In the second half of the 19th century. In the second half of the 19th century

Becoming Kievan Rus as a state, many historians rank as the years of the reign of Prince Oleg - from 882 to 912, but this is not so. Before him ruled the great princes, who started the Rurik family, which got its name from Rurik, the prince of Novgorod, whom the people of Kiev called to rule over them. He died in 879, and only after 3 years the throne passed to Prophetic Oleg, raised the son of Rurik Igor as his own. It is Igor Rurikovich who is considered the ancestor of the dynastic surname.

This princely family ruled for over 700 years, distributing Russian cities and small lands among their sons. Some of them built cities, such as Yuri Dolgoruky, founded Moscow, which still stands as a reminder of the era of Kievan Rus, or Kiy, which gave its name to the future capital of the Rus.

The origins of Kievan Rus

The unification of the lands of the Slavic tribes under a single rule of Kiev was not an easy task, since it made no sense to conquer them, because the great city needed allies, not captives. That is why Rurik and his descendants freed their neighbors from paying tribute to the Pechenegs, but collected it themselves.

It is interesting that for a very long time the grand dukes of Kiev were elected to the throne by the people and their rule had to justify their trust. This did not interfere with the representatives of the prolific family tree Rurikovich constantly fight for the throne.

After the death of Prince Oleg, his stepson Igor continued to unite the Slavic tribes under the protection of Kiev, but the exorbitant tribute that they had to pay eventually led to an uprising of the Drevlyans, who killed the prince. Although his widow Olga avenged her husband, being a just woman and the first to receive Orthodox baptism, she established the amount of tribute that could not be violated.

As a rule, the formation of any state is a matter based on wars and treacherous murders. The Slavic peoples did not pass similar acts. The grand dukes of Rurikovich were constantly either in campaigns against the Pechenegs or Byzantium, or they staged civil strife and killed each other.

The most famous princes of Kievan Rus were either those who committed fratricide for the sake of the throne, or those under whom the state grew stronger and flourished.

Prince Vladimir Saint

Ancient Russia was often shaken by strife, therefore the first long time of peace, when Kiev was ruled by one prince, and his sons revered and each lived in his own inheritance, entered the chronicles. These were the times of Prince Vladimir, who was called the Holy People.

Vladimir Svyatoslavovich was the grandson of Igor Rurikovich. From his father, he received Novgorod, which was considered the most not prestigious destiny, to rule. Yaropolk got Kiev, and Oleg got all the Drevlyansky lands. After the death of Svyatopolk and Oleg, who was forced to flee from the betrayal of his older brother, Yaropolk annexed the Drevlyansky lands to Kiev and began to rule alone.

Prince Vladimir, having found out about this, went to war against him, but the elder brother died not from his hand, but from the hand of the servant who betrayed him. Prince Vladimir sat on the throne and even adopted the son of Yaropolk Svyatopolk.

Far from all the great princes of the Rurik family were so caring for the people as Vladimir Saint. Under him, not only were schools built for the children of commoners and a special council was created, which included wise boyars, but fair laws were established, and Orthodoxy was adopted. The baptism of Rus by Vladimir is a significant event, when people came to God not one by one, but a whole nation. The first baptism took place in the waters of the Dnieper and was included in the chronicles along with other good deeds of the Grand Duke of Kiev.

Prince Svyatopolk

Vladimir Krasnoe Solnyshko had 12 sons and a nephew Svyatopolk. His eldest son Boris was to become his beloved son and heir to the throne, but when old prince died, he was returning from a campaign against the Pechenegs, and Svyatopolk seized power.

In the memory of the people and in the chronicles of Kiev, he remained as Svyatopolk I Yaropolchich the Damned. The prince received such a nickname for the murder of his cousins ​​Boris, Gleb and Svyatoslav. He also made an attempt on the life of Yaroslav.

