He did not like to deal with state affairs, he divided the Russian land into inheritances and distributed them to his sons. Yaropolk, as the eldest son, received Kyiv, and after the death of his father in 972, the title of Grand Duke; Oleg began to reign on the Drevlyan land, and Vladimir - in Novgorod.
The brothers did not get along for long. After 3 years of Yaropolk’s reign, a threat arose to the unity of Rus' from the Drevlyan side.
One day, while hunting, Prince Oleg killed Lyut, the son of Sveneld, Yaropolk’s chief adviser. The angry Sveneld incited the prince to go to war against Oleg and take away the volost from him; he advised the Kyiv prince to gather the Russian lands under one authority. Yaropolk obeyed and began a war with the Drevlyans, who had already charted a course of separation from Kyiv. Yaropolk took the Drevlyan capital Ovruch. In this battle (977), Prince Oleg died, falling from a bridge into a ditch. Prince Yaropolk did not want Oleg to die and was very sad for him.
Soon the news of Oleg's death reached Novgorod. Old Russian custom required Vladimir to avenge the death of his brother. He, together with his uncle, governor Dobrynya, went to the Varangians to gather an army, and at that time Yaropolk annexed Novgorod to his possessions and installed a governor there.
But Vladimir soon returned with his army and again took his inheritance, and then moved to Kyiv. Prince Vladimir entered into negotiations, which were conducted by Voivode Blud on behalf of Yaropolk. He conspired with Vladimir and convinced Yaropolk to leave the city, saying that his position in Kyiv was fragile, the squad treated him with distrust.
Having listened to Blud, Yaropolk left the capital and moved to the city of Rodnya, and Vladimir occupied Kyiv and besieged Rodnya. Famine began in Rodna. This is where the saying spread across Rus': “Trouble is like in Rodna.”
And again Blud was next to Yaropolk with his advice. He recommended Yaropolk to make peace with Vladimir. Yaropolk's servant Varyazhko warned him about the conspiracy and advised him to flee to the Pechenegs in order to gather an army there and win the throne.
But Yaropolk, on the advice of Blud, surrendered to his brother’s mercy. By order of Vladimir, two Varangian warriors pierced him with swords when he went to make peace with him.
Yaropolk was left with a pregnant wife, a former Greek nun, whom Father Svyatoslav brought him from the Byzantine campaign. Prince Vladimir took her as his wife.
During his reign, Yaropolk had diplomatic relations with the German Emperor Otto II. In the genealogy of the German royal family there is a record that a relative of the emperor, Count Kuno (the future Swabian Duke Conrad) married his daughter to the “King of the Rugians” in the late 970s. Most likely, the “King of Rus'” was Yaropolk, who, at the same time as getting married (polygamy was common in Rus' at that time), was going to be baptized.
Yaropolk's love for Christianity was instilled in him by his grandmother, Grand Duchess Olga. And there is even information in the Nikon Chronicle that Yaropolk received ambassadors from the Pope. It is unknown whether Prince Yaropolk Svyatoslavovich was baptized during his lifetime, but in 1044 his nephew, Yaroslav the Wise, dug up the graves of Yaropolk and Oleg, baptized their remains (despite the fact that such an act is prohibited by Orthodox canons) and reburied next to Vladimir in the Tithe Church in Kyiv.
Yaropolk I Svyatoslavich
(? - 980)
Grand Duke of Kiev in 972 - 980.
The eldest son of Svyatoslav Igorevich.
He was raised by his grandmother, Princess Olga.
Svyatoslav in 970, before going to Danube Bulgaria, divided Rus' between his sons: Yaropolk got Kyiv, Oleg got the Drevlyansky land with its center in Ovruch, and Vladimir got Novgorod.
After the death of Svyatoslav in 972, Rus' no longer had a single prince. For three years the brothers ruled peacefully in their lands, but trouble came from an unexpected source.
The main adviser to the young Yaropolk was Voivode Sveneld. In 975, Oleg Svyatoslavich killed Sveneld's son, Lyut, while hunting. This is why enmity arose between Yaropolk and Oleg. Sveneld constantly persuaded Yaropolk, trying to avenge his son: “Go against your brother, take away his land. You are the Grand Duke, your father entrusted you with the capital city, and therefore the country.”
In 977, Yaropolk nevertheless went against his brother Oleg in the Drevlyansky land. Oleg came out against him, and both sides became angry.
