907 year.

Oleg, having moved a little away from [Tsar]grad, began negotiations for peace with the Greek kings Leon and Alexander, sending Karl, Farlaf, Vermud, Rulav and Stemid to them in the city with the words: “Pay tribute to me.” And the Greeks said: "Whatever you want, we will give you." And Oleg pointed out to give (his) soldiers 12 hryvnias per oarlock for 2000 ships, and then give maintenance to those arriving from Russian cities: first of all from Kiev, as well as from Chernigov, Pereyaslavl, Polotsk, Rostov, Lyubech and other cities, because according to princes subject to Oleg are sitting in those cities.

When the Russians come, let them take the maintenance as much as they want, and if the merchants come, then let them take the monthly allowance for 6 months: bread, wine, meat, fish and fruits. And let them arrange a bath for them as soon as (they) want. When the Russians go home, let them take food, anchors, tackle, sails and whatever they need from your tsar for the journey.

And the Greeks agreed. And the kings and all the boyars said.

If the Russians come not for trade, then let them not charge a monthly fee. Let the (Russian) prince forbid his ambassadors and (in general) the Russians arriving here to commit excesses in our villages and in our country. Russians arriving (here), let them dwell near (the monastery) of St. Mammoth; and when our royal majesty sends (someone to them) who will rewrite their names, then (only) they will take the month due to them - first (those who came) from Kiev, then from Chernigov and Pereyaslavl and from other cities. And let them enter the city only through one gate, accompanied by a royal official, unarmed, about 50 people, and let them trade as much as they need, without paying any trade duties.

So, Tsar Leon and Alexander made peace with Oleg, pledged to pay tribute and swore allegiance to both sides; themselves (the Greeks) kissed the cross, and Oleg and his warriors were sworn in according to Russian custom; and they swore by their weapons and their gods Perun and Veles, the god of cattle. And so the world was established.

911 year.

In the year 6420. Oleg sent his warriors to establish peaceful relations and conclude an agreement between Byzantium and Russia; and sending (them), he said:

The list is from another (copy) of the treaty held by the same kings Leo and Alexander.

1. We, on behalf of the Russian people, Karla, Ingeld, Farlaf, Vermud, Guda, Ruald, Karn, Frelav, Ruar, Aktevu, Trouan, Lidulfost, Stemid, sent by Oleg, the Russian Grand Duke, and all bright boyars subject to him to you, Leo, Alexander and Constantine, by the grace of God, the great autocrats, the kings of Greece, to confirm and strengthen the friendship that has existed between the Greeks and Russians for many years, according to the desire and command of our princes [and] all Russians subject to them. Our Grace, desiring more than anyone else by the grace of God to confirm and strengthen the friendship that existed between Christians and Russians, many times really tried not only in words, but also in writing and with an inviolable oath, swearing with our weapons, to confirm and strengthen this friendship, according to our faith and custom.

2. These are the divisions, by the grace of God, of the peace agreement, as we have agreed on it. First of all, let us conclude peace with you Greeks, and begin to be friends with each other with all our heart and soul, and not allow, according to our mutual desire, any disorder or offense from the light princes at our henchmen; but we will try, as far as possible, to maintain with you, the Greeks, (in the future) impeccable friendship, expressed in a written agreement and confirmed by an oath. Also, you Greeks, continue to always observe the same indestructible and impeccable friendship in relation to our bright Russian princes and to everyone who is under the hand of our bright prince.

3. As for crimes, if an atrocity occurs, we will agree as follows: let the accusation contained in the publicly presented (material) evidence be recognized as proven; if any (evidence) will not be believed, then let the party who seeks to be distrusted swear an oath; and when he swears, according to his faith, let the punishment be according to the nature of the crime.

4. About the following. If anyone kills (anyone) - a Russian Christian or a Russian Christian - let him die at the place where the murder was committed. If the murderer runs away, but turns out to be a property owner, then let the relative of the murdered person take that part of his property that is due to him by law, but let the murderer's wife also keep what is due to her according to custom. If the murderer turns out to be indigent and (at the same time) he fled, then let him be on trial until he is found (if found, then), let him die.

5. If (someone) strikes with a sword or beats (anyone) with any weapon, then for that blow or beating let him give 5 liters of silver according to Russian custom. If the one who did this turns out to be poor, then let him give as much as he can, even to the point that he even takes off the very clothes in which he walks, and (as for) what is lacking, then let him swear, according to his faith, that no one can help him and let prosecution for the purpose of recovering (from him) a fine ends there.

6. About the following. If a Russian steals something from a Christian, or a Christian from a Russian, and the thief is seized by the victim at the very time when he commits the theft, while he resists and is killed, then his death will not be exacted either by Christians or Russia, but even if the victim will take that of his (property) that was lost from him. If the thief surrenders without resistance into the hands of the one from whom he committed theft, and is bound by him, then let him return what he dared to encroach on in a triple amount.

