Any educated person in our country knows who Igor Stary is. So they called the prince of Ancient Russia, the son of Rurik and a relative of Oleg the Great, nicknamed the Prophet.

Let us consider in more detail the life and work of this ruler of the ancient Russian state.

Brief biographical information about birth and childhood

According to chronicle sources, Igor Stary lived a relatively long life for those times. He was born approximately in 878, and died (also approximately) in 945.

The reign of Igor the Old covers the period from 912 to 945.

The hero of our story was the son of the first Russian prince Rurik, who, according to legend, came to Russia with his brothers and began to reign in Novgorod, and later became the sole ruler of the entire Russian state of that time. After the death of Rurik, Igor was small for years, so his relative Oleg performed the functions of the prince (according to one version, he was Rurik's nephew, and according to another, his wife's brother).

Most likely, young Igor accompanied Oleg on his military campaigns, where he acquired the skills of a military leader and politician. It is known that he took the throne of his father not upon reaching his majority and marriage, but after the death of the Prophetic Oleg (according to legend, he died from the bite of a poisonous snake).

Brief biographical information about the prince's family

According to the official version, the year in which Oleg, nicknamed the Prophet, died, is the beginning of the reign of Igor the Old. This, as already mentioned, is 912. By that time, the young prince already had a family.

According to chronicle sources, when Igor was 25 years old, he was married to a girl named Olga (she was only 13). However, their son Svyatoslav was born only in 942 (it turns out that at that time Olga should have been 52 years old, which is impossible). Many historians point to this circumstance, therefore it is believed that the age of Olga, the future Grand Duchess and founder of Christianity in Russia, was younger. There is also an assumption that Olga and Igor had more children, in particular, some historians mention two sons - Vladislav and Gleb, who probably died in their early years.

Also, Byzantine sources indicate that the prince had other relatives (cousins, nephews, etc.). However, there is no mention of these people in the Russian chronicles. Most likely, they did not own any lands and powers, but were part of the squad of Prince Igor. Modern historians consider this version the most reasonable, because, most likely, in Ancient Russia there was a tradition characteristic of European states, according to which only the ruler himself, his wife (wives) and children, and other relatives (and therefore , and pretenders to the throne) not a word was said.

Military campaigns against Tsargrad

Igor Stary glorified himself as an experienced military leader. It is known that he made more than one military campaign against Byzantium. The Orthodox peoples who inhabited the Byzantine Empire then suffered greatly from the raids of the barbarians, whom they called dews.

Historians note the following military campaigns of Igor Stary:

1. According to legend, Igor sailed to Byzantium in 941, accompanied by a thousand ships called "boats". However, the Greeks used the most advanced weapon of the time - the so-called "Greek fire" (a mixture of oil and other combustible substances), which burned most of the warships. Defeated, Igor Stary returned home to Russia to gather a new army for a new military campaign. And he succeeded.

2. His military assembly included representatives of all the tribes of the then ancient Russian state, both Slavs and Russ, Pechenegs, Drevlyans, etc. This campaign turned out to be more successful for the prince, as a result, he concluded a peace treaty with the Byzantines, providing for the payment of certain material resources. In this agreement, the text of which the Greeks have preserved, both Igor himself and his wife Olga and their common son Svyatoslav are mentioned.

Domestic policy of Igor Stary

The prince became famous for centuries as a strict and demanding man. A successful conqueror, he annexed new lands to his state, and then imposed tribute on the tribes he conquered. The reign of Igor the Old was remembered for the pacification of the streets and Tivertsy, Drevlyans and many other nationalities.

The Drevlyans offered the strongest resistance to the prince (they were conquered at the dawn of Igor's reign, in 912). They refused to pay tribute, but Igor and his retinue ravaged the Drevlyansk settlements and, as a punishment, obliged the local residents to pay even more than before. The Drevlyans reluctantly agreed, but they harbored a strong resentment against the prince in their hearts.

The internal policy of Igor Stary was also distinguished by new ways of collecting tribute, which he himself called polyud. This procedure consisted in the following: the prince annually, together with his retinue, traveled around the territories subject to him and collected a "tax" from the tribes that lived there. He took tribute in a natural way: both with grain, flour and other food products, as well as with the skins of wild animals, honey of wild bees, and so on. Often, the prince's warriors behaved like impudent conquerors, which inflicted many insults on ordinary people.

