But the sons were unable to multiply their father's achievements. The struggle for power consumed them so much that it led to the collapse of the principality and loss of political influence.
Descendant of Byzantine kings
Little is known about the mother of Vsevolod Yuryevich, since in 1161 Andrei Bogolyubsky, who came to power, expelled his stepmother and her children from the principality. It is believed that she could have come from the ancient Byzantine family of Komnenos, who ruled at that time. Perhaps she could simply be a relative of the Byzantine emperor, but Yuri Dolgoruky would only choose a wife equal to himself.
Therefore, there is every reason to believe that Princess Olga, as she is usually called, was Byzantine princess. After her exile, she went to Constantinople to see Emperor Manuel. Only at the age of 15 did Vsevolod return to Rus' and make peace with his brother.
Big nest
Vsevolod received his nickname for his fertility. From his first wife Maria Shvarnovna he had 12 children - 8 sons and 4 daughters. The children were named Sbyslava, Verkhuslava (she became the wife of her second cousin Rostislav), Konstantin (Prince of Novgorod), Vseslava, Boris, Gleb, Yuri (Prince of Vladimir), Elena, Yaroslav (Prince of Pereyaslavl), Vladimir, Svyatoslav (Prince of Vladimir and Novgorod) and Ivan (Prince of Starodub).
After the birth of her youngest son, Maria fell ill and vowed to build a monastery. In 1200, the Assumption Monastery was founded in Vladimir, which began to be called Knyaginin. 18 days before her death, she took monastic vows, and Vsevolod and her children accompanied her to the monastery.
“Preparing to die, she called her sons and conjured them to live in love, reminding them of the wise words of the Great Yaroslav that civil strife destroys the Princes and the fatherland, exalted by the labors of their ancestors; “I advised the children to be pious, sober, generally friendly, and especially to respect the elders.”
After her death, Vsevolod married Lyubava, the daughter of the Vitebsk prince Vasilko, but they had no children together.
“Scoop up the Don with helmets”
Vsevolod's reign was marked by the rise of the Vladimir-Suzdal principality. The power of the prince and his army is mentioned in “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign”: “You can splash the Volga with oars, and scoop up the Don with helmets.”
In his reign, he relied on new cities, such as Vladimir and Pereslavl-Zalessky, which had weak boyars, and on the nobles. He even reigned in Kyiv for five weeks, where his elder brother Mikhail put him and Yaropolk Rostislavich in 1173. However, soon the Smolensk princes captured the city, and Vsevolod was captured. Mikhail Yuryevich had to ransom his brother.
After the death of Andrei, Vsevolod entered into a struggle for power in the Vladimir-Suzdal land with his nephews Mstislav and Yaropolk. With the support of Mikhail and the Prince of Chernigov, he managed to defeat his opponents.
In 1176, he defeated Mstislav at the Lipitsa River, and soon defeated Gleb of Ryazan and the Rostislavichs. In addition, Vsevolod also had interests in the south of the state, which led to a new internecine war. He achieved recognition of himself as the eldest in the Manomakhovich family and demanded the land of Rurik’s son-in-law in the Kiev region. True, after concluding peace with the Olgovichi, Vsevolod lost these lands, but in 1201 he managed to plant Ingvar Yaroslavich, whom he liked, in Kyiv.
In 1205, a new war broke out due to the fact that Vsevolod’s son wanted to occupy Galich and quarreled with the Olgovichs because of this. During the civil strife, Vsevolod went to the Ryazan principality, imprisoned his son there, and in response to the uprising he burned Ryazan. Soon the Olgovichi offered peace to Vsevolod, divided the principalities, and, as a sign of the strength of the alliance, gave the Chernigov princess to Yuri Vsevolodovich.
Greedy son
Vsevolod always strived for his sons to rule the lands and follow the commandments of their parents. Sending his eldest son Constantine to Novgorod, he said: “My son, Constantine, God has placed upon you the eldership of all your brothers, and Novgorod the Great to have the eldership of the princess in the entire Russian land.”
But when in 1211 the question of succession to the throne arose, the eldest son, blinded by greed, demanded both older cities - Vladimir and Rostov - for himself, and offered to give Suzdal to Yuri. Then Vsevolod called for help from boyars, priests, merchants, nobles and people from his other lands to help judge. The council confirmed the prince's decision to deprive Constantine of the right to great reign in favor of Yuri.
Yuri became the prince of Vladimir, while Konstantin, despite his seniority, got Rostov. After the death of Vsevolod the Big Nest, a new civil strife will begin because of this. The sons will not be able to maintain the integrity and power of the Vladimir-Suzdal land, it will disintegrate into appanage principalities, and the Vladimir princes will never again have influence on southern Russian affairs.
Vsevolod Yuryevich Big Nest (baptized Dmitry, 1154 - April 15, 1212) - Grand Duke Vladimir from 1176, for five weeks (from February to March 24, 1173) was the Grand Duke of Kyiv. The tenth son of Yuri Dolgoruky, half-brother of Andrei Bogolyubsky, Byzantine on his mother’s side. He had a large offspring - 12 children (including 8 sons), so he received the nickname “Big Nest”. In Russian historiography he is sometimes called Vsevolod III.
The people of Rostov and Suzdal had no sympathy for Andrei Bogolyubsky, because he did not respect oldest cities North-Eastern Rus', giving preference to the young city of Vladimir-on-Klyazma. Vladimir was inhabited mainly by ordinary people who lived by the construction trade.
“These are our slaves, masons,” arrogant residents of Rostov and Suzdal spoke of the Vladimir residents. After the death of Andrei, they gave the grand-ducal “table” not to his son Yuri, who then ruled in Novgorod, but to his nephews Yaropolk and Mstislav Rostislavich. The people of Vladimir invited Andrei Bogolyubsky’s younger brother, Mikhail Yuryevich.
This immediately caused hostility between the old and new cities. The Rostislavichs, having added the Murom, Pereyaslav, and Ryazan regiments to their squads, besieged Vladimir. The people of Vladimir could not resist for long and, after surviving a seven-week siege, they asked Prince Mikhail to leave the city. So Yaropolk established himself on the Vladimir table, and Mstislav became the prince of Rostov and Suzdal.
The new princes behaved like conquerors in the northeastern capital. Yaropolk, for example, on the very first day of his stay in Vladimir, took possession of the keys to the sacristy of the Assumption Cathedral, took away from the cathedral the lands granted by Andrei Bogolyubsky, and eventually gave away the main shrine of the city - the icon of Vladimir Mother of God- Ryazan Prince Gleb. The squad did not lag behind the prince in the matter of profit.
Offended by the incessant robberies, the residents of Vladimir again called on Mikhail Yuryevich to reign. His army managed to defeat the Rostislavich squad, and Grand Duke Mikhail “with honor and glory” entered the capital city..
The first thing he did upon ascending the throne of Vladimir was to return to the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary all the property and privileges taken away by Yaropolk. The miraculous icon was also returned to Vladimir. Thus, the prince won the sincere sympathy of the townspeople.
But the rejoicing of the Vladimir residents did not last long: in 1176, Mikhail died. Residents of the city unanimously swore allegiance to his brother Vsevolod Yuryevich.
Vsevolod’s fate at first was unenviable. Exiled by his brother Andrei Bogolyubsky to Byzantium, he hung around with his mother and two brothers in a foreign land for several years, then returned to his homeland and reigned, according to some information, in Gorodets.
Having taken the Vladimir throne, Vsevolod Yuryevich ruled for 36 years, all these years continuing the policy of his brother Andrei, expanding and strengthening the Vladimir-Suzdal principality. He also had to pacify his own subjects, since, unlike Southern Rus', where the princely families were at enmity with each other (with the indifferent attitude of the urban population), in the northeast there was a struggle between the old cities of Rostov and Suzdal against the young ones: Vladimir, Pereslavl-Zalessky, Yuryev-Polsky, Moscow and others.
