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The Kyiv princes Askold and Dir came to Rus' together with Rurik in 862. For two years they were side by side with the Novgorod prince? however, in 864 they left Novgorod and went to Constantinople to serve the Byzantine king. Going down the river, Askold and Dir on this journey discovered the Dnieper on the banks of the river small town, which, according to the chroniclers, did not belong to anyone. The founders of the city died long ago, and the inhabitants of the city, having no ruler, paid tribute to the Khazars. Askold and Dir captured this city, as well as the lands adjacent to it. This town was called Kyiv. Thus, by 864, a situation arose when the Varangians formed two control centers in Rus': in the north in Novgorod, under the control of Rurik, in the south in Kyiv, which was controlled by Askold and Dir.
Campaigns against Byzantium
Ancient Byzantium, where the Kyiv princes Askold and Dir from Novgorod went, was large state, whose service was considered an honor by many. For this purpose, Rurik’s comrades-in-arms left Novgorod, and only the city of Kyiv, encountered on their way, changed their plans. It is worth noting that ancient Byzantium highly valued the capabilities of the Varangians. Northern warriors were gladly accepted into service in the Byzantine army, because their discipline and military qualities were valued.
Having captured Kyiv, princes Askold and Dir became bolder and declared that Byzantium was now an enemy for Kyiv. The Varangians, being experienced sailors, under the command of Askold and Dir, set off along the Dnieper on a campaign against Byzantium. In total, the military escort consisted of 200 ships. It was from this campaign that all subsequent campaigns against Byzantium began.
March on Constantinople
Askold and Dir with their troops descended along the Dnieper into the Black Sea and there besieged the city of Constantinople. The campaigns against Byzantium had just begun; the Greeks for the first time encountered a new enemy at the walls of their city, whom they dubbed the Scythians. The Prince of Byzantium, Michael 3, being on a military campaign at that time, hastily returned to his capital as soon as rumors reached him about the danger looming over the city. In Constantinople itself they did not hope for victory over the Scythians. Here they relied on a miracle, since the forces were unequal. That's what happened. In the temple of the city there was a shrine - the icon “Robe of the Mother of God”, which was considered the intercessor of the city and saved it more than once in difficult situations. Byzantine Patriarch Photius, in front of everyone, lowered the icon into the sea, which was quiet. But literally immediately a terrible storm arose. Almost the entire enemy fleet was destroyed, only a few ships managed to reach Kyiv. Thus, ancient Byzantium was saved from the invasion of Askold and Dir, but the campaigns did not stop there.
Confrontation with Novgorod
In 879, Prince Rurik died, leaving behind a minor heir - Prince Igor, whose guardianship was taken over by his relative Oleg. Having become a ruler, Oleg decided to annex to his possessions southern lands and went on a campaign against Kyiv in 882. On the way to Kyiv, Oleg captured the cities of Smolensk and Lyubech. Anticipating that the princes Askold and Dir, who have a large army and are not inferior to him in military skills, would not give up Kyiv without a fight, Prince Oleg, acting on behalf of Igor, resorted to deception. Sailing to Kyiv, he left almost his entire army on the ships, and he introduced himself as a merchant who had arrived from distant countries. He invited the princes of Kyiv to his place. Askold and Dir went to meet the eminent guest, but were captured by Oleg’s soldiers and killed.
So Oleg, on behalf of Igor, began to rule Kiev, saying that from now on Kyiv was destined to be the mother of Russian cities. Thus, for the first time, the northern and southern Russian lands were united within one state, whose name was Kievan Rus.
The history of ancient Rus' keeps many mysteries and secrets. One of these mysteries is the first princes of Kyiv, whom we know as Askold and Dir. Who were they by origin, where did they come from, who were they related to each other? Or maybe it was just one person? Let's try to figure it out by presenting the generally accepted version, as well as several options for events that historians allow, based on very specific facts.
Official version
It is generally accepted that Askold and Dir were Varangians by origin - Rus, as they were then called. They had no relationship with the ruling prince, but were simply his “boyars”. When Rurik sat down in Novgorod, he began to distribute Russian cities to his closest people. So he sent Dir and Askold to the south in search of a suitable place to rule. Those, going down the Dnieper, saw the glorious city of Kyiv, in which the glades lived. Askold and Dir decided to stay there and declared themselves rulers.
