Years of Oleg's reign.  Chronology of events during the reign of Oleg the Prophet

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

The reign of Prince Oleg in Kyiv began with the strengthening of city walls and defensive structures. The borders of Kievan Rus were also fortified with small fortresses (“outposts”), where warriors carried out constant service. In 883-885. the prince undertook several successful campaigns. The Slavic tribes who settled along the banks of the Dnieper, the Radimichi who lived on the banks of the Dniester, Bug, Sozh, the Drevlyans and the Northerners were subjugated. By order of Oleg, cities were built in the occupied lands. Conquered tribes were required to pay taxes. Actually, the entire internal policy of Oleg, like other princes of that time, boiled down to collecting taxes.

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

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

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

Later 850 Birth of Oleg.

862 The date of the chronicle message about the calling to reign by the union of the Slavic and Finno-Ugric tribes of the Varangian dynasty - Rurik, Sineus and Truvor. The beginning of the reign of Rurik in Ladoga, Sineus in Beloozero, and Truvor in Izborsk. Arrival of Oleg as part of a detachment of Varangians to the lands of Northern Rus'.

864 Death of Sineus and Truvor. The chronicle indicates that “Rurik alone took over all power and began to distribute cities to his men.” Rurik and his retinue settled in a settlement at the source of the Volkhov.

Later 864 Oleg's participation in the military campaigns of Prince Rurik of Novgorod.

Later 864 Rurik's marriage to the "Urman princess" Efanda, Oleg's sister.

Later 864 Uprising in Novgorod under the leadership of Vadim the Brave against the autocracy of Rurik. Return of Rurik to Novgorod. The murder of Vadim the Brave by Rurik and the suppression of the uprising. The flight of many “Novgorod men” to Kyiv to avoid reprisals.

Later 864 Rurik's subjects Askold and Dir receive permission to go on a military campaign against Byzantium. Their arrival in Kyiv and the liberation of the city from Khazar tribute. The beginning of the reign of Askold and Dir in Kyiv.

Later 864 Birth of Prince Rurik of Novgorod and Efanda's son Igor.

865 Military campaign of the Kyiv prince Askold against Polotsk. Oleg's participation in the campaign of the Novgorod prince Rurik against Askold. Preservation of Polotsk under the protectorate of Rurik.

Later 865 Wars of the Kyiv prince Askold with the Drevlyans and the streets.

867 Arrival of the Byzantine bishop in Kyiv and mass baptism of the Rus. "District Epistle" of Patriarch Photius to the Byzantine bishops, where he reports on the baptism of the Rus.

869 The campaign of the Kyiv princes Askold and Dir against the Krivichi. Oleg's participation in the military campaign of the Novgorod squad against Askold and Dir.

Late 860s Oleg's appointment as Igor's tutor.

874 The campaign of the Kyiv prince Askold against Byzantium. Conclusion of a peace treaty between him and Emperor Basil I the Macedonian. Baptism of part of the Rus squad in Constantinople.

879 Death of Prince Rurik of Novgorod. Oleg's acceptance of guardianship over Rurik's young son Igor.

879 The beginning of the Novgorod reign of Oleg as “the eldest in the family of Rurik.”

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

882 The beginning of the advance to the south of the army of Prince Oleg, consisting of Ilmen Slovenes, Krivichi, Meri and Vesi.

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

882 Prince Oleg's seizure of the lands of the northerners and the city of Lyubech.

882 Prince Oleg's campaign against Kyiv. The murder of the Kyiv rulers Askold and Dir by Prince Oleg. The beginning of Oleg's reign in Kyiv. The unification of Northern and Southern Rus' under the rule of Oleg. Creation of the Old Russian state with its center in Kyiv.

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

Later 882 Oleg obliges Novgorod residents to pay 300 hryvnia annually for feeding and maintaining a squad of Varangians called upon to defend the northern borders of the state.

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

884 Victory over the northern tribe and imposition of tribute on it.

885 Subjugation of the Radimichi and imposition of tribute on them.

885 The war of Prince Oleg with the streets and Tivertsy.

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

898 Conclusion of a union treaty between the Ugrians and Russia. Imposition of tribute on Rus' for peace and military assistance.

Con. 9th century Invasion of the Pechenegs in the Northern Black Sea region.

X-XII centuries The formation of the Old Russian people.