Igor's foreign policy successes

What else did Igor Stary remember to his contemporaries? The domestic and foreign policy of the prince was of an aggressive nature, which is not surprising, especially if you remember what Igor himself was like (historians note that the prince was distinguished by a tough and quick-tempered temper).

His military successes also cannot be called modest. He behaved like a real barbarian, cutting through a "window" to Europe of that time - the Byzantine Empire with fire and sword.

In addition to the two military campaigns against Byzantium already mentioned above, Igor made the same campaign against the Caspian Sea. Arab sources tell about him, but in the Russian chronicles this is not even mentioned. Little is known about the results of this campaign, but the Khazar authors believe that it had some consequences: Igor's army received rich trophies and returned home with the loot.

Also, some historians, relying on Hungarian sources, believe that Igor Stary concluded an alliance with the Hungarians. The foreign policy of the prince in relation to these tribes was of an allied nature, perhaps there were certain connections between the Russians and the Hungarians, allowing them to organize joint military campaigns against Byzantium.

Personality riddles

The reign of Igor the Old, although it lasted for many years, has not been fully studied due to the lack of information about the immediate environment of the prince and his actions.

The scarcity of information about this historical figure, as well as some discrepancies (for example, regarding the dates of his life, years of reign, family and death), which are found in various sources, lead to the fact that there are many blank spots in the biography of this person.

So, there are different assumptions as to who Igor's mother was. For example, V. Tatishchev, a historian of the Petrine era, assumed that she was the Norman princess Efanda. The same Tatishchev believed that the real hero of our story was called Inger, and only later his name was transformed into Igor. The nickname the Old Prince received not during his reign, but much later, thanks to the Russian chronicles, which called him "ancient" or "old". And all because Igor was one of the first Rurikovich.

The main idea of ​​Igor's reign

Prince Igor Stary entered Russian history very firmly. The results of the reign of this Russian ruler are associated with the strengthening of the young ancient Russian state. In fact, Igor continued the policy of his father and relative Oleg: he expanded the state, made military campaigns that brought a lot of wealth, concluded a peace treaty with the Byzantines, introduced a system of taxation of his subjects.

Igor was also able to leave behind a powerful heir, Svyatoslav, who continued his work. Thus, Prince Igor the Old not only strengthened his dynasty, but also strengthened his state.

Death of a prince

One of the most famous episodes of Igor's life was his tragic violent death.

Russian chronicles describe this event as follows: Prince Igor Stary, having conquered the Drevlyans, annually came to them to collect tribute. He did the same in 945. His squad treated the Drevlyans with disdain, repaired a lot of rigidity, which caused their obvious discontent. In addition, the Drevlyans had their own ruler named Mal, who perceived Igor as a victorious rival.

Having collected enough tribute from the Drevlyans, the prince went further with his retinue, but on the way back he thought about the fact that he had not taken as much as he wanted. It was at this moment that Igor Stary made a fatal mistake for himself. The events of the following day proved this.

The prince dismissed his large squad and returned to the Drevlyans for a new tribute with a small army. Those, seeing that Igor had little strength, brutally dealt with him and his people. According to legend, the prince was tied to the tops of mighty trees and released. Igor took such a fierce death from the allegedly conquered Drevlyans.

Olga's revenge

Russian chronicles tell us not only about the death of Prince Igor, but also about the exquisite and terrible revenge used by his wife, the widowed Princess Olga of Pskovskaya, who was left with Igor's three-year-old son Svyatoslav without the care of her husband.

So, Olga betrayed the envoys from the Drevlyans to a cruel execution (burned alive), and then made a military campaign against Iskorosten and, taking it by storm, mercilessly dealt with the inhabitants. According to legend, she demanded 3 doves and 3 sparrows from each yard. Having received such a kind of "tribute", Olga ordered to tie tinder and sulfur to each bird, light them at night and let them go. The calculation of the cunning princess turned out to be correct: the birds returned to their nests, under the roofs of houses ... Later, Igor's son Svyatoslav set his son Oleg to reign over the Drevlyans.

