Who was Prince Andrew Bogolyubsky?

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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.

Who was Prince Andrew Bogolyubsky?


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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  1. ZHORA
    -2
    7 October 2011 11: 28
    Here he is a truly Russian hero with Mongol slanting eyes, and Kiev, as a Mongol, has plundered
    "... For two days, Suzdal, Smolensk and Polovtsy robbed and burned the "mothers of Russian cities." The Polovtsians set fire to the Caves Monastery, the "Metropolis" Sophia Cathedral was plundered along with other temples, "And there was in Kiev groaning and oppression, and unquenchable sorrow."

    It is worth recalling that Suzdal or Woodland did not belong to Russia since it was inhabited by the Finogoug peoples, the whole of Meri, etc. and was controlled from Kiev by the Kiev stooges.

    "... Prince Andrew had a completely Russian appearance, without the slightest admixture of Mongoloid facial features ...."))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) )))))))
    The reconstruction of the remains suggests otherwise, and even what kind of appearance it might have been for the son of Polovka))

    But one thing is undoubtedly the first Russian prince from him and the Moscow state began, attempts to cling to the history of Kievan Rus (although the term was not incorrect Kievan Rus was just Rus, the term Kievan was artificially introduced by historians) look as if the United States would try to lead its own a story from the Celtic tribes of Britain.
    1. +8
      7 October 2011 13: 06
      Jora, stop reveling in your own exclusivity and invent your own story. Marriages of ancient Russian princes with the daughters of the surrounding Turkic peoples were very common and had political overtones, hence the appearance and there is nothing shameful here. As for the ruin of Kyiv, one must take into account the historical reality of that period, namely the internecine strife of princes, in fact a civil war for power and seniority in the lands of ancient Rus'. And if you think that the princes of Kyiv or Chernigov did not go on campaigns and did not ravage the cities of North-Eastern Rus', then you are a naive person.
  2. ZHORA
    -1
    7 October 2011 12: 55
    At a time when Kiev had 50 to 150 citizens, there were 15 inhabitants in the "urban-type settlement" of Paris, and 20 in London. At that time, frogs croaked in the Altai swamp, and two hundred years later the settlement "Moscow" arose here, which means "wet place" in Old Finnish. Around the "wet place" in dense forests and fields lived up to twenty multi-ethnic, multi-lingual tribes of Finno-Ugric-Tatar-Altai ethnic groups. Vyatichi, Radimichi, Golyad, Krivichi, Mary, Permians... Only the Permian tribe had some semblance of original writing. Later, the writing system of the Permians was destroyed by the Orthodox clergy. The artificially created language (Church Slavonic) brought to the distant outskirts-colony of Rus' by Kyiv combatants, united, assimilated two dozen ethnic tribes.

    During archaeological excavations of Christian (!) cemeteries of the 16-17th centuries on the territory of the former Moscow principality, the study of skulls, it turned out: among those buried, from 44 to 53 percent belong to the Asian type. Not to European! Not to the Slavic! The noun Muscovites (Muscovites) - by the name of their capital city from the 15th to the beginning of the 18th century, was the ethnic conglomerate of Finno-Tatar-Altai peoples. In Europe and in the Asian empire of the Golden Horde, the territory inhabited by this ethnic conglomerate at that time was called "Muscovy". A people, consisting of more than a dozen different ethnic tribes, was generalized as "moksel".
    When did the Moksel tribes miraculously turn into our Slavic brothers? Not miraculously, but by decree of the Muscovite Tsar Peter 1. In 1713, he issues an order, sends it through Menshikov to Ambassador Dolgoruky in Copenhagen: warn against this, so that they print Russian, about which and to others to all courts (embassies) it is written. The euphonious name of her people was finally fixed by the princess from Germany, Catherine the Second, who wished to rule not over ... - we will keep silent for tolerance - but over the "civilized European people."
    And one more "discovery" personally for ....., the whole world has long known about it. Only one nation on our entire planet is worthy of being listed in the Guinness Book. All peoples are called by real names, by nouns. Who? - Bulgarians, Poles, French, English, Jews, Papuans. But not adjectives. Whose, what? - "Bulgarian", "Polish", "Jewish", "Papuan". By royal command, the descendants of the "moxels" who became Slavs have been wearing a name that generalizes everyone for three centuries. Not a noun (who?), but an adjective. Whose are you? Russians. What are you? Russians. Because three centuries belonged to Kievan Rus. After the conquest of Batu by the hordes for almost two centuries, the Rostov-Suzdal princes bowed to the khans of the Golden Horde for the right to reign. As a result of the "great turmoil" (this is how the period of internecine wars in the state of the Golden Horde is designated in Russian historiography), the central power in the ZO gradually passes to Moscow and a new state is created - the principality of Moscow, then the Moscow kingdom. What an imperial itch subsequently seized the "new Slavs" is well known to everyone.
  3. 0
    7 October 2011 18: 39
    "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 an army, the number of which was dozens of times greater than any detachment, which one or another prince could put up against them. Well, with only two or three times superiority, the nomads would have had very few chances to win." These tales about the "yoke" are already tired. , following the logic of the author, would they fly to Jupiter already?
  4. Sirius
    +3
    7 October 2011 19: 45
    I do not agree with the author.
    First. He was on an excursion in Vladimir and the Bogolyubsky convent, where the prince was killed. And he paid attention to small details: Father Prince Yuri Dolgoruky with his retinue arrived in Vladimir by force subjugated the boyar group of the city. Forced to pay tribute. And he consolidated this act by the marriage of his son, Andrei, with the daughter of the chief boyar of the city. Do you think the marriage was voluntary? And the bride was happy to marry the enemy of her father and brothers?
    In general, while listening to the guide, I had a parallel with the 90s: also the "brothers" of the groups, led by the "authorities" went to the "strelka" and divided the territories, found out who was "protecting" whom. I am convinced that the princes were driven by the desire to be the first among all the princes of Rus'. And this could only be achieved by subordinating everyone and everything. Like in a pack of wolves. And patriotic impulses have nothing to do with it. Here they were on the Kulikovo field, with a huge external threat, which was the Golden Horde.
    But I was distracted. So who killed Andrei Bogolyubsky? Those who Andrei and his father Yuri took away from many years ago. Even an honor. In those days, there was a custom of blood feud between genera. Like now in the Caucasus. So who are they: traitors or avengers? And if the avengers, then what kind of enemies are they of the Russian Land?
    I asked the guide: "Did the prince know his entourage?" I knew! And therefore he built his residence, that is, a monastery with a fortress wall, 20 km from Vladimir. Because the townspeople were hostile to him! And the prince lived under constant protection, and they attempted more than once. The conspirators simply outwitted the guards.
    Second. Read Gumilyov Lev Nikolaevich. Especially "Ancient Rus' and the Great Steppe". In his books, in accordance with the theory of ethnogenesis, the causes of the catastrophe of 1237-42 are very logically and popularly explained. And the united Rus' would also have fallen before the wonderful military machine of that time: the Mongol-Tatar tumens with amazing discipline, training, weapons and combat experience. Just as giant China fell, which could "fill up with their corpses", and the former Khorezmshah was much stronger than all the Russian principalities put together, and the united Polovtsy, and the Volga Bulgaria, etc.
  5. +1
    7 October 2011 22: 32
    graphomania, write to write at least something
    "and if only and now if", subjugal moods - the basis of history?

    but with the Mongol invasion we stand steadfastly
    how many were there according to their sources, but each one has more than one horse?
    then the locust flock would have had the effect, where does it go?
    everything around eats and dies of hunger
    A. Bushkov stated that the invasion of civil war, with the transformation of the Mongols

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