In what battle did Yuri Vsevolodovich die? Yuri Vsevolodovich. The miraculous resurrection of the Grand Duke

Konstantin, Yuri, Yaroslav Vsevolodovich - Grand Dukes of Vladimir-Suzdal. They reigned successively from 1212 to 1246. The most important event of this period was the invasion of Rus' by the Mongol-Tatar hordes. From the first appearance of the steppe hordes to the complete defeat of Southern and North-Eastern Rus', only seventeen years passed.

In 1216, on the Lipitsa River, a bloody battle took place between Constantine and Yuri, in which Constantine won. Yuri fled to Gorodets, and Constantine proclaimed himself Grand Duke of Vladimir. The brothers were subsequently reconciled. Konstantin Vsevolodovich, bypassing his own sons, declared Yuri the heir to the Vladimir throne. Yuri, for his part, vowed to forget the feuds and be a father to the young children of his older brother.

Grand Duke Konstantin Vsevolodovich reigned in Vladimir, establishing civil peace. He built churches, distributed alms and ruled a fair court. The chronicles emphasize the good-heartedness of the Grand Duke: “He was so kind and meek that he tried not to sadden a single person, loving to console everyone in word and deed, and his memory will always live in the blessings of the people.”

In 1219, after the death of Konstantin Vsevolodovich, Yuri Vsevolodovich became the Grand Duke of Vladimir. Having learned that the Volga Bulgars had captured the city of Ustyug, Yuri Vsevolodovich sent his younger brother Svyatoslav against them. Svyatoslav went down the Volga and entered the lands of the Bulgars. His rapid victories frightened the Bulgars so much that they fled from their cities, leaving their wives, children, and property to the winners. When Svyatoslav returned to Vladimir, Yuri Vsevolodovich greeted him as a hero and rewarded him with rich gifts. At the beginning of winter of the same year, Bulgarian ambassadors came to Vladimir with proposals for peace. Yuri Vsevolodovich rejected all the conditions and began to prepare for a new campaign. Having experienced the power of the grand prince's weapons, the Bulgarians tried in every possible way to soften Yuri Vsevolodovich and, finally, with rich offerings, persuaded him to peace.

The reign of Yuri Vsevolodovich was calm until 1224. In this year, Rus' for the first time encountered Mongol-Tatar hordes who came from the depths of Asia, conquering with fire and sword everything that came their way. In the first battle of Russian squads with the Tatar-Mongols on the Kalka River, Yuri Vsevolodovich did not take part. The princes were unable to agree on the joint defense of the Russian land. Divided into small principalities and tormented by internal strife, Rus' could not resist the Tatar-Mongol invasion.

At the end of 1237, countless hordes of Tatar-Mongols, led by Batu Khan, invaded the lands of northeastern Rus'. The first victim of Batu's invasion was the Ryazan principality. Ryazan was surrounded, and ambassadors were sent to the city. “If you want peace,” said the ambassadors, “then a tenth of your wealth will be ours.” “When none of us are left alive, then you will take everything,” answered the Ryazan prince. This answer predetermined the fate of not only Ryazan but also many other Russian cities. Ryazan was burned to the ground by the Mongols, and all its inhabitants were exterminated, young and old.

Yuri Vsevolodovich, realizing the mortal threat, went to Yaroslavl to gather an army. On February 3, 1338, having ravaged Suzdal, Kolomna and Moscow along the way, Batu approached Vladimir and took the city by storm. Grand Duchess Agafya with her children and townspeople took refuge in the Assumption Cathedral, where they were all burned alive. The devastation of Russian lands continued further in two directions: towards Galich and towards Rostov. The Tatar-Mongols burned cities and villages, killed civilians, even small children did not escape their fury.

Yuri Vsevolodovich managed to gather all the combat-ready squads on the Sit River. But the courage of the Russian squads could not resist the hordes of Batu. In a bloody battle (March 4, 1338) the entire Russian army was killed together with Grand Duke Yuri Vsevolodovich and his two sons. After the battle, Rostov Bishop Kirill found the body of Yuri Vsevolodvich among the dead in a princely attire (the head of the Grand Duke was cut off in battle and could not be found). There was a rumor among the people that Prince Yuri managed to hide in the city of Kitezh on the shores of Lake Svetloyar, but Batu overtook him there and put him to death. At the same hour, Kitezh plunged into the waters of the lake. According to legend, Kitezh should appear in the world on the eve of the Last Judgment.

Yuri Vsevolodovich is a Grand Duke, during whose reign a terrible disaster struck Rus', leaving a deep mark on the history of Russia. Eight hundred years later, we feel the Mongolian trace both at the level of the genotype of the people and at the socio-behavioral level of the people. The transformation of Russia into a multinational empire that followed centuries later, the annexation of territories once controlled by the Mongol horde are also consequences of the events that occurred under Yuri Vsevolodovich. The death of the prince, princess and their children within a month suggests that the changes in the nature of the Russian state caused by the Mongols were very painful. Together with the princes, thousands of residents of Russian cities died, completely exterminated from young to old.

In 1238 after the death of his brother, he took the title of Grand Duke of Vladimir Yaroslav Vsevolodovich. This was a courageous act, since it fell to him not to rule the flourishing land, but, as Karamzin put it, “Yaroslav came to dominate the ruins and corpses. In such circumstances, a sensitive Sovereign might hate power; but this prince wanted to be famous for his activity of mind and firmness of soul, and not for his kindness. He looked at the widespread devastation not in order to shed tears, but in order to smooth out its traces with the best and fastest means. It was necessary to gather scattered people, raise cities and villages from the ashes - in a word, completely renew the State.”

First of all, Yaroslav ordered to collect and bury the dead. Then he took measures to restore the destroyed cities and organize the administration of the Vladimir lands. Being the eldest Russian prince, Yaroslav Vsevolodovich distributed the cities and principalities of North-Eastern Rus' among his brothers so that only one princely family would constantly rule in each city.

Meanwhile, in 1239, Batu Khan returned to Rus'. This time it attacked the southern principalities, which were not affected in 1237-1238. In the spring of 1239, his troops took Pereyaslavl and Chernigov, and on December 6, 1240 Kyiv fell. “Ancient Kyiv disappeared, and forever: for this, once famous capital, the mother of Russian cities, in the 14th and 15th centuries was still ruins: in our very time there is only a shadow of its former greatness.”

Having essentially destroyed Kyiv, the Tatars continued to move forward and in 1241 captured Lublin, Sandomierz, Krakow, defeating the troops of the Poles, Czechs, Germans and Hungarians. They reached the Adriatic Sea and turned back from there.

By this time, Grand Duke Yaroslav II managed to understand that the Tatars more or less leave alone only those peoples who show submission to them. Seeing no opportunity to fight them and wanting to somehow protect their lands from a new invasion, Yaroslav Vsevolodovich made a wise decision to show the khan his humility. He, the first of the Russian princes, was not afraid and was not ashamed to go to bow to Batu Khan in Golden Horde.

In the Horde, he was required to perform several pagan rituals, in particular, to walk between two fires and bow to the shadow of Genghis Khan (if he refused, he would face death and destruction of his land). For a Christian prince, such a demand meant not only terrible humiliation, but also a violation of the covenants of the Christian church. Faced with such a demand, other Russian princes preferred to choose not the easiest death. But Yaroslav Vsevolodovich went to great lengths to preserve the remnants of the people in the Vladimir-Suzdal land. If the prince had made a different, proud decision, the Vladimir-Suzdal land might no longer exist at all, just as many other states, for example Volga Bulgaria, disappeared from the pages of history. Batu was pleased with the obedience of the Russian prince and for the first time gave him a label (letter) for the Great Reign, that is, permission to be the Grand Duke.

From then on, any Russian prince who wanted to become a Grand Duke had to go to the Golden Horde to ask for mercy from the Khan, never knowing what awaited him: life or death. This is exactly how Yaroslav Vsevolodovich himself ended his life. After the death of Khan Ogedei, he was going to receive a label for the Great Reign from his son, Khan Guyuk. In 1246 Yaroslav went to him in Karakoram, in Mongolia. The Khan received the prince favorably and released him with mercy, but seven days later, on the way home, Yaroslav died. It is believed that the cause of his death was most likely the poison that the mother of Khan Guyuk gave the prince. Yaroslav Vsevolodovich is buried in Vladimir.

Yaroslav Vsevolodovich was married twice, the prince had nine sons and three daughters. Yaroslav's son, Alexander Nevsky, went down in Russian history as one of the outstanding rulers; he was also canonized by the Orthodox Church.

Brief life of the blessed prince Georgy Vsevolodovich, Vladimirsky

The holy and blessed Prince Georgiy (1189-1238) was the second son of the great Prince Vse-vo-lo-da Big Gnez- before. In 1212, after the death of his father and eldest brother Kon-stan-ti, he succeeded Vla-di-Mirsky ve-li-ko -prince's throne. The good-faithful Prince Ge-orgy was blessed with goodness and military goodness. He was the founder of Nizhny Novgorod. In 1237, the Mon-go-lo-ta-tar hordes of Ba-tyi moved to the Russian land. They sacked Ryazan and burned Moscow. Saint George left such a city for the succession of his sons, Revenge-glory and All-in-lo-da (third son - Vla-di-mir - was at that time in captivity of the ta-tars) and experienced vo-e-vods, and he himself moved with the army and captivated -mi - sy-no-vya-mi Kon-stan-ti-na - to the north, to unite with other princes. In the beginning of March, he went out to the river bank of Si-ti. There, on March 4, 1238, a bloody battle took place with ta-ta-ra-mi. Even before the battle, the blessed Prince Georgy received news that such a city of the Russian land is Vladimir - he fell and all his sons were killed. Having heard the sad news, the great prince turned to God in prayer, in which the All-highest asked -to give him a painful death for the Christian faith and the right-glorious people. And his prayer was heard: in the battle on the Si-ti river, the great prince died a painful death - to him was from-se-che-na go-lo-va. Some time after the battle, Bishop Kirill II of Rostov returned from White Lake to his flock. His path lay through the forest. Among the fallen warriors, he recognized the headless body of the great prince by his clothes. With blessings, he took it and moved it to Rostov. There, with great crying from everyone, he was buried in the cathedral church. After some time, the honest head of the prince was found, who was with him to the phone. Two years later, the coffin with the body of the blessed Prince Georgy was transferred to Vla with great solemnity -di-mir-sky Assumption Cathedral. In 1645, the body of the holy prince was incorruptible, and the church’s glorification holy The relics of Prince Georgy were transferred to the silver-rib-ra-ka, arranged by the Holy Pat-ri-ar -hom Joseph-fom.