The meaning of Igor's reign

Historians agree that the policy of Igor the Old was generally positive and benefited Russia. He laid the foundations of statehood, which was based on the personality of the prince, the power of his military squad and diplomatic skills. Sometimes cruelly and unceremoniously subjugating neighboring tribes, Igor, nevertheless, built a new system of relations that allowed him to move to a new stage of development - from a tribal community to a state system.

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Domestic and foreign policy of the first Kyiv princes (Oleg, Igor, Olga, Svyatoslav)

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Prophetic Oleg(i.e., knowing the future) - the great old Russian prince who came to power after the legendary Rurik - the first ruler of Russia. It is Prophetic Oleg who is credited with the formation of the Old Russian state - Kievan Rus, with its center in Kyiv. Oleg's nickname - "prophetic" - referred exclusively to his penchant for sorcery. In other words, Prince Oleg, as the supreme ruler and leader of the squad, also simultaneously performed the functions of a priest, sorcerer, magician, sorcerer. According to legend, Prophetic Oleg died from a snake bite; this fact formed the basis of a number of songs, legends and traditions.

The ancient Russian chronicles say that, dying, the first ruler of Russia, Rurik, transferred power to his relative Oleg (879-912), since Rurik's son, Igor, was small for years. This guardian Igorev soon became famous for his courage, victories, prudence and love of his subjects. He successfully ruled for 33 years. During this time, he reigned in Novgorod, occupied Lyubech and Smolensk, made Kyiv the capital of his state, conquered and imposed tribute on a number of East Slavic tribes, made a successful campaign against Byzantium and concluded profitable trade negotiations with it.

The exploits of the Prophetic Oleg began with the fact that in 882 he made a trip to the land of the Krivichi and captured their center of Smolensk. Then, going down the Dnieper, he took Lyubech, deceiving and killing the Varangian princes Askold and Dir, who ruled in Kyiv. Oleg captured the city, where he established himself, becoming the prince of Novgorod and Kyiv. This event, attributed by the annals to the year 882, is traditionally considered the date of the formation of the Old Russian state - Kievan Rus, with its center in Kyiv.

In 907, Prince Oleg of Kyiv led (by sea and coast) a large army to the capital of Byzantium. As a result of the campaign, the environs of Constantinople were devastated and in 911 a peace treaty beneficial to Russia was concluded. According to the treaty, Russians who came to Byzantium for trading purposes had a privileged position.

Before the appearance of the Prophetic Oleg and his military squad on the banks of the Dnieper, the "unreasonable Khazars" collected tribute from all neighboring Slavic tribes with absolutely impunity. For several centuries they sucked Russian blood, and in the end they even tried to forcefully impose an ideology completely alien to the Russian people, a religion professed by the Khazars - Judaism.

One of the biggest gaps in The Tale of Bygone Years falls on the years of Oleg's reign. Of the 33 years of his reign, later editors completely crossed out the entries relating to 21 (!) Years from the annals. As if nothing had happened in those years. It happened and how! Only here Oleg heir to the throne did not like something in his deeds or pedigree. From 885 (the conquest of the Radimichi and the beginning of the campaign against the Khazars, about which the original text has not been preserved) and to 907 (the first campaign against Constantinople), only three events related to the history of Russia proper are recorded in the annals.

What purely Russian realities remained in the annals? The first is the passage in 898 of the migrating Ugrians (Hungarians) past Kyiv. The second is Igor's acquaintance with his future wife, Olga. According to Nestor, this happened in 903. Finally, the third event, truly epochal, is the appearance of writing in Russia. The names of the Thessalonica brothers - Cyril and Methodius, the creators of Slavic writing, appear in the "Tale of Bygone Years" also under the year 898. We owe to Prince Oleg not only the assertion of the authority of the state, but also the greatest deed, the significance of which is comparable only with the adoption of Christianity that took place 90 years later. This act is the establishment of literacy in Russia, the reform of writing, the adoption of the alphabet based on the Cyrillic alphabet, which we use to this day.

After his death, the process of further formation of the Rurikovich power became irreversible. His accomplishments in this field are undeniable. So let us bow our heads as a sign of unrequited gratitude to the great son of the Russian land - the Prophetic Oleg: the pagan prince and the great warrior-priest managed to rise above his own religious limitations in the name of the development of culture, enlightenment and the great future of the peoples of Russia, which became inevitable after they gained one of its main treasures - Slavic writing and the Russian alphabet.

