What did Princess Olga do to the Drevlyans for the murder of her husband? Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duchess Olga of Russia Olga Princess of Kiev what did she do
Olga, the wife of Prince Igor, the mother of Svyatoslav and the grandmother of the Baptist of Rus' Vladimir, entered our history as the holy princess who was the first to bring the light of Christianity to our land. However, before becoming a Christian, Olga was a pagan, cruel and vindictive. This is exactly how she entered the chronicle “The Tale of Bygone Years.” What did Olga do?
Igor's campaign
We should start with the last campaign of her husband, Prince Igor. The entry for 945 says that the squad began to complain to Igor that “the youths of Sveneld,” that is, the people who make up the inner circle of his governor Sveneld, were all “dressed in weapons and clothes,” while Igor’s warriors themselves “ naked." It is unlikely that the prince’s warriors were so “naked” that it was worth talking about this seriously, but in those days they tried not to argue with the squad, since it depended on it whether the prince would sit on the Kiev throne. Therefore, Igor went to the Drevlyans - a tribe that lived in the territory of Ukrainian Polesie - and carried out a formal pogrom there, adding new payments to the previous tribute in order to cover up the blatant nakedness of his warriors. Having collected this tribute, he was about to go home, but on the way, apparently, he decided that the cunning Drevlyans had hidden something else somewhere. Having sent the bulk of his people home, he himself and a small retinue returned to the Drevlyan capital Iskorosten, “wishing more wealth.” This was a mistake. The Drevlyans, led by their prince Mal, repulsed him, killed all the soldiers, and subjected Igor himself to a terrible execution: they tore him to pieces, tying him by his legs to the tops of two bent trees.
Olga's first revenge
Having dealt with Igor in this way, the Drevlyan prince sent a delegation to Kyiv, to what he thought was a helpless widow. Mal offered Olga his hand and heart, as well as protection and patronage. Olga received the ambassadors kindly, said pleasantries in the spirit that Igor, they say, cannot be returned, and why not marry such a wonderful prince as Mal. And to make the wedding arrangement even more magnificent, she promised the ambassadors to show them great honor, promising that tomorrow they would be brought with honor to the prince’s court right in the boat, after which the prince’s will would be solemnly announced to them. While the ambassadors were sleeping at the pier, Olga ordered to dig a deep hole in the yard. In the morning, the boat with the Drevlyans was lifted by Olga’s servants in their arms and solemnly carried through Kyiv to the prince’s court. Here they, along with the boat, were thrown to the bottom of the pit. The chronicler reports that Olga, approaching the edge of the pit and bending over it, asked: “Well, what is your honor?”, to which the Drevlyans answered: “Igor’s death is worse for us.” At a sign from Olga, the wedding embassy was buried alive in the earth.
Olga's second revenge
After this, the princess sent an ambassador to Mal with a request to send her the best people for matchmaking, so that the people of Kiev could see what honor they were showing her. Otherwise, they might resist and not let the princess go to Iskorosten. Mal, not suspecting a trick, immediately equipped a large embassy. When the matchmakers arrived in Kyiv, Olga, as befits a hospitable hostess, ordered a bathhouse to be prepared for them so that the guests could wash themselves off the road. And as soon as the Drevlyans began to wash, the doors of the bathhouse were propped open from the outside, and the bathhouse itself was set on fire from four sides.
Olga's third revenge
Having dealt with the matchmakers, the princess sent to tell Mal that she was going to him, but before the wedding she would like to perform a funeral feast at her husband’s grave. Mal began to prepare for the wedding, ordering honey to be brewed for the feast. Appearing to Iskorosten with a small retinue, Olga, accompanied by Mal and the most noble Drevlyans, came to Igor’s grave. The feast on the mound was almost overshadowed by questions from Mal and his entourage: where, in fact, were the matchmakers he sent to Kyiv? Why are they not in the princess? Olga replied that the matchmakers were following and were about to appear. Satisfied with this explanation, Mal and his men began drinking intoxicating drinks. As soon as they got drunk, the princess gave a sign to her warriors, and they killed all the Drevlyans in their place.
Hike to Iskorosten
After this, Olga immediately returned to Kyiv, gathered a squad and set out on a campaign against Derevskaya land. In open battle, the Drevlyans were defeated; they fled and hid behind the walls of Iskorosten. The siege lasted all summer. Finally, Olga sent an ambassador to Iskorotsten, who proposed lifting the siege on very mild terms: Olga will limit herself to expressions of submission and tribute: three doves and three sparrows from each yard. Of course, the requested tribute was sent immediately. Then Olga ordered to tie a lighted tinder to each bird and release it. The birds naturally flew to their nests, and a fire started in the city. Thus fell Iskorosten, the capital of the Drevlyan prince Mal. With this Olga had enough of revenge. Further, as the chronicle reports, she no longer behaved like an angry woman, but like a wise statesman. She set out across the vast lands subject to the Kyiv princes, establishing “lessons and graveyards” - that is, the amount of tribute and the places where it was collected. Now no one, like the unreasonable Igor, could go to the same place for tribute several times, arbitrarily setting its amounts. The princely tribute began to turn from robbery booty into normal taxation.
Princess Olga was the very first ruler to convert to Christianity. Moreover, this happened even before the baptism of Rus'.
She ruled the state out of hopelessness, since her husband, Prince Igor, was killed, and his heir, their son Svyatoslav, was still too young to rule. She ruled from 945 to 962.
After the murder of Prince Oleg, the Drevlyan prince Mal really wanted to take his place. His plans were to marry Princess Olga and conquer Kievan Rus. He sent her a bunch of gifts and decorations through his ambassadors.
Olga was very smart and cunning. She ordered the first ambassadors of Mal, who arrived on a boat, to be carried along with the boat over the abyss; the ambassadors were thrown into the abyss and they were buried alive.
Olga burned the second batch of ambassadors in the bathhouse. Then she herself went to the prince of the Drevlyans, ostensibly to get married, on that day more than 5,000 Drevlyans were given water and killed.
Reign of Princess Olga.
Activities of Princess Olga.
Olga was inspired by the thought that she needed to take revenge on the Drevlyans for the death of her husband.
