9 myths about the history of Russia, in which you are ashamed to believe

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Collected misconceptions about different eras - from the baptism of Russia to the Khrushchev thaw.

1. Before baptism there were no Christians in Russia

According to various sources, Rapov OM Official baptism of Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich and the people of Kiev., the baptism of Rus by Prince Vladimir took place in 988, 989, 990 or 991. Traditionally, the year 988 is considered to be the date of the beginning of the history of the Russian Church. But this does not mean that there were no Christians in Russia before.

Back in the 60s of the 9th century, that is, during the time of Rurik, the Varyag (Scandinavian), the founder of the Rurik dynasty, the first ruler of Ancient Russia. - Approx. the author., Patriarch Photius I of Constantinople sent missionaries and a bishop to Russia. They even managed to baptize some of the Kievites. This mission was the result of an unsuccessful dew campaign. One of the possible names for the inhabitants of Ancient Rus. There is a version that this was the name of the newcomer Varangian nobility. - Approx. the author. to Constantinople in 860, after which they pledged to convert to Christianity.

These events are even called "The First Baptism of Rus", although, of course, there is no need to talk about full-fledged adoption of Christianity here. After all, various tribes and cities on the territory of the ancient Russian state actually did not have a common center and power - accordingly, the Christian religion did not become widespread.

A little less than a century later, part of the warriors of Prince Igor, when concluding a treaty of 944 with the Byzantines, already brought I. Ya. Froyanov. The beginning of Christianity in Russia. Izhevsk. 2003. an oath not before pagan idols, but in the church.

The first Russian ruler to adopt Christianity was not Vladimir, but his grandmother, Princess Olga, who was baptized in Constantinople in the middle of the 10th century.

However, Rurik can also claim the title of the first Christian ruler in the history of Russia. According to one Chernov A. Yu. In Staraya Ladoga, the coat of arms of Rurik was found? from the point of view, before coming to Russia, he was in the service of the Frankish Frankish state - the power of the Carolingian dynasty. The largest state in Europe in the 9th century, centered on the territory of modern France. - Approx. the author. King Lothair I and for baptism received from him vast lands in the territory of modern Netherlands and Germany.

2. Alexander Nevsky saved Russia

According to traditional views, in the XIII century, Russia found itself between two threats: the Mongols from the East and the knights of the Livonian and Teutonic orders from the West. Prince Alexander Yaroslavich, realizing that the state could not cope with both dangers, chose the smaller one - the Mongols, since they did not force the Orthodox to renounce their own faith. First, Alexander defeated the Swedes on the Neva River in 1240, and then drowned the German knights in Lake Peipsi during the Battle of the Ice in 1242. For this, the prince received the nickname Nevsky and the status of the savior of Russia and the Orthodox faith.

Only today this version of events is subject to significant criticism in the community of historians. In reality, there are almost no verified sources about the life of Alexander Nevsky, and a historical myth has formed around his person. In many ways, this was facilitated by the film of the same name by Sergei Eisenstein in 1938.

For example, a number of historians believe that Alexander Nevsky cannot rightfully be called the "sun of the Russian land", since he collaborated with the Mongols, as a result of which their power spread to the north of the Russian state - to Novgorod and Pskov. Historians also recall the suppression of the anti-Horde uprisings on Nevsky, which is why, in their opinion, the Mongol rule dragged on for four centuries.

Nor can it be said that Nevsky fought the “Catholic threat”. Rather, there was a struggle for the redistribution of land in the Eastern Baltic.

For example, after the battle on Lake Peipsi, Alexander, in correspondence with the Pope, allowed the construction of a cathedral Catholic church in Pskov.

There are also great doubts whether to consider the Battle of the Neva and the Battle of the Ice as fateful for Russia. The residents of the Novgorod and Pskov lands had access to the Baltic Sea before and remained with Russia until the 17th century. Both before and after the Battle of the Neva, the Swedes landed in the southeastern Baltic, and the Novgorodians raided their lands. And although in Russian sources the Battle of the Neva is clearly considered more important than the Battle of the Ice, in Swedish there is no information about it.

Igor Danilevsky, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor at the Higher School of Economics, believes that it is more correct to speak of Alexander Nevsky as a man of his difficult time. It cannot be judged with the help of concepts of the XX-XXI centuries, such as “collaborationist” or “national interests” - if only because this very “nation” did not exist yet. Alexander Yaroslavich was not deciding the fate of Russia, but his immediate tasks. But, of course, he cannot be called a traitor, because from the point of view of his contemporaries, he did everything right.

3. The Battle of Kulikovo ended the domination of the Mongols over Russia

The significance of the Battle of Kulikovo, which took place in 1380, is often overestimated. In the minds of many people, only her heroic episodes were fixed: the duel of Peresvet and Chelubey, the cunning plan of Prince Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy and the victory of the Russian army over the Mongol hordes. But the battle on the Kulikovo field did not definitely end the domination of the Mongols over Russia, and its ins and outs turns out to be not at all so heroic.

