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Brief biography of Prince Oleg

The story of the Prophetic Oleg in the chronicle of Nestor "The Tale of Bygone Years"

The image of Prince Oleg in the poem by A.S. Pushkin "Song of the Prophetic Oleg"

Bibliography

Brief biography of Prince Oleg

Prince Oleg (? - 912)

First Kiev prince from the Rurik family. The chronicle says that Rurik, dying, transferred power to his relative, Oleg, since Rurik's son, Igor, was very small at that time. For three years Oleg reigned in Novgorod, and then, having recruited an army from the Varangians and the tribes of Chudi, Ilmen Slavs, Meri, Vesi, Krivichi, subject to him, he moved south.

Oleg took possession of Kiev by cunning, killing Askold and Dir, who reigned there, and made it his capital, saying: "This will be the mother of Russian cities." By uniting the Slavic tribes of the north and south, Oleg created a powerful state - Kievan Rus. A well-known legend in the annals is associated with the death of Oleg, which served as a motive for the poem by A.S. Pushkin's "Song of the Prophetic Oleg". According to the account of the chronicler, Oleg reigned for 33 years, from 879 (the year of Rurik's death) to 912.

The story of the Prophetic Oleg in the chronicle of Nestor "The Tale of Bygone Years"

The Prophetic Oleg, an ancient Russian prince who lived in the 9th-10th centuries, is reported in ancient chronicles, his name is mentioned in historical documents, but most of the information about his life and work has come down to us in the form of folk tales, in which real events are closely intertwined with legendary ones.

The story of the Prophetic Oleg in Nestor's chronicle collection "The Tale of Bygone Years" also has a legendary character. The Tale of Bygone Years is the earliest surviving chronicle collection. Refers to the beginning XII century... This collection is known as part of a number of chronicle collections preserved in lists, of which the best and oldest are Laurentian 1377 and Ipatiev 20s of the 15th century. The chronicle has absorbed a large number of materials from legends, stories, legends, oral poetic legends about various historical figures and events.

Nestor calls Oleg a relative of the Novgorod prince Rurik. But from other sources it is known that Oleg had no family ties with the prince, but was his governor and reached a high position only thanks to his personal merits.

He possessed an outstanding talent for a military leader, and his wisdom and foresight were so great that they seemed supernatural. Contemporaries called Oleg the Prophet. The lucky warrior-prince is nicknamed "prophetic", that is. a wizard (though the Christian chronicler did not fail to emphasize that the nickname was given to Oleg by the pagans, "people of trash and non-voices"), but he also cannot escape his fate. Under the year 912, the chronicle places a poetic tradition associated, obviously, with "Olga's grave", which "is ... to this day." This legend has a complete plot, which is revealed in a laconic dramatic narration. It clearly expresses the idea of ​​the power of fate, which none of the mortals, and even the "prophetic" prince, can not escape.

It is possible that the folk memory of the Prophetic Oleg was reflected in the image of the epic wizard-prince Volga: Volga wanted a lot of wisdom: to walk like a pike-fish in the deep seas, fly as a bird-falcon under a shell, as a gray wolf to prowl in clean fields.

Rurik died in 879. Dying, he bequeathed reign to Oleg and left his young son Igor in his care.

For three years Oleg ruled in Novgorod, and then, having gathered a strong squad and taking Igor with him, he set off to conquer new lands.

At that time, vast areas of the Russian land were inhabited by numerous tribes. The chronicle names more than ten Slavic tribes: Vyatichi, Krivichi, Polyan, Northerners, Radimichi and others. They were adjacent to the Finno-Ugric tribes: Chud, all, Merya, Muroma. Russia had no clear boundaries and did not know uniform laws. The Kiev prince exercised his power only in a few key points that controlled trade routes. He also collected tribute from the subordinate Slavic and non-Slavic tribes. The payment of this tribute, as well as the very fact of recognition of the supreme power of Kiev, constituted at that time the entire essence of state power.

The collected tribute (primarily furs) had to be sold in neighboring countries - the Caliphate and Byzantium. Russia received considerable profit from this trade and was vitally interested in its development. The annual influx of thousands of barbarian merchants into the capital had many inconveniences for the Byzantines. From this came the desire to restrict and restrict Russian trade. For Russia, trade was a matter of state, therefore, the response to the actions of the Byzantine authorities was given at the state level.

Oleg with his army moved from north to south by waterway. We sailed along the Ilmen Lake, then along the Lovati River and the Western Dvina, and then, dragging the boats, along the Dnieper.

On the way, Oleg conquered the Krivichi city of Smolensk and the Severiansk Lyubech, leaving his governors there.