Immediately after Vsevolod’s accession, the Rostovites called Mstislav Rostislavich to themselves, proclaimed him prince and demanded that Vladimir be subjugated. The cautious Vsevolod was ready to settle the matter peacefully. But the negotiations reached a dead end, and we had to fight. In the battle of Yuryev, the Vladimir people defeated Mstislav’s army. Thus Rostov the Great was finally conquered.
Mstislav could not come to terms with this and turned to Gleb, the Ryazan prince, for help. And again Vsevolod Yuryevich defeated his rebellious relatives, capturing Mstislav himself, Gleb and his son Roman. The joy of victory did not cool the bitterness that had accumulated among the residents of Vladimir against the captured princes. “Judgment without mercy for those who themselves did not know mercy,” they pronounced the sentence.
To calm the townspeople, Vsevolod imprisoned the prisoners and forced the Ryazan people to hand over Mstislav’s brother Yaropolk to him. But he did not want to shed the blood of the Rurikovichs. Moreover, Svyatoslav, the prince of Chernigov, the bishop of Chernigov, and the Ryazan princess asked for the prisoners. For two years Vsevolod delayed deciding the fate of the captured princes. During this time, the Ryazan prince Gleb died, and his son was sent home on condition of complete submission to the Grand Duke.
With the Rostislavichs - Yaropolk and Mstislav - it turned out differently. The people of Vladimir, having learned that negotiations were underway for their release, approached the princely court with a demand to blind the hated destroyers of shrines. The prince had to fulfill the will of the rebellious residents, after which the Rostislavichs were released to Smolensk. (According to other sources, the peace-loving Vsevolod only imitated blindness, because former prisoners soon they “saw the light” while praying in the Church of Saints Boris and Gleb.)
Thus, Vsevolod Yuryevich managed to establish his power in the northeast and finally consolidate the supremacy of Vladimir-on-Klyazma. Vsevolod was the first to accept the title of Grand Duke of Vladimir. IN late XII century, he founded the cities of Tver and Khlynov (Vyatka) and forced the Ryazan princes to submit. In order to avoid internecine unrest, Vsevolod, following the example of Andrei Bogolyubsky, expelled his nephews from their volosts and became “autocracy” in North-Eastern Rus'.
Boris Chorikov. Grand Duke Vsevolod frees Roman from prison. 1177
Without leaving the banks of the Klyazma, Vsevolod also ruled Southern Russia. There, after the death of Bogolyubsky, new strength Enmity flared up between the Monomakhovichs and the descendants of Oleg Gorislavich, complicated by infighting within these dynasties. The Kiev “table” continued to be considered great, but not a single ruler felt confident on it without the favorable attitude of the Prince of Vladimir. In 1194, the Smolensk prince Rurik Rostislavich, who unconditionally recognized the seniority of the Vladimir prince, was placed on the “zlatstol” “from the hand” of Vsevolod.
Having strengthened himself, Vsevolod dealt imperiously with Mister Veliky Novgorod. He imprisoned and deposed princes there by his own will, violated the Novgorod “old times”, innocently executed the Novgorod “ the best people" In 1210, the Novgorodians did not recognize the son of Grand Duke Vsevolod, Svyatoslav, as ruler, and plundered his court. Vsevolod, in retaliation, cut off communication routes between Novgorod and the grain-producing regions and left the city without food. Then the Novgorodians were helped by Prince Mstislav Mstislavich Udaloy, the grandson of the Smolensk prince Rostislav, the great-grandson of Monomakh. He was already ready to speak out against Vsevolod, but he did not bring the matter to war and limited himself to the exchange of prisoners.
Even in distant Galician Rus' they felt the hand of the Vladimir “autocrat”. When the son of Yaroslav Osmomysl, Prince Vladimir, with the help of foreign mercenaries, expelled the son of the Hungarian king from Galich, in order to strengthen himself in the city, he asked Vsevolod Yuryevich: “Keep Galich under me, and I am God’s and yours with all Galich and always in your will.” .
The authority of the powerful Vsevolod was supported by the valor of his army and the luck of the brave ruler in battle. Usually he tried to resolve the conflict peacefully, but when it came to swords, the prudent prince did not rush, like Bogolyubsky, headlong at the head of his squad into battle “without time and place.” Vsevolod selected a convenient, dominant position in advance and patiently waited for the enemy on it. It was very difficult to throw him from that position. No wonder the author of “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign” complained about the absence of Vsevolod in Southern Rus' during the time of princely strife and Polovtsian raids: “Grand Duke Vsevolod! Can’t you even mentally fly from afar to watch over your father’s golden table? You can splash the Volga with oars and scoop up the Don with helmets!”
The years of the reign of Vsevolod the Big Nest turned out to be beneficial for North-Eastern Rus'. There were no attacks from outside, and the prince overcame internal strife. This was a period when the economy and culture of the Zalessk land intensively developed. A wonderful monument of that era is the Dmitrievsky Cathedral in Vladimir, “marvelously decorated” with stone carvings. Strict and majestic, the temple resembles a fairy-tale hero guarding the borders native land. And if the Church of the Intercession on the Nerl can be compared to a lyrical poem, then the Demetrius Cathedral is an epic about a harsh and heroic time.
An icon commissioned by Demetrius-Vsevolod depicting his namesake saint
Not only temples, but also civil structures were built from stone. Under Vsevolod, stone fortifications surrounded Vladimir, Suzdal, Pereyaslavl-Zalessky, and Chernigov Oster. The “architects” were mainly Greeks, but gradually masters began to appear among the Russian people: it was no coincidence that the residents of Rostov and Suzdal called the residents of Vladimir skilled in architecture “masons.” When it was necessary to renovate the Church of the Mother of God in Suzdal, both architects and stone craftsmen were found in this city.
Vsevolod Yuryevich was nicknamed “Big Nest” for his large family. He had twelve children. And he tried to endow all his sons with estates. From the Vsevolodovichs came the dynasties of Moscow, Suzdal, and Tver princes. And again dividing the lands into inheritances, Vsevolod sowed discord between the brothers. The disastrous shoots of this enmity began to sprout during his lifetime.
In 1212, the Grand Duke, already seriously ill, summoned his eldest son, Constantine, who reigned there, from Rostov the Great. Vsevolod intended him to be his heir and ordered him to cede Rostov to his brother Yuri. Konstantin became stubborn, because he was afraid not to retain seniority for Vladimir-on-Klyazma, and asked his father to leave both cities behind him. The angry Vsevolod, on the advice of the bishop, deprived his eldest son of the grand-ducal throne, and appointed Yuri Vsevolodovich as his successor. In April of the same year, Vsevolod the Big Nest died.
But only in 1218 did Prince Yuri manage to take power over his older brother and take possession of the bequeathed throne. This finally broke the old tradition of inheriting power by seniority. From now on, the will of the “unique ruler” began to mean more than the centuries-old “antiquity”.
Family and Children
1st wife - Princess Maria Shvarnovna of Yassy, sister of the wife of Mstislav of Chernigov.
Maria Shvarnovna (c.1171 - March 19, 1205 (1206), Vladimir) - wife of the Grand Duke Vladimirsky Vsevolod Big Nest, princess of Yassy (in later sources mistakenly called Czech).
In her marriage to Grand Duke Vsevolod Yuryevich (Georgievich), she gave birth to 12 children, including 8 sons (of which four (Konstantin, Yuri (George), Yaroslav, Svyatoslav), later were, at different times, Grand Dukes of Vladimir) and 4 daughters.
In the last years of her life, Grand Duchess Maria was seriously ill and vowed to found a monastery, and in 1200, at her insistence, the Assumption Monastery was founded in the city of Vladimir, which later became known in her honor as the Assumption (Princess) Monastery. Thanks to her efforts and patronage, the monastery was quickly built and developed. Mary herself took monastic vows and received the name Martha as a monk. She died and was buried in the Assumption Cathedral of the monastery. The monastery later served as the ancestral tomb of the princesses and princesses of the Vladimir grand-ducal house.
