I, thin, by my grandfather Yaroslav, blessed, glorious, named in baptism Vasily, Russian name Vladimir, beloved father and mother from the Monomakh family... and Christians for the sake of people, for how many of them I saved by my mercy and by my father’s prayer from all troubles! Sitting on the sleigh, I thought in my soul and gave praise to God, who saved me until these days, a sinner. My children or anyone else, when listening to this letter, do not laugh, but whichever of my children loves it, let him accept it in his heart and not become lazy, but work.
First of all, for the sake of God and your soul, have the fear of God in your heart and give generous alms, this is the beginning of all good. If anyone doesn’t like this letter, then let them not laugh, but they will say: on a long journey, while sitting on a sleigh, he said something absurd.
For ambassadors from my brothers met me on the Volga and said: “Hurry to us, and we will drive out the Rostislavichs, and we will take away their volost; if you don’t come with us, then we will be on our own, and you will be on your own.” And I answered: “Even though you are angry, I cannot go with you or break the kiss of the cross.”
And, having released them, he took the Psalter, unbent it in sorrow, and this is what came out to me: “What are you sad about, my soul? Why are you embarrassing me? - And so on. And then I collected these favorite words and arranged them in order and wrote them. If you don't like the last ones, at least take the first ones.
“Why are you sad, my soul? Why are you embarrassing me? Trust in God, for I believe in him.” “Do not compete with the wicked, do not envy those who do iniquity, for the wicked will be destroyed, but those who obey the Lord will rule the earth.” And a little more: “And there will be no sinner; you will look at his place and you will not find him. The meek will inherit the earth and many will enjoy peace. The sinner plots against the righteous and gnashes his teeth at him; The Lord will laugh at him, for he sees that his day will come.
Sinners have drawn their weapons and are drawing their bows to pierce the poor and needy and to slay the upright in heart. Their weapons will pierce their hearts, and their bows will be broken. A little is better for the righteous than much riches for sinners. For the strength of sinners is broken, but the Lord strengthens the righteous. Just as sinners perish, He has mercy and gifts on the righteous. For those who bless him will inherit the earth, but those who curse him will be destroyed. Man's feet are guided by the Lord. When he falls, he will not be broken, for the Lord supports his hand. He was young and old, and did not see the righteous abandoned, nor his descendants asking for bread. Every day the righteous give alms and lend, and his tribe will be blessed. Turn away from evil, do good, find peace and drive away evil, and live forever and ever.”
“When people rebelled, they would devour us alive; when his wrath was angry with us, the waters would drown us.”
“Have mercy on me, O God, for man has trampled me under foot; Attacking every day, it presses me. My enemies have trampled me, for there are many who rise up against me from above.” “The righteous will rejoice and, when he sees vengeance, he will wash his hands in the blood of the sinner. And a person will say: “If there is a reward for the righteous, then there is a God who creates judgment on earth.” “Free me from my enemies, O God, and protect me from those who rise up against me. Deliver me from the workers of iniquity and save me from the man of blood, for they have already captured my soul.” “For wrath is in the moment of his wrath, but all life is in his will: mourning may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” “For your mercy is better than my life, and let my mouth praise you. So I will bless you during my lifetime and in your name I will lift up my hands.” “Hide me from the congregation of the wicked and from the multitude of those who do injustice.” “Rejoice, all you righteous in heart. I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise will never cease,” and so on.
For as Vasily taught, having gathered young men: to have a pure and immaculate soul, a thin body, a meek conversation and to observe the word of the Lord: “Eat and drink without great noise, be silent with the old, listen to the wise, submit to the elders, have love with equals and younger ones, without speaking wickedly, but understanding more; do not rage with words, do not blaspheme in conversation, do not laugh too much, be ashamed of your elders, do not talk with ridiculous women, keep your eyes down and your soul up, avoid vanity; do not shy away from teaching those who are carried away by power, to place universal honor at nothing. If any of you can benefit others, let him hope for reward from God and enjoy eternal blessings.” “Oh, Lady Mother of God! Take away pride and insolence from my poor heart, so that I will not be magnified by the vanity of this world” in this insignificant life.