The complete life of the blessed prince Georgy Vsevolodovich, Vladimirsky

Grand Prince Ge-or-gy Vse-vo-lo-do-vich was the third son of Great Prince Vse-vo-lo-da III Ge-or-gi -e-vi-cha, nicknamed Big Nest, and Prince Maria Shvar-nov-ny. He was born on November 26, 1187 in the city of Suz-da-le and, at the request of his father, received his grandfather’s name. Five years old, Prince Georgy, according to custom at that time, was “mounted on a horse”; po-stri-gi. The celebration of the pro-is-ho-di-lo in Suz-da-le. When he was 19 years old, his mother Maria, who was very ill, had her hair cut in the monastery of the Most Holy God -ro-di-tsy in Vladi-mir on the Klyaz-ma, and Ge-or-giy brought his mother to the house. A few days later she passed away, and Ge-or-giy mourned the end-chi-nu ma-te-ri, especially with love for someone. swarm he used. In 1211, Prince Ge-or-giy entered into marriage with the daughter-in-chief of Prince Vse-vo-lo-da Holy-sla-vi-cha Cherm- but, dear sister of the holy, blessed Prince Mi-ha-i-la Cher-ni-gov-skogo. From this marriage, Prince Georgiy had three sons - All-vo-lo-da, Msti-slav-va and Vla-di-mi-ra.

In the 12th-13th centuries, when the blessed prince Georgy lived, the Russian land suffered greatly from internecine inheritances. ny princes, between whom there was a time-de-le-na. Ge-or-gy's father, Grand Duke Vse-vo-lod III, tried to achieve unity and was rewarded for his services the name of Vel-ko-go Vse-vo-lo-yes, however, I was not able to stop the specific enmity even during my life more than once he attracted his children to participate in the internecine struggle. This is how young Ge-or-gy for the first time you step into the story, acting together with your father and brothers-tya-mi in osa-de Pron-ska in 1207. In the next year, Ge-or-gy Vse-vo-lo-do-vich from-ra-zhaled the former pron-sky prince Mi-ha-i-la and his two-brother Izya-s-la-va brought the prince-zya to the Moscow parish, then acted against the gentle new towns.

In 1212, the Great Prince Vse-vo-lod began to be unable to and wanted to settle the sons he had during his lifetime at that time there were six remaining: Kon-stan-tin, Ge-or-giy, Yaroslav, Svyato-slav, Vladimir and John. He sent for the elder Kon-stan-tin, the prince who lived in Rosto-ve, wanting to give him after himself such a city as Vladi-mir , and in Rostov to plant Ge-or-gia. But Kon-stan-tin did not agree to such a arrangement and answered his father: “If you want to do me eldest, then give me the initial city of Rostov and Vladimir to it, or, if you so please, give me Vladimir and to it Ro-stov".

All-in-lod, in co-ordination with the bo-yars and Bishop John, decided to show disobedience to Con- stan-ti-na - give seniority to Ge-orgy and on April 14, 1212, at the 64th year of his life, he died. Kon-stan-tin was offended by Ge-orgy and “raised his eyebrows with anger.”

This is how Ge-or-gy Vse-vo-lo-do-vich became the great prince of Vladimir, who inherited the unsettled -the new land, the struggle of cities and princes, and the non-resistance of the offending of the elder brother. Already in the next year, Konstantin, dissatisfied with the seniority, raised the whole land of Suzdal and under - he rebelled against brother Georgy. And the rest of the brothers took part in the inter-fight. The troops they had assembled converged near Rostovo near the Ish-ni River. This time the brothers met and went to their own cities without battle, since the Grand Duke, a strong world-love -eat and precaution, had the means to avoid bleeding. Another time, Vla-di-mir Vse-vo-lo-do-vich began to uso-bi-tsu, you-escaped from your-e-city Yurie-va- The Polish first went to Volok, and from there to Moscow to take them away from Georgy. Brother Yaro-slav took after him. Pol-ki Vla-di-mi-ra were driven away by Dmit-rov-tsa-mi, it didn’t come to a big battle, the great prince didn’t he wanted to take revenge on what he had done, and the brothers made peace again. Prince Yaro-slav quarreled with the new towns, which took for themselves the prince of the brave Revenge-glory Revenge-sla-vi cha Uda-lo-go; a new uso-bi-tsa arose, in which Ge-or-gy Vse-vo-lo-do-vich had to support Yaro-slava , and Psko-vi-chi, Smol-nyan and all the parties of Prince Kon-stan-ti-na Ro-stov joined with the new-rod-ts-mi -skogo. In April 1216, the battle of Li-pi-tsa took place (the battle is named after the river Li-pi-tsy in Yuryevsky district -de Vla-di-Mir-government, near which she played out), in which the great prince and his allies once upon a time, you were beaten, and he had to give up the primacy to the brother of Kon-stan-ti-nu. Leaving from Vladi-mir to Ra-di-lov - a city on the Vol-ga, Ge-or-giy Vse-vo-lo-do-vich prayed at the tsov's coffin and said to the followers: “God bless my brother Yaro, who brought me to this.” go."

In 1217, Ge-orgy Vse-vo-lo-do-vich received an offer from his brother Kon-stan-ti-na to take the princedom in Susa -yes-le; and when on February 2, 1218, the great Prince Kon-stan-tin died, then Ge-or, who followed him in seniority -gy Vse-vo-lo-do-vich returned to the great-prince's table, which was not very far from his suffering- Che-skoy kon-chi-ny.

From-the-marked features of the troubled state of Ru-si, you-stood with all your might in those days government of Ge-or-giya All-in-lo-do-vi-cha and brought the state-state to a terrible, terrible, known- but under the name of the Mongol-sko-go (ta-tar-sko-go) yoke. Nov-gorod-skaya freedom has given the prince great for-you and from-attracted his strength- ly for a fruitless internal struggle. At the request of the new towns, he repeatedly sent them his sons Vse-vo-lo-da, then shu-ri-on your holy prince Mi-ha-i-la Cher-ni-gov-skogo, you-needed to go in-ho- house on the Nov-go-ro-d-skie lands and for-no-small half-ka-mi Tor-zhok: in a row in Nov-go-ro-de it was not possible to -stig-nut. Meanwhile, the state-su-dar-stvo suffered from the on-be-gov of the eastern neighbors - the Kama Bulgarians and Mord-yous. During the great Bol-Gar campaign in 1220, at the suggestion of the great prince, his brother Yaro-slav, prince, took part -living in Pe-re-ya-s-lav-le, ple-myan-nickname Va-sil-ko Kon-stan-ti-no-vich from Ro-sto-va, Mu-rom prince St. -to-slav Da-vi-do-vich and others. The journey was successful, but tiring. In order to consolidate the successes achieved, the great prince founded (in 1221) a fortress at the mouth of the Oka - the city of Nizhny Novgorod -genus.

The city was founded on the Mordovian land, and therefore after 1221 the city should have arisen and arose -ben-but hostile actions from the side of the Mord-you. In 1229, Mord-va came with the prince of his Pur-gas to Nizhny Novgorod itself and managed to burn the Bo-go-ro-dits-ky mo-na-styr and the out-of-town church were established here. The fight continued with the pain. But the main ones who led the prince All-in-the-lo-yes were the internal enmity of the princes. Did Prince Vla-di-mir come to wage a war with Cher-ni-go-v and die? to create the devil-for-something brother of Yaro-slava. The main location for the time was the same Nov-gorod, where the hostility-to-va-li hundred-ro-na Mi-ha-i-la Cher-ni-gov-sko -go and Suz-dal. Yaro-slav under that pre-log, as if Ge-or-giy All-vo-lo-do-vich continues to support Mi-ha-i-la in Nov-go-ro-de, rebelled against the prince-in-law of his ple-myan-ni-kov Kon-stan-ti-no-vi-whose - Va-sil- ka, Vse-vo-lo-da and Vla-di-mi-ra. In 1229, Ge-or-gy Vse-vo-lo-do-vich brought dissatisfied relatives and uspos to himself in Vladi-mir -ko-il them. For this reason, Mi-kha-il Cher-ni-gov-sky soon returned and, together with Prince Vla-di-mir of Ki-ev-sky, moved to Vo-lyn princes Da-ni-i-la and Va-sil-ka Ro-ma-no-vi-chey, who were in close relationship with the great prince , gave his daughter for Va-sil-ka. The trip to the Cher-ni-gov-skiye vol-sti, although not with-the-leader-given battle and on-be-da-mi, did not increase there was neither Russian military power, nor a single soul of the Russian princes, against whom a terrible enemy was already standing close - mon-go-ly.

Even under 1229, our le-to-pi-si believe that sak-si-ns and catchers came from the lower reaches of Vol -gi to the Bol-gar-rams, go-ni-my ta-ta-ra-mi, with-be-zha-li and a hundred-ro-zha Bol-Gar-skie, broken-by-ta-ta- ra-mi on the river Yai-ke. In 1236, 300 thousand Ta-tars under the leadership of Ba-tyi entered the land of Bol-gar, burned the city of the Great Bol-gars, wasted all the inhabitants and emptied the land; and the next year, a forest hundred with a hundred ta-ta-ry appeared in the precincts of Ryazan. The princes of Ryazan, not allowing Ta-tar to the cities, went to meet them in Vo-ro-nezh and announced or: “When none of us remain, then everything will be yours.”

