Olga Princess of Kyiv. Events during the reign of Olga

The name of Grand Duchess Olga is mentioned whenever it comes to the outstanding women of Ancient Russia. Her husband was Prince Igor. Igor, who replaced Oleg on the Kiev princely throne, like his predecessor, is depicted in ancient Russian chronicles in many ways as legendary person. Prophetic Oleg was a relative and guardian of the young prince.

A legend of the 16th century tells the story of how once the Kyiv prince Igor was hunting in the forests near Pskov. Here he met a river on his way and saw a boat standing near the shore. The carrier was a girl Olga. Igor asked to be transported, he was amazed by her mind. When he, “transforming certain verbs to her”, received a rebuff to his “shameful words”, the girl refused Igor so skillfully, appealing to his princely honor, that Igor not only was not offended, but, according to legend, immediately wooed her .

Olga's biography is mostly mysterious. Even the very appearance of her on the historical stage is dated differently by various chronicles. In The Tale of Bygone Years, under the year 903, we read: “Igor grew up and collected tribute after Oleg, and they obeyed him, and brought him a wife from Pskov named Olga.” And in the Novgorod First Chronicle of the junior edition, in an undated part, but immediately before the article of 920, it is said that Igor "brought himself a wife from Pleskov, named Olga, she was wise and smart, her son Svyatoslav was born from her."

The Russian Orthodox Church canonized Olga as a saint, theologians created her Short and Long Life. Life considers Olga a native of the Pskov village of Vybuto, the daughter of humble parents. On the contrary, the late Joachim Chronicle, known in the retelling of V. N. Tatishchev, derives Olga from the Novgorod prince, or posadnik - the legendary Gostomysl. It can hardly be doubted that she was from a noble family, and not a peasant girl.

The girl captivated Igor with her beauty, good manners and modesty. Love for young Olga blinded Igor, who, without hesitation, wished to take her as his wife, preferring other, more well-born brides.

We do not know anything with certainty about the time, place of birth and origin of Igor himself. The birth in Novgorod on the Volkhov around 879 is doubtful, since at the time of Igor's campaign against Constantinople, in 941, he should have been from 20 to 25 years old.

Igor's campaign against Constantinople in 941 is noted in the Tale of Bygone Years and is mentioned in Byzantine historiographical writings. But Olga's forty-year (!) infertility is questionable. It is highly doubtful that Igor married Olga in 903 and had no children for 39 years, as well as the fact that he took her in her advanced years not for the first marriage. Most likely, by the time Svyatoslav was born, both of them, Olga and Igor, were young and full of energy.

The death of Oleg prompted the Drevlyansk tribes to revolt. Nestor describes Igor's accession to the Kyiv princely throne as follows: "After the death of Oleg, Igor began to reign ... And the Drevlyans shut themselves up from Igor after the death of Oleg." The following year, according to Nestor, "Igor went to the Drevlyans and, having defeated them, laid more tribute on them than before."

The Drevlyans, eager to seize power in Kyiv, planned to kill Igor and were waiting for an opportunity to deal with him.

But before facing the leaders of the tribal union of the Drevlyans in a deadly battle, Prince Igor undertook a campaign against Constantinople in 941.

Olga had the gift of foresight - she felt the danger that threatened her husband, and tried her best to save him from trouble. prophetic dream she dreamed when Prince Igor was going on a campaign against Constantinople. Olga dreamed of burnt boats, dead warriors, black crows circling over the battlefield ... The defeat of Igor's squad seemed inevitable.

Alarmed, Olga tried to stop her husband by talking about the bad signs she saw in a dream, but he had no doubt that he would soon win.

The prophecy of the princess came true, and the army was defeated. Subsequently, Prince Igor always listened to the words of Olga, who more than once predicted victory or defeat in military affairs for him, followed her wise advice.

The couple lived happily. Returning from a campaign against Constantinople, Prince Igor became a father: a son, Svyatoslav, was born.

In 944, the prince organized a new campaign against Byzantium. This time it ended with the signing of a peace treaty.

The chronicle of Nestor under the year 945 tells: “And autumn came, and he (Igor) began to plot a campaign against the Drevlyans, wanting to take even more tribute from them. That year, the squad said to Igor: “The youths of Sveneld put on weapons and clothes, and we are naked. Let's go, prince, with us for tribute, and you will get it, and we. "And Igor listened to them - he went to the Drevlyans for tribute, and added a new tribute to the previous one, and his men did violence to them. Having taken tribute, he went to When he was walking back, [then] thinking, he said to his squad: “Go home with tribute, and I will return and collect more.” And he sent his retinue home, and he himself returned with a small part of the retinue, desiring more wealth. The Drevlyans, having heard that [Igor] was coming again, held a council with their prince Mal: ​​“If a wolf gets into the habit of sheep, then he takes out the whole herd until they kill him. So this one, if we do not kill him, then he will destroy us all. "And they sent to him, saying:" Why are you going again? You have already taken all the tribute. And Igor did not listen to them. And the Drevlyans, leaving the city of Iskorosten against Igor, killed Igor and his squad, since there were not enough of them. And Igor was buried, and there is his grave near Iskorosten, in Derevskaya land, and to this day.

The real burial of the brutally murdered Igor, according to the great-grandfather customs of the pagan faith, did not take place. Meanwhile, in accordance with popular beliefs, the deceased, who was not buried according to custom, wandered among people and disturbed them.

Following pagan traditions, Princess Olga hoped that ruthless revenge for the death of her husband would heal her soul from suffering. She worshiped the deceased spouse, who, according to ancient Slavic beliefs, continued to watch over his family and protect him in the afterlife.

During the years of marriage, Olga acquired the very “wisdom” that allowed her to advance after the death of Prince Igor to the ruler of the Russian state.

Six months had passed after the death of Igor, when suddenly in the spring of the next year, 945, the top of the Drevlyan union of tribes decided to restore friendly relations with Kyiv and sent ambassadors to Olga with a proposal to marry the Drevlyan prince Mal.

Olga replied to the ambassadors that they could bring matchmakers in boats to her tower (moving on dry land in boats had a double meaning among the Eastern Slavs: both honoring and burial). The next morning, the gullible Drevlyans followed her advice, and Olga ordered them to be thrown into a pit and buried alive. Remembering the painful death of her husband executed by the Drevlyans, the princess insidiously asked the doomed: “Is honor good for you?” The envoys allegedly answered her: “More than Igor’s death” (the Greek historian Leo the Deacon reported that “Igor was tied to two trees and torn into two parts”).

The second embassy of the "deliberate husbands" was burned, and the widow went to the land of the Drevlyans, allegedly in order to "make a feast for her husband." When the troops met, young Svyatoslav, the son of Olga and Igor, began the battle, throwing a spear at the enemy. Launched by a child's hand, it did not reach the enemy ranks. However, experienced commanders encouraged their soldiers by the example of the young prince. Here, her "youths" attacked the "drunk" Drevlyans after the feast and killed a lot of them - "expiring 5000 of them," as the chronicle claims.

Having mastered Iskorosten, Olga “burned it, took the city elders prisoner, and killed other people, forced them to pay tribute ... And Olga went with her son and with her retinue along the Drevlyane land, establishing the schedule of tributes and taxes. And there are places of her parking and hunting until now.