Sources
Information we glean from history Ancient Rus', collected for the most part in the Tale of Bygone Years, as well as in later chronicles, which largely rely on the first. The reliability of such documents is questioned by modern historians: and this is not only a matter of chronological inaccuracies or mixing of facts.
The chronicles were repeatedly rewritten, and, accordingly, errors gradually crept into them, or even worse - deliberate distortions of events in favor of one or another. political idea.
L.N. Gumilyov believed, for example, that the chronicler Nestor viewed history as a policy facing the past, and therefore remade it in his own way. However, if you have independent sources of information - not only ancient Russian chronicles, but Byzantine, European or Arabic documents, then you can general outline restore the picture of events of a bygone era.
From the Varangians to the Khazars
The Tale of Bygone Years reports that Askold and Dir were Varangian warriors of the Novgorod prince Rurik, who begged him to go on a campaign against Constantinople (Constantinople). But in the Nikon Chronicle they appear as enemies of Rurik: dissatisfied with the division of the volosts, the warriors participate in the uprising organized against him. One way or another, going down the Dnieper, the Varangians saw on a hill the glorious city founded by Kiy.
Having learned that there was no ruler in the city, and that its population was paying tribute to the Khazars, they decided to settle there and reign. The Ustyug Chronicle says that Askold and Dir were “neither the tribe of a prince nor a boyar, and Rurik would not give them a city or a village.” Apparently, the campaign to Constantinople was only a pretext, and the ultimate goal was to obtain lands and a princely title.
Historian Yu. K. Begunov claims that Askold and Dir, having betrayed Rurik, turned into Khazar vassals. There is no information about the defeat of the Khazars by the Novgorod squad (and it was not easy to do this), which means that this version has the right to life - otherwise the Khazars (and their mercenaries) would not have allowed the Varangians to dispose of their patrimony so easily. But, perhaps, there was also an agreement between both parties - in the person of the disgraced Varangians, the Kaganate saw serious help in the confrontation with the powerful Rurik.
March to Constantinople
In addition to the Tale of Bygone Years, we learn about the raids of the Rus (as the Greeks called the peoples living north of the Black Sea) on Constantinople from Byzantine and Italian chronicles, which gives the information more reliability.
True, sources differ in determining the dates: the Tale indicates the year 866, and according to Byzantine data it is 860-861, however, making allowances for the inaccurate chronology of the Tale, it can be assumed that we're talking about about the same events. The Byzantines, exhausted from the war with the Arabs, did not expect an attack from the sea by the Rus. According to various sources, from 200 to 360 ships approached the shores of Constantinople.
This is how Askold and Dir's campaign against Constantinople was depicted.
The Byzantines had little idea where this army came from, but the chronicler Nestor speaks of the troops of Askold and Dir, who plundered the environs of the Byzantine capital and threatened to take Constantinople itself. Only thanks to the fervent prayer of Tsar Michael and Patriarch Photius, as well as the robe of the Most Holy Theotokos, which was dipped in the sea, a miracle happened: a storm suddenly broke out, and those who rose huge waves And strong wind the ships were scattered.
Some sources report that after the defeat of the Rus, Byzantium established relations with the young Old Russian state and begins to spend his time there missionary activity. Filaret Gumilevsky writes that “according to the undoubted voice of history, Kievan Rus listened to the gospel sermon at Kyiv princes Askold and Dira." However, academician A. A. Shakhmatov claims that in the more ancient chronicles telling about the campaign against Constantinople there is no mention of Askold and Dir - their names were inserted later, nothing is said about them either in Byzantine or Arab sources. Moreover, considering possible connections Kyiv princes with the Jewish Kaganate, it is premature to talk about their Christianity: they had a much greater chance of converting to Judaism.
Murder of Askold and Dir
After the death of Rurik, Oleg became the guardian of his young son Igor and, in fact, the head of Novgorod - the same one who took revenge " foolish Khazars" He remembered the disgraced Varangians, and therefore the campaign against Kyiv he organized in 882 was aimed at displacing the illegal power of the impostors. Kyiv at that time turned into a hotbed of unrest - dissatisfied residents of the Novgorod lands constantly flocked there, and therefore immediate measures were required.