7. About the following. If someone - a Russian from a Christian or a Christian from a Russian - causing suffering and obviously creating violence, takes something belonging to another, let him compensate for the losses in a triple amount.

8. If a rook is thrown strong wind to a foreign land and one of us Russians (nearby) ends up there, then if (the owner) wants to keep it together with his goods and send it back to Greek land, let him (we) lead it through any dangerous place until he comes she is in a safe place; if this boat, rescued after a storm or after it was thrown aground, cannot return to its places on its own, then we Russians will help the rowers of that boat and escort it unharmed with their goods. In the event that such a misfortune happens near the Greek land with a Russian boat, then (we Greeks) will lead it to the Russian land, and let the goods of that boat be (freely) sold; (so) if it is possible to sell something from (that) boat, then let us Russians unload their boat. And when (we, Russians) come to Greece for trade or with an embassy to your king, then we (we, Greeks) will miss the goods (with) their boats brought for sale with honor. If it happens (so that) one of those who arrived on that boat is killed or beaten by us Russians, or something is taken from the boat, then let the Russians who did this be sentenced to the above punishment.

9. About the following. If a prisoner (from among the subjects) of one country or another is forcibly held by Russians or Greeks, being sold to another country, and (the compatriot of the prisoner), Russian or Greek, then (then it is allowed) to redeem and return the ransomed to his homeland, and (merchants , him) who bought it, take the price of it, or let it be counted in the redemption price of the daily (worked out market) price of the servant. Also, if in the war (he) is taken by those Greeks, still let him return to his country, and be given (for him), as said above, his price that exists in ordinary commercial calculations.

10. When is it required to go to war. When you need to go to war, and these (Russians) want to honor your king, then no matter how many of those who came (to you) at any time want to stay with your king of their own free will, let their desire be fulfilled.

11. About captive Russians (Christians), brought from any country to Russia and immediately sold to Greece. If someday captive Christians are brought from any country to Russia, then they should be sold in 20 gold pieces and return to Greece.

12. About the following. If a Russian servant is stolen, or runs away, or is forcibly sold and the Russians begin to complain, then let this be confirmed by the testimony of the servant, and (then) the Russians will take him; also if the merchants lose the servant and declare this, then let them conduct a search and, having found him, they will take him ... If someone does not allow the local official to carry out this search, he will be considered guilty.

13. Russians in the service of the Greek Tsar in Greece. If one (of them) dies without bequeathing his property, and he does not have his own (relatives) (in Greece), then let his property be returned to his closest relatives in Russia. If he makes a will, then let the one to whom (he) wrote (the order) to inherit the property, take the bequeathed and inherit it.

13a. About Russians doing trade...

About various (people) going to Greece and remaining in debt ... If the villain (? not) returns to Russia, then let the Russians complain to the Greek royal majesty, and let him be captured and forcibly returned to Russia.

15. Let the Russians do the same to the Greeks, if the same happens (to them).

To confirm and inviolability, we have drawn up this peace treaty between you, Christians, and (us) Russians, in cinnabar (? Ivanov spelling) on ​​two charters: your king and your own, and, having sealed (with an oath), the present honest cross and the holy consubstantial trinity of one your true god, they handed over to our ambassadors. We swear to your king, appointed (to the kingdom) by the grace of God, according to the custom and the establishment of our people, that neither we nor anyone from our country (will) violate (these) approved clauses of the peace treaty. And this written copy of the agreement was given to your kings for approval, so that this agreement would confirm and strengthen the peace existing between us.

The month of September 2, indiction 15, in the year from the creation of the world 6420.

Tsar Leon honored the Russian ambassadors with gifts, gold and silks, and precious fabrics, and assigned his husbands to them to show them the beauty of the church, the golden chambers and the riches stored in them: a lot of gold, precious fabrics, gems, as well as the miracles of their god and the passion of the Lord: a crown, nails, purple, the relics of saints, teaching them their faith and showing them the true faith. And so he let them go to his land with great honor.

The envoys sent by Oleg came to him and told him all the speeches of both kings, how they established peaceful relations and concluded an agreement between the Greek land and the Russians, and (decided not to break the oath in the future) - neither to the Greeks nor Russians.

944 year.

In the year 6453. Roman, Konstantin and Stefan sent ambassadors to Igor to restore the former peaceful relations. Igor, after talking with them about the world, sent his warriors to Roman. Roman summoned the boyars and dignitaries. And they brought the Russian ambassadors and ordered (them) to speak, and also to write down the speeches of both sides on the charter.

List from another (copy) of the contract, which is with the kings Roman, Constantine and Stephen, Christ-loving rulers.

