Igor Stary: biography, family, years of government, campaigns. Kyiv prince Igor Rurikovich. Prince Igor Who killed Prince Igor in 945

After the last trip to Constantinople (944), Prince Igor lived with everyone in peace and even sent his governor Sveneld to collect tribute. Collecting tribute in the cities, Sveneld enriched himself and enriched his squad. The squad of Prince Igor began to express dissatisfaction: " The youths of Sveneld dressed themselves in weapons and clothes, but we are naked. Come, prince, with us for tribute, and you will get yourself, and we".
In this regard, in the fall of 945, Igor decided to personally go to the polyudye, to collect tribute and carry out judgment. Arriving in the lands of the Drevlyans, according to the chronicler, Igor and his retinue began to take tribute more than usual and inflicted all kinds of violence on the Drevlyans. Having collected tribute, the squad, together with Igor, went back to Kyiv, but on the way home, Igor suddenly changed his mind about returning. Saying to the squad " Go home with the tribute, and I will return, I still look like", he released most of his squad. He himself remained with a small number of warriors and returned to take more tribute from the Drevlyans.
The Drevlyans, having learned that Igor was coming again, began to think with their prince Mal: ​​" The wolf will get into the sheep, drag the whole herd until they kill him, so this one: if we do not kill him, then we will all be ruined"Having decided so, they sent to tell Igor:" Why are you going again? You took all the tribute, didn't you?"But Igor did not obey them, then the Drevlyans, having left the city of Korosten, killed Igor. There is evidence that" this unfortunate prince was tied to two trees, torn in two". So, according to legend, Prince Igor died.

In the chronicles of the X-XI centuries, the son of the legendary Prince Rurik, Igor, is mentioned with the addition of the word Old. This happens because it is to him that they erect the beginning of the dynasty of Russian princes Rurikovich. A similar name came into use, and was widely used by historians of later times. We will not deviate from the established tradition.

Short preface

Before starting a conversation, an extremely important detail should be noted - all the events in which, one way or another, Igor Stary took part, are known today from a number of written monuments, which often contradict each other. Therefore, when talking about those bygone times, it is customary to follow the most common and generally accepted version, and one should not be surprised if it does not fully correspond to data from any secondary sources.

Regent and trustee of the young prince

As the compiler of The Tale of Bygone Years, the chronicler Nestor, testifies, after the death of the legendary Prince Rurik, which followed in 879, his young son and heir Igor, who was born a year earlier, remained. Since, due to his childhood, he could not yet begin to reign, until his maturity, the reign was carried out by a relative of the deceased ruler - Prince Oleg - the same one who entered our history with the title of the Prophet. He was also the boy's closest trustee.

Soon after gaining power, Oleg subjugates the free, until then, Smolensk, and then approaches Kiev with his squad. The chronicler says that he lures the Kievan princes Askold and Dir out of the fortified city and kills them. Having seized power in this way, and wanting to give it legitimacy, Oleg points out to the people of Kiev the young Igor as the legitimate heir to power, while assigning himself the role of a certain regent. In reality, this was cunning, since he did not let go of power until his death.

Marriage of Prince Igor

Nothing is known about how Prince Igor's youth passed, and in the next passage the chronicler shows his reader already matured, however, still not out of Oleg's tutelage. It is he who brings the bride to the young prince - a very young thirteen-year-old (and according to some sources, in general, ten-year-old) Pskov woman with an unusually poetic Old Slavonic name Prekrasa.

Further, Igor Stary (who was then barely 23 years old), inflamed with love, marries a young beauty, but for some reason gives his bride a new name - Olga. There can be two explanations for this act of his - either this is a consequence of a momentary whim, or a more serious reason.

Probable relative of Prophetic Oleg

The fact is that Olga is a Scandinavian name, which is a derivative of the male name Oleg. Therefore, there is an assumption that the trustee and temporary worker simply betrothed his relative to the heir, wanting to strengthen his influence on the mature young man.

