take out Igor. Judgment begins. Oleg exposes Askold and Dir: “You are not princes, not even from a princely family, And I am of a princely family. And here is the son of Rurik. Both Askold and Dir are killed (as impostors).

About Oleg's activities. 882−912

Oleg remains to reign in Kyiv and proclaims: "Kyiv will be the mother of Russian cities." Oleg is indeed building new cities. In addition, he conquers many tribes, including the Derevlyans, and takes tribute from them.

With an unprecedentedly large army - two thousand ships alone - Oleg goes to Byzantium and comes to Constantinople. The Greeks close the entrance to the bay, near which Tsargrad is located, with chains. But the cunning Oleg orders his soldiers to make wheels and put ships on them. A fair wind is blowing on Tsargrad. Warriors raise sails in the field and rush to the city. The Greeks see, and are terrified, and ask Oleg: "Do not destroy the city, we will give you whatever tribute you want." And as a sign of humility, the Greeks bring him a treat - food and wine. However, Oleg does not accept treats: it turns out that poison has been mixed into him. The Greeks are completely frightened: "This is not Oleg, but an invulnerable saint, God himself sent him to us." And the Greeks pray to Oleg to make peace: "We'll give you whatever you want." Oleg sets the Greeks to pay tribute to all the soldiers on two thousand of his ships - twelve hryvnias per person, and forty soldiers per ship - and another tribute for the large cities of Russia. To commemorate the victory, Oleg hangs his shield on the gates of Constantinople and returns to Kyiv, carrying gold, silks, fruits, wines and all kinds of jewelry.

People call Oleg "prophetic". But then an ominous sign appears in the sky - a star in the form of a spear. Oleg, now living in peace with all countries, remembers his beloved war horse. He has not mounted this horse for a long time. Five years before the campaign against Tsargrad, Oleg asked the Magi and magicians: “What am I going to die from?” And one of the sorcerers said to him: “You will die from the horse that you love and ride” (that is, from any such horse, moreover, not only alive, but also dead, and not only the whole, but also from part of it). Oleg, however, only with his mind, and not with his heart, understood what was said: “I will never again sit on my horse and I won’t even see it,” he ordered to feed the horse, but not to lead him to him. And now Oleg calls the oldest of the grooms and asks: “Where is my horse, whom I sent to feed and guard?” The groom replies: “Dead>. Oleg begins to mock and insult the magicians: “But the Magi predict incorrectly, everything they have is a lie, the horse is dead, but I am alive.” And he arrives at the place where the bones and the empty skull of his beloved horse lie, dismounts and mockingly says: “And from this skull I was threatened with death?” And tramples on the skull. And suddenly a snake protrudes from the skull and stung him in the leg. Because of this, Oleg falls ill and dies. The magic comes true.

On the death of Igor. 913−945

After the death of Oleg, the unfortunate Igor finally begins to reign, who, although he has already become an adult, went in submission to Oleg.

As soon as Oleg dies, the Derevlyane shut themselves off from Igor. Igor goes to the Derevlyans and imposes more tribute on them than Olegova.

Then Igor goes on a campaign to Tsargrad, having ten thousand ships. However, the Greeks from their boats through special pipes are taken to throw a burning composition at the Russian boats. Russians from the flames of fires jump into the sea, trying to swim away. The survivors return home and tell of a terrible miracle: "The Greeks have something like lightning from heaven, they release it and burn us."

Igor gathers a new army for a long time, not disdaining even the Pechenegs, and again goes to Byzantium, wanting to avenge his shame. His ships literally cover the sea. The Byzantine tsar sends his noblest boyars to Igor: “Do not go, but take the tribute that Oleg took. I will add more to that tribute. Igor, having sailed only as far as the Danube, convenes a squad and begins to consult. The cautious squad declares: “What more do we need - we won’t fight, but we will get gold, silver and silk. Who knows who will win - whether we are, whether they are. What, someone will agree with the sea? After all, we do not pass through the earth, but over the depths of the sea - a common death for all. Igor goes on about the squad, takes gold and silk from the Greeks for all the soldiers, turns back and returns to Kyiv.

But Igor's greedy squad annoys the prince: “The servants of even your governor have undressed, and we, the prince's squad, are naked. Come, prince, with us for tribute. And you will get it, and so will we.” And again, Igor goes on about the squad, goes for tribute to the Derevlyans, moreover, he arbitrarily increases the tribute, and the squad does other violence to the Derevlyans. With the collected tribute, Igor was sent to Kyiv, but after some reflection, wanting more than he managed to collect for himself, he turns to the squad: “You return home with your tribute, and I will return to the Derevlyans, I will collect more for myself.” And with a small remnant of the squad turns back. The villagers find out about this and confer with Mal, their prince: “Once a wolf has got into the habit of sheep, it will slaughter the entire herd, if not kill it. So is this one: if we do not kill him, then he will destroy us all. And they send to Igor: “Why are you going again? After all, he took all the tribute. But Igor just doesn't listen to them. Then, having gathered, the Derevlyans leave the city of Iskorosten and easily kill Igor and his squad - the people of Mala deal with a small number of people. And they bury Igor somewhere near Iskorosten.

