The reign of Andrei Bogolyubsky - Russian historical library. History of Russia

One of the most outstanding rulers of Ancient Rus' is Andrei Bogolyubsky, who had the loud title “Holy Blessed Prince”. He, as the son of Yuri Dolgoruky, ruled with dignity, honorably continuing the work of his famous ancestors. He founded the city of Bogolyuby, in whose honor he received his nickname, and moved the center of Rus' from Kyiv to Vladimir. Under him, the city and the entire Vladimir Principality developed at an active pace and became truly powerful. In 1702, the Russian Orthodox Church canonized Andrei Bogolyubsky, today his relics are in the Assumption Cathedral in his beloved city of Vladimir.

Biography

When was the Grand Duke born No historian can say for sure; chronicles most often indicate the year 1111, but there are other dates, for example, 1115. But the place of birth is definitely exact - Rostov-Suzdal Rus', it was this remote region of forests that he recognized as his homeland.

All that is known about his early years is that he received a good education and upbringing based on spirituality and the Christian religion. Much more information is available about the time when, by order of his father, Andrei, having reached adulthood, began to rule in different cities.

Years of his principality can be divided into several periods:

• Vyshgorod (1149 and 1155)
• Dorogobuzhsk (1150-1151)
• Ryazan (1153)
• Vladimir (1157-1174).

In 1149, Andrei Bogolyubsky was sent by his father to rule Vyshgorod, but a year later he received a transfer to the west, however, he did not stay there long. Contrary to the wishes of Yuri Dolgoruky to see his son in Vyshgorod, after his return he remains to live and rule in his beloved city of Vladimir, where, according to some historians, he transports the famous icon of Our Lady of Vladimir.

Even having inherited the title of Grand Duke after the death of his father in 1157, Andrei Bolyubsky did not return to Kyiv. Experts believe that this fact gave rise to the organization of centralized power and influenced the transfer of the capital to Vladimir.

In 1162 the prince with the support of his squad, expels all his relatives and his father’s army from the Rostov-Suzdal lands, which makes him the only ruler of these lands. During the reign of Andrei Bogolyubsky, Vladimir's power greatly strengthened and expanded, many surrounding lands were conquered, this gave him significant influence in politics in the northern and eastern parts of Rus'.

In 1169, the prince and his warriors, as a result of a successful campaign, almost completely ruined Kyiv.

Many boyars were angry with his rapidly growing power, brutal reprisals and autocratic character, and therefore already in 1174 they agreed Andrei Yuryevich is killed in Bogolyubov, which he founded.

Foreign and domestic policy

The main achievement of Prince Andrei in domestic politics is rightfully considered to be the increase in the prosperity and wealth of the Rostov-Suzdal lands. At the beginning of his reign, many people from neighboring cities, Kyiv refugees, who dreamed of settling in a quiet and safe place, came to this principality. Large influx of people influenced the rapid economic growth of the region. The principality, and later the city of Vladimir, increased their influence in the political arena and well-being in general at an unusually rapid pace, thanks to which by the last years of Andrei Bogolyubsky’s life they, bypassing Kyiv, became the center of Rus'.

Under Andrei Bogolyubsky, huge attention paid attention to the development of the spiritual and cultural sphere, he more than once made attempts to make Rus' independent of Byzantium in religious terms, and established new Orthodox holidays. Frequent guests were architects invited to build temples and cathedrals, due to which a special Russian tradition appeared in architecture and the famous Golden Gate, the castle town of Bogolyubovo and several temples were erected, for example, the Intercession on the Nerl, the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Bogolyubovo.

The prince also conducted his foreign policy carefully. Most of all, he was concerned about protecting the lands from nomads who regularly carried out their raids. He campaigned twice in Volga Bulgaria. As a result of the first. took place in 1164, the city of Ibragimov was taken, three other cities were burned, the second campaign in 1171 took place with the participation of the sons of the princes of Murom and Ryazan and brought rich booty.

Results of the board

The most important and important result During the reign of Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky, there was undoubtedly a shift in the political and economic center from Kyiv to Vladimir.

But the prince’s successes were not limited to this., among his main achievements should be mentioned:

• largely successful attempts to unite the country,
• change in the political system (got rid of inheritances and created centralized power),
• had a significant influence on the creation of the Russian tradition in architecture.

In 1702 the prince was canonized. Despite fair criticism of this decision, it is possible to understand the motives of the Church. The history of exile by Andrei Bogolyubsky his younger brothers and the ruin of Kyiv are forgotten, but everyone remembers that it was he who brought the icon of the Mother of God to Vladimir. Magnificent temples were built under him and, of course, he suffered martyrdom.

Prince of Vladimir, Rostov and Suzdal, Grand Duke of Kiev (since 1157).

Andrei Yuryevich Bogolyubsky was born around 1111. He was the eldest son of the Grand Duke and the daughter of the Polovtsian Khan Aepa.

