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Olga, the wife of Prince Igor, the mother of Svyatoslav and the grandmother of the baptist of Russia Vladimir, entered our history as a holy princess, the first to bring the light of Christianity to our land. However, before becoming a Christian, Olga was a pagan, cruel and vengeful. This is how she entered the annals of The Tale of Bygone Years. What did Olga do?
Igor's campaign
You should start with the last campaign of her husband, Prince Igor. The entry for 945 says that the squad began to complain to Igor that the “youths of Sveneld”, that is, the people who make up the inner circle of his governor Sveneld, all “dressed themselves with weapons and clothes”, while Igor’s warriors themselves “ naked." It is unlikely that the prince's warriors were so “naked” that it was worth talking about it seriously, but in those days they tried not to argue with the squad, since it depended on it whether the prince would sit on the throne of Kiev. Therefore, Igor went to the Drevlyans - this is a tribe that lived on the territory of the Ukrainian Polissya - and carried out a formal pogrom there, adding more new payments to the previous tribute in order to cover up the blatant nakedness of his combatants. Having collected this tribute, he was about to go home, but on the way, apparently, he decided that the cunning Drevlyans had hidden something somewhere else. Having sent the main part of his people home, he himself returned with a small retinue to the Drevlyan capital Iskorosten, "desiring more wealth." It was a mistake. The Drevlyans, led by their prince Mal, repulsed him, killed all the soldiers, and subjected Igor himself to a terrible execution: they tore him apart, tying him by the legs to the tops of two bent trees.
Olga's first revenge
Having dealt with Igor in this way, the Drevlyansky prince sent a delegation to Kyiv, to a helpless widow, as it seemed to him. Mal offered Olga his hand and heart, as well as protection and patronage. Olga received the ambassadors affectionately, uttered courtesies in the spirit that, they say, you can’t return Igor, and why not marry such a wonderful prince as Mal. And so that the wedding arrangement was even more magnificent, she promised the ambassadors to show them great honor, promising that tomorrow they would be brought with honor to the prince's court right in the boat, after which the prince's will would be solemnly announced to them. While the ambassadors were sleeping at the pier, Olga ordered to dig a deep hole in the yard. In the morning, the boat with the Drevlyans was picked up by Olga's servants and solemnly carried through Kyiv to the very prince's court. Here they, together with the boat, were thrown to the bottom of the pit. The chronicler reports that Olga, approaching the edge of the pit and bending over it, asked: “Well, what is your honor?”, To which the Drevlyans answered: “More bitter than Igor's death.” At a sign from Olga, the wedding embassy was covered with earth alive.
Olga's second revenge
After that, the princess sent an ambassador to Mal with a request to send her the best people for matchmaking, so that the people of Kiev could see what honor she was being given. Otherwise, after all, they may resist, not let the princess go to Iskorosten. Mal, not suspecting a trick, immediately equipped a large embassy. When the matchmakers arrived in Kyiv, Olga, as befits a hospitable hostess, ordered them to prepare a bathhouse so that the guests could wash themselves on the way. And as soon as the Drevlyans began to wash, the doors of the bath were propped up from the outside, and the bath itself was set on fire from four sides.
Olga's third revenge
Having dealt with the matchmakers, the princess sent to tell Mal that she was going to him, but before the wedding she would like to perform a feast on the grave of her husband. Mal began to prepare for the wedding, ordering mead to be boiled for the feast. Having come to Iskorosten with a small retinue, Olga, accompanied by Mal and the most distinguished Drevlyans, came to Igor's grave. The feast on the mound was almost overshadowed by the questions of Mal and his entourage: where, in fact, are the matchmakers whom he sent to Kyiv? Why are they not in the princess? Olga replied that the matchmakers were following and would soon appear. Satisfied with this explanation, Mal and his men began to drink intoxicating drinks. As soon as they got drunk, the princess gave a sign to her warriors, and they laid down all the Drevlyans in their place.