Such determination did not save the state. The disparate lands, one after the other, became the enemy, not having met the whole land

It was extremely difficult, probably, in the soul of the great prince, who dedicated his entire life to united not in the world and in the inner world and now in front of the terrible danger of seeing the Russian land divided and de-si-len-noy. Ryazan with-burn-on. The turn of the so-new Vladimir has come. Having cleared the Ryazan land, they moved towards Kolomna. Here their son waited for Prince Vse-vo-Lod with the fugitive Ryazan Prince Ro-man and Vo-e-vo-da Jere-mi-ey Gle-bo-vi-chem. After a strong battle, the prince's army was patient. Among those killed were Prince Roman and Jeremiah, and Vse-vo-lod Ge-or-gi-e-vich managed to escape with his little friend -living flight to Vladimir. Ta-ta-ry walked on; took Moscow, where they killed Philip Nyan-ku, captured Prince Vladimir Ge-or-gi-e- vi-cha and went with him to Vla-di-mir. The Great Prince left here his sons Vse-vo-lo-da and Revenge-glory with Vo-e-vo-da Peter Os-la-du-ko- wi-what, and he himself with three tribes-ni-ka-mi Kon-stan-ti-no-vi-cha-mi went to the Volga and stood on the Si-ti river. Then, having left here in the Zhi-ro-sla-va Mi-hai-lo-vi-cha, he set off for the surrounding villages. a bi-army of military people, supported the brothers of Yaro-slava and Svyato-slava. Meanwhile, the ta-ta-rys quickly moved forward. Soon the great prince in Si-ti received terrible news: his son Prince Vladimir was killed, another prince - All- when he realized that he could not withstand the strength of the city, he went to Ba-ty with gifts and was also killed, revenge Slav and some of the inhabitants tried to take refuge in the old town and were killed by ta-ta-ra-mi. Bishop Mit-ro-fan, the great princess-gi-nya with do-che-ryu, sno-ha-mi and vnu-cha-ta-mi, other princes-gi-ni with many -the same Bo-Yars and ordinary people were locked in the Assumption Cathedral in the choirs. Those doors were opened, the church was robbed, and those who were there were burned along with the church. Before death, many received a different image from the bishop of Mit-ro-fa-na. Having heard the sad news, the Grand Duke began to cry. "Oh my God! - he cried. - The test, what was sent down, is hard for me! You deprived me, like Job once, of everything I had. My wife and children died. You also took the people entrusted by You to my country. What should I do? Have we sinned before You, Lord, and You have humbled us: You are righteous, Lord, and Your judgments about us are righteous. But this blood of many people who are not guilty of our sins? Lord, Lord! You called this many new men to You: why did you save me alone for shame? All-mi-lo-sti-ve God! Don’t deprive me, too, a sinner and unworthy, of your participation in their glory, help me too. to give with Christ, as they suffered, for the sake of Thy holy name, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit Ha. But may Thy holy will be done, for Thou art blessed forever. Amen".

The prayer strengthened him, and the prince began to calmly prepare for battle and death. In-e-yes, Do-ro-zha with a three-thousand-strong squad was sent to find out about the un-me; but he soon returned and reported that the ta-ta-rs had already gone around the Russian army. Then the prince mounted a horse and, together with his brother Saint-glory and three tribes, you set off against the enemies. A terrible battle took place, the Russian regiments fled, and the Grand Duke was killed. Ta-ta-ry cut off his head. His prayer was heard, he fell like a good warrior, like a martyr for the faith and Right-glorious Rus'.

Like a storm, the enemy army rushed by, leaving behind them a field covered with corpses. Not long after the battle, the Rostov Bishop Kirill returned from White Lake to his flock. His path lay not far from City. The ar-hi-shepherd came here to lift up his prayers to God for the hope of souls for the faith and fatherland of the fallen -shih vo-i-nov. Among the many dead bodies, the saint recognized the body of the great prince by his princely clothes Ge-or-gia, but you can see him lying there without a head. With blessings, he took the prince's body, brought it to Rostov, and here, with great crying, from the custom -the funeral sung, cho-ro-nil him in the Bo-go-ro-dich-temple. After some time, the head of the prince-zya-stra-dal-tsa was found, in the presence of-the-se-n and brought-to-the-body . The new great prince, the brother of the former, Yaro-slav Vse-vo-lo-do-vich, settled in Vladi-mir, having cleared corpses and revived the church, in 1239 he sent to Rostov for the body of the blessed Georgy. The honorable remains of the great stra-dal-tsa near Vla-di-mi-ra were met by Mi-ro-po-lit Kirill II with all his spirit-ho-ven- tsvom, Great Prince Yaro-slav with his brother St. Slav-slav and children, with all the gods and all the lives of Vla-di-mi -ra from ma-la to ve-li-ka. At the sight of the coffin, there was a general cry and sobbing, drowning out the church singing. The coffin was laid in the cathedral of the Dormition of the Most Holy God, where Vse-vo-lod, the father of Prince Ge-or-lay, also lay. Gia. The Lord, wondrous in His saints, blessedly consoled the hearts of the Russian people, revealing in the blessed Prince Ge -or-gies of your own-pleasure. All those who were at the re-union saw the most glorious miracle: the head of St. George, from-se-chen -with a Ta-Tar-sword, grew in the coffin to the body, so that not a trace of it could be seen on the body , but all of you were intact and inseparable. A stone coffin, in which were the relics of St. George, was installed at the head of the coffin. prostrate with those-la-mi of his son-no-vey - All-in-lo-da, Revenge-slav-va and Vla-di-mir-ra. The body remained in this coffin until 1645, when it was imperishable and transferred to silver. the birth of the evil-puppies' coffin, arranged by the pat-ri-ar-hom Joseph, who paid special respect for this holy

Prayers

Troparion to the Righteous Prince George (Yuri) Vsevolodovich Vladimirsky

Sitting at the height of the great reign, / you appeared, shining with piety and faith to your fatherland like the sun; / for the Holy Trinity, you were kindled with jealousy / and having suffered greatly for the faith, your blood was You were born./ Thus your head, which was cut off for Christ, testifies to reality about you ,/ clinging to your body after death,/ from now on, your relics remain incorruptible,/ from which flow forth healing for our souls and bodies./ But because you have boldness in Christ, the passion-bearing He orgy, / constantly pray for your power and your relatives / / preserve harmless through your prayers.

Translation: Seated at the height of the great reign, you appeared, and shining with faith, like the sun for your fatherland, inflamed with jealousy for the Holy Trinity and suffering greatly for your faith, you shed your blood. Therefore, your head, cut off for Christ, clearly testifies about you, having joined your body after death, and with it yours remain incorruptible to this day, from which you exude healing to our souls and bodies. But, as the martyr George, who has come to Christ, unceasingly pray for your state and compatriots to be preserved unharmed through your prayers.

Kontakion to the Righteous Prince George (Yuri) Vsevolodovich Vladimirsky

Becoming like Christ's death/ and desiring to drink the cup like the Belly,/ you fought courageously for the worthless, despising the earthly kingdom,/ having suffered from the godless barbarians to death,/ Geo Devotion to the God-Wise One.// So pray, that faithful people may be saved through your prayers.

Translation: Imitating Christ's death and desiring to drink His cup as (the cup) of Life, for Him you courageously, despising the earthly kingdom, suffering from the godless pagans to death, George the Wise. Therefore, pray for the salvation of believers in your prayers.

Prayer to the blessed Prince Georgy (Yuri) Vsevolodovich Vladimirsky

Oh, God's chosen miracle worker, glorious servant of Christ, champion of the Orthodox Church, defender of the Kingdom of Russia, Grand Duke George! On bended knee, we pray to you: look upon us sinners who have resorted to your intercession, hear this little prayer of ours and with your warm intercession implore the merciful God, to Him you stand from the face of the Angel and with all the saints, may he preserve us in the unity of the Orthodox Church and establish us in our hearts our spirit of right faith and piety, and will deliver us from every evil temptation. According to the greatness of your love, even as you loved your neighbor, ask the all-generous Lord for peace and prosperity for your Fatherland, and for ours; for all of us, unworthy, who zealously fall to you, a godly and serene life. O our holy intercessor, do not leave us weak and helpless, pray for us to the Lord and Most Holy Lady Theotokos, move your God-glorified relatives, holy prince, to pray for us behold Andrei and Gleb, together with them, here on earth you rest with your incorruptible relics and on Heaven, stand before the Throne of the Heavenly King, may He, the all-generous, grant us everything we need, even for temporary and eternal benefit; may He not reward us according to our deeds, but out of His ineffable love for mankind may He forgive our sins, may He deliver us from all need and sorrow, sorrow and illness; may he bestow on us good intentions and strength to strive to correct our lives, and in the future may he enable us to enter the Kingdom of Heaven and glorify the all-holy name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit ha forever and ever. Amen.

The Holy Blessed Grand Duke George (Yuri) Vsevolodovich was born in 1189 in the city of Vladimir Klyazmensky. His parents were the Grand Duke of Vladimir Dimitri-Vsevolod III *, called by history the Great, and his wife Grand Duchess Maria Shvarnovna.

*Until the 14th century, it was customary in Rus' to give the children of princes two names: one on the 1st birthday - Slavic, containing the words peace, power, glory and the like, or which were consonant with Christian names. This name was called the prince's name. Another name - Christian - was given at baptism. The first name was more famous than the second.

The Great Vsevolod was one of the most worthy Russian princes, adorned with good qualities of soul and civic virtues. According to the legends of Russian chronicles, he pardoned the good, executed the evil, did not respect the faces of the powerful and did not give offense to anyone, not in vain carrying the sword given to him by God. But at the same time, as the same chronicles tell, he was not exalted by this earthly glory, did not magnify himself; but he placed his hope in everything in God, for he always had the fear of God in his heart. Monuments of the piety of the Great Vsevolod are still preserved in Vladimir. These are white stone churches - two chapels at the Assumption Cathedral, the Dmitrievsky Cathedral and the Assumption Cathedral convent. In addition to these temples, Vsevolod also built the Nativity of the Theotokos Church, located in the current Bishop's House, which in the 18th century lost its ancient appearance due to numerous extensions, but was restored to its original form during the reign of Emperor Alexander II.

George's mother, Princess Maria Shvarnovna, was no less distinguished by her piety than her husband. She, being a very kind woman, piously spent her entire life from childhood in the fear of God, loving truth, comforting the sad, sick and needy, giving them what they needed. According to the inscrutable fate of God's Providence, 7–8 years before her death she suffered a serious illness. With truly Christian patience, without the slightest murmur, she bore this cross, imitating the patience of Job and the free suffering of the Lord Jesus Christ. “If we receive good things from the hand of the Lord,” the Grand Duchess loved to repeat during her illness, “we will not endure the evil ones.” 17 days before her death, she moved from the palace to a women’s monastery built by her faithful husband, where, having renounced the world, she ended her long-suffering days in the rank of nun. Is it surprising after this that such pious parents raised such a pious son as George was?

Being only two years old, George, according to the chroniclers, was already zealous for the piety and faith of his father. When he was three years old, in the city of Suzdal he was elevated to princely dignity by Bishop John, according to the then custom, with a special church prayer and rite called tonsure. On the same day he was mounted on a horse, and there was a great celebration in honor of this in the city of Suzdal. Growing in body, the prince grew in spirit. Every day he went to church for divine services, listened with reverence to the reading and singing there, loved to talk about sacred objects at home, and also exercised himself in fasting, vigil and prayer. The parents were pleased to see such piety in their young son, and they listened to him more than to other sons. When George was 17 years old, he lost his dearly beloved mother. An ancient biography writer depicts a touchingly sad picture of George’s farewell to his dying mother: George fell on his mother’s chest and, shedding tears, exclaimed: “Alas for me, the world, my mother, my lady! To whom will I look, to whom will I resort, and where will I be satisfied with such teaching and punishment of the mind? Alas for me, shining in the dawn of my face, the reins of my youth, where are you going, my mother?” Touched by such a tender love for her son, the princess consoled and blessed him. “O compassionate, dear child,” she said to him in a weakening voice, as if in a prophetic spirit, “be praised and blessed throughout all generations.” Grand Duke Vsevolod buried his wife with due honor. Many tears were shed by everyone over her coffin, but most of all, it is said, George cried and did not want to be consoled, because she loved her more than all other sons.

