What role did Peter I play in the history of Russia and what contribution did he make to its development? Prominent citizens of Russia: list, biographies, interesting facts and achievements. Outstanding personality and contribution to society

Senior positions in Political Department Internal troops The Ministry of Internal Affairs was occupied by Leonid Brezhnev’s son-in-law Yuri Churbanov (there was a popular saying about him: “Don’t have a hundred sheep, but marry like Churbanov”).

When Andropov became head of the KGB, the Committee was not yet the all-powerful organization that it later became. The KGB gained strength against the background of the confrontation with the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Andropov managed to create a well-functioning network of regional KGB departments, whose staff supervised all organizations and enterprises. Although the KGB did not formally interfere in personnel policy, not a single important appointment could take place without the intervention of the Committee. Although Andropov nipped bribery and corruption in his department in the bud, KGB officers, thanks to the comprehensiveness of their influence, enjoyed substantial privileges. Under Andropov, salaries and bonuses for Committee employees increased.

Intelligence officer Mikhail Svetlov wrote: “Andropov introduced security officers into all levels of the state machine. Deputy heads from the “authorities” sat on radio and television, in the Ministry of Culture.” In order to prove the importance of his structure, Andropov actively fought against “dissidence” and then against “agents of influence” (a term introduced by Andropov in 1972). Andropov succeeded in strengthening the KGB. The proof of this is a large number of former “committee officers” in the offices of power in big business.

Fight against corruption

Andropov fought against corruption even when he served as chairman of the KGB. Special investigative teams of the KGB in the Azerbaijan SSR and Georgia carried out checks, during which corruption schemes were exposed, hundreds of party functionaries, officials and even several district prosecutors were arrested.

The KGB also carried out checks in the capital’s offices, but while “dear Leonid Ilyich” was in power high-profile cases They didn’t give it.

When Andropov became secretary general, the fight against corruption acquired union proportions. Andropov launched a real attack on the “trading mafia.” One of the first to be arrested was the director of the Eliseevsky store, Yuri Sokolov, who was caught red-handed while receiving another bribe. He was sentenced to capital punishment. Further more. Behind a short time in Moscow alone, more than 15,000 trade workers were brought to justice. Among others, the director of the Novoarbatsky grocery store Filippov, the head of the Mosplodoovoshcheprom Uraltsev, and the director of the Kuibyshev regional food industry Begalman were arrested.

Andropov also carried out purges among the party leaders. In Moscow, more than 30% of party leaders were replaced, in Ukraine - 34, in Kazakhstan - 32%.

The fight against corruption has borne fruit. According to official data, the growth rate of the USSR economy in 1983 was 4.2% (versus 3.1 in 1982); national income increased by 3.1; industrial production- by 4; agricultural production - by 6%.

The change of elites began

Yuri Andropov's personnel policy was decisive. Back in the seventies, he created an “internal party” of his followers in the elite circles of the USSR. At the same time, he brought them together into “fives”, and each five knew only each other - but did not know about the others.

Andropov may have inherited this principle from his teacher Otto Kuusinen, who was a member of the Masonic lodge.

We are “grateful” to Andropov for introducing Mikhail Gorbachev into the Politburo and “promoting” him. Andropov also contributed to the promotion of Eduard Shevardnadze, Alexander Yakovlev, Nikolai Ryzhkov and Yegor Ligachev up the power ladder, who replaced Brezhnev’s cadres.

Opened the "Iron Curtain"

Despite his reputation as a tough fighter against dissidents, Andropov showed a sincere interest in the life of the intelligentsia and even gained fame as a liberal secretary general in relation to creative people.

Those who knew Andropov personally testify that intellectually he stood out against the general gray background of the Politburo of the stagnant years, read literary magazines, followed the life of art with interest.

Andropov treated abstractionists well and even bought their paintings.

On his desk were books by Hegel and Descartes. When members of the Politburo asked Andropov why he needed these books, Yuri Vladimirovich answered: “So that there is something to talk to you about.”

In a circle of trusted people, Andropov could allow himself relatively liberal reasoning. What is significant is that under Andropov it began mass release licensed gramophone records of popular Western performers of those genres (rock, disco, synth-pop) that were previously considered ideologically unacceptable - this was supposed to undermine the economic basis of speculation in gramophone records and magnetic recordings. Thus, the ideological “Iron Curtain” was slowly opened.