Wanting to personally rule Ancient Russia, Svyatopolk the Accursed committed many betrayals and betrayals, so when Yaroslav gathered an army and went to Kiev (for the second time), he had to flee. From fear, his mind was clouded, and he ended his days in the Bohemian wasteland, forever remaining in the memory of descendants as a cursed prince who killed his brothers.

Prince Yaroslav

Yaroslav the Wise was one of the most famous sons of Vladimir, "Red Sun", who received high popular appreciation and universal love. He was born approximately between 978 and 987. and at first he was the prince of Rostov, then Novgorod, until in 1019 he took the throne of Kiev. Disputes about the date of birth of Yaroslav are still ongoing. Since he was the third son of Vladimir the Saint from his marriage with Ragneda, which took place in 976, he could not have been born in 978, as it is customary to indicate in history textbooks. Examination of the prince's remains indicated that at the time of his death he was between 60 and 70 years old, not 76 years old.

No matter how much Yaroslav the Wise actually lived, he remained in the people's memory as a just, intelligent and brave ruler, although his path to the throne was not easy and bloody. The long reign of Prince Yaroslav in Kiev until his death erased the memories of civil strife between the numerous sons of Vladimir the Saint, as well as constant military campaigns. His reign was marked by the introduction of a code of laws in public administration, the construction of two great cities - Yaroslavl and Yuriev, and the strengthening of the influence of Kievan Rus in the political European arena. It was he who began to use dynastic marriages as a seal of military and friendly alliances between powers.

Prince Yaroslav Vladimirovich was buried in Sophia Cathedral in Kiev.

Prince Izyaslav

The eldest son of Yaroslav the Wise took the Kiev throne in 1054, after the death of his father. This is the only prince from Rurikovich who ruled Russia ineptly, spending efforts not on strengthening the borders and increasing the well-being of the people, as his father did, but on feuds with the younger brothers Svyatoslav and Vsevolod.

Izyaslav I Yaroslavich was overthrown by a popular veche and an uprising twice, which in itself speaks of the quality of his rule. Each time he returned the Kiev throne with the support of Polish troops. Neither his brothers nor his sons made Russia stronger, preferring defense to attack. Up until 1113, the country was dominated by troubles and the tug of the throne from one prince to another.

Vladimir Monomakh

The most famous and significant figure on the Kiev throne was Prince Vladimir, popularly nicknamed Monomakh. At one time, he ceded the Kiev throne to his cousin Svyatopolk Izyaslavich, but after the death of the latter, at the request of the people, he occupied it.

Vladimir Monomakh can be compared with legendary king Arthur. He was so loved and revered by the people for his courage, justice and generosity that songs and epics were composed in his honor long after his death.

During the reign of Vladimir, Kievan Rus became a truly powerful and strong state, with which all neighbors reckoned. He conquered the Principality of Minsk, and the Polovtsians moved away from the borders of Russia for a long time. Vladimir Vsevolodovich not only issued laws that make life easier for ordinary people and reduce taxes on them, but also continued to publish The Tale of Bygone Years. It is in his interpretation that it has come down to our days. In addition, he himself wrote several works, including an autobiography, a set of laws and teachings from Vladimir Monomakh.

Rurik, son of Prince Rostislav

If during the times of Kievan Rus there was a book where various kinds of records would be entered, then Rurik Rostislavich would definitely be there. The following factors distinguished him from other princes of Kiev:

• Neither the date of his birth, nor the name of his mother is known, which is considered nonsense for the ruling dynasties. It is known for certain that his father was Prince Rostislav Mstislavich of Smolensk.
• He occupied the princely throne in Kiev 8 times, which in itself speaks either of his stubbornness, or that the people, disliking the prince, deposed him from the throne every 2-3 years.
• He managed to visit not only the ruler of Russia, but also a monk, which had never happened to the princes of Kiev before him.
• His reign brought ruin to the capital city as severe as the subsequent attacks of the Mongol army.
• The name of Rurik is associated with both the birth of a dynasty on the Kiev throne and the fall of a great power.

