Prince Vladimir and Rogneda: the strangest marriage in Russian history. The real princess Rogneda was broad-shouldered and muscular Was there love

Polotsk land was seen by neighboring peoples as a welcome prey. If we talk about the early Middle Ages, then we will talk about the Scandinavian Varangians, who sailed in boats from Sweden, from Gotland, from Denmark and Norway, and about the Kyiv princes who came by dry land. The Varangians, as is known, lived in Staraya Ladoga and Novgorod. From here they got to "Poltesk" - Old Polotsk. The Scandinavians Askold and Dir, who took possession of Kyiv, sent their troops here. In the Nikon Chronicle, under the year 865, it is said that Askold and Dir "fought ... Polochan and a lot of evil whims."

Bodrich Rurik, having received power over Novgorod, also hastened to strengthen himself in Polotsk. What is also said in the "Tale of Bygone Years": "And he distributed to his men the volosts, one Poltesk, one Rostov, another Beloozero." Perhaps it was Polotsk that caused the death of Askold and Dir, when in 882 Prince Oleg the Prophet with his retinue set out from Novgorod to the south, to the Nizovye. First, he came to the city of Gnezdov (not far from Smolensk), dragged the boat across the Dnieper along the portage, and thus reached the city of Lyubech in the Chernigov Principality.

Since that time, almost all the Eastern Slavs were under the rule of Russian Kyiv. So, in 907, the boats of Polotsk took part in the campaign of Oleg the Prophet against Byzantium. It is known that the Greeks, paying tribute to the winners, allocated a part of it especially - "for Poltesg". It is impossible to imagine that in other times the mighty Byzantium would share good things with a wild forest tribe, which, moreover, was not distinguished by either courage or militancy. Belarusians gained fame as invincible warriors only under the command of the Russian prince Oleg. But then Oleg died, the grown-up Igor came to power, and the chronicles for a long time - until 980 - forget about Polotsk and the Polotsk people. This is not particularly regrettable, because history tells almost nothing about the peaceful and happy life of people, it is only interested in extraordinary events, and these are, as a rule, bloody wars.

And here's what happened. Prince Svyatoslav divided the Russian lands between three sons: two legitimate, Yaropolk and Oleg, and one illegal, Vladimir. The son of the housekeeper Malusha, Vladimir was more than generously gifted by his father - he received Veliky Novgorod as an inheritance. But people constantly remembered the illegal origin of Vladimir, calling him the son of a slave. Sometimes great people commit great misdeeds. Much can be justified by referring to the cruel customs of antiquity, to the severe necessity of the authorities to use force against the recalcitrant. Many, but not all.

Vladimir found out about the death of Oleg and decided that it was Yaropolk who killed his brother and fled to the Varangians. There he recruited a fighting squad among the foreigners and returned to Novgorod. Driven by righteous anger, he should have rushed to Kyiv to punish the fratricide Yaropolk (as it turned out later, there was no murder, only an accident), but suddenly decided to marry the Polotsk princess, who had already been promised to his brother Yaropolk! Later, historians explained this strange and sudden desire by the need for the future prince to have a lawful wife of a princely family. It seems, however, that Vladimir could have seized the throne even when he was single. Be that as it may, the prince, still from Novgorod, sent “matchmakers” to Polotsk.

At that time, Prince Rogvolod ruled there (his name literally means “Owner of the horn.” This does not mean, of course, the cornucopia, but the place on which the city was built). The chronicler reports that he arrived on the banks of the Western Dvina from across the sea. If we recall that Bodrich Rurik was also an “overseas” prince, then we can assume that Rogvolod and Rurik are Russian princes from the Western Baltic. Rogvolod had two sons and a beautiful daughter, Rogneda. The prince of Novgorod, through ambassadors, demanded her as his wife. The Bishop of Polotsk asked his daughter if she would like to take Vladimir as her husband? She answered briefly and distinctly, and her answer, thanks to the mention in the annals, is widely known: “I don’t want rozuti robichich ... I want Yaropolk.” Let us explain: a submissive wife, according to custom, had to take off her husband's boots. "Robicich" - the son of a slave. Yaropolk is the eldest legitimate son of Prince Svyatoslav.

It is not known what exactly caused Vladimir's great fury: whether Rogneda's refusal, the mention of his low birth, or the fact that the Polotsk princess preferred Yaropolk to him, in whom he saw a fratricide. In any case, the consequences of his anger were terrible: Vladimir's Varangians stormed Polotsk, plundered the Slavic city, burned the citadel and the settlement. The prince himself killed the innocent Rogvolod and his sons, and took his daughter by force and took him to Kyiv. Is it necessary to explain that Rogneda, to put it mildly, did not have love for the murderer of her father. However, be that as it may, they soon had a son, named Izyaslav, the future founder of the Polotsk dynasty. The boy grew up in Kyiv, often witnessed his father's abuse of Rogneda, and fiercely hated him and his mother.

Thus, the son of a slave girl received great power. The chronicler reproaches the Grand Duke for pathological "women's love". Note that Vladimir, demanding Rogneda as his wife, was married and had a son, Vysheslav. Izyaslav was the second, not to mention ten more "legitimate" offspring. The chronicle reports that when dividing the lands, Vladimir sent Vysheslav to rule in Novgorod, and Izyaslav to Polotsk (burned).

There was a son's rebellion against his father, but it is unlikely that Vladimir left Rogneda and Izyaslav near him, rather, he sent both of them home. This is evidenced by the following facts. In the Polotsk land, on the watershed between the basins of the Neman and the Dnieper (near the Berezina River), the city of Izyaslavl arose in the 10th century. Its foundation is associated with the name of the Polotsk prince Izyaslav, the son of Rogneda and Vladimir I. Under Izyaslav, Polotsk was also rebuilt.

Not far from the ancient city of Izyaslavl (modern city of Zaslavl) there is a settlement Zamochek, where the grave of Rogneda is located. We add to this that Rogneda died in 1000, and her son died exactly one year later. Two years later, a new death followed - the grandson of Rogneda, Vseslav, died. But another descendant of Rogneda, the son of Izyaslav, Prince Bryachislav, had to live a long and eventful life.

The image of a medieval princess in cinema and in folk memory is woven from myths and legends. To figure out where is the truth and where is fiction, the SV correspondent went to Zaslavl, a city not far from Minsk, where the last years of the life of the wife of Prince Vladimir spent

Actress Alexandra Bortich. Film frame

ATTEMPT OF A JEEDY WIFE

However, the scene is not reproduced accurately.