About Olga's revenge. 945−946

Even during the life of Oleg, Igor was brought a wife from Pskov, named Olga. After the murder of Igor, Olga is left alone in Kyiv with her baby Svyatoslav. The Derevlyans make plans: “Since the Russian prince was killed, we will marry his wife Olga to our prince Mal, and we will do with Svyatoslav as we please.” And the Derevlyans send a boat with twenty of their noble people to Olga, and they sail to Kyiv. Olga is informed that the Derevlyans have unexpectedly arrived. Clever Olga receives derevlyane in a stone chamber: "Welcome, guests." The villagers answer impolitely: "Yes, welcome, princess." Olga continues the ceremony of receiving ambassadors: “Tell me, why did you come here?” The Derevlyans rudely spread: “The independent Derevlyanskaya land sent us, deciding the following. We killed your Mark, because your husband, like a hungry wolf, grabbed and robbed everything. Our princes are rich, they made the Derevlyansk land prosperous. So you go for our prince Mal. Olga replies: “I really like the way you say it. My husband cannot be resurrected. Therefore, I will pay special honors to you in the morning in the presence of my people. Now you go and lie down in your boat for the coming greatness. In the morning I will send people for you, and you say: "We will not ride horses, we will not ride carts, we will not go on foot, but carry us in a boat." And Olga lets the Derevlyans lie down in the boat (thus becoming a funeral boat for them), orders them to dig a huge and sheer grave pit in the yard in front of the tower. In the morning Olga, sitting in the tower, sends for these guests. Kievans come to the Derevlyans: "Olga is calling you, in order to show you the greatest honor." The villagers say: “We won’t ride horses, we won’t ride carts, we won’t go on foot, but carry us in a boat.” And the people of Kiev carry them in a boat, the Derevlyans sit proudly, akimbo and dressed up. They bring them to Olga in the courtyard and, together with the boat, are thrown into the pit. Olga clings to the pit and inquires: “Have you been given a worthy honor?” The Derevlyans only now guess: "Our death is more shameful than Igor's death." And Olga orders to fill them up alive. And they fall asleep.

Now Olga sends a demand to the Derevlyans: “If you ask me according to the marriage rules, then send the most noble people so that I can marry your prince with great honor. Otherwise, the people of Kiev will not let me in.” The Derevlyans elect the most noble people who rule the Derevlyansk land and send for Olga. Matchmakers appear, and Olga, according to guest custom, first sends them to the bathhouse (again with vengeful ambiguity), offering them: "Wash and appear before me." The bath is heated, the derevlyane climb into it, and as soon as they begin to wash themselves (like the dead), the bath is locked. Olga orders to set fire to it, first of all from the doors, and the Derevlyans burn down all (after all, the dead, according to custom, were burned).

Olga informs the villagers: “I’m already leaving for you. Prepare a lot of intoxicated mead in the city where you killed my husband (Olga does not want to say the name of the city she hates). I must create a weeping over his grave and a feast for my husband.” The derevlyane bring a lot of honey and boil it. Olga, with a small retinue, as it should be for a bride, comes lightly to the grave, mourns her husband, orders her people to build a high grave mound and, following the customs exactly, only after they finish pouring, orders to create a funeral feast. The villagers sit down to drink. Olga tells her servants to take care of the derevlyane. The villagers ask: “Where is our squad that was sent for you?” Olga ambiguously replies: “They are following me with my husband’s squad” (second meaning: “They follow without me with my husband’s squad”, that is, both of them were killed). When the Derevlyans get drunk, Olga tells her servants to drink for the Derevlyans (to commemorate them as dead and thus end the feast). Olga leaves, ordering her squad to flog the derevlyans (a game that completes the feast). Five thousand derevlyans were excised.

Olga returns to Kyiv, collects many soldiers, goes to the Derevlyansk land and defeats the Derevlyans who opposed her. The remaining Derevlyans shut themselves up in Iskorosten, and for the whole summer Olga cannot take the city. Then she begins to persuade the defenders of the city: “What do you sit up to? All your cities have surrendered to me, they give tribute, they cultivate their lands and fields. And you will starve to death without paying tribute.” The villagers confess: “We would be happy to give only tribute, but you will still avenge your husband.” Olga slyly assures: “I have already avenged the shame of my husband and will not take revenge anymore. I will take tribute from you little by little (I will take tribute according to Prince Mal, that is, I will deprive you of independence). Now you have neither honey nor fur, so I ask you little (I won’t let you leave the city for honey and furs, but I ask you for Prince Mal). Give me from each court three doves and three sparrows, I will not impose a heavy tribute on you, like my husband, therefore I ask you little (Prince Mala). You were exhausted in the siege, which is why I ask you little (Prince Mala). I will make peace with you and go” (either back to Kyiv, or again to the Derevlyans). The villagers rejoice, collect three doves and three sparrows from the yard and send them to Olga. Olga reassures the villagers who came to her with a gift: “Now you have already submitted to me. Go to the city. In the morning I will retreat from the city (Iskorosten) and go to the city (either to Kyiv, or to Iskorosten). The villagers joyfully return to the city, tell the people Olga's words, as they understood them, and they rejoice. Olga gives each of the soldiers a dove or a sparrow, orders each dove or sparrow to tie tinder, wrap it in a small scarf and wrap it with thread. When it begins to get dark, prudent Olga orders the soldiers to release pigeons and sparrows with tinder on fire. Pigeons and sparrows fly to their city nests, doves - to dovecotes, sparrows - under the eaves. That is why dovecotes, cages, sheds, haylofts light up. There is no yard where it does not burn. And it is impossible to extinguish the fire, since all the wooden yards are burning at once. The villagers run out of the city, and Olga orders her soldiers to grab them. He takes the city and completely burns it, captures the elders, kills some of the other people, gives some into slavery to his soldiers, imposes a heavy tribute on the remaining Derevlyans and goes throughout the Derevlyanska land, establishing duties and taxes.