Rurik Rostislavich remained in the memory of people and chroniclers as a man who ravaged Kiev Orthodox churches worse than the barbarians.

The Romanov dynasty

If we turn to the history of Kievan Rus, and then the Russian state, one can notice one oddity: members of the ruling families did not have surnames. The Grand Dukes of the House of Romanov began to be called that only since 1917, and before that time all the kings, and later the emperors, were called exclusively by their first name and patronymic.

The Romanov dynasty began in 1613, when the first representative of the boyar family, which bore this surname for more than 100 years, ascended the Russian throne. Peter Alekseevich Romanov, known in history as Peter I, was the last Russian tsar, becoming the first emperor of Russia.

A direct branch of this family ended in his daughter Elizaveta Petrovna, who did not marry and remained childless, being the sovereign empress of the country. The throne passed to the son of her elder sister Anna, forming a completely new dynastic surname Holstein-Gottorp-Romanovsky.

Thus, Peter Alekseevich Romanov was the last direct representative of the male line of this surname. Despite this, the Russian emperors all over the world were perceived as the Romanovs, and after the revolution, the children from the marriages of the descendants of the great royal dynasty left it behind them along with the titles that their ancestors had. She was already called Grand Dukes by birthright.

September 21, 862 residents Novgorod principality called to rule the brothers of the Varangians: Rurik, Sineus and Truvor. It is this date that is considered to be the beginning of the state of Russia. A dynasty of Russian rulers, nicknamed Rurikovich, originated from Rurik. This dynasty ruled the state for more than seven and a half centuries. We have recalled the most significant representatives of this surname.

1. Rurik Varyazhsky. Although the Novgorod prince Rurik Varyazhsky did not become the sole ruler of the united state, he went down in history forever as the founder of the dynasty of the first Russian autocrats. During his reign, the Finnish lands began to join Rus, as well as the territories of some scattered Slavic tribes. Hence, cultural unification followed. Eastern Slavs, which contributed to the formation of a new political formation - the state. According to the researcher S. Solovyov, it was with Rurik that the important activity of the Russian princes began - the construction of cities, the concentration of the population. The first steps of Rurik in the formation of the ancient Russian state were already completed by Prince Oleg the Prophet.

2. Vladimir Svyatoslavich Red Sun. It is difficult to overestimate the contribution of this Grand Duke to the development of Kievan Rus. It was he who went down in history as the Baptist of Russia. The preachers of many religions wanted to persuade the prince to their faith, but he sent his ambassadors to different lands, and upon their return he listened to everyone and gave preference to Christianity. Vladimir liked the rituals of this faith. Having conquered the Christian city, Kherson Vladimir took the imperial princess Anna as his wife and received holy baptism. The idols of the pagan gods were hacked and burned by the order of the prince. New faith simple people accepted, being baptized in the waters of the Dnieper. So, on August 1, 988, the Russian people, following the ruler, adopted Christianity. Only the residents of Novgorod opposed the new faith. Then Novgorodians were baptized with the help of a squad. However, at the same time, the first special theological schools were created in Russia, where the unenlightened boyar churches studied divine books translated from Greek by Cyril and Methodius.

3. Yaroslav Vladimirovich the Wise. Nickname "Wise" Grand Duke Yaroslav received from the people for his wise rule. He is considered the creator of the first set of laws and civil statutes, Russkaya Pravda. Prior to that, in ancient Russia there were no laws spelled out in a single collection. This is one of the most important steps in building statehood. The ancient lists of these laws have survived to this day, which give an idea of ​​the life of our ancestors. According to the chronicler, Yaroslav was "lame, but his mind was kind and he was brave at the rati." These words are also proved by the fact that under Yaroslav the Wise, Russian troops ended the raids of the nomadic Pecheneg tribe. Peace was also made with the Byzantine Empire.