Grand Duke Georgy Vsevolodovich tours
on boats the newly conquered lands at the mouth of the Oka River.
Hood. G. Maltsev

At the age of 19, Georgy Vsevolodovich entered into marriage with the daughter of the Grand Duke of Kyiv Vsevolod Chermny Agathia. The sacrament of marriage was performed in the Vladimir Cathedral Church by Bishop John. God gave the pious George a wife worthy of him. Here is what one ancient biography writer says about this couple: “Both, both husband and wife, being of pious roots, were well taught piety and so both are holy, righteous, merciful, meek, taking the offended from the hands of those who offend, and the poor are kind to the great, He is diligent in abstinence and loves fasting, chastity and purity, and again, according to Christ, he pleases Christ in everything with his good deeds, as he desires. the Lord's word, to inherit the land of the meek and to find peace for the righteous.” This is how the life of the noble prince flowed peacefully in Vladimir until the death of his parent. Four successful campaigns against the enemies of the Vladimir principality are known only from this time. But at the age of 25, his independent activity for the Church and the fatherland began.

Feeling the approach of death, Grand Duke Vsevolod wished to settle his children. By right of seniority, the Vladimir throne should have belonged to the eldest of the sons, Constantine, who was then reigning in Rostov, and Vsevolod wanted to place him on it while he was alive, but so that Rostov would belong to George. To declare his will, Vsevolod demanded all his children. Everyone came when called, except for Konstantin, who wanted to keep Rostov with him along with Vladimir, which did not agree with his father’s will. Three times the father sent for his son, but each time he received a refusal to appear unless the father did so according to the son’s wishes. Distressed by Constantine's disobedience, Prince Vsevolod gathered the boyars and people of Vladimir and before them poured out his grief on his son. It was decided by the people to deprive Constantine of his eldership and transfer the grand-ducal throne to George. So, Georgy Vsevolodovich, being 24 years old, was declared Grand Duke of Vladimir and blessed for this feat by his dying parent. “Be brothers instead of father,” he told him, “have them the same way I had them. And you, children,” he continued, turning to the other children, “do not take up arms against each other, and if one of the other princes rises up against you, you will all unite together against them. May the Lord and the Holy Mother of God and the prayer of your grandfather George and great-grandfather Vladimir be your helper, then I will bless you,” and with these words he quietly departed to the Lord, April 12, 1213.

At first, after the death of their father, the brothers lived peacefully. George, although he was the Grand Duke, showed all respect and love to his elder brother. Having buried his father, he went to Rostov to visit Konstantin in order, on the one hand, to personally testify to his brotherly love, and on the other, to come to an agreement regarding the reign. Constantine, apparently, had come to terms with his position; at least, he did not express hostile feelings towards George.

Grand Duke Georgy Vsevolodovich meets his
brother Svyatoslav

Another time, the Grand Duke was with Constantine, at the invitation of even himself, at the consecration of the cathedral church in Rostov. In his humility, George agreed, as long as there was no enmity between the brothers and bloodshed, even to cede the grand-ducal throne to Constantine, but so that the dying will of his parents would be sacredly fulfilled. “Brother Konstantin,” said Georgy, “if you want Vladimir, go, sit in it, and give me Rostov.” But Konstantin persisted in his approach. “You sit down in Suzdal,” he answered George. Five years passed like this. But then Prince Mstislav, a defender of Novgorod freedom, who spent his entire life in military pursuits, arrived from southern Russia to northeastern Russia. He traveled with his squad, made up of battle-hardened warriors, throughout Rus', and appeared wherever he was invited. For his fighting life, the people nicknamed him Daredevil. It was he who offered Konstantin his services against George, promising to do everything to put him in Vladimir, without taking away Rostov. Konstantin happily accepted the offer. A bloody battle took place near the city of Yuryev. For Konstantin there were Rostov and Novgorod residents with Mstislav and his squad; for George the people of Vladimir, Suzdal and Pereslavl. The former had both the number of troops and desperate courage, tested in many battles, on their side. George was defeated. But as a result, he did not become bitter and did not strive, as other princes did, to win at any cost. Submitting to the inscrutable destinies of God's Providence, which controls the destinies of kingdoms and peoples, he went out to the winners with gifts and said to them: “Brothers, I hit you with my forehead, you give me a belly and feed me with bread!” The council of Constantine and Mstislav assigned him the poor Volga Gorodets, or Radilov, as his inheritance. Before leaving Vladimir, George entered the cathedral church of the Mother of God, where he poured out all his sadness in prayerful cries before the miraculous icon of the Mother of God, watered the coffin of his parent, who loved him so tenderly, with tears, and, reassured by faith and hope in God’s mercy, leaving the temple, he sat down with his family into the boat and went to his appointed destiny. Among the few friends who wished to accompany him was the Bishop of Vladimir, the virtuous Simon, who did not want to leave the prince in his misfortune and thereby proved the correctness of his actions.

Mstislav, having done his job, left, and Konstantin sat down in Vladimir. But his conscience was not calm, moreover, his health was greatly upset, he already felt the fragility of his life. And then, two or three months later, Konstantin asks George to come to Vladimir. The latter, having forgotten everything, goes to him. The brothers met each other, and everything old was forgotten between them. “Both were overwhelmed when they met,” says the chronicle, “and they stayed away for many hours.” They entered the cathedral church of Our Lady, where, at the grave of their parent, they sealed their reconciliation with prayer and kissing the cross. Constantine begged George to move to Suzdal and declared him heir to his throne. A year later, Constantine died and George sat on the throne of Vladimir for the second time.

On the throne of the Grand Duke, George took up the organization of his region. He endowed his brothers and nephews with cities, and they began to honor George instead of their father and act in everything according to his will. As a result, the internal life of our country flowed peacefully and calmly. For this, the people blessed God and Grand Duke George. Through the united actions of all the princes of the Vladimir principality, external enemies were pacified - the Bulgarians and Mordovians, who lived along the banks of the Oka and Volga rivers and often disturbed the Vladimir region with predatory raids. In three campaigns these enemies were completely pacified. And the Grand Duke, in order to forever secure the eastern borders of his principality from these enemies, himself went to the banks of the Volga and there, having carefully examined the area, founded the city, the famous Nizhny Novgorod, in 1221, populated it with inhabitants and created in it the temples of the All-Merciful Savior and Archangel Michael *. The inhabitants of this city formerly reverently revered their founder**.

*On the porch of the Archangel Cathedral before the revolution there was an inscription that began like this: “In ancient times, the land of Nizovsk was owned by idolaters - the Mordovians. The pious Grand Duke, now in spirit in God, and resting with his incorruptible body in the city of Vladimir, Georgy Vsevolodovich, in order to ease his possessions from the raids of neighboring peoples, founded a city at the mouth of the Oka River and named it Nizhny Novgrad and erected the first church in it in the name of Archangel Michael, wooden, and then in 1227, stone, cathedral.”

** Before the revolution, on the day of remembrance of the Holy Blessed Grand Duke George (February 4, Old Style), festive services were held in all churches of Nizhny Novgorod. In April 1875, at the request of citizens, an icon of St. George with part of his relics was sent from Vladimir to Nizhny Novgorod, which was installed in the Archangel Cathedral.

The success of the weapon and the internal tranquility of the country increased the glory of the Grand Duke. As a result, the princes of southern Rus' began to turn to George for advice and help in difficult circumstances.

Blessed George was always happy to serve his neighbors and never refused to help a just cause. Twice during his reign, the Russian high priests, the Kyiv metropolitans, visited him in Vladimir and blessed him for the improvement of the church, for the splendor of the churches of God and the pious life of his subjects. Metropolitan Kirill, during his stay in Vladimir in 1225, in place of the deceased virtuous Simon, ordained the abbot of the Vladimir Nativity Monastery, Mitrofan, as Bishop of Vladimir, Suzdal and Pereslavl. The event is hitherto unprecedented in Vladimir! But the piety of Grand Duke George was especially expressed by the fact that, at his command, the holy relics of the martyr Abraham, who suffered a martyrdom from his fellow citizens for the zealous spread of the Christian faith among them, were transferred from the Bulgarian land to the city of Vladimir. The Lord God glorified his faithful servant for his pious zeal for the glory of God, and from the very first day the martyr’s grave was marked by heavenly signs and wonders. Georgy Vsevolodovich wished to have holy relics in Vladimir. The Bulgarians did not refuse him this. And so on March 9, 1230, on the day of remembrance of the 40 martyrs, Bishop Mitrofan and all the clergy of Vladimir, the Grand Duke and the inhabitants of the city with great honor met the holy relics outside the city, and with the singing of church songs they brought them into the city and laid them in the women’s monastery of the Most Holy Theotokos .

Rumors about the piety of the Grand Duke of Vladimir reached Rome and Pope Gregory IX tried to seduce him into Latinism. But Georgy Vsevolodovich was born in Orthodox faith, and remained in it until his death, despite the most difficult circumstances that God destined him to experience in the last days of his life.

Saint George did not see many bright days during his entire life. But her last days represent a whole series of suffering, both physical and mental. Through many sorrows the Lord God led His faithful servant to eternal bliss. The first years of his second reign on the throne of Vladimir apparently promised complete prosperity for the country. There were no princely feuds, which so cruelly tore apart southern Russia, or attacks from external enemies pacified by the weapons of Prince George. But this apparent prosperity was only the calm before the storm. Terrible signs, repeated from time to time in nature, served as harbingers of future disasters. So, in the summer of 1223 there was a terrible drought throughout the Vladimir region. Forests and swamps were burning; the air was filled with such darkness and smoke that birds fell to the ground and animals from the forests fled to cities and villages, and there was fear and horror on everyone. Terrible comets in the same years 1223 and 1225 frightened the superstitious people. But the year 1230 was especially difficult and menacing for most of Rus'.