She was getting ready for a military campaign. It was 946. The siege of the Drevlyans lasted almost the entire summer. In this case, Olga showed the strength of mighty Rus'. After the siege, she sent a message that they were retreating, but asking the residents to give them a dove and three sparrows from each Drevlyan. Light tinder was then tied to the birds and released. So the city of Iskorosten was completely burned.
Domestic policy and reforms of Princess Olga.
Olga systematized the collection of taxes from the population. She organized special places for collecting tribute, which were called graveyards. The princess was actively involved in urban planning and beautification of the territory.
All lands that were in the power of the princess were divided by her into administrative units. Each unit was assigned its own manager - tiun.
Foreign policy of Princess Olga.
Since Olga was still a woman, she rarely went on hikes. She developed the trade with her intelligence and ingenuity. Olga was a supporter of peaceful resolution of conflicts that arose. Scandinavians and Germans went to work as hired workers in the Russian troops.
Grand Duchess Olga
After the murder of Prince Igor, the Drevlyans decided that from now on their tribe was free and they did not have to pay tribute to Kievan Rus. Moreover, their prince Mal made an attempt to marry Olga. Thus, he wanted to seize the Kiev throne and single-handedly rule Russia. For this purpose, an embassy was assembled and sent to the princess.
The ambassadors brought rich gifts with them.
Mal hoped for the cowardice of the “bride” and that she, having accepted expensive gifts, would agree to share the Kiev throne with him.
At this time, Grand Duchess Olga was raising her son Svyatoslav, who, after Igor’s death, could lay claim to the throne, but was still too young.
Voivode Asmud took charge of young Svyatoslav. The princess herself took up state affairs. In the fight against the Drevlyans and other external enemies, she had to rely on her own cunning and prove to everyone that the country, which had previously been ruled only by the sword, could be ruled by a woman’s hand.
War of Princess Olga with the Drevlyans
When receiving the ambassadors, Grand Duchess Olga showed cunning. By her order, the boat on which the ambassadors sailed , They picked him up and carried him into the city along the abyss.
At one point the boat was thrown into the abyss. The ambassadors were buried alive. Then the princess sent a message agreeing to the marriage. Prince Mal believed in the sincerity of the message, deciding that his ambassadors had achieved their goal.
He gathered noble merchants and new ambassadors to Kyiv. According to ancient Russian custom, a bathhouse was prepared for the guests. When all the ambassadors were inside the bathhouse, all exits from it were closed, and the building itself was burned. After this, a new message was sent to Mal that the “bride” was going to him. The Drevlyans prepared a luxurious feast for the princess, which, at her request, was held not far from the grave of her husband, Igor.
The princess demanded that as many Drevlyans as possible be present at the feast. The prince of the Drevlyans did not object, believing that this only increased the prestige of his fellow tribesmen.
All guests were given plenty of drink. After this, Olga gave a signal to her wars and they killed everyone who was there. In total, about 5,000 Drevlyans were killed that day.
In 946 Grand Duchess Olga organizes a military campaign against the Drevlyans.
The essence of this campaign was a demonstration of strength. If earlier they were punished by cunning, now the enemy had to feel the military power of Rus'. The young prince Svyatoslav was also taken on this campaign. After the first battles, the Drevlyans retreated to the cities, the siege of which lasted almost the entire summer. By the end of the summer, the defenders received a message from Olga that she had had enough of revenge and did not want it anymore.
She asked only for three sparrows, as well as one dove for each resident of the city. The Drevlyans agreed. Having accepted the gift, the princess’s squad tied the already lit sulfur tinder to the birds’ paws. After this, all the birds were released. They returned to the city, and the city of Iskorosten was plunged into a huge fire. The townspeople were forced to flee the city and fell into the hands of the Russian warriors. Grand Duchess Olga condemned the elders to death, some to slavery. In general, Igor’s murderers were subject to an even heavier tribute.
Olga's adoption of Orthodoxy
Olga was a pagan, but often visited Christian cathedrals, noticing the solemnity of their rituals.
This, as well as Olga’s extraordinary mind, which allowed her to believe in God Almighty, was the reason for baptism. In 955, Grand Duchess Olga went to the Byzantine Empire, in particular to the city of Constantinople, where the adoption of a new religion took place.
The patriarch himself was her baptizer. But this did not serve as a reason for changing the faith in Kievan Rus. This event did not in any way alienate the Russians from paganism. Having accepted the Christian faith, the princess left government, devoting herself to serving God.
She also began helping to build Christian churches. The baptism of the ruler did not yet mean the baptism of Rus', but it was the first step towards the adoption of a new faith.
The Grand Duchess died in 969 in Kyiv.
History of Russia / Princess Olga /
Reign of Princess Olga (briefly)
The reign of Princess Olga - a brief description
Researchers' opinions differ when it comes to the date and place of birth of Princess Olga.
Ancient chronicles do not give us accurate information whether she was from a noble family or from a simple family. Some are inclined to believe that Olga was the daughter of the Grand Duke Oleg the Prophet, while others claim that her family descends from the Bulgarian Prince Boris. The author of the chronicle “The Tale of Bygone Years” directly says that Olga’s homeland is a small village near Pskov and that she is “from a simple family.”
According to one version, Prince Igor Rurikovich saw Olga in the forest, where he was hunting game.
Deciding to cross a small river, the prince asked for help from a girl passing by on a boat, whom he initially mistook for a young man. The girl turned out to be pure in intentions, beautiful and smart.
Later the prince decided to take her as his wife.
Princess Olga, after the death of her husband (and also during the reign of Igor in Kyiv) from the Drevlyans, proved herself to be a firm and wise ruler of Rus'. She dealt with political issues, managed with warriors, governors, complainants, and also received ambassadors. Very often, when Prince Igor went on military campaigns, his responsibilities fell entirely on the shoulders of the princess.
After Igor was killed in 945 for collecting tribute again, Olga brutally repaid them for the death of her husband, showing unprecedented cunning and will.
Three times she killed the Drevlyan ambassadors, after which she gathered an army and went to war against the Drevlyans. After Olga was unable to take the main city of Korosten (while the remaining settlements were completely destroyed), she demanded three sparrows and three doves from each house, and then ordered her warriors to attach tinder to the birds’ legs, set it on fire and release the birds.