2nd wife - Lyubava, daughter of Vasilko Bryachislavich of Polotsk-Vitebsk.
Konstantin (1186-1218) - Prince of Novgorod, Prince of Rostov and Grand Duke of Vladimir;
Boris (†1188);
Gleb (†1189);
Yuri (1188-1238) - Grand Duke of Vladimir;
Yaroslav (1191-1246) - Grand Duke of Vladimir;
Vladimir (1193-1227) - Prince of Starodub;
Vladimir (Dmitry) Vsevolodovich (October 26, 1192 - January 6, 1227), appanage prince of Pereyaslavsky (1213-1215), Starodubsky (1217-1227), son of the Grand Duke of Vladimir Vsevolod the Big Nest and Princess Maria Shvarnovna.
At the age of 15 he accompanied his father on a campaign against Chernigov; after the death of Vsevolod the Big Nest (1212) he remained in Yuryev-Polsky. By the will of the situation that developed after the death of his father, he was forced to take part in the internecine war of his older brothers: Konstantin and Yuri (George).
In 1213, he left Yuryev (since Yuryev-Polsky was received as an inheritance from his father by his brother Svyatoslav) first to Volok Lamsky, and then to Moscow and occupied it, taking it from Yuri (George) Vsevolodovich. Later, together with his squad and Muscovites, he went to the city of Dmitrov (the city of his brother Yaroslav Vsevolodovich). The Dmitrovites burned all the settlements, locked themselves in the fortress and repelled all attacks. Vladimir, having received news of the approach of Yaroslav’s squad, left the city back to Moscow, losing part of his squad, which was killed by the Dmitrovites who were chasing the retreating ones. Yaroslav together with Yuri (George) went to Moscow, and Prince Yuri (George) Vsevolodovich sent to tell Vladimir: ... “Come to me, don’t be afraid, I won’t eat you, you’re my brother.” Vladimir accepted the offer and during the negotiations the brothers decided that Vladimir would give Moscow back to Yuri (George), and he himself would go to reign in Pereyaslavl-Yuzhny. Here Vladimir married Princess Efimiya, the daughter of Prince Gleb Svyatoslavich of Chernigov, and reigned until 1215, when in a battle with the Polovtsians he was captured, from which he was released in 1218. After his release from captivity, he received Starodub as an inheritance, where he reigned until his death.
According to the Laurentian Chronicle, in 1224 Vladimir, together with his nephew Vsevolod Konstantinovich, was sent by his brother Yuri on a military campaign, however, the purpose of the campaign does not indicate the purpose of the campaign, placing the event between the installation of Metropolitan Kirill in Kiev (which occurred on January 6, 1225) and the large-scale invasion of the Lithuanians in Novgorod land and the Smolensk principality, which ended with the battle of Usvyat (until the spring of 1225). The Novgorod chronicles report that Vladimir and his son took part in the campaign led by Yaroslav against the Lithuanians, but nothing is known about Vladimir’s children. Perhaps we are talking about Mstislav Udatny’s brother Vladimir Mstislavich and his son Yaroslav.
Vladimir died after taking the schema in 1227. The Principality of Starodubskoe again became part of the lands of the Grand Duchy of Vladimir.
Svyatoslav (1196-1252) - Grand Duke of Vladimir;
Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich (March 27, 1196 - February 3, 1252) - Grand Duke of Vladimir (1246-1248), son of Vsevolod Yuryevich, baptized Gabriel. During his life, Prince Svyatoslav reigned in Novgorod, Pereslavl-Zalessky, Suzdal, and Vladimir.
As a four-year-old child, he was appointed to reign in Novgorod, and then was replaced by his older brother, Constantine in 1206 and again returned to Novgorod in 1208.
In 1212, after the death of his father, Svyatoslav received the city of Yuryev-Polsky as an inheritance. During his reign in 1230-1234, the St. George Cathedral was built on the foundation of the white-stone church of the Holy Great Martyr George, “wonderfully, he decorated the saints’ faces and feasts with carved stone from the base to the top, and he himself was a master.” In the cathedral there is a relief composition, traditionally called the “Svyatoslav Cross”, at the base of which there is a stone with an inscription dedicated to Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich.
In 1220, Svyatoslav, at the head of the Vladimir army, was sent by his elder brother Yuri against the Volga Bulgarians. The expedition was a river expedition and ended with the victory of Russian troops at Ochelle.
In 1222, Svyatoslav, at the head of the Vladimir army, was sent by Yuri to help the Novgorodians and their prince Vsevolod, Yuri's son. A 12,000-strong Russian army, in alliance with the Lithuanians, invaded the territory of the order and ravaged the outskirts of Wenden.
In 1226, Svyatoslav, together with his younger brother Ivan, at the head of the Vladimir army, was sent by Yuri against the Mordovians and won.
In 1229, Svyatoslav was sent by Yuri to Pereyaslavl-Yuzhny.
In 1234, Svyatoslav founded the Church of St. George in Yuryev-Polsky.
In 1238 he took part in the Battle of the City. From his brother Yaroslav, who took the Vladimir throne, he received the Suzdal principality as an inheritance.
In 1246, Yaroslav died, and Svyatoslav took the grand-ducal throne according to the old right of inheritance. He distributed the principality to his nephews, the seven sons of Yaroslav, but the Yaroslavichs were dissatisfied with this distribution. In 1248, he was expelled by his nephew Mikhail Yaroslavich Khorobrit, who soon died in a battle with the Lithuanians on the Protva River. Then Svyatoslav himself defeated the Lithuanians at Zubtsov. The reign of Vladimir, by the will of Yaroslav and by the will of Guyuk, went to Andrei Yaroslavich.
In 1250, Svyatoslav and his son Dmitry traveled to the Horde. According to historian A.V. Ekzemplyarsky, this was an unsuccessful trip with an attempt to return the grand ducal throne. Historian V.A. Kuchkin notes that although the chronicles do not explicitly speak about the purpose of this trip, such trips of Russian princes with their sons-heirs to the khans usually took place when it came to assigning their principalities-fatherland to the Rurikovichs. Considering that Svyatoslav’s grandson already bore the nickname of Yuryevsky, Kuchkin makes the assumption that by that time Svyatoslav owned the Yuryevsky principality.
After a short great reign in Vladimir, Prince Svyatoslav returned to Yuryev-Polsky. Here he founded a male princely monastery in honor of Archangel Michael.
The holy prince lived the last days of his life pleasing to God, in fasting and prayer, purity and repentance. Died on February 3, 1252. His body was laid in the Cathedral of the Holy Great Martyr George, which he built. The relics of the Holy Blessed Grand Duke Svyatoslav were rediscovered in 1991 and placed in the Holy Protection Church in the city of Yuryev-Polsky, “where to this day they are kept by God and the gift of healing is given to those who come with faith.”
Marriage and children
The wife is Princess Evdokia Davydovna of Murom, the daughter of Prince Davyd Yuryevich of Murom and his wife Princess Fevronia (in monasticism Euphrosyne), who are revered by Saints Peter and Fevronia, patrons of the family in Russia.
Prince Svyatoslav sent his wife Evdokia in 1228 to the Murom Boris and Gleb Monastery, where she was tonsured a monk on July 24 on the feast of Boris and Gleb. The princess lived in the monastery until her death and was buried there; her remains are still there.
Son: Dmitry, according to the ancient calendar he was revered as a saint
Ivan (1198-1247) - Prince of Starodub.
Ivan Vsevolodovich (August 28, 1197/1198 - 1247) - appanage prince of Starodub from 1238 to 1247. Nickname, according to some genealogies, Kasha, the youngest of the sons of Vsevolod Yuryevich (Big Nest).
After the death of his father, he took part in the struggle of his older brothers, Konstantin and Yuri, for the grand-ducal table, holding the side of the second (1212-1213).