The nickname "Wise" Grand Duke Yaroslav received from the people for his wise rule

4. Vladimir Vsevolodovich Monomakh. His reign was a period of final strengthening Old Russian state... Monomakh knew well that for the peace of the state, it was necessary to make sure that external enemies were discouraged to attack Russia. During his life, he made 83 military campaigns, concluded 19 peace treaties with the Polovtsians, took prisoner more than a hundred Polovtsian princes and released everyone, executed more than 200 princes. The military successes of the Grand Duke Vladimir Monomakh and his children glorified his name all over the world. The Greek Empire trembled on behalf of Monomakh. Emperor Alexy Komnenos, after the conquest of Thrace by Vladimir's son Mstislav, even sent great gifts to Kiev - symbols of power: the carnelian bowl of Augustus Caesar, the Cross of the Life-giving tree, a crown, a golden chain and barmas of Vladimir's grandfather Constantine Monomakh. The gifts were brought by the Metropolitan of Ephesus. He also proclaimed Monomakh the Russian ruler. Since then, Monomakh's hat, chain, scepter and barmas were indispensable attributes on the wedding day of Russian rulers and were passed from sovereign to sovereign.

5. Vsevolod III Yurievich the Big Nest. This is the tenth son of the Grand Duke Yuri Dolgoruky, who formed the city of Moscow, and the younger brother of Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky. Under him, the Great Northern Principality of Vladimir reached the highest power and finally began to prevail over the southern Kiev principality. The reasons for the success of Vsevolod's policy are reliance on new cities: Vladimir, Pereslavl-Zalessky, Dmitrov, Gorodets, Kostroma, Tver, where the boyars before him were relatively weak, as well as reliance on the nobility. Under him, Kievskaya ceased to exist, and Vladimir-Suzdal Russia finally took shape. Vsevolod had a large offspring - 12 children (including 8 sons), therefore he received the nickname "Big Nest". The unknown author of "The Lay of Igor's Regiment" noted: his army "can splash the Volga with oars, and drain the Don with helmets."

6. Alexander Yaroslavich Nevsky. According to the "canonical" version, Alexander Nevsky played an exceptional role in Russian history. During his reign, Russia was subjected to blows from two sides: the Catholic West and the Tatars from the East. Nevsky showed an outstanding talent for a commander and diplomat, having entered into an alliance with the most powerful enemy - the Tatars. After repelling the attack of the Germans, he defended Orthodoxy from Catholic expansion. For the faith of the Grand Duke, for the love of the fatherland, for the preservation of the integrity of Russia, the Orthodox Church canonized Alexander.

7. Ivan Danilovich Kalita. This Grand Duke became famous for the fact that under him the rise of Muscovite Rus began. Moscow under Ivan Kalita became the real capital of the Russian state. Under the instruction of Metropolitan Peter, Ivan Kalita in 1326 laid the foundation of the first stone church of the Assumption of the Mother of God in Moscow. Since then, the Russian metropolitanate moved from Vladimir to Moscow, which raised this city above others in the Vladimir principality. Ivan Kalita became the first prince who received a label for a great reign in the Golden Horde. Thus, he increasingly strengthened the role of the capital of the state beyond Moscow. Later, for silver, he bought from the Horde labels for reign in other Russian cities, annexing them to the Moscow principality.

8. Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy. The Donskoy of the Great Moscow Prince Dmitry Ivanovich was nicknamed after the first serious victory over the Tatars in the Battle of Kulikovo in 1380. After a series of significant military victories over the Golden Horde, she did not dare to fight the Russians in the open field. By this time, the Moscow principality had become one of the main centers of the unification of the Russian lands. The white-stone Moscow Kremlin was built in the city.