First, it’s worth mentioning why the battle took place. The fact is that Mamai, the enemy of Dmitry Donskoy, was not a direct descendant of Genghis Khan, and, accordingly, could not Azbelev SN What threatened the Russian people in 1380. Historical format. it is legal to become the khan of the Golden Horde - one of the parts of the split Mongol empire. He was a temnik. The leader of the "tumen" - the 10-thousandth army. The Mongolian army consisted of tumens. - Approx. the author. and, having concentrated considerable power in his hands, he appropriated part of the territory for himself until there was stability in the Horde. Mamai began to behave like a khan: he handed out labels for the reign of Russian princes, increased the tribute.

Dmitry Donskoy refused Azbelev SN What threatened the Russian people in 1380. Historical format. to recognize the power of Mamai. In fact, the Russian prince did not oppose the Mongol rule as a whole, but against the illegal claims and actions of Mamai. There can be no talk of any liberation here: two years later, the legitimate Khan of the Horde, Tokhtamysh, marched across Russia on a devastating campaign and took Moscow. Mongol power was restored.

However, Dmitry Donskoy managed to ensure that the khan's label began to be inherited by the Russian princes.

It is believed that only 100 years later, Ivan III finally put an end to the subordination of the Russian rulers to the Horde after standing on the Ugra River in 1480. However, this date is also very conditional. The same Ivan III, engaged in the war with Lithuania, at the beginning of the 16th century was ready Gorsky A. A. Moscow and the Horde. M. 2000. to resume payments to the Big Horde In the middle of the 15th century, the Golden Horde split into several states: Siberian, Uzbek, Kazan, Crimean, Nogai and Kazakh khanates. For some time the Great Horde was the successor to the Golden Horde, but it did not last long - until 1481. - Approx. the author. … And other fragments of the Golden Horde (for example, the Crimean Khanate) threatened Davies B. L. Warfare, State and Society on the Black Sea Steppe: 1500-1700. London / New York. 2007. Russian borders up to the 18th century.

It cannot be said that the first victory of Russian troops over the Mongols took place on the Kulikovo field. Two years before it happened Seleznev Yu. V. Russian-Horde military conflicts of the XIII-XV centuries. M. 2014. Battle on the Vozha River, in which Prince Dmitry defeated the army of Mamayev, the commander Begich.

4. Ivan the Terrible was the most brutal ruler of his era

Ivan Vasilyevich IV the Terrible got his nickname for a reason: during his reign there were two wars and oprichnina, and after his death there was a cruel and terrible Troubles. Executions, torture, inhuman cruelty and the murder of your own son - this is how we see the era of the rule of the first Russian tsar.

And I must say that there are reasons for this: the second half of the reign of Ivan IV was overshadowed by real atrocities. Kobrin VB Ivan the Terrible passed on Red Square. M. 1989. mass executions, during torture people were alternately doused with boiling water and cold water, they were skinned alive, adults and children were drowned.

An analysis of the synodiks - memorial letters for everyone who was executed by the tsar, drawn up by order of Ivan the Terrible before his death - showed RG Skrynnikov the Kingdom of Terror. SPb. 1992. that for the entire period of his reign, about 4-5 thousand people were executed. Most likely, these data are greatly underestimated Kobrin VB Ivan the Terrible. M. 1989. More fair numbers - 15-20 thousand people.

Of course, one cannot justify the cruelty of the first Russian tsar, but all this was quite in the spirit of that time. For example, in France, during the events of St. Bartholomew's Night (August 24, 1572), perpetrated by Catherine de Medici, Catholics destroyed 10 Smither J. R. The St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre and Images of Kingship in France: 1572-1574. The Sixteenth Century Journal. up to 30 Fernández-Armesto, F., Wilson, D. Reformation: Christianity and the World 1500. London. 1996. thousand Huguenots. Also, Ivan the Terrible is often compared with King Henry VIII of England, who also ruled in the 16th century. The number of victims of Henry's reign is estimated by The Killer King: How Many People Did Henry VIII Execute? SKY History. in 57 thousand people, and among them are the advisers and wives of the king.

5. The development of Siberia, the Far North and the Far East was peaceful

The beginning of the development of the eastern territories of present-day Russia coincided with the era of the Great Geographical Discoveries and the colonization of America by the countries of Western Europe. Often these processes are contrasted - as peaceful and aggressive, respectively. However, things are not so simple.

Let's start with how the process of "development" began in general: the Cossack ataman Ermak Timofeevich in 1580-1584 unleashed a war with the Siberian Khan Kuchum.

Later events were also not peaceful. Military expeditions of Russian explorers in the 1640s devastated V. I. Magidovich, I. P. Magidovich. Essays on the history of geographical discoveries. The era of great discoveries. Kursk. 2003. left bank of the Amur. The first meeting of Russians with the Chukchi in the summer of 1642 ended with AK Nefyodkin. Essays on the military and political history of Chukotka (beginning of the 1st millennium AD - XIX century). SPb. 2017. in battle after the latter refused to pay yasak - a tribute in furs. In the next 18th century, a 50-year war was going on between the Russian administration and the peoples of the Far North (Chukchi, Yukaghir, Koryak). These battles were Zuev A. S. Russian policy towards the aborigines of the extreme North-East of Siberia (XVIII century). NSU Bulletin. Series: History, Philology. T. 1. Issue. 3: History. some of the bloodiest.