About Olga's baptism. 955−969

Olga arrives in Tsargrad. Comes to the Byzantine king. The tsar talks to her, marvels at her reason and hints: "It is fitting for you to reign in Constantinople with us." She immediately takes the hint and says, “I am a pagan. If you intend to baptize me, then baptize me yourself. If not, then I will not be baptized.” And the tsar and the patriarch baptize her. The patriarch teaches her about faith, and Olga, bowing her head, stands, listening to the teachings, like a sea sponge, drunk with water. She is named Elena in baptism, the patriarch blesses her and releases her. After baptism, the king calls her and already directly announces: "I take you as my wife." Olga objects: “How will you take me as a wife, since you yourself baptized me and called me a spiritual daughter? It is illegal for Christians, and you yourself know it.” The self-confident tsar is annoyed: “You switched me, Olga!” He gives her many gifts and sends her home. As soon as Olga returns to Kyiv, the tsar sends ambassadors to her: “I gave you a lot of things. You promised, when you returned to Russia, to send me many gifts. Olga sharply replies: “Wait for the reception as long as I waited for you, then I will give you.” And with these words wraps the ambassadors.

Olga loves her son Svyatoslav, prays for him and for the people all night and day, feeds her son until he grows up and matures, then sits with her grandchildren in Kyiv. Then she breaks down and dies three days later, having bequeathed not to perform feasts on her. She has a priest who buries her.

About the wars of Svyatoslav. 964−972

The matured Svyatoslav gathers many brave warriors and, roaming swiftly like a cheetah, wages many wars. On a campaign, he does not carry a cart behind him, he does not have a boiler, he does not cook meat, but he thinly cuts horse meat, or animal meat, or beef, bakes and eats on coals; and does not have a tent, but he will lay a felt, and a saddle in his head. And his warriors are the same steppes. He sends out threats to countries: “I will attack you.”

Svyatoslav goes to the Danube, to the Bulgarians, defeats the Bulgarians, takes eighty cities along the Danube and sits down to reign here in Pereyaslavets. The Pechenegs attack the Russian land for the first time and besiege Kyiv. The Kievans send to Svyatoslav: “You, prince, are looking for and defending someone else’s land, but you abandoned your own, but we were almost captured by the Pechenegs. If you don’t come back and defend us, if you don’t feel sorry for your fatherland, then the Pechenegs will capture us.” Svyatoslav and his retinue quickly mounted horses, galloped to Kyiv, gathered soldiers and drove the Pechenegs into the field. But Svyatoslav declares: “I don’t want to stay in Kyiv, I will live in Pereyaslavets on the Danube, because this is the center of my land, because all blessings are brought here: from Byzantium - gold, silks, wines, various fruits: from the Czech Republic - silver; from Hungary - horses; from Russia - furs, wax, honey and slaves.

Svyatoslav leaves for Pereyaslavets, but the Bulgarians shut themselves up in the city from Svyatoslav, then they go out to battle with him, a big slaughter begins, and the Bulgarians almost overcome, but by the evening Svyatoslav still wins and breaks into the city. Immediately Svyatoslav rudely threatens the Greeks: "I will go against you and conquer your Tsargrad, like this Pereyaslavets." The Greeks slyly suggest: "Since we are not able to resist you, then take tribute from us, but just tell us how many troops you have, so that we, based on the total number, can give for each warrior." Svyatoslav names the number: "We are twenty thousand" - and adds ten thousand, because there are only ten thousand in Russia. The Greeks put up a hundred thousand against Svyatoslav, but do not give tribute. Russia sees a huge number of Greeks and is afraid. But Svyatoslav delivers a courageous speech: “We have nowhere to go. Resist the enemy to us both voluntarily and involuntarily. We will not disgrace the Russian land, but we will lie here with our bones, for we will not be disgraced by the dead, and if we run, we will be disgraced. We will not run away, but we will become strong. I will go ahead of you." There is a great slaughter, and Svyatoslav wins, and the Greeks flee, and Svyatoslav approaches Constantinople, fighting and destroying cities.