Chronicles begin to mention Andrei Bogolyubsky during the war between his father and his nephew, the Grand Duke of Kyiv Izyaslav Mstislavich, who took the Kiev throne contrary to the right of the ladder, when his uncles Vyacheslav and Yuri were still alive.

In 1149, Andrei Yuryevich was given possession of Vyshgorod, but a year later he was transferred to Western Russian lands, where he held the cities of Turov, Pinsk and Peresopnitsa. In 1151, with the consent of his father, he returned to his native Suzdal land, where, apparently, he had an inheritance. In 1155, Andrei Yuryevich was again transferred to Vyshgorod, from where, against his father’s will, he returned to the city, taking with him the icon of the Mother of God, painted, according to legend, by the Evangelist Luke (the image of the Vladimir Mother of God).

After his death in 1157, Andrei Yuryevich inherited the Kiev grand-ducal throne, but, despite the custom, he did not go to live in Kyiv. At the same time he was elected Prince of Rostov, Suzdal and Vladimir. Relying on his “almsmen” (servants), in 1162 Andrei Yuryevich expelled not only his relatives, but also his father’s squad from the Rostov-Suzdal land.

In the "Suzhdal Land" he made the capital of the principality, turning a small fortress into a rich city with majestic cathedrals, many churches and impregnable fortress walls with Golden, Silver, Copper gates. Not far from here, the prince founded on the Nerl River “a city of stone for himself, named after”, from which he received his nickname.

Andrei Bogolyubsky gained enormous authority and after the death of his father began to pursue an independent policy, trying to subjugate the warring princely and boyar estates. In three years, he turned into a powerful prince who managed to create the future political center of the state in the northeast of Rus'. In 1164, Andrei Bogolyubsky made a victorious campaign against the Volga Bulgarians, and in 1169 his troops took and plundered Kyiv.

The strengthening of princely power and the conflict with prominent boyars caused a conspiracy against Andrei Bogolyubsky. On the night of June 29-30, 1174, the Grand Duke was killed by a group of conspirators from his inner circle. Initially, he was buried in the Vladimir Church of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary; later the remains were transferred several times. Around 1702, Andrei Bogolyubsky was canonized by the Orthodox Church as a saint.

It achieved significant power and was the strongest in Rus', and later it became the core of the modern Russian state.

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Origin of the prince's nickname

According to the later “Life of Andrei Bogolyubsky” (1701), Andrei Yuryevich received the nickname “Bogolyubsky” after the name of the city of Bogolyubov near Vladimir, his main residence. Researcher S.V. Zagraevsky, based on earlier sources, substantiated a different situation: the city of Bogolyubov received its name from Andrei’s nickname, and the nickname was due to the ancient Russian tradition of naming princes “God-loving” and the personal qualities of Prince Andrei.

Before reigning in Vladimir

The only information about the date of birth of Bogolyubsky (c. 1111) is contained in the “History” of Vasily Tatishchev, written 600 years later. The years of his youth are almost not covered in sources.

In the autumn of 1152, Andrei, together with his father, took part in the 12-day siege of Chernigov, which ended in failure. According to later chroniclers, Andrei was seriously wounded under the walls of the city.

There was an icon of the Holy Mother of God in the women's monastery in Vyshgorod, brought from Constantinople, painted, as the legend says, by St. Luke the Evangelist. They told miracles about her, they said, among other things, that, being placed near the wall, at night she herself moved away from the wall and stood in the middle of the church, seeming to show that she wanted to go to another place. It was clearly impossible to take it, because the residents would not allow it. Andrei planned to kidnap her, transfer her to the Suzdal land, thus bestowing on this land a shrine respected in Rus', and thereby showing that a special blessing of God rests on this land. Having persuaded the priest of the convent Nikolai and deacon Nestor, Andrei took the miraculous icon from the monastery at night and, together with the princess and his accomplices, immediately after that fled to the Suzdal land.

On the way to Rostov, at night the Mother of God appeared to the prince in a dream and ordered him to leave the icon in Vladimir. Andrei did so, and at the site of the vision he founded the village of Bogolyubovo, which over time became his main residence.

Great Reign

Andrei Bogolyubsky invited Western European architects to build Vladimir churches. The tendency towards greater cultural independence can also be seen in his introduction of new holidays in Rus' that were not accepted in Byzantium. On the initiative of the prince, it is believed that the holidays of the All-Merciful Savior (August 16) and the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos (October 1 according to the Julian calendar) were established in the Russian (North-Eastern) Church.

Capture of Kyiv (1169)

However, soon there was a famine in Novgorod, and the Novgorodians chose to make peace with Andrei with all their will and invited Rurik Rostislavich to reign, and a year later - Yuri Andreevich.