Prevented the appearance of missiles in Europe

In questions international politics Andropov adhered to a principled, tough position. In July 1983, Andropov received German Chancellor Helmut Kohl and Foreign Minister Hans Genscher in the Kremlin. At the meeting the question was raised about the deployment of American Pershings in Europe. Andropov was firm: “Let the West have no doubts. The appearance of Pershings in Europe means that we will take retaliatory measures.” Andropov showed the decisiveness of his intentions on September 1, 1983, when a South Korean Boeing 747 was shot down in the skies over Sakhalin while flying over the territory of the USSR.

"Andropovka"

Not every head of state received the “honor” of remaining in history thanks to the popular nickname of one of the most “popular” products. Andropov succeeded.

The vodka, which went on sale on September 1, 1983, was first called “schoolgirl” or “first-grader”.

Economy class half liter bottle last years Brezhnev's reign cost 5.30 and was constantly rising in price, new vodka cost 4.70 rubles. Soviet citizens it was appreciated and called “Andropovka”. The name of the drink itself was at one time even deciphered as “Here is the Kind Andropov.” Andropovka, which had become legendary, did not live long and after two or three years, during the time of Gorbachev, it quietly faded away, although it remained a Soviet vodka hit of the 1983-1984 season.

It just so happens that leading roles in politics, science and public life occupied by men. And this is while women are concerned about creating home comfort, raising children and busying themselves in the kitchen. Today in our review we will talk about women who are not caught up in everyday life at home. They made a significant contribution to history, but at the same time remained undeservedly forgotten.

1. Jeanne Barre

Botanist and explorer Jeanne Barre was the first woman to trip around the world. In 1766, a 26-year-old French woman was hired on a ship as a servant to the famous French botanist Philibert Commerson (in fact, she was his mistress). To get onto the ship (women were very reluctantly allowed on board at that time), she disguised herself as a man and introduced herself as “Jean.”

So she sailed around the world, collecting and studying plant samples with Philibert Commerson. Her true gender was already exposed in the southern part Pacific Ocean, after which she and Commerson were dropped off on the island of Mauritius. Barre returned to France only ten years later, but in her homeland she was awarded by the government for her contribution to botany.

2. Anita Tegeyskaya

One of the greatest poets Ancient Greece Anita (3rd century BC) was one of the earliest poets to write primarily about real world, rather than the supernatural, focusing on flora and fauna rather than gods. Anita was also known for writing epitaphs, many of which were humorous in tone. Today, more of Anita's work survives than of any other Greek poet.

3. Saida Al Hurra

Famous Islamic "Lady" Mediterranean Sea"In the 16th century, Saida Al Hurra was the queen of the city of Tetouan in northern Morocco and a legendary pirate who terrorized most western Mediterranean Sea. Although her real name is unknown, Saida Al Hurra has often been called a "noble lady who is free and independent" as well as a "female ruler who does not bow to a higher authority."

4. Aphra Behn

17th-century playwright, novelist, poet and government spy Aphra Behn may have been the first woman in England to earn her living as a professional writer. She became famous for the fact that her works were often openly erotic in nature. During the Anglo-Dutch War (from 1666 to 1667), Aphra Behn carried out secret assignments for Charles II under the pseudonym Astraea.

5. Caroline Herschel

British astronomer Caroline Herschel was born in Germany in 1750, and at the age of 22 she moved to England to live with her astronomer brother, eventually starting to help him. Not only was Herschel the first woman to discover a comet, she scientific works became famous all over the world.

6. Trieu Thi Trinh

Vietnamese Joan of Arc.

Trieu Thi Trinh, sometimes called the Vietnamese Joan of Arc, was a Vietnamese woman who led a rebel army against Chinese invaders in the 3rd century BC. She terrified the Chinese.

7. Sarah Guppy

British inventor Sarah Guppy received 10 patents for various electrical appliances during her life in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, from coffee makers that used excess steam to boil eggs and fry toast, to a device for removing shellfish from the bottoms of ships (for this British patent the navy paid Sarah £40,000).

8. Sarah Moore Grimke and Angelina Grimke

Significantly influenced the cancellation death penalty Sisters Sarah and Angelina Grimké were 19th-century speakers who crisscrossed America lecturing on the horrors of slavery. They also constantly advocated for greater rights for women.

9. Margaret Knight

Margaret Knight was born in Maine in 1838 and became famous for inventing a product that changed the world forever: the paper bag. Knight also created a machine that could mass produce flat-bottomed paper bags (current paper bags were more like flat envelopes). Machines based on Knight's original design are still in use today.