The Byzantine king calls his boyars to the palace: "What to do?" The boyars advise: "Send gifts to him, we will bite him, whether he is greedy for gold or silk." The tsar sends gold and silks to Svyatoslav with some wise courtier: “Watch how he looks, what are the expression of his face and the course of his thoughts.” They report to Svyatoslav that the Greeks have come with gifts. He orders: "Enter." The Greeks put gold and silks before him. Svyatoslav looks away and says to his servants: "take it away." The Greeks return to the tsar and the boyars and talk about Svyatoslav: “They gave him gifts, but he didn’t even look at them and ordered them to be removed.” Then one of the messengers offers the king: "Check him again - send him a weapon." And they bring Svyatoslav a sword and other weapons. Svyatoslav accepts him and praises the tsar, conveys his love and kisses to him. The Greeks return to the king again and tell about everything. And the boyars convince the king: “How fierce this warrior is, since he neglects values, but appreciates weapons. Give him tribute." And they give Svyatoslav tribute and many gifts.

With great glory, Svyatoslav comes to Pereyaslavets, but he sees how few squads he has left, since many died in battle, and decides: “I will go to Russia, I will bring more troops. The king will see that we are few, and he will besiege us in Pereyaslavets. And the Russian land is far away. And the Pechenegs are fighting with us. Who will help us?" Svyatoslav sets off in boats to the Dnieper rapids. And the Bulgarians from Pereyaslavets send a message to the Pechenegs: “Svyatoslav will sail past you. Goes to Russia. He has a lot of wealth taken from the Greeks, and captives without number, but few squads. The Pechenegs are stepping into the rapids. Svyatoslav stops to spend the winter at the rapids. He runs out of food, and such a severe famine begins in the camp that further a horse's head costs half a hryvnia. In the spring, Svyatoslav nevertheless swims through the rapids, but the Pecheneg prince Kurya attacks him. Svyatoslav is killed, his head is taken, a bowl is scraped out of his skull, the skull is bound on the outside and they drink from it.

About the baptism of Russia. 980−988

Vladimir was the son of Svyatoslav and only Olga's housekeeper. However, after the death of his more noble brothers, Vladimir begins to reign in Kyiv alone. On a hill near the prince's palace, he places pagan idols: a wooden Perun with a silver head and a golden mustache, Khors, Dazhbog, Stribog, Simargl and Mokosh. They make sacrifices, bringing their sons and daughters. Vladimir himself is seized with lust: in addition to four wives, he has three hundred concubines in Vyshgorod, three hundred in Belgorod, two hundred in the village of Berestov. He is insatiable in fornication: he brings married women to himself, corrupts girls.

The Volga Bulgars-Mohammedans come to Vladimir and offer: “You, O prince, are wise and reasonable, but you do not know the whole dogma. Accept our faith and honor Mohammed." Vladimir asks: “And what are the customs of your faith?” The Mohammedans answer: “We believe in one God. Mohammed teaches us to circumcise secret limbs, not to eat pork, not to drink wine. Fornication can be done in any way. After death, Mohammed will give each Mohammedan seventy beauties, the most beautiful of them will add the beauty of the rest - this will be the wife of each. And whoever is miserable in this world is like that there too. It is sweet for Vladimir to listen to Mohammedans, because he himself loves women and many fornications. But here's what he doesn't like - the circumcision of members and the non-eating of pork mayas. And about the ban on drinking wine, Vladimir speaks like this: "The fun of Russia is to drink, we cannot live without it." Then the envoys of the Pope come from Rome: “We worship one God, who created the sky, the earth, the stars, the moon and all living things, and your gods are just pieces of wood.” Vladimir asks: “What are your restrictions?” They answer: "Whoever eats or drinks - everything is for the glory of God." But Vladimir refuses: "Get out, because our fathers did not recognize this." The Khazars of the Jewish faith come: "We believe in the one God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob." Vladimir is interested in: “Where is your main land? They answer: "In Jerusalem." Vladimir sarcastically asks again: “Is it there?” The Jews justify themselves: "God was angry with our fathers and scattered us into different countries." Vladimir is indignant: “Why do you teach others, while you yourself are rejected by God and scattered? Maybe you offer us such a fate?

After that, the Greeks send a certain philosopher, who retells Vladimir the Old and New Testaments for a long time, shows Vladimir a curtain on which is drawn Last Judgment, on the right, the righteous joyfully ascend to paradise, on the left, sinners wander towards hellish torments. The life-loving Vladimir sighs: “It’s good for those who are on the right; bitter to those on the left." The philosopher calls: "Then be baptized." However, Vladimir postpones: "I'll wait a little longer." He escorts the philosopher with honor and convenes his boyars: “What can you say cleverly?” The boyars advise: "Send the ambassadors to find out who serves their god outwardly." Vladimir sends ten worthy and smart people: “Go first to the Volga Bulgarians, then look at the Germans, and from there go to the Greeks.” After the journey, the messengers return, and again Vladimir summons the boyars: "Let's hear what they will tell." The messengers report: “We saw that the Bulgarians in the mosque were standing without a belt; bow down and sit down; they look here and there like crazy; there is no joy in their service, only sadness and a strong stench; so their faith is not good. Then they saw the Germans performing many services in churches, but they did not see any beauty in these services. But when the Greeks brought us to where they serve their God, we were confused - are we in heaven or on earth, because nowhere on earth is there a spectacle of such beauty that we cannot even describe. The service of the Greeks is the best of all.” The boyars add: “If the Greek faith were bad, then your grandmother Olga would not have accepted it, and she was wiser than all our people.” Vladimir hesitantly asks: “Where will we be baptized?” The boyars answer: "Yes, wherever you want."