Siege of Vyshgorod (1173)

After the death of Gleb Yuryevich (Kiev), Kyiv, at the invitation of the younger Rostislavichs and secretly from Andrei and from the other main contender for Kyiv - Yaroslav Izyaslavich, Lutsky was occupied by Vladimir Mstislavich, but soon died. Andrei gave the reign of Kiev to the eldest of the Smolensk Rostislavichs - Roman. In 1173, Andrei demanded that Roman hand over the Kyiv boyars suspected of poisoning Gleb Yuryevich, but he refused. In response, Andrei ordered him to return to Smolensk, he obeyed. Andrei gave Kyiv to his brother Mikhail Yuryevich, but he sent his brother Vsevolod and nephew Yaropolk to Kyiv instead. Vsevolod spent 5 weeks in Kyiv and was captured by Davyd Rostislavich. Rurik Rostislavich reigned in Kyiv for a short time.

After these events, Andrei, through his swordsman Mikhna, demanded that the younger Rostislavichs “not be in the Russian land”: from Rurik - to go to his brother in Smolensk, from Davyd - to Berlad. Then the youngest of the Rostislavichs, Mstislav the Brave, conveyed to Prince Andrei that before the Rostislavichs held him as a father “out of love,” but they would not allow them to be treated as “helpers,” and cut off the beard of Andrei’s ambassador, which gave rise to the outbreak of military actions.

In addition to the troops of the Vladimir-Suzdal principality, regiments from the Murom, Ryazan, Turov, Polotsk and Goroden principalities, Novgorod land, princes Yuri Andreevich, Mikhail and Vsevolod Yuryevich, Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich, Igor Svyatoslavich took part in the campaign; The number of troops is estimated by the chronicle at 50 thousand people. . The Rostislavichs chose a different strategy than Mstislav Izyaslavich in 1169. They did not defend Kyiv. Rurik locked himself in Belgorod, Mstislav in Vyshgorod with his regiment and Davyd’s regiment, and Davyd himself went to Galich to ask for help from Yaroslav Osmomysl. The entire militia besieged Vyshgorod to capture Mstislav, as Andrei ordered. After 9 weeks of the siege, Yaroslav Izyaslavich, whose rights to Kyiv were not recognized by the Olgovichi, received such recognition from the Rostislavichs, and moved Volyn and auxiliary Galician troops to help the besieged. Having learned about the approach of the enemy, the huge army of the besiegers began to retreat randomly. Mstislav made a successful foray. Many, crossing the Dnieper, drowned. “So,” says the chronicler, “Prince Andrei was such a clever man in all matters, but he ruined his meaning through intemperance: he became inflamed with anger, became proud and boasted in vain; and the devil instills praise and pride in a person’s heart.” Yaroslav Izyaslavich became the prince of Kyiv. But over the following years, he, and then Roman Rostislavich, had to cede the great reign to Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich of Chernigov, with whose help, after the death of Andrei, the younger Yuryevichs established themselves in Vladimir.

Hiking to Volga Bulgaria

Death and canonization

The defeat of Andrei Bogolyubsky's troops during an attempt to capture Kyiv and Vyshgorod in 1173 intensified Andrei's conflict with prominent boyars (whose discontent was evident even during the unsuccessful campaign of Bogolyubsky's troops against the Volga Bulgars in 1171) and led to a conspiracy of close boyars against Andrei Bogolyubsky, as a result of which On the night of June 28-29, 1174, he was stabbed to death by his own boyars.

Legend has it that the conspirators (boyars Kuchkovichi, who were relatives of Bogolyubsky and for some time owned lands on the site of the future city of Moscow), first went down to the wine cellars, drank wine there, then approached the prince’s bedroom. One of them knocked. "Who's there?" - asked Andrey. "Procopius!" - answered the knocker (naming the name of one of the prince’s favorite servants). “No, this is not Procopius!” - said Andrei, who knew his servant’s voice well. He did not open the door and rushed to the sword, but the sword of Saint Boris, which constantly hung over the prince’s bed, was previously stolen by the housekeeper Anbal. Having broken down the door, the conspirators rushed at the prince. The strong Bogolyubsky resisted for a long time. Finally, wounded and bloodied, he fell under the blows of the killers. The villains thought that he was dead and left - they went down to the wine cellars again. The prince woke up and tried to hide. He was found following a trail of blood. Seeing the killers, Andrei said: “If, God, this is the end for me, I accept it.” The killers finished their job.

The prince's body lay on the street while people robbed the prince's mansions. According to legend, only his courtier, a Kiev resident Kuzmishche Kiyanin, remained to bury the prince. Hegumen Theodulus (rector of the Vladimir Assumption Cathedral and presumably the vicar of the Bishop of Rostov) with the clergy of the Assumption Cathedral was tasked with transferring the body of the prince from Bogolyubov to Vladimir and performing the funeral service for the deceased in the cathedral. Other representatives of the higher clergy, apparently, were not present at the service, according to Igor Froyanov, due to dissatisfaction with the prince, sympathizing with the conspiracy.