Learn, believer, to be an achiever of piety, learn, according to the Gospel word, “control of the eyes, restraint of the tongue, humility of the mind, submission of the body, suppression of anger, to have pure thoughts, motivating yourself to good deeds, for the Lord’s sake; the deprived - do not take revenge, the hated - love, the persecuted - endure, the blasphemed - be silent, kill sin. Deliver the offended, give justice to the orphan, justify the widow. Come and let us unite, says the Lord. “Even if your sins are stained, I will whiten them like snow,” and so on. “The spring of fasting and the flower of repentance will dawn; Let us cleanse ourselves, brothers, from all blood, physical and mental. Calling upon the Light Giver, let us say: “Glory to you, Lover of Humanity!”
Truly, my children, understand that God, who loves mankind, is merciful and merciful. We humans are sinners and mortals, and if someone does evil to us, we want to devour him and quickly shed his blood; and our Lord, possessing both life and death, endures our sins above our heads throughout our lives. Just as a father, loving his child, beats him and again draws him to himself, so our Lord showed us victory over our enemies, how to get rid of them and defeat them with three good deeds: repentance, tears and alms. And this, my children, is not a heavy commandment from God, how to get rid of your sins and not lose the kingdom of heaven by doing these three things.
For God’s sake, don’t be lazy, I pray you, don’t forget those three things, they’re not hard; neither by seclusion, nor by monasticism, nor by fasting, which other virtuous people endure, but in small deeds one can receive God’s mercy.
“What is a person, how do you think about him?” “Great art thou, O Lord, and wonderful are thy works; the human mind cannot comprehend your miracles,” and again we will say: “Great art thou, O Lord, and wonderful are thy works, and blessed and glorious is thy name forever throughout all the earth.” For who does not praise and glorify your power and your great miracles and blessings arranged in this world: how the sky is built, or how the sun, or how the moon, or how the stars, and darkness, and light, and the earth is laid on the waters, Lord , by your craft! Various animals, birds and fish are adorned by your providence, Lord! And let us marvel at this miracle, how he created man from dust, how diverse human faces are; If we collect all people, they do not all have the same appearance, but each has its own facial appearance, according to God’s wisdom. And let us marvel at how the birds of heaven come from paradise, and first of all into our hands, and do not settle in one country, but both the strong and the weak go throughout all lands, at God’s command, so that the forests and fields are filled. Yet God gave this for the benefit of people, for food and joy. Great, Lord, is your mercy towards us, since you created these blessings for the sake of sinful man. And the same birds of heaven are wise by you, Lord: when you command, they will sing and make people happy; and when you do not command them, even though they have a tongue, they become numb. “And blessed, O Lord, and greatly glorified!” “He created and performed all kinds of miracles and these blessings. And whoever does not praise you, Lord, and does not believe with all his heart and with all his soul in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, let him be cursed!”
After reading these divine words, my children, praise God, who has given us his mercy; otherwise what follows is an instruction from my own weak mind. Listen to me: if you don’t accept everything, then at least half of it.
If God softens your heart, shed tears for your sins, saying: “Just as you had mercy on the harlot, the thief and the publican, so have mercy on us sinners.” And do the same in church and when you lie down. Don’t miss a single night—if you can, bow to the ground; if you get sick, then three times. Don’t forget this, don’t be lazy, for with that night bow and prayer a person defeats the devil, and whatever sins he sins during the day, that person gets rid of. If you have nothing to do even while riding on a horse, and if you don’t know how to say other prayers, then cry out “Lord have mercy” incessantly in secret, for this prayer is better than all, rather than thinking foolish things while riding.