1. We, on behalf of the Russian people, ambassadors and merchants, Ivor, ambassador of Igor, the Grand Duke of Russia, and general ambassadors: Vuefast - Svyatoslav, son of Igor; Iskusev - Princess Olga; Sludy - Igor, Igor's nephew; Uleb - Vladislav; Kanitsar - Predslava; Shihbern - Sfandry, Uleb's wife; Prasten - Turdov; Libiar - Fostov; Grim - Sfirkov; Prasten - Akuna, Igor's nephew; Kara - Studekov; Egri - Yerliskov; Voist - Voikov; Istr - Amindov; Prasten - Bernow; Yatvyag - Gunarev; Hybrid - Aldan; Kol - Klekov; Steggy - Etonov; Sfirka…; Alvad - Gudov; Frudi - Tulbov; Mutur - Utin. Merchant (? merchants): Adun, Adulb, Yggizlad, Uleb, Frutan, Gomol, Kutsi, Emig, Turbrid, Fursten, Bruny, Ruald, Gunastre, Frasten, Igteld, Turbern, another Turbern, Uleb, Turben, Mona, Ruald, Sven , Stir, Aldan, Tiliy, Apubkar, Sven, Vuzlev and Sinko Borich, sent by Igor, the Grand Duke of Russia and every prince and all the people of the Russian land. And they are instructed to renew the old peace treaty, which has been violated for many years, and to establish friendship between the Greeks and Russians, on the devil who hates the enemy for good, the enemy.

And our Grand Duke Igor, and his boyars, and all the Russian people sent us to Roman, Konstantin and Stefan, the great Greek kings, to strengthen friendship with the kings themselves, and with all the boyars, and with all the Greek people for all the years (until then ) while the sun shines and the world itself exists. And if (anyone) from the Russian country plans to break this friendship, then let those of them who were baptized receive retribution and condemnation to death from the Almighty God both in this world and in the next; and those of them who are not baptized, may they not receive help from either God or Perun, may they not defend themselves with their shields, and may they die from their swords, from arrows and their other weapons, and may they remain slaves in this world and afterlife.

2. And let the Russian Grand Duke and his boyars send to Greece to the great Greek kings (as many) ships with their ambassadors and merchants as they want. If (earlier) it was decided that ambassadors bring gold seals, and merchants - silver ones, now your prince ordered to send letters to our royal majesty; the ambassadors and guests sent by them (i.e., the Russians), let them bring a letter, where it will be written like this: “sent so many ships”; so that from such (letters) we also learn that they come with peaceful intentions. If they come without a letter and end up in our hands, then we should detain (them until then) until we announce to your prince; if (they) do not allow themselves to be detained and resist, then (if they are killed) let your prince not exact their death; if, having escaped, they come to Russia, then we will write to your prince - and let them do (with them) what they want.

2a. If the Russians come not for trade, then let them not charge a monthly fee. And let the (Russian) prince forbid his ambassadors and (in general) the Russians arriving here to commit excesses in our villages and in our country. Let those arriving (here) dwell near the monastery of St. Mammoth; and when our royal majesty sends (someone to them) who rewrites their names, then let them (only) take the month due to them - first (those who came) from Kiev, then from Chernigov and Pereyaslavl.

And let them enter the city only through one gate, accompanied by a royal official, unarmed, 50 people each, and let them trade as much as they need, and go back, and let the royal official protect them. If any of the Russians or the Greeks commit iniquity, let him (the official) judge them. When the Russians enter the city, then let them not commit atrocities - let them not have the right to buy precious fabrics for more than 50 spools (each). And if anyone buys any of those fabrics, then let him show (them) to the royal official, and he, after sealing, will give them to him. And let the Russians departing from here take from us, as needed, food for the journey and what is needed to provide for the people, as was established earlier, and let them return unharmed to their country, and (they) do not have the right to spend the winter at St. Mammoth.

3. If the servants run away from the Russians who came to the country of our royal majesty and (living) near the holy Mammoth, and if he is found, then let them take him; if not, then let our Russians swear - Christians in accordance with their faith, and non-Christians according to their custom - and then they will take from us, according to the previously established rate, 2 precious fabrics per servant.

4. If our servant runs away to you from the people of our royal majesty, or from our capital, or from other cities and brings something (with him), then you should return him; and if everything that he brought is intact, then take from him (i.e. the owner) two spools for the capture (servant).

5. If one of the Russians tries (arbitrarily) to take something from the people of our royal majesty and makes his attempt, he will be severely punished; if (he) already takes (something), then let him pay twice; and if the Greek does the same to the Russian, then (he) will be subjected to the same punishment as that (Russian) was subjected to when committing theft.

6. If, however, it happens to steal something from the Greeks, then it is necessary to return not only what was stolen, but also (after paying extra) its price; if it turns out that the stolen has already been sold, then let him give back its price twice and be punished according to the Greek custom and according to the statute and Russian custom.

7. And how many captive Christians of our country would come here

Russians did not bring, then if there is a young man or a good girl, let (at their ransom) they give (ours each) 10 spools and take them away; if (there is) an ordinary (prisoner), then they give 8 spools and take him away; but if he is old or small, they will give 5 spools.

If, however, Russians from among the captives turn out to be slaves to the Greeks, then let the Russians redeem them by 10 spools; if the Greek bought (Russian), then he should swear and take his price, how much he gave for him.