In 1226, together with his older brother Svyatoslav, he led the successful campaign of the Vladimir troops against Mordovians.
After the invasion of Batu, Grand Duke Yaroslav Vsevolodovich gave Starodub, which had just been ravaged by the Tatars, as an inheritance to Ivan. In 1246 Ivan traveled with Yaroslav to the Horde.
He had an only son (his wife has not been identified) - Mikhail.
***
History of Russian Goverment
XI. ANDREY BOGOLYUBSKY. VSEVOLOD THE BIG NEST AND HIS SONS
(continuation)
The unrest that followed the murder of Andrei aroused in the best, most prosperous part of the population a desire to quickly end the anarchy, i.e. call upon the princes, without whom Ancient Rus' I could not even imagine the existence of any kind of social order, and especially of any external security. Boyars and warriors from Rostov, Suzdal, Pereyaslavl came to Vladimir and, together with the Vladimir squad, they began to communicate about which of the descendants of Yuri Dolgoruky to call to reign. Many voices pointed to the need to hurry with this matter, because the neighboring princes, Murom and Ryazan, would perhaps take it into their head to take revenge for previous oppression from Suzdal and would come in an army, taking advantage of the fact that there was no prince in the Suzdal land. This fear was fair; for at that time the stern, enterprising Prince Gleb Rostislavich was sitting on the Ryazan table. There is even reason to assume that the aforementioned unrest in the Suzdal land and the very murder of Andrei Bogolyubsky occurred not without some participation of Gleb Ryazansky, through the mediation of his supporters and minions. At the Vladimir Congress we find his ambassadors, namely two Ryazan boyars Dedilts and Boris.
In addition to the young son of Yuri of Novgorod, Andrei left behind his two younger brothers, Mikhail and Vsevolod, who were his brothers on his father’s side, not his mother’s, having been born from Dolgoruky’s second wife. He also had two nephews, Mstislav and Yaropolk Rostislavich. Under the influence of the Ryazan ambassadors, the majority of the congress leaned towards the nephews, who were suryas to Gleb Ryazansky; since he was married to their sister. The congress sent several men to the Ryazan prince with a request to add his ambassadors to them and send them all together for their brothers-in-law. Both Andrei’s brothers and nephews lived at that time with the Chernigov prince Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich. Obviously, not all Suzdal residents wanted nephews; some still remembered the oath given to Dolgoruky to place his youngest sons on their table. In addition, the Chernigov prince patronized the Yuryevichs more than the Rostislavichs. Therefore, things worked out in such a way that all four princes went to the Rostov-Suzdal land to reign in it together; eldership was recognized for Mikhalko Yuryevich; on which they swore an oath before the Bishop of Chernigov. Mikhalko and one of the Rostislavichs, Yaropolk, rode ahead. But when they reached Moscow, they were met here by a new embassy, actually from the Rostovites, who announced to Mikhalka that he should wait in Moscow, and Yaropolk was invited to go further. Obviously, the Rostovites did not like the Chernigov agreement on the joint reign of the Yuryevichs with the Rostislavichs and on the seniority of Mikhalko. But the residents of Vladimir accepted the latter and seated him on their table.
Then a struggle or civil strife between uncles and nephews began - a struggle that was interesting especially for different attitude Suzdal cities to it. The oldest of them, Rostov, of course, looked with displeasure at the preference that Andrei showed to the younger Vladimir in front of him. Now the time has come for the Rostovites, it seemed a convenient time to restore their former primacy and humble Vladimir. Calling it their “suburb,” the Rostovites demanded that he submit to their decisions, following the example of other Russian lands: “For from the beginning, the Novgorodians, Smolnyans, Kievans, Polochans and all the authorities, as if in a Duma at a meeting, converge, and on what the elders decide, on that and the suburbs will become." Irritated by the pride of the Vladimir residents, the Rostovites said: “After all, these are our slaves and masons; we will burn Vladimir or we will install our mayor in it again.” In this struggle, another older city, Suzdal, stood on the side of Rostov; and Pereyaslavl-Zalessky discovered hesitation between the opponents. The Rostov and Suzdal residents gathered a large army, received additional help from the Murom and Ryazan residents, besieged Vladimir, and after a stubborn defense forced it to temporarily submit to their decision. Mikhalko retired again to Chernigov; the elder Rostislavich Mstislav sat in Rostov, and the younger Yaropolk sat in Vladimir. These young, inexperienced princes completely submitted to the influence of the Rostov boyars, who, through all sorts of lies and oppression, hastened to enrich themselves at the expense of the people. In addition, Rostislav brought with him South Russian warriors, who also received positions as posadniks and tiuns and also began to oppress the people with sales (penalties) and vira. Yaropolk's advisers even seized the keys to the storerooms of the Assumption Cathedral, began to plunder its treasures, take away from him the villages and tributes approved for him by Andrei. Yaropolk allowed his ally and brother-in-law Gleb of Ryazan to take possession of some church treasures, such as books, vessels and even the miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary.
When in this way not only the political pride of the Vladimir people was insulted, but also their religious feeling was affected, then they entered with even greater energy and again called the Yuryevichs from Chernigov. Mikhalko appeared with the Chernigov auxiliary squad and expelled the Rostislavichs from the Suzdal land. Grateful to Vladimir, he again established the main princely table in him; and he imprisoned his brother Vsevolod in Pereyaslavl-Zalessky. Rostov and Suzdal were again humiliated, not receiving a special prince. Mikhalko lived for a long time in Southern Rus' and was distinguished by his military exploits there, especially against the Polovtsians. Having established himself in Vladimir, he immediately forced Gleb of Ryazan to return the main shrine of Vladimir, i.e. the icon of the Mother of God, and everything that was stolen by him from the Assumption Church.
But already in the next 1177 Mikhalko died, and the younger Yuryevich Vsevolod settled in Vladimir. The Rostov boyars tried again to challenge Vladimir's primacy and again called the Rostislavichs to reign. The same Gleb Ryazansky again acted as their zealous ally. He, with hired crowds of Polovtsians, entered the Suzdal land, burned Moscow, rushed straight through the forests to Vladimir and plundered Bogolyubov with its Nativity Church. Meanwhile, Vsevolod, having received help from the Novgorodians and Svyatoslav of Chernigov, went to the Ryazan land; but, hearing that Gleb was already ravaging the outskirts of his capital, he hurried back and met the enemy on the banks of the Koloksha River, which flows into the Klyazma on the left. Gleb suffered a complete defeat here, was captured and soon died in custody. Both Rostislavichs were also captured by Vsevolod; but then, at the request of the Chernigov prince, they were released to relatives in Smolensk.
Vsevolod III, nicknamed the Big Nest, began his reign with such a brilliant victory, who again united the entire Rostov-Suzdal land in his hands.
Vsevolod spent his youth in different places, in the midst of various circumstances and changes in his destiny, which greatly contributed to the development of his practical, flexible mind and governmental abilities. By the way, while still a child, he and his mother and brothers (expelled by Andrei from Suzdal) spent some time in Byzantium, from where he could take away many instructive impressions; then he lived for a long time in Southern Rus', where he became skilled in military affairs. By pacifying the seditious Rostovites with a victory over a hostile neighbor, the Ryazan prince, and the final rise of the Vladimir people, Vsevolod became their favorite from the very beginning; They attributed his success to the special patronage of their shrine, the miraculous icon of the Mother of God. Vsevolod’s very behavior at the first stages of his reign is tinged with some gentleness and good nature. After the victory at Koloksha, the Vladimir boyars and merchants almost rebelled because the prince left the captives of Rostov, Suzdal and Ryazan free; in order to calm the excitement, he was forced to put them in prisons. Something similar happened again a few years later, during the siege of the Novgorod suburb of Torzhok: when the prince delayed the attack, as if sparing the city, his squad began to grumble, saying: “We didn’t come to kiss them,” and the prince was forced to take the city on his shield. From the same data of historians we have every right to conclude that some prominent features in the activities of the famous North Russian prince, in addition to his personal character, were determined environment, the character of the North Russian population.