The prince sent Rogneda to Zaslavl after his baptism, because now he could live with only one wife - the daughter of the Byzantine emperor, - says Tatiana Goranskaya who worked for many years Senior Research Fellow of the Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve "Zaslavl". - When his new companion Princess Anna was on her way to Kyiv, Rogneda out of jealousy tried to kill Vladimir. Their son Izyaslav was then already about six years old. The boy tried to protect his mother from his father, he even managed to lift the sword. The laws of honor did not allow Vladimir to execute both of them, so the prince decided to exile his wife and son to Rogneda's homeland, to the land of Polotsk. In the film, for some reason, this event occurs before the birth of Izyaslav, before the campaign against Korsun.

Vladimir bestowed estates on his wives and sons. These were outposts on the borders of the Kyiv principality. Scientists know more than a dozen such settlements. Some were named after their sons. So, Zaslavl leads its name on behalf of Izyaslav - the son of Rogneda. The city was built specifically for them. The proud princess Vladimir offered to take any of his noble warriors as her husband, but she refused. She left for a new destiny with a child alone.

The image on the postage stamp is also fictitious, but is clearly closer to the original than in the film.

Mercenaries guarded Rogneda from possible suitors. Archaeologists have found fragments of three belts of noble Hungarian knights. The tradition of hiring them in the squad (and not just the Varangians, as in the movies) existed even before Vladimir.

The main thing is that the suit sits on the "Viking"

The sensational tape continues to break records. Only in the first nine days in the Russian and Belarusian box office, the picture collected more than a billion rubles - an unprecedented amount for domestic cinema. Artist Ekaterina Shapkaits told about how they sewed medieval clothes for a large-scale project

In the film, Rogneda's father is a Varangian, the characters speak to each other in the Viking language. Rogvold really was a stranger, but was he a Scandinavian? The question is moot. If this is true, it is likely that he had to leave his homeland because of his faith. Most Vikings were pagans. And when some of them were baptized, the fellow tribesmen did not approve of this act. So Rogneda could be a Christian. At least, this is evidenced by her desire to marry Yaropolk: a version is widespread among historians that shortly before his death, Vladimir's brother was going to be baptized. In Zaslavl, the princess became a nun - this fact, albeit indirectly, also speaks of her early baptism.

WAS LOVE?

Rogneda learned horseback riding from childhood, wielded a sword - she could stop a galloping horse and enter a burning hut.

Princess Polotskaya is not a fragile woman at all. She was obviously broad-shouldered, muscular, - says Tatyana Goranskaya. - Although, apparently, the real Rogneda is also a blue-eyed blonde, like the actress who played her Alexandra Bortich.

It is not completely clear whether the scene of violence against Rogneda is true, when Vladimir, after the capture of Polotsk, takes revenge on the princess for the insult, outrageously over her right in front of his soldiers and her parents. This story is taken from later chronicles, which should not be too trusted.

Was there love between Vladimir and Rogneda? It is not known for sure. There is no evidence that the princess bore him several more children.

GRAVE OF UNKNOWN EMBRACE

It is known for sure that Rogneda was buried in Zaslavl, but where exactly? According to one version, the grave of the princess is located in the settlement near the Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior. The stone cross there is really ancient, but historians are convinced that the remains of Rogneda are not buried there, but in Zamechek or Zamchische, the most ancient settlement in Zaslavl.

Historian Yuri Zayats dug out the remains of a tower there - a solid two-story house, where they used expensive dishes and other household items from Byzantium. Most likely, Rogneda and Izyaslav lived there. In the middle of the settlement today stands a stone cross, erected in the early 90s of the last century. People call this place the grave of the princess.

While historians are arguing where the princess rested, a cross was placed in the settlement on Zamechka. Photo: Vasily Malashenkov

MIRACULOUS "TEARS"

It is believed that two rivers are named after Rogneda in Zaslavl - Knyaginka and Chernitsa. The first toponym speaks of the nobility of a woman, the second - of monasticism. There is a Black Mountain in the city, where there was a pagan temple, and then a monastery was built there - rumor says, especially for Rogneda. After her death, the monastery seemed to be swallowed up by a lake. Although, in fact, there could only be a large pond.

After the death of the princess, several springs miraculously appeared in the vicinity of Zaslavl. They were called "Tears of Rogneda". Before the revolution, the city was a medical resort, where noble gentlemen and ladies came to recharge their health and vigor from the miraculous water.

BY THE WAY

It turns out that an important point on the way "from the Varangians to the Greeks" was on the banks of the Western Dvina between Vitebsk and Polotsk. Experts named the settlement Kordon, in honor of the nearby village, and the National Academy of Sciences included the discovery in the top 10 events for 2016.

We found the traces of the settlement after monitoring the sites of black diggers, - Olga Levko, head of the archaeological center of the Institute of History of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, told the SV correspondent. - The ancient settlement is unique in that it reflects in its pure form the 9th - 10th centuries - a period that is hardly perceptible for archaeologists. Often we are dealing with multi-layered monuments, where this era is mixed with others. But, most importantly, now we can say with confidence: the foundation of the path "from the Varangians to the Greeks" was laid precisely on the territory of the Belarusian Dvina region. The famous Smolensk route passing through the village of Gnezdovo is a century younger.
A huge number of artifacts were found in Cordon, including Roman coins. The oldest one was minted in 79. Arab dirhems have also been unearthed. Apparently, this place was a large center of trade. It was protected from attacks from the river by a massive earthen rampart. There was also a bay for merchant ships. Most likely, the center lost its significance and ceased to exist due to the expansion of the Polotsk principality towards Vitebsk.

Ancient Russian chroniclers have not devoted as many pages to any woman's fate as to the beautiful Princess Rogneda of Polotsk. The noble origin, the powerful position and wealth of her father, the bright appearance, the indestructible love of life and the passion of the magnificent Rogneda - everything seemed to promise her love, admiration, adoration and happiness. But those hopes were dashed overnight. Involved in a stream of turbulent events, the beautiful and proud Rogneda became the victim of an irreconcilable political clash and male rivalry between two siblings - Yaropolk and Vladimir Svyatoslavich.

Anton Losenko. Vladimir and Rogneda

In the last third of the 10th century, Rogvolod, the father of Rogneda, was one of the most influential princes of Ancient Russia. Chronicles report that he "holds and owns and reigns the Polotsk land." Some scientists hastened to declare Rogvolod a Norman, and the roots of his name, as well as the name of his daughter Rogneda, were searched for in the Scandinavian languages. However, modern researchers have established that the name "Rogvolod" is purely Slavic, two-syllable, like the Slavic name "Volodimer". And it means "the owner of the horn", that is, the cape. Ancient Polotsk really arose in a steep bend of the old Polota, not far from the place where it flows into the Western Dvina. The ancient settlement of Polotsk resembled a horn in its shape: the bend, with a wide arc of its steep slopes, covered it from three sides. It was on this cape-horn that the daughter of the prince was born, “named her parish in Polotsk” - Rogneda.