In general, do not forget the more wretched, but, as much as you can, feed and serve the orphan and the widow yourself, and do not let the strong destroy a person. Kill neither the right nor the guilty, and do not command him to be killed; even if you are guilty of death, then do not destroy any Christian soul. When you say anything, good or bad, do not swear to God, do not be baptized, for you have no need for this. If you have to kiss the cross, brethren or someone else, then, having checked your heart, what you can stand on, kiss it, and having kissed it, be careful not to destroy your soul by transgressing. Honor bishops, priests and abbots, and lovingly accept blessings from them, and do not distance yourself from them, and love and care for them as much as you can, so that you can receive them from God through their prayer. Above all, do not have pride in your heart and mind, but let us say: we are mortal, today we are alive, and tomorrow we are in the grave; all this that you gave us, not ours, but yours, entrusted it to us for a few days. And don’t save anything in the land, it’s a great sin for us. Honor the old as your father, and the young as your brothers. Do not be lazy in your home, but watch everything yourself; Do not rely on the tiun or the youth, lest those who come to you laugh at your house or at your dinner. When you go to war, do not be lazy, do not rely on the commander; do not indulge in drinking, eating, or sleeping; Dress up the guards yourself, and at night, placing guards on all sides, lie down near the soldiers, and get up early; and do not take off your weapons in a hurry, without looking around out of laziness, because suddenly a person dies. Beware of lies, and drunkenness, and fornication, because the soul and the body perish from this. Wherever you go through your lands, do not let the youths harm either your own or strangers, or villages, or crops, so that they do not curse you. Wherever you go and where you stop, give drink and food to the beggar, but most of all honor the guest, no matter where he comes to you, whether he is a commoner, or a noble, or an ambassador; if you cannot honor him with a gift, then with food and drink: for as they pass, they will glorify a person throughout all lands, either good or evil. Visit the sick, see off the dead, for we are all mortal. Don’t let a person pass without greeting him, and say a kind word to him. Love your wife, but don’t give them power over you. And here’s the basis for everything: have the fear of God above all else.
If you don’t remember this, then re-read it more often: I won’t be ashamed, and you will feel good.
What you can do well, don’t forget, and what you can’t do, learn it - like my father, sitting at home, he knew five languages, that’s why he received honor from other countries. Laziness is the mother of everything: what someone knows how to do, he will forget, and what he doesn’t know how to do, he will not learn. When you do good, do not be lazy about anything good, first of all towards the church: do not let the sun find you in bed. This is what my blessed father and all good and perfect men did. Having given praise to God at matins, then at sunrise and seeing the sun, one must joyfully glorify God and say: “Enlighten my eyes, O Christ God, who has given me your beautiful light.” And again: “Lord, add one year to another for me, so that in the future, having repented of my other sins, I will correct my life”; So I praise God even when I sit down to think with my squad, or am about to judge people, or go hunting or collecting tribute, or go to bed: sleeping at noon is appointed by God; According to this institution, both animals, birds, and people rest.
Vladimir Monomakh - Teachings of Vladimir Monomakh
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TEACHINGS OF VLADIMIR MONOMACH
I, humble, by my grandfather Yaroslav, blessed, glorious, named in baptism Vasily, Russian name Vladimir, beloved father and mother from the Monomakh family... and Christians for the sake of people, for how many of them I saved by my mercy and by my father’s prayer from all troubles! Sitting on the sleigh, I thought in my soul and gave praise to God, who saved me until these days, a sinner. My children or anyone else, when listening to this letter, do not laugh, but whichever of my children loves it, let him accept it in his heart and not become lazy, but work.
First of all, for the sake of God and your soul, have the fear of God in your heart and give generous alms - this is the beginning of all good. If anyone doesn’t like this letter, then let them not laugh, but they will say: on a long journey, while sitting on a sleigh, he said something absurd.
For ambassadors from my brothers met me on the Volga and said: “Hurry to us, and we will drive out the Rostislavichs and take away their volost; if you don’t come with us, then we will be on our own, and you will be on your own.” And I answered: “Even though you are angry, I cannot go with you or break the kiss of the cross.”
And, having released them, he took the Psalter in sadness and unbent it, and this is what came out to me: “What are you sad about, my soul? Why are you embarrassing me? - And so on. And then I collected these favorite words and arranged them in order and wrote them. If you don't like the last ones, at least take the first ones.
