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.
Play the video
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.
Play the video
Vsevolod the Big Nest, meanwhile, got his name because of the number children he had - eight sons and four daughters.
Play the video
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.
Play the video
Finally, Yaroslav's rule was among the wisest - he left behind the first collection of Rus laws!
Play the video
You can check out more lessons in our Telegram channel using the tag #russianclasses!
Dear readers,
Our website and social media accounts are under threat of being restricted or banned, due to the current circumstances. So, to keep up with our latest content, simply do the following:
- Subscribe to our Telegram channel
- Subscribe to our weekly email newsletter
- Enable push notifications for our website
- Install a VPN service on your computer and/or phone to have access to our website, even if it is blocked in your country