On May 3, an unprecedented natural phenomenon occurred in Vladimir. During the liturgy, while the Gospel was being read in the cathedral church, the following happened strong earthquake that many churches were cracked, the icons in them moved out of place, chandeliers and candlesticks swayed from side to side; the people, thinking in horror “as if a head had gone around them,” fell to the ground. That same month, on the 10th and 14th, terrible solar eclipses were visible in the sky. Not for good, - said the frightened people, - but for evil, God shows us a sign of our sins. And indeed, a menacing cloud was already approaching the Russian horizon. The terrible news spread throughout Russia that the hordes of Tatars, who approached Southern Russia in 1223 and disappeared to God knows where after the Battle of Kalka, were again approaching Russian borders. From the end of 1236, rumors about the Tatars began to reach the city of Vladimir, each more terrible than the other: they captured the Bulgarian land (on the territory of modern Tatarstan), its inhabitants were either killed or taken prisoner; now they are already in the Mordovian land (the current Penza and Nizhny Novgorod regions) and are moving their forces closer and closer to the possessions of Rus'. Finally, an embassy from Ryazan comes to Vladimir to Grand Duke Georgy Vsevolodovich with a request for help against the Tatars who were advancing on the Ryazan principality.

The Grand Duke and the people of Vladimir had great thoughts about this embassy: to give help or to refuse it. We decided to refuse, in order to save our strength for our fight against the enemy, just in case. “There is bewilderment,” the chronicler notes on this occasion, “and threat, and fear, and trembling God brought upon us for our sins, and the wisdom of those who were able to build military affairs was quickly swallowed up, and strong hearts were converted into female weakness, and for this sake not a single from the Russian princes go to each other’s aid.”

Meanwhile, on December 21, 1237, the Tatars, after an evil battle, in terrible furies, captured Ryazan and rushed further to Kolomna, and from here it was not far to Moscow. Vladimir, the second son of Grand Duke George Vsevolodovich, reigned in Moscow at that time. Having heard about this movement, the Grand Duke of Vladimir sent an army to Kolomna, under the command of his eldest son Vsevolod and the battle-experienced governor Eremey Glebovich. Near Kolomna, for the first time, the Vladimir army met with a “beast-like enemy,” which they had hitherto known only from rumors. She entered the battle undaunted, but could not defeat the numerous enemy. Most of warriors, together with the governor Eremey Glebovich, fell under the blows of Tatar swords. Vsevolod and his small retinue barely escaped to Vladimir, where he told his parent about the sad outcome of his battle. Having taken Kolomna, the Tatars, without stopping, moved on to Vladimir. Moscow, then still a small town, was burned by them, almost all of its inhabitants were killed; Vladimir Georgievich was captured and had to follow the horde, enduring all sorts of hardships and suffering along the way.

Georgy Vsevolodovich saw the hopelessness of his situation and understood that he could not defeat the enemy on his own: the united forces of all Rus' were needed to repel enemies as numerous as “locusts” and fierce as “demons.” But it was impossible to concentrate these forces in Vladimir. Batu quickly moved with his horde towards the capital of north-eastern Rus' and the allied troops could not keep up in time. And so the Grand Duke decided to accomplish an extraordinary feat for his homeland: he leaves his capital city and in it those closest to his heart - his wife, children, grandchildren - under the protection of a small squad, and he himself leaves for the banks of the City River, in the modern Yaroslavl region, to , uniting with other princes, unitedly repulse the enemy force. One of the Russian chroniclers touchingly describes the departure of the Grand Duke from Vladimir. Bishop Mitrofan and the boyars of Vladimir gathered in the grand-ducal palace. The Grand Duke was already in military attire, completely ready to set off; They prayed to God, the departing person received a blessing from the saint; farewells began with my wife, children, grandchildren and everyone present, tears flowed uncontrollably from everyone’s eyes and interrupted the words. Meanwhile, a squad and people were waiting for the prince in front of the palace. Accompanied by the bishop and relatives, hardly hiding his tears, the prince left the palace and headed to the cathedral church of the Mother of God; with a tearful cry he fell here before St. with the icon of the Most Pure One, entrusting his family and subjects to her intercession, he bowed to the tomb of his sovereign parent, was blessed again by the bishop, hugged those close to his heart for the last time, said the last “forgiveness” to the people and left the church. People's crying and sobbing accompanied the prince everywhere and did not stop until he left the city. “And there was great lamentation in the city, and no one could hear it, speaking to each other in tears and sobs.” Everyone seemed to have a presentiment that this was the last farewell to the Grand Duke, that they would no longer see him in this life.

Death of Grand Duke Georgy Vsevolodovich.
Rice. V. Vereshchagina

“On the 3rd day of Tuesday, the month of February, a week before Meat Empty,” this is how the chronicler begins the mournful story of the Tatar invasion of Vladimir, “a multitude of Chrestian bloodsheds came, without number, like the Pruss.” The residents of Vladimir tightly locked all the city gates and, with submission to the will of God, awaited their fate. The eldest children of the Grand Duke Vsevolod and Mstislav Georgievich, together with the experienced governor Pyotr Oslyadyukovich from the Golden Gate, observed the movement of the enemy and encouraged the frightened Vladimir residents. The Tatars initially avoided the battle and demanded surrender. They singled out a cavalry detachment from the whole horde, which they sent to the Golden Gate. “Where is Grand Duke Yuri, is he in the city,” was their first question to the people of Vladimir. But instead of answering, they shot arrows at their enemies. “Don’t shoot,” the Tatars shout, and they take Vladimir Georgievich out of the middle of the horde. “Do you recognize your prince,” they ask the residents of Vladimir. Indeed, it was not easy to recognize Vladimir: his face changed so much from severe bondage and heartache. The prince-brothers and the people could not help but cry, seeing him emaciated, pale, barely able to stand on his feet; but they tried to overcome sorrowful feelings so as not to show their cowardice to the proud enemy. The prince himself, despite the severity of his situation, convinced his brothers not to surrender the cities to the enemies. “Do not surrender the cities, my brothers,” he exclaimed to them. “It is better for me to die before the Golden Gates for the Holy Mother of God and the Orthodox Christian faith, rather than be subject to their will over us.” The fierce barbarians, having heard this bold speech of Vladimir, immediately tore him to pieces, as soon as the unfortunate sufferer managed to say: “Lord Jesus Christ! Receive my spirit, that I may rest in Thy glory.”

The Tatars, seeing that the people of Vladimir would not surrender the city to them without a fight, positioned their main camp opposite the Golden Gate, while other parts of the horde in countless numbers surrounded the city on all sides. At the sight of such preparations by the enemy, the people of Vladimir had no hope of salvation: each of them expected either death or a shameful execution. But this did not make them fall into inactive despair: they were eager to fight the enemy and preferred an honest death on the battlefield to life in shameful slavery. “Brothers,” the princes exclaimed to their squad, “it is better for us to die before the Golden Gate for the Holy Mother of God and for the Orthodox faith than to be in the will of our enemies.” These words were to the hearts of all the warriors: everyone was eager to fight the enemy of faith and fatherland. Only the old governor Pyotr Oslyadyukovich opposed this. He saw that the haste of military action would bring more harm to the people of Vladimir than good, that the inevitable death of the squad would only sooner give the Tatars access to the city; he could hope that, by delaying the enemy’s offensive actions, he would give the Grand Duke time to gather an army and come to the rescue of the besieged. “The Lord brought all this upon us for our sins,” said the governor, “how can we go against the Tatars and resist such a multitude? It’s better for us to sit in the city and defend against them as much as possible.” They listened to the governors and, having lost all hope in their strength, turned to the consolations of religion. “And we began,” the chronicler narrates, “to sing prayers and sobs, shedding many tears to the Lord God and His Most Pure Mother, Theotokos.”

Meanwhile, the Tatars, having surrounded Vladimir with their camp, singled out several detachments from the entire horde and headed for Suzdal. “And great evil happened to the Suzdal land, the kind of evil that had never happened since the baptism of Rus'.” The city was burned and plundered. Many residents were mercilessly killed: “Abbesses, priests and deacons, monks and monks, the blind and lame, and the deaf, then all the Tatars were cut down, and other residents, wives, and children were taken captive and in the severe frost had to follow the horde barefoot and uncovered, dying of filth.”

Icon of the Savior with falling saints. blgv. prince
Alexander Nevsky (in schema Alexy) and
St. blgv. Prince Georgy Vsevolodovich

After the troops returned from Suzdal, Batu began offensive operations against Vladimir. On February 6, from morning to evening, the Tatars placed forests and vices (a type of battering guns) around the city and at night surrounded the entire city with tyn. Helpless citizens had no means of defense. The air was filled with the great cry of the people of Vladimir. Everyone, young and old, doomed themselves to martyrdom and hurried to prepare for it in a Christian way. Everyone confessed and received the Holy Mysteries; many even took monastic vows. Vladyka Mitrofan, the princes, governor Peter Oslyadyukovich, all the boyars and people saw that “their city had already been taken,” the chronicler narrates, “they burst into great tears and went into the cathedral church of the Most Pure Mother of God and tonsured into the holy angelic image from Vladyka Mitrofan the Grand Duchess and her sons, and her daughters, and her daughters-in-law, and the elders wanted, and there was a cry and a cry, and great weeping in the city.”

The sacred rite was performed in solemn silence. Famous Russians said goodbye to the world, to life, but, standing on the threshold of death, they still prayed to Heaven for the salvation of Russia, so that its beloved name and glory would not perish forever. On February 7, the meat-eating week, when the Holy Church, with the image of the Last Judgment, awakens her children to repentance, a terrible destruction and devastation of the city of Vladimir took place. Throughout the night, hardly any of the Vladimir residents closed their eyes to sleep. The morning service began in the cathedral church. The touching chants of that day were involuntarily intended to elevate the spirit of those praying and strengthen them with faith and hope for heavenly rewards promised to unshakable confessors of the name of Christ. It began to get light in the sky; but this morning was already the last for large number Vladimirtsev. An attack on the city began from all sides; battering guns broke through city walls; stones fell from the Tatar camp “like rain” onto the city; the walls had already been broken on four sides, and with wild fury, “like demons,” the Tatar horde burst into the city from the Golden Gate, and from Lybid - at the Orin Gate, and at the Copper Gate, and also from Klyazma - at the Volozh Gate. A terrible massacre of citizens and the devastation of the city began. For several hours, the part of the city between the Golden Gate and the Kremlin, called the New City, consisted of heaps of ash and piles of ruins, among which lay many lifeless bodies of Vladimir residents. Princes Vsevolod and Mstislav and the remaining citizens sought salvation in the middle city called Pecherny, the current Kremlin. Bishop Mitrofan, the Grand Duchess and her family, the Vladimir clergy, the boyars and many citizens sought refuge from fierce enemies in the Church of the Mother of God. Here, at the Divine Liturgy, the saint made a bloodless sacrifice for the last time for himself and his unfortunate flock. The words of prayer were interrupted by sobs. Everyone was preparing for death, putting aside all worldly cares. Guided into eternal life by the Holy Mysteries from the hands of their archpastor, the people of Vladimir calmly, with Christian hope, awaited their death. The bishop, the grand-ducal family, archimandrites and abbots, boyars and eminent citizens took refuge in the ascending floors (today's choirs), where a secret staircase led. Many citizens remained below the temple. The entrance doors were locked from the inside. The bishop blessed his flock for the feat of martyrdom. “Lord God of hosts, Giver of Light, sit on the cherubim,” he prayed, “stretch out Your invisible hand and receive Your servants in peace.”

