The mysterious Varangian-Rus, who came together to Rurik in Novgorod, and with Oleg to Kiev, were very soon almost completely assimilated and literally dissolved in a large Slavic country, leaving behind only a name. Under Vladimir Svyatoslavich, other Varangians appeared in Russia - mercenary squads led by Norwegian or Swedish jarls, ready to sell their services to everyone who was able to pay for their willingness to fight and die.
The exact date of the appearance of the first such detachment is known - 980. Vladimir, who had fled from Yaropolk to Sweden three years ago, "returned to Novgorod with the Varangians and said to the mayor of Yaropolk:" Go to my brother and tell him: Vladimir is coming at you, get ready to fight with him."
In military affairs, the Normans, as expected, turned out to be very good, and their reputation in Europe was such that the discouraged Yaropolk made an obvious mistake, fleeing from well-fortified Kiev to his relatives, where he found his death. Both Polotsk and Kiev were captured, the Varangians took upon themselves the murder of Yaropolk, and it seemed that Vladimir could now live and rejoice. However, it turned out that the Scandinavians were counting not only on the agreed payment, but also on a share in the production, which unexpectedly decreased due to the failed assault on Kiev (followed by plunder, of course). To compensate for the lost profits, they demanded that Vladimir pay them a ransom for the capital: 2 hryvnia from each resident (this is about 108 grams of silver). No matter how you count the population of the city, less than a kilogram of silver for an ordinary Varangian does not work, rather more, and much more. Vladimir could not directly refuse them: the Norman combat detachment demanding money is not a rally of Russian state employees. But, on the other hand, why pay everyone, even the rank and file, if you can come to an agreement with the commanders? Having promised the Varangians to collect money in a month, Vladimir very successfully carried out agitation and explanatory work among "good, smart and brave men", who eventually remained in his service, having received good positions and even cities. The rest, realizing that the situation had changed, asked to be released to serve in Constantinople. Vladimir gladly fulfilled this request, not forgetting to warn the emperor: "The Varangians are coming to you, do not even think of keeping them in the capital, otherwise they will do you the same evil as here, but settle in different places, but do not let one here."
So, despite some complications, the experience of attracting Scandinavian combat units was recognized as quite successful. The next prince, who will take advantage of Vladimir's achievements, will be his son Yaroslav, and in the future this scheme will become traditional: the mercenary Varangians of Novgorod against the mercenary Pechenegs of Kiev. But the time of the famous king Yaritsleiv of the Scandinavian sagas had not yet come, and Yaroslav was still in the shadows, looking closely and gaining wisdom. Moreover, it was from whom.
The first of the famous Norwegians whom Yaroslav could meet was the great-grandson of King Harald the Fair-haired Olav Tryggvason - one of the great heroes of Scandinavia, Snorri Sturlson calls him "the most handsome, stately and powerful, as well as the most skillful of those Norwegians ever said in the legends."
Monument to Olav Tryggvason in Trondheim
In Novgorod, he ended up in the year of Yaroslav's birth and spent 9 years there. Olav became the hero of many historical sagas, as well as the work "Acts of the Bishops of the Hamburg Church" (c. 1070) by the German chronicler Adam of Bremen, so historians have enough information about his life. In 971 he was captured at sea by the Estonian pirates (whom Snorri Sturlson habitually calls the Vikings). Historians identify Estas with Chudya, which in the "Tale of Bygone Years" is mentioned among the peoples "giving tribute to Russia." Further in the "Saga of Olav the son of Tryggvi" it is said:
"One of the Estonians, Clerkon, took Olav and his tutor, the noble Norwegian Thorolf … Deciding that Thorolf was too old as a slave and that he would not be of any use, Clerkon killed him. He kept Olav for himself and in his country exchanged for a good goat ".
The owner, in turn, exchanged the descendant of kings for a new cloak. A few years later, Olav was accidentally recognized by Sigurd, his mother's brother, who came to collect tribute for Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich, who had regained Novgorod for himself: "Sigurd … saw a very handsome boy on the market, and realized that he was a stranger. Sigurd asked the boy what his name was and who he was from. He called himself Olav and said that his father was Tryggvi, the son of Olav, and his mother was Astrid, the daughter of Eirik Biodoscalli. Then Sigurd realized that the boy was his nephew "(Snorri Sturlson).
The prince was ransomed and ended up in Novgorod. In addition to all the virtues of Olav, he had an excellent memory and, having met Clerkon in the Novgorod market, recognized him. He did not forget the customs of his country:
"Olav had a hatchet in his hand, and he hit Clerkon on the head with it so that the hatchet hit the brain, and immediately ran home and said to Sigurd … In Holmgard (Novgorod) then such an indestructible peace reigned that, according to the local custom, everyone whoever killed a person who was not outlawed must be killed. Therefore, all the people rushed to find the boy."