Polotsk land, which Rogvolod owned quite legally, by inheritance, was located between the Kievan and Novgorod principalities - the possessions of Yaropolk and Vladimir. The “great road from the Varangians to the Greeks” passed through the Polotsk land - a trade artery vital for both the northwestern and southern regions of Ancient Russia. In an effort to take away the throne from each other, the brothers-princes of Svyatoslavich sought an alliance with Rogvolod. But not only political and economic considerations were the reason. Both young rivals wanted to marry the daughter of the Polotsk prince, the beautiful Rogneda.

Yaropolk was the first to send his ambassadors to Rogvolod to woo his daughter Rogneda. Yaropolk was the eldest son of Grand Duke Svyatoslav Igorevich. Before his last Danube campaign, Svyatoslav gave him a table in Kyiv, gave his middle son Oleg the Drevlyane land with the capital city of Ovruch, and on the advice of Dobrynia, his youngest son Vladimir was begged for by the Novgorodians. A few years after the death of his father, a struggle began between the older brothers Svyatoslavich, as a result of which Oleg died during the capture of the city of Ovruch by the people of Kiev. When this news came to Novgorod, Dobrynya, in order to save his young nephew, the fourteen-year-old prince Vladimir, fled with him across the sea. But two years later, the matured Vladimir returned to Novgorod with the Varangian squad, drove Yaropolk's posadniks out of the city, announcing that he would fight for the great reign. Then, having heard about the extraordinary beauty of the daughter of the Polotsk prince Rogneda, he decided to recapture the bride from Yaropolk. Moreover, according to the custom of polygamy adopted at that time, Yaropolk was already married to a beautiful Greek woman brought to him by Svyatoslav, a shorn Orthodox nun.

Ambassadors from Novgorod from Vladimir came to Rogvolod following the Kyiv ambassadors of Yaropolk. Young rival princes asked the Polotsk prince Rogvolod for the hand of his daughter Rogneda. Both strove to establish a political alliance on the basis of a family alliance, useful for the upcoming struggle.

An attempt by Rogneda-Gorislava to kill her husband, Prince Vladimir.
Miniature of the Radziwill chronicle. 15th century

Rogvolod, not knowing who to give his daughter to, asked her whom she herself agreed to marry. According to the chronicler, the proud Rogneda, who did not want to marry Prince Vladimir, answered: “I don’t want to undress the robichich, I want to marry Yaropolk.” Vladimir was the illegitimate son of Svyatoslav. His mother was the captive "housekeeper" of Princess Olga - Malusha. And according to the ancient Russian wedding ceremony that existed in those days, the newlywed had to undress her husband as a sign of devotion and humility. As a true Slav, Rogneda knew this firsthand.

The young prince Vladimir was deeply offended by this answer, and even more so his uncle and mentor Dobrynya, the brother of the same Malusha, whom Rogneda called a “slave”. In addition, Dobrynya reasoned that this answer was not uttered without the influence of his father. And this means that in the upcoming struggle, Rogvolod will support his future son-in-law Yaropolk. Perhaps if it was about revenge for a personal insult, events would not have developed so rapidly. But preventing a military alliance between Yaropolk and Rogvolod was a matter of the utmost importance.

Dobrynya's campaign to Polotsk

As soon as Rogneda's refusal was received, Vladimir and the enraged Dobrynya moved the Novgorod squad to the Polotsk lands, gathering almost all the forces of Northern Russia. And Rogneda at that time was already going to be taken to Kyiv, to Yaropolk.

Rogvolod went out to meet Vladimir, but was defeated and took refuge in Polotsk. After a short siege, the city was taken, and the entire princely family was captured. Rogvolod with two sons were deprived of their lives. And Vladimir took Rogneda as his wife. So, against her will, Rogneda married Vladimir and went with him and with the Polotsk troops, who strengthened his Novgorod squad, to Kyiv.

Having overcome Yaropolk, Vladimir in 978 became the sovereign prince of the entire Russian land. And Rogneda, his first “guided”, that is, “legitimate”, wife received the title of Grand Duchess of Kyiv. Polotsk lands, formerly belonging to Rogneda's father, Prince Rogvolod, Vladimir annexed to his lands. The wonderful land and the whole route "from the Varangians to the Greeks" now belonged to him. Rich dowry!

The wedding of Vladimir and Rogneda and the murder of the prince of Polotsk

But what about Rogneda? Nine months after the marriage with Vladimir that began so sadly, she gave birth to her first-born son, Izyaslav. Vladimir, who shed so much blood for the sake of marriage with Rogneda, very soon fell out of love with her, forgetting both about her unfortunate wife and her little son. The orphaned, humiliated daughter of Rogvolod lived in seclusion in a tower on the Lybid River, not far from Kyiv. With her was her little son Izyaslav, from now on her only kindred soul and joy.

About the suffering of Rogneda, about the tender, cordial relationship between mother and son, K. Ryleev heartily told in his poem “Rogneda”:

Like the morning month, pale,
Rogneda in deep sorrow
Sitting by the window with my son
In a clear and high room.
From sighs under her veil
The young Persians trembled,
And from downcast eyes
Like pearls, tears fell.
Looked innocent Izyaslav
At mother with touching eyes,
And, crouching to the mother's breasts,
He wrapped his arms around her.
“Darling! he told her,
You are all sad, you all wither:
When will you be happier
When will you stop being sad?
O! full of crying and sighing,
It hurts to see your tears
You will only start to grieve,
I wake up suddenly and I involuntarily.
You better tell me
Acts of grandfather Rogvolod.
How he fought in the war
And about the love of the people for him.
- About whom, my son, did you remind?
What do you want to know from me?
What terrible dreams
You awaken Sim in Rogneda!..
But so be it; I will fulfill
My son, your soul's desire:
Let Rogvolodov spirit in you
Breathe my story;
Let it be in the chest of the young
Will kindle zeal for great deeds,
Love for your native country
And contempt for oppressors...

A loving mother who devoted herself entirely to raising the young prince Izyaslav, Rogneda was worried about his future fate. She was the first, but by no means the only wife of Vladimir. Having killed his own brother Yaropolk, Vladimir made his former Greek wife his concubine wife. Izyaslav was still a baby when another son of Vladimir, Svyatopolk, was born from this Greek nun. The same "Svyatopolk the Accursed", on whose orders the brothers-princes Boris and Gleb will be subsequently killed.