One way or another, this woman entered the history of Russia under the name of Princess Olga - the first Russian Christian woman, canonized as a saint. She is also the grandmother of the baptist of Rus', the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir. The fruit of her marriage to Prince Igor was her son Svyatoslav Igorevich, who inherited power and, unlike his mother, became a cruel persecutor of Christians. In addition to Olga, the prince had many other wives, but she always remained the most beloved.

Under the burden of power

In 912, after the unexpected death of his guardian, which A. S. Pushkin so poetically sang, Igor the Old finally gained full power. Until that time, he was an independent ruler of Kiev only in 907, when Oleg left him as his governor during a campaign in Byzantium, during which he captured Constantinople and nailed his famous shield on its gates.

The power, which became the property of Igor, who was still inexperienced in the reign, brought with it a lot of worries. In particular, having learned about the death of Oleg, the tribes of the Drevlyans, the East Slavic peoples who inhabited the territory of the present Ukrainian Polissya in those years, rebelled and refused to pay the previously established tribute.

As a result, Prince Igor Stary was forced, having gathered a squad, to go to pacify the rebels, which he did in 913, and in order to continue to disobey freedom, he imposed a tribute twice as much as before.

Asian cunning and ambitious dreams

The next military campaign in chronology was made by the prince against the Pechenegs, who first appeared in Rus' in 915. Heading to Byzantium to help her repel the attack of the Bulgarians, these steppe inhabitants had no aggressive intentions towards the lands subject to Igor, and the prince agreed to let them through. However, full of cunning, he struck from the rear at their rearguard, and as a result won a fairly easy victory, taking possession of property and provisions.

It was a success, but how could he compare with the glory that his predecessor and guardian, Prophetic Oleg, covered himself with? Thoughts about this did not leave the mind of the ambitious and envious Igor. To immortalize his name, he needed something that could eclipse previous victories. Dreams of his own shield on the gates of Constantinople filled his life. And in 941, campaigns of Igor the Old against Byzantium begin. There were two of them, each of which is interesting in its own way.

Sea trip to Byzantium

The prince carried out the first campaign by sea, putting all his large army on boats. How many of these small and very primitive ships were required to move along the sea coast from the mouth of the Dnieper to Constantinople, to transfer a very significant number of people, is not known for certain. Nestor the Chronicler reports 10,000 ships, while European sources speak of only a thousand.

In any case, it was a fairly impressive flotilla. On the approaches to the Byzantine capital, she managed to win a number of minor victories, but then the unexpected happened. The defenders of the city used against them a completely unknown weapon in Rus', which went down in history under the name of Greek fire.

Lightning that came down from the sky

Judging by the remaining descriptions, it was some kind of modern flamethrower. Its essence was that with the help of special siphons, a jet of burning mixture was thrown out under pressure in the direction of the enemy, which did not go out even when it hit the water. What it consisted of is not exactly known, but a number of surviving records, as well as laboratory experiments, suggest that quicklime, sulfur and oil were its components.

The effect of the use of this weapon was colossal. Not only did a good half of the princely flotilla go to the bottom with its help, but the sight of the flying fire made an indelible impression on the survivors. It is known that they fled in a panic, and when they returned to their homeland, they talked about some kind of miracle - lightning that descended from the sky and destroyed their army. Thus, Igor's first Byzantine pancake came out in a big bloody lump.

army of marauders

The second campaign, which Igor Stary undertook in 944, was much more successful. He brought, if not military glory, then, in any case, a fair booty. A year before, the prince had a son, Svyatoslav Igorevich, and during the absence of his father, he was nominally considered the ruler, although, of course, his mother, Princess Olga, performed these functions for him.

This time, the princely army was divided into two parts, one of which moved on land, and the other, like last time, was placed on boats. In order to finally achieve the desired triumph, Igor gathered under his banner a huge number of warriors, which included representatives of all the tribes with whom he had established contacts. The desire to plunder and get rich with impunity at the expense of others united in his ranks the Russians, Varangians, Pechenegs, Krivichi, Polovtsy and many, many other seekers of easy money.

Bird in a cage

Moving along the coast of the Black Sea towards Byzantium, this horde left behind a dead scorched earth, and the news of the atrocities committed by it spread far across the surrounding lands. When these rumors reached the Byzantine emperor Roman I Lokapin, he was horrified, and considered it prudent to try to somehow avert trouble from his state, especially since foreigners had already reached the banks of the Danube by that time.