And a year passes, but Vladimir is still not baptized, but unexpectedly goes to the Greek city of Korsun (in the Crimea), besieges it and, looking up at the sky, promises: “If I take it, then I will be baptized.” Vladimir takes the city, but again he is not baptized, but in search of further benefits he demands from the Byzantine co-rulers: “Your glorious Korsun took. I heard that you have a sister girl. If you don’t give her in marriage to me, then I will create the same for Constantinople as Korsun.” The kings answer: “Christian women are not supposed to marry pagans. Baptize, then we will send a sister.” Vladimir insists: “First, send your sister, and those who came with her baptize me.” The kings sent a sister, dignitaries and priests to Korsun. The Korsunians meet the Greek queen and escort her to the chamber. At this time, Vladimir's eyes get sick, he does not see anything, he is very worried, but does not know what to do. Then the queen urges Vladimir: “If you want to get rid of this disease, then immediately be baptized. If not, then you will not get rid of the disease. Vladimir exclaims: "Well, if this is true, then the Christian God will truly be the greatest." And he tells himself to be baptized. The bishop of Korsun with the tsarina's priests baptizes him in the church, which stands in the middle of Korsun, where the market is. As soon as the bishop lays his hand on Vladimir, he immediately regains his sight and leads the queen to the marriage. Many of Vladimir's squad are also baptized.

Vladimir, with the queen and Korsun priests, enters Kyiv, immediately orders to overthrow the idols, chop some, burn others, Perun orders to tie the horse to the tail and drag it to the river, and twelve men force them to beat him with sticks. They throw Perun into the Dnieper, and Vladimir orders specially assigned people: “If he sticks somewhere, push him with sticks until he carries him through the rapids.” And they do as ordered. And the pagans mourn Perun.

Then Vladimir sends out throughout Kyiv announcing on his behalf: "Rich or poor, even a beggar or a slave - the one who does not appear on the river in the morning, I will consider my enemy." People go and argue: "If it were not for the benefit, then the prince and the boyars would not have been baptized." In the morning, Vladimir, with the Tsaritsyns and the Korsun priests, goes out to the Dnieper. There are countless people gathering. Part enters the water and stands: some - up to the neck, others - up to the chest, children - at the very shore, babies - are held in their arms. Those who did not fit in roam in anticipation (or: the baptized stand on the ford). The priests on the shore are doing prayers. After baptism, people go to their homes.

Vladimir orders to build churches in the cities in the places where idols used to stand, and to bring people to baptism in all cities and villages, begins to gather children from his nobility and give books for teaching. The mothers of such children weep for them as if they were dead.

About the fight against the Pechenegs. 992−997

The Pechenegs arrive and Vladimir comes out against them. On both sides of the Trubezh River, at the ford, troops stop, but each army does not dare to go to the opposite side. Then the Pecheneg prince drives up to the river, calls Vladimir and offers: “Let's put out your wrestler, and I'll put mine. If your wrestler hits mine on the ground, then we will not fight for three years; if my wrestler hits yours, then we will fight for three years.” And they're leaving. Vladimir sends heralds to his camp: “Is there anyone who would fight with the Pechenegs?” And the desiring is nowhere to be found. And in the morning the Pechenegs come and bring their wrestler, but ours do not. And Vladimir begins to grieve, still continuing to appeal to all his soldiers. Finally, one old warrior comes to the prince: “I went to war with four sons, and younger son stayed at home. Since childhood, there is no one who would overcome him. Once I grumbled at him when he crushed the skins, and he got angry with me and, out of frustration, tore the rawhide sole with his hands. This son is brought to the overjoyed prince, and the prince explains everything to him. But he is not sure: “I don’t know if I can fight the Pechenegs. Let me be tested. Is there a bull, big and strong?” Find a big and strong bull. This younger son orders the bull to be enraged. They apply a red-hot iron to the bull and let it go. When the bull rushes past this son, he grabs the bull by the side with his hand and tears off the skin with meat, as much as he grabbed by his hand. Vladimir allows: "You can fight the Pechenegs." And at night he orders the soldiers to get ready to immediately rush to the Pechenegs after the duel. In the morning the Pechenegs come, they call: “What, is there no fighter? Ours is ready." Both troops of the Pechenegs converge and release their fighter. It's huge and scary. The wrestler from Vladimir Pecheneg comes out and sees him and laughs, because he looks ordinary. They mark the area between both troops, let the fighters in. They start a fight, tightly hug each other, but our hands strangle the Pecheneg to death and throw him to the ground. Ours emit a cry, and the Pechenegs flee. The Russians are chasing them, whipping them and driving them away. Vladimir rejoices, lays the city at that ford and names it Pereyaslavets, because our young man intercepted the glory from the Pecheneg hero. Vladimir big people makes both this young man and his father, and he himself returns to Kyiv with victory and great glory.