However, Sigurd took his nephew to Vladimir's wife, who, "looking at Olav, replied that such a beautiful child should not be killed, and called people to her fully armed."
Snorri Sturlson calls this woman Allogy and claims that she had a personal detachment of warriors, which she maintained at her own expense, and even competed with the prince "to get the most valiant men to join her squad." Some historians identify her with Olava, who in the Joachim Chronicle, outlined but lost by Tatishchev, is mentioned as the wife of Vladimir. The situation became so tense that the incident was "reported to the king, and he was forced to appear with his retinue to prevent bloodshed … The king appointed a virus", which the princess agreed to pay to the relatives of the murdered. Having entered the service of Vladimir, Olav received his first combat experience and even rose to the rank of commander of the local Varangian squad. But then, as the saga says, he became a victim of a slander and, feeling the prince's mistrust, left Novgorod. Beginning in 991, he made a number of raids into Northumberland, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, as well as the Hebrides, the Isle of Man and Valland in France. In 994, Olav, in alliance with King Svein Forkbeard of Denmark, tried to capture London, but contented himself with a payoff of 16,000 pounds of silver, converted to Christianity and, having looked on the way to the Orkney Islands, returned to Norway in 995. Jarl Hakon, who ruled this country, fled and was killed by his slave. Adam Bremensky wrote in 1080: "he (Olav) was very skilled in divination … he practiced witchcraft and kept sorcerers with him, with the help of whom he conquered the country."
Peter Nicholas Arbo, "Olaf Trygvasson is proclaimed king of Norway"
However, folk legends, on the contrary, claim that the trolls and elves left Norway when Olav Tryggvason became king there: “Our ancient gods have long been burned in the fire. (Snorri Sturlson).
Hallfred Vandradaskald (Difficult Skald - that is, a poet with whom it is difficult to compete) wrote about the events of those years:
Odin's clan loved poetry, To the delight of a sweet man, And I, like a gift from heaven, kept
The custom of the grandfather's age.
One power was sweet to us, And only coercion is power
She took away the gods of her relatives from the skalds
And she taught me a new faith.
But high personal valor and courage did not save Olav: he was defeated in the war with the sons of Hakon - the Jarls Eirik and Svein, who were supported by the kings of Sweden and Denmark, and at the age of thirty he died in the Battle of Sweld (1000).
Olav Trygvason's last battle
With the death of Olav, Norway for a short time returned to its former gods, but for the introduction of Christianity in Iceland, Olav Tryggvason was canonized by the Catholic Church and is considered the patron saint of this island state.
The next king of Norway to visit Novgorod was Olav Haraldson, who began his Viking career in 1007 - at the age of 12 (under the supervision of an experienced helmsman Hrani). Olav fought in Jutland, Frisia, England, Finland, in 1013 he was baptized in Rouen.
Olav the Saint - stained glass, England
Then his ships came to Ladoga, in the summer he ravaged the coasts of Courland and the islands of Saarem, Gotland and Eland, and spent the winter in Novgorod, where he could not help but meet with the local prince - Yaroslav. In 1015, Olav returned to his homeland and, taking advantage of the favorable situation (the Danish king Knut the Mighty and the Norwegian Jarl Eirik, the son of Hakon, were engaged in the war in England), managed to seize power in the country. Jarl Svein, supported by the Swedes, was defeated by Olav at the Battle of Nesyar. King Olav Shetkonung of Sweden was about to marry his daughter Ingigerd at this time.
Olav Shetkonung, commemorative medal
The most worthy groom was recognized as the king of Holmgard Yaritsleiv (known to us now as Yaroslav the Wise). But Ingigerd, repeatedly named in the sagas the wisest of women, contrived in absentia to fall in love with her father's enemy - the Norwegian king-hero Olav Haraldson. When she tried to explain to her that the Norwegian king Yaroslav was no match for a candle, she turned on the princess mode from the cartoon "The Flying Ship" ("I don't want it, I don't want it by calculation, but I want it for love, for love!"). For several months Ingigerd very skillfully and qualitatively hysterical, literally driving her father into a rage and white heat. Along the way, she wove intrigues, the top of which were the events of the spring ting, at which she persuaded her cousin Rognwald to speak with a proposal to end the still sluggishly ongoing war with the Norwegian Olav through dynastic marriage. Ingigerd herself nobly agreed to sacrifice herself to the "enemy of the Fatherland". Everyone liked the offer, except for the king, who accused the Jarl of treason and threatened to exile from the country. But then the "mighty bond" (landowner) Torgnyur rose from his seat and declared:
"Nowadays the kings of the Swedes behave differently than they used to. The kings of the Swedes do not allow to say anything except what he likes. He is trying to hold on to Norway, which no kings of the Swedes have done, and brings trouble to many people. We demand that you make peace with Olav Tolstoy and give him your daughter as a wife. And if you refuse, we will act like our ancestors who drowned five kings in a quagmire on Mulatinga because they were so as arrogant as you."