To this end, he sent ambassadors to meet the army with gifts so rich that, after conferring, the warriors decided not to continue the campaign. There was a reason for this - to go forward, and no one wanted to risk their heads in order to multiply the already rich booty. As a result, remembering once again that a tit in a cage is better than a crane in the sky, everyone turned back. In addition, they got a titmouse, although not fanned with the glory of victory, but very fat.

Hike to the Drevlyans for tribute

Returning from the campaign, the prince did not suspect that his life was already coming to an end, and the reason for this was not old age, although he had passed 67 years old by that time, but greed, which had always been an integral part of his nature. One day she killed him.

The fact is that the reign of Igor the Old rested solely on the strength of his squad, which served him as a support in the fight against other contenders for power, of which, as always, there were many. Therefore, it was extremely important for him to maintain proper relations with the warriors. And then one day, dissatisfaction arose among them that in the squad of Prince Sveneld - Igor's governor, the soldiers were richer dressed and better armed than they were.

Not wanting to bear the costs himself, and at the same time, trying to calm the dissatisfied, he decided to descend with them to the Drevlyans and solve the problem by robbery under the guise of collecting tribute. The warriors willingly supported him, and a large detachment led by the prince went to the foreigners.

At first, everything went exactly as planned. They collected a great tribute, and in anticipation of the division went home. But then a snake began to stir in the heart of the prince, but more terrible than the one that once stung the Prophetic Oleg. It is called greed, and a myriad of people have ruined its bites. So Igor sunk into his soul that if you return with a small number of people, and even rob, then the jackpot will come out fatter, and it will have to be divided into a smaller number of mouths.

He did not take into account only what every ruler must know - you can’t bring even the most obedient people to extremes, otherwise it’s a disaster. And so it happened, when they saw the prince returning with small forces, and realizing his intentions, the Drevlyans rebelled. Having interrupted the guards, they betrayed the prince to a cruel death - they tied him by the legs to two firs inclined towards each other, and tore them in half. So ingloriously ended his life the Prince of Kiev Igor Stary, whose biography, gleaned from ancient chronicles, formed the basis of our story.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we note one curious detail - in the "Tale of Bygone Years" this ruler is twice called the "wolf prince." There is no doubt that such an expressive and very accurate image in many ways conveys its true essence. Both the foreign and domestic policy of Igor Stary always pursued the goal of his own enrichment and glorification, and was not aimed at the interests of the state. It is characteristic that the noun wolf, in addition to its direct meaning, was used in ancient times to express such concepts as a robber, thief and robber, which, in fact, was Igor Stary. Death was a fitting recompense for his deeds.

The Drevlyans were indignant, they thought to free themselves from tribute. Igor pacified them and forced them to pay more than before. He also made trips to foreign lands, but he did not have the same luck as Oleg. Under Igor Rurikovich, a raid was made on the Caspian inhabitants. In 913, the Russians on five hundred boats appeared in the Black Sea, sailed to the Sea of ​​Azov, climbed the Don to the place where it comes close to the Volga, and sent to the Khazar Khagan to ask for a pass through his possessions along the Volga to the Caspian Sea: they promised to give Khazars half of the booty that they capture. Kagan agreed. The soldiers of Prince Igor dragged their boats into the sea, scattered along its southern and western shores, began to mercilessly beat the inhabitants, take women and children prisoner. The inhabitants tried to resist, but the Russians defeated their army. The victors captured the huge booty and sailed from the Caspian Sea back to the Volga. Here they gave, as agreed earlier, half of the looted booty to the kagan, but the Khazars wanted to take the other half from the Russians. After a terrible three-day battle, most of the Russian rati was exterminated, and its remnants, fleeing up the Volga, almost all died in the fight against Bulgarians.