Removed from Kyiv, Grand Duchess Rogneda was tormented not only by jealousy and offended dignity, but also by anxiety for little Izyaslav. Vladimir's indifference to their first-born son overwhelmed Rogneda's patience.

Once Vladimir was hunting in an oak forest on the banks of the Lybid and decided to visit Rogneda and his son Izyaslav. When the messenger informed the princess about this, she became indignant:

“So, he remembered his wife…
But not the desire to meet ...
Oh no! draws him to me
Only the closeness of distance!”

When, after a rich feast, exhausted by the hunt, Vladimir fell fast asleep, Rogneda decided to commit suicide. She quietly got up from the matrimonial bed, lit a candle, removed a heavy sword from the wall and raised it over Vladimir. At that very moment, Vladimir suddenly woke up and, snatching the sword from her, exclaimed:

- “What did you dare in a frenzy? ..
But the duty of the wife, but love? .. "

The beautiful Rogneda, who steadfastly endured so much suffering, answered her angry husband without fear:

- "Love! to whom?.. to you, destroyer?..
I forgot whose blood is pouring in me,
You forgot who killed your parent!..
You, you, the tyrant slew him!
Burning with criminal love,
You deprived me of my fiancé
And brother bled!
Having incinerated my native land,
River you spilled blood in it everywhere
And Polotsk, wondrous beauty,
Turned the ruins into a pile.
But dissatisfied, evil revenge
Burning to the powerless captive,
You made your marriage with me
At the glow of the native land!
He drew me to the throne city;
I gave you a son...
And what? .. Still contempt coldness
I read it in the eyes of a tyrant!

Vladimir said nothing. And what could he answer to the fair reproaches of Rogneda?! According to the pagan laws of the Slavs of that time, an attempt on the life of a husband was punishable by death. The princess, according to tradition, could only be executed by the prince himself. Vladimir ordered Rogneda to put on his princely wedding clothes, sit on a richly furnished bed in his room and wait for him. Rogneda knew that inevitable death awaited her, that at dawn the luxurious marriage bed would become a block for her, on which the merciless Vladimir would pierce her with his sword.

Without fear and without tears, Rogned was waiting for the execution appointed by her husband. She seemed to have shed all her tears! One single feeling warmed in her chest: she wanted to see young Izyaslav at least once more. She secretly made her way to her son. And only here, at the bedside of her son, involuntarily waking him up with stormy kisses and hugs, Rogneda could not stand it and burst into tears. Anxious, ardently loving mother and early grown-up prince Izyaslav, she told that in a few hours he would be orphaned.

When, with the first rays of a crimson dawn, Vladimir entered Rogneda with a sword in his hand, he was met by four-year-old Izyaslav, standing, also with a sword, in defense of his mother. Fearlessly blocking the path of the angry parent, Izyaslav said to him: “Father, or do you think that you are walking here alone? If you can - kill, cruel, mother with her son! And the formidable Vladimir, seeing his son and hearing his speech, did not dare to carry out what the pagan law commanded him. Stunned, he said in confusion: “And who knew that you were here ?!” He threw down his sword and ordered the boyars to be called to ask their advice. And the boyars advised Vladimir not to kill his wife, to forgive her for the sake of her baby son, and even to return the land of Rogvolod to her and Izyaslav. Vladimir did just that. Taking pity on Rogneda, “he erected a fatherland for her”, “arrange a city and name the city Izyaslavl” - after the name of their first son with Rogneda.

Many biographers of the Grand Duke of Kyiv Vladimir Svyatoslavich, not without reason, see in the clash with Princess Rogneda and its outcome a manifestation of a deep and beneficial moral upheaval that took place in his soul even before the adoption of Christianity. In the young prince, before the incident with Rogneda, he strictly followed pagan customs in everything related to revenge, violence, the capture of "trophy" wives and concubines, a change occurred. Defending her dignity, Rogneda refused to live according to the rules familiar to her time and encouraged her husband to do so. Ready to pay with her life for her dignity and the rights of her child, she awakened in him a conscience, moved him to search for moral laws. The princess appreciated the mercy and nobility of Vladimir, who saved her life, contrary to pagan laws.

Forgiven, now confident in the future of her son Izyaslav, Rogneda reconciled with her husband. Moreover, she was again held in high esteem as the Grand Duchess of Kyiv, a faithful wife and a caring mother. In subsequent years, three more sons and two daughters were born to Rogneda and Vladimir, among whom were the future Grand Duke Yaroslav the Wise and his active supporter, Grand Duchess Predslava, who received from her father the “village of Predslavino”.

A happy mother, Rogneda had no idea that new sorrows lay ahead of her. In 989, Vladimir, having converted to Christianity, married the Byzantine princess Anna in Korsun. On the way back to Kyiv, he sent a message to his first wife Rogneda: “Now, having been baptized, I must have one wife, with whom I entered into a Christian marriage; choose your husband from among my boyars.” Remarkable is the answer of Rogneda Rogvolodovna, which she ordered to convey to Vladimir: “I am a natural princess, I was her, and I will remain her ... And if you received holy baptism, then I can be the bride of Christ.”

The sad fate of the beautiful Slav Rogneda aroused sympathy. For sorrows, tears and suffering, her contemporaries called her "Gorislava". Rogneda died at the turn of two millennia, in 1000. Written sources have not preserved information about where she was buried.

The eldest son of Rogneda Rogvolodovna, Izyaslav Vladimirovich, later became the founder of a new dynasty of Polotsk princes. Chronicles characterize Izyaslav Vladimirovich as a wise and enlightened ruler. The younger son of Rogneda Rogvolodovna, Yaroslav Vladimirovich the Wise, married to the daughter of the Swedish king Olaf, became the great prince of Kyiv and the successor of the entire subsequent Rurik dynasty.

One of the most educated rulers of his time, Yaroslav the Wise was a wonderful family man, tenderly loving husband, brother and father. Yaroslav the Wise highly valued the virtues of his wife Irina-Ingigerda, the daughter of the Swedish King Olaf, who not only raised children, but also delved into all state affairs, creating a special cultural and spiritual atmosphere at the court of her husband, the Grand Duke of Kyiv. Yaroslav the Wise took care of the excellent education and "book teaching" not only for his sons, but also for his daughters. He was extremely exacting about the applicants for the hand of each of them. His three daughters - Elizabeth, Anna and Anastasia - became the first crowned Russian women.