Hike to Iskorosten
After that, Olga immediately returned to Kyiv, gathered a squad and went on a campaign to the Derevskaya land. In an open battle, the Drevlyans were defeated, they fled and hid behind the walls of Iskorosten. The siege lasted all summer. Finally, Olga sent an ambassador to Iskorotten, who offered to lift the siege on very mild terms: Olga would confine herself to expressions of humility and tribute: three doves and three sparrows from each yard. Of course, the requested tribute was immediately sent. Then Olga ordered to tie a lit tinder to each bird and let it go. The birds flew, of course, to their nests, and a fire started in the city. Thus fell Iskorosten, the capital of the Drevlyan prince Mala. On this, Olga was fed up with revenge. Further, according to the chronicle, she no longer behaved like an angry woman, but like a wise statesman. She went to the vast lands subject to the Kyiv princes, establishing "lessons and graveyards" - that is, the amount of tribute and the places of its collection. Now no one could, like the foolish Igor, go for tribute to the same place several times, arbitrarily setting its size. Princely tribute from robber booty began to turn into normal taxation.
- 13663The revenge of Princess Olga on the Drevlyans is a legendary historical event that occurred during the reign of Princess Olga and is described by the monks of the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery (presumably under the leadership of Nestor) in the Tale of Bygone Years.
After the Drevlyans killed Prince Igor in 945, Olga became the princess of Kyiv, since at the time of Igor's death their son Svyatoslav was still very young to rule. Having become the head of state, Olga decided to avenge the death of her husband and force the Drevlyans into submission.
Olga's first revenge
After the murder of Igor, the Drevlyans sent 20 "best husbands" to Olga, deciding to woo her to their prince Mal. The ambassadors sailed to Kyiv by boat along the Dnieper and landed near Borichev (opposite the modern St. Andrew's Church). Olga pretended to agree to the proposal of the Drevlyans, and, allegedly in order to honor the ambassadors, she ordered her subjects to solemnly carry those on boats to her palace. Meanwhile, a hole had already been dug in the yard, into which, by order of Olga, the ambassadors were thrown. Then Olga came out of the palace and, leaning over the pit, asked: “Is honor good for you?” To which the Drevlyans replied: "Worse for us is Igor's death." After that, the princess ordered to bury them alive.
Olga's second revenge
After that, Olga asked the Drevlyans to send her their best husbands again. The Drevlyans responded to her request by sending their most distinguished people to Kyiv - the princely family, merchants, and boyars. When the new ambassadors arrived at Olga, she ordered to create a “mov”, that is, to heat a bath for them, and told the ambassadors to “come to me when you are exhausted.” Then, after waiting for the ambassadors to go inside, Olga locked the Drevlyan ambassadors in the "istobak", after which the bath was set on fire, and the Drevlyans burned alive with her.
third revenge
The Kiev army was ready to march on the Drevlyane land. Before the performance, Olga turned to the Drevlyans with the words: “Behold, I am already going to you, and arrange many honeys for me, where my husband is killed, and I will create a feast over him.” After that, she set off on a journey with a small retinue. Near the city of Iskorosten, on the grave of her husband, she ordered to build a huge mound and perform a feast. The Drevlyans drank, and the Olgin youths served them. The Drevlyans asked Olga: “Where are our matchmakers whom we sent to you?” She replied that they were coming here together with the Kyiv squad. In pagan times, at a funeral feast, they not only drank, but also arranged competitions and military games; Olga decided to use this ancient custom for yet another revenge. When the Drevlyans got drunk, the princess first ordered her youths to drink for them, and then ordered them to be killed.