903 First mention in the chronicles of Pskov.

907 Prince Oleg's campaigns in the lands of the Vyatichi, Croats and Dulebs.

907 Prince Oleg's campaign against Constantinople. Resignation of Prince Igor Rurikovich as governor in Kyiv.

907 Conclusion of a peace treaty with Byzantium. Establishment of duty-free trade with Byzantium.

Later 907 Prince Oleg received the nickname Prophetic.

909-912 Military campaigns of the Rus on the southern coast of the Caspian Sea.

911 Prince Oleg's campaign against Constantinople.

912 September 2 - Conclusion of a peace treaty with Byzantium. Oleg was first called the “Russian Grand Duke”. In the treaty, Rus' was mentioned for the first time as a state.

912 Death of the Grand Duke of Kyiv and Prince of Novgorod Oleg.

Oleg of Novgorod usually begins to be credited with the formation of the ancient Russian state. His figure is truly significant, since it determined the beginning of a new era, a new era. His life, like his death, has many mysteries for historians. But still, Prince Oleg the Prophet, whose brief biography will be discussed below, is a rather interesting personality for researchers and ordinary lovers of antiquity.

Appearance in Rus'

His biography is known to us only briefly, and is considered the founder of the Old Russian state. He was a relative of the legendary Varangian Rurik, that is, he was the brother of Efanda, the commander’s wife. There is an opinion that he was an ordinary commander, whom the Viking trusted immensely. Otherwise, would you have instructed him to take away his young son? It is worth believing that Oleg acted in agreement with Rurik, and perhaps had a certain freedom. One way or another, he quickly took possession of Smolensk and Lyubech, and then Kiev. By the way, the golden-domed city was captured by him by cunning: the Varangians lured them out from behind the walls (who were also probably Vikings) and killed them, declaring himself a prince.

Achievements and successes

Prince Oleg, whose biography is discussed in this article, strengthened his power either by enlisting the support of the Slavic tribes neighboring Kiev, or by conquering them. He established a tribute for them, which did not burden the people too much. But his military successes were truly impressive. Campaigns against the Khazars freed the Russian lands from the need to pay polyudye to the Khaganate. The great Constantinople fell, on the gates of which, according to the chronicle, the prince nailed his shield. As a result, Russian merchants could trade with Byzantium without duties and receive all kinds of support from it. Thus, Prince Oleg the Prophet, whose brief biography is discussed above, has more merit to Russia than Rurik. Moreover, practically nothing is known about the founder of the princely dynasty.

March to Constantinople

Prince Oleg, whose brief biography is covered in the Tale of Bygone Years, is an extraordinary personality. He organized the famous campaign against Constantinople, after which he received his nickname - the Prophetic. The chronicle says that he sent a huge army to the city on two thousand boats. Each boat accommodated four dozen warriors. The emperor ordered the gates of the capital to be closed, leaving the suburbs and villages to be torn apart by the enemies. But the Kiev prince ordered wheels to be attached to the ships, on which the army reached the gates of Constantinople. The Byzantines were at a loss, so they surrendered, offering Oleg a generous tribute and peace.

Was there a trip?

Prince Oleg, whose short biography can be found in almost every history textbook, is a controversial figure. Researchers have more questions than answers about his life. For example, the fact of a campaign against Byzantium seems unreliable. This is because the authors from Constantinople described in detail all the attacks on their country, but they do not mention Oleg’s campaign. In addition, the return from Constantinople of Oleg and Vladimir the Great is very similar. Perhaps this is a description of the same event. At the same time, after Oleg, Igor also went to the southern city, and also won. This is also stated by European authors who chronicled those years.

Was there a snake?

Oleg, whose biography is also known from literature lessons, died as mysteriously as he appeared in Rus'. The same one describes that a sorcerer once predicted his death from his beloved horse. The Varangian was superstitious, so he mounted another animal, and entrusted his favorite to the servants, ordering them to take care of him until his death. The ruler remembered him during the feast, but it turned out that the horse had died long ago. Sad about his favorite and angry that he believed the magicians, the prince went to the bones. But when he stepped on the skull, he saw a snake, which immediately bit him in the leg. Oleg died from poison.

Prince Oleg, whose biography has long been studied, could have died a different death. And the legend of the horse and the snake may have been borrowed from the saga of Orvard Odd. Although some scientists believe that the hero of Scandinavian legends and the Prophetic Oleg are one and the same person. But there are several facts that allow us to think about whether the story about the death of the prince could be true. Among them are the following:

Could a snake bite through a leather boot worn in Rus'? Most likely not, or did Oleg come to the mountain to the horse bones barefoot?

What if the snake jumped and bit the prince above the top of his boots? But on the territory of Ukraine there are no such vipers!