Three years later, the Pechenegs come near Kyiv, Vladimir with a small retinue goes against them, but does not withstand the fight, runs, hides under the bridge and barely escapes from the enemies. Salvation occurs on the day of the Transfiguration of the Lord, and then Vladimir promises to build a church in the name of the holy Transfiguration. Having got rid of the Pechenegs, Vladimir puts up a church and arranges a grand celebration near Kyiv: he orders three hundred cauldrons of honey to be boiled; convenes his boyars, as well as posadniks and elders from all cities, and many more people; distributes three hundred hryvnias to the poor. After celebrating eight days, Vladimir returns to Kyiv and again arranges big celebration calling together an innumerable multitude of people. And it does so every year. Allows every poor and wretched person to come to the princely court and receive everything they need: drink, and food, and money from the treasury. Orders also to prepare wagons; load them with bread, meat, fish, various fruits, barrels of honey, barrels of kvass; to drive around Kyiv and call out: “Where are the sick and infirm, unable to walk and get to the princely court?” Those orders to distribute everything necessary.

And with the Pechenegs there is an incessant war. They come and besiege Belgorod for a long time. Vladimir cannot send help, because he has no soldiers, and there are a huge number of Pechenegs. There is a severe famine in the city. The townspeople decide at the meeting: “After all, we will die of hunger. It’s better to surrender to the Pechenegs - they will kill someone, and leave someone to live. ” One older, who was not present at the veche, asks: “Why did the veche meet?” He is informed that the people will surrender to the Pechenegs in the morning. Then the old man asks the city elders: "Listen to me, do not give up for another three days, but do what I command." They promise. The old man says: "Scrape at least a handful of oats, or wheat, or bran." They find. The old man tells the women to make a mash on which they boil jelly, then he tells them to dig a well, insert a vat into it, and fill the vat with mash. Then the old man orders to dig a second well and insert a vat there too. And sends to look for honey. They are looking for a basket of honey, which was hidden in the prince's cellar. The old man orders to prepare a honey decoction and fill a vat in the second well with it. In the morning he orders to send for the Pechenegs. The sent townspeople come to the Pechenegs: "Take hostages from us, and you - about ten people - enter our city and see what is happening there." The Pechenegs are triumphant, thinking that the townspeople will surrender, they take hostages from them, and they themselves send their noble people to the city. And the townspeople, taught by a smart old man, say to them: “Why are you ruining yourself? Can you get over us? Stay at least ten years - what can you do to us? We have food from the ground. If you don't believe me, then see with your own eyes. The townspeople lead the Pechenegs to the first well, scoop up a mash with a bucket, pour it into pots and cook jelly. After that, taking the jelly, they approach the second well with the Pechenegs, scoop up a honey broth, add it to the jelly and start eating - they themselves are the first (not poison!), followed by the Pechenegs. The Pechenegs are surprised: "Our princes will not believe this if they do not try it themselves." The townspeople fill them with a whole tavern with jelly talker and honey broth from wells. Part of the Pechenegs with a korchaga returns to their princes: they, having cooked, eat and also marvel; then they exchange hostages, lift the siege of the city and go home.

About the reprisals against the Magi. 1071

The sorcerer comes to Kyiv and in front of the people predicts that in four years the Dnieper will flow back, and the countries will change places: the Greek land will take the place of the Russian, and the Russian land will take the place of the Greek, and other lands will exchange. The ignorant believe the sorcerer, and real Christians mock him: "The devil amuses you to your death." So it happens to him: he goes missing overnight.

But two magicians appear in the Rostov region at the time of crop failure and announce: "We know who hides the bread." And walking along the Volga, in whatever volost they come, they immediately accuse noble women, allegedly that one hides bread, that one hides honey, that one - fish, and that one - furs. Hungry people bring their sisters, mothers and wives to the Magi, and the Magi women's shoulder they seem to cut through and (allegedly from the inside) take out either bread or fish. Magi kill many women, and take their property for themselves.

These magicians come to Beloozero, and with them already three hundred people. At this time, Yan Vyshatich, voivode Kyiv prince. Jan finds out that these Magi are just the stinks of the Kyiv prince, and sends an order to the people accompanying the Magi: "Give them to me." But people don't listen to him. Then Yang himself comes to them with twelve warriors. People, standing near the forest, are ready to attack Jan, who approaches them only with an ax in his hand. Three people come out of those people, come up to Jan and frighten him: “You are going to die, don’t go.” Yang orders them to be killed and approaches the others. They rush at Yang, the front of them misses with an ax, and Yang, intercepting, beats him with the back of the same ax and tells the combatants to cut down the others. People run away into the forest, killing Yanov's priest in the process. Jan enters Belozersk and threatens the inhabitants: "If you do not seize the Magi, then I will not leave you for a year." The people of Belozersky go, capture the Magi and bring them to Jan.