Oleg - the killer of Askold and Dir
However, according to the Polish historian of the 15th century Janusz Dlugosz, who largely retells ancient Russian chronicles, Askold and Dir were hereditary rulers Kyiv, descendants of Kiy, and moreover, brothers, and therefore the overthrow of the Kyiv princes looks not only treacherous, but also illegal. But here one can discern Dlugosz’s desire to show the validity of Polish claims to Kyiv, since, in his opinion, Kiy is one of the heirs of the Polish dynasty.
Was there Dir?
According to the chronicle, Askold was buried at the site of his death - on the high right bank of the Dnieper, but Dir's grave was behind the Irininsky Monastery - not far from the current Golden Gate. They are separated by three kilometers: strange fact, co-rulers (or even brothers) who died on the same day are buried in different places!
Askold's grave in Kyiv now
It should be noted that some researchers suggest that Askold and Dir ruled in Kyiv in different time, but there are also those who believe that Askold and Dir are one person. In the Old Norse version of the name "Haskuldr", the last two letters could be separated into a separate word, and eventually into an independent person.
Also, Byzantine sources, describing the siege of Constantinople by the Rus, talk about one military leader, although without naming his name. Historian B. A. Rybakov gives us an explanation: “The personality of Prince Dir is not clear to us. It is felt that his name is artificially attached to Askold, because when describing their joint actions, the grammatical form gives us a single, and not a double, number, as it should be when describing the joint actions of two persons.”
The history of the Kyiv princes Askold and Dir leaves more questions than it answers. Chronicles, as the main source of information, unfortunately, suffer from inaccuracies or direct distortion of facts, and archeology is not able to show us a complete and reliable picture of the life of Ancient Rus' in the 9th century. Of course, we still have something to learn, but much will remain hidden under the veil of the past millennium.
Askold and Dir are legendary princes who ruled the city of Kyiv at the end of the 9th century, converted to Christianity and laid the foundations of ancient Russian statehood. This is the generally accepted version, but there are many contradictions in it.
Sources
The information that we draw from the history of Ancient Rus' is collected mostly in the Tale of Bygone Years, as well as in later chronicles, which largely rely on the first. The reliability of such documents is questioned by modern historians: and this is not only a matter of chronological inaccuracies or mixing of facts.
The chronicles were rewritten several times, and, accordingly, errors gradually crept into them, or even worse - deliberate distortions of events in favor of one or another political idea. L.N. Gumilyov believed, for example, that the chronicler Nestor viewed history as a policy facing the past, and therefore remade it in his own way.
However, if you have independent sources of information - not only ancient Russian chronicles, but Byzantine, European or Arabic documents, then you can generally restore the picture of the events of a bygone era.
From the Varangians to the Khazars
The Tale of Bygone Years reports that Askold and Dir were Varangian warriors of the Novgorod prince Rurik, who begged him to go on a campaign against Constantinople (Constantinople). But in the Nikon Chronicle they appear as enemies of Rurik: dissatisfied with the division of the volosts, the warriors participate in the uprising organized against him.
One way or another, going down the Dnieper, the Varangians saw on a hill the glorious city founded by Kiy. Having learned that there was no ruler in the city, and that its population was paying tribute to the Khazars, they decided to settle there and reign.
The Ustyug Chronicle says that Askold and Dir were “neither the tribe of a prince nor a boyar, and Rurik would not give them a city or a village.” Apparently, the campaign to Constantinople was only a pretext, and the ultimate goal was to obtain lands and a princely title.
Historian Yu. K. Begunov claims that Askold and Dir, having betrayed Rurik, turned into Khazar vassals. There is no information about the defeat of the Khazars by the Novgorod squad (and it was not easy to do this), which means that this version has the right to life - otherwise the Khazars (and their mercenaries) would not have allowed the Varangians to dispose of their patrimony so easily. But, perhaps, there was also an agreement between both parties - in the person of the disgraced Varangians, the Kaganate saw serious help in the confrontation with the powerful Rurik.