8. And about the Korsun country. The Russian prince has no right to fight in those countries, nor in any cities of that land, and that country will not be subject to you; when the Russian prince asks us for soldiers to fight, we will give him (as many) as he needs.

9. And about the next. If the Russians find a Greek ship washed up somewhere on the shore, let them not harm it; if someone takes something from it, or turns any person (from this ship) into slavery, or kills, he will be punished according to Russian and Greek custom.

10. If the Russians find the Korsunians fishing at the mouth of the Dnieper, let them not do them any harm. And let the Russians not have the right to spend the winter at the mouth of the Dnieper, in Beloberezh and at St. Elfery, but with the onset of autumn, let them go to Russia to their homes.

11. And about the next. If black Bulgarians come and fight in the Korsun country, then we ask the Russian prince not to let them cause damage to his country.

12. If any crime is committed by the Greeks, subjects of our royal majesty, then (you) do not have the right to (arbitrarily) punish them, but, according to the command of our royal majesty, let them receive (they punishment) to the extent of their offenses.

13. If a Christian kills a Russian or a Russian Christian, and the killer is caught by the relatives (of the murdered), then let him be killed.

If the murderer runs away, but turns out to be a possessor, then let the relatives of the murdered take his property. But if he turns out to be indigent and (at the same time) he fled, then let them search for him until he is found; if found, let him be slain.

14. If, however, a Rusyn Greek or a Rusyn Greek strikes with a sword or spear or any weapon, then let him pay for such lawlessness, according to Russian custom, 5 liters of silver. But if he turns out to be indigent, then let everything be sold from him so that even the clothes in which he walks, and they will be removed from him, but (as for) what is missing, then let him swear, according to his faith, that nothing has, and let him be let go.

15. If our royal majesty wishes (to receive) soldiers from you to fight our opponents, and if they write (about this) to your Grand Duke, then let him send us (as many of them) as we wish; and let other countries learn from this what kind of friendship connects the Greeks with the Russians.

16. But we wrote this agreement on two charters: and one charter is in the possession of our royal majesty - on it is a cross depicted and our names are written; and on the other (they wrote the names) your ambassadors and your merchants. Going (back) together with the ambassador of our royal majesty, let (they) escort her to the Grand Duke of Russia Igor and to his people; and those, having received the charter, let them swear that they will truly observe what we have agreed and what we have written on this charter, on which our names are written.

But we (swear): those of us who are baptized, we swear in the cathedral church by the church of St. Elijah, presented with an honest cross and by this charter to observe everything that is written on it, and not to violate anything (what is written in it); and if this is violated (by someone) from our country, whether a prince or anyone else, baptized or unbaptized, may he not receive help from God, may he be a slave in this life and in the afterlife, and may he be stabbed to death with his own weapons.

And the unbaptized Russians, laying down their shields, naked swords, hoops (?) and other weapons, swear that everything written on this charter will be fulfilled by Igor, all the boyars and all the people of the Russian country always, in all future years.

If one of the princes or of the Russian people, Christian or non-Christian, violates what is written on this charter, then he should die from his weapon, and may he, as a violator of the oath, be cursed by God and Perun. And if the Grand Duke Igor worthily preserves this rightful treaty of friendship, may it (i.e., this treaty, as long as) not collapse as long as the sun shines and the whole world stands, in modern times and in the afterlife.

The messengers sent by Igor returned to him with the Greek ambassadors and told (to him) all the speeches of Tsar Roman. Igor called the Greek ambassadors and said to them: “Tell me, what did the king punish you?” And the ambassadors of the tsar said: “Here the tsar sent us, delighted with the world, (for) he wants to have peace and friendship with the Russian prince. And your ambassadors took our kings to the oath, and we were sent to swear you and your warriors. And Igor promised to do so. And in the morning Igor called on ambassadors and came to the hill where Perun stood; and laid down their weapons, shields and gold, and Igor and his warriors swore allegiance and how many Russian pagans there were, and Russian Christians were sworn in in the church of St. It was a cathedral church, for many Varangians and Khazars were Christians. Igor, having established peace with the Greeks, dismissed the ambassadors, endowing them with furs, servants and wax. The ambassadors came to the kings and told all the speeches of Igor and his friendship with the Greeks.

971 year.

And [Svyatoslav] sent messengers to the Caesar in Dorostol, for the Caesar was there, saying this: “I want to have with you lasting peace and friendship." (Caesar), hearing this, rejoiced and sent him gifts, more than before. Svyatoslav accepted the gifts and began to think with his retinue, saying this: “If we do not make peace with the emperor, and he finds out that we are few, then, coming up, he will besiege us in the city. The Russian land is far away, and the Pechenegs are fighting with us, who will help us (then)? If, however, we conclude peace with the Caesar, - after all, he has pledged to pay tribute to us, then that will be (quite) enough for us. If he does not send tribute (to us), then again, having gathered many soldiers, we will go from Russia to Tsargrad. And this speech was to the liking of the squad. And they sent the best husbands to the Caesar. And having come to Dorostol, they told the Caesar about this. The Caesar called them the next morning and said: "Let the Russian ambassadors speak." They said: "This is what our prince says: I want to be in lasting friendship with the Greek Caesar in all future times." The Caesar, rejoicing, ordered the scribe to write down all the speeches of Svyatoslav on the charter. And the ambassadors began to speak all the speeches, and the scribe began to write. Thus they said:

A list from another (copy) of the treaty, which is with Svyatoslav, the Grand Duke of Russia, and with the Caesar of the Greek John, called Tzimiskes, was written by Sveneld and Sinkel Theophilus in Dorostol in the month of July, indict 14, in the year 6479.