Therefore, there is no need to talk about the peaceful annexation of Siberia.

6. Russia did not fight wars of conquest

One of the most common myths about Russian history is that all the wars it fought were defensive. But this is not the case.

For example, as stated above, the rulers of Ancient Russia made campaigns to Constantinople (Constantinople) and its lands at the very beginning of Russian history: in 860, 907, 941-944, 988, 1043.

Kazan and Astrakhan campaigns, as well as the Livonian War of Ivan the Terrible were also Kobrin VB Ivan the Terrible. M. 1989. conquering. Again, we must not forget here about Yermak's campaign and further advances V. I. Magidovich, I. P. Magidovich. Essays on the history of geographical discoveries. The era of great discoveries. Kursk. 2003. Russian explorers.

This also includes the numerous campaigns of the Russian princes against the Volga Bulgaria (the ancestral home of the present Tatars), many Russian-Turkish wars, the advancement of E. A. Glushchenko Russia in Central Asia. Conquest and transformation. M. 2010. Russian borders towards Central Asia and the Caucasian War (1817-1864), Russian intervention in China during the Ikhetuan, or Boxer, uprising (1900-1901) and in Persia (1909-1911), as well as the Soviet-Finnish War (1939-1940).

7. Catherine II sold Alaska

The famous myth that Catherine II the Great sold Alaska to the United States can be heard even in the song of the Lube group, but it has nothing to do with reality.

The first Europeans who saw the coast of Alaska, most likely, were the History of Russian America (1732-1867). M. 1997. Russian traveler Semyon Dezhnev and his companions, who sailed along the Bering Strait in 1648. The rediscovery of Alaska took place already under Peter I at the beginning of the 18th century, and from the 1740s the first settlements appeared in Russian America. A special Russian-American company was founded, which was engaged in the extraction of fur on an almost uninhabited territory.

By the second half of the 19th century was the History of Russian America (1732-1867). M. 1997. It is clear that the maintenance of remote overseas territories does not justify itself. There were practically no railways in Russia, and the eastern borders were virtually unprotected from a possible attack from Canada or the United States. Therefore, in the winter of 1866-1867, 70 years after the death of Catherine II, Emperor Alexander II approved a plan to sell Alaska. In March, an agreement was signed with the United States, and the overseas territory was sold for $ 7.2 million.

So the famous Russian empress has nothing to do with this.

8. The Bolsheviks overthrew Emperor Nicholas II

Many people think that the Bolsheviks and Vladimir Lenin in 1917 overthrew the imperial power in Russia and put an end to the autocracy in the country. But this is not the case.

The Bolsheviks came to power as a result of a coup in October 1917 - the October Revolution. Nicholas II abdicated the throne during the February Revolution, which happened eight months earlier.

Russia's failures on the fronts of World War I and discontent with tsarist domestic politics led to the February Revolution. Great Russian Encyclopedia. to a spontaneous uprising in Petrograd (Petersburg) in February - March 1917. The generals sided with the rebels and invited Nicholas II to sign the abdication of the throne, which he did. A republican liberal-democratic Provisional Government was established in Russia.

With the Bolsheviks, the execution of Khrustalev V. M. Romanovs is associated. The last days of a great dynasty. M. 2013. Nicholas II and his family in 1918 during the Civil War.

9. Nikita Khrushchev went down in history only thanks to his eccentric antics and corn

There is a persistent idea of Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev as a funny and short-sighted politician, banging on the table with his shoe at a UN meeting and planting corn on half of the country. In fact, there are reasons to think otherwise.

Firstly, it was Khrushchev who at the XX Congress of the CPSU read the report "On the cult of the individual and its consequences", in which he criticized the style of governing the country of Joseph Stalin, his policy of terror. Under Khrushchev, there was a "thaw" in the internal politics of the USSR: the state began to "tighten the screws" less and focused more on improving the living conditions of its citizens.

Secondly, the quality of life of Soviet people under Khrushchev did indeed improve. Pyzhikov A. Khrushchev's "thaw". M., 2002.: For the first time, many were able to purchase their own housing, the rise of culture and art took place, a law on universal pension provision was adopted. Do not forget about technological advances: it was under Khrushchev that Soviet rockets flew into space.

Thirdly, at the time Khrushchev was in power, it was Lavrenov S. Ya, Popov I. M. The Soviet Union in local wars and conflicts. M. 2003. one of the most dangerous moments in human history - the 1962 Cuban missile crisis. Then the nuclear confrontation between the USSR and the United States could develop into a full-fledged nuclear war. But the leadership of the USSR made mutual concessions with the cabinet of American President John F. Kennedy, and the crisis was over.

Of course, in Khrushchev's reign there are also negative milestones, such as the shooting of Spitsyn E. Yu. Khrushchev slush. Soviet power in 1953-1964. M. 2020. demonstrations in Novocherkassk, anti-religious campaign, persecution of avant-garde artists or the notorious corn epic, but in any case it does not deserve ridicule.