9. Ivan III Vasilievich. During the reign of this Grand Duke and Sovereign Sovereign, many events that determined the fate of the Russian state took place. First, there was a unification of a significant part of the scattered Russian lands around Moscow. This city finally becomes the center of the all-Russian state. Secondly, the final liberation of the country from the rule of the Horde khans was achieved. After standing on the Ugra River, Rus finally threw off Tatar-Mongol yoke... Thirdly, during the reign of Ivan III, the territory of Russia increased fivefold and began to amount to about two million square kilometers. Also, the Code of Law was adopted - a set of laws of the state, and a number of reforms were carried out that laid the foundations of the local system of land tenure. The sovereign established the first post office in Russia, city councils appeared in the cities, drunkenness was prohibited, and the armament of the troops was significantly increased.

10. Ivan IV Vasilievich. It was this ruler who was nicknamed the Terrible. He headed the Russian state longer than any other ruler: 50 years and 105 days. It is difficult to overestimate the contribution of this tsar to the history of Russia. Under him, the boyar strife stopped, and the territory of the state grew by almost 100 percent - from 2.8 million square kilometers to 5.4 million. Russian state became the size of the rest of Europe. He defeated the slave-trading khanates of Kazan and Astrakhan, annexed these territories to Russia. Also, during his reign, Western Siberia, the Region of the Don troops, Bashkiria, and the lands of the Nogai Horde were annexed. Ivan the Terrible entered into diplomatic and military relations with the Don and Tersko-Grebensky Cossacks. John IV Vasilyevich created a regular streltsy army, the first Russian military flotilla in the Baltic. I would especially like to note the creation of a code of law in 1550. Collection of laws of the period estate monarchy in Russia - the first normative legal act in Russian history, proclaimed the only source of law. It contained 100 articles. Under Ivan the Terrible, the first printing house (Printing House) appeared in Russia. Under him, the election of the local administration was introduced, a network was created primary schools, a postal service and the first fire brigade in Europe were created.

In modern historiography, the title "Kiev princes" is customary to designate a number of rulers of the Kiev principality and the Old Russian state. The classical period of their reign began in 912 with the reign of Igor Rurikovich, who was the first to bear the title of "Grand Duke of Kiev", and lasted until about the middle of the 12th century, when the collapse of the Old Russian state began. Let us briefly consider the most prominent rulers of this period.

Oleg the Prophetic (882-912)

Igor Rurikovich (912-945) - the first ruler of Kiev, who was called the "Grand Duke of Kiev". During his reign, he conducted a number of military campaigns, both against neighboring tribes (Pechenegs and Drevlyans), and against the Byzantine kingdom. The Pechenegs and Drevlyans recognized Igor's supremacy, but the Byzantines, who were better equipped militarily, rendered stubborn resistance... In 944, Igor was forced to sign a peace treaty with Byzantium. At the same time, the terms of the contract were beneficial for Igor, since Byzantium paid a significant tribute. A year later, he decided to attack the Drevlyans again, despite the fact that they had already recognized his power and paid tribute to him. Igor's guards, in turn, got the opportunity to cash in on the robberies of the local population. The Drevlyans set up an ambush in 945 and, capturing Igor, executed him.

Olga (945-964)- Widow of Prince Rurik, who was killed in 945 by the Drevlyan tribe. She headed the state until her son, Svyatoslav Igorevich, became an adult. It is not known when exactly she handed over power to her son. Olga adopted Christianity as the first of the rulers of Russia, while the whole country, the army and even her son were still pagans. Important facts her reign was brought to submission by the Drevlyans, who killed her husband Igor Rurikovich. Olga established the exact amount of taxes that the lands subject to Kiev had to pay, systematized the frequency of their payment and terms. An administrative reform was carried out, dividing the lands subordinate to Kiev into clearly established units, at the head of each of which was established a princely official "tiun". Under Olga, the first stone buildings appeared in Kiev, Olga's tower and the city palace.

