Vadim the Brave

In the Nikon Chronicle , compiled in the XVI century , this story is told about this event:

The same summer ( 864 ), the Novgorodians insulted verbally, as if we were a slave and suffered a lot of evil in every way from Rurik and his kind. That same summer, kill Rurik Vadim the Brave and many others beat his Novgorod advisers ^[1] .

V.N. Tatishchev, commenting on the data of the narrative, as well as referring to the text of the Ioakimov Chronicle writes:

“The daughters of Gostomyslov for whom they were given are not exactly shown, but below we see that the eldest was behind Izborsk, from whom Olga was a princess; the other is Rurikov's mother, and the third is unknown. Nestor says that Rurik killed the Slavic prince Vodyma, which the people in turmoil did. Maybe this is the same grandson of Gostomysl , the eldest daughter was a son who had a greater right to inherit and was killed because of this ” ^[2] .

Many Russian historians, citing the legend of Vadim, consider him a fiction. According to the historian S.M. The same scientist, apparently, is inclined to explain Vadim with the word “drive”, which in regional dialects means “horse guide”, “advanced”, “guide”. The uprising could not have happened in Novgorod in the annals of 864 , since according to archaeological evidence, Novgorod did not exist at that time. However, there was Ladoga , where Rurik began his reign in 862 .

In The Tale of Bygone Years and the Nikon Chronicle, it is said that part of Russia left Rurik and settled in Kiev , where the chronicled Russian princes Askold and Dir were established . In the same V. N. Tatishchev, the connection between the events is described as follows: “In these times, the Slovenes fled from Rurik from Novgorod to Kiev, and Zan killed the brave prince of Slovenia” ^[3] . All events described by chronicles fit between 860 and 867 years . In the same period, archaeologists noted the laying of coin treasures in the north of Russia , which indicates an unstable situation for trade and a change in power. Thus, the late legend of Vadim the Brave could have real historical reasons.

According to a number of researchers, the name Vadim is of non-Slavic origin, and appeared in Russia only with the spread of Christianity, having come into use from the clergy (St. Vadim of Persia ) ^{[4] [5]} .

The tradition of Vadim attracted the attention of many Russian writers. Catherine II leads Vadim in his dramatic work: “A historical representation from the life of Rurik.” Vadim in this play is an episodic hero, a cousin of the wise Rurik, but with the light hand of the enlightened empress, the stormy life of Vadim the Brave in Russian literature began. Catherine herself wrote in a letter of 1795: “No one paid attention to this thing, and it was never played ... I did not dare to put my conclusions about Rurik into“ History ”, as they were based only on a few words from the annals of Nestor and from "History of Sweden" by Dalen, but when I met Shakespeare then, in 1786 I came up with the idea of ​​translating them into a dramatic form ” ^[6] .

Yakov Knyazhnin wrote the tragedy “Vadim Novgorodsky”, which was decided, according to the sentence of the Senate , to be publicly burned “for impudent expressions against the autocratic authorities” (the order, however, was not carried out). Alexander Pushkin , while still a youth, twice set to work on the same plot. Mikhail Lermontov was also at one time interested in the personality and sad fate of the legendary Novgorod hero.

Vadim appears in the historical works of Maria Semenova . In the novel “ Sword of the Dead, ” the conflict between Vadim and Rurik is the basis of the plot. In the story Pelco and the Wolves , the main character, Karel Pelko, serves in the squad of Vadim during his conflict with Rurik. The image of Vadim is opposed to Rurik, but the heroes speak positively of him: "The brave prince and honest enemy, there is nothing to remember him except a good word . "

Historical Sources

• Nikon Chronicle . T. 1. S. 16 ( PSRL . T. 9).
• Lviv Chronicle . T. 1.
• Power book . T. 1.P. 79.

Proceedings of historians

• Tatishchev V.N. Russian History . Collected Works in 8 volumes. - M .: Ladomir, 1994-1996.
• Karamzin N.M. History of the Russian state . - SPb. : Type. N. Grech , 1816-1829. - T. 1.P. 69.
• Solovyov, S. M. The History of Russia from Ancient Times / S. M. Solovyov. - 2nd ed. - SPb. : Comrade. "The public good", 1851-1879. - T. 1, Book. one.
• Barsov E.V. Northern folk tales of Old Russian princes and kings // Ancient and New Russia . - 1879. - No. 9. (Recorded from V.P. Shchegolenka in the Olonets province.)
• Froyanov I. Ya. Historical realities in the annalistic legend about the calling of the Varangians // Questions of history . - 1991. - No. 6.
• Vadim the Brave // Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary : 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.
• Aristov V. Vadim Horobriy at the Nikon Literature // Ruthenica. 2009.S. 184-188. (Ukrainian)

Artwork

• Princess Ya. B. Vadim of Novgorod // Izb. Prod., L .: Soviet writer, 1961. S. 249-304. (Library of the poet; Large series).
• Lermontov M. Yu. The Last Son of Liberty: A Tale // Full. Sobr. op.: 5 vol. - T. 3. - M. - L .: Academia, 1937. - S. 111-136.
• Pushkin A.S. Vadim // Pushkin A.S. Complete Works: In 16 vols .-- T. 7. - M. - L .: Publishing House of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, 1948. - P. 245.