As a rule, before biting, a snake hisses and tries to crawl away. Could Oleg or his entourage not have noticed this?

Alternatively, the prince died from poison, but the snake was slipped to him on purpose or Oleg was poisoned in advance. Unfortunately, it is impossible to establish where the truth is.

Some more interesting facts

The Russian prince Oleg, whose biography is already known to the reader, is mentioned not only in the annals of Kyiv and Novgorod. Al-Masudi (Arabic author) talks about the unsuccessful campaign of the Rus (500 ships!) on the forehead with Olwang and Al-dir to Persia. They gave part of the booty to the Khazars, but the latter betrayed them and killed everyone. About thirty thousand warriors died there, and those who retreated beyond the Caspian Sea were killed by the Volga Bulgars. Thus, the legendary prince died on the campaign, as befits a brave Varangian.

This is how he is, the smart and warlike Prince Oleg. His biography is full of blank spots, because of which an aura of mystery and mystery remains around this figure. Perhaps time will find answers to all questions.

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Brief biography and characteristics of the reign of Prince Oleg

Prince Oleg is one of the most prominent rulers of Ancient Rus', who united Kyiv and Novgorod under his rule, signed trade agreements with Byzantium and did many more things in the formation of Russian statehood. The FOX-calculator project is pleased to present you with a short biography and description of the main milestones of this outstanding historical figure!

Around 879, leaving his little son Igor reign over the Slavic lands, the first died. Since Igor was at a young age, Oleg, who was later the Prince of Novgorod and the first Great Prince of Kyiv, took over the reign. Wanting to expand the Slavic territories, the prince assembled a fairly powerful squad, which included representatives of the Finnish tribes, Ilmen Slavs and Krivichi. After this, the prince moved his army to the south, annexing the cities of Lyubech and Smolensk. But the young ruler had a larger-scale action in his plans. Having given power to loyal people from the squad in the conquered cities, Oleg advanced to Kyiv. This military campaign was a success. So, already in 882, the militant prince managed to capture the city and kill its rulers Askold and Dir. So Oleg ascended the great throne of Kiev, and historians consider this same year to be the actual date of the formation of the state of Kievan Rus.

Prince Oleg's reign in the city began with the construction of many defensive structures and strengthening of the city walls. In addition, the prince strengthened the borders of the Slavic lands, erecting “outposts” on them, which were small fortresses with warriors living there. From 883 to 885, Prince Oleg managed to make a series of successful military campaigns, as a result of which he was able to subjugate the Slavic tribes that were settled along the banks of the Dnieper, Dniester, Sozh and Bug. After the victories, the Grand Duke gave orders for the construction of new cities in the occupied territories. The conquered tribes were obliged to pay him tribute. Actually, like all subsequent princes, Oleg’s entire internal policy boiled down to collecting taxes and strengthening borders.

The foreign policy of Prince Oleg was also very successful. His most important military campaign is considered to be the 907 campaign against Byzantium. For this military operation, the prince assembled a huge powerful army, which, according to some sources, numbered more than 80 thousand people. Despite the strategy and defense, Byzantium was captured, and its suburbs were burned and plundered. The result of the Byzantine campaign of Prince Oleg was a rich tribute and benefits for the trade of Russian merchants. Five years later, a peace treaty was signed between Kievan Rus and Byzantium. After this campaign, Prince Oleg received the name Prophetic, that is, a sorcerer, for his insight and strategy.

The first Kiev prince died in 912, and his death is shrouded in legends. According to the most famous of them, Oleg was bitten by a snake.

Interesting fact! A sharp mind and outstanding insight earned Prince Oleg the nickname “prophetic.”

The main chronological dates of the reign of Prince Oleg the Prophet:

Oleg (Prophetic Oleg, other Russian Olg, mind. or g.) - Varangian, prince of Novgorod (s) and Kiev (s). Often considered as the founder of the Old Russian State.

Origin of Oleg

In the chronicles there are two versions of Oleg’s biography: the traditional one, set out in The Tale of Bygone Years, and according to the Novgorod First Chronicle, which preserved fragments of an earlier chronicle (which has not survived to this day) with confusion in chronology.

The beginning of the reign. Capture of Kyiv

March on Byzantium

Novgorod version of the biography. Oleg's Eastern Campaigns

“Olg went to Novugorod, and from there to Ladoga. The friends will say that when he goes over the sea, I will bite the serpent in his foot, and then he will die; There is his grave in Ladoz.”