March to Constantinople
In addition to the Tale of Bygone Years, we learn about the raids of the Rus (as the Greeks called the peoples living north of the Black Sea) on Constantinople from Byzantine and Italian chroniclers, which gives the information more reliability. True, sources differ in determining the dates: the Tale indicates the year 866, and according to Byzantine data it is 860-861, however, making allowances for the inaccurate chronology of the Tale, we can assume that we are talking about the same events.
The Byzantines, exhausted from the war with the Arabs, did not expect an attack from the sea by the Rus. According to various sources, from 200 to 360 ships approached the shores of Constantinople. The Byzantines had little idea where this army came from, but the chronicler Nestor speaks of the troops of Askold and Dir, who plundered the environs of the Byzantine capital and threatened to take Constantinople itself.
Only thanks to the fervent prayer of Tsar Michael and Patriarch Photius, as well as the robe of the Most Holy Theotokos, which was soaked in the sea, a miracle happened: a storm suddenly broke out, and the huge waves that rose and a strong wind scattered
ships of the “godless Russians” - few were able to return home. Christians or Jews?
Some sources report that after the defeat of the Rus, Byzantium established relations with the young Old Russian state and began to conduct its missionary activities there. Filaret Gumilevsky writes that “according to the undoubted voice of history, Kievan Rus listened to the gospel preaching under the Kyiv princes Askold and Dir.”
However, academician A. A. Shakhmatov claims that in the more ancient chronicles telling about the campaign against Constantinople there is no mention of Askold and Dir - their names were inserted later, nothing is said about them either in Byzantine or Arab sources. Moreover, given the possible connections of the Kyiv princes with the Jewish Kaganate, it is premature to talk about their Christianity: they had a much greater chance of converting to Judaism.
Murder
After the death of Rurik, Oleg became the guardian of his young son Igor and, in fact, the head of Novgorod - the same one who took revenge on the “foolish Khazars.” He remembered the disgraced Varangians, and therefore the campaign against Kyiv he organized in 882 was aimed at displacing the illegal power of the impostors. Kyiv at that time turned into a hotbed of unrest - dissatisfied residents of the Novgorod lands constantly flocked there, and therefore immediate measures were required.
However, according to the 15th century Polish historian Janusz Dlugosz, who largely retells ancient Russian chronicles, Askold and Dir were the hereditary rulers of Kiev, descendants of Kiy, and moreover, brothers, and therefore the overthrow of the Kyiv princes looks not only treacherous, but also illegal. But here one can discern Dlugosz’s desire to show the validity of Polish claims to Kyiv, since, in his opinion, Kiy is one of the heirs of the Polish dynasty.
Was there Dir?
According to the chronicle, Askold was buried at the place of his death - the high right bank of the Dnieper, but Dir's grave was located behind the Irininsky Monastery - not far from the current Golden Gate. They are separated by three kilometers: a strange fact: co-rulers (or even brothers) who died on the same day are buried in different places!
It should be noted that some researchers suggest that Askold and Dir ruled in Kyiv at different times, but there are those who believe that Askold and Dir are one person. In the Old Norse version of the name "Haskuldr", the last two letters could be separated into a separate word, and eventually into an independent person.
Also, Byzantine sources, describing the siege of Constantinople by the Rus, talk about one military leader, although without naming his name. Historian B. A. Rybakov gives us an explanation: “The personality of Prince Dir is not clear to us. It is felt that his name is artificially attached to Askold, because when describing their joint actions, the grammatical form gives us a single, and not a double, number, as it should be when describing the joint actions of two persons.”
The history of the Kyiv princes Askold and Dir leaves more questions than it answers. Chronicles, as the main source of information, unfortunately, suffer from inaccuracies or direct distortion of facts, and archeology is not able to show us a complete and reliable picture of the life of Ancient Rus' in the 9th century. Of course, we still have something to learn, but much will remain hidden under the veil of the past millennium.