Those gathered at the tinge greeted this speech with blows of swords on shields, and the king, who tasted a distinct taste of rotten swamp water in his mouth, immediately remembered that Sweden is a democratic country:
"Then the king gets up and says that he will do everything as the bonds want. He says that all the kings of the Swedes did this: they always did as the bonds decided. Then the bonds stopped making noise."
The king had to make peace, but instead of Ingigerd to Norway, he sent another daughter - born to Astrid's concubine. There, history repeated itself: now the Norwegians did not want to fight the Swedes because of such trifles as a substituted bride, and forced Olav to accept Astrid. Rögnwald fell out of favor and was about to flee Sweden - away from the wrath of the king, who threatened to hang him at the first opportunity. Ingigerd saved him, who demanded that Rognwald accompany her to Gardariki - yes, she still had to become the princess of Novgorod, and then of all Russia. But she not only preserved her feelings for the Norwegian king, but did not even hide her feelings. These are the passions seething in the princely family, according to the manuscript "Rotten Skin" - Ingigerd says to Yaroslav:
"It is good in this chamber, and rarely where is there the same or greater beauty, and so much wealth in one house, and so many good leaders and brave men, but still better is the chamber where Olav the king, son of Harald, sits, although she stands on the pillars alone."
The king got angry with her and said: "Such words are insulting, and you again show your love for Olav to the king," and hit her on the cheek.
She said, "And yet there is more difference between you than I can properly say in words."
She left angry and tells her friends that she wants to leave his land and no longer accept such a shame from him."
With great difficulty, then it was possible to persuade Ingigerd to reconcile with her husband. As for Yaroslav, in the same saga it is reported that: "the king loved Ingigerd so much that he could do almost nothing against her will."
By the time Ingigerd arrived in Novgorod, Yaroslav was waging a difficult war with his brother Buritslav, in which the Norman detachment of Eymund Hringson took an active part - the events of those years are described in the article "The War of the Children of St. Vladimir through the Eyes of the Authors of the Scandinavian Sagas."
Therefore, we will not repeat ourselves, but we will tell you about the fate of another Norman detachment, just at that time, left for Constantinople from Kiev. Skylitz writes:
"When the emperor's sister died in Russia - and even earlier her husband Vladimir, then Chrysochir (" Golden Hand "is the Greek version of a name unknown to us), having attracted 800 people, and having put them on ships, came to Constantinople, as if wishing to enter But when the emperor demanded that he lay down his arms and only appear on a date in this form, he did not want this and left through the Propontida (Sea of Marmara). Having arrived in Abydos, and faced with the strategy of the Thema, he easily overpowered him and descended to Lemnos. Here he and his companions were deceived by feigned promises given by the chief of the fleet Kivirreot and David from Ohrid, the stratig of Samos, and Nikifor Kabasila, the Dook of Thessaloniki, and all were killed."
We do not know why this unfortunate Chrysochir decided to leave Kiev during the hottest period of the Civil War, which was just unfolding between the sons of Vladimir. Perhaps the new Kiev prince decided to revise the terms of the contract. Perhaps there was a conflict within the Norman detachment, some of whose soldiers decided to follow Chrysohir, who promised them "mountains of gold" in the service of the emperor. Mutual mistrust led to armed conflict and the death of these people.
Fast forward now to 1024, when, in the fight against his brother Mstislav of Tmutorokansky, Yaroslav the Wise traditionally used the services of Scandinavian mercenaries. The new Varangian squad differed from the previous ones mainly in the personality of its leader, who, according to the chronicles, was blind! This physical disability did not prevent him from taking an active part in the events that followed. Moreover, according to the same chronicles, he personally fought in the hottest direction in the battle of Listvin and, when his detachment was defeated, did not die, as one might suppose, but safely left the battle and retreated to Kiev. Naturally, many questions immediately arise in this regard. After all, the Norman squads that went "to work" were least of all like shelters for crippled veterans. The selection criteria for even ordinary soldiers were unusually high. A Scandinavian claiming a place in the squad of a noble jarl or "sea king" had to be able to juggle with three drawn swords, throw two spears with both hands at once, catch a dart thrown at him by the enemy on the run (to immediately throw it back), fight with a sword in in one hand and a spear in the other. In addition, the Norman was required to be able to row for days without rest, swim in heavy clothes, climb rocks, ski, shoot a bow. All of the above skills cannot be called exceptional - to one degree or another, ordinary, unremarkable warriors should have been able to do this. Real heroes could, in full armor, jump higher than their height (for example, the hero of the "Saga of Nyala" Icelander Gunnar from Hlidarendi) and even jump over the formation of the enemies that surrounded them.