The burning birds flew to their nests. And so Korosten was taken.
After the pacification of the Drevlyans, the princess took up tax reform. It abolished polyudyas and divided them into regions of the earth, for each “lessons” (fixed tax) were established. The main goal of the reforms was to streamline the tribute system, as well as strengthen state authority.
Also during Olga’s reign, the first stone cities appeared, and her foreign state policy was carried out not through military methods, but through diplomacy.
Thus, ties with Byzantium and Germany were strengthened.
The princess herself decided to convert to Christianity, and although her baptism did not influence Svyatoslav’s decision to leave pagan Rus', Vladimir continued her work.
Olga died in 969 in Kyiv, and in 1547 she was canonized as a saint.
Interesting materials:
Education
Politics of Princess Olga. Olga's foreign and domestic policies
Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna ruled in Kievan Rus after the death of her husband Igor Rurikovich and until her son Svyatoslav came of age. Converted to Christianity with the name Elena.
History has not preserved information about the princess’s date of birth, but the Degree Book reports that she died presumably at the age of eighty. Princess Olga's impeccable and wise policies made her a famous historical figure almost all over the world.
Life path
There is no reliable information about her place of birth.
Chroniclers and modern historians put forward various assumptions in this regard. The closest thing to the truth is the statement of Nestor the Chronicler in The Tale of Bygone Years that she came from a simple family that lived in the small village of Vybuty, located on Pskov land. But no matter where Olga was born and no matter what tribe she belonged to, the wisdom of her policies and deeds are an integral part of Slavic history.
Before Igor's death, there is practically no information about the princess.
The death of her husband put her in first place in the life of Kievan Rus, because Svyatoslav was three years old, and, of course, he was not fit to be a prince. She took over the management of the state, which was at that time in an extremely difficult situation, and for 19 years she completely coped with all the problems. Olga's foreign and domestic policies created a single power with international authority.
Revenge on the Drevlyans
The princess's first revenge was the burial of the Drevlyan ambassadors alive. The reason for this was their proposal to marry her to their prince Mal. After that, she burned alive in the bathhouse the noble Drevlyans who arrived after the first.
For the third time, Olga drugged 5 thousand of their fellow tribesmen at her husband’s funeral funeral, after which her small squad killed everyone. The final stage of revenge was the burning of the city of Iskorosten.
In addition to cruel revenge, these acts also have their own deep meaning. Olga had to show both well-wishers and enemies that she was not a weak woman, but a strong ruler. “The hair is long, but the mind is short,” that’s what they said about women in those days.
Therefore, she was forced to clearly demonstrate her wisdom and knowledge of military affairs in order to prevent any conspiracies from arising behind her back. For the second time, the princess did not want to get married; she preferred to remain a widow.
Thus, it became clear that Olga’s foreign and domestic policies would be wise and fair. In essence, this bloody revenge was aimed at abolishing the power of the Mala dynasty, subjugating the Drevlyans to Kyiv and suppressing the nobility from neighboring principalities.
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Reforms and introduction of Christianity
After taking revenge on the Drevlyans, the princess established clear rules for collecting tribute.
This helped prevent outbreaks of discontent, one of which resulted in the murder of her husband. Churchyards were introduced near large cities. It was in these administrative and economic cells that the authorities collected tribute.
Olga's foreign and domestic policies have always been aimed at centralizing government, as well as unifying and strengthening Russian lands.
Olga’s name is associated with the construction of not only the Church of St. Nicholas, but also the St. Sophia Church in Kyiv.
Olga’s foreign and domestic policies characterize her not as a defenseless woman, but as a strong and reasonable ruler who firmly and confidently holds power over the entire country in her hands. She wisely defended her people from ill-wishers, for which people loved and respected her.
In addition to the fact that the ruler had a large number of already mentioned positive qualities, she was also attentive and generous to needy people.
Domestic policy
While the empress was in power, peace and order reigned in Kievan Rus.
The domestic policy of Princess Olga was closely intertwined with the structure of the spiritual and religious life of the Russian people.
One of her most important achievements was the introduction of organized points for collecting tribute, at which later, after the ruler adopted Christianity, the first churches and temples began to be built on the site of graveyards. Since then, the development of stone construction began. The first such buildings were a country tower and a city palace, owned by the empress.
The remains of their walls and foundation were excavated by archaeologists only in the early 70s of the 20th century.
Princess Olga's domestic policy is inextricably linked with strengthening the country's defense. Cities then were literally overgrown with oak and stone walls.
Relations with neighboring principalities
Olga's foreign policy deserves special attention.
The table below contains the main deeds of the princess.
When the ruler improved the situation within Kievan Rus, she set about strengthening the international prestige of her country. Princess Olga's foreign policy was diplomatic, unlike her husband.
At the beginning of her reign, she converted to Christianity, and the Byzantine emperor became her godfather.
Basically, Princess Olga's foreign policy was aimed at improving relations with Byzantium.
And she did it well. For this reason, part of the Russian squad participated together with the Byzantine army in hostilities, while simultaneously maintaining the independence of their state.
In 968, Kyiv was attacked by the Pechenegs. The defense of the city was led by the princess herself, thanks to which it was spared the siege.
During Olga's reign, conditions were created that created the advantage of conducting a peaceful foreign policy over a military one, if such was necessary.
Attempts to establish relations with the German Empire
Over time, friendly relations with Byzantium began to weaken, and Olga decided to find a strong ally.
She chose Germany.
In 959, the princess sent a Russian embassy to Otto I with a request to provide priests for the introduction of Christianity in the Kyiv lands, as well as with an offer of friendship and peace.
He responded to Olga's calls, and in 961 several clergymen, led by Adalbert, came to her.
True, they were never able to expand their activities on Kyiv territory, since at the end of her life Olga no longer had the same influence as before.
In 964, power passed to Svyatoslav, who radically changed the tactics of state policy.
And, I must say, not for the better.
Duchess Olga
Princess Olga (~890-969) – Grand Duchess, widow of the Grand Duke Igor Rurikovich killed by the Drevlyans, who ruled Russia during the childhood of their son Svyatoslav. The name of Princess Olga is at the source of Russian history, and is associated with the greatest events of the founding of the first dynasty, with the first establishment of Christianity in Rus' and the bright features of Western civilization.