Askold and Dir Askold ( Oskold, Skald) And Dir- two warriors of Rurik, who are mentioned in the history of the beginning of the Russian state. Tradition says that Rurik had two “husbands”, A. and D., not related to him, who begged him to go to Tsar-grad with their family (there is news that A. and D. left Rurik out of displeasure, so how he, demarcating the land for his “husbands” with a rope in the volost, or “rope”, deprived A. and D., who left offended). Seeing the town of Kyiv on the Dnieper, paying tribute Khazars, A. and D. remained in it, gathering many Varangians around them, and began to own the land of the glades. We must assume that Kyiv at that time was a brothel Varangians and all sorts of adventurers, which Tmutorokan and Berlad later were. According to some news, many people dissatisfied with Rurik fled here to Kyiv from Novgorod. A. and D. became the leaders of a fairly large gang, and the glades had to obey them. A. and D. fought with the steppe barbarians, with neighboring Slavic tribes - Drevlyans And Uglich , and with the Danube Bulgarians. Having at their disposal a considerable number of military men, A. and D. and their squad undertook a campaign against Byzantium. The Varangian’s cherished thought was fulfilled, and Rus' found itself at the walls of Constantinople, sailing on 200 sailing boats in 866. Here Rus' acquired a glorious name for itself, first noted in Byzantine chronographs. Askold's campaign failed, according to Greek testimonies, due to the miraculous intercession of the Mother of God: a storm that arose broke the Russian boats, and the remnants of the squad returned with their princes back to Kyiv. The Byzantines then reported that some Russians had adopted Christianity and that a bishop had been sent to them from Constantinople. Thus, this campaign brought the first seeds of Christianity to Kyiv: the significance of Kyiv in our history was revealed early on as a result of the clash between Rus' and Byzantium. In 869 † Rurik, leaving the young Igor, transferred the reign to Oleg, as the eldest in his family. Oleg, continuing Rurik's desire to concentrate power, moved to the south with an army made up of all the tribes under his control - Chud, Slavs (Ilmen), Meri, Vesi and Krivichi. Having secured Smolensk and Lyubech for himself, Oleg arrived in Kiev, where A. and D. reigned. Here, the legend says, Oleg ordered to hide the boats on which he sailed, and hid his squad in them and sent to tell A. and D. that fellow countrymen them - merchants going to Greece want to see them. A. and D. arrived, but were immediately surrounded by Oleg’s hidden warriors, who allegedly told them: “You are not princes, nor a princely family,” and, pointing to the baby Igor, added: “Here is the son of Rurik.” A. and D. were killed and buried on a mountain on the banks of the Dnieper on a hill with ledges descending to the river and crowned with the church of St. Nicholas. This place is called Askold's grave. Regarding the episode about A. and D., some writers of Russian history express doubts, such as Bayer, Tatishchev and others. D. Ilovaisky in his “Research about the beginning of Rus'” (Moscow, 1882) believes that A. and D. is a product of popular imagination. D. Ilovaisky is based on the fact that the Byzantines, describing the campaign of Rus', nowhere mention its leaders; they talk about the conversion of these Russians, about their embassy to Rome and Constantinople on the issue of faith, about the miracle of the Gospel, and they constantly talk about one prince, and not about two. Our chroniclers, says D. Ilovaisky, took the story of the attack on Constantinople in 866 entirely from Byzantine chronographs, but added to it the names A. and D. It may very well be that the names of some Kiev tracts like “Askold’s Grave” and “Dir’s grave” could serve as the basis for the legend about these two knights, just as the names Kiev, Khorevshchina and Shchekovina served as the basis for the legend about the three brothers who once reigned near the glades. The fact that a church was erected on A.’s grave, and Dirov’s grave, as the chronicler testifies, was located behind the church of St. Irina, indicates that A. and D. were Christians. Schlözer ("Oskold und Dir" and "Nestor", translated by Yazykov, vol. II, 15) refutes the opinion of the writers who preceded him. Moroshkin considered A. and D. Khazar governors.
encyclopedic Dictionary F. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron. - S.-Pb.: Brockhaus-Efron. 1890-1907 .