Finally, Oleg arrived in the rich and fertile lands of the meadows - and saw a large, beautiful city on the high bank of the Dnieper. That city was called Kiev. Two princes reigned in Kiev - Askold and Dir. Both of them came from Novgorod and once, like Oleg, served Prince Rurik.

Oleg decided to seize Kiev, but seeing that the city was well fortified, he used not force, but cunning.

He left most his army behind, and himself, with young Igor and a small squad, on one boat approached the very walls of Kiev and sent a messenger to Askold and Dir: "We are Varangian merchants, we are carrying a lot of good goods. Let the Kiev princes come to see - maybe what will they buy ".

Askold and Dir believed that a peaceful merchant caravan had arrived in Kiev, and went ashore without any protection.

Oleg ordered the soldiers who were with him for the time being to lie down at the bottom of the boat. When the Kiev princes came close, he got up to meet them and said: "You are not princely family, and I am a prince, and Igor, the son of Rurik, is with me. I, and not you, should reign here! "He gave a sign to his soldiers - and they instantly hacked Askold and Dir with their swords.

Karamzin, very highly assessing the activities of Oleg, this act unconditionally condemned: "The general barbarism of these times does not excuse the murder of the cruel and insidious."

Oleg entered the city victorious and commanded: "Let Kiev be the mother of Russian cities!" Having established himself on the Kiev throne, he continued the work of conquering neighboring lands and conquering the tribes inhabiting them. Oleg subdued the Drevlyans, Northerners, Radimichs and imposed a tribute on them. A huge territory was under his rule, on which he founded many cities. This is how the great Kiev principality was formed - Kievan Rus.

When Igor became an adult, Oleg chose a wife for him - Olga (according to some sources, she was the daughter of Oleg himself), but he did not concede the principality.

"In the year 6415 (that is, 907 by modern calculation)," the chronicler writes, "Oleg went against the Greeks, leaving Igor in Kiev."

Equipping two thousand ships and collecting a huge cavalry army, Oleg set out on a campaign. Ships sailed along the Dnieper, heading to the Black Sea (it was then called the Pontic, or Russian), and the horsemen walked along the coast.

Having reached the sea, the cavalry also boarded the ships, and Oleg's army rushed to Constantinople.

"And Oleg came to Constantinople (Constantinople)." Here appeared the capital of Byzantium - its white fortress walls, golden domes of temples.

The Byzantine emperor Leo the Wise, seeing ships with an innumerable army, ordered to hastily lock the harbor. Strong iron chains were stretched across the bay, blocking the path of Oleg's ships.

Oleg had to turn aside and disembark at a distance from the city.

Oleg's warriors ravaged the Tsargrad suburbs, burned houses and churches, killed civilians and threw them into the sea. The chronicler, justifying the cruelty of Oleg's soldiers, explains: "This is usually done in war."

But Oleg could not take Constantinople itself - the chains reliably protected the city from invasion from the sea. Then he ordered his soldiers to make wheels, put the ships pulled ashore on them and raise the sails.

A fair wind blew - and the ships rushed to the city by land, as if by sea.

“The Greeks, seeing this, were frightened and said through the ambassadors to Oleg:“ Do not destroy the city, we will give you any tribute you want ”.

Having ended the war with a profitable peace, Oleg returned to Kiev with glory. This campaign created for him immense popularity in the eyes of not only Russia, but also the Slavs, who called their prince the Prophet. A modern historian, however, should be very careful about the above stories of the Russian chronicle, since the Greek chronicles do not mention a single word about this great campaign.

Karamzin considers this episode to be legendary: “Maybe he (Oleg) ordered the soldiers to drag the ships along the shore to the harbor in order to approach the city walls; ".

However, later historians acknowledge the validity of this episode. D.S. Likhachev writes: "In the conditions of river navigation in the north of Russia, ships and boats put on wheels were a common phenomenon." Dragging "of ships on wheels or rollers took place in Russia (...) in the watersheds of rivers (...). The Kiev chronicler tells about the movement of Oleg's ships on dry land as something amazing. This is understandable - there were no "drags" near Kiev. However, for the "Novgorodian" Oleg and his Novgorod squad, this was nothing unusual. "

So it was or otherwise, but the frightened Byzantines recognized themselves defeated and agreed to pay Oleg the tribute he wanted. Oleg demanded 12 hryvnia for each pair of oars on his two thousand ships, as well as a tribute for Russian cities - Kiev, Chernigov, Polotsk, Rostov and others.