Pechenegs and Russians

At the end of the 9th century, shortly before the beginning of the reign of Igor Rurikovich, hordes of a new tribe of nomads appeared next to the Russians - the Pechenegs. They began to roam in the steppes from the Danube to the Don. The Byzantine government, in order to save its possessions from their raids, tried to live in peace with them, sent rich gifts to their leaders, and sometimes the treacherous Greeks bribed the Pechenegs to attack the Russians. In peacetime, the Pechenegs sold horses, bulls, sheep to the Russians, were sometimes hired to transport goods and thus helped trade relations with the Greeks. But for the most part, these nomads were at enmity with the Russians, unexpectedly broke into the Russian region in small detachments, robbed it, burned settlements, destroyed fields, often attacked Russian merchant caravans, waiting for them at the Dnieper rapids.

The Pechenegs were tall, strong people of a wild, ferocious appearance. They were excellent riders and excellent shooters. Arrows and spears were their main weapons, and chain mail and helmets protected them from enemy attacks. On their light steppe horses with wild cries they rushed at the enemies, showering them with arrows. Then, if they could not immediately break the enemy, they turned into a feigned flight, trying to lure the enemy into pursuit and, with the help of an ambush, surround him and destroy him. Igor Rurikovich, the first of the Russian princes, had to defend his region from these steppe predators.

Campaigns of Prince Igor to Byzantium

Igor conceived, following the example of Oleg, to make a big raid on Byzantium and to hunt for himself and his squad a lot of booty. Having gathered a huge army, he set off in the usual way on boats to the shores of Byzantium. As soon as countless Russian ships appeared in the Black Sea, the Danube Bulgarians let the emperor know about it. This time, the Russians attacked the Asian shores of the Byzantine Empire and, according to Greek news, began to rage terribly here: they betrayed prisoners to various tortures, burned villages, robbed churches and monasteries. Finally, the Greeks rallied their forces, equipped the ships and marched against the enemies. Igor Rurikovich was quite sure that the Russians would win, but he was mistaken. When the Byzantine ships met the Russians, suddenly the Byzantines began to throw fire at the Russian boats. He gets on the boat - there is no escape! The flame covers it - the water does not extinguish it, the fire falls on the water - and it burns on the water! .. Horror seized everyone; the most daring, fighting warriors, and they trembled, they all fled. Other warriors of Prince Igor threw themselves from the burning boats directly into the water and drowned; many Russians died here, many of them fell into the hands of the Byzantines.

Few were saved and later told with horror that during this battle the Greeks had heavenly lightning in their hands, that they threw it on the Russian boats and they died in the flames. The fact is that the Byzantines used in the war a special composition of several combustible substances (oil, sulfur, resin, etc.). When this composition was lit, the fire could not be extinguished by water, it even intensified the flame. On the water, this composition floated and burned. On Byzantine ships, special copper pipes were arranged on the bow, with the help of which the Greeks, approaching enemy ships, threw a burning composition and lit them. This " Greek fire”, as it was called, not only horrified the Russians, but also other foreigners who attacked the Greeks.

Igor Rurikovich wanted at all costs to make amends for the shame of his defeat and to take revenge on the Greeks. He sent across the sea to call eager people from the Normans on a new campaign against Byzantium. Crowds of predatory warriors, greedy for prey, headed for Kyiv. For three years, Prince Igor was going to, finally made himself ready, hired the Pechenegs, and so that they would not change, he took hostages from them and set off.

Prince Igor's campaign against Constantinople in 941. Miniature from the Radziwill Chronicle

Terrible news came to the Byzantine capital Constantinople from Korsun (a Greek city on the Tauride Peninsula): “Rus is coming without number: their ships covered the whole sea! ..” This message was followed by another from the Bulgarians: “Rus is coming and the Pechenegs with them!”

The Byzantine emperor decided that it would be better to appease the enemies somehow without entering into a new struggle with them, and sent several noble boyars to tell Igor: “Do not go against us, take the tribute that Oleg took, we will also add to it.”

The Greeks and the Pechenegs sent rich gifts - a lot of gold and expensive pavoloks (silk fabrics). The Russians at that time had already reached the Danube. Igor Rurikovich called his squad, told her about the proposal of the Byzantine emperor and began to consult what to do. We decided to accept the offer.

“When the emperor,” said the squad, “even so offers to pay tribute and we can take gold, silver and canvases from Byzantium without a fight, then what else do we need? Who knows who will prevail - us or them! And you can't agree with the sea either. After all, we do not walk on the earth, but in the depths of the sea - death can be common to all of us.