1. I, Svyatoslav, the Russian prince, as I swore, and I confirm my oath by this agreement: I want, together with the Russian boyars subject to me and others, to have peace and lasting friendship with John, the great Caesar of Greece, with Vasily and Constantine, God-given Caesars, and with all your people to the end of the world.

2. And I will never encroach on your country, nor gather troops (for war with it) and will not lead another people to your country and lands subject to the Greeks, to the Korsun region with all its cities and to the Bulgarian land.

3. And if someone else encroaches on your country, then I will be his opponent and I will fight with him.

4. As I already swore to the Greek Caesars, and with me the boyars and all of Russia, let us keep (in the future) these inviolable agreements. If the above, I and those who are with me and who are subject to me, do not comply, may we be cursed by the god in whom we believe, Perun and Veles, the god of cattle, and may we turn yellow like gold, and may we be cut with our own weapons. And do not doubt the truth of what you have now depicted on a golden tablet, written on this charter and sealed with your seals.

Svyatoslav made peace with the Greeks and went to the rapids in boats.

Russian-Byzantine treaty 911

Its general political part repeated the provisions of the treaties of 860 and 907. Unlike previous treaties in 911. between Russia and the Byzantine Empire was concluded equal bilateral writing agreement on ancient international form"peace and love", which settled all the main issues of interstate relations of that time.

Prince Oleg ruled for 33 years, from 879 to 912. In 911 Prince Oleg did a good deed, confirming all the previous agreements with Byzantium, this allowed Russian merchants to have good terms of trade for many years to come. Burial place of Kievsky Prince Oleg not really known. In the history of our country Prince Oleg logged in as:

· builder of Russian cities;

Collector of Slavic tribes;

a talented commander.

Death of Prince Oleg covered in legend. The chronicle says that the Magi predicted Oleg's death from a horse. Prince Oleg trusted their predictions, and abandoned his beloved horse. Remembering a few years later about the predictions of the Magi, Oleg asked his entourage about the fate of the horse. The horse is dead, they answered. Oleg wanted to come to the place where the remains of his pet lay. Arriving there, Prince Oleg stepped on his skull and said: “Should I be afraid of him?” It turned out that a poisonous snake lived in the skull of the deceased horse, which mortally stung the prince.

Russian Prince Igor End of form

Igor is the prince of Kiev, the first of the Russian princes mentioned by foreign historians. His main activities were:

protection of the country from the raids of the Pechenegs

maintaining the unity of the state.

He reigned in Kiev after the death of his predecessor Oleg from 912, subduing the rebellious tribes Drevlyans and Uglichs, forcing them to pay tribute.

Igor gathered a squad for a new campaign: the territory of the Russians was attacked for the first time Pechenegs. They came from the east They led a nomadic lifestyle. Having met with a strong army of Igor, the Pechenegs were forced to retire to Bessarabia. Having made peace with Igor in 915 year, they did not disturb the Russians for five years.

In 941, Prince Igor undertook a campaign against Constantinople "on ten thousand ships" (an exaggeration of the Byzantine chronicler). However, the campaign ended sadly for the Russian army: the Byzantines responded to Igor with the so-called "Greek fire". Most of Russian troops were destroyed.

Igor retreated and again went to the Greeks in 943. Warned by the Bulgarians and Khazars “about the Rusichi without number”, the Byzantines offered peace on favorable terms for Prince Igor. After consulting with wise warriors, the Russian ruler accepted the offer of the Byzantine emperor. The following year, Kiev and Tsargrad exchanged embassies and concluded a new peace treaty, the third in a row(after the treaties of 907 and 911) in Russian history. The treaty of 944 established "eternal peace", stipulated more favorable conditions than before for the trade of the Russians with Byzantium. This was the first international document that mentioned the country under the name Russian land. After the campaign of 944, Prince Igor no longer fought.

In 945, Prince Igor went with his retinue to Drevlyansk land for tribute. Considering the collected polyudye insufficient, the prince returned with his warriors to collect tribute again. Outraged by such arbitrariness, the Drevlyans from Iskoresten decided: “The wolf got into the habit of going to the sheep - this is how he drags the whole herd. We'd better kill him!" A small detachment of Igor was defeated by the Drevlyan prince Mal, Igor himself was killed, tied to the bent tops of two neighboring trees. After the death of Igor, the leader of the Drevlyans Mal made an attempt to woo the prince's widow, Princess Olga, but she, driven by a sense of revenge, deceived Mal and his matchmaking embassy, ​​burying them alive in the ground.