As a sign of victory, Oleg strengthened his shield on the gates of Constantinople. An agreement of peace and permanent friendship was concluded between Russia and Byzantium. The Byzantine Christians swore to observe this treaty by the holy cross, and Oleg and his warriors swore by the Slavic gods Perun and Veles.

Ancient Russia at the end of the 9th century was a vast territory of Eastern Europe, inhabited by Slavic tribes living in the vicinity of the Finno-Ugric, Leto-Lithuanian and West Baltic tribes.

Prince Oleg began to rule the Novgorod land in 879 after the death of the legendary Varangian Rurik, who established peace and order among the tribes of the Ilmen Slovenes, Meri, Chudi and Vesi inhabiting the Ladoga area. Oleg was the closest associate and relative of Rurik. Arriving in Russia as part of the Varangian squad, he participated in military campaigns aimed at expanding the boundaries of the Novgorod principality. Oleg took over the reins of Northern Russia as "the eldest of the family."

In Eastern Europe in the 9th century Novgorod land was only one of the major political centers Slavic tribes. Along with it, in the middle reaches of the Dnieper, there was the Kiev principality, ruled by the former warriors of Rurik Askold and Dir. Prince Oleg set himself the goal of conquering Kiev and uniting the North and South into a single state. Oleg began to deliberately move towards the Dnieper, annexing the lands of the tribes he conquered to the Novgorod possessions. In the conquered territories, he established state order and imposed tribute on the aborigines. Using a trick, he dealt with the rulers of Kiev and declared it his capital, "the mother of Russian cities."

This is how the ancient Russian state appeared on the map of Eastern Europe, which began to lead an active foreign policy... In allied treaties with Byzantium, it first appeared as a member of the international community, Prince Oleg strengthened Kievan Rus, subjugated neighboring tribes of Drevlyans, Northerners and Radimichs to it. Previously, they were dependent on the Khazar Kaganate, with which the Kiev ruler had to go to war. By the end of his long reign, Prince Oleg included a significant part of the East Slavic lands into the Old Russian state. For his wisdom and ability to foresee military success, he received the nickname Prophetic from his contemporaries.

CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS

  879 BC Death of Prince Rurik of Novgorod. Oleg took custody of Rurik's young son Igor.

  879 BC The beginning of the Novgorod reign of Oleg as "the eldest in the family of Rurik".

  End of the 870s The Rus campaign to the Caspian Sea and the attack on the city of Abaskun (Abesgun).

  882 BC The beginning of the advance to the south of the troops of Prince Oleg, which consisted of the Ilmenian Slovenes, Krivichi, Mary and Vesi.

  882 BC The seizure of the lands of the Dnieper Krivichi and the city of Smolensk by Prince Oleg.

  882 BC The seizure of the lands of the northerners and the city of Lyubech by Prince Oleg.

  882 BC Hike of Prince Oleg to Kiev. Murder by Prince Oleg of the Kiev rulers Askold and Dir. The beginning of Oleg's reign in Kiev. Unification of Northern and Southern Russia under the rule of Oleg. Creation of the Old Russian state with the center in Kiev.

  Later 882 The erection by Prince Oleg of fortress cities and "forts" to assert his power and to protect the Great Steppe from the nomads.

  Later 882 Oleg obliges Novgorodians to pay 300 hryvnia annually for feeding and maintaining the Varangian squad, called upon to defend the northern borders of the state.

  883 BC The conquest of the Drevlyans by the Kiev prince Oleg and the imposition of tribute on them.

  884 BC Victory over a tribe of northerners and imposing tribute on it.

  885 BC Submission of the Radimichi and the imposition of tribute on them.

  885 BC War of Prince Oleg with the streets and Tivertsy.

  Later 885 Successful wars of the Kiev prince Oleg with the Khazars, Bulgarians and other peoples of the Danube region.

  886 BC The reign began Byzantine emperor Leo VI the Wise (Philosopher) (886-912). Implemented an important change in the old legislation. He fought wars with the Arabs, was defeated in the 894-896 war with Bulgaria.

  898 BC Conclusion of a union treaty between the Ugrians and Russia. The imposition of tribute on Russia for peace and military assistance.

  Con. IX century Invasion of the Pechenegs into the Northern Black Sea region.

  X-XII centuries The folding of the old Russian people.

  903 BC The first mention in the chronicle of Pskov.

  907 BC Hikes of Prince Oleg to the lands of the Vyatichi, Croats and Dulebs.

Prophetic Oleg - the great Russian prince, who finally united the Slavic tribes.