Soon after the murder of Andrei, a struggle for his inheritance broke out in the principality, and his only son at that time did not act as a contender for the reign, submitting to the law of the ladder.

The skull was sent in 1939 to Moscow to Mikhail Gerasimov, then returned to Vladimir in 1943; in the late 1950s, the relics ended up in the State Historical Museum, where they remained until the 1960s. In 1982, they were examined by the forensic expert of the Vladimir Regional Bureau of Medical Examiner M.A. Furman, who confirmed the presence of multiple chopped injuries to the prince’s skeleton and their predominant left-sided localization

On December 23, 1986, the Council for Religious Affairs decided on the advisability of transferring the relics to the Assumption Cathedral in the city of Vladimir. On March 3, 1987, the transfer of the relics took place. They were transferred to a shrine to the same place in the Assumption Cathedral where they were in 1174.

Reconstruction of the appearance

In the interwar years, the anthropologist M. M. Gerasimov became interested in the remains of Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky, and the skull was sent to Moscow, where the academician restored the appearance of the prince using his own method - the original (1939) is kept in the State Historical Museum; in 1963, Gerasimov carried out repeated work for the Vladimir Museum of Local Lore. Gerasimov believed that the skull “is Caucasoid with a certain inclination towards North Slavic or even Nordic forms, but the facial skeleton, especially in the upper part (orbits, nose, cheek bones), has undoubted elements of Mongoloidity” (heredity through the female line - “from the Polovtsians ").

In 2007, on the initiative of the Moscow Foundation for International Cooperation named after Yuri Dolgoruky, created by Order of the Moscow Government No. 211-RM dated March 16, 1999, the Russian Center for Forensic Medicine of the Ministry of Health and Social Development of Russia carried out a new medical and criminological study of the prince’s skull. The study was conducted by Professor V. N. Zvyagin using the CranioMetr program. It confirms the craniological examination of the prince’s skull, carried out by Gerasimov’s colleague V. V. Ginzburg, adding to it such details as horizontal profiling of the face, saddle-shaped deformation of the crown and rotation of the facial plane by 3-5° to the right, but classifies the prince’s appearance as a Central European version of the large Caucasoid race and notes that the features of the Northern European or Southern European local races are absent in it with probability Pl > 0.984, while Mongoloid features are completely excluded (probability Pl ≥ 9 x 10-25).

Marriages and children

Praise

Andrei Bogolyubsky was glorified by the Russian Orthodox Church in 1702, when his relics were found and placed in a silver shrine (built with the contribution of Patriarch Joseph) in the Vladimir Assumption Cathedral, veneration was established on the day of remembrance of St. Andrew of Crete, revered in Rus' - July 4, Julian calendar.

The image of Andrei Bogolyubsky in cinema

• Prince Yuri Dolgoruky (; Russia) director Sergei Tarasov, in the role of Andrei Evgeniy Paramonov.

see also

Notes

1. The exact date and even year of birth are unknown.
2. Sirenov A. V. Life of Andrei Bogolyubsky. In the book: In memory of Andrei Bogolyubsky. Sat. articles. Moscow - Vladimir, 2009. P. 228.
3. Zagraevsky S.V. To the question of the origin of the nickname of Prince Andrei Bogolyubov and the name of the city Bogolyubov. In book: Materials of the XVIII international local history conference (April 19 2013). Vladimir, 2014.
4. "Vladimir's autocrat" (undefined) . Retrieved April 29, 2013.

Andrei Yuryevich Bogolyubsky was born in the city of Suzdal in 1110. His father was a prince. The Grand Duke allocated the small city of Zvenigorod near Kiev to his son to rule, but Andrei Yuryevich was not satisfied with this decision. He wanted more, so in secret from his father, he went to Suzdal and Rostov, becoming their ruler.

Years passed and in 1150 Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky He also subjugated Vyshegradskaya from the Vasiliev region. Over time, he moved to the then small city of Vladimir.

The history of the reign of Andrei Bogolyubsky was filled with several internecine wars, here he often won victories. The largest of them can be considered the confrontation with the Great Reign of Kiev; Andrei’s opponent called for help from the Hungarian and Polish, but this did not help.

Complex and unpleasant events began after the death of Yuri Dolgoruky. Andrei, as the direct heir, laid claim to the throne of the Grand Duke of Kyiv, but was not immediately able to obtain it. This happened in 1169, when Bogolyusky had to take Kyiv, his own capital, with military forces. Kyiv was under the yoke of Mstislav II Izyaslavich, so there was the first fierce battle for the capture of Kyiv. The consequences were disastrous; the city was not only plundered, but also mostly burned. Andrei Bogolyubsky received a state for himself, although he decided not to stay in dilapidated Kyiv.

Prince Bogolyubsky in Vladimir

He went to Vladimir, leaving the former capital under the control of his brother Gleb. After this, Andrei proclaimed himself the Grand Duke of Vladimir; according to many historians, this event opened a new era in the life of Vladimir Rus, and also put an end to the life of the Kievan state.

Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky took up the peaceful development of his new capital. He began constructing stone buildings, among which the most famous were cathedrals. They have become a distinctive feature of this beautiful northern city. However, the Prince of Vladimir did not stop there; religion had a high priority, so the icon of the Virgin Mary was moved to the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in Vladimir. According to legend, it was written by the hand of the Evangelist Luke, which means it played an important role. Over time, she became a famous icon of the Vladimir Mother of God and appeared before people as a symbol of the Suzdal land. Now it is not lost, but is kept in the Tretyakov Gallery.

On the banks of the small Nerl River lies Andrei's residence. Not far from it, a simple white stone Church of the Intercession was built. Until now, they are considered an important cultural heritage of our entire country, as well as one of the few world masterpieces of world architecture. It is not surprising that all people who have seen her at least once in their lives remember her forever.

Nickname of Prince Bogolyubsky

The place where the residence of the first Vladimir prince was located was called Bogolyubovo, which is why Andrei Yuryevich received his nickname. His policy in the state was primarily distinguished by the fact that he wanted to completely stop internecine wars. Rus' was torn by constant confrontation between numerous heirs, which was determined by the appanage system of government. The principle was that it was not the son who inherited the place of the prince, but the brother, therefore there were always many heirs from official marriages and illegitimate ones, as well as cousins ​​and second cousins ​​who had full right to the throne. In addition, possession of one or more cities was based on receipt from the hands of the prince, although it was often captured by military forces. There was no unity and integrity of the country, which should have become the basis for protection from external conquerors.

Andrei Yuryevich saw the main reason for the weakness of Rus' precisely in disunity. Bogolyubsky chose a completely different path of government, which had never before existed in the Russian state. He refused to distribute cities to his relatives. He was the only ruler, hoping that in the future the position of power would remain exactly that way. True, after his death, appanage rule returned, which led to confrontation between his brothers, nephews and other relatives who had the right to the princely throne.

Murder of Prince Bogolyubsky

The death of the prince was a tragic event. It happened in 1174 right at the princely court in Bogolyubovo, Russian Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky was killed by the boyars. Historians explain this by the fact that the rule was tough, which not everyone liked. The discontent was so great that it ended his life's path.
During his life, Andrei Bogolyusky was married twice. His first wife was a Volga Bulgar, and his second was the daughter of boyar Stepan Ivanovich Kuchka - Ulita. They gave birth to his daughter - Rostislava, as well as several sons - Izyaslav, Mstislav, Roman, Gleb, Yuri and Vladimir.

Great Reign

Capture of Kyiv (1169)

March on Novgorod (1170)

Siege of Vyshgorod (1173)

Hiking to Volga Bulgaria

Death and canonization

Marriages and children

(about 1111 - June 29, 1174) - Prince of Vyshgorod in 1149, 1155. Prince of Dorogobuzh in 1150-1151, Ryazan (1153). Grand Duke of Vladimir in 1157 - 1174. Son of Yuri Vladimirovich Dolgoruky and the Polovtsian princess, daughter of Khan Aepa Asenevich.

During the reign of Andrei Bogolyubsky, the Vladimir-Suzdal principality achieved significant power and was the strongest in Rus', in the future becoming the core of the modern Russian state.

He received the nickname “Bogolyubsky” from the name of the princely castle Bogolyubovo near Vladimir, his favorite residence.

Early biography

In 1146, Andrei, together with his older brother Rostislav, expelled Izyaslav Mstislavich's ally, Rostislav Yaroslavich, from Ryazan, and he fled to the Polovtsians.

In 1149, after Yuri Dolgoruky occupied Kyiv, Andrei received Vyshgorod from his father, participated in the campaign against Izyaslav Mstislavich in Volyn and showed amazing valor during the assault on Lutsk, in which Izyaslav’s brother Vladimir was besieged. After this, Andrey temporarily owned Dorogobuzh in Volyn.

In 1153, Andrei was placed by his father on the reign of Ryazan, but Rostislav Yaroslavich, who returned from the steppes with the Polovtsians, kicked him out.

After the death of Izyaslav Mstislavich and Vyacheslav Vladimirovich (1154) and the final approval of Yuri Dolgoruky in Kyiv, Andrei was again planted by his father in Vyshgorod, but already in 1155, against the will of his father, he left for Vladimir-on-Klyazma. From the Vyshgorod convent he stole and took with him the miraculous icon of the Mother of God, which later received the name Vladimir and began to be revered as the greatest Russian shrine. This is how it is described by N.I. Kostomarov:

On the way to Rostov, at night the Mother of God appeared to the prince in a dream and ordered him to leave the icon in Vladimir. Andrei did so, and on the site of the vision he built the city of Bogolyubovo, which over time became his favorite residence.