Gunnar of Hlidarendi, illustration from the Nyala Saga
Or, like the Norwegian king Olav Tryggvason, already familiar to us, to run along the blades of the ship's oars while rowing.
The same king "put a child with a small plaque on his head instead of a target and knocked down the plaque with an arrow without the slightest harm to the child." Even more stringent requirements were imposed on the military leaders: after all, it depended on them whether the Scandinavians would return to their homeland with booty and great glory or perish in a foreign land. In addition, it was the leader who entered into an agreement with a foreign ruler, and it is not just difficult, but impossible to imagine a king or prince who would agree to pay money to a squad headed by a blind Norman, regardless of his previous merits and military achievements. Let us turn again to the information provided by the ancient Russian chronicles and Scandinavian sources.
So, according to the chronicle data, in 1024 "when Yaroslav was in Novgorod, Mstislav came from Tmutorokan to Kiev, and the Kievites did not accept him. He went and sat on the throne in Chernigov … Yaroslav sent for the Varangians overseas, and Yakun came with the Varangians, and there was this Yakun SE LEP, and his cloak (luda) was woven in gold … Mstislav, having learned about this, went out to meet them to Listven."
So, when the place we need is found, it is easy to be convinced that the phrase "SE LEP" clearly serves as an indication of the beauty of this Varangian prince, and not at all on his blindness. Why did this misunderstanding arise? The fact is that at the end of the 18th-beginning of the 19th centuries, professional Russian historians did not yet exist in nature: Old Russian manuscripts were studied and translated into modern Russian by amateur historians, who took the expression "selep" (was handsome) for the word " blind. " Their works became the basis for the works of later historians, who uncritically transferred information about the "blind" Varangian prince Yakun into their works. It was only in the twentieth century that the mistake was finally noticed, but, naturally, no one began to correct it in the works of Karamzin and other classical historians. And therefore, even today, even in serious literature, one can come across this strange version.
And what about the "blind" Yakun do Scandinavian sources report? To begin with, the name Yakun, which is rare in Russia, is a variant of the Scandinavian name Hakon (the more famous pairs are the names Igor-Ingvar and Oleg-Helgi). Most modern researchers identify Yakun in Russian chronicles with the enemy of the King of Norway Olav Haraldson - Jarl Hakon, the son of the former ruler of Norway Eirik. This version is confirmed in the Scandinavian "Saga of Olav the Saint", which emphasizes the beauty of the hero who was captured by King Olav: were tied with a gold hoop. went to Denmark and England, where his uncle Knut the Mighty ruled. Then - for a short time he found himself on the territory of Kievan Rus. After the death of King Olav, Hakon became the ruler of Norway for a short time, but it was here that the "luck of his family" was exhausted: he died at sea, returning from England.
In 1029, Olav Haraldson reappeared in Russia - for 13 years he ruled Norway, cruelly implanting autocracy and Christianity in it, but not all of his subjects liked the cruel power of the king and the new religion. As a result, in 1028, Olav was expelled from Norway, and he went through Sweden to Novgorod, where he met Ingigerd. Here are some verses he composed at that time:
I stood on the hill and looked at the woman, How a beautiful horse carried her.
The beautiful-eyed woman robbed me of my joy …"
Once there was a magnificent tree, At any time of the year, evergreen
And with flowers, as the jarls' squads knew;
Now the foliage of the tree faded quickly in the Gards;
Since the woman tied a gold band in a knot."
However, if you believe "Strands of Eimund", he was not sad for long, since in Novgorod "he had a secret love affair with Ingigerd." It is not surprising that Yaroslav tried to politely escort the distinguished guest out of his country. At first, he offered him to become the ruler of the Volga Bulgaria - an independent state, which Olav still had to try to conquer. When Olav refused, Yaroslav, at the first hint of a possible return to Norway, gladly provided him with "horses and all the necessary equipment." Leaving his son Magnus in the care of Yaroslav and Ingigerd, Olav went to Norway, where he died in the battle of Styklastalir (1030).