After her death, ordinary people called her cunning, the church - holy, history - wise. The first rulers of Rus' - the semi-fairytale Rurik and his son Igor were Varangians, i.e. foreigners in Rus', as well as their relative, the Prophetic Oleg, standing between them, who ruled Russia during the childhood of Igor Rurikovich. This was the breed of Scandinavian conquerors who then plundered and seized many lands in Europe. Before Olga, the Rurik dynasty was not native to Rus', but, on the contrary, completely alien, if you believe in the voluntary calling of the Varangian princes on the part of Novgorod. Only in the person of Princess Olga, a born Slav, the initially Varangian dynasty is glorified and becomes consanguineous with its people.
According to the John Chronicle, Olga’s Slavic name was Beautiful, and only after her first marriage to the Prophetic Oleg did he call her, perhaps in honor of his name, “Volga.” It has not yet been established what root this name is, Olga and Oleg have consonant Scandinavian names Helga and Olaf. But they also resemble Russian fairy-folk ones from the name. “Volga” and “Volkh”, heroic, epic names, in memory of which the course of such historical rivers as Volkhov and Volga is forever inscribed.
It is not known exactly when and where Olga was born. It is known that she was the granddaughter of Gostomysl, the man who called on the Varangian Rurik to rule Russia. According to one version, Olga’s homeland was the Bulgarian Pliska or Pleskuvia, but folk legend calls Olga a native of the village of Vybutina (Lybutina), which is in the vicinity of Russian Pskov. Legend has it that Pskov was even supposedly founded by her. A touching story is recorded about a miracle, about heavenly rays shining over the site of the future Pskov Kremlin and Olga’s prophecy regarding the future glory of Pskov. But scientific history refutes this legend. Undoubtedly, Pskov is older than Olga and existed even before the advent of the Varangians, but the legend confirms that a special cult of Olga existed in Pskov. Nestor says, “And her sleigh stands in Pleskov to this day.” Thus, Pskov was artificially chosen as Olga’s homeland.
What is the historical significance of Olga? She is the foremother of our Orthodoxy. It was on her wise head that the crown was first decorated with an Orthodox cross. Before Olga there were three more or less vague Varangian reigns; all three form an era not so much of peaceful governance as of the gradual conquest of a huge country from the Baltic to the Black Sea. In essence, this entire almost 100th period from the rule of the Varangians to Igor was not so much Russian history, but Varangian history - it was the history of their campaigns against Byzantium. The conquest of Rus' was incidental. It was not a goal, but only a means of another great conquest, the capture of the second Rome.
The huge pressure from the north into the center of the then civilization stopped only in the century of Olga. She was the first to stop the Varangians and introduced into the Varangian element, like a Slav, the beginning of a more peaceful and gentle culture. In the person of Olga, the Varangian nationality breaks down and becomes folk-Russian.
Olga ends the Varangian history in Rus' and begins the Russian one. The princely-robber period ends and the princely-heroic period begins. In the person of Olga, the difficult conception of statehood - the conquest of Rus' by the Varangians - comes to an end, and the times of people's independence begin. After the death of her husband, Olga inherited not a state, but a semi-wild country captured by barbarians, where sedentary life was still full of fermentation: where agriculture struggled with hunting and nomadic cattle breeding.
Before Princess Olga, Varangian statehood was limited to two actions: robbery outside the country and robbery within the country. The consequence of such a system was the Drevlyan rebellion and the first regicide in Rus'. The circumstances of the Drevlyan rebellion were as follows. In 944 Prince Igor, in alliance with the Pechenegs, decided to make a second attempt to conquer Constantinople (after an unsuccessful attempt in 941). On the way, Igor collected tribute from the Drevlyans. However, having reached Constantinople, Igor’s squad did not begin military operations, and a new peace treaty was concluded, somewhat less beneficial for Rus' than the treaty of the Prophetic Oleg. On the way back to Rus' (945), Igor decided to again collect tribute from the Drevlyans and was killed by them for trying to do this before the previously appointed date. One of the Greek chroniclers, Lev Dyakov, claims that the Drevlyans tore Igor to pieces, tying him to two trees, bent to the ground and then released.
After the death of Prince Igor, Olga inherited an extremely difficult state of affairs: the first serious rebellion could threaten the complete collapse of the state, which had not yet fully grown together from separate tribes. The rebellion was complicated by the fact that it broke out among the recently conquered Lithuanian population. The success of the rebellion could be a fatal temptation for other recently conquered tribes. Therefore, Olga acted in cold blood and especially cruelly. The Drevlyan ambassadors were killed, the capital of the Drevlyans, Iskorosten, was destroyed, and most of the Drevlyans were enslaved. Having suppressed the Drevlyan rebellion, Olga restored autocracy, pacified passions and saved the young state, which was under attack, from death.
Some researchers are sometimes confused by the seemingly too fierce revenge of Princess Olga. However, we should not forget that at that time Olga was still a zealous pagan and with her actions, first of all, Olga fulfilled her sacred religious duty. The historian Solovyov says, justifying Olga, that “the custom of revenge was a protective custom that replaced justice, and the one who sacredly fulfills the duties of revenge is a necessary hero of truth” and that “the duty of revenge for the human race was then a religious duty, the duty of expressing piety.”
For the ancient Slavs, revenge was considered noble, since by defending the violated rights of the murdered, the avenger puts his own life in mortal danger. Princess Olga's revenge should in no way be considered as personal revenge - her revenge is, first of all, the taming of the state rebellion. Having extinguished the rebellion, Olga began to fight the cause of the rebellion, the glaring shortcomings of the then statehood.
What did not exist before Olga was the cultural structure of the land; abandoning military campaigns, Olga began peaceful, purely economic campaigns. The chronicle notes that in taming the Drevlyansky land, Olga walked not as a robber, but as a steward, “and Volga walks through the Wilderness of the land with her son and with her retinue, establishing rules and lessons, the essence of her camps and traps.” Having rested after a difficult war, only “summer is one,” next year Volga goes to Novugorod and establishes fasts and tributes in the Place, and taxes and tributes in Luza.”