Yaropolk's squad won a victory and put the Drevlyans to flight. Oleg fled with his soldiers. In front of the city there was a deep ditch with one narrow bridge. The Drevlyans, fleeing, rushed to the bridge. But the bridge was very narrow. In the crush and panic, Oleg was pushed into the ditch. Before he could get to his feet, a horse fell from the moto and hit Oleg in the chest with its hoof.
Yaropolk was bitter about the death of his brother, cried over him and said to Sveneld: “Look! This is what you wanted!” When Oleg was buried, Yaropolk inherited his volost.
As soon as Vladimir in Novgorod heard that Yaropolk had killed Oleg, he got scared and fled with his uncle, governor Dobrynya, across the sea to the Varangians. And Yaropolk planted his mayors in Novgorod and alone owned the Russian land. In 980, Vladimir returned to Rus' with the Varangians and went to war against Yaropolk. Having reached Kyiv with a large army, Vladimir besieged it, and Yaropolk locked himself in the city along with the governor Blud. Vladimir soon entered into secret negotiations with Blud and found a faithful ally in him. There are such people in the history of all countries. Like lascivious dogs, they rush from master to master, serving the one who throws the biggest bone. “I want your help,” Vladimir said to Blud. “If you help, you will be my second father.”
In order to quickly kill Yaropolk, Blud resorted to cunning. He began to say to Yaropolk: “I found out that the people of Kiev are being sent with Vladimir and tell him:“ Approach the city, we’ll hand over Yaropolk to you.” Run away from the city! Yaropolk listened to him and, running out of Kyiv, shut himself up in the city of Rodna, which was located at the mouth of the Ros River. Vladimir entered Kyiv, and then besieged Yaropolk in Rodna. A severe famine soon began among the besieged. And Blud said to Yaropolk: “You see how many warriors your brother has. Should we defeat them? 
Make peace with your brother." Yaropolk agreed. Blud sent to Vladimir with the words: “Your thought has come true, I will bring Yaropolk to you - get ready to kill him.”
Vladimir, hearing this, entered his father’s mansion and sat down there with his soldiers and his retinue. And Blud instructed Yaropolk: “When you go to your brother, tell him: “Whatever you give me, I will accept.” Yaropolk went, although Varyazhko, his servant, warned the prince: “Don’t go, they’ll kill you, run to the Pechenegs and You will bring soldiers." But Yaropolk did not listen to him. He came to Vladimir. Fornication led him to the mansion, closed the door with a bolt and two swords of the Varangian mercenaries pierced Yaropolk's chest. So Yaropolk was killed, and from that time Vladimir reigned alone in Kyiv .
Yaropolk left a son from his wife, the Byzantine princess Julia - Svyatopolk (980-1019).
Being offended is nothing if you don't remember it.
Confucius
After the death of the Kyiv prince Svyatoslav, three sons remained: the eldest Yaropolk, the middle Oleg, and the youngest Vladimir. The first two were of noble birth. Vladimir was the son of Svyatopolk from Olga’s slave, Malusha. Even during Svyatopolk’s life, his children were endowed with power. The Grand Duke divided his lands between his sons, and they ruled the country while Svyatoslav was on campaign. Yaropolk ruled Kyiv. Oleg - the territory of the Drevlyans. The youngest son ruled Novgorod. Moreover, the Novgorodians themselves elected this young man as their prince. This example of the division of power between sons was new for Kievan Rus. Svyatoslav was the first to introduce such an order. But It is precisely this division of inheritance between sons that will be a real disaster for the country in the future.
The first internecine war in Rus'
As a result of the premature death of Prince Svyatoslav, as well as because of his attempt to divide power between his sons, the first internecine war between the princes began. The reason for the war was the following event. While hunting in his domain, Oleg met the son of Sveneld, the governor of Yaropolk. Dissatisfied with this fact, Oleg orders to kill the uninvited guest. Having received the news of the death of the son of his governor, and also under the pressure of the latter, Prince Yaropolk Svyatoslavovich decides to go to war against his brother. This happened in 977.
After the first battle, Oleg could not withstand the onslaught of the army, led by his older brother, and retreated to the city of Ovruch. The essence of this retreat was quite clear: Oleg wanted to get a respite after the defeat and hide his army behind the walls of the city. This is where the saddest thing happened. Hastily retreating into the city, the army created a real stampede on the bridge leading into the city. In this crush, Oleg Svyatoslavovich fell into a deep ditch. The crush continued after that. Many people and horses then fell into this ditch. Prince Oleg died crushed by the bodies of people and horses that fell on top of him. Thus, the Kiev ruler prevailed over his brother. Entering the conquered city, he gives the order to deliver Oleg’s corpse to him. This order was carried out. Seeing the lifeless body of his brother in front of him, the Kiev prince fell into despair. Brotherly feelings triumphed.