Cover on the relics of St. blgv. prince
Georgy Vsevolodovich

At the very time when such a wondrous and touching spectacle was happening inside, in those very solemn moments Christian feelings Filled with selflessness and faith, the pagan Tatars, with an evil hatred of everything Christian and Russian, worried outside the temple. A handful of city defenders could not withstand the pressure of an entire horde. Princes Vsevolod and Mstislav and their friends fell from the Tatar swords. Through the corpses of their wild horde furiously burst into the Pecherny city and rushed to plunder temples and houses, destroying everything that could not be taken with fire and sword. The princely palace was looted and set on fire; court church in honor of St. Great Martyr Demetrius - the zeal of Grand Duke Vsevolod III - was deprived of all her treasures. The Cathedral Church of Our Lady was surrounded by Tatars from all sides. The strong locks of its doors could not withstand the pressure of enemies. With demonic fury the pagans burst into God's temple, cutting everyone who was in it, and its wonderful copper floor was stained with Christian blood. Everything that was valuable in the temple: gold, silver, precious stones, vessels, clothes of the first Grand Dukes, which were kept in churches in memory of them, even liturgical books, became the property of predators. Miraculous icon The Mother of God was deprived of all expensive jewelry. But neither the rich booty nor the many victims of the inhumane beating satisfied the greed of the enraged Tatars. They were looking for the grand ducal family. Having learned that it was hiding on the sunken floors and, not finding a way to get there, they either with caresses or threats persuaded the Grand Duchess to surrender to them. But she and those who were with her decided to endure everything that would be sent from God, just so as not to fall into the hands of their enemies alive. Enraged even more by the failure, the barbarians piled up around the temple and dragged trees and brushwood inside it and set fire to it. Thus, from the heat and smoke, with prayer on their lips, they gave up their souls to the Lord and became partakers of the martyrdom: Bishop Mitrofan, the Grand Duchess with their daughter, daughters-in-law and grandchildren. The Church of Our Lady, burnt and dilapidated, remained a sad monument to these sufferers.

Grand Duke Georgy Vsevolodovich received the sad news of the death of the capital city and his family in it in the last days of February. It is clear with what grief he was struck by this news. At once he lost everything: his family, his subjects, and his estate. He expected no better fate for himself. It was clear that he could not defeat his numerous enemies. Going to the banks of the City River, he hoped to gather an army so large that he would be able to resist the enemy. But his hopes were not destined to come true. His brother Svyatoslav came to him with his Yuryevites and his nephews - the Konstantinovichs with the Rostovites and Yaroslavlites; but in vain he waited for his brother Yaroslav with the Pereslavl people. “Lord, Almighty,” he exclaimed, having heard the sad news about what happened in Vladimir, “is this pleasing to Your love for mankind! Like Job, I have now lost everything; but I know that it was sin for our sakes that all this happened; may the will of the Lord be done, blessed be the name of the Lord from now to eternity. Oh me, Master! And why am I left alive alone, besides these new martyrs? Grant me, O Lord, to suffer for Your sake. holy name, the Christian faith and the Orthodox people and number me among your holy martyrs.”

Cancer with the relics of St. blgv. prince
Georgy Vsevolodovich.
Photo by V. Alekseev. 2009

Meanwhile, the barbarians did not have to wait long. The Grand Duke sent his vanguard, consisting of 3,000 warriors of proven courage, to reconnoitre the enemy; but the detachment, having retreated a little, returned with the news that the Tatars were already bypassing them. Georgy Vsevolodovich and his allies mounted their horses, they lined up their regiments in battle formation and fearlessly met the enemy. On March 4, a “great war and an evil slaughter” began, in which human blood flowed like water. But no matter how courageously the Russians fought the enemy, they could not defeat him. Strength prevailed over courage, and the battlefield was littered with the corpses of Russian knights. The Grand Duke shared the fate of his comrades: beheaded, he fell on the battlefield, “like a good warrior, like an invincible martyr for the faith and Orthodox Rus', like Christ a martyr.” His martyrdom followed at the age of 49 from birth. His reign lasted 24 years (from 1213 to 1217 and from 1218 to 1238).

The ancient biography writer depicts the virtues with which the blessed Grand Duke George adorned himself during his earthly life in the following words: “Being meek and humble, having mercy and providing for everyone, and loving alms and the church structure, he cared about this with all his soul, decorating with wonderful icons and all kinds of decorations; what about the priestly and monastic rank and giving them for their needs, taking blessings from them. Be bo Prince George truly, according to Job, an eye to the blind, a leg to the lame and a hand to the needy; and loving everyone, clothing the naked, calming the difficult, comforting the sad; offend no one in any way, but make everyone wise with your conversations; often reading the holy books with diligence, and doing everything according to what is written and not repaying evil for evil; verily, for God bestowed upon him the meekness of David, and the wisdom of Solomon; and filled with apostolic orthodoxy.”

Cancer with the relics of St. blgv. Prince Georgy Vsevolodovich
in the Assumption Cathedral in the city of Vladimir.
Photo by V. Alekseev. 2009

A short time after the unfortunate battle of the City River, Rostov Bishop Kirill, elevated to the rank of hierarch from the archimandrites of the Vladimir Nativity Monastery, returned from Bela Lake to his flock. His path lay not far from the site of the ill-fated battle. The archpastor went there to offer prayers to God for the repose of the souls for the faith and fatherland of the fallen soldiers. Among the many dead bodies, the bishop recognized the body of George by the grand ducal attire; but the body lay without a head. With reverence he took the body of the famous prince, brought it to Rostov and here, amid great weeping, singing the usual chants, he buried him in the cathedral church. After some time, the head of the Grand Duke was found and attached to his body.

In 1239, a year after the unfortunate battle of the City River, when the Tatar thunderstorm subsided for a while, the new Grand Duke of Vladimir Yaroslav Vsevolodovich ordered the coffin with the body of his deceased brother George to be moved from Rostov to Vladimir. The honorable remains of the sovereign sufferer for faith and fatherland, as they approached Vladimir, were met by Bishop Kirill with all the clergy and monastics, the Grand Duke and his brother Svyatoslav and their children, all the boyars and all the inhabitants of Vladimir, young and old. At the sight of the coffin, there was general crying and sobbing, “and you couldn’t hear the singing in the crying and crying of the great one.” With funeral singing, they placed the coffin with the relics of the passion-bearer in the Church of the Mother of God, where his parents and other sovereign ancestors were already buried.

At the same time, the Lord, wondrous in His saints, deigned to console the sorrowful hearts of the Russian Orthodox people, revealing His saint in the blessed Grand Duke George. All who witnessed the transfer of his relics then saw “a glorious miracle worthy of wonder.” The holy head of George, once cut off by the sword of a barbarian, grew in the tomb to his honest body, so that not a trace of its cutting off was visible on his neck; but all the joints were intact and inseparable. Since then, from the holy body of the blessed Grand Duke George, according to the ancient biography of him, “many and various healings began to be carried out for all those who were sick and who came with faith.” But his relics remained hidden for a long time after that. 407 years after his death, the Lord was pleased to fully glorify his saint on earth. In 1645, January 5th, under the rule of Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich, under Patriarch Joseph of All Russia, the holy relics of Grand Duke George, found incorruptible, were transferred from a stone coffin into a rich, silver and gilded reliquary, arranged according to the vow of the Patriarch by his own treasury, in through which they, “remaining to this day, exude healing to the souls and bodies of those who worship them with faith.”

The shrine with the holy relics of the blessed Grand Duke George is placed in the Assumption Cathedral Church.

The celebration in honor of the Holy Blessed Grand Duke George is celebrated by the Church on February 17.

Yuri Vsevolodovich (1188-1238) - Grand Duke of Vladimir, son of Vsevolod the Big Nest.

Yuri Vsevolodovich was one of the many sons of Prince Vsevolod the Big Nest, took an active part in 1212-1216, participated in the Battle of Lipitsa, twice sat on the grand-ducal throne in Vladimir, the first time receiving it from his father, and the second - according to the will of his brother Konstantin. Yuri remained Grand Duke of Vladimir until his death in 1238, when the throne was transferred to his brother Yaroslav.

Biography of Yuri Vsevolodovich (briefly)

Prince Yuri was born in 1188 in Suzdal, the third son of Prince Vsevolod Yuryevich and his first wife. WITH early age Yuri was involved in both the spiritual and military life of his family, which later affected his politics. In his early years he took part in several military campaigns together with his brothers. In particular, in 1207 he went to Ryazan, and in 1208 and 1209. - to Torzhok. Yuri Vsevolodovich married in 1211 and subsequently had several children, of whom only a daughter survived.

Prince Yuri began to be mentioned more often in chronicles starting in 1211, when he entered into an internecine war with his own brothers. The cause of the discord was the city of Vladimir, which Prince Vsevolod, contrary to tradition, transferred not to his eldest son Konstantin, but to Yuri. After the death of Vsevolod in 1212, Constantine decided to return the throne that rightfully belonged to him and made a proposal to give Yuri Suzdal in exchange for Vladimir. Yuri did not accept the offer, and civil strife ensued, in which the other brothers were also drawn.

Yuri and Constantine gathered troops several times and went on campaigns against each other in 1213 and 1214, but neither army could prevail over the other, and the brothers stood at the mouth of the river for a long time. Ishna. The confrontation was resolved only a few years later, in 1216, when Mstislav Rostislavich joined Constantine’s army and together they were able to invade Vladimir, defeat the army of Yuri and Yaroslav and subjugate power to themselves. In the same year, Constantine became the Grand Duke of Vladimir.

However, Yuri briefly loses his throne. Konstantin, having spent a year in Vladimir, writes a will, according to which after his death the city goes to Yuri. Another year later, in 1218, Konstantin dies, and Yuri again becomes the Prince of Vladimir and does not leave this place until his death.