But the princess was not satisfied with this. A year later, Nestor continues his story, “Olga went to Novgorod and established graveyards and tributes along Msta and tributes and tributes along Luga. Her traps have been preserved throughout the earth and testimonies of her, and her places, and churchyards ... "

The legend of Olga's revenge is partly, probably, a legend. The deceit, cruelty, deceit and other actions of the princess, who avenges the murder of her husband, are glorified by the chronicler as the highest, fair court.

Revenge for the death of her husband did not save Olga from mental anguish, but rather added new torment. She found peace and healing in Christianity, resigned to her fate and giving up the desire to destroy all enemies.

Olga also refused a marriage union with the Byzantine emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus, remaining faithful to the memory of her husband.

In 964, Olga ceded the throne to her adult son. But the “grown up and matured” Svyatoslav long time was on campaigns, and his mother was still the head of state. So, during the Pecheneg invasion of Kyiv in 968, Olga led the defense of the city. Tradition called the princess cunning, the church - a saint, and history - wise.

Judging by the chronicle, Svyatoslav had respect for his mother until her death. When she became quite ill, at her request, he returned from the campaign and was with his mother until her last hour.

On the eve of her death - all chronicles date her to 969 - "Olga bequeathed not to perform feasts on her (an integral part of the pagan funeral rite), since she had a priest with her in secret."

Much of what Olga conceived, but could not implement, was continued by her grandson, Vladimir Svyatoslavich.

Apparently, the pagan Svyatoslav forbade the public celebration of the Christian cult (prayer services, blessings of water, religious processions), put forward in the first place the "poganian burrows", that is, pagan ones.

According to the earliest Old Russian chronicle, The Tale of Bygone Years, Olga was from Pskov. The life of the holy Grand Duchess Olga specifies that she was born in the village of Vybuty, Pskov land, 12 km from Pskov, up the Velikaya River. The names of Olga's parents were not preserved, according to the Life they were not of a noble family, " from the Varangian language". The Varangian origin is confirmed by her name, which corresponds in Old Norse as Helga. The presence of the Scandinavians in those places is marked by a number of archaeological finds dating back to the 1st half of the 10th century.

The typographical chronicle (end of the 15th century) and the later Piskarevsky chronicler convey a rumor that Olga was the daughter of the Prophetic Oleg, who began to rule Kievan Rus as the guardian of the infant Igor, the son of Rurik: “ Netsyi say, like Olga's daughter was Olga» . Oleg married Igor and Olga.

Possibly, in order to resolve this contradiction, the later Ustyug chronicle and the Novgorod chronicle, according to the list of P. P. Dubrovsky, report Olga's 10-year-old age at the time of the wedding. This message contradicts the legend set forth in the Book of Degrees (2nd half of the 16th century) about a chance meeting with Igor at the crossing near Pskov. The prince hunted in those places. Crossing the river in a boat, he noticed that the ferryman was a young girl dressed in men's clothing. Igor immediately burning with desire"And began to pester her, but received a worthy rebuke in response:" Why do you embarrass me, prince, with immodest words? Let me be young and humble, and alone here, but know that it is better for me to throw myself into the river than to endure reproach.". Igor remembered a chance acquaintance when it was time to look for a bride for himself, and sent Oleg for the girl he fell in love with, not wanting any other wife.

The Novgorod First Chronicle of the younger version, which contains in the most unchanged form information from the Initial Code of the 11th century, leaves the message about Igor's marriage to Olga undated, that is, the earliest Old Russian chroniclers did not have information about the date of the wedding. It is likely that the year 903 in the text of the PVL arose at a later time, when the monk Nestor tried to bring the initial Old Russian history into chronological order. After the wedding, Olga's name is mentioned again only 40 years later, in the Russian-Byzantine treaty of 944.

The Western European chronicle of the Continuer of Reginon reports under the year 959:

Olga's baptism and church veneration

Princess Olga became the first ruler of Kievan Rus to be baptized, and thus predetermined the adoption of Orthodoxy by all the ancient Russian people.

The date and circumstances of the baptism remain unclear. According to the PVL, this happened in 955 in Constantinople, Olga was personally baptized by Emperor Constantine with the patriarch (Theophylact until 956): “ And she was given the name Elena in baptism, as well as the ancient queen - the mother of Constantine the Great". PVL and Life decorate the circumstances of the baptism with a story about how the wise Olga outwitted the Byzantine king. He, marveling at her intelligence and beauty, wanted to marry Olga, but the princess rejected the claims, noting that it was not appropriate for Christians to marry pagans. It was then that the king and the patriarch baptized her. When the tsar again began to harass the princess, she pointed out that she was now the goddaughter of the tsar. Then he richly endowed her and sent her home.

Only one visit by Olga to Constantinople is known from Byzantine sources. Konstantin Porphyrogenitus described it in detail in the work "The Ceremony", without indicating the year of the event. But he indicated the dates of official receptions: Wednesday, September 9 (on the occasion of Olga's arrival) and Sunday, October 18. This combination also corresponds to 946 years. Noteworthy is the long stay of Olga in Constantinople. When describing the reception, they are called basileus (Konstantin himself) and Roman - purple-born basileus. It is known that Romanos, the son of Constantine, became the formal co-ruler of his father in 945. According to the historian G. G. Litavrin, the visit described by Constantine actually took place in 946, and the baptism took place during the 2nd visit to Constantinople in or 955. The mention of Roman's children at the reception testifies in favor of the year 957, which is considered the generally accepted date for Olga's visit and her baptism.

However, Constantine never mentioned Olga's baptism (as well as the purposes of her visit), and moreover, a certain priest Gregory was named in the princess's retinue, on the basis of which some historians suggest that Olga visited Constantinople already baptized. In this case, the question arises why Konstantin calls the princess by her pagan name, and not by Elena, as the Successor of Reginon did. Another, later Byzantine source (XI century) reports a baptism in Constantinople in the 950s:

“And the wife of a Russian archon who once set sail against the Romans, named Elga, when her husband died, arrived in Constantinople. Baptized and having openly made a choice in favor of the true faith, she, having received the great honor of this choice, returned home.

The successor of Reginon cited above also speaks of baptism in Constantinople, and the mention of the name of Emperor Roman testifies in favor of baptism in 957. The testimony of the Continuer of Reginon can be considered reliable, since under this name, historians believe, Bishop Adalbert wrote, who led an unsuccessful mission to Kyiv in 961 and had first-hand information.

revered	in the Orthodox and Catholic churches
glorified	no later than the thirteenth century
in the face	Equal-to-the-Apostles
Day of Remembrance	July 24 (Gregorian calendar)
works	Preparation for the baptism of Russia

According to most sources, Princess Olga was baptized in Constantinople in the autumn of 957, and she was baptized, probably by Roman II (son and co-ruler of Emperor Constantine), and Patriarch Polievkt. Olga made the decision to accept the faith in advance, although the chronicle legend presents this as a spontaneous decision. Nothing is known about those people who spread Christianity in Russia. Most likely, they were Bulgarian Slavs (Bulgaria was baptized in 865), since the influence of Bulgarian vocabulary can be traced in the early Old Russian chronicle texts. On the Penetration of Christianity Kievan Rus testifies to the mention of the cathedral church of St. Elijah in Kyiv in the Russian-Byzantine treaty of 944.