For the first time, the idea of ​​a nationwide, all-Russian representation of a diplomatic mission was formulated in 911.

The chronicler noted that Oleg sent his ambassadors to Constantinople "to build peace and lay a row" between Russia and Byzantium. In these words, the nature of the agreement of 911 is clearly defined: on the one hand, it is “peace”, and on the other, “row”. These concepts are not equivalent for the chronicler. Judging by the text of the treaty, “peace” means precisely its general political part. And this is not just “stylistics”, “moral maxim”, formal protocol, as D.M. Meichik and A.V. Longinov", but a reflection of the existing historical realities, which really were deposited in stereotypical protocol phrases, adopted for a long time by the state-diplomatic services of many countries of the early Middle Ages.

The Treaty of 911 speaks of "withholding" and "notifying" former love between the two states. The first article of the treaty, after the protocol part, is directly devoted to this general political plot: soul and desire ... ", and then comes the text, which says that both sides swear "to preserve other and always years", "immutable always and in all years" to observe "love is immutable and shameless." This political obligation is formulated precisely in the form of separate chapters, one of which speaks of the promise of Russia to keep this world, and the other reflects the same obligation on the part of the Greeks: “The same is true for you, Greeks, but keep the same love for our bright Russian prince ... »

The Treaty of 911 again returns to the same idea that is expressed in the protocol and the first articles of the agreement - to the idea of ​​​​peace between the two states: "the former peacemaker ...", "we swear ... do not cross ... the established heads of peace and love", “such writing by dahom… for the approval and notification of the peace between you” 3. Here the concept of “peace and love”, already formulated in a generalized form, refers to the entire contract, to all they are directly related to the issue of "keeping" the peace or are devoted to more specific issues.

The question naturally arises: why did both Russia and Byzantium need to return four years later to this general political idea, expressed in the treaty of 907?

The answer to it is contained in the treaty of 911 itself. Nowhere does it say that "love and peace" are concluded between states anew - after the peace of 907, this would be meaningless. The treaty only notes that the ambassadors are sent "to maintain and to notify" "peace and love", i.e. to consolidate what has already been achieved. Recall that after the military conflicts of 941 and 970-971. “peace and love” were concluded anew and were considered as a return to the “old”, “first” world, by which, as noted above, we understand the treaty of 907.

The first article speaks of the ways in which various atrocities are dealt with and the penalties for them; the second - on liability for murder, and in particular on property liability; the third - about liability for deliberate beatings; the fourth - about responsibility for theft and about the corresponding punishments for it; the fifth - on liability for robbery; the sixth - about the procedure for helping the merchants of both countries during their voyage with goods, helping the shipwrecked; the seventh - about the order of redemption of prisoners - Russians and Greeks; the eighth - about the allied assistance to the Greeks from Russia and about the order of service of the Russians in the imperial army; the ninth, on the practice of ransoming any other captives; the tenth - about the procedure for the return of the fled or stolen servants; the eleventh - about the practice of inheriting the property of the Russians who died in Byzantium; the twelfth - about the order of Russian trade in Byzantium (the article is lost); the thirteenth - about responsibility for the debt taken and about punishments for non-payment of the debt.

Thus, a wide range of problems regulating the relationship between two states and their subjects in the most vital and traditional areas for them is covered and regulated by these thirteen specific articles, which constitute the content of the word "row".

The Russian-Byzantine treaty of 911 was neither an addition to the agreement of 907, nor a formal written act in comparison with the previous oral agreement, nor a “new” peace in relation to the peace of 907. It was a completely independent interstate equal “peace-row” , which not only included the main provisions of "peace and love", proclaimed in 907, but also supplemented them with specific articles of the "series".

Treaties of Russia with Byzantium (907, 911, 945, 971, 1043)

Treaties of Russia with Byzantium (907, 911, 945, 971, 1043)

So called treaties between Russia and Byzantium are the first known international treaties Ancient Russia, which were concluded in 907, 911, 944, 971, 1043 . At the same time, only Old Russian texts of treaties have been preserved to date, which were translated into Old Church Slavonic from Greek. Such treaties have come down to us as part of the Tale of Bygone Years, where they were included at the beginning of the eighth century. The earliest written sources of Russian law are the norms of the Russian Law.

The contract of 907 is considered the first of the above contracts. However, the fact of his imprisonment is disputed by some historians. They assume that the text itself is a chronicle construction. According to another assumption, it is considered as a preparatory treaty for the treaty of 911.

The treaty of 911 was concluded on September 2 after the most successful campaign of Prince Oleg's squad against Byzantium. This agreement restored friendly relations and peace between the two states, and also determined the actual procedure for ransoming prisoners, punishment for crimes committed by Russian and Greek merchants in Byzantium, changed coastal law, etc.