Obviously, the unsuccessful end that befell Andrei’s attempt to introduce complete autocracy, according to natural historical law, led to the so-called. a reaction in favor of those whom he tried to completely subjugate to his will, that is, in favor of the boyars and squad. During the civil strife that occurred after his death, the Rostov and Suzdal boyars were defeated and humiliated, but only in order to join their victors, the boyars and warriors of Vladimir, and have common interests with them. As in other regions of Rus', the northeastern cities during these unrest show devotion to their princely family (the descendants of Dolgoruky) and do not call princes from any other branch. But they also do not place them on their table unconditionally, but only according to a certain row, or agreement. So, regarding the aforementioned oppression of the people from the alien warriors of Yaropolk Rostislavich, the people of Vladimir began to hold meetings, at which it was said in the following sense: “We, of our own free will, accepted the prince and established ourselves with him by kissing the cross; and these (South Russians) are not at all appropriate to sit at us and rob someone else's volost. Make a living, brothers!" In the same way, not without success, the people of Vladimir imprisoned Mikhalko, and then Vsevolod. This series, of course, consisted of a confirmation of old customs that ensured the advantages of the military class or boyars and squads, as well as some rights of zemstvo people in relation to court and administration. Consequently, in North-Eastern Rus' we still see the same customs and relations of the squad towards their princes, as in Southern Russia, the same city councils. However, all the northern princes, up to and including Vsevolod, spent part of their lives in Southern Rus', had possessions there and brought many Southern Russians with them to the north, including Kievites. Northern Rus' was still fed by Kievan customs and legends, so to speak, by Kievan citizenship.
At the same time, however, those features of difference begin to emerge, which subsequently developed and gave North-Eastern Rus' a different shade compared to Kievan Russia. The boyars and squad in the north take on a more zemstvo connotation than in the south, more sedentary and landowning; they are closer to other classes and do not represent such a predominance in military strength as in the south. Like the Novgorod militia, the Suzdal militia is primarily a zemstvo army, with boyars and a squad at the head. The North-Eastern squad is less separating its benefits from the interests of the land; it is more united with the rest of the population and more assists the princes in their political and economic concerns. In a word, in North-Eastern Rus' we see the beginnings of more state-based relations. Some features of the Suzdal boyars seemed to resemble the ambitious aspirations of the contemporary Galician boyars. But in the north it could not find equally favorable soil for its claims. The population here was distinguished by a less impressionable and mobile, more reasonable character; there were no Ugrians or Poles in the neighborhood, connections with whom were fed and supported by internal sedition. On the contrary, as soon as the Suzdal land calmed down under the firm, intelligent rule of Vsevolod III, the northern boyars became his zealous assistant. Being cooler and more cautious than his older brother, Vsevolod not only did not enter into an open fight with the boyars, but caressed them, outwardly observed old customs and relationships and used their advice in zemstvo affairs. In the person of Vsevolod III, in general, we see a prince who presented a wonderful example of the northern, or Great Russian, character, active, prudent, home-conscious, capable of steadily pursuing his goal, of cruel or gentle behavior, depending on the circumstances, in a word, those very traits , on which the state building of great Russia was built.
When the unrest caused by the murder of Andrei ended, and Vsevolod restored autocracy in the Rostov-Suzdal principality, then it became possible to restore its dominance over the neighboring Russian regions, Novgorod, on the one hand, and Murom-Ryazan, on the other. The desire for this predominance was not just a personal matter Prince of Vladimir, but also his boyars, squads and people, who were aware of their superiority in strength and had already become accustomed to such dominance under Yuri Dolgoruky and Andrei Bogolyubsky. In review Novgorod history we saw how Vsevolod managed to again establish Suzdal influence in Veliky Novgorod and give it princes from his own hands. He achieved even more decisive dominance in the Ryazan region. This region, after Gleb, who died in captivity in Vladimir, was divided by his sons, who recognized themselves as dependent on Vsevolod and sometimes turned to him to resolve their disputes. But here the Suzdal influence collided with the Chernigov influence, since the Ryazan princes were a junior branch of the Chernigov ones. Vsevolod had to quarrel with his benefactor Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich, who considered himself the head of not only the Chernigov-Seversk princes, but also the Ryazan princes, intervened in their feuds, and also supported Novgorod the Great in its struggle with Suzdal and planted his son there. It came to an open rupture.
The Chernigov prince, together with the Seversky squads and hired Polovtsians, undertook a campaign to the Suzdal land. Near the mouth of the Tvertsa, the Novgorodians, brought by his son (Vladimir), joined them. Having devastated the banks of the Volga, Svyatoslav, not reaching forty miles from Pereyaslavl-Zalessky, met Vsevolod III, who, in addition to the Suzdal regiments, had with him auxiliary squads from Ryazan and Murom. Despite the impatience of those around him, cautious and calculating like a true northern prince, Vsevolod did not want to risk a decisive battle with the southern Russian regiments, known for their military prowess; and began to wait for the enemy beyond the Vlena River (the left tributary of the Dubna, which flows into the Volga). He located his camp on its steep banks in an area crossed by ravines and hills. Both troops stood for two weeks, looking at each other with opposite bank. Vsevolod ordered the Ryazan princes to make an unexpected night attack. The Ryazan people broke into Svyatoslav’s camp and created confusion there. But when Vsevolod Trubchevsky ("buy-tour" "Tales of Igor's Campaign") arrived to help the Chernigov residents, the Ryazan residents fled, losing many killed and captured. In vain Svyatoslav sent to Vsevolod with a proposal to resolve the matter by the Court of God and asked for this to retreat from the shore so that he could cross. Vsevolod detained the ambassadors and did not answer. Meanwhile, spring was approaching: fearing a flood, Svyatoslav abandoned the convoy and hurried to leave (1181). The following year, the rivals restored their old friendship and became related by the marriage of one of Svyatoslav’s sons to Vsevolod’s sister-in-law, Princess Yasskaya. And soon afterwards (in 1183), when Vsevolod planned a campaign against the Kama Bolgars and asked Svyatoslav for help, he sent him a detachment with his son Vladimir.
This last war arose as a result of the robberies to which Bulgarian ships were subjected on the Oka and Volga from the Ryazan and Murom freemen. Having not received satisfaction for their grievances, the Bulgarians armed the ship's army, in turn devastated the outskirts of Murom and even reached Ryazan itself. The campaign of Vsevolod III therefore had the significance of the general defense of Russian lands from foreigners. In addition to the Suzdal, Ryazan and Murom regiments, Chernigov and Smolny residents took part in it. Up to eight princes gathered in Vladimir-on-Klyazma. The Grand Duke happily feasted with his guests for several days, and then on May 20 set out with them on a campaign. The Suzdal residents of Klyazma descended into the Oka and here united with the allied regiments. The cavalry went through the field past the Mordovian villages, and the ship's army sailed along the Volga. Having reached one Volga island called Isady, the princes stopped the ships here under the cover of a predominantly Belozersk squad with the governor Thomas Laskovich; and with the rest of the army and cavalry they entered the land of the Silver Bulgarians. The Grand Duke made peace with the neighboring Mordovian tribes, and they willingly sold food supplies to the Russian army. On the way, the Russians were unexpectedly joined by another Polovtsian detachment, which was brought by one of the Bulgarian princes against their fellow tribesmen. Obviously, in Kama Bulgaria the same civil strife occurred as in Rus', and the Bulgarian rulers also brought steppe barbarians onto their land. Russian army approached the "Great City", that is, to main capital. The young princes galloped up to the very gates and fought with the enemy infantry fortified near them. Vsevolod’s nephew Izyaslav Glebovich especially distinguished himself for his courage; but an enemy arrow pierced him through the armor under the heart, so that he was carried dead to the Russian camp. The mortal wound of his beloved nephew greatly saddened Vsevolod; he stood for ten days under the city; and, without taking it, went back. Meanwhile, the Belozersk people who remained with the ships were attacked by the devious Bulgarians who sailed along the Volga from the cities of Sobekul and Chelmat; The Bulgarians, called Temtyuz, and the cavalry from Torchesk also joined with them; the number of attackers reached up to 5000. The enemies were defeated. They were in a hurry to leave in their uchans; but Russian boats pursued them and sank more than 1,000 people. The Russian infantry returned home in the same order, i.e. on ships; and the cavalry also went through the lands of Mordva, with which this time there were hostile clashes.