Yaroslav the Wise was passionately attached and took an active part in the fate of his beloved sister, Grand Duchess Predslava Vladimirovna. Predslava, in turn, was actively involved in the struggle for the reign of her brother on the throne in 1015-1019. After the death of her father, she informed Yaroslav in Novgorod about the murder of Boris and Gleb and fearlessly sheltered Svyatopolk's opponents. The personal life of the active and intelligent beauty Predslava has developed tragically. The Polish king Boleslav I sought her hand. But the young Predslava refused the old father-in-law of Svyatopolk the Accursed. Svyatopolk was Yaroslav's main rival in the struggle for power in Kyiv. And the Polish king Boleslav I, whose daughter Svyatopolk was married, sought with his help to impose Polish Latinism on Russia, that is, the Catholic faith. The Polish king did not forgive the refusal of the Grand Duchess of Kyiv Predslava. He moved his troops to the Russian land, captured Kyiv together with Svyatopolk. Having captured Predslava along with her court retinue, he made Vladimir's daughter his concubine. Having learned about the atrocity of Boleslav, Yaroslav hurried to help his sister. In 1019, on the Alta River, he inflicted a crushing defeat on the rapist Boleslav and Svyatopolk the Accursed, who killed his brothers, princes Boris and Gleb.

A faithful husband who had a negative attitude towards polygamy, Yaroslav Vladimirovich the Wise never forgot the sad fate that befell his mother Rogneda Rogvolodovna and sister Predslava Vladimirovna. The compiler of Russkaya Pravda, he legally secured the right of women to exercise their own will when choosing a spouse. So, in the articles of the Charter of Prince Yaroslav Vladimirovich, the punishment of parents who did not take into account the free will of the bride in matters of marriage was supposed to be punished, not only in those dramatic situations when the girls committed suicide due to marriage involuntarily, but also in those cases, “if a girl wishes to marry, but father and mother do not give. Such a humane attitude towards a woman, as in Russian law, was not known in the XI century by the legislation of any European country.

Monument to Rogneda and Izyaslav in Zaslavl

The bright image of the beautiful and strong Slav Rogneda has not faded over time. In the Tver and Laurentian chronicles under 1128 there is her biography, which sounds like a legend. Elevating the personality of Rogneda, the chroniclers pay tribute to her undoubted merits: boundless devotion to her native land, female pride, marital fidelity, selfless maternal love. The extraordinary fate and personality of Rogneda inspired artists, musicians and poets. The painters A. Losenko and N. Gribkov created wonderful canvases: "Vladimir and Rogneda" and "Rogneda's Jealousy". Composer A. Serov wrote the opera "Rogneda". It was a huge success on the stage of the Mariinsky Theater in 1865. K. Ryleev, T. Shevchenko, Ya. Kupala wrote their poems and poems about Rogned.

The beautiful Princess Predslava, who fearlessly opposed the Polish Catholic group in Russia, led by the traitor Svyatopolk the Accursed, has many kind words in The Tale of Bygone Years, in the Paterik of the Kyiv Caves Monastery, in the Tale of the Murder of the Holy Passion-Bearers Boris and Gleb. .

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History of Russian Goverment

Polotsk did not have serious fortifications, since its ruler did not expect attacks from any side. A low earthen rampart with old wooden towers was overcome on the move. Leaving the city for robbery to the Novgorodians, Vladimir hit the citadel, broke into it and went straight to the prince's palace. Also wooden and also badly fortified.

Behind him was his personal guard, behind his left shoulder - Ladimir. And the heroes, who instantly cut down everyone who had a weapon. Vladimir clearly imagined the primitive plan of Rogvolod's palace. The throne room was right there. And that's where his offender was supposed to be.

The door was bolted shut. Vladimir leaned on her, one of his heroes pushed from behind, the doors collapsed, and the Novgorod prince entered the hall. Two guards simultaneously rushed towards, interfering with each other. Vladimir easily evaded the sword, the heroes following him immediately tied up the last defenders of the Polotsk prince, and the prince of Novgorod saw in front of him a stately and very young girl with a short sword, which she held in front of her with both hands. Anger, fear and rage mixed in her gaze, reflected in an incredible rainbow in her wide-open eyes, and a bright blush that flashed on her cheeks made her naive-desperate and beautiful in this despair.

— Rogneda?

The girl silently rushed at him. Vladimir recoiled, turned her around and hugged her tightly.

“Good,” he said. - Wonder how good. Sorry to have to offend you.

A sword fell out of the girl's hands, thumped against the skins that covered the floor of the hall. And immediately her father, Prince Rogvolod, rose from the princely place:

"You will fight me!"

"Tie the prince and princess to their chairs!" Vladimir ordered.

He acted just like his father, who once raped Malusha in front of the servants. This was the custom of the early Middle Ages. This inflicted the heaviest and indelible insult on the enemy.

Ladimir said carefully:

“Don’t, Grand Duke…

- Necessary! - Vladimir barked like a father, throwing the girl down on the floor covered with skins.

Until the end of her life, Rogneda hated him for the great shame that she then accepted from him. Vladimir slowly and in his own way even very gently raped her in front of her parents, deep in her heart, however, deeply regretting that he had to do just that. But this was required by the Varangian code of honor, which he could not violate. And all his life Vladimir loved her more than all his wives and numerous mistresses. And Rogneda loved only him all her life. Through hatred and despair, through public shame and mental anguish. He was and remained the first and only man in her life.

Finally, this disgrace ended, Vladimir said, not yet getting to his feet:

“Ladimir, order the Grids to slaughter the whole family. Except Rogneda. Send her to my Novgorod palace.

- And Rogdaya! shouted Rogneda, pushing Vladimir away. "Don't you dare touch my brother!"

“No one will touch him,” Dobrynya said, picking up a five-year-old baby. - Oh, it bites! I will nurture a good hero out of him ...

And he left with the baby in his arms.

The noble origin, the powerful position and wealth of her father, the bright appearance, the indestructible love of life and the passion of the magnificent Rogneda - everything seemed to promise her love, admiration, adoration, happiness. But those hopes were dashed overnight. Involved in turbulent events, the beautiful and proud Rogneda became a victim of an irreconcilable political clash and male rivalry between two siblings - Yaropolk and Vladimir Svyatoslavich.

In the last third of the 10th century, Rogvolod, the father of Rogneda, was one of the most influential princes of Ancient Russia, about whom the chronicles report that he "holds and owns and reigns the Polotsk land."

Polotsk land, which Rogvolod owned quite legally, by inheritance, was located in the middle between the Kievan and Novgorod principalities - the possessions of the brothers Yaropolk and Vladimir.