The prince accepted this advice, took gold and curtains from the Greeks for himself and for all his soldiers, and returned to Kyiv.

The very next year, he and the Byzantine emperor exchanged embassies and concluded a new treaty similar to Oleg's treaty with the Greeks. Prince Igor Rurikovich came with his senior warriors (boyars) to the hill where the idol of Perun stood. Everyone laid down their weapons, spears, swords, shields and swore to the Byzantine ambassadors that they would abide by the treaty. There were also Christians among the warriors, they swore an oath in the church of St. Ilya.

Prince Igor gifted the Greek ambassadors with furs, wax and servants (that is, slaves) and let them go.

Treaties with the Byzantines of Igor Rurikovich and earlier - Oleg - show that the Russians did not just make wild raids, but also had in mind trade benefits. In these agreements, various benefits are already negotiated for Russian merchants; both sides are obliged to assist the merchants who have suffered a wreck, to fairly sort out and judge various quarrels that may arise during trade relations, etc. The fearful Greeks, apparently afraid of the warlike Russians, demand that more than 50 people, moreover, unarmed, not enter the capital at once ...

The Russian chronicle tells about the death of Igor Rurikovich as follows. In his old age, he did not go to polyudie. The collection of tribute was called polyud: the prince with his retinue usually went around the villages and cities "by people" and collected tribute, which he shared with the warriors. The prince began to entrust the collection of tribute to his boyar Sveneld. This was unprofitable for Igor's squad, and she began to grumble:

“Youths (combatants) of Sveneld got rich in weapons and clothes, and we are naked, go, prince, with us for tribute, and you will get it, and we!”

Prince Igor collects tribute from the Drevlyans in 945. Painting by K. Lebedev, 1901-1908

Prince Igor obeyed, went to the ground drevlyans collect tribute, and he and his squad resorted to violence. The prince was already returning to Kyiv with tribute, but he wanted to collect more. Igor Rurikovich released most of the squad, and with a small detachment he returned again to the land of the Drevlyans to make requisitions. The Drevlyans were indignant, gathered at the veche and decided with Mal, their foreman, or prince, as they called him: “When a wolf gets into the habit of walking in a herd of sheep, he will plunder the whole herd if they don’t kill him; so this (Igor), if we do not put him to death, will destroy us all.

The execution of Prince Igor by the Drevlyans. Drawing by F. Bruni

When Prince Igor again began to collect tribute by force, the Drevlyans from the city of Korosten killed Igor's small detachment and killed him himself (945). There is news that, having bent the trunks of two trees one to another, they tied the unfortunate prince to them, then released them, and Igor Rurikovich died a terrible death - he was torn into two parts by trees.

Igor was the first prince of the Old Russian state from the Rurik dynasty. Few people know that Rurik himself was the Prince of Novgorod. And Prince Oleg, called the Prophet, subjugated Kyiv and transferred the capital to it. Oleg was a relative of Rurik and, dying, he left the young Igor to him, as well as a kind of regency with him. Prophetic Oleg ruled unanimously as an unlimited autocrat, but he did a number of deeds, especially bloody ones, in the name of the young Igor. For example, having deceived the princes Askold and Dir who ruled there from Kyiv, he executed them, saying: “You are not princes and not a princely family. But I am of a princely family. And this is the son of Rurik.

Prince Igor ruled Kiev for 33 years and it would seem that his life, as the actual ancestor of the dynasty, should be known for certain. However, it is not. There is no unity even in determining the date of his birth. Therefore, the encyclopedia indicates that he was born around 878, a year before the death of his father, whom some historians generally do not consider a historical person.

Most of the people who graduated from the Soviet school will be able to remember that Igor was an insignificant prince who died while collecting tribute from the Drevlyans due to his greed and stupidity. However, this version of the historical truth does not correspond. Moreover, the causes of his death and the real killers have not been finally established.