The body of Izyaslav Glebovich, who died dearly, was brought to Vladimir and buried in the golden-domed Church of the Virgin Mary. His brother, Vladimir Glebovich, as we saw, reigned in Southern Pereyaslavl and distinguished himself by his heroism during the invasion of Konchak of Polovetsky. If not about these Glebovichs, then about the Ryazan ones, “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign” recalls when it turns to the power of the Suzdal prince: “Grand Duke Vsevolod! You can scatter the oars of the Volga and pour out the helmets of the Don. Even if you were (here), you would be a chaga (captive) in your legs, and a koschei in a cut. You can shoot live shereshirs (throwing weapons) on dry land, daring sons of Gleb.” That such an appeal was not just rhetoric and that Vsevolod took to heart the grievances of the Russian land from the barbarians is shown by his great campaign against the Polovtsians, undertaken in the spring of 1199 with the Suzdal and Ryazan regiments. He reached the Polovtsian winter quarters on the banks of the Don and destroyed them; The Polovtsy did not dare to fight him; with their wagons and herds they went to the sea itself.
The restless Ryazan princes, with their infighting and indignation, caused a lot of trouble for Vsevolod. He made several trips to their land and completely subjugated it. Princes of the neighboring Smolensk region his eldership was also revered. As for Southern Rus', even during the life of the energetic Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich, the influence of the Suzdal prince was restored there. The latter could interfere in the affairs of the Dnieper region all the more conveniently because he himself had a hereditary volost of Pereyaslavl in it, which he held first with his nephews, and then with his own sons. We saw that after the death of Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich, his successors occupied the Kiev table only with the consent of Vsevolod III. He achieved such dominance not by sending an army there, like Andrei Bogolyubsky, but only by skillful policy, although combined with some cunning. It is known how he cleverly quarreled Rurik of Kyiv with Roman Volynsky and prevented a close union of these strongest rulers of South-Western Rus', which could have repelled the claims of North-Eastern Rus'.
With the help of a clever and careful policy, Vsevolod gradually established order and tranquility in his land, established his power and had success in almost all important enterprises. It is also imperceptible that he zealously followed Bogolyubsky’s autocratic aspirations. Taught by his fate, he, on the contrary, is the custodian of ancient druzhina customs and honors the great boyars. The chronicles do not mention any displeasure on their part; although they add in praise of Vsevolod that he dealt impartial judgment to the people and did not condone strong people who offended the smaller ones. Of the great boyars of Vsevolod, who distinguished themselves as governors, the chronicle names Foma Laskovich and old Dorozhai, who also served Yuri Dolgoruky: they led the Bulgarian campaign of 1183. Further mention is made of: Yakov, the “sister” of the Grand Duke (nephew from his sister), who accompanied Verkhuslava Vsevolodovna, the bride of Rostislav Rurikovich, to Southern Rus' with the boyars and with the noblewomen; Tiun Gyur, who was sent to restore the Oster Town; Kuzma Ratshich, the “sword-bearer” of the Grand Duke, who in 1210 went with an army to the Ryazan land, and others.
Vsevolod’s actions on the issue of appointing Rostov bishops are curious. Like Bogolyubsky, he tried to choose them himself, and exclusively from Russian people, and not from Greeks, which undoubtedly fulfilled the people's desire. Once the Kiev Metropolitan Niknfor appointed Nikola Grechin to the Rostov department, whom, according to the chronicle, he put “on a bribe,” that is, he took money from him. But the prince and the “people” did not accept him and sent him back (around 1184). Vsevolod sent an ambassador to Kiev to Svyatoslav and the metropolitan with a request to appoint Luka, hegumen of the Savior on Berestov, to the Rostov bishopric, a man of humble spirit and meek, therefore, one who could not enter into any disputes with the princely authority. The Metropolitan resisted, but Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich supported the request, and Luke was appointed to Rostov, and Nikola Grechin to Polotsk. When the humble Luke died four years later, the Grand Duke chose his own confessor John as his successor, whom he sent to be appointed to the Metropolitan of Kyiv. John, apparently, was also a quiet bishop, obedient to the Grand Duke and, moreover, his active assistant in the building of churches.
Quite frequent wars and campaigns did not prevent Vsevolod from diligently engaging in economic, construction, judicial, family, etc. matters. In peacetime, he did not live in his capital city of Vladimir, but conscientiously performed the ancient custom of polyudya, i.e. He himself traveled around the regions, collected tribute, judged criminals, and sorted out lawsuits. From the chronicle we learn that various events find him in Suzdal, then in Rostov, then in Pereyaslavl-Zalessky, in Polyudye. At the same time, he monitored the serviceability of the fortifications, built fortifications or repaired dilapidated city walls. Deserted cities were restored (for example, Ostersky Town). Fire in particular provided food for construction activities. So in 1185, on April 18, a terrible fire devastated Vladimir-on-Klyazma; Almost the entire city burned down. The prince's court and up to 32 churches became victims of the fire; including the Assumption Cathedral, created by Andrei Bogolyubsky, was burned. At the same time, his jewelry, expensive vessels, silver chandeliers, icons in gold frames with pearls, liturgical books, expensive princely clothes and various “patterns”, or gold-embroidered fabrics (oxamites), which during big holidays hung in the church. Many of these treasures were kept in the church tower, or storeroom, in the choir; the confused servants threw them out of the tower into the church yard, where they also became prey to the flames.
The Grand Duke immediately began to destroy traces of the fire; by the way, he rebuilt the detinets, the prince’s tower, and renovated the golden-domed temple of the Assumption; and expanded it by adding new walls on three sides; and around the middle dome he erected four more smaller ones, which he also gilded. When the renovation was completed, in 1189 the cathedral church was again and solemnly consecrated by Bishop Luke. Three or four years later, almost half of Vladimir again fell prey to flames: up to 14 churches burned down; but the prince's courtyard and the cathedral church survived this time. In 1199, on July 25, we read the news of the third big fire in Vladimir: it began during the liturgy and continued until Vespers; and again almost half of the city and up to 16 churches burned down. Renovating old churches, Vsevolod decorated his capital city with new ones; by the way, he erected the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, at which he arranged monastery, and also the Church of the Assumption, at which his wife Maria founded a nunnery. But the most famous building of the Grand Duke is the court temple in honor of his saint, Demetrius of Thessalonica; since the Christian name of Vsevolod III was Demetrius. This temple to this day represents the most elegant monument of ancient Russian art.
Vsevolod received a lot of help in his construction activities from Bishop John, his former confessor. By the way, they renovated the cathedral Church of the Mother of God in the city of Suzdal, which had become dilapidated from time and neglect. Its tops were again covered with tin, and the walls were again plastered. The following news from the chronicler is curious in this regard: the bishop this time did not turn to German craftsmen; but he found his own, some of whom poured tin, others made wings, others prepared lime and whitened the walls. Consequently, the construction activities of Yuri, Andrei and Vsevolod did not remain without influence on the education of purely Russian master technicians; Vsevolod III is an example of a northern prince-family man. God blessed him with numerous offspring; as indicated by its very nickname, the Big Nest. We know the names of eight of his sons and several daughters. His attachment to old family customs is indicated, among other things, by the news of the chronicle about the tonsure of princely sons. This ancient pan-Slavic rite consisted of cutting the hair of a three- or four-year-old prince and putting him on a horse for the first time; and they had a feast. In Christian times, such a ritual was, of course, accompanied by prayers and the blessing of the church. Vsevolod celebrated his tonsure with special solemnity and gave merry feasts. He accompanied the marriage of his son and the marriage of his daughter with even larger feasts and generous gifts. We saw how he married his beloved daughter Verkhuslava-Anastasia to Rurik’s son Rostislav.