“Why are you sad, my soul? Why are you embarrassing me? Trust in God, for I believe in him.” “Do not compete with the evil ones, do not envy those who do iniquity, for the evil ones will be destroyed, but those who obey the Lord will possess the earth.” And a little more: “And there will be no sinner: you will look at his place and will not find him. The meek will inherit the earth and many will enjoy peace. The sinner plots against the righteous and gnashes his teeth at him; the Lord will laugh at him, for he sees that his day will come. Sinners have drawn their weapons and are drawing their bows to pierce the poor and needy and to slay the upright in heart. Their weapons will pierce their hearts, and their bows will be broken. A little is better for the righteous than much wealth for sinners. For the strength of sinners is broken, but the Lord strengthens the righteous. For sinners will perish, but He has mercy and gifts on the righteous. For those who bless him will inherit the earth, but those who curse him will be destroyed. Man's feet are guided by the Lord. When he falls, he will not be broken, for the Lord supports his hand. He was young and old, and did not see the righteous abandoned, nor his descendants asking for bread. Every day the righteous give alms and lend, and his tribe will be blessed. Turn away from evil, do good, find peace and drive away evil, and live forever and ever.”
“When people rebelled, they would devour us alive; when his wrath was angry with us, the waters would drown us.”
“Have mercy on me, O God, for man has trampled me; Attacking every day, it presses me. My enemies have trampled me, for there are many who rise up against me from above.” “The righteous will rejoice and, when he sees vengeance, he will wash his hands in the blood of the sinner. And the man will say; “If there is a reward for the righteous, then there is a God who executes judgment on earth.” “Free me from my enemies, O God, and protect me from those who rise up against me. Deliver me from the workers of iniquity and save me from the man of blood, for they have already captured my soul.” “For wrath is in the moment of his wrath, but all life is in his will: mourning may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” “For your mercy is better than my life, and let my mouth praise you. So I will bless you during my lifetime and in your name I will lift up my hands.” “Hide me from the congregation of the wicked and from the multitude of those who do injustice.” “Rejoice, all you righteous in heart. I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise will never cease,” and so on.
For as Vasily taught, having gathered young men: to have a pure and immaculate soul, a thin body, a meek conversation and to keep the word of the Lord: “Eat and drink without great noise, be silent with the old, listen to the wise, submit to the elders, have love with equals and younger ones, without speaking wickedly, but understanding more; do not rage with words, do not blaspheme in conversation, do not laugh a lot, be ashamed of your elders, do not talk to unlucky women and avoid them, keeping your eyes down and your soul up, do not shy away from teaching those who are carried away by power, to place universal honor at nothing. If any of you can benefit others, let him hope for reward from God and enjoy eternal blessings.” “Oh, Lady Mother of God! Take away pride and insolence from my poor heart, so that I will not be magnified by the vanity of this world” in this insignificant life.
Learn, believer, to be an achiever of piety, learn, according to the Gospel word, “control of the eyes, restraint of the tongue, humility of the mind, submission of the body, suppression of anger, to have pure thoughts, motivating yourself to good deeds, for the sake of the Lord; the deprived - do not take revenge, the hated - love, the persecuted - endure, the blasphemed - be silent, kill sin. “Deliver the oppressed, give justice to the orphan, justify the widow. Come let us unite, says the Lord. If your sins are stained, I will whiten them like snow,” and so on. “The spring of fasting and the flower of repentance will dawn; Let us cleanse ourselves, brothers, from all blood, physical and mental. Calling upon the light-giver, let us say: “Glory to you, lover of mankind!”
Truly, my children, understand that God, a lover of mankind, is merciful and merciful. We humans are sinners and mortals, and if someone does evil to us, we want to devour him and shed his blood soon. And our Lord, possessing both life and death, tolerates our sins above our heads throughout our entire life. Just as a father, loving his child, beats him and again draws him to himself, so our Lord showed us victory over our enemies, how to get rid of them and defeat them with three good deeds: repentance, tears and alms. And this, my children, is not a difficult commandment of God, how to get rid of your sins and not lose the kingdom of heaven with these three deeds.
For God’s sake, don’t be lazy, I pray you, don’t forget those three things, they’re not hard; neither by seclusion, nor by monasticism, nor by fasting, which other virtuous people endure, but in small deeds one can receive God’s mercy.