Igor (912-945) continued the activities of his predecessor-guardian (uncle or nephew) Oleg. After the death of Oleg (912), he became the Grand Duke, he subjugated the Eastern Slavic tribal associations between the Dniester and the Danube, suppressed the Anti-Kiev uprising of the Drevlyans. In 915, the Pechenegs attacked Russia for the first time - the united tribes of the Trans-Volga nomads - the stubborn struggle between Russia and the Great Steppe continued.

The turbulent situation on the southern borders of Kievan Rus did not prevent Igor from undertaking a campaign against Constantinople (941). This campaign was not successful: Igor's boats on the way to Constantinople were burned by the so-called "Greek fire". In 943, Igor again went to war against Byzantium, wanting to avenge the first failure. The Byzantine emperor Roman Lecapenus preferred to evade a new war by paying off with rich gifts. Igor accepted the offer of the emperor, since the Drevlyans, led by Prince Mal, again rebelled against the hegemony of Kyiv.

Returning to Russia, Igor hurried with a small army to the city of Iskorosten, the main city of the Drevlyane land. The siege of Iskorosten lasted almost a year. One night (945), the Drevlyans attacked Igor's camp. This attack was so swift and fierce that Igor with a small retinue fled. The Drevlyans caught up with the fugitives and took them prisoner. Grand Duke Igor was put to a shameful death: he was tied to the tops of two inclined birches and torn in half. According to another version, Igor, greedy for wealth, having collected the prescribed tribute (polyudye) from the Drevlyans, returned and demanded to pay a new full tribute. Then the Drevlyansky prince Mal said: "... the wolf will get into the herd, drag the whole herd." The militia of the Drevlyans, led by Prince Mal, surrounded Igor's camp and put him to death together "with all the retinue."

Information about Igor's family is contradictory. Most likely he had several wives, including Olga, the mother of the future Grand Duke of Kyiv Svyatoslav.

Princess Olga (890-969)- The Grand Duchess, the widow of the Grand Duke Igor Rurikovich, who was killed by the Drevlyans, who ruled Russia for the infancy of their son Svyatoslav. The name of Princess Olga is at the origin of Russian history, and is associated with the greatest events of the founding of the first dynasty, with the first establishment of Christianity in Russia and the bright features of Western civilization. After her death, the common people called her cunning, the church - a saint, history - wise.

What is the historical significance of Olga? She is the mother of our Orthodoxy. It was on her wise head that the crown was first adorned with an Orthodox cross. Before Olga (945-957) there were three more or less obscure Varangian reigns; all three form an era not so much of peaceful administration as of the gradual conquest of a huge country from the Baltic to the Black Sea. In essence, this entire almost 100th period of the Varangian rule before Igor was not so much Russian history as Varangian history - it was the history of their campaigns against Byzantium. The conquest of Russia was incidental. It was not a goal, but only a means of another great conquest, the capture of a second Rome.

The huge pressure from the north to the center of the then civilization stopped only in the century of Olga. She was the first to stop the Varangians and introduced into the Varangian element, like a Slav, the beginning of a more peaceful and gentle culture. In the person of Olga, the Varangian nationality breaks down and becomes Russian people.

After the death of Prince Igor, Olga inherited an extremely difficult state of affairs: the first serious rebellion could threaten complete collapse of the state, which had not yet fully merged from individual tribes. The rebellion was complicated by the fact that it broke out among the recently conquered Lithuanian population. The success of the rebellion could be a fatal temptation for other recently conquered tribes. Therefore, Olga acted in cold blood and especially cruelly. The ambassadors of the Drevlyans were killed, the capital of the Drevlyans Iskorosten was destroyed, most of the Drevlyans were enslaved. Having suppressed the Drevlyane rebellion, Olga restored the autocracy, pacified the passions and saved the young state, which had been put under attack, from death.

For the ancient Slavs, revenge was considered noble, since by protecting the violated rights of the slain, the avenger puts his own life in mortal danger. The revenge of Princess Olga should by no means be regarded as personal revenge - her revenge, first of all, is the taming of the state rebellion. Having extinguished the rebellion, Olga began to fight the cause of the rebellion, in the glaring shortcomings of the then statehood.