Great Reign

After the death of his father (1157) he became Prince of Vladimir, Rostov and Suzdal. Having become “the autocrat of the entire Suzdal land,” Andrei Bogolyubsky moved the capital of the principality to Vladimir. In 1158-1164, Andrei Bogolyubsky built an earthen fortress with white stone towers. To this day, of the five outer gates of the fortress, only one has survived - the Golden Gate, which was bound in gilded copper. The magnificent Assumption Cathedral and other churches and monasteries were built. At the same time, near Vladimir, the fortified princely castle of Bogolyubovo grew up - the favorite residence of Andrei Bogolyubsky, from whose name he received his nickname. Under Prince Andrei, the famous Church of the Intercession on the Nerl was built not far from Bogolyubov. Probably, under the direct leadership of Andrei, a fortress was built in Moscow in 1156 (according to the chronicle, this fortress was built by Dolgoruky, but he was in Kyiv at that time).

According to the Laurentian Chronicle, Yuri Dolgoruky took the kiss of the cross from the main cities of the Rostov-Suzdal principality on the fact that his younger sons should reign there, in all likelihood, counting on the approval of the elders in the south. At the time of his father’s death, Andrei was inferior in seniority by ladder to both main contenders for the reign of Kiev: Izyaslav Davydovich and Rostislav Mstislavich. Only Gleb Yuryevich managed to stay in the south (from that moment on, the Pereyaslav Principality separated from Kyiv), who had been married to the daughter of Izyaslav Davydovich since 1155, and for a short time - Mstislav Yuryevich (in Porosye until the final approval of Rostislav Mstislavich in Kyiv in 1161). The rest of the Yuryevichs had to leave the Kyiv land, but only Boris Yuryevich, who died childless already in 1159, received a significant inheritance (Kideksha) in the north. In addition, in 1161, Andrei expelled his stepmother, the Greek princess Olga, from the principality, along with her children Mikhail, Vasilko and seven-year-old Vsevolod. In the Rostov land there were two senior veche cities - Rostov and Suzdal. In his principality, Andrei Bogolyubsky tried to get away from the practice of veche gatherings. Wanting to rule alone, Andrei drove his father’s “front men,” that is, his father’s big boyars, from the Rostov land, following his brothers and nephews. Promoting the development of feudal relations, he relied on the squad, as well as on the Vladimir townspeople; was associated with the trade and craft circles of Rostov and Suzdal.

In 1159, Izyaslav Davydovich was expelled from Kyiv by Mstislav Izyaslavich of Volyn and the Galician army, Rostislav Mstislavich, whose son Svyatoslav reigned in Novgorod, became the prince of Kyiv. In the same year, Andrei captured the Novgorod suburb of Volok Lamsky, founded by Novgorod merchants, and celebrated the wedding of his daughter Rostislava with the prince of Vshchizh Svyatoslav Vladimirovich, nephew of Izyaslav Davydovich. Izyaslav Andreevich, together with Murom help, was sent to help Svyatoslav near Vshchizh against Svyatoslav Olgovich and Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich. In 1160, the Novgorodians invited Andrei's nephew, Mstislav Rostislavich, to reign, but not for long: the next year Izyaslav Davydovich died while trying to take control of Kiev, and Svyatoslav Rostislavich returned to Novgorod for several years.

In 1160, Andrei made an unsuccessful attempt to establish a metropolitanate independent of the Kyiv metropolis on the lands under his control. In 1168, Patriarch Luke Chrysover of Constantinople ordained Andreev's candidate, Hierarch Theodore, not as a metropolitan, but as a bishop of Rostov, while Theodore chose Vladimir, not Rostov, as his seat. Faced with the threat of popular unrest, Andrei had to send him to the Kyiv Metropolitan, where he was subjected to reprisals.

Andrei Bogolyubsky invited Western European architects to build Vladimir churches. The tendency towards greater cultural independence can also be seen in his introduction of new holidays in Rus' that were not accepted in Byzantium. On the initiative of the prince, it is believed that the holidays of the All-Merciful Savior (August 16) and the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary (October 1 according to the Julian calendar) were established in the Russian (North-Eastern) Church.

Capture of Kyiv (1169)

