Vladimir Monomakh by Boris Vasiliev, summary Automatic translate

This historical novel chronicles the youth and adulthood of the famous ruler of Ancient Rus’. Created in 2010, the work details the prince’s psychological maturation, showing the formation of his strong character through overcoming youthful fears, the intrigues of the Kievan court, and constant external threats. The novel is part of the historical cycle "Princes of Ancient Rus’." This literary series also includes "Oleg the Prophetic," "Olga, Queen of the Rus’," "Prince Svyatoslav," "Vladimir the Red Sun," and "Alexander Nevsky."

Early years and first trials

Vladimir, baptized Vasily, grows up as the beloved son of Grand Prince Vsevolod of Kyiv and the Byzantine Princess Anna. His mother instills in the boy an iron will. At the age of five, she forces him to mount a horse after a painful fall. At seven, the boy undergoes the ancient Slavic rite of horsemanship. His father personally presents the young warrior with a heavy weapon and pronounces: "Do not draw your sword needlessly, do not invest it without glory." Vsevolod talks frequently with his son, forcing him to read books and study European languages.

During a journey through the steppe, the young prince single-handedly kills a steppe leopard that had attacked him. He conceals this feat from his father but tells his mother. Anna asks her son to find help and free Prince Sudislav from captivity. During one of his hunts, Vladimir encounters the fugitive peasant Dobrynya and the enormous hero Ratibor. They swear an oath of allegiance to the young prince. That night, the trio secretly makes their way to the felling and frees the old Sudislav.

Vladimir’s father sends him to rule among the Krivichi in ancient Smolensk. There, the young man meets the local leader, Voislav. The old sorcerer warns the young ruler of the impending threat from the Normans and Swedish Varangians. Europe is reeling from the raids of the cruel Duke William the Conqueror. Refugees daily bring horrific news to Vsevolod’s palace of the atrocities perpetrated by Norman warriors on European lands.

Saving the Queen

Disturbing rumors about the fate of the English princess Gytha reach the Kyiv court. The King of England has died, and the legitimate heir to the throne is hiding from William the Conqueror’s assassins. It turns out that Gytha has taken refuge in the impregnable Danish castle of Kronborg. Grand Duke Vsevolod urgently dispatches an embassy convoy to the Kingdom of Denmark. Vladimir is entrusted with guarding the convoy. Svirid, the head of Kyiv’s intelligence, provides covert support for the mission, sending his best men along with Monomakh.

The road to Denmark is fraught with mortal danger. William’s mercenaries do everything in their power to stop the Russian army. A maddened messenger of the Grand Duke shoots Vladimir with an arrow. Ratibor shields the prince with his powerful body in time and is seriously wounded. Leaving the wounded warrior in the care of Voislav of Smolensk, Vladimir rushes straight to Kronborg. At the castle walls, Monomakh’s guards engage in an unequal battle with the Norman ambush and defeat the enemy.

Having reached the castle, Monomakh rescues Gita. The princess and the Russian prince develop a liking for each other. The fugitives escape by water on a merchant ship belonging to the Novgorod captain Miroslav. In the Gulf of Finland and on Lake Nevo, the Rusichi endure fierce battles with local sea pirates. The schooner is dragged ashore and then dragged across dry land. During this ordeal, Vladimir and Gita declare their love for each other. Upon arrival in Kyiv, they celebrate a lavish wedding.

Intrigues of the Kyiv throne

After Vsevolod’s death, the Kievan throne passes to Svyatopolk Izyaslavich. It is revealed that Svyatopolk is Monomakh’s half-brother, who had long served as a secret spy under the name of Nameless. Vladimir voluntarily cedes power to his elder brother. Monomakh settles in Chernigov, where he is surrounded by loyal friends. The prince meets the young Polovtsian khan Ilyas, as well as the physician Meslim from the Tork tribe. The young steppe khan falls in love with Ratibor’s daughter, Nadezhda. Ilyas is baptized under the name Ilya and marries a Russian girl.