What did not exist before Olga was the cultural arrangement of the land, leaving military campaigns, Olga set about peaceful, purely economic campaigns. The chronicle notes that in the taming of the Drevlyansk land, Olga did not walk as a robber, but as a steward "and Volga goes along the Dervost of the earth with her son and with her retinue, setting charters and lessons, the essence of her camp and trap." Having rested after a hard war, only "one summer" next year the Volga goes to Novgorod and set fasts and tributes in the Place, and dues and tributes in Luza.

Olga traveled throughout the vast and wild country everywhere, arranging a state and cultural organization. Her predecessors, the Varangians, like all Germans, built only castles: they cut down cities as strongholds of their power. Before the people's life, they, except for the taking of tribute, did not care. Olga behaved like the first sovereign of Russia, she remembered the peaceful - the duties of power. She, says Karamzin: "Divided the Earth into churchyards or volosts."

State power at that time was of a traveling, outpatient type, so to speak. From November to April, the princes annually went to the "polyudye" - not only to collect tribute, but also for trial and reprisal. Olga established graveyards, i.e. stations for treats. She also established dues, that is, she determined the content of the tribute.

The great woman herself studied, traveling, and forced others to study with all her might. Maybe this science should explain the amazing authority that it acquired from Igor's squad and the civilian population. Under Princess Olga, neither the murmur of the troops, nor the revolts of the people were recorded by the chronicler.

Having strengthened the autocracy and given the country a state-cultural look, Olga began her third feat - the introduction of Christianity. Realizing that the religious conscience is free, Olga was baptized only herself, without raping her family or subjects. She believed in the power of her example and knew that the voluntarily adopted religion was true.

Olga's main merit is that after the death of Prince Igor, she did not allow the still weak Russian statehood to fall apart. Having suppressed the uprisings of the Drevlyans, Olga divided Russia into volosts, which was a very far-sighted political decision. She canceled the dangerous "polyudye", setting a fixed amount of tribute "lessons", the deadlines for its delivery and the place of collection "graveyards". These graveyards then became the supporting centers of princely power.

It should not be forgotten that it was Olga who was the foremother of Christianity in Russia. The further process of the Baptism of Russia was continued by her grandson - Prince Vladimir. Without a doubt, Olga did everything for the good and the dawn of the state.

After Olga's reign, he ascended the throne Svyatoslav (957-972). Svyatoslav Igorevich - the Grand Duke of Kyiv, the son of Prince Igor and Princess Olga, went down in history as a great commander and conqueror. From a young age, Svyatoslav cultivated in himself the habit of deprivation. He was a tough and strong warrior. Under Prince Svyatoslav, the borders of Kievan Rus were significantly expanded both to the East and to the West. According to the number of military victories won, Prince Svyatoslav can rightly be called ALEXANDER OF THE MACEDONIAN OF EASTERN EUROPE.

Svyatoslav, in the course of his numerous campaigns, began to annex the lands of the Knights, defeated the Volga Bulgaria, conquered the Mordovian tribes, defeated the Khazar Khaganate, successfully fought in the North Caucasus and the Azov coast, captured Tmutarakan on the Taman Peninsula, repelled the onslaught of the Pechenegs. He tried to bring the borders of Russia closer to Byzantium and joined the Bulgarian-Byzantine conflict, and then waged a stubborn struggle with the Emperor of Constantinople for the Balkan Peninsula. During the period of successful hostilities, Svyatoslav even thought about moving the capital of his state on the Danube to the city of Pereyaslavets, where, as he believed, "goods from different countries" would converge: silk, gold, Byzantine utensils, silver and horses from Hungary and the Czech Republic, wax , honey, furs and captive slaves from Russia. However, the struggle with Byzantium ended unsuccessfully, Svyatoslav was surrounded by a hundred thousandth Greek army. With great difficulty he managed to escape to Russia. A non-aggression pact was concluded with Byzantium, but the Danube lands had to be returned.

On the way to Kyiv, Svyatoslav in 972 was ambushed by the Pechenegs at the Dnieper rapids and was killed. The Pecheneg Khan ordered to make a cup from the skull of Svyatoslav, bound with gold, and drank from it at feasts, believing that the glory of the slain would pass to him.

K.1 Igor - the great Kyiv prince in 912-945.

K.2 Main activities. Under him, the main directions of the foreign policy of Russia were east and south.