Olga's fourth revenge
In 946, Olga went on a campaign against the Drevlyans with an army. A large Drevlyan army came out against the people of Kiev. Olga's army besieged the main city of the Drevlyans - Iskorosten, whose inhabitants killed Igor. However, the townspeople staunchly defended themselves, realizing that there would be no mercy for them. The siege lasted a whole year, but Olga never managed to take the city. Then Olga sent ambassadors to the Drevlyans with the following words: “What do you want to sit out for? Or do you want everyone to die of hunger, not agreeing to a tribute. Your cities have already been taken, and people have been cultivating their fields for a long time. To which the townspeople replied: “We would be glad to get off with tribute, only you are eager to avenge the husband of the deceased.” Olga said this: “I already avenged my husband when you came to Kyiv, and for the second, and for the third time, when they performed the feast for my husband. Therefore, I will not take revenge further, I just want to take a little tribute from you and, having reconciled with you, I will go back. The Drevlyans asked: “What do you want to take from us? We will gladly give you honey and furs. She answered this thus: “Now you have neither honey nor furs. But I need a little from you: give me from each yard three doves and three sparrows. For I do not want to impose a heavy tribute on you, like my husband, but I ask you for a little of my own. For you are weary in the siege, so give me only this little.” The Drevlyans agreed and, having collected the required number of birds from each yard, they sent the princess with a bow. Such an easy tribute did not arouse their suspicions, since it was customary among the Eastern Slavs to give birds as a sacrifice to the gods.
At this time, Olga, having distributed pigeons and sparrows to her soldiers, ordered to tie tinder to each, and when it gets dark, set it on fire and set the birds free. So they did. Pigeons flew to their dovecotes, sparrows - under the eaves; a fire started in the city. When the inhabitants began to leave the burning city, Olga ordered her soldiers to catch them: some of the Drevlyans were killed, and some were taken prisoner. Later, some prisoners were given into slavery, and Olga imposed a heavy tribute on the rest.
We all know the name of the Grand Duchess of Russia Olga from childhood. And we know at least two episodes from her life: The baptism of the princess in Constantinople - and how, about ten years earlier, she took revenge on the Drevlyans for the death of her husband. It was the story of the revenge of Princess Olga that was included in Soviet history textbooks, they study it at school even now.
As you know, Igor, the great prince of Kyiv, was brutally killed by the Drevlyans for trying to take an exorbitantly large tribute from them. It happened around 945. After the murder of Igor, the ambassadors of the Drevlyans, "twenty best husbands", came to Kyiv and offered Olga to marry their prince Mal. The princess pretended that she liked the offer, and told the Drevlyans that she wanted to show them "a great honor." Having obeyed the princess, the next day the Drevlyans demanded that they be carried to her "on their heads along with the boat." By order of Olga, the boat, along with the people, was thrown into a deep hole and covered with earth. Soon eight more noble Drevlyans came to Olga with an embassy. The princess suggested that the ambassadors first take a bath, where they were locked up and burned alive. After that, Olga with the army herself went to the Drevlyane land, ordered the Drevlyans to pour a mound over the grave of Igor, and together with them began to rule the feast. This Trizna ended with the fact that Olgin's people slaughtered five thousand Drevlyans.
Having gathered a large army in Kyiv, Olga again moved to the Drevlyans. The campaign was successful, but the princess could not take Iskorosten - the city, the inhabitants of which Igor was killed. Having stood under the walls of the city for a whole year, Olga offered its inhabitants to pay off with a strange small tribute: three doves and three sparrows "from each yard." When the delighted Drevlyans brought sparrows and doves, Olga ordered her soldiers to tie sulfur and tinder to the birds, tying them in rags. The birds flew into their nests - and the city instantly caught fire. The inhabitants of Iskorosten, who managed to escape from fire and sword, were taken into slavery, and the entire Drevlyan land was heavily taxed.
Some historians consider the story of the princess's revenge a legend, while others, on the contrary, are sure that the non-standard and at the same time specificity of Olga's actions indicate that real events are described in the annals. Her actions cannot but be horrified, and, of course, many are wondering: how could the woman who committed them become a Christian saint in the future?