Igor began to reign independently only after the death of Prophetic Oleg - a personality also semi-legendary, at least not mentioned in any foreign source, and this despite the fact that his “shield is on the gates of Tsaregrad”. Oleg died in 911 (according to other sources in 922). Before his death, he managed to marry Igor to the future first Russian saint - Princess Olga. Before marriage, Olga was called Barrier, and she came from Pskov, where she was either a commoner, or, conversely, from the noble family of Gostomysl. It is possible that in fact she was born in Plovdiv and was a Bulgarian princess. A number of historians claim that Olga was the daughter of Prophetic Oleg. And it is only known for certain that at baptism she received the name Elena.

After Olga, Igor took several more wives. However, according to ancient chronicles, the one who later became a saint enjoyed the greatest respect from him. It is believed that the marriage was concluded in 903, however, even this date is highly doubtful. Especially if we analyze the fact that their son Svyatoslav was born in 942.

Prince Igor made his first military campaign against the Drevlyans in 914. This Slavic tribe had its capital in Iskorosten, 150 kilometers from Kyiv. Prophetic Oleg conquered them, but after his death, the Drevlyans refused to pay tribute. Igor defeated the Drevlyans and overlaid them with tribute more than Oleg. In 915, Igor had the first clash with the Pechenegs. Igor managed to conclude an “eternal peace” with them, which lasted until 920, after which there was actually a continuous war on the borders of Rus' and the steppe.

During the reign of Igor, Russian squads willingly sailed across the Caspian, robbing the coastal states of the region. They even managed to plunder and massacre the capital of Caucasian Albania, the city of Berdaa, located on the territory of modern Azerbaijan. “Rus, greedy for battles, ... set off into the sea and invaded on the decks of his ships ... This people devastated the entire territory of Berdaa ... This is something other than robbers, like wolves and lions. They never indulge in the fun of feasts… They take possession of countries and conquer cities…” Nizami wrote later.

However, Oleg's military glory - that same shield, very much attracted Prince Igor. In 941, he undertook the first campaign against Constantinople. Interestingly, the Russian chronicles that tell about this campaign are a retelling of Greek sources, they report: “June 11 ... dews sailed to Constantinople on ten thousand ships.” The main forces of the Byzantines at that time fought on other fronts. However, the head of the city, warned by the Bulgarians about the invasion, boldly entered the battle.

The Byzantines were armed with "Greek fire" - a combustible mixture capable of burning in water, and managed to burn most of the Russian fleet. The trip ended in nothing. However, as a result, his Prince Igor became the first Russian ruler to appear in the Byzantine chronicles. He is the first to be cross-mentioned in both Russian and foreign sources. And, accordingly, he is the first ruler of Rus', whose real existence is considered proven.

The first failure did not discourage Prince Igor. In 943-944, the prince gathers a new army, which, in addition to the Slavic units, includes many Varangian squads and Pecheneg hired cavalry. He again marches on Constantinople and wins, and without shedding a single drop of blood. The Byzantines were so frightened by reports of a huge army of the prince that they sent ambassadors forward who promised to pay tribute, generously reward each soldier and, in modern terms, provide Russian merchants with the most favored nation treatment. After conferring with the squad, the prince accepted these proposals. And he returned to Kyiv with fame and fortune.

The fact that this prince, wise by many battles and thirty years of ruling, expanding its borders and successfully restraining the onslaught of enemies, did further, according to the official version, defies logical explanation. In 945, he, at the request of the squad, which "was overused and worn out," sent for tribute to the Drevlyans. It should be understood that the squad is the highest layer of the then society, from which the boyars subsequently formed, so they definitely could not starve and be poorly dressed. In addition, nothing is reported anywhere about the refusal of the Drevlyans to pay tribute, which Igor imposed on them back in 914. That is, it turns out that the autocrat, having gathered all the leadership of the country, goes to rob his own subjects. Well, let's say that's exactly what happened. Then, apparently, in the future he just went crazy. Having collected tribute without any resistance, Igor sends most of the squad with valuables to Kyiv, and returns to Iskorosten with a small gang, wanting to rob him again. The Drevlyans, under the leadership of Prince Mal, revolt, destroy his squad, while the prince himself, tied to two trees, is torn to pieces.