Almost nothing is known about the origin of Oleg. There are only a few theories based on the annals. It is generally accepted that he was not part of the Rurik dynasty. Nevertheless, he played an important role in politics and was close to Rurik. The latter trusted Oleg so much that he made him the regent of his son Igor. After the death of the first prince in 879, Oleg received power, which he could dispose of only until Igor grew up. After receiving the title of prince, he immediately set himself the goal of expanding the influence of Russia.

He began by capturing the territories adjacent to the Dnieper River. He gathered a huge squad, which consisted of the most diverse peoples, and moved south. He met colossal resistance from local tribes. But the princely soldiers were strong, so all opponents were defeated. Now they had to pay a fairly large tribute. He could capture the richest city of Kiev with the help of cunning and dexterity. He did not suddenly attack him. Instead, Oleg decided to pretend to be an overseas merchant. The prince swam to the coast of Kiev on the same boat. The rulers of the city came out to him - princes Askold and Dir, who did not even suspect about the ambush. When they approached a sufficient condition, Oleg's warriors suddenly jumped out of their ships, surrounding the gullible princes. They were killed, and Oleg became the Prince of Kiev. But he did not stop there. Later, he forced to pay tribute to the Drevlyans and the northerners. The prince's authority increased.

The turning point in his life was the campaign against Byzantium. At that time, he had a large army. If Byzantium paid tribute, then Russia would receive colossal income. The Great Campaign to Constantinople took place, which ended in success. His warriors were distinguished by increased cruelty and aggression. All those who opposed them instantly died from the blows of swords and spears. Russian troops plundered small towns and villages. In this regard, the Byzantine government had to make concessions. Oleg demanded 12 pounds of silver, valuable at that time. During the negotiations, the conditions became softer, but the scale of the losses of the Byzantines still remained enormous. In addition, now Russian merchants could trade freely here, they were also endowed with privileges and benefits.

The campaign brought the prince incredible fame, legends began to circulate about him, praising his exploits during the siege of Constantinople. There were stories about the shields nailed by Oleg to the wall of the capital of Byzantium. For the unique abilities of the ruler of Russia, he was named “Prophetic”. Oleg died under mysterious circumstances in 912. There is a theory that he was poisoned by the poison of a snake that bit him while he was visiting the grave of his horse.

Biography 2

Prince Oleg went down in history as a rather enterprising and warlike ruler. The period of his reign was accompanied by rapid growth military and political influence of Kievan Rus.

The origin of Prince Oleg

According to The Tale of Bygone Years, Oleg was a relative of Rurik. Some researchers believe that Oleg was the brother of Rurik's wife. There is no doubt that Oleg was a Scandinavian. In the epic of the peoples of Scandinavia, there are legends that describe a certain prince named Helge, who performed many feats and ruled over the peoples of the Slavs. Most likely, this Helge is Prince Oleg.

The beginning of the reign

In 879, an event occurs that radically changes Oleg's life. The dying prince Rurik delegates to him the right to occupy the Novgorod throne.

As soon as the power was in his hands, Oleg immediately began to crush the Dnieper under his influence along the entire course. Of course, such an event required huge amount warriors, thanks to political persuasion, and in some situations and by force, the prince gained large army... Then he began his march to the south. During his first campaign, Prince Oleg captured: Smolensk, Lyubech and set his sights on the capture of Kiev.

According to The Tale of Bygone Years, in 882, Oleg began military campaign to capture Kiev. However, the princes Askold and Dir were the legitimate rulers of the city, but Oleg quickly resolved this problem. Princes Askold and Dir were killed.

In subsequent years, the prince rather thoroughly dealt with the ordering of the captured lands, a centralized vertical of power was created.

The reign of Prince Oleg after the capture of Kiev

In 907, Oleg began a large military campaign against Byzantium. The Greeks were afraid of the military might of the Slavs and bought off Oleg. According to legend, Oleg nailed his shield to the gates of the city.

In 911, Oleg sent an embassy to Byzantium and concluded a lasting trade agreement. Although already the treaty from this year does not bring the Slavs such significant privileges in trade, which partly indicates the increased military power of Byzantium.

According to The Tale of Bygone Years, the prince died from a snake bite, which was hiding in the remains of a horse. The chronicle itself dates this event to 912.

Alexander Pushkin created many works of different styles and genres. The poet was interested in the history of Russia, studied documents and folklore sources on this topic. As a result, he writes an amazing ballad "". It focuses on the heroic past, and also raises important philosophical questions, such as, for example, is a person subject to his fate?

The central images are Prince Oleg and. First - the main character, a brave Kiev prince. The second is the embodiment of the poet, from no one independent person-creator.