First of all, we must not forget that Olga at the time of the death of Prince Igor and her return move was a pagan. And the pagans, as you know, were capable of much greater atrocities - let us recall at least how cruelly they treated Christians or how they offered human sacrifices to the gods. And Olga, according to pagan concepts, did a righteous deed: she avenged her murdered husband and ruler! At that time there were already Christians in Russia, and Olga could not but hear about the faith they professed, but she lived according to the laws of her fathers and, apparently, had not yet thought about Baptism. And at the same time, her life says that even then Olga kept in herself a certain leaven of righteousness: after all, she became the wife of the Kyiv prince thanks to her chastity. Their acquaintance took place on the Velikaya River, when Olga was transporting Igor in a boat to the other side. The beauty of the girl seduced the prince, but she resolutely rejected his "courtship", promising to send both the boat and both of them to the bottom if the prince did not give up his intentions. Igor was subdued by her chastity, and soon he sent matchmakers to Olga. It should be noted that even after the death of her husband, Olga behaved extremely chastely - she retained her widowhood, although not only the Drevlyan prince Mal, but also, according to legend, the Greek emperor (which, of course, was hardly possible, because he was married ).
Olga's terrible reprisal against the Drevlyans can be partly justified by the fact that she took revenge on them not only and not so much as a private person - a woman who has lost her beloved husband. Not a weeping widow, but the Grand Duchess suppressed the uprising in her lands, punished the tribe that showed disobedience and raised its hand against the prince. Having become the ruler of the Russian land, Olga took up, in essence, an unfeminine business, she had to act both as a cruel warrior and as a prudent owner. It is not for nothing that Karamzin, speaking of Princess Olga, called her affairs the activity of a “great husband”, and in the life of the saint it is emphasized that she ruled her lands “not as a woman, but as a strong and reasonable husband.” And for a strong and reasonable pagan ruler to punish the recalcitrant, and even to punish in such a way that they would talk about it everywhere, for many years, is a completely sound political move.
And, finally, Olga's revenge on the Drevlyans speaks of her as a person of strong feelings. Being a pagan, she was far from the humble prayer of the crucified Christ: "Forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing" (Luke 23:34). Without flinching, the princess brought her revenge to the end, and perhaps it was precisely this ability of her soul to ignite and burn for a long time that helped her to contain the faith of Christ and carry it to the end of earthly days. And the name in the Sacrament of Baptism, the princess received the corresponding one - Elena, which in ancient Greek means "torch".
It happens that a crack passes through an ancient icon, as if dividing the face of the saint into two halves - darker and lighter. Olga's baptism also became a kind of deep crack that separated her dark pagan past from the bright days of the Christian feat. A recent pagan became a temple builder, a philanthropist and a preacher who traveled all over the Russian land, from Kyiv to the Pskov lands. She, a man of great temperament, managed to come to terms with the fact that her only son Svyatoslav, heir to the throne of Kyiv, never believed in Christ. True, he did not interfere with everyone who wanted to be baptized, and yet in those days Russia remained pagan and sometimes dangerous for Christians. During her lifetime Equal-to-the-Apostles Olga failed to see the main fruit of her labors - the Baptism of her grandson Vladimir and the entire Russian land. There is no doubt that it was she who first told the young prince about the Savior. And, already being a formidable ruler and deciding to be baptized "according to Greek law", Prince Vladimir seemed to receive news from St. Olga. “If the Greek law had not been good, then your grandmother Olga, the wisest of people, would not have accepted it,” the boyars told him.
Today in the church they read the Gospel of Luke, which tells how Christ forgave the sins of a harlot. But she did not even repent of them - she simply washed the Savior's feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. “Her many sins are forgiven because she loved much,” said the Savior. “And to whom little is forgiven, he loves little… Your faith has saved you, go in peace” (Luke 7:36-50). Perhaps Saint Olga came to Baptism also because her heart was too heavy after the terrible reprisal against the Drevlyans. The tears and repentance of the Grand Duchess remained her secret, a Sacrament that only the Lord knows about.