Revered as the patroness of widows and newly converted Christians.

Historiography according to Olga

The main information on Olga's life, recognized as reliable, is contained in The Tale of Bygone Years, the Life from the Book of Degrees, the hagiographic work of the monk Jacob "Memory and praise to the Russian prince Volodimer" and the work of Konstantin Porphyrogenitus "On the ceremonies of the Byzantine court." Other sources provide additional information about Olga, but their reliability cannot be accurately determined.

The Joachim Chronicle reports the execution by Svyatoslav of his only brother Gleb for his Christian beliefs during Russian-Byzantine war 968-971 years. Gleb could be Igor's son both from Olga and from another wife, since the same chronicle reports that Igor had other wives. Orthodox faith Gleba testifies in favor of the fact that he was the youngest son of Olga.

The medieval Czech historian Tomas Peshina, in his work in Latin “Mars Moravicus” (), spoke about a certain Russian prince Oleg, who became the last king of Moravia in 940 and was expelled from there by the Hungarians in 949. According to Tomasz Peshina, this Oleg Moravsky was Olga's brother.

About existence blood relative Olga, calling him anepsia, Constantine Porphyrogenitus mentioned in the listing of her retinue during a visit to Constantinople in 957. Anepsius meant, most often, a nephew, but also a cousin.

Memory of Saint Olga

• Life calls Olga the founder of the city of Pskov. In Pskov there is the Olginskaya embankment, the Olginskiy bridge, the Olginskaya chapel.
• Orders:
  • The insignia of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga - established by Emperor Nicholas II in 1915.
  • "Order of Princess Olga" - the state award of Ukraine since 1997.
  • "Order of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duchess Olga" is an award of the Russian Orthodox Church.
• Monuments to Princess Olga were erected in Kyiv, Pskov and the city of Korosten.

Literature

• Antonov Alexander. The novel "Princess Olga".
• Boris Vasiliev "Olga, Queen of the Russians"
• Viktor Gretkov. "Princess Olga - Bulgarian Princess".
• Mikhail Kazovsky "Daughter of the Empress".
• Kaidash-Lakshina S. N. "Princess Olga".

Cinema

• "The Legend of Princess Olga", USSR, 1983.
• The saga of the ancient Bulgars. The Tale of Olga the Holy”, Russia, 2005.

Gaps in biography

Princess Olga (baptized Elena) is certainly a historical person. Her high status in the power hierarchy of the Rus as the wife of Igor and the extraordinary position in Russian history as the first independent female ruler, “the foremother of all Russian princes”, are confirmed by three modern sources: 1) an agreement with the Greeks of 944, in which the ambassador from "Olga princesses"; 2) the work of Constantine Porphyrogenitus “On the ceremonies of the Byzantine court”, where famous description two palace receptions of "Elga Rosena" (literally: Olga of Russia) in Constantinople; 3) the message of the Continuer of the chronicle, Reginon of Prüm, about the mission of the German Bishop Adalbert to "Helen, Queen of the Rug".

Despite this, the most important milestones of her biography still remain the subject of unceasing disputes and cardinal reassessments. First of all, the annalistic and hagiographic versions of Olga's life are subjected to revision, since from a historical point of view, both of them are nothing more than a mixture of half-forgotten and peculiarly interpreted legends strung on two ideological rods of ancient Russian annals and hagiography, which are the "Varangian" origin of the Kyiv dynasty and Russian land and the fundamental, original "purity" of Russian Christianity, that is, its acceptance directly from the Greeks.

The first thing that catches your eye in a traditional biography Kievan princess, is her complete "dependence", in the sense that the most important age parameters of Olga's life (except for the exact date of death - July 11, 969) are determined in the annals exclusively through Igor's biography. The latter, as we have had the opportunity to see, is a poor guide for a biographer due to its undeniable artificiality and implausibility. The absolute reference point of Olga's age - the date of her birth - is absent in the chronicle. The first indirect information about the age of the princess is given under 903, when, according to chronicle calculations, she was married to Igor. Based on this date, some editions of Olga's Life report that by that time she was about twenty years old, which is unlikely, since this age, according to the then prevailing concepts, automatically transferred her to the category of "overripe" girls who could not count on a prestigious princely marriage. The prologue Life of Olga measures her 75 years of life, and the Book of Degrees indicates that, having lived in marriage for 42 years, the blessed princess died "about 100 years old." The Mazurin chronicler reports that some learned scribes considered her to be 88 years old.

Thus, the chronicle-hagiographic chronology pushes the date of Olga's birth to the 9th century, timing it to the interval between 881 and 894. There is no faith in her, or, more precisely, she requires such blind faith, which allowed the chronicler, without any hesitation, to place under the year 955 the tradition of the courtship of the Byzantine emperor to Olga, seduced by the beauty of the Kievan princess. Meanwhile, the beauty was supposed to go either in her seventh or in her eighth decade! 1 This tradition, of course, has independent, non-annalistic roots, and its very existence perfectly exposes the rather late origin and clumsy methods of the chronicle-hagiographic reconstruction of Olga's biography 2 .

1 N.M. Karamzin, calling the story of matchmaking a fable, nonetheless assured the readers of his History that the emperor was truly fascinated by Olga's wisdom.
2
(if you return to the note, then all notes can be inserted at the end of the article, see below)

The wedding of Igor and Olga, allegedly played in 903, is also incredible because it is almost four decades away from the birth of their first child. In this state of affairs, it is the time of Svyatoslav's birth that acquires a decisive role in the question of Olga's age ( Cm.: Nikitin A. Foundations of Russian history. M., 2000. S. 202; Rybakov B.A. The world of history. The initial centuries of Russian history. M., 1987. S. 113 ). We have no other, more reliable measure. True, The Tale of Bygone Years, even here, cannot boast of the impeccable accuracy of its information. The phrase “in this same summer Svyatoslav was born to Igor” is placed under 942. Then, in the treaty of 944, he is presented by his own ambassador as a full-fledged prince. This means that by this time the rite of tonsure (cutting of hair) had already been performed on him, accompanied by a public action - girdling with a sword and “mounting on a horse”, which symbolized the acquisition by the young prince of the rights of inheritance of “here and grandfather's” property. Usually tonsures were arranged when the heir reached three years. In this case, the birth of Svyatoslav is postponed from 942 to 940 - the beginning of 941, and Igor's marriage to Olga should be attributed, respectively, to 938 - the first half of the 940s. Archangel Chronicle 3 reports that Olga became Igor's wife at the age of ten. There is nothing impossible in this, since for women the usual age of marriage (12-14 years) could be significantly reduced. For example, from the "Tale of Bygone Years" it is known about the wedding of the fifteen-year-old prince Rostislav Rurikovich with the eight-year-old Verkhuslav Vsevolodovna (1187). So, taking into account the testimony of the Arkhangelsk chronicler, the probable time of Olga's birth dates back to the second half of the 20s. 10th century If we accept the assumption that by the time of her marriage, Olga nevertheless crossed the then threshold of adulthood for women, then her birth took place, most likely, between 924 and 928. four

3 A.A. Shakhmatov believed that this chronicle contains "an older, complete and more corrected edition of the Initial Code" ( Shakhmatov A.A. About the initial Kiev annalistic code. M., 1897. S. 56).
4 For the 920s. also points out B.A. Rybakov (see: Rybakov B.A. The world of history. The initial centuries of Russian history. M., 1987. S. 113).