The image of Oleg has a historical prototype. But when creating it, the author used not only reliable historical sources but also a legend. Oleg is known for his successful campaigns and military exploits. It was not only the prince's courage, but also his wisdom, his ability to predict the course of events in the war. For this feature, they nicknamed Oleg the Prophet. When the army of the prince began to defeat the Greeks, they decided to poison the enemy. They brought him a poisoned treat. However, Oleg did not accept him, as he guessed their insidious plan.

But, despite the fact that Oleg was a wise strategist, he knew how to predict events in the war, but he could not foresee his fate. For this, a second important hero, a sorcerer, is introduced into the ballad. It is he who says that Oleg's fate will be decided by his faithful horse. And this is very symbolic, the fact that the great prince will not be killed by a dangerous enemy, but by his most faithful comrade. The magician not only tells Oleg about his fate, but also gives him a capacious description as a brave and invincible prince. This person speaks the truth without fear of punishment. After all, a sorcerer is the image of a freedom-loving poet. Oleg does not want to believe that the horse can harm him. However, he sends his faithful friend away from him.

Is the prince doing the right thing by believing in the prophecy? In fact, he himself refuses to take fate into his own hands. Perhaps the author wants to show us that it is not easy to isolate oneself from fate. There are only two options: either follow fate, or actively resist it. But do not try to get away from her in any way. The prince tried to do so, and he failed.

The prince reveals himself on the good side in love for his faithful comrade in arms, the horse. He always courted him, trusted him as his best ally. And even when he sent him away from himself, believing in the prophecy, he still did not forget about him.

The artistic image of Oleg, created by Pushkin, is much more human than in the annals. Indeed, according to the chronicle, Oleg, having learned about his fate, abandons the horse and does not even want to see him again.

The image of Oleg is the image of a fearless warrior, a wise ruler, who was called prophetic because he easily predicted the course of military events, but could not figure out his own fate.

In 879, leaving his young son Igor, the Novgorod prince Rurik died. The board was taken over by Oleg the Prophet, prince of Novgorod from 879 and Grand Duke Kiev from 882. In an effort to expand his possessions, the prince gathered a fairly strong army. It included the Krivichi, Ilmenian Slavs and representatives of the Finnish tribes. Moving south, Oleg annexed the cities of Smolensk and Lyubech to his possessions. However, the plans of the young ruler were more ambitious. Having surrendered power in the conquered cities to the people loyal to him, the warlike prince moved to Kiev. Oleg's campaign to Kiev was crowned with success. In 882 the city was captured, and its rulers Askold and Dir were killed. Oleg ascended to the Kiev throne. The same year is considered a date.

The reign of Prince Oleg in Kiev began with the strengthening of the city walls and protective structures. The borders of Kievan Rus were also fortified by small fortresses ("outposts"), where the warriors carried out constant service. In 883-885 the prince undertook several successful campaigns. The Slavic tribes that settled along the banks of the Dnieper, the Radimichi who lived on the banks of the Dniester, Bug, Sozh, Drevlyans and northerners were subordinated. By order of Oleg, cities were built in the occupied lands. The conquered tribes were required to pay taxes. Actually, the whole internal policy of Oleg, like other princes of that time, was reduced to collecting taxes.

Oleg's foreign policy was successful. The most important event was the campaign against Byzantium in 907. The prince gathered for this campaign a huge army at that time (according to some sources, up to 80 thousand people). Byzantium, despite the defensive cunning of the Greeks, was captured, the suburbs were plundered. The campaign resulted in a rich tribute, as well as trade benefits for Russian merchants. Five years later, peace with Byzantium was confirmed by the conclusion of a written agreement. It was after this campaign that the great Kiev prince Oleg, the founder of the state of Kievan Rus, began to be called the Prophet (i.e., the sorcerer).

Prince Oleg, one of the greatest rulers of Russia, died in 912. His death is shrouded in legends. According to one of them, the most famous, Oleg asked about his death the sorcerer he met on the road. He predicted the death of the prince from his beloved war horse. The prince never mounted this horse again, but ordered his entourage to take care of him. Many years later, Oleg wished to see the bones of the horse, deciding that the sorcerer was mistaken. He stepped on the skull, and a poisonous snake crawled out of it and stung the prince. After his death, Oleg was buried in Kiev. There is another version of the death of the prince, according to which the warlike Oleg died in battle.

The biography of Oleg, who became the first prince, whose life and deeds are confirmed by the annals, became the source of many legends and literary works... One of them - "The Song of the Prophetic Oleg" - belongs to the pen of A.S. Pushkin.