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Who and why raised his hand against the son of the founder of Moscow: The cruel massacre of Prince Bogolyubsky
Who and why raised his hand against the son of the founder of Moscow: The cruel massacre of Prince Bogolyubsky

Video: Who and why raised his hand against the son of the founder of Moscow: The cruel massacre of Prince Bogolyubsky

Video: Who and why raised his hand against the son of the founder of Moscow: The cruel massacre of Prince Bogolyubsky
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Andrei Yurievich Bogolyubsky was the first Grand Duke who tried to bring autocracy to life and make the city of his principality, Vladimir, the capital of Russia. The plan was not carried out: at the age of 63, the son of the founder of Moscow, Yuri Dolgorukov, dies at the hands of conspirators. Boyars, some because of personal revenge, and some because of hatred of the new order, unite to kill the prince, hoping for a more convenient ruler to come. Despite the tragically interrupted plans, Bogolyubsky remained in history as the first national leader of Russia, who created his own vertical of power and dreamed of ending the tribal strife in this way.

How did Andrei Yuryevich show himself before reigning in Vladimir?

Yuri Dolgoruky, father of Andrei Bogolyubsky. Monument to the founder of Moscow on Tverskaya Square in Moscow
Yuri Dolgoruky, father of Andrei Bogolyubsky. Monument to the founder of Moscow on Tverskaya Square in Moscow

There is practically no historical data on the life of Bogolyubsky before the age of 35. Later it is known that in 1146 he helped his elder brother Rostislav in exile from Ryazan Rostislav Yaroslavovich, who supported the Kiev prince Izyaslav Mstislavovich. Three years later, Andrei Bogolyubsky took part in the campaign against Volyn, already against Izyaslav himself, and distinguished himself with valor in an attempt to seize Lutsk by storm.

Together with his father, at 41, Andrei became a participant in the siege of Chernigov, which lasted 12 days and ended in failure. According to the chroniclers, during this period the prince was seriously wounded, trying to break through the defenses of the city walls with his comrades. In 1153, he received the Ryazan principality from his father, but was soon expelled from it by Rostislav Yaroslavovich, who returned with the Polovtsy.

In 1154, after Yuri Dolgorukov came to power in Kiev, Andrei became the ruler of Vyshgorod. A year later, despite his father's dissatisfaction, he leaves for Vladimir-on-Klyazma, in order to eventually turn an unknown town into a full-fledged capital of his principality.

"Power vertical" according to Bogolyubsky

Andrey Bogolyubsky (Viktor Vasnetsov. Sketch for the painting of the Vladimir Cathedral in Kiev, 1885-1896. State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow)
Andrey Bogolyubsky (Viktor Vasnetsov. Sketch for the painting of the Vladimir Cathedral in Kiev, 1885-1896. State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow)

After the death of his father, Andrei Bogolyubsky did not get involved in the struggle for supremacy in Kiev, but began building a vertical of power in his Rostov-Vladimir-Suzdal lands. Moreover, he began to do this not by personal instructions, but through council decisions of representatives of the clergy and delegates from different estates. In 1162, having expelled from the Rostov-Suzdal principality of the brothers and nephews, as well as the squad that served the late father, Bogolyubsky becomes the only "autocrat of the entire Suzdal land."

The prince refuses to support the tribal boyars and surrounds himself with "mercenaries" - junior warriors who receive plots of the principality from Bogolyubsky for local ownership. Ignoring the discontent of the boyars and the veche, he establishes his own rules - he begins to dispose of the princes and elevate the "little fingers" people, placing them at the head of the local government.

