Domestic and Foreign Policy of Prince Igor according to "The Tale of Bygone Years"

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to highlight certain aspects of the life and activities of Prince Igor, his role in the formation of the Russian state, and his participation in foreign policy. The study is based on the analysis of the text of the "Tale of Bygone Years", other Russian, Byzantine and Eastern sources, and the achievements of previous researchers of socio-political processes in Russia at the end of the 9th - beginning of the 10th centuries. The research methodology is based on a combination of the principles of historicism, systematicity, objectivity and impartiality with general scientific (induction and deduction, analysis and synthesis) and special historical (historical-typological, problem-chronological, historical-comparative) research methods.

The scientific novelty of the study lies in the fact that the author attempted to analyze a number of aspects of the life and activities of Prince Igor, which remain insufficiently studied or require new rethinking.

The work examines the issue of the beginning of Igor's exercise of power, substantiates new views on Igor's relations with the Pechenegs, attempts to determine the reasons that prompted Igor to reconcile with Byzantium, analyzes different approaches to the characterization of representatives of the Kiev princely family, whose names appear in the Rus'-Byzantine treaty of 944, and makes assumptions about the circumstances of the prince's death.

The conclusions state that Prince Igor's domestic and foreign policy was aimed at strengthening centralized power, expanding the borders of the Rus' state, maintaining stability in the face of internal and external threats, and strengthening the international authority of Rus'.