Olga traveled everywhere throughout the vast and wild country, organizing a state and cultural organization. Her predecessors, the Varangians, like all Germans, built only castles: they cut down cities as strongholds of their power. They had nothing to do with the life of the people other than taking tribute. Olga behaved like the first sovereign of Rus', she remembered the peaceful responsibilities of power. She, we say to Karamzin: “Divided the Earth into graveyards or volosts.”
State power at that time was of a traveling, so to speak outpatient type. From November to April every year, the princes went to “Polyudye” - not only to collect tribute, but also for trial and reprisals. Olga established churchyards, i.e. refreshment stations. She also established quitrents, i.e. determined the content of the tribute.
The great woman herself studied, traveling, and forced others to learn. Maybe this science should explain the amazing authority that it acquired from Igor’s squad and the civilian population. Under Princess Olga, the chronicler did not record any murmurs from the army or popular uprisings.
Having strengthened autocracy and given the country a state-cultural appearance, Olga began her third feat - the introduction of Christianity. Realizing that her religious conscience was free, Olga was baptized only herself, without violating either her family or her subjects. She believed in the power of her example and knew that the voluntarily accepted religion was true. Svyatoslav was not baptized only for fear of ridicule from the squad. Olga presented a great turning point. Historians claim that Olga professed Christianity in Kyiv even before her baptism; upon returning from Constantinople, she found many followers, because Christianity in Kyiv existed even before Askold and Dir, penetrating to us with Greek trade.
It is likely that Olga invested in the strengthening of Christianity the same consistent persistence that she invested in strengthening the state, and the same organizational ability. Until her death after accepting Christianity (14 years old), Olga continued to preach Christianity. Olga's son became a warrior. He constantly went to war, beat the Vyatichi, Khazars, Yasses and Kasogs, Bulgarians and Greeks. Some campaigns not only glorified Rus', but also expanded its expanses.
Olga’s main merit is that after the death of Prince Igor, she did not allow the still weak Russian state to disintegrate. Having suppressed the uprisings of the Drevlyans, Olga divided Rus' into volosts, which was a very far-sighted political decision. She abolished the dangerous "polyudye", establishing a fixed amount of tribute ("Lessons"), the timing of its delivery and the place of collection ("pogosts"). These graveyards then became the support centers of princely power.
We should not forget that it was Olga who was the foremother of Christianity in Rus'. The further process of the Baptism of Rus' was continued by her grandson Prince Vladimir. Without a doubt, Olga did everything for the good and dawn of the state. After her death, the people called her cunning, the church - holy, history - wise.
Princess Olga the Saint
Years of life: ?-969
Reign: 945-966
Grand Duchess Olga, baptized Elena. Saint of the Russian Orthodox Church, the first of the rulers of Rus' to convert to Christianity even before the Baptism of Rus'. After the death of her husband, Prince Igor Rurikovich, she ruled Kievan Rus from 945 to 966.
Princess Olga's baptism
Since ancient times, in the Russian land, people called Equal-to-the-Apostles Olga “the head of the faith” and “the root of Orthodoxy.” The Patriarch who baptized Olga marked the baptism with prophetic words: « Blessed are you among Russian women, for you left darkness and loved the Light. The Russian sons will glorify you to the last generation! »
At baptism, the Russian princess was honored with the name of Saint Helen, Equal to the Apostles, who worked hard to spread Christianity in the vast Roman Empire, but did not find the Life-Giving Cross on which the Lord was crucified.
In the vast expanses of the Russian land, like her heavenly patroness, Olga became an equal-to-the-apostles seer of Christianity.
There are many inaccuracies and mysteries in the chronicle about Olga, but most of the facts of her life, brought to our time by the grateful descendants of the founder of the Russian land, do not raise doubts about their authenticity.
The story of Olga - Princess of Kyiv
One of the oldest chronicles "The Tale of Bygone Years" in the description The marriage of the Kyiv prince Igor names the name of the future ruler of Rus' and her homeland: «
And they brought him a wife from Pskov named Olga »
. The Jokimov Chronicle specifies that Olga belonged to one of the ancient Russian princely dynasties - the Izborsky family. The life of Saint Princess Olga specifies that she was born in the village of Vybuty in the Pskov land, 12 km from Pskov up the Velikaya River. The names of the parents have not been preserved. According to the Life, they were not of a noble family, of Varangian origin, which is confirmed by her name, which has a correspondence in Old Scandinavian as Helga, in Russian pronunciation - Olga (Volga). The presence of the Scandinavians in those places is noted by a number of archaeological finds dating back to the first half of the 10th century.
The later Piskarevsky chronicler and typographical chronicle (late 15th century) recount a rumor that Olga was the daughter of the Prophetic Oleg, who began to rule Kievan Rus as the guardian of the young Igor, the son of Rurik: « The netsy say that Olga’s daughter was Olga » . Oleg married Igor and Olga.
The life of Saint Olga tells that here, “in the Pskov region,” her meeting with her future husband took place for the first time. The young prince was hunting and, wanting to cross the Velikaya River, he saw “someone floating in a boat” and called him to the shore. Sailing away from the shore in a boat, the prince discovered that he was being carried by a girl of amazing beauty. Igor was inflamed with lust for her and began to incline her to sin. The carrier turned out to be not only beautiful, but chaste and smart. She shamed Igor by reminding him of the princely dignity of a ruler and judge, who should be a “bright example of good deeds” for his subjects.
Igor broke up with her, keeping her words and beautiful image in his memory. When the time came to choose a bride, the most beautiful girls of the principality were gathered in Kyiv. But none of them pleased him. And then he remembered Olga, “wonderful in maidens,” and sent his relative Prince Oleg for her. So Olga became the wife of Prince Igor, the Grand Duchess of Russia.
Princess Olga and Prince Igor
Upon returning from the campaign against the Greeks, Prince Igor became a father: his son Svyatoslav was born. Soon Igor was killed by the Drevlyans. After the murder of Igor, the Drevlyans, fearing revenge, sent matchmakers to his widow Olga to invite her to marry their prince Mal. Duchess Olga pretended to agree and consistently dealt with the elders of the Drevlyans, and then brought the people of the Drevlyans to submission.