Vsevolod was married to a Yassy, or Alan, princess. Between the Russian princes of that time we find more than one example of a marriage alliance with individual Caucasian rulers, partly Christian, partly semi-pagan. It may very well be that the beauty of Circassian women, different from Russian women, captivated our princes. However, by all indications, in the 12th century, ancient relations with the Caucasian peoples, established during the time of Russian rule on the shores of the Azov and Black Seas, were still continuing, i.e. in Tmutarakan land. Immigrants from the Caucasus often entered the Russian service and were even among the close servants of the prince, such as, for example, the famous Anbal, the housekeeper of Andrei Bogolyubsky. Vsevolod's wife Maria, although she grew up in a semi-pagan country, like many Russian princesses, was distinguished by her special piety, zeal for the church and charity. The monument to her piety is the Assumption Monastery mentioned above, which she founded in Vladimir. For the last seven or eight years of her life, the Grand Duchess was depressed by some serious illness. In 1206, she took monastic vows in her Assumption monastery, where a few days later she died and was solemnly buried, mourned by the Grand Duke, children, clergy and people. Maria, apparently, arrived in Russia not alone, but the whole family or she summoned her loved ones to her later, perhaps after some unfortunate coup for her family in her homeland. At least the chronicle mentions two of her sisters: one of. Vsevolod married them off to his son Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich of Kyiv, and the other to Yaroslav Vladimirovich, whom he kept on the table of Veliky Novgorod as a brother-in-law and assistant. Yaroslav’s wife also died in Vladimir, even before Grand Duchess and was buried in her own Assumption monastery. In general, more than one orphaned or persecuted relative found shelter and affection with this hospitable Vladimir couple. Thus, under her wing, the sister of the Grand Duke, the unloved wife of Osmomysl of Galitsky, Olga Yuryevna, in the chernitsy Euphrosinia (died in 1183 and buried in the Vladimir Assumption Cathedral), and the widow of brother Mikhalko Yuryevich, Fevronia, who outlived her by twenty-five years, spent the rest of their lives wife (buried in Suzdal Cathedral). Loving complete family life, the Grand Duke, after the death of his first wife, obviously missed his widowhood, and, being almost sixty years old, already having many grandchildren, entered into a second marriage with the daughter of the Vitebsk prince Vasilko, in 1209. A child-loving family man, Vsevolod III was not always a complacent prince in relation to his nephews and, like Andrei, did not give them inheritance in the Suzdal region, including Bogolyubsky’s son Yuri. However, the latter, perhaps, armed his uncle against himself with his behavior. Russian chronicles do not tell us anything about the fate of Yuri Andreevich. Only from foreign sources do we learn that, persecuted by his uncle, he retired to one of the Polovtsian khans. Then an embassy from Georgia came to him with a marriage proposal. At that time, the famous Tamara sat on the throne of Georgia, after her father George III. When the Georgian clergy and nobles were looking for a worthy groom for her, one noble man named Abulasan pointed out to them the name of Yuri, as young man, who, by his origin, beautiful appearance, intelligence and courage, was quite worthy of Tamara’s hand. The nobles approved this choice and sent one merchant as ambassador to Yuri. This latter arrived in Georgia, married Tamara and at first marked himself with military feats in wars with hostile neighbors. But then he changed his behavior, indulged in wine and all sorts of revelry; so Tamara, after vain admonitions, divorced him and sent him to the Greek possessions. He returned to Georgia and tried to rebel against the Queen; but was defeated and expelled again. His further fate is unknown.
Denying inheritance to his nephews, Vsevolod, however, in relation to his sons did not show any concern about the subsequent successes of autocracy. According to the custom of the old Russian princes, he divided his lands between them and even discovered a lack of state foresight, in which he was undoubtedly inferior to his brother Andrei. Vsevolod had six surviving sons: Konstantin, Yuri, Yaroslav, Svyatoslav, Vladimir, Ivan. He placed the elder Konstantin in Rostov, where this clever prince gained popular favor. What brought him especially close to the Rostovites was a terrible fire, which in 1211 destroyed most of their city, including 15 churches. At that time, Constantine was feasting in Vladimir at the wedding of his brother Yuri with the daughter of the Kyiv prince Vsevolod Chermny. Hearing about the misfortune of the Rostovites, Konstantin hurried to his destiny and put a lot of effort into relieving the victims. The next year, 1212, the Grand Duke, feeling the approach of death, sent again for Constantine, to whom he appointed the eldest Vladimir table, and ordered Rostov to be transferred to his second son Yuri. But here Konstantin, who had hitherto been distinguished by modesty and obedience, suddenly showed decisive disobedience to his father: he did not go to the double conscription and demanded both cities, Rostov and Vladimir, for himself. In all likelihood, in this case the claims of the Rostovites to seniority were renewed, and the suggestions of the Rostov boyars were in effect. On the other hand, Constantine, perhaps, understood that in order to eliminate such a dispute between two cities and in the form of strong government power, the Grand Duke must have both of these cities in his hands. Vsevolod was greatly upset by such disobedience and punished Constantine by depriving him of seniority, and giving the Vladimir great table to his second son Yuri. But, realizing the fragility of such an innovation, he wished to strengthen it with a general oath of the best people of his land; Consequently, he repeated almost the same thing that his brother-in-law Yaroslav Osmomysl Galitsky did 25 years ago. Vsevolod summoned boyars from all his cities and volosts in Vladimir; also gathered nobles, merchants and clergy with Bishop John at their head and forced this Zemsky Sobor to swear allegiance to Yuri as the Grand Duke, to whom he entrusted his other sons. Soon afterwards, on April 14, Vsevolod the Big Nest died, was mourned by his sons and people and solemnly buried in the golden-domed Assumption Cathedral.
The source for the struggle of Rostov and Suzdal with Vladimir and for the reign of Vsevolod III is P.S.R. Let., especially Lavrentievskaya; and also the Chronicler of Pereyaslavl Suzd. ed. book Obolensky. About Vsevolod’s visit to Byzantium as a child in Stepen. book 285. Details about his Bulgarian campaign in the arches of Lavrent., Ipat., Voskresen., Tversk. and Tatishchev. Their news was that the ships were left at the island of Isada at the mouth of Tsevka (Tsividi), i.e. in the present Cheboksary district (Tatishch. III, note 532. Karam, III. note 63), this news is obviously inaccurate. The princes could not leave the ships so far behind them and go further by land. In the news of the campaign against the Bulgarians in 1220, the Isads are indicated on the Volga below the mouth of the Kama, opposite the Bulgarian city of Oshel (see Resurrection). In addition, chronologically, not all lists agree with each other. Thus, the two oldest vaults, Ipatievsky and Lavrentievsky, in the second half of the 12th century sometimes diverge from each other for two whole years. To Laurent. Vsevolod's campaign against the Bulgarians is placed under 1184, and in Ipat. - under 1182. About the battle of Vsevolod III with Gleb of Ryazan on the river. Kolokshe see note by K. Tikhomirov in Antiquities Moscow. Archaeol. About. XI. M. 1886. For the news of Vsevolod’s rejection of Nikola Grechin to the Rostov department and the installation of Luke, see Lavren. under 1185, Ipat. under 1183.0 fires, buildings of Vsevolod and his family relationships ibid. About Vsevolod’s second marriage in the Resurrection Code. “On the rite of tonsure” of Lavrovsky in “Moskvityan.”, 1854.0 marriage of Yuri Andreevich with Tamara, see Histore de la Georgie traduite par M. Brossel. S-Ptrsb. 1849.1. 412 ff. His: “Information about the Georgian Queen Tamara in ancient Russian literature"(Uchen. Zap. Acad. N. on 1 and 3 departments. Vol. I, issue 4). "Historical excerpt from Georgian history, translated by the Imeretian prince Konstantin" (Almanac "Minerva" for 1837). Butkova " About the marriages of Russian princes with Georgians and Yasyns" (Severn. Archive for 1825. Part XIII). The mediator in relations between Rus' and Georgia was probably Alania, or Ossetia; since the Ossetian rulers, on the one hand, were related to the Russians and the princes, and on the other - with the Georgian kings. In the legend about Tamara we see that her nobles persuaded her to marry Yuri with the help of her aunt Rusudana, a dowager Ossetian princess. Tamara herself, on her mother’s side, was the granddaughter of an Ossetian prince and, perhaps, was in some kind of relationship with Vsevolod III. In view of such circumstances, her marriage with Yuri Andreevich is an event that does not contain anything incredible.