Olga's homeland - Pskov or Bulgaria?

The Tale of Bygone Years describes the appearance of Olga in Kyiv as follows: the matured Igor still dutifully obeyed the prophetic Oleg, who “brought him a wife from Pleskov, named Olga.”

According to another legend, Olga's real name was Prekrasa, "and Oleg named [renamed] her name and named her Olga" (Ioakimov Chronicle, as presented by Tatishchev). However, the sources do not know of any such case of changing a pagan name to another, pagan one. But we know that, in fact, the prophetic Oleg and Igor never met, so we have the right to assume that Oleg took the place of another, genuine matchmaker here, which will be discussed ahead. In the meantime, let's ask ourselves the question: where did Igor "bring" his famous wife from?

The issue of Olga's origin is still dominated by the "Pskov legend", identifying the chronicle "Pleskov" with the ancient Russian Pskov, which is declared the birthplace of the princess. "People's Local History" gave Olga an even more accurate registration, making her a native of the "visi of Vybutskaya" (the village of Vybutino / Vybuty, or Labutino, twelve miles from Pskov up the Velikaya River). This eliminates the contradiction with the testimony of the Life, that at the time of Olga's youth there was no mention of Pskov: "I still bring the city of Pskov." Besides, in folk tradition Vybutino was also known as the birthplace of Prince Vladimir I Svyatoslavich, which "provided, as it were, a direct connection between the first two Russian saints - equal to the apostles, grandmother and grandson, Olga and Vladimir" ( Pchelov E.V. Genealogy of ancient Russian princes of the 9th - early 11th century. M., 2001. S. 129 ).

The version about Olga's Pskov roots should be questioned primarily in view of her rather late origin. Although both forms of this toponym - "Pleskov" and "Pskov" - are present in the Novgorod I Chronicle of the senior and junior versions, however, in the Novgorod I Chronicle of the senior version, the lexeme "Pskov" appears and displaces the previous one - "Pleskov" - only from 1352, which makes it possible to date the emergence of the "Pskov legend" to a time not earlier than the end of the 14th - beginning of the 15th centuries. However, for the first time in its finished form, it is read only in the Book of Powers (1560s), where the very foundation of Pskov is already attributed to Olga. This legend also quickly became a "historical fact" for the old Moscow scribes. Olgino's Life in the edition of Dimitry of Rostov (1651-1709) reports that Olga "went from Novagrad to her fatherland, where she was born, into the whole of Vybutskaya and taught her relatives the knowledge of God. When in that country I came to the banks of the river, called the Great, where another river from the east, called Pskov, flows in, but there was a large forest in that place, and he prophesied that in that place there would be a great and glorious city. inhabit" [cit. on: Tatishchev V.N. Collected Works in 8 vols.: Russian History. - Reprint from ed. 1963, 1964 - M., 1994. T. IV. S. 404).

Undergo changes and views on the socio-ethnic origin of Olga. From a Slavic commoner, a carrier across the Velikaya River (“the family is not princely or noble, but from ordinary people” 5), she turned under the pen of chroniclers and historians into the “daughter” of Oleg the Prophet, into the “grandson” or “great-grandson” of Gostomysl, the princess from the family of Izborsk princes, or into the noble Scandinavian Helga 6 .

5 However, this simplicity is imaginary, because it hides in itself the guarantee of future greatness. Making Olga a translator, the Life actually likens her to the mother of Constantine the Great, Empress Elena (according to the old Russian tradition, the heavenly patroness of Olga / Elena), who until her august marriage was the daughter of a postal station superintendent ( Kartashev A.V. History of the Russian Church. T. 1. M., 2000. S. 120).
6 However, for some reason, the sagas call this "their" Olga/Helga the distorted name of Alogia, without saying a word about her "Variagism". It is also unclear how the Scandinavian Helga found herself in the Pskov land, which, even by Norman standards, "was not the center where the positions of the Scandinavians were strong" ( Pchelov E.V. Genealogy of ancient Russian princes of the 9th - early 11th century. S. 128).

The "Pskov legend" clearly shows the influence of another legend - the "Varangian", with its concept of origin ancient Russian state from northern Russian lands. Both of them received nationwide recognition almost simultaneously, and precisely when in the XV - XVI centuries. Kalita's heirs adopted the family nickname Rurikovich, which allowed them to look at the surrounding Russian principalities, including the Novgorod-Pskov lands, as their "fatherland and grandfather". Just at this time, Olga was canonized (1547). Consequently, finalization The "Pskov" version of her origin and other "facts" of her hagiographic biography took place in the second half of the 15th - the first third of the 16th century. But in fact, at the disposal of the historian there is not a single fact confirming the existence of strong ties in the early Middle Ages. Northern Russia from the South, which would not have a legendary character 7 . Therefore, the search for a wife for Igor on the banks of the Velikaya River, and even “from ordinary people” 8, is nothing more than a pastoral fantasy of the Moscow-Novgorod scribes of the 15th-16th centuries. Young Igor, the legend says, once hunted "in the Pskov region" and, wanting to cross to the other side of the Velikaya River, called out to a boatman who was passing by. Sitting in the boat, the prince found that a girl of extraordinary beauty rules it. Igor immediately tried to seduce her, but was stopped by the pious and reasonable speeches of his carrier. Ashamed, he left his unclean thoughts, but later, when it was time for him to get married, he remembered Olga, “wonderful in girls,” and sent his relative, the prophetic Oleg, after her. It is easy to see that the pagan Slav here copies the ideal behavior of a pious girl from the Russian tower of the 15th-16th centuries, brought up in the traditions of Domostroy. But in pagan society, premarital sexual relations were not regarded as a "scandal" of a girl's honor (cf., for example, with the message of the 11th-century writer al-Bekri about the Slavic customs of that time: "And when a girl falls in love with someone, she goes to him and satisfies her passion with him") . In Russian folklore, a meeting at the crossing means a foreshadowing of a wedding (see: Afanasiev A.N. Myths, beliefs and superstitions of the Slavs. In 3 vols. M., 2002. T. I. S. 89).

7 The chronicle reports about the campaigns from north to south of Askold and Dir, and then Oleg, certainly belong to the field of legends, being "echoes of the later events of the time of Vladimir and Yaroslav, who conquered Kyiv from Novgorod" ( Lovmyansky X. Russia and the Normans. M., 1985. S. 137). According to A.A. Shakhmatova, the oldest annalistic news about Oleg did not name his capital at all, from where he made the conquest of Kyiv (see: Shakhmatov A.A. Research on the most ancient Russian chronicle vaults. SPb., 1908. S. 543-544, 612).
8 The idea of ​​marrying a commoner was brushed aside by members princely families from the threshold. Rogneda, refusing her hand to Vladimir, reproached the groom for his origin from the housekeeper mother: "I don't want to undress the robichich [the son of a slave]..." Undressing the groom is an element of the old Russian wedding ceremony.