Domestic and foreign policy of Prince Yuri Vsevolodovich

The policy of Yuri Vsevolodovich is in many ways similar to the policy of his father. Like him, Yuri was not a supporter of open armed conflicts; he always tried to use diplomacy and cunning in resolving certain foreign policy problems. It was by avoiding serious military conflicts that he was able to achieve certain successes in domestic and foreign policy.

Despite his peacefulness, Yuri still carried out several campaigns during his reign. In particular, starting from 1220, he waged an active struggle against the Volga Bulgaria, which by that time was able to occupy part of the Russian territories on the border. Yuri sends his army against the Bulgarians, which manages to reach the territory of Volga Bulgaria, destroy several large cities and villages, thereby forcing the Bulgarians to agree to a truce. However, even after Yuri receives a peace offer, he does not meet his former rivals halfway. Only a year later, in 1221, after two more peace offers and a significant ransom, Yuri signed a peace treaty. At the same time, in order to strengthen his power in the conquered territories, Yuri orders the founding of Novy Gorod (Nizhny Novgorod) and the rebuilding of several cathedrals and temples in it.

Later, in 1222 and 1223, Yuri, together with the Lithuanians, fought the Estonian tribe near the city of Revel. After two campaigns against the Estonians, the new stage fight against the Lithuanians, who had recently supported Yuri and then attacked Rus'. At the same time, a conflict flared up within the country with Novgorod, in which the prince also took part.

In 1226, Yuri and his troops began a long struggle with Mordva for the territories around Nizhny Novgorod. The struggle continues for several years with varying success - major battles take place in 1226, 1228 and 1229.

At the end of his reign, Yuri faces a more serious threat -. In 1236, Batu Khan attacked Rus' and quickly conquered its territories. After Moscow was captured, Yuri, having learned about this, sets off from Vladimir to the river. City, where he begins to actively recruit an army and call on his brothers for help. Although Yuri enlisted the support of Yaroslav and Svyatoslav, the princes did not have time to gather a strong enough army. In February 1238, Khan Batu captured Vladimir, ravaged the city and burned Yuri’s entire family (only his daughter survived).

Yuri undertakes a retaliatory campaign against Batu in March 1238. In one of the battles, on March 4, he dies.

Results of the reign of Yuri Vsevolodovich

Historians assess the role of Prince Yuri in the history of Rus' ambiguously. On the one hand, he managed to do quite a lot for the development of the state: several beneficial peace agreements were concluded, new cities were built, great attention devoted to the development of the church. Yuri was a fairly merciful ruler, constantly building new cathedrals, monasteries, churches, and helping those in need.

On the other hand, he failed to protect Rus' from the Mongol-Tatar invasion and the devastation that followed. It was the unsuccessful policy of Prince Yuri that would largely be the reason for the long reign of the Tatars on the territory of Rus'.

Nevertheless, for his attitude towards the church and mercy, Yuri was canonized in 1645.

Yuri (George) Vsevolodovich(November 26, 1188 - March 4, 1238) - Grand Duke of Vladimir (1212-1216, 1218-1238), Prince of Gorodets (1216-1217), Prince of Suzdal (1217-1218).

The third son of the Grand Duke of Vladimir Vsevolod Yuryevich Big Nest from his first marriage, with Maria Shvarnovna. Canonized by Russian Orthodox Church in the face of the faithful princes. The relics of the prince are in the Assumption Cathedral of Vladimir.

early years

Born in Suzdal on November 26, 1188. Bishop Luke baptized him. On July 28, 1192, they were committed tonsure Yuri and on the same day they put him on a horse; “And there was great joy in the city of Suzdal,” noted the chronicler.

In 1207, Yuri took part in a campaign against the Ryazan princes, in the winter of 1208/1209 with Constantine on Torzhok against the Novgorodians, who imprisoned his brother, Svyatoslav, and called Mstislav Mstislavich Udatny to reign, and at the very beginning of 1209 - against the Ryazanians , trying to take advantage of the absence of the main Suzdal forces and attacking the outskirts of Moscow.

In 1211, Yuri married Princess Agathia Vsevolodovna, daughter of Vsevolod Svyatoslavich Chermny, Prince of Chernigov; The wedding took place in Vladimir, in the Assumption Cathedral, by Bishop John.

Conflict with brother

In 1211, Vsevolod the Big Nest, with the support of a specially convened meeting with the participation of the boyars and Bishop John, gave the Grand Duke's Vladimir table to Yuri in violation of the rights of his eldest son, Constantine.

On April 14, 1212, Vsevolod died, and the contradictions between the brothers resulted in civil strife. The 3rd oldest brother Yaroslav took the side of Yuri, and the 4th and 5th brothers Vladimir and Svyatoslav took the side of Konstantin. Yuri was ready to give Vladimir in exchange for Rostov, but Konstantin did not agree to such an exchange and offered his brother Suzdal, he refused. At first, the struggle took place on the territory of the principality, but then, when the interests of Yuri and Yaroslav intersected with the interests of the Smolensk Rostislavichs, in particular Mstislav Udatny, in Novgorod, the Smolensk and Novgorodians invaded the Vladimir-Suzdal principality, united with Constantine and defeated Yuri, Yaroslav and the Murom residents and put under the great reign of Constantine. Yuri received his inheritance Gorodets Radilov on the Volga. Bishop Simon followed him there. The very next year, Konstantin gave Yuri Suzdal and, leaving the Rostov land as an inheritance to his offspring, recognized his brother as his successor at the grand ducal table. Constantine died on February 2, 1218, and Yuri became Grand Duke for the second time.

Foreign policy

Yuri Vsevolodovich, like his father, achieved foreign policy successes, largely avoiding military clashes. In the period 1220-1234, Vladimir troops (including those in alliance with Novgorod, Ryazan, Murom and Lithuanian) conducted 14 campaigns. Of these, only three ended in battles (victories over external opponents; 1220, 1226, 1234).

Already in 1212, Yuri released from captivity the Ryazan princes captured by his father in 1208, including Ingvar and Yuri Igorevich, who came to power in Ryazan as a result of the struggle of 1217-1219 and became Yuri's allies.

In 1217, the Volga Bulgarians reached Ustyug, but retaliatory measures were taken only after the death of Constantine and Yuri’s rise to power, in 1220. Yuri sent a large army under the leadership of his brother Svyatoslav; the army reached the city of Oshel on the Volga and burned it. At the same time, the Rostov and Ustyug regiments along the Kama entered the land of the Bulgarians and destroyed many cities and villages. At the mouth of the Kama, both armies united and returned home. That same winter, the Bulgarians sent envoys to ask for peace, but Yuri refused them.

In 1221, he himself wanted to go against the Bulgarians and marched to Gorodets. On the way, he was met by a second Bulgarian embassy with the same request and was again refused. A third embassy arrived in Gorodets with rich gifts, and this time Yuri agreed to peace. In order to strengthen an important place for Russia at the confluence of the Oka and the Volga, Yuri at that time founded the city of “Nov Grad” (Nizhny Novgorod) here, on the Dyatlov Mountains. At the same time, he built a wooden church in the name of the Archangel Michael in the new city (later the Archangel Cathedral), and in 1225 he founded the stone Church of the Savior.

The founding of Nizhny Novgorod entailed a struggle with the Mordovians, taking advantage of disagreements between its princes. In 1226, Yuri sent his brothers Svyatoslav and Ivan against her, and in September 1228, his nephew Vasilko Konstantinovich of Rostov; in January 1229 he himself went against the Mordovians. After this, the Mordovians attacked Nizhny Novgorod, and in 1232 they were pacified by Yuri’s son Vsevolod with the princes of Ryazan and Murom. Opponents of the spread of Vladimir's influence on the Mordovian lands were defeated, but a few years later, during Mongol invasion, part of the Mordovian tribes sided with the Mongols.

Yuri organized campaigns to help his former opponents in the Battle of Lipitsa: the Rostislavichs of Smolensk, defeated by the Mongols on Kalka - in 1223 to the southern Russian lands led by his nephew Vasilko Konstantinovich, who, however, did not have to fight: having reached Chernigov, he learned of the defeat Russians and returned to Vladimir; and in 1225 - against the Lithuanians, who ravaged the Smolensk and Novgorod lands, ending with the victory of Yaroslav at Usvyat.

In 1222-1223, Yuri twice sent troops, respectively, led by the brothers Svyatoslav to Wenden and Yaroslav to Revel to help the Estonia, who rebelled against the Order of the Sword. In the first campaign, the Lithuanians were allies of the Russians. According to the Chronicle of Henry of Latvia, a third campaign was launched in 1224, but Russian troops only reached Pskov. Russian chronicles date Yuri's conflict with the Novgorod nobility to approximately the same time. Vsevolod Yuryevich was taken by his supporters from Novgorod to Torzhok, where in 1224 his father came to him with an army. Yuri demanded the extradition of the Novgorod boyars, with whom he was dissatisfied, and threatened to come to Novgorod in case of disobedience water your horses with Volkhov, but then left without bloodshed, being satisfied with a large sum of money and giving the Novgorodians his brother-in-law, Prince Mikhail Vsevolodovich from the Chernigov Olgovichs, as princes.

In 1226, Yuri sent troops to help Mikhail in his fight against Oleg Kursk in the Principality of Chernigov; The campaign ended successfully, but after establishing itself in Chernigov, Mikhail entered into a fight with Yaroslav Vsevolodovich for the reign of Novgorod. In 1228, Yaroslav, again expelled from Novgorod, suspected the participation of his older brother in his exile and won over his Konstantinovich nephews, Vasilko, Prince of Rostov, and Vsevolod, Prince of Yaroslavl, to his side. When Yuri found out about this, he called all his relatives to the Suzdal Congress in September 1229. At this congress he managed to settle all the misunderstandings:

And everyone bowed to Yuri, who was his father and master.

In 1230, Yuri married his eldest son Vsevolod to the daughter of Vladimir Rurikovich of Kyiv and, with the diplomatic support of the latter and Metropolitan Kirill, transferred Novgorod to Mikhail and his son Rostislav. But having finally lost Novgorod in favor of Yaroslav (1231), Mikhail immediately joined the fight for Kyiv against Vladimir Rurikovich and Daniil Romanovich of Volyn, who came over to his side. In 1232, Yuri went to the Chernigov land against Mikhail in the direction of Serensk, and stood there for some time. Mikhail avoided direct combat. In 1229, the campaign against the order planned by Yaroslav did not take place due to disagreements with the Novgorodians and Pskovians, but after Pope Gregory IX declared a crusade (1232), Yaroslav defeated the knights in the battle of Omovzha. After 1231, for a hundred years, only the descendants of Vsevolod the Big Nest were Novgorod princes.