Vladimir was the illegitimate son of Svyatoslav. His mother was the captive "housekeeper" of the Holy Princess Olga - Malusha. And according to the ancient Russian wedding ceremony that existed in those days, the newlywed had to undress her husband as a sign of devotion and humility. As a true Slav, Rogneda knew this firsthand.
The young prince Vladimir was deeply offended by this answer, and even more so his uncle and mentor Dobrynya, the brother of the same Malusha, whom Rogneda called a “slave”. In addition, Dobrynya reasoned that this answer was not uttered without the influence of his father. So, in the upcoming struggle, Rogvolod will support his future son-in-law Yaropolk.

After a short siege, the city was taken, the entire princely family was captured. Rogvolod with two sons were deprived of their lives. And Vladimir took Rogneda as his wife. So, against her will, Rogneda combined with Vladimir and went with him and with the Polotsk troops, who reinforced his Novgorod squad, to Kyiv.
Having overcome Yaropolk, Vladimir in 978 became the sovereign prince of the entire Russian land. BUT Rogneda, his first "led", that is, "legitimate" wife received the title of Grand Duchess of Kyiv. Polotsk lands, formerly belonging to Rogneda's father, Prince Rogvolod, Vladimir annexed to his lands. The wonderful land and the whole route "from the Varangians to the Greeks" now belonged to him. Rich dowry!

But what about Rogneda? Nine months after the marriage with Vladimir that began so sadly she gave birth to the first-born son Izyaslav.Vladimir, who shed so much blood for the sake of marriage with Rogneda, very soon fell out of love with her, forgetting both the unfortunate wife and her little son. The orphaned, humiliated daughter of Rogvolod lived in seclusion in a tower on the Lybid River, not far from Kyiv. With her was her little son Izyaslav, from now on her only kindred soul and joy.

A loving mother who devoted herself entirely to raising the young prince Izyaslav, Rogneda was worried about his future fate. She was the first, but by no means the only wife of Vladimir. Soon, Vladimir killed his own brother Yaropolk, and made his former Greek wife his wife-concubine.. Izyaslav was still a baby when this former Greek nun another son of Vladimir was born - Svyatopolk. The same “Svyatopolk the Accursed”, by whose order the holy brothers-princes Boris and Gleb, the beloved younger children of St. Prince Vladimir, would later be killed.

Removed from Kyiv, Grand Duchess Rogneda was tormented not only by jealousy and offended dignity, but also by anxiety for little Izyaslav. Vladimir's indifference to their first-born son overwhelmed Rogneda's patience.
Once Vladimir was hunting in an oak forest on the banks of the Lybid and decided to visit Rogneda and his son Izyaslav. When the messenger informed the princess about this, she became indignant. When, after a rich feast, exhausted by the hunt, Vladimir fell asleep soundly, Rogneda decided to commit suicide. She quietly got up from the matrimonial bed, lit a candle, removed a heavy sword from the wall and raised it over Vladimir. At that very moment, Vladimir suddenly woke up and, snatching the sword from her.

According to the pagan laws of the Slavs of that time, an attempted murder of a husband was punishable by guilty death. The princess, according to tradition, could only be executed by the prince himself.

Vladimir ordered Rogneda to put on his princely wedding clothes, sit on a richly furnished bed in his room and wait for him. Rogneda knew that inevitable death awaited her, that at dawn the luxurious marriage bed would become a block for her, on which the merciless Vladimir would pierce her with his sword.
Without fear and without tears, the courageous Rogneda awaited the execution appointed by her husband. She seemed to have shed all her tears! One single feeling warmed in her chest: she wanted to see her young son Izyaslav at least once more.

She secretly made her way to her son. And only here, at the bedside of her son, involuntarily waking him up with stormy kisses and hugs, Rogneda could not stand it and burst into tears.
To the anxious, ardently loving mother and early grown-up prince Izyaslav, she told that in a few hours he would be orphaned.

When, with the first rays of a crimson dawn, Vladimir entered Rogneda with a sword in his hand, he was met by the four-year-old prince Izyaslav, standing, also with a sword, in defense of his mother. Fearlessly blocking the path of the angry parent, Izyaslav said to him:
“Father, do you think that you are walking here alone? If you can - kill, cruel, mother with her son!

And the formidable Vladimir, seeing his son and hearing his speech, did not dare to carry out what the pagan law commanded him. Stunned, he said in confusion: “And who knew that you were here ?!” He threw down his sword and ordered the boyars to be called to ask their advice. And the boyars advised Vladimir not to kill his wife, to forgive her for the sake of her baby son, and even to return the land of Rogvolod to her and Izyaslav.

Vladimir did just that. Taking pity on Rogneda, "he erected a fatherland for her", “arrange a city and name the city Izyaslavl” - after the name of their first son with Rogneda.

Many biographers of the Grand Duke of Kyiv Vladimir Svyatoslavich, not without reason, see in the clash with Princess Rogneda and its outcome a manifestation of a deep and beneficial moral upheaval that took place in his soul even before the adoption of Christianity. In the young prince, before the incident with Rogneda, he strictly followed pagan customs in terms of revenge, violence, the capture of "trophy" wives and concubines, a change occurred. Defending her feminine pride, human dignity, Rogneda refused to live according to the norms familiar to her time and encouraged her husband to do so.
Ready to pay with her life for her dignity and the rights of her child, she awakened in him a conscience, inspired him to search for moral laws.

The princess appreciated both the mercy and the nobility of Vladimir, who saved her life, contrary to pagan laws. Forgiven, now confident in the future of her son Izyaslav, Rogneda reconciled with her husband. Moreover, she was again held in high esteem as the Grand Duchess of Kyiv, a faithful wife and a caring mother. In subsequent years, Rogneda and Vladimir had three more sons and two daughters, among whom were the future Grand Duke Yaroslav the Wise.

A happy mother, Rogneda had no idea that new sorrows lay ahead of her.
In 989, Vladimir, having converted to Christianity, married the Byzantine princess Anna in Korsun. On the way back to Kyiv, he sent a message to his first wife Rogneda: “ Now, having been baptized, I must have one wife with whom I entered into a Christian marriage; you choose a husband from my boyars, whoever you want" .

Remarkable is the answer of Rogneda Rogvolodovna, which she ordered to convey to Vladimir: “ I am a natural princess, I was her, and I will remain her ... And if you received holy baptism, then I can be the bride of Christ.

The sad fate of the beautiful Slav Rogneda aroused sympathy. For sorrows, tears and suffering, her contemporaries called her "Gorislava". Rogneda died at the turn of two millennia, in 1000. She died of grief and sadness due to her bitter fate at the age of 40.
Written sources did not preserve information about where she was buried. .