Svyatoslav (964-972)- the son of Igor Rurikovich and Princess Olga. A characteristic feature of the reign was that Olga actually ruled most of its time, first because of Svyatoslav's minority, and then because of his constant military campaigns and his absence from Kiev. Took power in about 950. He did not follow the example of his mother, and did not accept Christianity, which was then unpopular among the secular and military nobility. The reign of Svyatoslav Igorevich was marked by a series of continuous campaigns of conquest, which he conducted against neighboring tribes and state entities... The Khazars, Vyatichi, the Bulgarian kingdom (968-969) and Byzantium (970-971) were attacked. The war with Byzantium brought heavy losses to both sides, and ended, in fact, in a draw. Returning from this campaign, Svyatoslav was ambushed by the Pechenegs and killed.

Yaropolk (972-978)

Saint Vladimir (978-1015) – Kiev prince, best known for the baptism of Rus. He was a prince of Novgorod from 970 to 978, when he seized the Kiev throne. During his reign, he continuously conducted campaigns against neighboring tribes and states. He conquered and annexed the tribes of the Vyatichi, Yatvyags, Radimichi and Pechenegs to his state. Spent a number of state reforms aimed at strengthening the power of the prince. In particular, he began minting a single state coin, which replaced the previously used Arab and Byzantine money. With the help of invited Bulgarian and Byzantine teachers, he began to spread literacy in Russia, forcibly sending children to study. He founded the cities of Pereyaslavl and Belgorod. The main achievement is considered the baptism of Rus, carried out in 988. The introduction of Christianity as a state religion also contributed to the centralization of the Old Russian state. The resistance of various pagan cults, then widespread in Russia, weakened the power of the Kiev throne and was brutally suppressed. Prince Vladimir died in 1015 during another military campaign against the Pechenegs.

SvyatopolkCursed (1015-1016)

Yaroslav the Wise (1016-1054)- the son of Vladimir. He feuded with his father and seized power in Kiev in 1016, driving out his brother Svyatopolk. The time of Yaroslav's reign is represented in history by traditional raids on neighboring states and internecine wars with numerous relatives who claimed the throne. For this reason, Yaroslav was forced to temporarily leave the Kiev throne. He built the churches of St. Sophia in Novgorod and Kiev. The main church in Constantinople is dedicated to her, therefore the fact of such a construction spoke of the equality of the Russian church with the Byzantine one. As part of the confrontation with the Byzantine Church, he independently appointed the first Russian Metropolitan Hilarion in 1051. Yaroslav also founded the first Russian monasteries: the Kiev-Pechersky monastery in Kiev and the Yuryev monastery in Novgorod. For the first time he codified feudal law by issuing a set of laws "Russian Truth" and a church charter. He did a great job of translating Greek and Byzantine books into Old Russian and Church Slavonic languages, constantly spending large sums on the correspondence of new books. He founded a large school in Novgorod, in which the children of elders and priests studied literacy. He strengthened diplomatic and military ties with the Vikings, thus securing the northern borders of the state. He died in Vyshgorod, in February 1054.

SvyatopolkCursed (1018-1019)- secondary interim rule

Izyaslav (1054-1068)- the son of Yaroslav the Wise. According to his father's will, he took the throne of Kiev in 1054. Throughout almost the entire reign, he was at enmity with the younger brothers Svyatoslav and Vsevolod, who sought to seize the prestigious Kiev throne. In 1068, the troops of Izyaslav were defeated by the Polovtsy in a battle on the Alta River. This led to the Kiev uprising of 1068. At the veche meeting, the remnants of the defeated militia demanded to give them weapons in order to continue the fight against the Polovtsy, but Izyaslav refused to do this, which forced the Kievites to revolt. Izyaslav was forced to flee to the Polish king, his nephew. With the military help of the Poles, Izyaslav regained the throne for the period 1069-1073, was again overthrown, and in last time ruled from 1077 to 1078.

