Who was Prince Andrew Bogolyubsky?
Today, the personality of Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky is one of the rather controversial in stories Rus. Some experts speak of him as a tyrant and a bastard, while others aspirate, as if they mention something holy.
But be that as it may, the prince was indeed a great man. Unlike many others, he managed to understand in time that Rus' needed a strong ruling hand. That only one person should have power over the entire vast country. Perhaps if he had found more like-minded people who were able to understand his plans, the terrible Mongol invasion, which threw Russia back hundreds of years in its development, simply would not have happened - the Mongols would not have been able to oppose the army, the number of which was ten times greater than any detachment that could put one or another prince against them. Well, with only two or three times superiority, the nomads would have had very few chances to win.
It is necessary to recognize the fact that Prince Andrew was able to distinguish himself in many areas - science, culture, religion, art, politics and, of course, military affairs.
Date and even year of birth of the prince unknown. Of course, there are different versions, but they are very different from each other. But on the whole, historians agree that he was born between 1111 and 1125. His father - Yuri Dolgorukiy himself - from childhood taught his sons to the skill of battle. Since the age of three, Andrei has been able to sit in the saddle, and the first is cold. weapon received earlier. As modern studies of his remains have shown, he spent many hours in training. Colossal loads affected his physique - the humerus bones turned out to be twisted. This was usually observed among the knights who participated in the battles, using not the classic combination - a shield and a sword, but two swords. As a rule, only the best warriors could afford such a style of combat, knowing for sure that they would be able to deflect an enemy blow with a sword and immediately counterattack a defenseless enemy.
In addition, Prince Andrei was distinguished by his religiosity. It was he who, in a dream, the revived icon ordered to go to Vladimir, although his father bequeathed him to rule in Vyshgorod. During his life, Andrei financed the construction of more than thirty white-stone churches from his personal funds. It should be borne in mind that the white stone in those places was of high value. So the prince allocated simply fabulous money for this. He also did not spare money for the arrangement and decoration of temples, the purchase of icons brought from Byzantium.
Prince Andrei was also distinguished in the intellectual sphere. It is known that he was fluent in six languages. He carried on a personal correspondence with Frederick Barbarossa. Of course, he knew the history and geography of his places very well. Therefore, in general, the level of his intellect was in no way inferior to many modern academicians. Only with the difference that the heads of academicians are often filled with completely useless information. But Prince Andrei knew only what he needed for a successful reign. But he cannot be called a narrow-minded ruler either. He read Aristotle and Plato in the original, and also kept in touch with the most intelligent people who lived in Europe and some Asian countries.
Perhaps it was the unusual enlightenment that enabled him to realize to him the need for the unification of Russia earlier than others. Moreover, everything that is needed for a true leader who is able to lead the people - intellect, uncommon strength, courage, religiosity, and most importantly - faith in the correctness of their actions, came together in it.
Over time, he managed to gain considerable strength and publicly declared that Rus' needed one ruler, the Grand Duke, not only for the duration of hostilities, but also in everyday life. Of course, many did not support him, not wanting to lose their independence. And some of those who rejected him most fervently were the inhabitants of Kyiv. That is why a terrible blow was dealt to the city - the city was captured and given to the soldiers for plunder. Yes, such behavior does not fit well with deep religiosity. However, this made it possible to demonstrate the strength of the prince and stop further attempts at disobedience.
Alas, in the presence of like-minded people, the prince had many opponents. Moreover, both explicit and hidden. That is why on July 12, 1174, the prince was treacherously killed. His weapons were stolen, after which a detachment of twenty opponents attacked him in the chambers. As an examination carried out in our time showed, he received 45 stabbing blows - with daggers, swords, sabers and spears.
Also, a lot of controversy went until recently about the appearance of the prince. According to the portraits, he looked like a strong man, with a narrow face, dark blond hair and a completely Slavic type of face. However, on the sculpture, he does not resemble a Russian in any way - a spitting image of a Mongoloid: a wide nose, fleshy lips, narrow eyes and high eyebrows. But here again modern science came to the rescue. Seeing the restored porter, one could immediately understand that the sculptor was surprisingly inaccurate. Prince Andrei had a completely Russian appearance, without the slightest admixture of Mongoloid features.
So, the prince was killed in 1174 year, failing to complete the unification of Russia. And in only half a century the Mongols came ... So, if Prince Andrey could unite Russia, perhaps the history of our country would follow a completely different scenario ...
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