10. Fanny Farmer

Fanny Farmer was often called "the mother of cooking" in the nineteenth century. Fanny, who was born in Boston in 1857 and whose cookbooks are still in print today, became the first woman to earn money from cooking and home economics.

11. Mirabai

Mirabai, also known as Mira Bai or Mirabai, was a 16th-century Indian poet who, despite her family's disapproval, wrote numerous bhajans (prayer songs) to the Hindu god Krishna. Mirabai was born in rich family, but avoided the aristocratic lifestyle, completely devoting herself to the worship of Krishna and singing bhajans.

12. Edmonia Lewis

One of the first internationally renowned African-American artists, Edmonia Lewis was born in New York City in 1844 and studied art at Oberlin College before becoming a professional sculptor. She was known for her marble busts of famous abolitionists such as Longfellow and Horace Greeley. Her patrons included President Ulysses Grant.

13. Lozen

The great Apache warrior Lozen was outraged when she and her family were moved to a reservation in the 1870s. Along with her brother Victorio, she led a group of warriors and began raiding the lands that had been taken from them by the settlers.

14. Qiu Jin

A Chinese feminist, revolutionary, poet, and eventual martyr, Qiu Jin fought for women's right to education and opposed the practice of foot binding. She founded a feminist magazine and tried to start a rebellion against the Qing Dynasty. Qiu Jin was executed in 1907.

15. Harriet Powers

Born into slavery in Georgia in 1837, Harriet Powers became known as one of the greatest textile artists in United States history. Throughout her life, Powers used applique quilts to convey stunning and complex imagery from biblical stories and myths, and revived West African artistic traditions. Today only two of her quilts survive - one is on display in National Museum Smithsonian Institution American history, and another at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.

Women have always been able to give men a head start. In one of our reviews we talked about.

Shadier Ablyakimova

Shefika ABDURAMANOVA, employee of the Crimean Tatar Museum of Cultural and Historical Heritage

A museum does not write history. The museum collects it.

The funds of the Crimean Tatar Museum of Cultural and Historical Heritage number more than ten thousand items. This is not just statistics indicated by numbers. Every document, antique thing, every seemingly insignificant detail is a confirmation of our existence on this earth. Having passed from the vicious circle of a family heirloom into the category of a museum storage unit, the objects transferred to the museum acquire new life. Intertwined in various thematic combinations, each time in a new way, like intricate variations of a kaleidoscope, they form unique thematic ornaments of museum exhibitions.

The sources of replenishment of the museum's funds are different, but the main ones invariably remain our compatriots, who are not indifferent to the history of their people. A significant part of the museum collection was collected thanks to donors - people who take part free of charge in the acquisition of our funds. By donating to the museum objects preserved from older generations, our donors write themselves into the chronicle of the fate of the people, leaving descendants with unique information in restoring the broken connection of times.

Each exhibit, in addition to the nominative content directly related to its purpose, is inextricably linked with the fate of the person or family to which it belonged. And the fate of each of our compatriots is inextricably intertwined with the fate of the entire people.

Over the past year, our funds have been replenished with a number of valuable exhibits, including a gift from a resident of the village of Burulcha (Tsvetochnoye) in the Belogorsky district, Shadye Ablyakimova. Shadye Khanum donated to the museum funds valuable family heirlooms that had been passed down to their family from generation to generation for a century and a half - a marama (head cover) and the Koran.

An ancient ornamental marama woven from thin silky linen is a tradition of Crimean Tatar patterned weaving that goes back centuries. Judging by the condition and technique of execution, it was made in the middle of the 19th century; it is more than one and a half centuries old. It was given to Shadye-khanum’s mother by her grandmother as a nikkah - a wedding ceremony.

My unusual story It also preserves an ancient Koran, yellowed by time. On the tragic May night of 1944, many of our women went out into the unknown, clutching to their chests holy book. The symbol of faith, the Koran, became the core that preserved our people in a foreign land.

The ancient marama and the Koran have much in common. Having shared fate with the people to whom they belonged, they left Crimea with them, were next to their children in a foreign land, and together with the next generation of grandchildren, already in the status of family heirlooms, returned to their homeland.

Both of these exhibits were already included in the Surviving Treasures exhibition earlier this year. The exposition of this representative exhibition consisted of objects that left Crimea as a first necessity in 1944 and returned half a century or more later along with the children or grandchildren of their original owners, now valuable family heirlooms.