Vseslav the Charodey (1068-1069)

Svyatoslav (1073-1076)

Vsevolod (1076-1077)

Svyatopolk (1093-1113)- the son of Izyaslav Yaroslavich, before the occupation of the Kiev throne, periodically headed the Novgorod and Turov principalities. Start Kiev principality Svyatopolk was marked by the invasion of the Polovtsi, who inflicted a serious defeat on the troops of Svyatopolk in the battle at the Stugna River. This was followed by several more battles, the outcome of which is reliably unknown, but ultimately peace was made with the Polovtsy, and Svyatopolk took the daughter of Khan Tugorkan as his wife. The subsequent reign of Svyatopolk was overshadowed by the continuous struggle between Vladimir Monomakh and Oleg Svyatoslavich, in which Svyatopolk usually supported Monomakh. Svyatopolk also repulsed the constant raids of the Polovtsians led by the khans Tugorkan and Bonyak. Died suddenly in the spring of 1113, possibly poisoned.

Vladimir Monomakh (1113-1125) was a Chernigov prince when his father died. He had the right to the Kiev throne, but ceded it to his cousin Svyatopolk, because he did not want war at that time. In 1113, the Kievites revolted, and, having thrown Svyatopolk, invited Vladimir to the kingdom. For this reason, he was forced to adopt the so-called "statute of Vladimir Monomakh", which facilitates the position of the urban lower classes. The law did not affect the foundations of the feudal system, however, it regulated the conditions of enslavement and limited the profits of usurers. Under Monomakh, Russia reached the peak of its power. The Minsk principality was conquered, and the Polovtsians were forced to migrate east from the Russian borders. With the help of an impostor who pretended to be the son of a previously killed Byzantine emperor, Monomakh organized an adventure aimed at placing him on the Byzantine throne. Several Danube cities were conquered, however, it was not possible to further develop the success. The hike ended in 1123 with the signing of the peace. Monomakh organized the publication of improved editions of The Tale of Bygone Years, which have survived in this form. Also, Monomakh independently created several works: the autobiographical "Ways and Fishing", a set of laws "the charter of Vladimir Vsevolodovich" and "The Teaching of Vladimir Monomakh."

Mstislav the Great (1125-1132)- the son of Monomakh, formerly the prince of Belgorod. He ascended the throne of Kiev in 1125 without resistance from the rest of the brothers. Among the most outstanding deeds of Mstislav, one can name the campaign against the Polovtsy in 1127 and the plundering of the cities of Izyaslav, Strezhev and Lagozhsk. After a similar campaign in 1129, Polotsk principality it was finally annexed to the possessions of Mstislav. In order to collect tribute, several campaigns were made in the Baltic States, against the Chud tribe, but they ended in failure. In April 1132, Mstislav died suddenly, having managed, however, to transfer the throne to Yaropolk, his brother.

Yaropolk (1132-1139)- being the son of Monomakh, he inherited the throne when his brother Mstislav died. At the time of coming to power, he was at the age of 49. In fact, he controlled only Kiev and its environs. By his natural inclinations he was a good warrior, but he did not possess diplomatic and political abilities. Immediately after accepting the throne, the traditional civil strife began, connected with the succession to the throne in the Pereyaslavl principality. Yuri and Andrey Vladimirovich drove out Vsevolod Mstislavich from Pereyaslavl, who had been put there by Yaropolk. Also, the situation in the country was complicated by the frequent raids of the Polovtsians, who, together with the allied Chernigovites, plundered the outskirts of Kiev. The indecisive policy of Yaropolk led to a military defeat in the battle on the Supoe River with the troops of Vsevolod Olgovich. The cities of Kursk and Posemye were also lost during the reign of Yaropolk. This development of events further weakened his authority, which was used by the Novgorodians, who announced their separation in 1136. The result of Yaropolk's reign was the actual collapse of the Old Russian state. Only the principality of Rostov-Suzdal was formally subservient to Kiev.

Vyacheslav (1139, 1150, 1151-1154)