Grand Duke Vladimir Vsevolodovich Monomakh (1053-1125)

Vladimir Monomakh was born in 1053. His grandfather in the paternal line was Grand Duke Yaroslav the Wise and his maternal grandfather was the Byzantine emperor Konstantin Monomakh. Vladimir was the son of the Grand Duke of Kiev Vsevolod Yaroslavich and the Byzantine Princess Anna.

Even before he became the Grand Duke of Vladimir, Vladimir Monomakh got noticed for his historically important actions and his brave and good-hearted character. Vladimir Monomakh wrote about his childhood: „I was very fond of hunting and often went hunting for wild animals together with my father. I caught a couple of wild horses with my own hands. At two times, I was attacked by wild bullocks and their horns, a stag attacked me with its antlers, a moose kicked me, a savage, cruel animal, possibly a leopard, once started on me and tore my sword off me and a bear clawed at my saddle and threw both me and the horse to the ground. How many times I fell down from my horse! Two times I knocked my head, I hurt my arms and legs – I didn’t value my life in my young years and didn’t care much for my head.“

From his childhood on, Vladimir was used to responsibility and taking over governing activities: When he was only 13 years old, his father sent him to reign in the far away city of Rostov. At 18, Vladimir participated in a military expedition to help his father in the capital, which was besieged by Cuman people. Later, Vladimir governed five years in Smolensk. When he was 20 years old, he fought along with his father and uncle against Duke Oleg, with whom they had a constant conflict.

His reign of the Vladimir Principality Monomakh began most honourably by transferring the holy relics of Boris and Gleb from a run-down wooden church to the new Cathedral of Vladimir. This was a very symbolic event for the Russian people.

Vladimir Monomakh’s next action assured him a place in history records for centuries. He made a new law that became known as the „Article of Vladimir Vsevolodovich“. In accordance with this law, the interests charged on money loan were lowered from 50 to 20%. At the same time, the trade of (Russian) human beings was banned and slaves and servants were allowed to leave their courts if it was in quest for money to buy their freedom or if they wanted to approach the duke or the judge with a request for mercy. Thanks to this new law, people began to trust the Great Duke and called him „our defender“.

Vladimir Monomakh wanted to put an end to the blood shedding and tried with all his might to let the country come to peace. With his army, he chased away the Pechen and Turk peoples, who were roaming the lands near Pereyaslavl and were a constant cause of trouble for the inhabitants. Just like Monomakh himself, his sons were very successful on the battlefield. Due to his and his son’s successes, Monomakh soon had an international reputation and his very name made people in Byzantium shiver. Vladimir had sent his son Mstislav there with a large army. The byzantine emperor Alexei sent pricy presents to Kiev: an expensive wooden cross, a carnelian cup of August Caesar, a golden chain, a crown and amulets of Konstantin Monomach. From this time on, the chain, the amulets and a sceptre were obligatory at any coronation of Russian sovereigns until 1917 and they became important symbols for the power of the tsar. According to chronicles, Vladimir Monomakh gave the crown, the sceptre, the chain and the amulets to his son Yuri („the Long-armed“) shortly before his (Vladimir’s) death and „commanded to cherish them like life itself and to hand them over from generation to generation without using them until God will have mercy on poor Russia and introduce its veritable sovereign and crown him with the symbols of power.“

In the years from 1116 to 1123, Vladimir Monomakh successfully got rid of enemies from abroad, but he had a lot of trouble with the continuing feuds in the country. However, he never used armed forces to stop the inner fighting. He conquered the cities of Orsha, Vyacheslavl and Kopys and sieged Minsk. As in the city of Novgorod began a revolt, Monomakh called all the important aristocrats from there to Kiev and made them publicly vow loyalty to the Grand Duke. Those who refused to make the vow were locked up in the dungeons; the others were allowed to return home. Everywhere they went they praised Vladimir as the wisest and fairest of all and told that he never let anyone guilty escape without punishment.

The conquest of Minsk and Vladimir and Monomakh's justice in governing allowed him to strengthen his power in the country. He was a very delicate and devout person. According to chronicles, he couldn’t hold back his tears as he was praying for his people and his fatherland. Also his death he embraced in prayers to the Almighty. Vladimir Monomakh died on 19th of May, 1125, at the age of 72. Researchers later found a letter of advice, which Monomakh addressed to his five sons. Every single sentence of this letter is fair and true, instructive and wise. The whole letter may serve as an example of advice from any parents to their children, at any period of time. The main thought, running through the entire letter, is: The most important in life is to be good! Apart from that, in his letter Monomakh gives a summary of all his actions during his life: He was in 83 military expeditions, signed 19 peace treaties with the Cuman khans and executed over 200 Russian dukes. In the 13 years under the rule of Vladimir Monomakh, the inner fights were ended and the wealth of the country grew due to the good development of cattle-breeding and farming, commerce and handicraft, fishing and the production of wax, honey and fur. All regions were united to a single state and the enemies were driven out of it.

Under the rule of Vladimir Monomakh, a bridge was built over the Dnieper and at the banks of the Klyazma River he founded the city that would be named Vladimir. Our hotel was named after Grand Duke Vladimir Monomakh and we keep the advices in mind, which he wrote down in his „Sermons“: Wherever you go, wherever you are, give the poor to drink and to eat; honour your guests above all… Be good hosts, give to drink and to eat: A guest will tell about his hosts either good or bad, everywhere he goes.“