The granddaughter of Vseslav Bryachislavich was the holy reverend Euphrosyne of Polotsk , through the efforts of which ancient Russian art was enriched with unsurpassed masterpieces. Her imperishable relics rest in the monastery of the city of Polotsk.

Of the twelve sons of Vladimir Svyatoslavich, none other than the youngest son of Rogneda; Rogvolodovna, Yaroslav Vladimirovich the Wise, became the great prince of Kyiv and the successor of this subsequent Rurik dynasty.

On the pages of ancient chronicles, Rogneda Rogvoldovna appears as one of the brightest personalities, yielding in this respect only to Princess Olga. For some reason, the chronicler or the customer of the chronicle was not interested in the fate of the bitter Greek nun and the fate of the numerous wives and concubines of Prince Vladimir. The reason, apparently, is that they did nothing to change their lives for the better. The Polotsk princess was different.

A young princess who rudely refused the Grand Duke and the warrior - this is excellent material for legends and epics ...
Some researchers believe that the chronicle story about Vladimir and Rogned is just a legend found in the epic of other countries. However, there is nothing unrealistic in the events described, moreover, they are confirmed by archaeological excavations. According to them, at the end of the X century. Polotsk was completely destroyed and restored only in the 11th century, but already in a new place. In addition, as noted, for the chronicler of the middle of the XI century. 80s 10th century were not very distant past, and he could find many eyewitnesses to the events of that time.
In the annals, Vladimir's matchmaking with Rogneda is closely connected with his struggle with Yaropolk. Having learned that the bride refused him in a rude manner and wants to marry his opponent, the Novgorod prince gathers a large army. It included: Varangian mercenaries, Slovenes, Krivichi and Chud, that is, those tribes that united in an alliance under Rurik. Naturally, the Polotsk prince Rogvold could not fight with such a large force. He apparently tried to send Rogneda to Yaropolk, but did not have time. Polotsk was captured, and the family of the ruler was captured by Vladimir. Perhaps Rogvold and his two sons tried to resist, but were killed during the battle. Rogneda fell into the hands of Vladimir, who forcibly made her his wife. After that, she was apparently sent to Novgorod. The army, led by Vladimir, went to Kyiv against Yaropolk. He could not fight back his younger brother and was soon killed.
Vladimir entered Kyiv as a winner. He got not only the treasury of Yaropolk, but his pregnant Greek wife. In retaliation for Rogneda, Vladimir also made his brother's widow his wife. It is even possible that the Greek woman remained the hostess in the Kiev palace. Rogneda was settled in the suburbs of Kyiv, on the river. Lybid built a separate yard for her. By this, Vladimir further humiliated the arrogant Polotsk princess.

In the annals, Vladimir is presented as a great womanizer: “Because Volodimer was defeated by the lust of a woman, and his wife was led by him: Rogned ..., from her give birth to 4 sons: Izeslav, Mstislav, Yaroslav, Vsevolod, and 2 daughters; from Grekine Svyatopolk; from Chekhine Vysheslav; and from another Svyatoslav and Mstislav and Stanislav; and from the Bulgarian Boris and Gleb; and he had 300 concubines in Vyshgorod, and 300 in Belegorod, and 200 in Berestov"
If we analyze the list of wives and sons of Vladimir, we can see that Rogneda bore him the most children: 4 sons and 2 daughters.
Judging by the number of sons and daughters Rogneda had, Vladimir lived with her almost until his marriage to the Byzantine princess Anna. He visited her tower not so rarely, but, apparently, not in order to express his love, but in order to humiliate her once again.
Once, when he came to her chamber and fell asleep after satisfying his lust, the princess took a dagger and decided to plunge it into the chest of her unfaithful spouse. But he suddenly woke up and grabbed her hand. Perhaps Vladimir wanted to retaliate with the same dagger to Rogneda, but she began to ask him to take pity and understand the reason for her act. Justifying herself, the princess said the following: “Kill my father and fill his land, dividing it; and now do not love me with this baby.” Hearing accusations against him, Vladimir decided not to kill his wife right away, but ordered her to prepare for death the next day. However, the cunning Rogneda decided to save herself with the help of little Izyaslav. She gave him a sword and taught him the words that he had to say when he saw his father. She herself put on her best clothes and prepared to wait. When Vladimir entered the chambers, Izyaslav came out to meet him and, holding out a naked sword, said: “Father! Is food the same as walking?”, hinting that Vladimir was going to live alone and decided to get rid of loved ones.
The words of the son forced the prince to leave. He told the boyars about what had happened and asked their advice. Those, apparently sympathizing with Rogneda, who was of a noble family and did not deserve an extremely careless attitude towards herself and constant humiliation from her husband, advised Rogneda and her son Izyaslav to give her native Polotsk principality and send them there for permanent residence. Since Polotsk was completely ruined, Vladimir built a new city for his wife and son and named it Izyaslavl.