On the east direction Igor's foreign policy pursued both offensive and defensive goals. Igor sought to break through to the Caspian Sea, which attracted with its wealth, because. goods from hundreds of caravans from various countries flocked here. In 913 he made a trip to the Caspian Sea.

At the same time, new nomads appeared - the Pechenegs, who settled the lands east of the Dnieper. In an effort to secure the state from their raids, Igor 915 made an alliance with them. True, this union turned out to be short-lived, because. in 929 the first war with the Pechenegs took place.

To the south Igor sought to establish favorable relations with Byzantium, to take possession of the lands at the mouths of the Dnieper and Danube. To this end, in 938-941. Igor subjugated the streets and Tivertsy. In 941-944. he fought with Byzantium, which refused to fulfill the terms of the treaty of 911. In 944 he concluded a new agreement with Byzantium, which regulated trade relations, the conditions for the ransom of captives. Byzantium did not object to the movement of Russia to the mouth of the Dnieper and Danube and to Taman, Igor left her Crimean possessions alone.

Domestic politics Igor was aimed at maintaining the unity of the state. Local princes were obliged to obey the Grand Duke. Against the rebellious, Igor acted by force (in 914 he brutally suppressed the uprising of the Drevlyans, who were trying to free themselves from the power of Kyiv, and punished them with an increase in tribute).

K.3 Igor's results:

1) he preserved the unity of Russia;

2) ensured profitable trade relations with Byzantium;

3) defended the Russian lands from the devastating raids of the Pechenegs;

4) the imperfection of the tribute collection system (polyudye) led to the death of Igor in 945.

OLGA

K.1 She ruled as a regent for her young son Svyatoslav in 945 - 962

K.2 Main activities. Olga's domestic policy was aimed at preserving the unity of Kievan Rus. To achieve this goal, she used forceful methods and reforms. So, in 945, she brutally suppressed the uprising of the Drevlyans, who killed her husband, Prince Igor, during the polyud. To prevent such performances, Olga in 945 introduced a new tribute collection system: she established the exact amount of tribute (lessons) and places of collection (graveyards). Gradually the pogosts turned into towns. Olga entered the position tiuna - princely administrator in each territory subject to Kyiv.

Olga laid the foundation for stone construction in Russia: the first stone buildings in Kyiv were the palace and the country house of Olga.

Foreign policy Olga was aimed at establishing equal relations between Russia and the Byzantine Empire. All her predecessors fought with Byzantium. She decided to go the way of diplomacy. To this end, she traveled to Constantinople (957) and adopted Christianity there(adopted a new name Elena). Returning to Kyiv, she tried to spread Christianity in Russia.

K.3 Olga's results:

1) the unity of Kievan Rus was preserved;

2) streamlined the system of management and taxation;

3) peace was established between Byzantium and Russia for a long time;

4) Christianity began to spread in Russia;

5) Olga was canonized by the church as a saint.

Until 912, Kievan Rus was ruled by Prince Oleg on behalf of Igor, since the latter was still very young. Being modest by nature and upbringing, Igor respectfully treated his elders and did not dare to claim his rights to the throne during the life of Oleg, who for his deeds surrounded his name with a halo of glory. Prince Oleg approved the choice of a wife for the future ruler. Prince Igor of Kyiv married in 903 a simple girl, Olga, who lived near Pskov.

Beginning of the reign

After Oleg died, Igor became a full-fledged prince of Russia. His reign began with a war. At this time, the tribe of the Drevlyans decided to get out of the power of Kyiv and an uprising began. The new ruler severely punished the rebels, inflicting a crushing defeat on them. This battle began numerous campaigns of Prince Igor. The result of the campaign against the Drevlyans was the unconditional victory of Russia, which, as a winner, demanded additional tribute from the rebels. The following campaigns were aimed at confronting the Pechenegs, who, having driven the Ugor tribes from the Urals, continued their advance to the West. The Pechenegs, in the fight against Kievan Rus, occupied the lower reaches of the Dnieper River, thereby blocking the trade opportunities of Russia, since it was through the Dnieper that the path from the Varangians to the Greeks passed. The campaigns conducted by Prince Igor against the Polovtsy were carried out with alternate success.

