Period of Statehood (879 - 1360), Детальна інформація

PERIOD OF STATEHOOD (879-1360).

 



Silver coins of Volodymyr the Great with his coat of arms on the reverse side.



The Kyivan State proper was established by prince Olekh in 879. He

conducted military expeditions to the shores of Caspian Sea and raided

Byzantine cities.

He was followed, in 912, by prince Ehor, who not only continued

external raids but also had to fight insubordinate tribes of Ulitchs and

Derevlans. He died during a battle with Derevlans in 945.

His wife Olha revenged his death by brutal suppression of

Derevlans. In 964 she became a Christian and established her son

Svyatoslav on throne.

Svyatoslav was able and courageous prince; he fought Asian hordes

in the East and conducted raids on Bulgaria. He divided his state

between his sons, then continued with his expeditions and battles. When

he died in 972 during battle with Pechenegs, his sons started to fight

between themselves, often with help from their enemies.

In 980, prince Volodymyr defeated all his brothers and unified the

country into one powerful state with Kyiv as capital. He adopted

Christianity in 988 and started to convert population, who then

worshiped Pagan gods, to Christian Religion. Force was often used

against those who resisted. He produced silver and gold coins with his

portrait on one side and trident on the reverse side ( such special form

of trident is Coat of Arms of present day Ukraine). In History he is

known as Volodymyr the Great or Saint Volodymyr. During his reign,

pillaging Pecheneg hordes defeated Khazars, pushed out Hungarian hordes

from southern steppes and became a menace to the state; Volodymyr

started to fortify Kyiv against them. After his death in 1015 fighting