Shadye Khanum's parents, Khatice and Mamut Mamutov, are natives of the village of Korbek (Izobilnoye) in the Alushta region. My father was not taken to the front - at the time of his conscription he ended up on the operating table, and besides, he had 8 children. During the war, their family helped the partisans and baked bread. The Mamutovs were deported with eight children. In the first years in a foreign land, three daughters died from hunger and disease - Fatma, Aishe, Tevide and the youngest brother Amet, he was only 8 months old.

Shadier-khanum herself was born in places of special settlements in 1947, on the cotton-growing state farm named after Michurin, Bukinsky district in Uzbekistan. She returned to Crimea as part of her family with four children in 1977. With difficulty we settled in the village of Burulcha (Tsvetochnoe) near Karasubazar (Belogorsky district). They experienced all the hardships that befell the first swallows to return to their homeland: no registration, no work, constant warnings about violation of the passport regime, eviction outside the Crimea. Here, in Crimea, on the so hard-won land of their ancestors, in 1978 a fifth child was born into their family. His parents chose the name that was most dear to them - Krymdar. But the registry office refused to register the child with this name. I had to register it under a different name. But it remains only in documents. For everyone, this long-awaited son, born on the land of his ancestors, is Krymdar!

So bizarrely, human destinies are intertwined with the history of the objects around them. Objects, in turn, museum exhibits testify to people's lives.

The employees of the State Budgetary Institution of the Republic of Kazakhstan "Crimean Tatar Museum of Cultural and Historical Heritage" - the guardians of the past for future generations - express endless words of gratitude to Shadye-khanum Ablakimova and all the donors of the Crimean Tatar Museum of Cultural and Historical Heritage, together with whom we will preserve our history for future descendants.

Don’t forget your clan, your past, learn and write down everything about the past of your clan, family, home, things, books, collect portraits, letters... Together we will preserve our past for future generations.

Yuri Andropov headed the KGB for 15 years and was Secretary General THE USSR. During his short reign over the country, 18 ministers were replaced, and 37 first secretaries of regional committees of the CPSU were “re-elected”.

Strengthening the KGB

From 1967 to 1982, Yuri Andropov served as Chairman of the KGB of the USSR. It was a time of intense confrontation between the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the KGB. When Brezhnev came to power, he needed a powerful counterweight to the army and the KGB; it became the Ministry of Internal Affairs, headed by Nikolai Shchelokov, who was close to Brezhnev.

The highest positions in the Political Directorate of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs were taken by Leonid Brezhnev's son-in-law Yuri Churbanov (there was a popular saying about him: “Don’t have a hundred sheep, but marry like Churbanov”).

When Andropov became head of the KGB, the Committee was not yet the all-powerful organization that it later became. The KGB gained strength against the background of the confrontation with the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Andropov managed to create a well-functioning network of regional KGB departments, whose staff supervised all organizations and enterprises. Although the KGB did not formally interfere in personnel policy, not a single important appointment could take place without the intervention of the Committee.
Although Andropov nipped bribery and corruption in his department in the bud, KGB officers, thanks to the comprehensiveness of their influence, enjoyed substantial privileges. Under Andropov, salaries and bonuses for Committee employees increased.

Intelligence officer Mikhail Svetlov wrote: “Andropov introduced security officers into all levels of the state machine. Deputy heads from the “authorities” sat on radio and television, in the Ministry of Culture.”
In order to prove the importance of his structure, Andropov actively fought against “dissidence” and then against “agents of influence” (a term introduced by Andropov in 1972).
Andropov succeeded in strengthening the KGB. Proof of this is the large number of former “committee officers” in the offices of power in big business.

Fight against corruption

Andropov fought against corruption even when he served as chairman of the KGB. Special investigative teams of the KGB in the Azerbaijan SSR and Georgia carried out checks, during which corruption schemes were exposed, hundreds of party functionaries, officials and even several district prosecutors were arrested.

The KGB also carried out checks in the capital’s offices, but while “dear Leonid Ilyich” was in power, no high-profile cases were allowed to proceed.

When Andropov became secretary general, the fight against corruption acquired union proportions. Andropov launched a real attack on the “trading mafia.” One of the first to be arrested was the director of the Eliseevsky store, Yuri Sokolov, who was caught red-handed while receiving another bribe. He was sentenced to capital punishment.
Further more. In a short time, more than 15,000 trade workers were brought to justice in Moscow alone. Among others, the director of the Novoarbatsky grocery store Filippov, the head of the Mosplodoovoshcheprom Uraltsev, and the director of the Kuibyshev regional food industry Begalman were arrested.