Campaigns to Byzantium

Despite the ongoing confrontation with the Polovtsians, new wars continue. In 941, Igor declares war on Byzantium, thereby continuing the foreign policy of his predecessors. The reason for the new war was that after the death of Oleg, Byzantium considered itself free from previous obligations and ceased to fulfill the terms of the peace treaty. The campaign against Byzantium was truly outstanding. It was the first time that such a large army was advancing on the Greeks. The Kyiv ruler took with him about 10,000 ships, according to the chroniclers, which is 5 times more than the army with which Oleg won. But this time the Russians failed to take the Greeks by surprise, they managed to gather a large army and won the first battle on land. As a result, the Russians decided to win the war by naval battles. But that didn't work either. Byzantine ships, using a special incendiary mixture, began to burn Russian ships with oil. Russian wars were simply amazed by this weapon and perceived it as heavenly. The army had to return to Kyiv.

Two years later, in 943, Prince Igor organizes a new campaign against Byzantium. This time the army was even larger. In addition to the Russian troops, mercenary detachments were invited, which consisted of Pechenegs and Varangians. The army moved to Byzantium by sea and by land. New campaigns promised to be successful. But the surprise attack failed. Representatives of the city of Chersonesos managed to report to the Byzantine emperor that a new large Russian army was advancing on Constantinople. This time the Greeks decided to avoid fighting and proposed a new peace treaty. Prince Igor of Kyiv, after conferring with his retinue, accepted the terms of the peace treaty, which were identical to the terms of the treaty signed by the Byzantines with Oleg. This ended the Byzantine campaigns.

End of the reign of Prince Igor

According to the records in the annals, in November 945, Igor gathered a squad and moved to the Drevlyans to collect tribute. Having collected tribute, he released most of the troops and with a small squad went to the city Iskorosten. The purpose of this visit was to demand tribute for himself personally. The Drevlyans were outraged and planned murder. Having armed the army, they set off towards the prince with his retinue. This is how the murder of the Kyiv ruler happened. His body was buried near Iskorosten. According to legend, the murder was extremely brutal. He was tied hand and foot to bent trees. Then the trees were released... Thus ended the reign of Prince Igor...

The reign of the Kyiv prince Igor Rurikovich begins in 912, after the death of Prince Oleg the Prophet. The futile attempt of the Drevlyan tribe to get out of the power of Kyiv was severely suppressed by the new prince. In addition, this also led to an increase in taxes. After some time, the tribute paid by the Drevlyans became an award to the princely governor with the name Sveneld for success in conquering the streets. Igor's entire internal policy was based on suppressing the discontent of the tribes that his predecessors had subjugated.

In 913, the princely retinue acts as a military campaign in the Caspian lands and the result of these events is success and great booty. However, the path to the Caspian ran through the Khazar possessions. The Khazar Khagan agreed to let Igor's army pass for half of the booty that would go to his army. But after sweating back, the army of the Kyiv prince was almost exterminated, and the Khazars took away all the booty.

In addition, Igor was the first prince of the new state of the Slavs, who faced the problem of nomad raids. At the end of the ninth century, the Pechenegs began active regular raids on the border territories of Kievan Rus. Already in 915, the prince was able to conclude a peace treaty with them for five years. Usually the nomads took the side of Byzantium, but in 944 they opposed the Greeks as part of Igor's squad.

In the implementation of his foreign policy, Prince Igor tried in every possible way to create ideal, favorable conditions for the trade of merchants from Russia. So in 941, the ruler, like the Prince of Kyiv Prophetic Oleg before him, made a military campaign against the city of Byzantium. This event, unlike the similar campaign of Igor's predecessor, turned out to be extremely unsuccessful. The emperor of Byzantium was warned in advance about the approach of the Slavs by the Danube Bulgarians. The Greeks met the enemy with "Greek fire" and many strong ships. The defeat of Igor's squad was crushing. Some time later, in 944, the prince tried to rectify the situation and erase the shame of defeat. Having hired the Pechenegs, he advanced to Byzantium again, where this time the emperor did not want to fight and gave Igor rich gifts. A year later, Kievan Rus concluded a peace treaty with Byzantium.

Being at an advanced age, Igor entrusts polyudye to the princely governor Sveneld, which causes indignation among the princely squad, which, in turn, becomes the reason for the prince's campaign against the Drevlyans without a large squad.