The name of the son of the great Kiev prince VladimirSaint, Yaroslav, is widely known not only to historians, but also to ordinary inhabitants. For his more than thirty years of government, he committed many serious actions for the state, for which Yaroslav was nicknamed wise.
The future Grand Duke was born in the familyVladimir Svyatoslavovich. He was the second son by seniority, since the childhood showed serious abilities in study, however early began to participate in a political life of the country. The powerful father tried to ensure that his sons from the earliest time realized the need to think on a national scale, and, in addition, demanded unquestioning obedience to oneself. Initially, the young Yaroslav was appointed prince to Rostov, where he stayed until the death of his brother Vysheslav, after which he was appointed prince viceroy of the second most important city in Russia - Novgorod. The prince was quite a difficult character, as his subordinates and his squad often spoke out, yet he tried to resolve all conflict situations through negotiations, and only in extreme cases went to the open break. Perhaps, that's why Yaroslav the Wise was called wise.
Being a Novgorod prince, he is not without reasonwas considered the heir to the throne of Kiev. However, Vladimir, who was known among contemporaries as a "disbanded female love", became very devout at the end of his life, and more than all his children he loved scions of Byzantine princess Anna, Boris and Gleb. The first of them, perhaps, the prince wanted to transfer his throne. But Vladimir did not take into account that other brothers also claimed the title of the supreme ruler of the country, and one of them was the Novgorod prince Yaroslav. In 1014 a conflict erupted between father and son. Vladimir even intended to go to war with his rebellious son, but at the height of the campaign, the baptizer of Rus died. Immediately after that, large parts began to chip away from the state - this was always the case when the central government was weakened. The situation was aggravated also by the fact that Vladimir's adopted son Svyatopolk seized power in the state.
The stepson did not want to lose power from his hands and decidedcrack down on their competitors. The first to hit a cousin were two brother-favorite Vladimir - Gleb and Boris. Both did not want to fight for the throne, for which the squad left them. In 1015 near Kiev, Prince Boris was killed, and soon the same fate befell Murom Prince Hleb, at the behest of Svyatopolk, his own cook was stabbed. He also killed another son of Vladimir I, Svyatoslav, whom the conspirators sent by the prince killed. And here in open struggle the Novgorod prince Jaroslav joins. Even at the time of preparing the response to the threats of his father, he turned to the Varangians for help, with the help of which he organized his army. Svyatopolk, in turn, attracted the nomadic Pechenegs, who repeatedly made devastating raids on Rus, and thereby even more incited the people against themselves. In this struggle, Yaroslav acted as the personification of centripetal forces, which is why Yaroslav the Wise was called wise.
Two warring parties met in 1016year near the city of Lyubech. In the battle that began Sviatopolk's army was completely defeated, and he himself ran for help to his father-in-law, the Polish king. Together with the troops he provided, he returned to Russia. At the same time, the Poles behaved like invaders, which provoked violent discontent of the population. The struggle continued. Using popular sentiments, Yaroslav again defeated his cousin. However, it was not immediately possible to restore the former united state right away. Mstislav did not want to obey the authority of Kiev, and a big battle took place between brothers in 1024. In it, the prince of Kiev was defeated, but he did not again fight with his brother, but only concluded a treaty with him, according to which the brothers shared their possessions, but at the same time reflected the attacks of enemies and helped each other in different situations. That is why contemporaries called Yaroslav wise. After the death of Mstislav, all of his lands were annexed to Kiev.
Having become the sole ruler of Russia, Yaroslav sent allefforts to strengthen it. One of the most important actions of the new ruler was the establishment of order in the state. To do this, it was necessary to create a legal system, for which he took with extraordinary energy, Yaroslav Vladimirovich. Already at the initial stage of his reign, he introduced a code of laws, known as the "Russian Truth". This legal monument of ancient Russia became the first written collection of laws of the country. Norms regulated, first of all, public order, protected property. In addition, blood feud was banned. Inflicting significant damage to the country, it was now allowed only by close relatives or was replaced by a fine. That's why Yaroslav the Wise was called wise.
The name of Yaroslav the Wise is known for the fact that heintermarried with many ruling European dynasties. His daughters became the wives of the kings of France, Norway, Hungary, Denmark, sons married princesses from Byzantium, Germany, Poland. This the prince greatly strengthened the position of his dynasty and the state. Even before his death, he bequeathed that the Grand Duke in Russia should become the elder in the family. This ancient family tradition will later become one of the causes of destructive internecine strife. In the meantime, the prince enjoyed national glory, in fact, that's why Yaroslav the Wise was called wise.