The Old Russian chronicler describes in detail Olga’s revenge for the death of her husband:
1st revenge of Princess Olga: Matchmakers, 20 Drevlyans, arrived in a boat, which the Kievans carried and threw into a deep hole in the courtyard of Olga’s tower. The matchmaker-ambassadors were buried alive along with the boat. Olga looked at them from the tower and asked: « Are you satisfied with the honor? » And they shouted: « Oh! It’s worse for us than Igor’s death » .
2nd revenge: Olga asked, out of respect, to send new ambassadors from the best men to her, which the Drevlyans willingly did. An embassy of noble Drevlyans was burned in a bathhouse while they were washing themselves in preparation for a meeting with the princess.
3rd revenge: The princess with a small retinue came to the lands of the Drevlyans to, according to custom, celebrate a funeral feast at her husband’s grave. Having drunk the Drevlyans during the funeral feast, Olga ordered them to be chopped down. The chronicle reports 5 thousand Drevlyans killed.
4th revenge: In 946, Olga went with an army on a campaign against the Drevlyans. According to the First Novgorod Chronicle, the Kiev squad defeated the Drevlyans in battle. Olga walked through the Drevlyansky land, established tributes and taxes, and then returned to Kyiv. In the Tale of Bygone Years, the chronicler made an insert into the text of the Initial Code about the siege of the Drevlyan capital of Iskorosten. According to the Tale of Bygone Years, after an unsuccessful siege during the summer, Olga burned the city with the help of birds, to which she ordered incendiaries to be tied. Some of the defenders of Iskorosten were killed, the rest submitted.
Reign of Princess Olga
After the massacre of the Drevlyans, Olga began to rule Kievan Rus until Svyatoslav came of age, but even after that she remained the de facto ruler, since her son was absent most of the time on military campaigns.
The chronicle testifies to her tireless “walks” across the Russian land with the purpose of building the political and economic life of the country. Olga went to the Novgorod and Pskov lands. Established a system of “cemeteries” - centers of trade and exchange, in which taxes were collected in a more orderly manner; Then they began to build churches in graveyards.
Rus' grew and strengthened. Cities were built surrounded by stone and oak walls. The princess herself lived behind the reliable walls of Vyshgorod (the first stone buildings of Kyiv - the city palace and Olga's country tower), surrounded by a loyal squad. She carefully monitored the improvement of the lands subject to Kyiv - Novgorod, Pskov, located along the Desna River, etc.
Reforms of Princess Olga
In Rus', the Grand Duchess erected the churches of St. Nicholas and St. Sophia in Kyiv, and the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary in Vitebsk. According to legend, she founded the city of Pskov on the Pskov River, where she was born. In those parts, on the site of the vision of three luminous rays from the sky, the temple of the Holy Life-Giving Trinity was erected.
Olga tried to introduce Svyatoslav to Christianity. He was angry with his mother for her persuasion, fearing to lose the respect of the squad, but “he did not even think of listening to this; but if someone was going to be baptized, he did not forbid it, but only mocked him.”
The chronicles consider Svyatoslav to be the successor to the Russian throne immediately after the death of Igor, so the date of the beginning of his independent reign is quite arbitrary. He entrusted the internal administration of the state to his mother, being constantly on military campaigns against the neighbors of Kievan Rus. In 968, the Pechenegs first raided Russian land. Together with Svyatoslav’s children, Olga locked herself in Kyiv. Returning from Bulgaria, he lifted the siege and did not want to stay long in Kyiv. The very next year he was going to leave for Pereyaslavets, but Olga held him back.
« You see - I'm sick; where do you want to go from me? “ - because she was already sick. And she said: « When you bury me, go wherever you want “ . Three days later, Olga died (July 11, 969), and her son, and her grandchildren, and all the people cried for her with great tears, and they carried her and buried her in the chosen place, but Olga bequeathed not to perform funeral feasts for her, since she had The priest was with him - he buried Blessed Olga.
Holy Princess Olga
Olga's burial place is unknown. During the reign of Vladimir, her began to be revered as a saint. This is evidenced by the transfer of her relics to the Tithe Church. During the Mongol invasion, the relics were hidden under the cover of the church.
In 1547, Olga was canonized as Saint Equal to the Apostles. Only 5 other holy women in Christian history have received such an honor (Mary Magdalene, First Martyr Thekla, Martyr Apphia, Queen Helena and Georgian Enlightener Nina).
Memorial Day of Saint Olga (Elena) began to be celebrated on July 11. She is revered as the patroness of widows and new Christians.
Official canonization (churchwide glorification) occurred later - until the middle of the 13th century.
Preface
At the end of July, we will have days of remembrance of amazing Russian saints who realized the destruction of paganism and, with God’s help, led the Eastern Slavs to Orthodoxy. July 11, old style (July 24, new style) - Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duchess Olga. The next day - July 12 (25) - martyrs Theodore the Varangian and his son John. And July 15 (28) - Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duke Vladimir, in the Holy Baptism of Vasily: Day of the Baptism of Rus'.
Before starting a conversation about the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga, I would like, dear brothers and sisters, to say that the Russians - the princess’s contemporaries - were very different from us. Our Slavic pagan ancestors had a completely different attitude towards the life of another person, towards marriage and many moral categories that have become our social foundation today and which our Lord Jesus Christ and His Holy Church instilled in us.
Many of the actions of people of past centuries seem terrible and very cruel to us, but it did not seem so to them. After all, they lived according to the aggressive, almost bestial, predatory laws of paganism, the motto of which is “serve yourself, please your passions, subjugate others for this purpose.”
Modern people often do not think about the fact that such, as they now say, democratic principles - the right to life, to private property, freedom of conscience, the right to health care, the institution of marriage - are the offspring of Christian, Orthodox morality, coming out of the womb of the Mother Church, having in themselves the gene of God's commandments from the Holy Scriptures.
A modern person can declare that he is an atheist and even an active fighter against God, but in life he walks along the paths created and paved for him by Christianity.