Further more. The enemy, so hated that the most brutal execution was chosen for his destruction, is buried with great pomp and honor near Iskorosten, pouring a huge mound over his body. Prince Mal, without thinking twice, goes to woo Princess Olga. The inconsolable widow, naturally, like a good Christian, orders him and his entire retinue to be buried alive in the ground in revenge for the death of her husband. Moreover, she was so heartbroken that later she went three more times to take revenge on the Drevlyans.

The fact that something is wrong in this version, historians have noticed for a long time. It is rather difficult to rely on ancient chronicles as a reliable document, since everything was written exclusively to the order of the rulers and in the manner that these rulers considered correct. A version was proposed that Igor could have been killed by disgruntled Varangians. In the extended version, the version says that the Varangians were bribed. The question remains: by whom? The old detective principle says: “Qui prodest” - look for someone who benefits.

So, Princess Olga, not having any dynastic rights for that, after the death of Prince Igor, single-handedly ruled Russia for 17 years, from 945 to 962.

The Rurik dynasty ruled the state for over 700 years. The events in which Prince Igor took part are known today only from a number of chronicles, sometimes contradicting each other.

Childhood and youth

The exact date of Igor's birth is unknown. And if The Tale of Bygone Years, in principle, is silent about this moment, then in other chronicles the year of birth varies greatly. It is most likely that he was born in 875. His father Rurik was the founder of the ancient Russian state. But when he died in 879, the boy was too young to rule. Therefore, Igor was appointed a regent - a relative of Rurik -. He was a warrior and often took the boy on military campaigns.

There is very little information about Igor's mother. Only in the Joachim Chronicle it is indicated that she was the Norwegian princess Efanda. The historian Tatishchev considered her to be Oleg's sister.

It is possible that Igor had both brothers and sisters, but there is no mention of these people in the annals. But some sources mention the prince's nephews and cousins. Most likely, they did not own lands and powers, but were part of the prince's squad.

Often his name is mentioned with the adjective "Old". There are two versions of the origin of this nickname. Since there was more than one Igor in the Rurik dynasty, they decided to call the first of them "Old". And, most likely, historians of later periods began to use it, and not his contemporaries. Another reason for this nickname could be the fact that the prince came to power not upon reaching adulthood, but only after the death of Oleg. Igor at that time was already about 37 years old.

Governing body

Prophetic Oleg left Igor a rich state, showing by his own example how to manage it. But the government brought a lot of worries. As soon as the Drevlyans learned about the death of Oleg, they immediately refused to pay tribute to the new ruler. Igor was forced to gather a squad and go to their lands. And so that in the future it would be discourteous for them to rebel against the prince, he imposed a tribute on them twice as much as before. Since then, the Drevlyans harbored a strong grudge against him.

The domestic and foreign policy of Igor Rurikovich had an aggressive character. After the uprising of the Drevlyans, he decided to collect tribute from the people in a different way. Every year, together with the warriors, the prince traveled around the lands subject to him and collected the "tax" of the tribes that lived there. He took everything: flour, grain, honey, animal skins, etc. Now it was called polyud. But Igor's people behaved extremely rudely and impudently with the people. Yes, and the prince himself was distinguished by a steep and quick-tempered disposition.

In 915, Igor went to the aid of Byzantium, which was attacked by the Bulgarians. In 920 he defeated the Pechenegs. But the most important military campaigns in the life of Prince Igor are his campaigns against Byzantium.

In 941, he sailed to Byzantium, accompanied by a thousand ships. However, the Greeks managed to repel the attack, they used at that time a new weapon - "Greek fire" - a mixture of oil and other combustible substances. With the help of "fire" they burned most of the enemy ships.

Igor was forced to return home, but with only one goal - to gather a new army for the next campaign against Byzantium. This time he was a success. The prince concluded a peace treaty with the Byzantines, according to which he was provided with a monetary payment.

For 33 years Igor stood at the head of Ancient Rus', the years of his reign - from 912 to 945. His ancestral sign was a stylized diving falcon.

Personal life

Igor's wife was a Pskov woman with the fabulous name Prekrasa, whom the young prince gave a new name before the conclusion of the union - Olga. Why he did this, again, there are several options. Or it was his whim and a demonstration of power. At the time of their marriage, the young man was 25 years old, and the girl was only 13. Or the reason for this act lay much deeper.