Svyatopolk is constantly jealous of Monomakh’s popularity. The Grand Prince secretly bribes Khan Itlyar to carry out a bloody plunder of the Chernigov lands. Upon learning of this, Vladimir and Ilyas launch a powerful preemptive strike. Ilyas’s Polovtsian cavalry strikes the rear of Itlyar’s horde, and the Russian retinue of Voivode Zhelezyan quickly completes the rout. Itlyar flees to Kyiv to demand the promised gold. Svyatopolk gives him a sack of coins, but as he leaves the palace, Kievan guards kill the unfortunate steppe dweller.

The treacherous Svyatopolk sends Monomakh on a pointless campaign against Bohemia and the Czech Republic. Gytha, who remained at home, skillfully organizes the defense of the Chernigov estate. The Grand Duke’s mercenaries attempt to kidnap Monomakh’s children, but are met with a brutal rebuff. Upon learning of his brother’s deception, Vladimir immediately returns home. The vindictive Svyatopolk forbids him from leaving the Principality of Chernigov for a whole year.

Nomadic raids

The lull is suddenly interrupted by a daring attack by the Tmutarakan princes Boris and Gleb. They invade Monomakh’s domain due to a severe famine in their own lands. Vladimir rides out into the field alone and methodically destroys the enemy’s horses with well-aimed shots from his heavy bow. Khan Ilyas arrives and surrounds the attackers. Gleb dies in the melee, and Boris surrenders. Monomakh pardons his defeated enemy and sends heavily laden supply trains to Tmutarakan.

Soon, the brutal Altai horde of Khan Kitan besieges the border town of Starodub. A loyal servant rescues the prince’s daughter Vasilisa and secretly brings her to Monomakh. Vladimir devises a cunning plan to break the siege. While Ilyas distracts the enemy, the prince sneaks into the besieged city through a hidden gate. Monomakh opens fire on the Polovtsian commanders from the fortress walls. The troops of Ilyas and Zhelezyan completely defeat the disconcerted enemy. The rescued Prince of Starodub joyfully blesses Vasilisa’s marriage to Monomakh’s eldest son, Mstislav.

Svyatopolk makes another attempt to destroy his brother. The Grand Duke publicly accuses Monomakh of failing to carry out the order to sack Polotsk. Vladimir refused to destroy the city because of the splendid coronation of the local prince, Uleb. The Boyar Duma openly rises to Monomakh’s defense. Utterly enraged, Svyatopolk appoints Vladimir to rule Smolensk, desperately hoping to permanently distance him from the capital of Kyiv.

Battle for Rus’

A period of unprecedented and terrible drought begins. Wide rivers dry up, forests burn, and livestock perish en masse without water. The treacherous Khan Kitan amasses a vast army of steppe dwellers to finally subjugate the fragmented Rus’. Upon learning of this, Monomakh immediately rides to Kyiv. He persuades Svyatopolk to convene an emergency congress of all appanage princes in Lyubech. At the council, Vladimir is unanimously elected supreme commander of all Russian armies.

Monomakh develops a defense plan for the abandoned town of Klyansk. Russian troops dig deep trenches in the hard, rocky ground. Svirid cunningly lures the massive Polovtsian cavalry right up to the fortifications. Before the grand battle, Monomakh challenges Khan Kitan to a single, mortal combat. In a brutal clash, Vladimir pierces his enemy with his heavy sword. Tmutarakan horsemen steal the Polovtsian battle standard in full view.

Deprived of their leader and banner, the steppe dwellers launch a desperate assault. Dobrynya, with accurate marksmanship, burns the bridge across the river, cutting off the enemy’s exhausted horses from fresh water. Khan Ilyas launches a powerful flank attack against the forces of the Polovtsian commanders Bonyak and Tugorkan. Having repelled all attacks, the Rus swiftly go on the offensive. Svyatopolk blocks the fleeing Polovtsians’ path to the saving forest. The nomadic army finally surrenders. Many Rus warriors perish in the bloody battle, including the mighty hero Ratibor and the healer Meslim.

After defeating the enemy hordes, Prince Monomakh turned to peaceful resolution of the protracted conflicts. He continually encouraged marriages between Russian warriors and the daughters of Polovtsian khans. At the next congress of princes, Vladimir persistently sought an end to the devastating internecine wars. The prince transferred his rich life experience to parchment, creating a famous philosophical lesson for posterity.