The agreement of 945, which was concluded after the unsuccessful military campaigns of Prince Igor against Byzantium in 941 and 945, confirmed the norms of 911 in a slightly modified form. So, for example, the treaty of 945 obliged Russian merchants and ambassadors to use princely charters to use the previously established benefits. In addition, this agreement introduced many different restrictions for Russian merchants. Russia also pledged not to lay claim to the Crimean possessions of Byzantium, and also not to leave its outposts at the mouth of the Dnieper and to help Byzantium in every possible way in military affairs.

The treaty of 971 became a kind of result for the Russian-Byzantine war, which took place in 970-971. This agreement was concluded by Prince Svyatoslav Igorevich with the Byzantine emperor John Tzimiskes after the Russian troops were defeated near Dorostol. This agreement contained the obligation of Russia not to wage war with Byzantium, and also not to push other parties to attack it (and also to provide Byzantium with assistance in case of such attacks).

Treaty 1043 was the result Russian-Byzantine war 1043 years.

All treaties of Russia concluded with Byzantium are a valuable historical source of Ancient Russia, Russian-Byzantine relations and international law.

The agreement - one of the earliest surviving ancient Russian diplomatic documents - was concluded after the successful campaign of the Kiev prince Oleg and his squad against the Byzantine Empire in 907. It was originally compiled in Greek, but only the Russian translation has survived as part of " Tales of Bygone Years". The articles of the Russian-Byzantine treaty of 911 are devoted mainly to the consideration of various offenses and the penalties for them. We are talking about responsibility for murder, for deliberate beatings, for theft and robbery; on the procedure for helping merchants of both countries during their voyage with goods; rules for the ransom of prisoners are regulated; there are clauses about allied assistance to the Greeks from Russia and about the order of service of the Russians in the imperial army; on the procedure for the return of fled or stolen servants; the order of inheritance of the property of the Russ who died in Byzantium is described; regulated Russian trade in Byzantium.

Relationship with byzantine empire since the ninth century were essential element foreign policy Old Russian state. Probably already in the 30s or the very beginning of the 40s. 9th century the Russian fleet raided the Byzantine city of Amastrida on the southern coast of the Black Sea (the modern city of Amasra in Turkey). In sufficient detail, Greek sources tell about the attack of the "people of the Ross" on the Byzantine capital - Constantinople. IN " Tales of Bygone Years» this campaign is erroneously dated to 866 and is associated with the names of semi-mythical Kiev princes Askold and Dir.

The news about the first diplomatic contacts of Russia with its southern neighbor also date back to this time. As part of the embassy of the Byzantine emperor Theophilus (829-842), who arrived in 839 at the court of the Frankish emperor Louis the Pious, there were some " petitioners for peace» from « Ros people". They were sent by their Khakan ruler to the Byzantine court, and now they were returning to their homeland. Peaceful and even allied relations between Byzantium and Russia are evidenced by the sources of the 2nd half of the 860s, primarily by the messages of Patriarch Photius of Constantinople (858-867 and 877-886). During this period, through the efforts of Greek missionaries (their names have not reached us), the process of Christianization of Russia began. However, this so-called "first baptism" of Russia did not have significant consequences: its results were destroyed after the capture of Kiev by those who came from Northern Russia squads of Prince Oleg.

This event marked the consolidation under the rule of the northern, Scandinavian in origin, Rurik dynasty of lands along the transit Volkhov-Dnieper trade route "from the Varangians to the Greeks." Oleg, the new ruler of Russia (his name is a variant of the Old Norse Helga - sacred) first of all sought to assert his status in confrontation with powerful neighbors - the Khazar Khaganate and the Byzantine Empire. It can be assumed that initially Oleg tried to maintain partnership relations with Byzantium on the basis of an agreement of the 860s. However, his anti-Christian policy led to a confrontation.

The story of Oleg's campaign against Constantinople in 907 is preserved in " Tales of Bygone Years". It contains a number of elements of clearly folklore origin, and therefore many researchers have expressed doubts about its authenticity. In addition, almost nothing is reported about this military campaign by Greek sources. There are only separate references to the "Rose" in documents from the time of Emperor Leo VI the Wise (886-912), as well as an unclear passage in the chronicle of pseudo-Simeon (late 10th century) about the participation of the "Rose" in the Byzantine war against the Arab fleet. The main arguments in favor of the reality of the 907 campaign should be considered the Russian-Byzantine treaty of 911. The authenticity of this document is beyond doubt, and the conditions contained therein, which are extremely beneficial for Russia, could hardly have been achieved without military pressure on Byzantium.