See what “Askold and Dir” are in other dictionaries:
Askold and Dir, the first Kyiv princes mentioned chronicle vaults. Entry in the Laurentian corpus (ancient) under different years reports that A. and D., Rurik’s warriors, left him for Constantinople down the Dnieper, took possession of Kiev along the way and ... Biographical Dictionary
ASKOLD AND DIR- (2nd half of the 9th turn of the 9th century?), perhaps the first Russian. Christ princes. According to the Kyiv (?) legend, recorded in brief, the oldest form in the so-called The initial arch of the 90s. XI century (reflected in the NPL Commission List), and in a lengthy, several... ... Orthodox Encyclopedia
Askold and Dir- legendary Kyiv princes of the 60s and 80s. 9th century Information about the biography and activities of A. and D. is vague and contradictory. According to the widespread chronicle legend, A. and D. Varangians, boyars Prince. Rurik, in 862 they asked him for leave to go to Constantinople... ... Russian humanitarian encyclopedic dictionary
Kyiv princes (2nd half of the 9th century). According to chronicles, A. and D. were boyars of Rurik. Around 866, under the leadership of A. and D., Rus' made its first campaign against Constantinople. According to the chronicle, around 882 A. and D. were killed by Novgorod... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia
Kyiv princes (2nd half of the 9th century). According to the chronicles, under the leadership of A. and D. Rus' made the first campaign against Constantinople even before the so-called. callings of the Varangians, which is complementary. a refutation of the identity of Rus' with the Normans. By… … Soviet historical encyclopedia
- ... Wikipedia
Askold and Dir- Kyiv princes (2nd half of the 9th century). acc. chronicle data, under the foreshadowing. A. and D. Rus' made the first campaign against Constantinople even before the so-called. “callings of the Varangians”, which is revealed. additional refutation of the identity. Rus' with the Normans. According to the chronicle, approx.... ... Ancient world. encyclopedic Dictionary
Askold and Dir- (2nd half of the 9th century - turn of the 9th century) perhaps the first Russian Christian princes. They ruled in Kyiv until it was captured by Prince Oleg. The oldest version represents Askold and Dir as alien Varangians who settled in Kyiv some time later... ... Orthodoxy. Dictionary-reference book
Askold and Dir (Radziwill Chronicle) ... Wikipedia
See the article by Askold and Dir... Biographical Dictionary
March on Constantinople
"Askold and Dir went to war against the Greeks and came to them in the 14th year of the reign of Michael. The tsar was at that time on a campaign against the Hagarians, had already reached the Black River, when the eparch sent him the news that Rus' was marching on Constantinople, and the tsar returned. These same ones entered the Court, killed many Christians and besieged Constantinople with two hundred ships. The king entered the city with difficulty and prayed all night with Patriarch Photius in the Church of the Holy Mother of God in Blachernae, and with songs they brought out the divine robe of the Holy Mother of God, and soaked its floor in the sea. At that time there was silence and the sea was calm, but then suddenly a storm arose with the wind, and huge waves arose again, scattering the ships of the godless Russians, and washed them to the shore, and broke them, so that few of them managed to avoid this disaster and return home".
In memory of these events, a religious holiday Position of the honorable robe of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Blachernae.
The text of the chronicle also contains information about the four campaigns of Askold and Dir to Constantinople, but it has been proven that they all represent different versions of the description of the famous campaign of the year.
Baptism of the Russians
"According to the undoubted voice of history, Kievan Rus listened to the gospel preaching under the Kyiv princes Askold and Dir", writes St. Philaret (Gumilevsky).
The question of Askold’s possible Christianity is one of the controversial ones. Some historians accept the version of the Nikon Chronicle and other later Russian sources, considering Askold the first Russian Christian ruler. But it must be admitted that there are no reliable information about Askold's Christianity.
Murder of the Kyiv princes
The reign of Askold and Dir in Kyiv lasted, according to the chronicle, until a year when they were killed by Oleg who came from Novgorod and captured the city.
They were buried on the banks of the Dnieper on a hill with ledges descending to the river and crowned with the church of St. Nicholas. This place is called Askold's grave.
Literature
- The Tale of Bygone Years
- PSRL, IX
- Georgy Armatol, Chronicle
- Konstantin Porphyrogenitus, Biography of Vasily
- His Holiness Photius, Archbishop of Constantinople, first homily “On the invasion of the Dews”
- His Holiness Photius, Archbishop of Constantinople - New Rome, second homily on the invasion of the Russians
- Nikita Paphlagonsky, Life of Patriarch Ignatius
- Kuzenkov P.V. The campaign of 860 against Constantinople and the first baptism of Rus' in medieval written sources // The most ancient states. Sat. for 2000. M., 2003. P. 3-172.
- Kartashev A.V. Essays on the history of the Russian Church. The first baptism of the Kievan Russians:
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