The Tale of Bygone Years, in fact, does not give any reason to consider Olga a Pskovite. All Olga's connections with Pskov (not with "Pleskov"!) Are limited in the annals by indicating that in the time of Nestor the Pskovites kept a relic that allegedly belonged to her - a sleigh, which, as the chronicle text allows one to guess, got them during a detour by Olga Novgorodsko-Pskovskaya earth. From the standpoint of modern historical knowledge, the inclusion of Olga's name in the history of Pskov - it doesn't matter whether it is its founder or a native - does not stand up to criticism, because archaeologists do not dare to date the formation of this city even to the beginning of the 11th century. Researchers are increasingly inclined to believe that in the IX - X centuries. the tribal center of the Pskov Krivichi was not Pskov, but Izborsk ( Cm.: Sedov V.V. The beginning of cities in Russia // Proceedings of the V International Congress of Slavic Archeology. 1-1. M., 1987 ). D. I. Ilovaisky unmistakably pointed out this weakest point of the “Pskov legend” in his time. Reflecting on the chronicle "Pleskov", he reasonably remarked that "it is difficult here to understand our Pskov, then not only did not play any political role, but hardly existed" ( Ilovaisky D.I. The likely origin of St. Princess Olga and the New Source about Prince Oleg // Ilovaisky D.I. Historical writings. Ch. 3rd. M., 1914. S. 441-448 ).

For a long time, the correct solution of the question of Olga's birthplace was hampered by the complete absence of any sources that refuted the "Pskov legend". But in 1888, Archimandrite Leonid (Kavelin) introduced into scientific use a previously unknown manuscript from the collection of A. S. Uvarov - the so-called Short Vladimir Chronicler (end of the 15th century). Then it became clear that in Kievan Rus there was a different, “pre-Pskov” version of the origin of the “foremother of the Russian princes” from Danube Bulgaria. This text read: “Igor, Oleg, marry in Bolgarech, they sing for him a princess named Olga, and be wise velmi” ( Leonid (Kavelin), archimandrite. Where was St. grand duchess Russian Olga? // Russian antiquity. 1888. No. 7. S. 217 ).

Indeed, in the first half of the tenth century. there was a single city whose name could give the Russified form "Pleskov" - the Bulgarian Pliska or Pliskova (in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bmodern Shumen). Linguistic correspondence in this case is complete and undeniable. In favor of the identity of Pliska with the chronicle Pleskov, there is also a lot of historical evidence. This ancient capital of the First Bulgarian Kingdom is repeatedly mentioned in the sources of the first half of the 9th-12th centuries. (the inscription of Khan Omortag, the writings of the Byzantine writers Leo the Deacon, Anna Komnenos, Kedrin, Zonara). Pliska was a large and densely populated city, with a huge pagan temple with an area of ​​more than 2000 m2, in the second half of the 9th century. rebuilt into a majestic christian temple. Burned down in 893 by the Hungarians, Pliska was abandoned for a while, and therefore the residence of the Bulgarian kings and archbishops was moved to Veliki Preslav. But the ruined city in the first quarter of the tenth century. revived, hosting prominent figures of the church and many representatives of the Bulgarian nobility, and then for a long time retained the importance of an outstanding cultural and spiritual center. Of course, this "Pleskov" was an incomparably more attractive fair for brides than the God-forsaken settlement of the Krivichi on the deserted banks of the Velikaya River.

It is worth noting that different lists The Tale of Bygone Years places the phrase about the arrival of Olga from Pleskov to Kyiv immediately after the message about the unsuccessful war of the Bulgarian Tsar Simeon with the Greeks and Hungarians. Both news, therefore, refer to the same region - the Balkans.

Olga's Bulgarian origin, however, does not yet mean that she was an ethnic Bulgarian 9 . The fact is that there is a message from the chronicler of 1606 from the Pogodinsky collection: "... marry Prince Igor Rurikovich in Pleskov, singing for himself Princess Olga, daughter of Tmutarkan, Prince of Polovtsy." In view of the obvious anachronism of the mention here of the Polovtsy, who appeared in the southern Russian steppes only in the middle of the 11th century, this spoiled place can be restored as follows: “... marry Prince Igor Rurikovich in Pleskov, singing for yourself Princess Olga, daughter of the Prince of Tmutarkan”.

9 Bulgarian historians, relying on the established identity of Pliska and Pleskov, proclaim Olga a native Bulgarian, the niece of Tsar Simeon (888-927) (see: Nestor, archimandrite. Did Prince Svetoslav Igorevich, Prince Svetoslav Igorevich, exist in the dwelling of the Sea of ​​Bulgaria? // Spiritual culture. 1964. No. 12. S. 12-16; He is. Bulgarian tsar Simeon and Kievan Rus // Spiritual culture. 1965. No. 7-8. pp. 45-53; Chilingirov S. Kakvo e gave bulgarint to other people. Sofia, 1941). A.L. Nikitin, one of the Russian supporters of the Bulgarian version, is not satisfied here only with the personality of Olga's uncle. "The revision of the traditional chronology of the Tale of Bygone Years in relation to Oleg, Igor and Olga," he writes, "makes the possibility of such a close relationship between the latter and Simeon doubtful..." ( Nikitin A.L. Foundations of Russian history. M., 2000. S. 210). But the very fact of Olga's origin from the Bulgarian Pliska seems to him undeniable, which, in turn, is declared "an unambiguous evidence of her relationship with the reigning house of the First Bulgarian Kingdom and directly with Tsar Peter Simeonovich, who was alive at that time (the son and heir of Tsar Simeon. - S. C.)..." (There. S. 218). In support of this, the scientist refers to the honors that accompanied Olga’s two receptions in the palace of Constantine Porphyrogenitus: “The triple pricinesis (a bow, in which they prostrate on the floor), which is obligatory in such cases, was replaced for her only by a slight tilt of the head, and then, sitting in the presence of the empress and the emperor, she talked with the latter "as much as she wished" ( There. S. 217). The following chain of evidence is built. Peter Simeonovich was married to Maria-Irina, granddaughter of Emperor Roman I Lekapin (920-944); "in this case, Olga / Elga fell to the emperor (Konstantin Porphyrogenitus. - S. C.) a relative, which is why she was taken into inner chambers palace, where foreign ambassadors and foreigners in general were not allowed" ( There. S. 218). Here it is appropriate to note that Olga was still neither an ambassador nor a "foreigner in general", but came to Constantinople as the head of a sovereign state, in connection with which she could rightfully count on special attention to herself. This means that the honors rendered to Olga were not due either to her property with the emperor, or family ties with the Bulgarian royal house, but are explained by her status as the Grand Russian Princess, "Archontissa of Russia." So, the description of Olga's receptions by Konstantin does not at all indicate that she was a native Bulgarian from the family of the rulers of the First Bulgarian Kingdom. By the way, if she were a Bulgarian princess, then, of course, she would have been baptized in infancy and would hardly have become the wife of a Russian pagan prince.

Olga really belonged to the highest nobility, the princely family. In Igor's treaty with the Greeks, she bears the title of princess and her ambassador is named immediately after the ambassadors of Igor and Svyatoslav - a significant argument in favor of Olga's clan nobility, especially if you remember that the treaties of Oleg and Svyatoslav do not mention their wives at all. “Princess from Pleskov” Olga is referred to in the Ermolin Chronicle (second half of the 15th century). From The Tale of Bygone Years, it is known that after her marriage with Igor, she received her own inheritance - the city of Vyshgorod; in addition, she owned the village of Olzhichi. Subsequently, the third part of the tribute collected in the "Derevskaya Land" went to the needs of her court. Even during the life of her husband, Olga had "her own squad" at her disposal. Finally, Olga ruled Kyiv during the minority of Svyatoslav and then - in those years when the matured prince was looking for "honor" in foreign lands. All this quite definitely indicates her belonging to some kind of sovereign family.
But who is this "Tmutarkan prince"?