Andropov also carried out purges among the party leaders. In Moscow, more than 30% of party leaders were replaced, in Ukraine - 34, in Kazakhstan - 32%.

The fight against corruption has borne fruit. According to official data, the growth rate of the USSR economy in 1983 was 4.2% (versus 3.1 in 1982); national income increased by 3.1; industrial production - by 4; agricultural production - by 6%.

The change of elites began

Yuri Andropov's personnel policy was decisive. Back in the seventies, he created an “internal party” of his followers in the elite circles of the USSR. At the same time, he brought them together into “fives”, and each five knew only each other - but did not know about the others.

Andropov may have inherited this principle from his teacher Otto Kuusinen, who was a member of the Masonic lodge.

We are “grateful” to Andropov for introducing Mikhail Gorbachev into the Politburo and “promoting” him. Andropov also contributed to the promotion of Eduard Shevardnadze, Alexander Yakovlev, Nikolai Ryzhkov and Yegor Ligachev up the power ladder, who replaced Brezhnev’s cadres.

Opened the "Iron Curtain"

Despite his reputation as a tough fighter against dissidents, Andropov showed a sincere interest in the life of the intelligentsia and even gained fame as a liberal secretary general in relation to creative people.

Those who knew Andropov personally testify that intellectually he stood out against the general gray background of the Politburo of the stagnant years, read literary magazines, and followed the life of art with interest.

Andropov treated abstractionists well and even bought their paintings.

On his desk were books by Hegel and Descartes. When members of the Politburo asked Andropov why he needed these books, Yuri Vladimirovich answered: “So that there is something to talk to you about.”

In a circle of trusted people, Andropov could allow himself relatively liberal reasoning. What is significant is that under Andropov, mass production of licensed gramophone records by popular Western performers of those genres (rock, disco, synth-pop) that were previously considered ideologically unacceptable began - this was supposed to undermine the economic basis of speculation in gramophone records and magnetic recordings. Thus, the ideological “Iron Curtain” was slowly opened.

Prevented the appearance of missiles in Europe

In matters of international politics, Andropov adhered to a principled, tough position. In July 1983, Andropov received German Chancellor Helmut Kohl and Foreign Minister Hans Genscher in the Kremlin. At the meeting the question was raised about the deployment of American Pershings in Europe. Andropov was firm: “Let the West have no doubts. The appearance of Pershings in Europe means that we will take retaliatory measures.” Andropov showed the decisiveness of his intentions on September 1, 1983, when a South Korean Boeing 747 was shot down in the skies over Sakhalin while flying over the territory of the USSR.

"Andropovka"

Not every head of state received the “honor” of remaining in history thanks to the popular nickname of one of the most “popular” products. Andropov succeeded.

The vodka, which went on sale on September 1, 1983, was first called “schoolgirl” or “first-grader”.

A half-liter of economy class in the last years of Brezhnev's reign cost 5.30 and invariably became more expensive, new vodka cost 4.70 rubles. Soviet citizens appreciated it and called it “Andropovka”. The name of the drink itself was at one time even deciphered as “Here is the Kind Andropov.” Andropovka, which had become legendary, did not live long and after two or three years, during the time of Gorbachev, it quietly faded away, although it remained a Soviet vodka hit of the 1983-1984 season.

Yuri Dolgoruky is considered the founder of Moscow and one of the main “gatherers of lands.” It is believed that this prince pursued a policy of unifying the Russian principalities, but all these ideas turn out to be controversial.

When was Dolgoruky born?

We do not know for sure either the day or even the year of birth of Yuri Dolgoruky. It is known that the name Yuri is a derivative of the name Georgiy. It is also known that Yuri Dolgoruky celebrated his name day in April. If you look at the calendar, it turns out that in April the memory of St. George is celebrated four times, but only once - on the 23rd - in memory of St. George the Victorious, after whom, obviously, the prince was named. It was customary to baptize infants on the fortieth day after birth, but in princely houses this rule was not always observed, therefore among historians it is customary to indicate only the season when Yuri Dolgoruky was born - in the spring.

If in spring, then what year? Vasily Tatishchev indicated the year 1090, but later calculations refute this date. Yuri was the sixth child of Vladimir Monomakh, his older brother Vyacheslav (fifth son) was about 15 years older than Yuri, and he was born between 1081 and 1084. Thus, the year of birth of Yuri Dolgoruky today is still unknown and is determined in the interval between 1095-1097 and 1102.