Some sources say that Olga is Oleg's daughter. Namely, Oleg and betrothed her to Igor. His goal was to strengthen the influence on the matured young man. The name Olga is a derivative of the male name Oleg. The woman went down in history as Olga, becoming the Grand Duchess and the first ruler who converted to Christianity.

They had a son, Svyatoslav, who became a prince three years later under the tutelage of his mother.

Igor had other wives, but Olga always remained his beloved woman. She was wise, approached the solution of issues thoughtfully and balancedly. Whether Igor had children in other marriages is not reported in the annals.

Death

The death of Prince Igor deserves special attention. In 945, his warriors began to complain that they did not have enough money, that they were not financially prosperous. The warriors persuaded the ruler to go to collect polyudye in the Drevlyane lands. They took tribute in excess of the prescribed measure, committed violence against the inhabitants.

On the way back to Kyiv, during a halt, Igor unexpectedly decided to return to the Drevlyans for additional tribute. The prince sent part of the army with the already assembled crowd to Kyiv. And he himself with a small number of combatants went back.

As soon as the Drevlyans heard about the return of the prince, they decided to peacefully resolve the situation, but Igor refused to leave the lands. Therefore, the Drevlyans, led by their ruler, Prince Mal, decided to rebel against Igor, since his activities violated the norms of the established way of life.

Igor was in the minority, the Drevlyans quickly struck his warriors, captured the prince, and soon executed him. According to the Byzantine chronicler Leo Deacon, the murder of the prince was committed with particular cruelty. Igor was tied to the tops of bent trees and his body was torn to pieces.

After his death, Princess Olga ascended the throne, since his son Svyatoslav was too small. Having become the head of state, Olga decided to avenge the death of her husband.

Prince Mal sent matchmakers to the princess. The Drevlyans sailed along the Dnieper in a boat. Olga ordered the soldiers to carry the boat along with the guests to the palace, thus honoring them. But by that time, a hole had been dug in the yard, into which the matchmakers were thrown along with the boat, and then buried alive. Soon, ambassadors from Mal came to Olga. The woman said that they first washed themselves from the road. The men went into the bathhouse, it was immediately closed and set on fire.

Prince Igor was buried near the city of Iskorosten, Olga decided to go with her retinue to her husband's grave. The Drevlyans met the princess, but immediately asked where the ambassadors sent to her by the prince. The woman convinced them that they were following with the Kyiv squad. At the funeral feast, she watered the Drevlyans without measure, and when they were already obscenely drunk, she ordered the combatants to chop them all.

Olga laid siege to Iskorosten, but the Drevlyan people were not going to surrender. Therefore, the princess decided to take them by cunning. She told them that her husband had been avenged, and demanded a conditional tribute from the inhabitants of Iskorosten: three sparrows and three doves from the yard. The townspeople, not suspecting anything, with obvious relief, fulfilled the requirement of the princess.

Olga ordered her soldiers to tie a lit tinder to the leg of each bird and let them go. The birds returned to their nests and set fire to the city. The Drevlyans fled, but immediately fell into the hands of Olga. Some were killed on the spot, others were taken prisoner, and then sold into slavery.

The actions of Princess Olga, who avenged her husband's death, are horrific. But those times were distinguished by their cruelty, so that her deeds corresponded to the mores of the era.

Memory

• Igorevskaya street in Kyiv

Movie

• 1983 - "The Legend of Princess Olga", in the role of Igor Alexander Denisenko

Literature

• "Igor", A. Serba
• "Prince Igor and Princess Olga", V. Sedugin
• "The tip of the scabbard of a sword from a mound near Korosten", M. Fekhner

art

• "Prince Igor collects tribute from the Drevlyans in 945", K. Lebedev
• "The first meeting of Prince Igor and Olga", V. Sazonov
• "Prince Igor", K. Vasiliev
• “Princess Olga meets the body of Prince Igor”, V. Surikov
• "Prince Igor", I. Glazunov
• "Execution of Prince Igor", F. Bruni