The purpose of this block of three articles, based on the lives of the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga, the Kiev martyrs Theodore the Varangian and his son John, as well as the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duke Vladimir, is to show the feat of these truly great people who led the Eastern Slavs out of the terrible, destructive darkness of paganism. And on the other hand, to show the existence of a danger today - in the 21st century - to cross out the spiritual feat of dozens of generations of Slavic Orthodox saints and, through neo-paganism, egoism, the cult of the body and pleasures, to again plunge into the disastrous and destructive spiritual darkness from which we were led with such sorrow and difficulty our holy ancestors.
And truly the morning star, the dawn, the moon that preceded the sun and illuminated the path to Christ in the darkness of paganism for a whole conglomerate of peoples, was Princess Olga.
“She was the forerunner of the Christian land, like the day before the sun, like the dawn before the dawn. She shone like the moon in the night; so she shone among the pagans, like pearls in the mud,” this is what the Monk Nestor the Chronicler wrote about her in his work “The Tale of Bygone Years.”
Holy Princess Olga. Vladimir Cathedral in Kyiv. M. Nesterov
"Olga" means "saint"
Indeed, the name “Helga” has Scandinavian roots and is translated into Russian as “saint”. In Slavic pronunciation the name was pronounced as "Olga" or "Volga". It is obvious that from childhood she had three special character qualities.
The first is God-seeking. Of course, the name “Olga”, or “saint”, implied a pagan understanding of holiness, but still it determined some kind of spiritual and otherworldly dispensation of our great Old Russian holy princess. Just as a sunflower reaches out to the sun, so she has been reaching out to the Lord all her life. She sought Him and found Him in Byzantine Orthodoxy.
The second quality of her character was her wonderful chastity and disinclination to debauchery, which raged around her in the Slavic tribes of that time.
And the third quality of Olga’s internal structure was her special wisdom in everything - from faith to state affairs, which, obviously, was fed from the source of her deep religiosity.
The history of its birth and origin is rather vague due to its antiquity and various historical versions. So, for example, one of them says that she was a pupil of Prince Oleg (d. 912), who raised the young prince Igor, the son of Rurik. Hence, historians who adhere to this version say that the girl was named Helga in honor of the Kyiv prince Oleg. The Joachim Chronicle speaks about this: “When Igor matured, Oleg married him, gave him a wife from Izborsk, the Gostomyslov family, who was called Beautiful, and Oleg renamed her and named her Olga. Igor later had other wives, but because of her wisdom he honored Olga more than others.” There is also a version of the Bulgarian origin of Saint Princess Olga.
But the most common and documented version is that Olga came from the Pskov region, from the village of Vybuty, on the Velikaya River, from the ancient Slavic family of the Izborsky princes, whose representatives married the Varangians. This explains the Scandinavian name of the princess.
"Princess Olga meets the body of Prince Igor." Sketch by V. I. Surikov, 1915
Meeting and marriage with Prince Igor Rurikovich
The Life gives a beautiful and wonderful story of their meeting, which is full of tenderness and reminds of the ineffable miracles of God and His good Providence for humanity: a provincial noblewoman from the Pskov forests was destined to become the Grand Duchess of Kyiv and the great lamp of Orthodoxy. The Lord really does not look at status, but at a person’s soul! Olga’s soul burned with love for the Almighty. No wonder she receives the name “Elena” in baptism, which is translated from Greek as “torch.”
Legend says that Prince Igor, a warrior and Viking to the core, brought up in the campaigns of the harsh Oleg, hunted in the Pskov forests. He wanted to cross the Velikaya River. I saw in the distance the figure of a boatman on a canoe and called him to the shore. He swam up. The boatman turned out to be a beautiful girl, for whom Igor immediately became inflamed with lust. Being a warrior accustomed to robbery and violence, he immediately wanted to take her by force. But Olga (and it was she) turned out to be not only beautiful, but also chaste and smart. The girl shamed the prince, saying that he should be a bright example for his subjects. She told him about the princely dignity of both ruler and judge. Igor, as they say, was completely smitten and conquered by her. He returned to Kyiv, keeping the beautiful image of Olga in his heart. And when the time came to get married, he chose her. A tender, bright feeling awoke in the rude Varangian.
Olga at the pinnacle of power in pagan Kyiv
It should be said that being the wife of the Grand Duke of Kyiv is not an easy matter. At the ancient Russian court, executions, poisonings, intrigues and murders were common. The fact is that the backbone of the Russian aristocracy at that time were the Varangians, and not just Scandinavians, but Vikings. The famous Russian historian Lev Gumilyov, for example, in his book “Ancient Rus' and the Great Steppe” writes that it was impossible to completely identify the entire Scandinavian people and the Vikings. The Vikings, rather, were an unusual phenomenon of this people, somewhat vaguely reminiscent of our Cossacks or, for example, the Japanese samurai.
Among the Scandinavians there were tribes of farmers, fishermen and sailors. The Vikings were almost the same unusual element for them as for many other peoples - a social phenomenon. These were people of a certain military-robber type who left the Scandinavian tribes and formed their own community-detachments “wikis” - teams for wars, piracy, robberies and murders. The Vikings kept the port cities of the coasts of Europe, Asia and Africa at bay. They have developed their own rules and laws. It was the Vikings, starting from Rurik, who became the basis of the ancient Slavic monarchy and aristocracy. They largely imposed their own principles and rules of behavior on the Russian society of their time.
In 941, Igor and his retinue launched a campaign against Constantinople (Constantinople) and completely ravaged the southern coast of the Black Sea. His warriors burn many Christian churches and drive iron nails into the heads of priests. But here’s what’s interesting: in 944, Prince Igor concluded a military-trade agreement with the Byzantine Empire. It contains articles stating that Russian Christian soldiers can take the oath in Kyiv in the temple of the Holy Prophet Elijah, and pagan soldiers can take the oath on weapons in the temples of the Perunovs. For us, this ancient testimony is interesting because Christian warriors are put in first place, which means there were quite a lot of them in Rus'. And even then, at least in Kyiv, there were Orthodox churches.