“What is a person, how do you think about him?” “Great art thou, O Lord, and wonderful are thy works; the human mind cannot comprehend your miracles,” and again we will say: “Great are you, O Lord, and wonderful are your works, and blessed and glorious is your name forever throughout all the earth.” For who will not praise and glorify your power and your great miracles and blessings arranged in this world: how the sky is structured, or how the sun, or how the moon, or how the stars, and darkness, and light? And the land on the waters was laid, Lord, by your providence! Various animals and birds and fish are decorated with your craft, Lord! And let us marvel at this miracle, how he created man from dust, how diverse human faces are - if we collect all people, not everyone has the same appearance, but each has his own facial appearance, according to God's wisdom. And let us marvel at how the birds of heaven come from paradise, and first of all into our hands, and do not settle in one country, but both the strong and the weak go across all lands, at God’s command, so that the forests and fields are filled. Yet God gave this for the benefit of people, for food and joy. Great, Lord, is your mercy towards us, since you created these blessings for the sake of sinful man. And the same birds of heaven are wise by you, Lord: when you command, they will sing and make people happy; and when you do not command them, even those who have a tongue will become numb. “And blessed, O Lord, and greatly glorified!” “He created and performed all kinds of miracles and these blessings. “And whoever does not praise you, Lord, and does not believe with all his heart and with all his soul in the name of the father and the son and the holy spirit, let him be cursed!”
After reading these divine words, my children, praise God, who has given us his mercy; Otherwise, what follows is an instruction from my own weak mind. Listen to me; If you don’t accept everything, then at least half.
If God softens your heart, shed tears for your sins, saying: “Just as you had mercy on the harlot, the thief and the publican, so have mercy on us sinners.” And do the same in church and when you lie down. Don’t miss a single night—if you can, bow to the ground; if you get sick, then three times. Don’t forget this, don’t be lazy, for with that night bow and prayer a person defeats the devil, and whatever sins he sins during the day, that person gets rid of. If you don’t have anything to do even while riding a horse, and if you don’t know how to say other prayers, then cry out “Lord have mercy” incessantly in secret, for this prayer is better than all of them, rather than thinking foolish things while riding.
In general, do not forget the more wretched, but, as much as you can, feed and serve the orphan and the widow yourself, and do not let the strong destroy a person. Kill neither the right nor the guilty, and do not command him to be killed; even if you are guilty of death, then do not destroy any Christian soul. When you say anything, good or bad, do not swear to God, do not be baptized, for you have no need for this. If you have to kiss the cross, brethren or someone else, then, having checked your heart, what you can stand on, kiss it, and having kissed it, be careful not to destroy your soul by transgressing. Honor bishops, priests and abbots, and lovingly accept blessings from them, and do not distance yourself from them, and love and care for them as much as you can, so that you can receive them from God through their prayer. Above all, have pride in your heart and mind, but let us say: we are mortal, today we are alive, and tomorrow in the grave; all this that you gave us, not ours, but yours, entrusted it to us for a few days. And don’t save anything in the land, it’s a great sin for us. Honor the old as your father, and the young as your brothers. Do not be lazy in your home, but watch everything yourself; Do not rely on the tiun or on the youth, lest those who come to you laugh at your house or at your dinner. When you go to war, do not be lazy, do not rely on the commander; do not indulge in drinking, eating, or sleeping; Dress up the guards yourself and at night, placing guards on all sides, lie down near the soldiers, and get up early; and do not take off your weapons in a hurry, without looking around out of laziness, because suddenly a person dies. Beware of lies, and drunkenness, and fornication, because the soul and the body perish from this. Wherever you go through your lands, do not let the youths harm either your own or strangers, or villages, or crops, so that they do not curse you. Wherever you go and where you stop, give drink and food to the beggar, but most of all honor the guest, no matter where he comes to you, whether he is a commoner, or a noble, or an ambassador; if you cannot honor him with a gift, then with food and drink: for as they pass, they will glorify a person throughout all lands, either good or evil. Visit the sick, see off the dead, for we are all mortal. Don’t let a person pass without greeting him, and say a kind word to him. Love your wife, but don’t give them power over you. And here’s the basis for everything: have the fear of God above all else.
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Family tree of Monomakh
A descendant of the Rurikovichs, who opened the path “from the Varangians to the Greeks,” Vladimir Vsevolodovich was born in 1053. The glorious path was completed by the prince of Kyiv in 1125.