List of military campaigns of the Vladimir troops in the period 1218-1238

• 1219 - Ingvar Igorevich. Gleb Vladimirovich and the Polovtsy;
• 1220 - Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich. Volga Bulgaria, Oshel;
• 1221 - Yuri Vsevolodovich. Volga Bulgaria, Gorodets;
• 1222 - Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich. Order of the Sword, Wenden;
• 1223 - Vasilko Konstantinovich. Mongol Empire, Chernigov;
• 1223 - Yaroslav Vsevolodovich. Order of the Sword, Revel;
• 1224 - Yuri Vsevolodovich. Novgorod land, Torzhok;
• 1226 - Yaroslav Vsevolodovich. Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Battle of Usvyat;
• 1226 - Yuri Vsevolodovich. Chernigov Principality, Kursk;
• 1226 - Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich. Mordva;
• 1228 - Vasilko Konstantinovich. Mordva;
• 1229 - Yuri Vsevolodovich. Mordva;
• 1231 - Yuri Vsevolodovich, Yaroslav Vsevolodovich. Chernigov Principality, Serensk, Mosalsk;
• 1232 - Vsevolod Yurievich. Mordva;
• 1234 - Yaroslav Vsevolodovich. Order of the Swordsmen, Battle of Omovzha;
• 1237 - Vsevolod Yurievich. Mongol Empire, Battle of Kolomna;
• 1238 - Yuri Vsevolodovich. Mongol Empire, Battle of the City River.

Mongol invasion

In 1236, at the beginning of the Mongol campaign in Europe, Volga Bulgaria was devastated. According to Vasily Tatishchev, the refugees were accepted by Yuri and settled in the Volga cities. At the end of 1237, Batu appeared within the Ryazan principality. The Ryazan princes turned to Yuri for help, but he did not give it to them, wanting to “start the fight himself.” Batu's ambassadors came to Ryazan and Vladimir demanding tribute, were refused in Ryazan, were given gifts in Vladimir, but at the same time Yuri sent troops led by his eldest son Vsevolod to help Roman Ingvarevich, who had retreated from Ryazan.

Having destroyed Ryazan on December 16, Batu moved towards Kolomna. Vsevolod was defeated and fled to Vladimir (the Vladimir governor Eremey Glebovich and the youngest son of Genghis Khan Kulkan died). After this victory, Batu burned Moscow, captured Vladimir, the second son of Yuri, and moved towards Vladimir.

Vereshchagin V. P. Bishop Kirill finds the headless body of Grand Duke Yuri on the battlefield on the Sit River

Having received news of these events, Yuri called a council of princes and boyars and, after much deliberation, set off across the Volga to gather an army. Surviving in Vladimir were his wife Agafia Vsevolodovna, sons Vsevolod and Mstislav, daughter Theodora, Vsevolod’s wife Marina, Mstislav’s wife Maria and Vladimir’s wife Khristina, grandchildren and governor Pyotr Osledyukovich. The siege of the city of Vladimir began on February 2 or 3, 1238, the city fell on February 7 (according to Rashid ad-Din, the siege and assault lasted 8 days). The Mongol-Tatars burst into the city and set it on fire. Yuri's entire family perished (Vladimir Martyrs); of all his offspring, only his daughter Dobrava survived, who had been married to Vasilko Romanovich, Prince of Volyn since 1226. On March 4 of the same year, in the Battle of the City River, the Grand Duke's troops were defeated at the camp by secondary forces of the Mongols led by Burundai, who followed a more northern route separately from the main forces. Yuri himself was among those killed.

The headless body of the prince was discovered by the princely clothes among the remaining unburied bodies of killed soldiers on the battlefield by Bishop Kirill of Rostov, returning from Beloozero. He took the body to Rostov and buried it in a stone coffin in the Church of Our Lady. Subsequently, Yuri's head was also found and attached to the body.

In 1239, the remains were solemnly transferred by Yaroslav Vsevolodovich to Vladimir and placed in the Assumption Cathedral. In the “Book of the Degree of the Royal Genealogy” it is described that the head of Grand Duke Yuri Vsevolodovich stuck to his body during burial, and his right hand was raised up: “ His holy head is so closely attached to his honest body, as if there is not a trace of cutting off on his neck, but all the parts are intact and inseparable... Also, his right hand is stretched out to see, with it, as if alive, showing the feat of his accomplishment" On February 13 and 15, 1919, the autopsy of his relics took place. According to Orthodox Encyclopedia, an eyewitness to the opening of the relics reported that the head of Grand Duke Yuri had previously been cut off, but had grown together with the body in such a way that cervical vertebrae were displaced and fused incorrectly.

Assessing the personality and performance of the board

Historians and novelists, according to an established tradition laid down by noble historiography, saw in Yuri Vsevolodovich the direct culprit of the terrible ruin of Rus'. This point of view was criticized in the famous study of Doctor of Historical Sciences V.V. Kargalov “ Ancient Rus' in Soviet fiction" The author writes: “ The reader involuntarily gets the impression that if on the eve of the Mongol-Tatar invasion it was not Yuri Vsevolodovich who was sitting on the grand ducal “table”, but some other, more energetic and far-sighted prince... then the outcome of the war could have been different... The tragedy of the country was different: the bravest and most energetic princes and governors (and there were many of them in Rus'!), due to feudal fragmentation, could not unite the forces of the people to repel the conquerors" However, this point of view, which can also be called traditional, raises serious objections in historiography. It is emphasized that in the first half of the 13th century the Mongols conquered many countries at very different stages of development, and the idea that Rus' could have successfully resisted the invasion if it had been united is erroneous.

Warmly and convincingly, on the basis of numerous chronicles and other documents, the prominent Soviet prose writer and publicist Vladimir Chivilikhin rehabilitates Prince Yuri in the opinion of his descendants in his novel-essay “ Memory", awarded the USSR State Prize. But the fate of the Great Prince of Vladimir Yuri II Vsevolodovich and his time are still waiting to be revealed by historians and novelists.

Canonization

According to the chronicler, “Yuri was adorned with good morals: he tried to fulfill God's commandments; I always had the fear of God in my heart, remembering the Lord’s commandment about love not only for neighbors, but also for enemies, and was merciful beyond measure; not sparing his property, he distributed it to the needy, built churches and decorated them with priceless icons and books; honored priests and monks." In 1221, he founded a new stone cathedral in Suzdal to replace the dilapidated one, and in 1233 he painted it and paved it with marble. In Nizhny Novgorod he founded the Annunciation Monastery.

In 1645, the incorruptible relics of the prince were found, and on January 5, 1645, Patriarch Joseph began the process of canonization of Yuri Vsevolodovich by the Orthodox Church. At the same time, the relics were placed in a silver shrine. Yuri Vsevolodovich was canonized as a saint. Holy Blessed Prince Georgy Vsevolodovich. His memory is February 4 (17), according to Mikhail Tolstoy, “in memory of his transfer from Rostov to Vladimir.”

In 1795, on the initiative of the Nizhny Novgorod vice-governor, Prince Vasily Dolgorukov, a descendant of Yuri Vsevolodovich, the date of birth of the city’s founder began to be celebrated in Nizhny Novgorod.

Folk legends

Founding of Kitezh.According to this legend, in 1164 Georgy Vsevolodovich rebuilt Small Kitezh (presumably modern Gorodets), founded the Feodorovsky Gorodets Monastery in it, and then went to a very remote region, where he built (in 1165) on the shore of Lake Svetloyar Great Kitezh, that is, actually the legendary city of Kitezh.

Foundation of Yuryevets Prince Yuri Vsevolodovich was sailing along the Volga with his army; opposite the mouth of the Unzha River, he saw a fire on the mountain and decided to stop in this place. And as soon as they climbed the mountain, he saw the icon of St. George the Victorious and decided to found a fortress here, later a city in honor of his saint of God - Yuryevets. This icon, as stated in the chronicle, was written on a board with spherical outlines and was subsequently transferred to Moscow to the Assumption Cathedral (according to another source, it was carved on stone).

Testament of Yuri Vsevolodovich.“Get along with the Russians and don’t disdain the Mordovians. It’s a sin to fraternize and worship with the Mordovians, but it’s better than everyone else! But the Cheremis only have black ears and a white conscience!”

Grant of Mordovian land.“The old people from the Mordovians, having learned about the arrival of the Russian prince, sent him beef and beer with the young people. The young people ate expensive beef, drank beer, and brought land and water to the Russian prince. Prince Murza was delighted with this gift, accepted it as a sign of submission to the Mordovian tribe and sailed further along the Volga River. Where he throws a handful of land donated to him by the slow-witted Mordovian youth, there will be a city; where he throws a pinch, there will be a village...”

The first inhabitants of Nizhny Novgorod The first Nizhny Novgorod settlers were artisans who fled from Novgorod from boyar taxes. Yuri Vsevolodovich took them under his protection and involved them in construction, thanks to which the first fortress was built in a year.

The end of Nizhny Novgorod.“There is a small stream in Nizhny Novgorod near the fortress; it flows through ravines and flows into the Volga near St. Nicholas Church. His name is Pochaynaya and they say that Yuri Vsevolodovich, the founder of Nizhny Novgorod, named this stream that way, being struck by the similarity of the Nizhny Novgorod location with the Kyiv location. In the place where Pochaina originates, there is a large stone on which something was previously written, but has now been erased. The fate of Nizhny Novgorod depends on this stone: in Lately he will move; Water will come out from under it and drown the whole of Nizhny.”

Family

Wife since 1211 Agafia Vsevolodovna (about 1195 - 1238), daughter of Vsevolod Svyatoslavich Chermny, Prince of Chernigov, Grand Duke of Kyiv.

Sons

• Vsevolod (Dmitry) (1212/1213 - 1238), Prince of Novgorod (1221-1222, 1223-1224). Married since 1230 to Marina (1215-1238), daughter of Vladimir Rurikovich. Killed at Batu's headquarters during negotiations before the capture of Vladimir by the Mongols.
• Mstislav (after 1213 - 1238), married since 1236 to Maria (1220-1238) (origin unknown). He died during the capture of Vladimir by the Mongols.
• Vladimir (after 1218 - 1238), Prince of Moscow, married since 1236 to Christina (1219-1238) (origin unknown, presumably from the Monomashich family). Killed during the siege of Vladimir by the Mongols.

• Dobrava (1215-1265) In 1226, she was married to Prince Vasilko Romanovich of Volyn, thanks to this she was the only survivor of the devastation of Vladimir by the Tatar-Mongols (1238), a descendant of Yuri Vsevolodovich.
• Theodora (1229-1238)