At this time, Vladimir, while in Novgorod, received news that his brother had been murdered, and decided to flee overseas, fearing that his older brother might now want to rule alone. Having learned about the flight of his younger brother, Prince Yaropolk Svyatoslavich sent his representatives, governors, who were to rule the city, to Novgorod. As a result of the first Russian internecine war, Oleg was killed, Vladimir fled, and Yaropolk became the sole ruler of Kievan Rus.
End of reign
Until 980, Vladimir was in flight. However, this year, having gathered a powerful army from the Varangians, he returns to Novgorod, removes the governors of Yaropolk and sends them to his brother with a message that Vladimir is gathering an army and going to war against Kyiv. In 980 this military campaign begins. Prince Yaropolk, seeing the numerical strength of his brother, decided to avoid an open battle and with his army took up defense in the city. And then Vladimir resorted to a cunning trick. Secretly, he entered into an alliance with the Kyiv governor, who managed to convince Yaropolk that the people of Kiev were dissatisfied with the siege of the city and demanded Vladimir to reign in Kyiv. Prince Yaropolk succumbed to these persuasion and decided to flee from the capital to the small town of Rotnya. Vladimir’s troops also went there after him. Having besieged the city, they forced Yaropolk to surrender and go to Kyiv to his brother. In Kyiv, he was sent to his brother’s home and the door was closed behind him. There were two Varangians in the room, who killed Yaropolk.
So in 980 Vladimir Svyatoslavovich became the sole prince of Kievan Rus.
Even during his reign, Grand Duke Svyatoslav, known for the fact that he loved to engage in military activities more than governing the state, divided the entire Russian land and distributed it to his sons. By right of the eldest son, Yaropolk began to rule Kiev (after the death of the Grand Duke in 972 he became a full-fledged prince of Kyiv), Oleg got the Drevlyan lands, and Vladimir got Novgorod.
The peace between the brothers did not last long. Three years later, a great threat to Rus' arose from the Drevlyans. One day, while hunting, Prince Oleg killed Lyut, who was the son of Sveneld, Yaropolk's chief adviser. Saddened and angry, Sveneld used cunning to induce the prince to go against Oleg and take the volost from him, thereby taking a step towards the unification of the Russian lands. Having obeyed him, Yaropolk went against the Drevlyans, who by that time had already separated from the power of Kyiv. As a result of the battle in 977, Prince Oleg dies by falling from a bridge into a ditch. Yaropolk, who did not want his brother to die, grieved for him for a long time.
After the news of his brother’s death reached Vladimir, he and Dobrynya went to the Varangians to gather an army against Yaropolk (ancient Russian custom required Vladimir to avenge Oleg’s death). At this time, Yaropolk captured Novgorod and left his governor in it. However, Vladimir, who soon returned, took his inheritance and advanced his army towards Kyiv. During cunning negotiations, Yaropolk was lured out of the city to the town of Rodnya. Then Vladimir besieged Rodnya and famine began in the town (this is where the expression “Trouble is like in Rodnya” came from).
Yaropolk, on the advice of his adviser, surrendered to the mercy of his brother, after which he was pierced with their swords for the Varangian warriors when he went to reconcile. Vladimir took Yaropolk's wife, who was left without a husband, as his wife.
During his reign, Yaropolk had diplomatic relations with the German Emperor Otto the Second. Some researchers believe that Yaropolk himself could have been married (polygamy existed then) to the daughter of a German count.
The love of the Christian faith was instilled in Yaropolk by his grandmother, Princess Olga. There is information in the Nikon Chronicle that he received ambassadors from the Pope. However, it is not known for certain whether Yaropolk was baptized during his lifetime. Much later, Yaroslav the Wise (his nephew) ordered the excavation of the graves of Oleg and Yaropolk and the baptism of their remains, which in turn is a still unthinkable departure from Christian rules.
Video lecture on the topic: the reign of Prince Yaropolk
YAROPOLK SVYATOSLAVICH(?-980) - Grand Duke of Kiev (972-978), eldest son of Prince Svyatoslav Igorevich.