Monomakh's genealogy presents him as:
- grandson of Yaroslav the Wise;
- son of the first holder of the title “Prince of All Rus'” Vsevolod Yaroslavovich;
- a descendant of the Byzantine emperors Monomakhs from the Macedonian dynasty by maternal line.
Childhood and adolescence
Monomakh is translated as “combatant”.
The given name confirmed his readiness for any tests:
- since childhood, Rurikovich conquered the wilds of the Bryn forest;
- the youth defeated the hero from Kafa;
- At the age of thirteen he received the princely title and took part in military campaigns.
Vladimir's mother was Greek, his stepmother was Polovtsian Princess Anna. A multi-ethnic family shaped his peace-loving character traits. At 21, he himself became the head of the family. His English wife, Gita of Wessex, gave birth to five sons. She followed her husband on hikes. According to one version, Monomakh’s first wife rested in Palestine. His subsequent marriages took place after forty years.
Great Reign
The character and will of the future head of state were tempered in battles, and the Christian worldview was nourished. As he himself testifies in his instructional word, only the Lord preserved him in battles with animals, people and in extreme situations.
In various circumstances, the enemies and allies of the Grand Duke were:
- Cumans;
- torques;
- Rurik brothers.
Vladimir Monomakh was in no hurry to take power in Kyiv. But when he was almost sixty, a popular uprising broke out. It flared up immediately after the death of Svyatopolk and forced the prince of Pereyaslavl to accept the grand-ducal scepter in Kyiv. The death of his predecessor is surrounded by controversial historical implications. It was not the first sign of fratricidal conflicts among the Rurikovichs. But this is not surprising - power in all centuries has been obtained with blood. Monomakh's commandments to his children are an attempt to stop the vicious laws of wars between heirs to the throne.
The most significant events during Monomakh's reign were:
- Treaty of 1072 - “The Truth of the Yaroslavovichs”;
- congress in Lyubich in 1097;
- expulsion of the Cumans in 1111 to the outback under the specific name Tmutarakan.
Descendant of the Rurikovichs and Monomakhs - ruler and author of an ancient manuscript
At the end of the 18th century, it turned out that the library archive of Count Orlov’s adjutant, Musin-Pushkin, contained the Laurentian Chronicle with the “Teaching” of Monomakh. This manuscript managed to avoid the fate of most of the archive, which disappeared without a trace. The written statements of the rulers have historical significance. Among important state acts, a special place is occupied by instructions to the descendants of Vladimir Monomakh. Paying attention to the approximate year the commandment was written - 1099, it should be noted that by the time he ascended the Kiev throne in 1113, the author had all the makings of a supreme ruler.
The chapter of the Russian land united two principles:
- secular;
- spiritual.
Who is the author of the teaching and instruction does not arise for historians. This is Vladimir Monomakh himself. But in those days the Orthodox Church was subordinate to the Byzantine bishopric. It sent metropolitans to Kyiv. It is obvious that the tasks of secular power were formed under the influence of the religious literature of the holy fathers appointed by Byzantium. Therefore, Monomakh’s work is based on the “fear of God”, quotes from the Psalter of David. A contemporary of Monomakh and his spiritual guide was Metropolitan George, a Greek by nationality. This name appears in The Tale of Bygone Years. Also, an equally important role as his teacher in the period described is played by George’s successor, John II. They served as an example for the princes, as they themselves actively expanded ancient Russian writing.
The significance of the Teaching in history
History loses its meaning when it uses dubious conclusions. But it is difficult to distort it, having in hand letters from eyewitnesses. The most inveterate skeptics do not doubt the truth of Monomakh’s “Teachings”. And the sincerity of his presentation reveals the main features of his personality. The power of Rus' grew in a difficult struggle. She survived betrayals, raids, wars.
But the most important thing for the ruler was:
- the ability to define a common goal;
- the desire to sacrifice private interests for the sake of the Fatherland.
This is precisely what Monomakh’s appeal to his descendants is dedicated to, built on the Orthodox faith and love for his compatriots, for the Motherland. To write instructions in the Christian spirit at the beginning of the 12th century meant to set guidelines for the management of the Russian land. As a genre of ancient Russian literature, the work became immortal.