Yang interrogates the Magi: "Why did you kill so many people?" The Magi answer: “They hide the bread. When we exterminate such, there will be a harvest. If you wish, right in front of you we will take a grain out of a person, or a fish, or something else. Yang denounces: “This is a complete lie. God created man from the earth, man is permeated with bones and blood veins, there is nothing else in him. The Magi object: "It is we who know how man was created." Yang says, “So what do you think?” The Magi rant: “God bathed in the bath, sweated, dried himself with a rag and threw it from heaven to earth. Satan argued with God, who from the Rag to create a man. And the devil created man, and God put a soul into him. Therefore, when a person dies, the body goes to the earth, and the soul goes to God. Yang exclaims: “What god do you believe in?” The Magi are called: "The Antichrist". Yang asks, "Where is he?" The Magi answer: "He sits in the abyss." Yang pronounces a sentence: “What kind of god is this, since he sits in the abyss? It's a demon former angel cast down from heaven for his arrogance and waiting in the abyss for God to come down from heaven and put him in chains along with the servants who believe in this antichrist. And you, too, will have to take the torment from me here, and after death - there. The Magi boast: “The gods inform us that you can’t do anything to us, because we only answer to the prince himself.” Yang says: "The gods lie to you." And he orders them to be beaten, to tear out their beards with tongs, to put a gag in their mouths, to tie them to the sides of the boat and to put this boat in front of them along the river. After a while, Yang asks the Magi:

"What are the gods saying to you now?" The Magi answer: "The gods tell us that we will not be alive from you." Yang confirms: "You are rightly told." But the wise men promise Jan: “If you let us go, then you will have a lot of good. And if you destroy us, then you will receive a lot of grief and evil. Yang rejects: "If I let you go, then evil will come to me from God. And if I destroy you, then there will be a reward for me." And he turns to the local guides: “Which of you relatives were killed by these magi? And those around them admit - one: “I have a mother”, the other: “Sister”, the third: “Children”. Yang calls: "Avenge your own." The victims seize the Magi, kill them and hang them on an oak tree. The next night, the bear climbs the oak, gnaws them and eats them. So the Magi died - they foresaw others, but they did not foresee their own death.

Another sorcerer begins to excite people already in Novgorod, he seduces almost the entire city, acts like a god, claiming that he foresees everything, and blasphemes Christian faith. He promises: "I will cross the Volkhov River, as if by land, in front of everyone." Everyone believes him, turmoil begins in the city, they want to kill the bishop. The bishop puts on a robe, takes the cross, goes out and says: “Whoever believes the sorcerer, let him follow him. Whoever believes (in God), let him follow the cross.” People are divided in two: the Novgorod prince and his retinue gather at the bishop, and the rest of the people go to the sorcerer. There are skirmishes between them. The prince hides the ax under his cloak, comes to the sorcerer: “Do you know what will happen in the morning and until evening?” The sorcerer boasts: "I will see through everything." The prince asks: “Do you know what will happen now?” The sorcerer puts on airs: "I will work great miracles." The prince pulls out an ax, cuts the sorcerer, and he falls dead. And people disperse.

About the blinding of the Terebovl prince Vasilko Rostislavich. 1097

The following princes gather in the city of Lubech for a council to maintain peace among themselves: the grandchildren of Yaroslav the Wise from his various sons Svyatopolk Izyaslavich, Vladimir Vsevolodovich (Monomakh), Davyd Igorevich, Davyd Svyatoslavich, Oleg Svyatoslavich and the great-grandson of Yaroslav, the son of Rostislav Vladimirovich Vasilko Rostislavich. The princes persuade each other: “Why are we destroying the Russian land, quarreling among ourselves? And the Polovtsy strive to separate our land and rejoice when there are wars between us. From now on, let us unite unanimously and save the Russian land. Let each own only his fatherland. And on that they kiss the cross: "From now on, if one of us goes against anyone, then we will all be against him, and the honest cross, and the whole Russian land." And having kissed, they part ways.

Svyatopolk and Davyd Igorevich return to Kyiv. Someone sets Davyd up: "Vladimir conspired with Vasilko against Svyatopolk and you." Davyd believes the false words and slanders Svyatopolk against Vasilko: “He conspired with Vladimir and encroaches on me and on you. Take care of your head." Svyatopolk, in dismay, believes Davyd. Davyd suggests: "If we do not grab Vasilko, then there will be no reigning either for you in Kyiv, or for me in Vladimir-Volynsky." And Svyatopolk listens to him. But Vasilko and Vladimir know nothing about it.

Vasilko comes to worship in the Vydubitsky monastery near Kyiv. Svyatopolk sends him: “Wait until my name day” (four days later). Vasilko refuses: "I can't wait - as if at home (in Terebovlya, west of Kyiv) there was no war." Davyd says to Svyatopolk: “You see, he does not consider you, even when he is in your homeland. And when he leaves for his possessions, you yourself will see how your cities will occupy, and you will remember my warning. Call him now, grab him and give it to me." Svyatopolk sends to Vasilko: “Since you won’t wait for my name day, then come right now - we’ll sit with Davyd.”

Vasilko goes to Svyatopolk, on the way he meets his combatant and dissuades him: "Don't go, prince, they will seize you." But Vasilko does not believe: “How will they seize me? Just kissed the cross. And he comes with a small retinue to the princely court. Meets him

Svyatopolk, they go into the hut, Davyd also comes, but he sits like a mute. Svyatopolk invites: "Let's have breakfast." Vasilko agrees. Svyatopolk says: "You sit here, and I will go and arrange." And it comes out. Vasilko tries to talk to David, but he does not talk and does not listen from horror and deceit. After sitting for a while, Davyd gets up: "I'll go for Svyatopolk, and you sit down." And it comes out. As soon as Davyd comes out, Vasilko is locked up, then they shackle him in double chains and put guards for the night.

