Russian Classes: Nicknames of Russian rulers

Pavel Kuzmichev, Третьяковская галерея; Валентин Шияновский/Sputnik; Legion Media

Some of the nicknames need to be explained. For example, Vasily the Dark didn’t have dark hair - he lost his eyes during the war.

There is also Prince Vladimir, sometimes referred to as Креститель (The Baptist) - he brought Christianity to the Rus. His rule is considered to be the golden era for the country.

Vsevolod the Big Nest, meanwhile, got his name because of the number children he had - eight sons and four daughters.

According to legend, Andrey Bogolyubsky was visited by the Virgin Mary in a dream, allegedly ordering him to move her icon from Kiev Region to Vladimir - which he did. ‘Бог’ is ‘God’ and ‘любить’ means ‘to love’, hence the name - Andrew God Lover.

Finally, Yaroslav's rule was among the wisest - he left behind the first collection of Rus laws!

You can check out more lessons in our Telegram channel using the tag #russianclasses!

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