After the death of Rostislav (1167), seniority in the Rurikovich family belonged primarily to Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich of Chernigov, the great-grandson of Svyatoslav Yaroslavich (the eldest in the Monomakhovich family were the great-grandsons of Vsevolod Yaroslavich Vladimir Mstislavich, then Andrei Bogolyubsky himself). Mstislav Izyaslavich from Vladimir Volynsky occupied Kyiv, expelling his uncle Vladimir Mstislavich, and planted his son Roman in Novgorod. Mstislav sought to concentrate the management of the Kyiv land in his own hands, which was opposed by his cousins ​​the Rostislavichs from Smolensk. Andrei Bogolyubsky took advantage of the disagreements among the southern princes and sent an army led by his son Mstislav, who was joined by allies: Gleb Yurievich, Roman, Rurik, Davyd and Mstislav Rostislavich, Oleg and Igor Svyatoslavich, Vladimir Andreevich, Andrei's brother Vsevolod and Andrei's nephew Mstislav Rostislavich . The Laurentian Chronicle also mentions Dmitry and Yuri among the princes, and the Polovtsians also took part in the campaign. Andrei’s Polotsk allies and the Murom-Ryazan princes did not take part in the campaign. The allies of Mstislav of Kyiv (Yaroslav Osmomysl of Galicia, Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich of Chernigov and Yaroslav Izyaslavich of Lutsk) did not undertake a relief strike against besieged Kyiv. On March 12, 1169, Kyiv was taken by “spear” (attack). For two days the Suzdalians, Smolensk and Polovtsians robbed and burned the “mother of Russian cities”. Many Kiev residents were taken captive. In monasteries and churches, soldiers took not only jewelry, but also all sacred things: icons, crosses, bells and vestments. The Polovtsians set fire to the Pechersky Monastery. "Metropolis" St. Sophia Cathedral was plundered along with other churches. “And in Kyiv there came upon all men groaning and sorrow, and unquenchable sorrow.” Andrei's younger brother Gleb reigned in Kyiv; Andrei himself remained in Vladimir.

Andrei’s activities in relation to Southern Rus' are assessed by most historians as an attempt to “make a revolution in the political system of the Russian land.” For the first time in the history of Rus', Andrei Bogolyubsky changed the idea of ​​seniority in the Rurikovich family:

March on Novgorod (1170)

In 1168, the Novgorodians summoned Roman, the son of Mstislav Izyaslavich of Kyiv, to reign. The first campaign was carried out against the Polotsk princes, Andrei's allies. The land was devastated, the troops did not reach Polotsk 30 miles. Then Roman attacked the Toropetsk volost of the Smolensk principality. The army sent by Mstislav to help his son, led by Mikhail Yuryevich, and the black hoods were intercepted by the Rostislavichs on the road.

Having subjugated Kyiv, Andrei organized a campaign against Novgorod. In the winter of 1170, Mstislav Andreevich, Roman and Mstislav Rostislavich, Vseslav Vasilkovich of Polotsk, the Ryazan and Murom regiments came to Novgorod. By the evening of February 25, Roman and the Novgorodians defeated the Suzdalians and their allies. The enemies fled. The Novgorodians captured so many Suzdalians that they sold them for next to nothing (2 nogat each).

Probably, Andrei Bogolyubsky, after the defeat of his troops, organized a food blockade of Novgorod (there is no direct news in the sources, but the Novgorod chronicler reports an unheard-of high cost and puts in direct connection with this the expulsion of Roman Mstislavich, who several months ago was the leader of the Novgorodians in a victorious battle). The Novgorodians entered into negotiations with Andrei and agreed to the enthronement of Rurik Rostislavich. A year later he was replaced in Novgorod by Yuri Andreevich.

Siege of Vyshgorod (1173)

After the death of Gleb Yuryevich during the reign of Kiev (1171), Kyiv, at the invitation of the younger Rostislavichs and secretly from Andrei and from the other main contender for Kyiv - Yaroslav Izyaslavich Lutsky, was occupied by Vladimir Mstislavich, but soon died. Andrei gave the reign of Kiev to the eldest of the Smolensk Rostislavichs - Roman. Soon Andrei demanded from Roman the extradition of the Kyiv boyars suspected of poisoning Gleb Yuryevich, but he refused. In response, Andrei ordered him and his brothers to return to Smolensk. Andrei planned to give Kyiv to his brother Mikhail Yuryevich, but he instead sent his brother Vsevolod and nephew Yaropolk to Kyiv, who were then captured by Davyd Rostislavich. Rurik Rostislavich reigned in Kyiv for a short time. An exchange of prisoners was carried out, according to which the Rostislavichs were given Prince Vladimir Yaroslavich, who had previously been expelled from Galich, captured by Mikhail and sent to Chernigov, and they released Vsevolod Yuryevich. Yaropolk Rostislavich was retained, his older brother Mstislav was expelled from Trepol and was not accepted by Mikhail, who was then in Chernigov and laid claim to Pereyaslavl in addition to Torchesk. The Kiev chronicler describes the moment of Andrei’s reconciliation with the Rostislavichs as follows: “Andrei lost his brother and Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich of Chernigov, and approached Rostislavich.” But soon Andrei, through his swordsman Mikhna, again demanded from the Rostislavichs “not to be in the Russian land”: from Rurik - to go to his brother in Smolensk, from Davyd - to Berlad. Then the youngest of the Rostislavichs, Mstislav the Brave, conveyed to Prince Andrei that before the Rostislavichs held him as a father “out of love,” but they would not allow them to be treated as “helpers.” Roman obeyed, and his brothers cut the beard of Ambassador Andrei, which gave rise to hostilities.