Assessing the testimony of the Pogodinsky collection, it should be borne in mind that the ancient Russian Tmutorokan (on the Taman Peninsula) has a Danubian counterpart - the city of Tutrakan, which still exists (in the lower reaches of the Danube, not far from Silistra). The old Russian form "Tmutarkan" (from the Pogodin collection) is clearly closer to the Bulgarian version - Tutrakan, than to Tmutorokani from The Tale of Bygone Years. It is also extremely important that the appearance of “Prince Tmutarkan” in the text did not prevent the chronicler from the Pogodinsky collection from mentioning “Pleskov” again - we will not find a city with that name on the Taman Peninsula, and in Danube Bulgaria Tutrakan and Pliska are neighbors. It is worth noting that in the XII-XIV centuries, a part of the Polovtsian horde really roamed in the "Tutrakan" region of the Northern Danube. But under the pen of the chronicler early XVII in. Polovtsy, no doubt, took the place of some other people, which in the first half of the tenth century. inhabited Tutrakan and its environs.

We have no direct evidence of the ethnicity of the Tutrakan princes. But here's what's interesting: Tutrakan lies in the area that medieval sources allow us to conditionally call the Danube Rus. Here, on the Bulgarian Danube, there was a whole scattering of “Russian cities”, mentioned in the “List of Russian cities far and near” (XIV century): Vidychev grad (modern Vidin), Ternov (present-day Veliko Tarnovo, next to which the Rositsa River flows ), Kiliya (on the Kiliya branch of the Danube), Kavarna (50 km north of Varna), as well as "at the mouth of the Dniester above the Belgorod Sea" (modern Belgorod-Dniester). About sixty kilometers from Tutrakan, up the Danube, there is still the city of Ruse / Rus, and closer to Black Sea coast- the city of Rositsa. Perhaps Cardinal Caesar Baronius had in mind one of these "Russian" settlements when he mentioned a certain "Russian city", in which the messengers of the Byzantine emperor Constantine Monomakh caught up with the papal envoys returning to Rome in the summer of 1054 (the message between Constantinople and Rome was carried out by Danube) ( Cm.: Ramm B.Ya. Papacy and Russia X-XV centuries. M., 1959. S. 58 ).

Finally, there is direct evidence of Olga’s ambassador named Iskusevi, who, of course, belonged to the closest circle of the princess, who in the treaty of 944 announced his (and, therefore, Olga’s) belonging to the “Russian family”. In one of the lists of the Pskov Chronicle (XVI century), it is reported that Olga's father was Russian, and her mother "from the Varangian language" ( Macarius, Metropolitan. History of Christianity in Russia. SPb., 1897. T. I. S. 228 ), which seems to also indicate Olga's ethnic ties with Slavic Pomorye; perhaps Olga's mother was a Wendish princess.

Hence it is very likely that the princes of Tutrakan were "from the Russian family."

Returning to the name of Olga's father "Polovtsian prince" ("daughter of Tmutarkan, the Polovtsian prince"), I note that the mixing of Russ with Polovtsy can be considered a fairly typical phenomenon for late medieval sources. For example, in the Serbian translation of the XIV century. additions to the Byzantine chronograph of Zonara we read: "The clans called Rus, Kuman [one of the names of the Polovtsians] exist, live in Evksin ..." In the Mazurin Chronicle there is a legend about five brothers - the ancestors of the peoples of Great Scythia: two of them were called Rus and Kuman . Thus, we have before us a stable tradition of "overlapping" the ethnonyms "Rus" and "Polovtsy" on each other, or their root connection. Its origin, apparently, is explained by the very widespread custom of medieval historiography to assign to the "new" peoples who have recently settled in the "ancient" land, the name of this land, which was attached to it much earlier. So, the Slavs, penetrating into " Great Scythia", became "Scythians", the Rus settled in the Crimea - "Tauris", "Tauro-Scythians", etc. As we have seen, Tutrakan was in an area that even in the 17th century, according to the opinion of ancient Russian scribes, "former Rus" ( postscript to "The Tale of the Russian Literacy"). Therefore, the ethnonyms "Russian" and "Polovtsian" in this region could later be synonyms.

The Tutrakan Ruses, of course, experienced a strong Bulgarian influence - political and cultural. The latter can be seen, for example, from the fact that Konstantin Porphyrogenitus reproduces the name of Olga from its Bulgarian version - Elga (Bulgarian Elga). It can be assumed that Olga in her adolescence was given to the court of the Bulgarian archbishop in Pliska / Pleskov, from where she was then "brought" to Kyiv as Igor's bride.

In conclusion, let us pay attention to the fact that Olgin's son, Svyatoslav, in full consciousness of his right, continued to consider the Bulgarian Danube "his" land: my…” (about this phrase sounds especially absurd in the "Norman" interpretation of the origin of the ancient Russian state). Obviously, for Svyatoslav, the lower reaches of the Danube could be "the middle of his land" only by virtue of hereditary rights to this territory, which had passed to him from Olga. In the story of Konstantin Porphyrogenitus about the annual voyage of the Kievan Rus to Tsargrad, it is said, among other things, that, having passed the Danube Delta, they are no longer “afraid of anyone” - that is, as follows from the meaning of the phrase, not only the Pechenegs, but also the Bulgarians. Sources did not retain indications of a conclusion in the first half of the 10th century. of the allied Russian-Bulgarian treaty, by the presence of which they tried to explain this place in the work of Constantine ( Cm.: Litavrin G.G. Ancient Russia, Bulgaria and Byzantium in the 9th-10th centuries. // IX International Congress of Slavists. History, culture, ethnography and folklore Slavic peoples. M., 1983. S. 73-74 ). On the other hand, Igor's marriage to the Tutrakan princess, directly or indirectly confirmed by several testimonies at once, perfectly clarifies the matter, exhaustively answering the question why ambassadors and combatants Kyiv prince felt at home in "Russian" (Danube) Bulgaria.

The most far-sighted historians have previously noted that “from the point of view of historical probability, the bringing of his wife to Igor from the Bulgarian city of Pliskov is more understandable than the appearance of Olga from Pskov, about which nothing else is known in the 10th century.”110. Indeed, the “Bulgarian-Russian” origin of Olga becomes quite clear in the light of the main direction of Russian expansion in the late 30s and early 40s. 10th century Strengthening the positions of the Kievan Rus in the Northern Black Sea region and the search for a wife for Igor in Pskov is a political absurdity. But taking possession of the mouth of the Dnieper and marrying a Bulgarian “Rusinka” are links in the same chain.

2 The first mentions of Olga in ancient Russian sources are found in Jacob Mnich and Metropolitan Hilarion, the authors of the second third of the 11th century. In their very brief characteristics The holy princess still lacks many details that were later included in the Tale of Bygone Years and Olga's life.