Why did the boyars "sharpen their teeth" on the prince, or the reasons for the emergence of the boyar opposition

A sculptural portrait of Andrei Bogolyubsky. Reconstruction by M. M. Gerasimov. State Historical Museum in Moscow
A sculptural portrait of Andrei Bogolyubsky. Reconstruction by M. M. Gerasimov. State Historical Museum in Moscow

There are several versions trying to explain the reasons for the boyar discontent, which ended in the conspiracy and murder of Bogolyubsky. The first version is the revenge of the Kuchkovich boyars. It is believed that the reason for the latent anger at the prince was first the actions of his father, Yuri Dolgorukov. Allegedly, having specially killed one of the relatives of the Kuchkovichs, he appropriated his lands and numerous villages. Later, the daughter of the murdered Ulita marries Dolgorukov's son, Andrei, who, after a while, executes her brother for some atrocity. As a result, another brother - Peter - begins to hatch plans on how to deal with the enemy.

The second version is a struggle for power and disagreement with the current policy. Here, his brothers Vsevolod and Mikhail, with their nephews Yaropolk and Mstislav, are considered to be responsible for the death of the prince. Dissatisfied with the sole rule and its results, the relatives organize an attempt on the prince's life, using for this the boyars who have long-term grievances against Bogolyubsky.

The third version is a conflict with the Kiev Metropolitan. Andrei Bogolyubsky actively fought for independence from Kiev and negotiated the creation of his metropolis in Vladimir. Not wanting to lose influence and significance for the cities of Russia, the Kiev patriarch, according to this version, sends hired killers to deal with the prince, destroying with him the impending threat of dual power.

Unsuccessful attempts to capture Kiev and Vyshgorod in 1173 exacerbated the already existing disagreements with prominent boyars. The tension between them and Bogolyubsky reached a peak and led to the formation of a group of conspirators, who determined as their goal the physical destruction of the prince.

How was Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky killed?

The death of Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky. Painting by an unknown artist
The death of Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky. Painting by an unknown artist

The assassination was planned and carried out on June 29, 1174. According to the surviving chronicle, events developed as follows: at night, when the prince went to sleep, they knocked on his bedroom, introducing themselves as the name of the faithful servant of Bogolyubsky. Determining by his voice that this is a deception, and a drunken crowd is standing outside the door, Andrei Yuryevich rushes after the sword, and does not find it - the key keeper, who has joined the conspirators, takes out the weapon on the eve of the planned attack. Having broken down the door, the armed people rush at the prince, and, despite fierce resistance, seriously wound him.

Confident in the death of the victim, the conspirators go to the wine cellars for another dose of alcohol. Bogolyubsky, on the other hand, comes to his senses and tries to escape - he crawls down the stairs in the hope of hiding from his pursuers. This cannot be done, since the killers find him on a bloody trail and try to finish him off. However, their attempts the second time did not distinguish themselves with accuracy: as an examination of the remains carried out in 2007 revealed, the prince still died not from damage to some internal organ, but from acute blood loss due to damage to the subclavian artery when injured in the shoulder.

How was the fate of the conspirators?

The Transfiguration Cathedral in Pereslavl-Zalessky, where an inscription of the 12th century was discovered, containing the names of the conspirators who killed Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky
The Transfiguration Cathedral in Pereslavl-Zalessky, where an inscription of the 12th century was discovered, containing the names of the conspirators who killed Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky

The head of the conspirators, who were joined by the boyars close to the prince, was Pyotr Kuchkovich. Until 2015, historians had only three names out of 20 who took part in the murder, these are Ambal Kuchkovich, Yakim Kuchkovich and the aforementioned Pyotr. A complete list of the prince's executioners was found in Pereslavl-Zalessky: while restoring the Transfiguration Cathedral, experts came across a list of names hollowed out on the wall of the temple. There was also a short description of the tragedy, as well as the words of curses and wishes of eternal torment to the murderers.

The events after the violent death of Andrei Bogolyubsky developed in such a way that his executioners barely survived the victim. Vsevolod the Big Nest, who came to power in 1176 - the younger brother of the murdered prince - ordered the execution of the conspirators in order to prevent the habit of overthrowing the rulers objectionable to the boyars in this way.

Another iconic personality of that time, causing a lot of controversy to this day - Prince of Novgorod Alexander Nevsky.

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