Yaropolk's date of birth and mother are unknown. His name was first mentioned in the Tale of Bygone Years in 968, when, during the Pecheneg raid on Kyiv, Princess Olga locked herself in the city with 3 grandchildren, one of whom was Yaropolk.
Yaropolk's father, Prince Svyatoslav, before leaving for the war with Byzantium, entrusted Yaropolk with the administration of Kiev in 970. After the remnants of the Russian squad led by Sveneld brought news of the death of Prince Svyatoslav in the battle with the Pechenegs at the Dnieper rapids to Kyiv in the spring of 972, Yaropolk became the prince of Kyiv. Svyatoslav's other sons, Oleg and Vladimir, ruled the remaining parts of Kievan Rus' by appanage.
Yaropolk's reign was a time of diplomatic contacts with the German Emperor Otto II: Russian ambassadors visited the emperor at the congress of princes in Quedlinburg in December 973. According to the German “Genealogy of the Welfs,” a relative of the emperor, Count Cuno von Eningen (the future Swabian Duke Conrad), married his daughter Cunegonde to the “king of the Rugians.” According to one version, Cunegonde became the wife of Prince Vladimir after the death of his wife, the Byzantine princess Anna. Another version connects Cunegonde’s engagement to Yaropolk.
The reign of Yaropolk is also associated with the minting of the first own coins of Kievan Rus, reminiscent of Arab dirhams - the so-called. “pseudo-dirhams of Yaropolk” (a little more than 10 copies are known).
According to the Nikon Chronicle, ambassadors from Rome from the pope came to Yaropolk. Yaropolk’s sympathies for Christianity are reported by historian V.N., known from extracts. Tatishchev’s controversial Joachim Chronicle: “ Yaropolk was a meek and merciful man to everyone, loving Christians, and although he himself was not baptized for the sake of the people, he did not forbid anyone... Yaropolk is not loved by people, because he gave Christians great freedom.»
In 977, an internecine war broke out between Yaropolk and his brothers, Prince of the Drevlyans Oleg and Prince of Novgorod Vladimir. Yaropolk, following the persuasion of the governor Sveneld, attacked Oleg’s possessions. While retreating to his capital Ovruch, Oleg was crushed in a ditch by falling horses. The chronicle presents Yaropolk lamenting the death of his brother, killed against his will. After the news of the beginning of civil strife, Vladimir fled from Novgorod “overseas”, so Yaropolk became the ruler of all Kievan Rus.
In 978, Vladimir returned to Rus' with the Varangian army. First he recaptured Novgorod, then captured Polotsk and then moved on to Kyiv. Surrounded by Yaropolk was a traitor, governor Blud, who entered into an agreement with Vladimir. Blud persuaded Yaropolk to leave Kyiv and take refuge in the fortified city of Rodnya on the Ros River. After a long siege, famine arose in Rodna, which forced Yaropolk, under pressure from Blud, to enter into negotiations with Vladimir. When Yaropolk arrived to negotiate with his brother, two Varangians " raised him with swords under his bosoms».
The Tale of Bygone Years dates the death of Yaropolk and the reign of Vladimir to 980. An earlier document “Memory and Praise to Prince Vladimir” (Life of Prince Vladimir from the monk Jacob) gives the exact date of his reign - June 11, 978. From a number of chronological considerations, historians recognize the second date as more probable. Most likely, the murder of Yaropolk occurred on June 11.
Yaropolk left a widow, a former Greek nun, kidnapped for him by his father during one of his campaigns. Vladimir took her as a concubine, and she soon gave birth to a son, Svyatopolk, the child of “two fathers.” According to the chronicle, it is not entirely clear whether the widow was pregnant before the death of Yaropolk, or became pregnant by Vladimir shortly after his captivity. According to indirect evidence, Svyatopolk considered himself the son and heir of Yaropolk, and Vladimir - a usurper (for example, he took Yaroslav Vladimirovich’s “stepmother and sisters” hostage, which would be strange if Svyatopolk considered himself also Vladimirovich).
In 1044, Yaropolk's nephew, Yaroslav the Wise, ordered the bones of his uncles (Yaropolk and Oleg) to be dug out of their graves, their remains to be baptized (an act strictly prohibited by Christian canons) and reburied next to Vladimir in the Tithe Church in Kyiv. If Yaropolk was baptized during his lifetime (in any case, this could only have been shortly before his death), almost seventy years later they might no longer remember this.
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