This information contradicts the Russian-Byzantine treaty of 912, where Oleg is called Grand Duke of Russia, but at the same time they are better consistent with eastern news about Rus' of this period (see below).

The name of the Russian leader is not mentioned in the message, and the campaign is not mentioned in Russian chronicles. Perhaps a vague hint of him is the phrase in the Novgorod Chronicle about Oleg " others say that he went overseas....

Sometimes they try to connect a certain Russian leader with the personality of Oleg H-l-g-w, which, according to a Khazar source, the so-called “Cambridge Document”, captured the Khazar city of Samkerts on the Taman Peninsula by agreement with Byzantium, but was defeated by the governor of Samkerts Pesach and sent by the latter to Constantinople. The Byzantines burned the Rus' ships with fire, and then H-l-g-w went to Persia, where he and his entire army died. Name H-l-g-w restored as Helga, Halgo. He is referred to in the document as the “ruler of Russia,” which makes it very tempting to identify him with Oleg. However, the events described relate to the reign of Igor (the Russian campaign against Byzantium coincides in the description with the campaign of 941, and the campaign against Persia coincides with the Russian raid in 944 on the Azerbaijani city of Berdaa). In historiography there have been attempts to interpret this message as evidence of the duumvirate of Igor and Oleg, in this case Oleg’s life is extended until the present day. 40s of the 10th century, and the beginning of his reign is supposed to be later than indicated in the chronicle.

Death

The circumstances of the death of Prophetic Oleg are contradictory. According to the Kyiv version (“PVL”), his grave is located in Kyiv on Mount Shchekovitsa. The Novgorod Chronicle places his grave in Ladoga, but also says that he went "overseas". In both versions there is a legend about death from a snake bite. According to legend, the Magi predicted to the prince that he would die from his beloved horse. Oleg ordered the horse to be taken away, and remembered the prediction only four years later, when the horse had long since died. Oleg laughed at the Magi and wanted to look at the bones of the horse, stood with his foot on the skull and said: “Should I be afraid of him?” However, a poisonous snake lived in the horse’s skull, which fatally stung the prince.

This legend finds parallels in the Icelandic saga of the Viking Orvar Odd, who was also fatally stung at the grave of his beloved horse. It is unknown whether the saga became the reason for the invention of the Russian legend about Oleg, or, on the contrary, the circumstances of Oleg’s death served as material for the saga. However, if Oleg is a historical character, then Orvar Odd is the hero of an adventure saga, created on the basis of some oral traditions no earlier than the 13th century. This is how Orvar Odd died:

“And as they walked quickly, Odd kicked and bent down. “What was it that I hit my foot on?” He touched the tip of the spear, and everyone saw that it was the skull of a horse, and immediately a snake rose from it, rushed at Odd and stung him in the leg above the ankle. The poison took effect immediately, and the entire leg and thigh became swollen. Odd was so weak from this bite that they had to help him go to the shore, and when he got there, he said; “You should now go and cut out a stone coffin for me, and let someone stay here sitting next to me and write down the story that I write about my deeds and life.” After that, he began to compose a story, and they began to write it down on a tablet, and as Odd’s path went, so did the story [follows hanging]. And after that Odd dies."

For some time it was customary to identify Oleg with the epic hero Volga Svyatoslavich.

Historiography according to Prophetic Oleg

The date of Oleg’s death, like all chronicle dates of the first century of Russian history (the unwritten period), is conditional. Historian A. A. Shakhmatov noted that 912 is also the year of death of the Byzantine emperor Leo VI - Oleg's antagonist; perhaps the chronicler, who knew that Oleg and Leo were contemporaries, timed the end of their reigns to the same date (there is a similar suspicious coincidence between the dates of Igor’s death and the overthrow of his contemporary, the Byzantine Emperor Roman I). Considering, moreover, that the Novgorod tradition dates Oleg’s death to the year (see above), the date becomes even more doubtful. The duration of the reigns of Oleg and Igor is 33 years each, which raises suspicions about the epic source of this information.

Sources

Links

• Novgorod first chronicle of the older and younger editions. - M.-L.: "Publishing House of the USSR Academy of Sciences", 1950. - 659 p. //“Izbornik”. History of Ukraine IX-XVIII
• COMPLETE COLLECTION OF RUSSIAN CHRONICLES. Volume 2. IPATEV CHRONICLE. Second edition. St. PETERSBURG. Aleksandrov’s printing house. 1908 // “Izbornik”. History of Ukraine IX-XVIII
• About Oleg and Odd - article by E. A. Rydzevskaya
• Karamzin N. M. Oleg Ruler

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