Like a true pagan, Igor dies from his intemperance and love of money. During 945, he collected tribute from the Drevlyan tribe several times. Those had already been stripped almost to the skin. But Igor, incited by his squad, attacked them again. The Drevlyans gathered for a council. In “The Tale of Bygone Years” there are the following lines: “The Drevlyans, having heard that he was coming again, held a council with their prince Mal: “If a wolf gets into the habit of the sheep, he will carry out the whole herd until they kill him; so is this one: if we don’t kill him, he will destroy us all.” And the Drevlyans dared to kill the Kyiv prince. This happened near their capital Iskorosten. According to one historical version, Igor was tied to the treetops and torn in two.
Thus, Princess Olga, with her and Igor’s young son Svyatoslav, remained a widow and ruler of Kievan Rus. Sensing the weakness of the grand ducal throne, the Drevlyans offered her a deal - marriage with their prince Mal. But Olga took revenge on her offenders for the death of her husband. Today her act may seem extremely cruel, but remember the disclaimer at the beginning of the article. The time was dark, terrible, pagan. The future Slavic saint had yet to let in the light of Christ's faith.
Olga takes revenge on the Drevlyans four times. For the first time, she buries alive the ambassadors who came to her from Mal. The second time she burns the ambassadors alive in the bathhouse. For the third time, already on Drevlyan soil, Olga’s squad kills up to five thousand enemies. And for the fourth time, the princess again conquers the Drevlyans and, with the help of a well-known trick with birds, burns the capital of the opponents, Iskorosten, to the ground. She asks the besieged for an unusual tribute in the form of pigeons and sparrows from each yard, and then she ties tinder to their paws, sets them on fire and sends them home. Birds are burning the city.
Thus, the Drevlyans find themselves re-conquered by Kiev.
Olga converts to Christianity
To paraphrase Dostoevsky’s expression that there is a main mind and a non-main mind, it must be said that Princess Olga had a main mind, which is why in history she received the nickname Wise. She was deeply aware of the failure of paganism, which was implicated in egocentrism - in pleasing oneself. The barbaric robber empire of ancient Rus' was destined to collapse if it had held on only to robberies, revelries, pagan ritual murders and fornication. The human personality decomposed in such conditions, and this again led to tribal fragmentation and endless inter-tribal wars. The result of this was the saddest: man destroyed himself, and the young Slavic state would have been doomed to destruction.
Something was needed that held it together, not governmental or primarily economic. A certain spiritual genome was needed, the life of the Slavic soul needed to be corrected - it was necessary to find God. And Olga goes to Constantinople. In the monument of Russian historical literature of the 16th century, “The Degree Book,” there are the following words: “Her (Olga’s) feat was that she recognized the true God. Not knowing the Christian law, she lived a pure and chaste life, and she wanted to be a Christian by free will, with the eyes of her heart she found the path of knowing God and followed it without hesitation.” The Rev. Nestor the Chronicler narrates: “Blessed Olga from an early age sought wisdom, which is the best in this world, and found a valuable pearl - Christ.”
She is present at services in the great church of St. Sophia, in the Blachernae Church and receives Holy Baptism at the hands of His Holiness Patriarch Theophylact of Constantinople; Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus himself becomes her successor. This indicates the political weight that Russian princes had in Olga’s modern world. The Patriarch blessed her with a cross carved from a single piece of the Honest Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, and said prophetic words: “Blessed are you among Russian women, for you have left darkness and loved the Light. The Russian people will bless you in all future generations, from your grandchildren and great-grandchildren to your most distant descendants.”
She answered: “By your prayers, Master, may I be saved from the snares of the enemy.” Here we see that Olga the Wise understood perfectly: the main battle of a person takes place not in the external world, but in the depths of his soul.
She was baptized Helen in honor of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Queen Helen. And the life paths of both holy women were so similar!
The saint brought the cross with which she was blessed to her homeland. Having become the Grand Duchess of Kyiv, she built many Orthodox churches. For example, on May 11, 960, the Church of St. Sophia, the Wisdom of God, was consecrated in Kyiv. And in her homeland - the Pskov region - she laid the foundations for the veneration of the Holy Trinity for the first time in Rus'.
Saint Olga had a vision on the Velikaya River. The princess saw three bright rays descending from the sky from the east. She said in kind to her companions: “Let it be known to you that by the will of God in this place there will be a church in the name of the Most Holy and Life-Giving Trinity and there will be a great and glorious city here, abounding in everything.” At this place she erected a Cross and founded the Trinity Church, which would later become the main cathedral of Pskov.
Princess Olga cared a lot about centralized state power. In the lands of various Slavic tribes, graveyards were founded - settlements where princely tiuns lived with their retinue, collecting tribute and keeping order. Often an Orthodox church was built next to the churchyard.
Princess Olga with her son Svyatoslav
Olga's tragedy: son Svyatoslav
As they say, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Svyatoslav was the spiritual heir of his father Igor and grandfather Rurik - a Varangian at his core. No matter how much Olga tried to persuade him, he did not want to be baptized; he rather indulged the pagan squad. And although he did a lot for the expansion of Kievan Rus in the south, west and east (victory over the Khazars, Pechenegs, Bulgars) and for the safety of its inhabitants, under his rule paganism began to flourish.
Svyatoslav and his supporters begin to oppress the Church of God. During the pagan reaction, Olga's nephew Gleb was killed and some of the temples built by the princess were destroyed. The saint retires to the princely town of Vyshgorod, where she spends her time like a real nun - in prayer, almsgiving and raising her grandchildren in Christian piety. Despite the fact that paganism triumphed in Kievan Rus, Svyatoslav allowed his mother to keep an Orthodox priest with her.
Sergey Efoshkin. Duchess Olga. Dormition
Peaceful repose of the saint and her glorification
The holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga died quite early as a result of hard work, having lived for about fifty years, on July 11, 969. Shortly before her death, she confessed and received the Holy Mysteries of Christ. Her main will was not to perform any pagan funeral feasts on her, but to bury her according to the Orthodox rite. She died a true Christian, faithful to her God.
God glorified His saint with the incorruption of the relics and the miracles and healings that came from them. In 1547 she was canonized to the rank of Equal to the Apostles. It is noteworthy that only five women in church history have been canonized to this rank.
The pagan reaction to her death did not last long. The seed of Christ has already been thrown into the fertile soil of the Slavic heart, and soon it will yield a mighty and generous harvest.
Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duchess Olgo, pray to God for us!
Priest Andrey Chizhenko
Orthodox Life
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