The future Prince Vsevolod Yurievich the Big Nest from the Rurik dynasty was born in 1154 into the large family of the Grand Duke, the founder. The nickname "Big Nest" was attached to him due to the fact that he, like his father, had many children. There were 8 boys alone.
Vsevolod's elder brother, after the death of Yuri Dolgorukov, became the prince of Vladimir, and it was he who expelled Vsevolod at the age of eight, along with the rest of his brothers and mother, to Constantinople.
Only in 1169 Vsevolod returned back and immediately went with a large army to the city of Kyiv and settled there under his uncle Kiev prince Gleb Georgievich. But Gleb did not live long, he died in 1171 and soon Kyiv was given to Andrei Bogolyubsky to Roman Rostislavovich of Smolensk.
But before Roman had time to properly enjoy power, Andrei decided to give Kiev to his brother Mikhail, and he, in turn, was afraid of the revenge of the Rostislavovichs and sent Vsevolod to the city, who was captured at night and was held captive for a long time until Mikhail himself ransomed him .
Time passed quickly, and soon a conspiracy took place among prominent boyars and during it Andrei Bogolyubsky was killed (06/29/1174), and two years later Mikhail also died. Taking advantage of the moment, the army of Yuri Dolgoruky's grandson Mstislav Rostislavovich from Novgorod moved towards the beheaded Vladimir, trying to seize power. But Vsevolod and his army gave him battle on the Yuryevsky field (in our time a district of the city of the Vladimir region) and forced him to flee away from the sacred Vladimir land.
This marked the beginning of the heyday of the Vladimir-Suzdal land. Vsevolod Yurievich the Big Nest showed himself to be a very wise and far-sighted ruler. Under him, small new cities developed, in which the first sprouts of the nobility began to grow stronger. He significantly expanded his influence on neighboring lands, using very skillful military tactics, and, taking advantage of the discord of various petty princes, took control of many territories of Rus'. His sphere of influence extended from Novgorod, where he put his son Constantine in power in 1206, and to, including the Ryazan, Chernigov and Kyiv lands.
Vsevolod wanted to plant his sons in all the key cities so that they would continue his work of strengthening the Vladimir-Suzdal principality even after his death, but his son Constantine did not want such a distribution and wanted to rule in all the cities. And Vsevolod, as a punishment to him, decided, contrary to all customs, to make his younger brother Yuri the main successor. This decision influenced, after the death of Prince Vsevolod Yuryevich in April 1212, numerous divisions and internecine wars, and the formation of separate isolated principalities.
Vsevolod III Yuryevich “Big Nest”
(baptized Dmitry)
Years of life: 10/22/1154-04/13/1212
Reign: 1176-1212
Vsevolod III - Grand Duke of Kiev (1173) and Vladimir (from 1176). He was born during the gathering of Polyudye by his father on the Yakhroma River (in honor of which the city of Dmitrov was founded). Mother - daughter of the Byzantine Emperor Olga.
After Yuri's capture of Kyiv in 1155 and the enthronement of his eldest sons in Southern Rus' Vsevolod the Big Nest and his elder brother Mikhalko received the cities of Rostov and Suzdal. In 1161, he was deprived of his possessions by his brother, the Grand Duke of Vladimir, and in the same year, together with his mother and brothers Mstislav and Vasily, he left for Byzantium.
By 1168 he returned to Rus' and at the beginning of 1169 he took part in the campaign of Andrei and other Russian princes against Kyiv. He served his brother, the Grand Duke of Kyiv Gleb Yuryevich, and at the end of 1170 he participated in the defeat of the Polovtsians in the area of the Southern Bug River. At the beginning of 1173, after a quarrel between the Smolensk Rostislavichs and Andrei, he reigned in Kyiv for 5 weeks, after which he was expelled by the Rostislavichs and, apparently, settled with Mikhalko in the city of Torchesk, then in the Chernigov land.
In the fall of 1173, he took part in Andrei’s campaign to the Kyiv land; reigned in Kyiv (together with). He was defeated by Prince Mstislav Rostislavich near Vyshgorod and went to Chernigov. After the murder of Andrei (1174), he hoped to reign in the Rostov land, but was not accepted by the local boyars.
Having defeated his nephews on the Belekhov field near the river on July 15, 1175 
Koloksha, took the Rostov land with Mikhalko and became a prince in the city of Pereslavl-Zalessky. After the death of Mikhalka (06/19/1176) he took possession of the Vladimir table.
On 03/07/1176 he defeated his nephews at Pruskov Mountain and finally
secured the Vladimir table. He expanded the borders of the Grand Duchy of Vladimir, strengthened its positions in the Novogorod, Ryazan, and Murom lands.
In 1178 he founded the city of Gleden (later Veliky Ustyug) at the confluence of the Sukhona and Yug rivers in order to control trade routes to the Novgorod and Dvina lands and the Volga region.
In 1182, by order of Vsevolod, the Tver fortress was built on the Volga, at its confluence with the Tvertsa River, to protect the Vladimir-Suzdal lands from the raids of the Novgorodians and Novotorzhians. Subsequently, the fortress Tverd was renamed Tver.
He organized a river campaign to Volga-Kama Bulgaria (1183), in which the Kyiv, Smolensk, Ryazan and Murom princes also participated. Later I went to Bulgaria twice more.
The intervention of Vsevolod the Big Nest in the affairs of the Ryazan principality (1180, 1186, 1207, 1209), campaigns against the Chernigov principality (1207, 1209) led to the expansion of Vladimir's possessions in the south down to the Oka River and the actual vassalage of the Ryazan princes. Probably to protect the Ryazan borders he undertook a victorious campaign against the Polovtsians (summer 1198). He strengthened his position in Novgorod, where his henchmen ruled almost continuously in 1182-1184 and 1187-1210. Most of the Russian princes recognized him as an elder of the Monomashichs. Was the head big family(hence the nickname - Big Nest).
Sons of Vsevolod Yurievich: Konstantin, Boris, Gleb, Yuri, Yaroslav, 
Vladimir, Svyatoslav, Ivan, daughters: Mstislava, Verkhuslava, Sbyslava, Elena.
Russian historian M.K. Lyubavsky wrote about the significance of northeastern Rus':
“The Great Russian people in all their diversity constituent elements formed in the basins of the upper Volga and Oka before their merger. Here she found her political basis and here, mainly, her colonization fund accumulated, that human material that, from the middle of the 16th century, she began to scatter throughout the forests of the east and north and across the steppes of the south and southeast.
Where did the population of the Rostov-Suzdal land come from? Answering this question, we have to identify several currents that flowed into this region: from the region of the Slovenes of Novgorod and the Krivichi of Smolensk, from the southwest and south from the region of the Vyatichi and the Don region. By the time the Tatars arrived, Slavic-Russian colonization had covered the entire upper Volga basin before its connection with the Oka and the entire Oka basin.
After the death of Vsevolod III, the Rostov-Suzdal land distinguished itself as:
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