Whose son?

Who was the mother of Yuri Dolgoruky? Historians have at least some clarity on this matter. The prince could be the son of Vladimir Monomakh’s second wife Efimiya, since Vladimir Monomakh’s first wife, Gita of Wessex, daughter of the Anglo-Saxon king Harold II, died on March 10, probably 1098, while “Gyurgeva’s mother,” which is mentioned in the “Teaching” of Vladimir Monomakh, died May 7, 1107. Obviously there were two different women. Thus, Vasily Tatishchev’s version about the relationship of Yuri Dolgoruky with the Anglo-Saxons is disputed today.

Founder of Moscow?

If you ask any person who Yuri Dolgoruky is, they will most likely answer you: “He founded Moscow.” And this would be a mistake, since Yuri Dolgoruky was not the founder of Moscow. His name is associated with ancient history Russian capital only for the reason that the first mention of Moscow in the Ipatiev Chronicle occurs in connection with a letter from Dolgoruky to Prince Svyatoslav Olgovich of Novgorod-Seversky, whom Yuri calls “to visit him in Moskov.”

However, Yuri Dolgoruky was not the founder of Moscow. The chronicle says that the prince gave his guest “a strong lunch.” This means that Moscow not only already existed, but was also a city in which it was possible to place a squad and organize a feast. It is known that in the Moscow region there were villages and hamlets that belonged to the boyar Stepan Ivanovich Kuchko. By the way, Dolgoruky killed the boyar himself, and subsequently married his daughter Ulita to his son Andrei Bogolyubsky. By the way, the “Kuchkovich conspiracy” is one of the main versions of the murder of Andrei Bogolyubsky.

Why Dolgoruky?

The situation with historical nicknames has always been and remains interesting. They can be interpreted in different ways, in contrast to the opportunistic preferences of a particular era. Thus, Ivan Kalita was at one time positioned as a greedy prince who carried a wallet with him because of his stinginess, then the same wallet became an attribute of a generous man who gave alms to everyone.

A similar situation exists with the nickname “Dolgoruky”. The 18th-century historian Mikhail Mikhailovich Shcherbatov wrote that Prince Yuri was nicknamed Dolgoruky by analogy with the Persian king Artaxerxes - for “greed for acquisitions.” In current history textbooks, the origin of the nickname is explained by the fact that Yuri Dolgoruky was a “gatherer of lands.”

It must be said that besides Yuri, there were two more “Dolgorukys” in the Rurikovich family. This is the ancestor of the Vyazemsky princes, a descendant of Mstislav the Great, Andrei Vladimirovich Long Hand, who is mentioned only once, in 1300, in chronicles; and a descendant of Saint Michael Vsevolodovich of Chernigov, Prince Ivan Andreevich Obolensky, nicknamed Dolgoruky, the ancestor of the Dolgorukov princes. In all cases, the interpretation of nicknames cannot be proven.

Where did the cult come from?

Until the middle of the 20th century, Yuri Dolgoruky appeared in historical science as one of the “regional” princes, whose activities in general were of little significance for the history of the Russian state. He did a lot for the Rostov-Suzdal land, pursued an active urban development policy, but without the chronicle “link” to Moscow, Yuri Dolgoruky would have remained one of many talented and active, but far from great princes.

Here is what Karamzin writes about him in his “History of the Russian State”: “Our modest Chroniclers rarely talk about the evil qualities of the Sovereigns, diligently praising the good ones; but George, without a doubt, was the first to distinguish himself when, being the son of a so beloved Prince, he did not know how to deserve the love of the people. We saw that he played with the sanctity of oaths and worried Russia, exhausted by internal disagreements, for the benefit of his ambition.”

Vasily Tatishchev was no less categorical: “This Grand Duke He was of considerable height, fat, with a white face, not very large eyes, a long and crooked nose, a small beard, great lover women, sweet food and drink; He was more concerned about fun than about governance and warfare, but all of it consisted in the power and supervision of his nobles and favorites... He himself did little, more and more children and allied princes...”

The cult of Yuri Dolgoruky is of late, Stalinist origin. It was prepared for the 800th anniversary of Moscow, in 1947. At the same time they issued a medal with the image of the prince, and made a monument (installed in 1954). The advantage of Yuri Dolgoruky as a symbol of the city was that he was ideally combined with the patron saint of Moscow, George the Victorious.