Icon "Departure of St. Olav from Novgorod to Norway for Martyrdom"
For his efforts to baptize Norway in 1164 by Pope Alexander III, he was canonized and became the last Western saint to be revered by the Orthodox Church as well.
Meanwhile, two future kings of Norway ended up on the territory of Russia at the same time: Olav's mother's brother Harald, who was 15 years old, and his son Magnus, who was 6. Magnus, as we remember, was left by his father in the care of the Russian princely family. Harald arrived in Novgorod after being defeated at the Battle of Stiklastadir (only two battles ended in defeats, in which Harald participated - the first at Stiklastadir, and the last in England, at Stamford Bridge). Olav was against his participation in the battle, but Harald (who, according to the sagas, then already looked like a grown man) insisted on his own. He was wounded and fled - first to Sweden, then to Yaroslav.
Magnus was the son of a slave, but in those years when every self-respecting king had a bunch of wives and concubines, this circumstance did not serve as a big obstacle on the way to the throne. The boy grew up at the court of Yaroslav, constantly spun around the vigilantes, and during feasts and general dinners he entertained everyone by walking around the tables in his arms. But, as it is told in The Saga of Magnus the Good and Harald the Severe Ruler (manuscript "Rotten Skin"), not everyone loved him:
"One vigilante, rather elderly, disliked him, and once, when the boy walked across the tables, he offered his hand and pushed him off the table, and declared that he did not want his presence. People judged this in different ways: some were for the boy, and some - for the vigilante. And on the same evening, when the king went to bed, and when the vigilantes were still sitting there drinking, Magnus came up to that vigilante, and held a small ax in his hand, and he dealt a fatal blow to the vigilante. Some of his comrades wanted to immediately take the boy and kill him and so avenge that warrior, and some opposed and wanted to test how much the king loves him. Then one man gets up and takes the boy in his arms, and runs with him to the room in which the king slept, and throws him into bed with the king and said: "Better guard your fool another time."
Upon learning of the murder of the vigilante, "said the king: Royal work, foster child," and laughed, "I will pay for you to the virus."
Having proved to everyone his "toughness" and readiness to defend honor and dignity, Magnus not only did not become an outcast in the princely palace, but, on the contrary, raised his status and moved to the position of everyone's favorite "son of the regiment": "He is in the king's squad and is brought up with great love, and he was the more loved, the older and wiser he became."
And in Norway at this time, as always, sooner or later, happens when the government changes, sobering ensued. The commander who defeated Olav (his former warrior Kalv) did not receive anything as a reward from Svein, the son of the King of Denmark, Knut the Mighty, who became the ruler of Norway - but the title of Jarl and power over Norway were promised. In turn, both influential yarls and ordinary bonds of this country were unhappy with the dominance of the Danes. But they all knew perfectly well the character of the brother of the former king - Harald, they heard that in childhood, playing with the brothers, he sculpted warriors from clay who would take away the land and gold from those, they remembered the sword, which, in order to make it easier to chop off their heads, he tied to his hand a 15 year old boy. The fact that Harald, thirsty for revenge in Russia, grew up and gained combat experience, did not please anyone and did not inspire optimism. And therefore, the chances of the young Magnus were growing literally before our eyes. Contacts between Russia and Norway after the death of Olav (Yaroslav's ally) were interrupted, trade was prohibited, but circumstances were developing towards a new rapprochement between the two countries. In 1034, despite the ban, the Norwegian merchant Karl arrived in Aldeigyuborg (Ladoga) with his companions:
"As soon as the locals found out that they were Norwegians, they not only did not want to sell them anything, but they were heading for battle, and the residents wanted to attack them. And when Karl saw that it was becoming dangerous, he said to the locals: It will be it is regarded as haste and great insolence if you undertake instead of your king to inflict wounds on foreign people or to rob them, although they have come with their goods, and do you nothing wrong. And it is not at all known whether your king will like it or not. wait for the king's decision."
Yaroslav ordered the arrest of the merchant, but Magnus unexpectedly stood up for him, saying: "Norway will not be mine soon if you kill everyone who comes from there."
On reflection, Yaroslav changed his mind:
"The king says to Karl: Here is the money that you must take with you, and with it some difficult business will follow. You must distribute this money to the Landrmann in Noreg and to all those people who have any influence and who want to be friends of Magnus, son of Olav ".
Karl did an excellent job: the following year, ambassadors from Norway arrived in Novgorod. According to the agreement, Magnus became the king and adopted son of Calv. He entered the history of Norway with the nickname "Good", but why and on what basis this very warlike and no less cruel king received him, remains unknown to this day.
Magnus Olavson