The mysterious personality of Princess Olga gave rise to many legends and conjectures. Some historians represent her as a cruel Valkyrie, famous for centuries for her terrible revenge for the murder of her husband. Others draw the image of a gatherer of lands, a true Orthodox and saint.

Most likely, the truth lies in the middle. However, something else is interesting: what character traits and life events led this woman to rule the state? After all, almost unlimited power over men - the army was subordinate to the princess, there was not a single rebellion against her rule - not every woman is given. And the glory of Olga is difficult to underestimate: the saint is equal to the apostles, the only one from the Russian lands, is revered by both Christians and Catholics.

Olga's origin: fiction and reality

There are many versions of the origin of Princess Olga. Exact date her birth is unclear, let us dwell on the official version - 920.

It is also unknown about her parents. The earliest historical sources "The Tale of Bygone Years" and "Book of Powers" (XVI century)- they say that Olga was from an humble family of Varangians who settled in the vicinity of Pskov (the village of Vybuty).

Later historical document "Typographic chronicle" (XV century) tells that the girl was the daughter of Prophetic Oleg, the tutor of her future husband, Prince Igor.

Some historians are sure of the noble Slavic origin of the future ruler, who originally bore the name of Beautiful. Others see her Bulgarian roots, allegedly Olga was the daughter of the pagan prince Vladimir Rasate.

Video: Princess Olga

The secret of Princess Olga's childhood is slightly revealed by her first appearance on stage. historical events at the time of meeting with Prince Igor.

Most beautiful legend this meeting is described in the Book of Powers:

Prince Igor, who was crossing the river, saw a beautiful girl in the boatman. However, his harassment was immediately suppressed.

According to the legends, Olga answered: “Let me be young and humble, and alone here, but know that it is better for me to throw myself into the river than to endure reproach.”

From this story, we can conclude that, firstly, the future princess was very beautiful. Some historians and painters captured her charms: a young beauty with a graceful figure, cornflower blue eyes, dimples on her cheeks and a thick braid of straw hair. A beautiful image was also obtained by scientists who recreated the portrait of the princess from her relics.

The second thing to note is the complete absence of frivolity and the bright mind of the girl, who at the time of the meeting with Igor was only 10-13 years old.

In addition, some sources indicate that the future princess was literate and knew several languages, which clearly does not correspond to her peasant roots.

Indirectly confirms the noble origin of Olga and the fact that the Rurikovichs wanted to strengthen their power, and they did not need a rootless marriage - and Igor had a wide choice. Prince Oleg had been looking for a bride for his mentor for a long time, but none of them forced the image of the obstinate Olga out of Igor's thoughts.

Olga: the image of the wife of Prince Igor

The union of Igor and Olga was quite prosperous: the prince made trips to neighboring lands, and his loving wife was expecting her husband and managed the affairs of the principality.

Full trust in the pair is also confirmed by historians.

"Joachim Chronicle" says that "then Igor had other wives, but Olga, because of her wisdom, honored her more than others."

The only thing that marred the marriage was the absence of children. The prophetic Oleg, who made numerous human sacrifices to the pagan gods in the name of the birth of an heir to Prince Igor, died without waiting for a happy moment. With the death of Oleg, Princess Olga also lost her newborn daughter.

In the future, the loss of babies became habitual, all children did not live up to a year. Only after 15 years of marriage, the princess gave birth to a healthy, strong son, Svyatoslav.

Death of Igor: the terrible revenge of Princess Olga

The first act of Princess Olga in the role of a ruler, immortalized in the annals, is terrifying. The Drevlyans, who did not want to pay tribute, captured - and literally tore Igor's flesh, tying him to two bent young oaks.

By the way, such an execution was considered “privileged” in those days.

At one point, Olga became a widow, the mother of a 3-year-old heir - and in fact the ruler of the state.

Princess Olga meets the body of Prince Igor. Sketch, Vasily Ivanovich Surikov

The extraordinary mind of the woman manifested itself here too, she immediately surrounded herself with confidants. Among them was the governor Sveneld, who enjoys authority in the princely squad. The army unquestioningly obeyed the princess, and this was necessary for her revenge for her dead husband.

20 ambassadors of the Drevlyans, who arrived to woo Olga for their lord, were first honorably carried in a boat in their arms, and then with her - and buried alive. The ardent hatred of the woman was evident.

Bending over the pit, Olga asked the unfortunates: “Is honor good for you?”

This did not end, and the princess demanded more noble matchmakers. Having heated a bathhouse for them, the princess ordered them to be burned. After such impudent deeds, Olga was not afraid of revenge against her, and went to the lands of the Drevlyans to perform a feast on the grave of her deceased husband. Having drunk 5 thousand enemy soldiers during a pagan ritual, the princess ordered them all to be killed.

Further - worse, and the vengeful widow besieged the Drevlyan capital Iskorosten. After waiting for the surrender of the city all summer, and losing patience, Olga once again resorted to tricks. Having asked for a "light" tribute - 3 sparrows from each house - the princess ordered burning branches to be tied to the paws of birds. The birds flew to their nests - and as a result, they burned the whole city.

At first, it would seem that such cruelty speaks of the inadequacy of a woman, even taking into account the loss of her beloved husband. However, it should be understood that in those days, the more violent the revenge, the more respected the new ruler.

With her cunning and cruel act, Olga established her power in the army and achieved the respect of the people, refusing to remarry.

Wise ruler of Kievan Rus

The threat of the Khazars from the south and the Varangians from the north required the strengthening of princely power. Olga, having traveled even her distant destinies, divided the lands into plots, established a clear procedure for collecting tribute and put her people in charge, thereby preventing the indignation of the people.

This decision was prompted by the experience of Igor, whose squads robbed according to the principle "as much as they can carry."

It was for her ability to govern the state and prevent problems that Princess Olga was popularly called wise.

Although the son of Svyatoslav was considered the official ruler, Princess Olga herself was in charge of the actual administration of Russia. Svyatoslav followed in the footsteps of his father, and was engaged exclusively in military activities.

In foreign policy Princess Olga was faced with a choice between the Khazars and the Varangians. However, the wise woman chose her own path, and turned towards Constantinople (Constantinople). The Greek direction of foreign policy aspirations was beneficial to Kievan Rus: trade developed, and people exchanged cultural values.

Having stayed in Constantinople for about 2 years, the Russian princess was most of all struck by the rich decoration of Byzantine churches and the luxury of stone buildings. Upon returning to her homeland, Olga will begin the widespread construction of stone palaces and churches, including in Novgorod and Pskov possessions.

She was the first to build a city palace in Kyiv and her own country tower.

Baptism and Politics: All for the Good of the State

Olga was persuaded to Christianity by a family tragedy: the pagan gods for a long time did not want to give her a healthy baby.

One of the legends says that in painful dreams the princess saw all the Drevlyans killed by her.

Realizing her craving for Orthodoxy, and realizing that it is beneficial for Russia, Olga decided to be baptized.

AT "Tales of Bygone Years" the story is described when Emperor Konstantin Porphyrogenitus, captivated by the beauty and mind of the Russian princess, offered her a hand and a heart. Again resorting to female cunning, Olga asked the Byzantine emperor to participate in baptism, and after the ceremony (the princess was named Elena) declared the impossibility of marriage between godfather and goddaughter.