All the information reported about Rogneda allows us to reconstruct her biography approximately as follows. The princess was born, apparently, in the first half of the 60s. 10th century At the time of Vladimir's matchmaking, she should have been between 16 and 20 years old. She could not be younger, since her father suggested that she choose the groom herself, and it is also unlikely that she was older, because at that time the girls did not stay long in brides.
Rogneda's father, the Varangian prince Rogvold, belonged to a noble Scandinavian family, his mother, too, obviously, was a match for him. Otherwise, Rogneda could not accuse Vladimir of low birth. There is no information in the sources about how Rogvold turned out to be the ruler of the Polotsk principality. Perhaps his grandfather arrived in the Slavic lands together with Rurik and received a town that stood on an important trade route from the Baltic to the Black Sea. He himself could not be the founder of Polotsk, because then the city would have been named after him, and not after the name of the Polota River.
By the beginning of the 80s. Rogvold, apparently, was a fairly prominent and wealthy prince, so both the Kyiv prince Yaropolk and the Novgorod prince Vladimir wanted to intermarry with him. For the Polotsk prince himself, the most beneficial was an alliance with Yaropolk, who owned access to the Black Sea. In this respect, he did not need Vladimir at all. Therefore, the father probably advised his daughter to choose the prince of Kyiv. The pretext for refusing Vladimir was his not quite legal origin. After that, an embassy was sent to Kyiv, informing about Rogneda's desire to become Yaropolk's wife.
Rogvold, apparently, expected that after that the Kyiv prince would protect his family from the rejected groom. But it turned out that Vladimir was already ready for internecine struggle, while Yaropolk was not. In the same 980, the Novgorod squads approached Polotsk, quickly broke Rogvold's resistance and turned him and all members of his family into captives. So Rogneda became a captive slave.
In the presence of her parents, the winner abused her and, in fact, turned her into a concubine. After that, he could well have dealt with all members of the family of the too arrogant Polotsk princes. However, for some reason he left Rogneda alive and even officially called him his wife, knowing full well that she hates him. Perhaps Vladimir took pleasure in humiliating a noble woman, feeling his power over her and making her suffer.
Since Polotsk was completely destroyed and destroyed, Rogneda was apparently sent to Novgorod, where she learned that her husband already had a Czech wife, Malfrid, who had given birth to a son, Vysheslav. This means that Rogneda's own children could no longer become the first-born and count on the supreme power.
While Rogneda was getting used to her rather humiliating position as the second wife of the Novgorod prince, Vladimir himself dealt with Yaropolk and received his pregnant wife as a trophy. The Greek woman was also officially named the wife of the winner, and he agreed to recognize her unborn child as his own. It turned out that in any case, the child of Rogneda became the third.
As a result, a Czech woman remained the mistress of the Novgorod princely residence, a Greek woman continued to live in the Kiev palace, and Rogneda was settled on the river. Lybid, in the suburbs, in a yard specially built for her. So the proud princess of Polotsk turned into the third wife of the loving Vladimir.
As already noted, the prince most likely did not visit the bedrooms of Malfred and the Greek woman. Rogneda, on the other hand, constantly had to fulfill her marital duty and give birth to children. At the same time, she learned with bitterness about the appearance of more and more wives from Vladimir, as well as numerous concubines in three cities at once. At the same time, he recognized all the children born as his legitimate heirs. Some researchers believe that the prince had about 20 children.
Endless humiliation and insults, as well as concern for the fate of children who could be left without inheritances and dowry, apparently forced Rogneda to take a desperate step - the murder of her husband. This incident could have happened in 987 - early 988, when Vladimir decided to marry a Byzantine princess. Previously, this could not have happened, since from the moment of her marriage in 980, Rogneda would not have had time to give birth to 6 children. Later, this also could not be, because after baptism the prince did not have the right to be a polygamist.

Plotting the murder, Rogneda, apparently, relied on some people from her husband's entourage, who promised her, if successful, all kinds of assistance in obtaining the throne along with her eldest son. After all, otherwise her act would be meaningless. These people, perhaps, later saved the princess from immediate reprisal when her assassination attempt failed. Of course, it was difficult for a woman weakened by endless childbirth to overcome a strong male warrior.

It should be noted that Rogneda did not lose her head even when Vladimir grabbed her hand with a raised dagger. She herself began to blame him for driving her to a desperate and cruel act. This is what stopped the prince from immediate reprisals against his murderer wife. Then, apparently, not only the cunning of the princess, but also the advice of the boyars persuaded him to decide on the expulsion of Rogneda to the Polotsk land. After all, her execution could have made the most negative impression on the new Christian bride. In her eyes, Vladimir did not want to appear as a bloody barbarian. In addition, in the event of reprisals against Rogneda, the prince could forever lose the love of her sons. In the future, they could turn into secret enemies who dream of avenging their mother. After all, in fact, although the act of the princess was unacceptable, completely justified, no one can endure insults and humiliation indefinitely.

Vladimir, obviously, himself realized that the removal of Rogneda from Kyiv with his eldest son and the exclusion of her from the number of wives was very beneficial for him during the preparation of marriage with the Byzantine princess; it can be assumed that at this time he parted with all the other wives, sending them, along with their eldest sons, to reign in various cities.
The regency of the princess probably lasted about 10 years. During this time, she readily accepted Christianity with her son and began to spread it among her subjects. She managed to gather around her quite a lot of experienced people, form a princely court, recruit a squad for her young son; patronizing agriculture, crafts and trade, she filled her treasury with the help of taxes. When Izyaslav grew up, Rogneda found him a suitable wife, undoubtedly of a noble family. She soon gave birth to two sons-heirs - Vseslav and Bryachislav. After that, the princess, confident in the continuation of her kind, obviously retired. She founded the Spassky Monastery near Izyaslavl and became its tonsurer with the new name Anastasia. After all the suffering and humiliation endured, Christian ideals, apparently, turned out to be especially close to her.
The activities of Rogneda were remembered for a long time by the inhabitants of the Polotsk land. Therefore, they passed on oral stories about her from generation to generation.
Summing up the life and work of Rogneda-Anastasia Rogvoldovna, it should be noted that she in many ways resembled her predecessor, Princess Olga-Elena. Like her, she strove to be independent in her likes and dislikes, fearlessly expressed her opinion, fiercely defended honor, fought for the rights of children. At the same time, she readily accepted baptism and actively began to spread the ideals of Orthodoxy among the environment subject to her. The memory of the monastery founded by her and the Transfiguration Cathedral built by her was imprinted in people's memory for a long time.

Unlike Olga, Rogneda managed to instill her own ideals in her children, especially her sons, since her daughters were apparently abandoned by Vladimir in Kyiv. Izyaslav, together with his mother, revived the Principality of Polotsk, built churches, patronized church leaders, and strove to be merciful and fair. The second son of Rogneda, Yaroslav, nicknamed the Wise for his good deeds, managed to achieve even more. True, he was completely under the care of his mother only in early childhood. Then, from a young age, he had to independently rule the Rostov land. But it can be assumed that his mother visited him and gave him useful advice. She could help him in the Christianization of the Rostov land, instilled a love of books and reading. By the end of his life, Yaroslav had collected a large library, one of the first in Russia. Following the example of his mother, he built temples and founded monasteries. The St. Sophia Cathedral erected by him in Kyiv became a masterpiece of ancient Russian art. The second St. Sophia Cathedral was built by Yaroslav's son Vladimir in Novgorod, while the third St. Sophia Cathedral was built in Polotsk by Rogneda's great-grandson Vseslav Bryachislavich, popularly called the Sorcerer for cunning, fearlessness and the ability to suddenly appear in the most unexpected places.
It seems that for Rogneda, the termination of the hated marital relationship with Vladimir and the move to Izyaslavl were the greatest blessing. At home, she finally turned into the sovereign mistress of her own destiny. Having strengthened the power of her son, she zealously took up the spread of Christianity in the Polotsk land. She founded one of the first women's monasteries in Russia and became a mentor for her followers in it. True, after her death and the transfer of the capital to Polotsk, this monastery apparently died out. Therefore, the Orthodox Church has forgotten one of the first ascetics.