(Oleg's campaign against Tsargrad, miniature of the Radziwill Chronicle)

In addition, the description in Tales of Bygone Years"negotiations between Oleg and the Byzantine emperors, co-rulers Leo and Alexander, is consistent with the well-known principles of Byzantine diplomatic practice. After Prince Oleg, together with his army, appeared under the walls of Constantinople and devastated the surroundings of the city, Emperor Leo VI and his co-ruler Alexander were forced to enter into negotiations with him. Oleg sent five ambassadors with his demands to the Byzantine emperors. The Greeks expressed their willingness to pay a one-time tribute to the Rus and allowed them duty-free trade in Constantinople. The agreement reached was secured by both parties through an oath: the emperors kissed the cross, and the Rus swore on their weapons and their deities Perun and Volos. The taking of the oath was apparently preceded by an agreement, since the oath had to refer precisely to the practical articles of the treaty, which it was called upon to approve. What exactly the parties agreed on, we do not know. It is clear, however, that the Russians demanded some kind of payments and benefits from the Greeks, and that they received this in order to then leave the district of Constantinople.

The formal agreement between Russia and Byzantium was concluded, apparently, in two stages: in 907 negotiations were held, then the agreements reached were sealed with an oath. But the verification of the text of the treaty was delayed in time and took place only in 911. It is worth noting that the most favorable articles of the treaty for the Russians - on the payment by the Greeks of indemnity ("way of life") and on the release of Russian merchants in Constantinople from paying duties - are only among the preliminary articles 907, but not in the main text of the treaty of 911. According to one version, the mention of duties was deliberately removed from the article “On Russian Traders”, which was preserved only as a headline. Perhaps the desire of the Byzantine rulers to conclude an agreement with Russia was also caused by the desire to get an ally in the ongoing war against the Arabs. It is known that in the summer of the same year 911, 700 Russian soldiers participated in the campaign of the Byzantines to the island of Crete occupied by the Arabs. Perhaps they remained in the empire, having entered the military service there, after Oleg's campaigns, and did not return to their homeland.

Detailed textual, diplomatic and legal analysis showed that the texts diplomatic protocol, act and legal formulas, preserved in the Old Russian text of the treaty of 911, are either translations of well-known Byzantine clerical formulas, attested in many surviving original Greek acts, or paraphrases of monuments of Byzantine law. Nestor included in the Tale of Bygone Years a Russian translation made from an authentic (that is, having the power of the original) copy of the act from a special copy book. Unfortunately, it has not yet been established when and by whom the translation was made, under no circumstances were extracts from copies of the books found their way to Russia.

During the X-XI centuries. wars between Russia and Byzantium alternated with peaceful, and rather long pauses. These periods are marked by the strengthening of diplomatic actions, the two states - by the exchange of embassies, active trade. Priests, architects, artists came from Byzantium to Russia. After the Christianization of Russia in reverse direction pilgrims began to travel to holy places. IN " Tale of Bygone Years"Two more Russian-Byzantine treaties are included: between Prince Igor and Emperor Roman I Lekapen (944) and between Prince Svyatoslav and Emperor John I Tzimiskes (971). As with the agreement of 911, they are translations from Greek originals. Most likely, all three texts fell into the hands of the compiler " Tales of Bygone Years” in the form of a single collection. At the same time, the text of the treaty of 1046 between Yaroslav the Wise and Emperor Constantine IX Monomakh in " Tales of Bygone Years" No.

Treaties with Byzantium are among the oldest written sources of Russian statehood. As international treaty acts, they fixed the norms of international law, as well as the legal norms of the contracting parties, which, thus, was involved in the orbit of another cultural and legal tradition.

The norms of international law include those articles of the treaty of 911 and other Russian-Byzantine agreements, the analogues of which are present in the texts of a number of other treaties of Byzantium. This applies to the limitation of the stay of foreigners in Constantinople, as well as to the norms of coastal law, reflected in the treaty of 911. Paragraphs of some Byzantine-Bulgarian agreements can be analogous to the provisions of the same text on fugitive slaves. Byzantine diplomatic agreements included clauses on terms (baths) similar to the corresponding terms of the treaty of 907. Documenting Russian-Byzantine treaties, as researchers have repeatedly noted, is largely due to the Byzantine clerical protocol. Therefore, they reflected the Greek protocol and legal norms, clerical and diplomatic stereotypes, norms, institutions. This, in particular, is the usual for Byzantine acts mention of co-rulers along with reigning monarch: Leo, Alexander and Constantine in the treaty of 911, Roman, Constantine and Stephen in the treaty of 944, John Tzimisces, Basil and Constantine in the treaty of 971. on the contrary, in the form of the Byzantine official documents it was a normal item. The determining influence of Byzantine norms was reflected in the use of Greek weight measures, monetary measures, as well as the Byzantine system of chronology and dating: an indication of the year from the Creation of the world and an indict ( serial number years in a 15 year cycle tax reporting). The price of a slave in the contract as 911, as studies have shown, is close to the fork of the average price of a slave in Byzantium at that time.

It is important that the treaty of 911, as well as subsequent agreements, testified to the complete legal equality of both parties. The subjects of law were the subjects of the Russian prince and the Byzantine emperor, regardless of their place of residence, social status and religion. At the same time, the norms governing crimes against the person were based mainly on the “Russian law”. Probably, this refers to the set of legal norms of customary law that were in force in Russia by the beginning of the 10th century, that is, long before the adoption of Christianity.
(based on materials.