The next day, Davyd invites Svyatopolk to blind Vasilko: “If you don’t do this and let him go, then neither you nor me will reign.” On the same night, Vasilko is transported in chains on a cart to a town ten miles from Kyiv and is led into some kind of hut. Vasilko sits in it and sees that Svyatopolk's shepherd is sharpening a knife, and guesses that they are going to blind him. Here the grooms sent by Svyatopolk and David enter, spread a carpet and try to throw Vasilko down on it, who is fighting desperately. But others also pounce, knock down Vasilko, tie him up, grab a board from the stove, put it on his chest and sit down at both ends of the board, but they still cannot hold it. Then two more are added, they remove the second board from the stove and crush Vasilko so fiercely that his chest cracks. Holding a knife, the shepherd Svyatopolkov approaches Vasilko and wants to stick it in the eye, but misses and cuts through his face, but again sticks the knife into the eye and cuts out the pupil (rainbow with a pupil), then the second pupil. Vasilko lies as if dead. And, like a dead man, they take him with a carpet, put him on a cart and take him to Vladimir-Volynsky.

On the way, they stop for lunch at the market in Zvizhden (a town west of Kiev). They pull off Vasilko's bloodied shirt and give it to the hit man to wash. She, having washed it, puts it on and begins to mourn Vasilko, as if dead. Vasilko, waking up, hears crying and asks: “Where am I?” They answer him: "In Zvizhdena." He asks for water and, having drunk, comes to his senses, feels his shirt and says: “Why did they take it off me? May I accept death in this bloody shirt and stand before God.

Then Vasilko is hurriedly brought along the frozen road to Vladimir-Volynsky, and Davyd Igorevich is with him, as if with some kind of catch. Vladimir Vsevolodovich, in Pereyaslavets, learns that Vasilko was captured and blinded, and is horrified: “Such evil has never happened in the Russian land, neither under our grandfathers, nor under our fathers.” And he immediately sends to Davyd Svyatoslavich and Oleg Svyatoslavich: “Let's get together and correct this evil that has been created in the Russian land, moreover, between us, brothers. After all, now the brother of the brother will begin to slaughter, and the Russian land will perish - our enemies, the Polovtsy, will take it. They gather and send to Svyatopolk: “Why did you blind your brother?” Svyatopolk justifies himself: "It was not I who blinded him, but Davyd Igorevich." But the princes object to Svyatopolk: “Vasilko was not captured and blinded in the city of Davydov (Vladimir-Volynsky), but in your city (Kyiv) he was captured and blinded. But since Davyd Igorevich did this, grab him or drive him away. Svyatopolk agrees, the princes kiss the cross in front of each other and make peace. Then the princes expel Davyd Igorevich from Vladimir-Volynsky, give him Dorogobuzh (between Vladimir and Kyiv), where he dies, and Vasilko again reigns in Terebovlya.

About the victory over the Polovtsians. 1103

Svyatopolk Izyaslavich and Vladimir Vsevolodovich (Monomakh) with their squads confer in a single tent about a campaign against the Polovtsy. The squad of Svyatopolk dissuades: "Now it's spring - we will damage the arable land, we will ruin the smerds." Vladimir shames them: “You feel sorry for the horse, but don’t you feel sorry for the smerd himself? After all, the smerd will begin to plow, but the Polovtsian will come, kill the smerd with an arrow, the horse will take him, go to his village and seize his wife, children and all his property. Svyatopolk says: "I'm ready." They send to other princes: "Let's go to the Polovtsians - either live or die." The assembled troops reach the Dnieper rapids and from the island of Khortitsa gallop through the field for four days.

Having learned that Russia is advancing, countless Polovtsy converge on advice. Prince Urusoba offers: "Let's ask for peace." But the young people say to Urusoba: “If you are afraid of Russia, then we are not afraid. Let's crush them." And the Polovtsian regiments, like a boundless coniferous thicket, are advancing on Russia, and Russia is against them. Here, at the sight of Russian warriors, great horror, fear and trembling attacks the Polovtsy, they are as if in a slumber, and their horses are lethargic. Ours, horse and foot, cheerfully attack the Polovtsians. The Polovtsy flee, and the Russians flog them. Twenty are killed in battle Polovtsian princes, including Urusoba, and Beldyuz is taken prisoner.

The Russian princes, who defeated the Polovtsy, are sitting, they bring Beldyuz, and he offers gold, and silver, and horses, and cattle for himself. But Vladimir says to Beldyuz: “How many times have you sworn (not to fight) and still attacked the Russian land. Why did you not punish your sons and your family not to break the oath and you shed Christian blood? Now let your head be in your blood." And he orders to kill Beldyuz, who is cut into pieces. The princes take cattle, sheep, horses, camels, yurts with property and slaves and return to Russia with huge amount captives, with glory and great victory.

Retold by A. S. Demin.