In addition to the troops of the Vladimir-Suzdal principality, regiments from the Murom, Ryazan, Turov, Polotsk and Goroden principalities, Novgorod land, princes Yuri Andreevich, Mikhail and Vsevolod Yuryevich, Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich, Igor Svyatoslavich took part in the campaign. The Rostislavichs chose a different strategy than Mstislav Izyaslavich in 1169. They did not defend Kyiv. Rurik locked himself in Belgorod, Mstislav in Vyshgorod with his regiment and Davyd’s regiment, and Davyd himself went to Galich to ask for help from Yaroslav Osmomysl. The entire militia besieged Vyshgorod to capture Mstislav, as Andrei ordered. Mstislav took the first battle in the field before the siege and retreated to the fortress. Meanwhile, Yaroslav Izyaslavich, whose rights to Kyiv were not recognized by the Olgovichi, received such recognition from the Rostislavichs, and moved Volyn and auxiliary Galician troops to help the besieged. Having learned about the approach of the enemy, the huge army of the besiegers began to retreat randomly. Mstislav made a successful foray. Many, crossing the Dnieper, drowned. “So,” says the chronicler, “Prince Andrei was such a clever man in all matters, but he ruined his meaning through intemperance: he became inflamed with anger, became proud and boasted in vain; and the devil instills praise and pride in a person’s heart.” Yaroslav Izyaslavich became the prince of Kyiv. But over the following years, he, and then Roman Rostislavich, had to cede the great reign to Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich of Chernigov, with whose help, after the death of Andrei, the younger Yuryevichs established themselves in Vladimir.

Hiking to Volga Bulgaria

In 1164, Andrei led the first campaign against the Volga Bulgars after the campaign of Yuri Dolgoruky (1120) with his son Izyaslav, brother Yaroslav and Prince Yuri of Murom. The enemy lost many people killed and banners. The Bulgar city of Bryakhimov (Ibragimov) was taken and three other cities were burned.

In the winter of 1172, a second campaign was organized, in which Mstislav Andreevich, the sons of the Murom and Ryazan princes, took part. The squads united at the confluence of the Oka and the Volga and waited for the army of the boyars, but they did not receive it. Boyars I'm not going, because this is not the time for the Bulgarians to fight in the winter. These events testified to the extreme tension in the relationship between the prince and the boyars, reaching the same extent as the princely-boyar conflicts reached at that time on the opposite edge of Rus', in Galich. The princes with their squads entered the Bulgarian land and began plundering. The Bulgars gathered an army and marched towards them. Mstislav chose to avoid a collision due to the unfavorable balance of forces.

The Russian chronicle does not contain news about the conditions of peace, but after a successful campaign against the Volga Bulgars in 1220 by Andrei Yuri Vsevolodovich’s nephew, peace was concluded on favorable conditions, still as under Yuri’s father and uncle.

Death and canonization

The defeat of 1173 and the conflict with prominent boyars gave rise to a conspiracy against Andrei Bogolyubsky, as a result of which he was killed on the night of June 28-29, 1174. Legend has it that the conspirators (boyars Kuchkovichi) first went down to the wine cellars, drank alcohol there, and then approached the prince’s bedroom. One of them knocked. "Who's there?" - asked Andrey. "Procopius!" - answered the knocker (this was one of his favorite servants). “No, this is not Procopius!” - said Andrei, who knew his servant’s voice well. He did not open the door and rushed to the sword, but the sword of St. Boris, which constantly hung over the prince’s bed, was previously stolen by the housekeeper Anbal. Having broken down the door, the conspirators rushed at the prince. The strong Bogolyubsky resisted for a long time. Finally, wounded and bloodied, he fell under the blows of the killers. The villains thought that he was dead and left - they went down to the wine cellars again. The prince woke up and tried to hide. He was found following a trail of blood. Seeing the killers, Andrei said: “If, God, this is the end for me, I accept it.” The killers finished their job. The prince's body lay on the street while people robbed the prince's mansions. According to legend, only his courtier from Kiev, Kuzmishche Kiyanin, remained to bury the prince.

Historian V. O. Klyuchevsky characterizes Andrei with the following words:

Andrei Bogolyubsky was buried in the Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir. Anthropologist M. M. Gerasimov created a sculptural portrait based on Andrei’s skull.

Canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church around 1702 as a saint. Memory 4 (July 17).

Marriages and children

• (from 1148) Ulita Stepanovna, daughter of boyar Stepan Ivanovich Kuchka
• Izyaslav, a participant in the campaign against the Volga Bulgarians, died in 1165.
• Mstislav, died 03/28/1173.
• Yuri, Prince of Novgorod in 1173-1175, husband of the Georgian Queen Tamara in 1185-1189, died approx. 1190
• Rostislav, married to Svyatoslav Vshchizhsky.