However, this story is more likely a folk fiction, according to some sources, at that time the woman was already over 60 years old.

Be that as it may, Princess Olga got herself a powerful ally without transgressing the limits of her own freedom.

Soon the emperor wanted to confirm the friendship between the states in the form of troops sent from Russia. The ruler refused - and sent ambassadors to the rival of Byzantium, the king of the German lands, Otto I. Such a political step showed the whole world the independence of the princess from any - even great - patrons. Friendship with the German king did not work out, Otto, who arrived in Kievan Rus, hastily fled, realizing the pretense of the Russian princess. And soon Russian squads went to Byzantium to the new emperor Roman II, but already as a sign of the goodwill of the ruler Olga.

Sergei Kirillov. Duchess Olga. Baptism of Olga

Returning to her homeland, Olga met fierce resistance to the change of her religion from her own son. Svyatoslav "ridiculed" Christian rituals. At that time, there was already an Orthodox church in Kyiv, but almost the entire population was pagan.

Olga needed wisdom at that moment too. She managed to remain a believing Christian and a loving mother. Svyatoslav remained a pagan, although in the future he treated Christians quite tolerantly.

In addition, having avoided a split in the country by not imposing her faith on the population, the princess at the same time brought the moment of the baptism of Russia closer.

Princess Olga's legacy

Before her death, the princess, complaining about her illnesses, was able to draw her son's attention to the internal administration of the principality, besieged by the Pechenegs. Svyatoslav, who had just returned from the Bulgarian military campaign, postponed a new campaign to Pereyaslavets.

Princess Olga died at the age of 80, leaving her son a strong country and a powerful army. The woman took communion from her priest Gregory and forbade holding a pagan funeral feast. The funeral took place Orthodox rite burials in the ground.

Already the grandson of Olga, Prince Vladimir transferred her relics to the new Kyiv church of the Holy Mother of God.

According to the words recorded by the eyewitness of those events, the monk Jacob, the body of the woman remained incorrupt.

History does not provide us with clear facts confirming the special holiness of a great woman, with the exception of her incredible devotion to her husband. However, Princess Olga was revered by the people, and various miracles were attributed to her relics.

In 1957, Olga was named Equal-to-the-Apostles, her holiness life was equated with the life of the apostles.

Now St. Olga is revered as the patroness of widows and the protector of newly converted Christians.

Road to glory: Olga's lessons to our contemporaries

Analyzing the scarce and diverging information of historical documents, one can draw certain conclusions. This woman was not a "vengeful monster". Her horrific deeds at the beginning of her reign were dictated solely by the traditions of that time and the strength of the widow's grief.

Although it cannot be written off that only a very strong-willed woman can do this.

Princess Olga was undoubtedly great woman, and reached the heights of power, thanks to her analytical mindset and wisdom. Not afraid of change and having prepared a reliable rear of loyal comrades-in-arms, the princess was able to avoid a split in the state - and did a lot for its prosperity.

At the same time, a woman never betrayed her own principles and did not allow her own freedom to be infringed.

Igor Rurikovich was killed by the Drevlyans when he tried to take too much tribute from them. Having killed Igor, the Drevlyans considered that they had the right to rule over Kyiv, and sent ambassadors to his young widow, Princess Olga, with an offer to become the wife of their prince Mal.

Revenge of the young princess

At first glance, the princess favorably accepted the offer and even promised the ambassadors unprecedented honors. The next day they were supposed to be brought to her tower right in the boat. And indeed, the satisfied ambassadors were brought to Olga in a boat, and together with the boat they were thrown into a previously prepared pit and buried alive.

However, this seemed to Olga not enough. She sent her ambassador to the unsuspecting Drevlyans, demanding that a more magnificent and numerous embassy be sent for her. The ambassadors who arrived soon were given a very welcome, offering to take a steam bath in the bath from the road. There they were locked up and burned alive.

After that, Olga informed the Drevlyans, who did not know about the fate of her ambassadors, that before her second marriage she wanted to perform a feast over the grave of her first husband. In the feast, which took place near the city of Iskorosten, where Igor was killed, 5 thousand noble Drevlyans participated, who were then chopped down by soldiers.

Burnt city

But even this revenge seemed insufficient to Olga. She wanted to destroy Iskorosten. However, the inhabitants of the city put up fierce resistance to her army. And then Olga resorted to a new trick. The princess pretended to be satisfied with the revenge that had already taken place and demanded a symbolic tribute from the townspeople: three doves and three from each yard. Breathing a sigh of relief, the inhabitants of Iskorosten complied with her demand. After that, Olga ordered to tie a lit tinder to the leg of each bird and release them to freedom. Birds in their native nests and set fire to the city. The unfortunate inhabitants of Iskorosten tried to escape, but, as a result, they were captured by Olga's soldiers. Some of them were betrayed, another part was sold into slavery, and the rest were overlaid with exorbitant tribute.

The terrible revenge of the pagan Olga, who later became Christian, cannot but terrify. Although, as you know, pagan times were generally distinguished by cruelty, and the actions of Olga, who avenged the death of her beloved husband, fully corresponded to the mores of these times.

It is also quite possible that, having become a Christian, Olga repented of her deed. In any case, in the future she would be known as a wise and merciful ruler, who remained faithful to the memory of her husband until the end of her days.

Related videos

If you want to know which man you are compatible with, you can draw conclusions based on numerology. It is this science that will help you choose a couple according to your name and the name of a man.

Overview of the compatibility of the name Olga with some male names in numerology

Numerology is a very interesting thing. She can decompose letters into numbers and recognize names. Based on this, you can find out which person with what name suits you best. Numerology is built entirely on, but in this case already described finished characteristics names so as not to confuse the reader. The numbers are excluded. The name Olga, despite the fact that it is quite ancient, is quite common in Russia.

Pairs made up of older names

Olga and Dmitry. This combination suggests financial well-being. People with these names have a similar train of thought. And it plays into their hands.

A prosperous union based on a material basis.

Olga and Eugene will get along better together if one is in the role of a leader, and the second is in the role of a performer. Such relationships will be most convenient for them. The most important thing is to try to agree on who will take on what role, and then everything will go like clockwork. The main thing is not to forget to give in to each other during the time.

Olga and Mikhail are a great travel couple. Both the woman and this pair are inquisitive and easy-going. Their family will feel great on the road. This couple will be very hospitable, because they both do not like silence.

They both have a wide social circle, so there will be a lot of friends.

Olga and Sergey are a quiet and calm couple. These people can easily create a quiet cozy, because they both love peace and quiet. The pair will work out well if Olga does not forget to give in to Mikhail.

Olga and Yuri are very subtle born psychologists, so it is not difficult for them to interact with each other. If they don’t dig deep into the arcs of a friend and don’t try to change the partner’s character and habits for themselves, everything will be fine. These people are very fond of being in society and impressing others. A very ambitious couple. Will always strive forward to new knowledge.

Olga and Oleg can organize a couple, but only if both of them really want it. Not the most strong union, but if desired, it is possible. True, the couple will rely more on the everyday side of the issue if they manage to agree that they can exist together.

As you can see, ladies named Olga are quite flexible and can successfully pair with many people. Olga can adapt to her partner, settle misunderstandings, improve life, but only when they themselves see the meaning in this for themselves.