Читать книгу 100 Key Ukrainian Personalities - Юрий Сорока - Страница 4

The birth date of Konung Helg, traditionally called Oleh the Prophet by the Slavs, is not known exactly. Still, contrary to Kyi, Shcheck, Khoriv as well as Askold and Dir, we know a lot about Oleh’s life. He came to Rus’ in Rurik’s troops and, as some sources say, was a relative of him. After Rurik’s death, having been appointed the regent to young Prince Ihor, Oleh usurped the power in Novgorod and then campaigned south and conquered Kyiv. It was there that Oleh decided to place a mighty state capital. The Tale of Bygone Years proclaims the year of 882 as the date when Oleh came to the throne -

“And there went Oleh taking a lot of his soldiers with him. The Vikings, Chud’, Slovens, Merya, Ves’, and Kryvyches. And he came up to Smolensk with his Kryvyches. And he captured the town of Smolensk. And he made a man of his reign there. And he went down form there. And he captured Lyubech making a man of his reign there. And he came up to the Kyivan Mountains…”

Kyiv Prince Oleh (or Oleg of Novgorod) (Radziwiłł Chronicle)

From then on, as the chronicle runs that Oleh decided to settle in Kyiv. In its turn, Novgorod had to pay 300 hryvnias as an annual tribute. It is to be noted that Novgorod inhabitants continued to pay the tribute to Kyiv till the days of Yaroslav the Wise’s reign.

When Oleh, who appeared to be a most wise political leader, came to power, Kyivan Rus’ was quickly gaining the weight in Middle Age Europe. The borders of Rus’ stretched from the Baltic Sea to the Dnieper. Gradually, by taking political measures and military actions, Oleh conquered the tribe unions of the Drevlians, Radymyches, and Siverians that gave him a mighty resource for further conquests. Then the Khazar Khaganate that was a constant threat to Kyiv was defeated. At that stage, the prince, following some of his predecessors, started thinking about conquering the coast of rich Byzantium. The Novgorod chronicle and The Tale of Bygone Years report that the Rusiches went to Tsargorod in 907. Having gathered numerous troops, Oleh surrounded the city and made the Byzantines sign a peace treaty, the final version of which appeared in 911. However, in fairness, we note that the campaign in question was mentioned in Rus’ chronicles only, and left no traces in Byzantine ones.

Oleh’s Campaign to Constantinople. Print by F. Bruni, 1839

The circumstances of Oleh the Prophet death are not clear. Nestor Chornoryasnyk (Black Cassock) supplies a romantic tale about the prince’s death after a bite of a snake that appeared from the skull of his favourite horse. Contrary to that, the Novgorod chronicle, without any details, informs that Oleh died “overseas”. The chronicles also differed as to the date of the prince’s death. The Tale of Bygone Years mentions 912. Instead, the Novgorod chronicle indicates 922. Arab geographer, Al’-Masudi’s works threw more light on the circumstances of Prince Oleh’s death. The geographer informs that in 912 or 913 the Rusiches headed by Oleh the Prophet sailed up the Don in 500 boats, dragged the boats to the Volga and went on a campaign over the Caspian Sea. According to Al’-Masudi’s evidence, the Rusiches were defeated during the campaign and nearly all of them perished. Prince Oleh might have been among the killed.