Some noteworthy nicknames for Rus’ and Russian monarchs
For the avoidance of doubt: Slava Ukraini.
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I’ve been watching The Great, which
is great (DYSWIDT), and
has had me googling random bits of Russian history, even though its maker Hulu describes it as “anti-historical” and the opening credits describe the show as “An Occasionally True Story” or, on one occasion, “An Almost Entirely Untrue Story”.
During my travels down the rabbit hole, I found myself perusing a list of Russian monarchs, and their various predecessors among the people known as the Rus’. There, I noted the existence of Vasily the Squint, a disputed claimant to the title of Grand Prince of Moscow from 1434-35. “That’s an interesting nickname,” I thought. “I wonder how he came by it?” So I looked it up and it turned out that the way he came by it is either because his brother Dmitry refused to accept his rule, allied with the man his dad had deposed – Vasily the Squint’s cousin, Vasily II the Dark – and together they fought a war, deposed our Vasily, defeated him, imprisoned him, then blinded him; or because he was cross-eyed.
I feel like, on the grounds that squinting is not going to do you much good at the point you’ve been blinded, it’s probably the latter explanation.
Incidentally, in 1446, Dmitry had Vasily II (Grand Prince of Moscow, 1425-62) blinded, too, which is why everyone calls him “the Dark”. The fact he successfully retook the throne and then ruled for another 16 years suggests to me that Vasily II was not a man to be trifled with.
Anyway – all this got me wondering whether there were other monarchs in this part of the world with interesting and/or macabre nicknames. Buckle up.
Rurik, Prince of Novgorod, c862-879. The semi legendary founder of the Rus’, the Varangian – that is, eastern Viking – chieftain who founded the earliest ancestor of the monarchy that would ultimately end up as the Russian Empire. His name isn’t actually very interesting, except for the fact he founded a dynasty that would persist until 1598 – that’s a hell of a run – and which is known by the delightful name “the Rurikids”.
Oleg the Seer/Prophet/Wise, c878-912. Possibly Rurik’s son. Possibly not. Possibly neither existed. His epithet might be about his semi legendary wisdom, but then again might just reflect the fact that his name meant “priest”. Moved the capital to Kyiv1, was told he’d be killed by a particular stallion, sent it away, went to laugh at its corpse and therefore fate, kicked its skull, got bitten by an irritated snake that had previously been hanging out inside, died. Probably almost none of this happened.
Sviatopolk the Accursed, Grand Prince of Kyiv, 1015-19. Definitely existed! Did not definitely do the thing which earned him his nickname, which was to murder three younger half-brothers – his uncle had killed his father and married his mother; you know how it goes – to get hold of the throne. Anyway, his uncle had another son, Yaroslav the Wise, who overthrew him, and he died soon after. Rookie error from Sviatopolk, there.
Vladimir II Monomakh (“He who fights alone”), Grand Price of Kyiv 1113-25. The name was making me dread the biography. Thankfully, though, it turns out to be a surname taken from his mother, a relative of ruling Byzantine emperor Constantine IX Monomachos. (Apparently monarchs sometimes take their mum’s name if it’s more impressive: this is why the king isn’t named Charles Mountbatten.) Also, in a development which will, by this point, surprise nobody, the name may never have been used in his lifetime.
Yuri I the Long-Armed, Grand Prince of Kyiv, 1149-51 & 1155-57. The name means “far-reaching”, not “physically deformed”. Apparently relates to his interference in Kyivan affairs despite being based nearly a thousand miles away near today’s Moscow – a habit through which he’d set an unnerving precedent.
Vsevolod III the Big Nest, Grand Prince of Vladimir, 1176-1212. Fourteen kids! The change in title, from Kyiv to Vladimir, reflects the decline of Kyiv, the disintegration of a previously largely unified state, and the consequent shift in power to various smaller polities to the north east.
Dmitry the Fearsome Eyes, Grand Prince of Vladimir, 1322-26. Source of the nickname unknown – so we must assume that he simply had fearsome eyes.
Ivan I the Moneybag, Grand Prince of Vladimir, 1328-40. Used tribute from lesser princes to develop his hometown of Moscow, but probably received his nickname either because of his famed generosity or, alternatively, his famed stinginess. Seven centuries on, neither is famed enough for the truth to be clear.
Ivan IV the Terrible, Grand Prince of Moscow 1533-47, then (after granting himself a promotion) Tsar of all the Russias, 1547-84. The word “terrible” is actually a mistranslation: it should be understood as “awe-inspiring” rather than “evil”. That said, Ivan actually was quite evil, known for his cruelty and paranoia and brutal massacres of thousands including probably his eldest son, so we perhaps shouldn’t be too concerned about that mistranslation. He did, for good or ill, essentially create modern Russia, though.
Feodor I the Blessed, Tsar, 1584-98. Ivan’s son (one he didn’t kill). Possibly nicknamed such because of his pleasant nature; possibly because he was blessed by his father to succeed him (and also was not murdered by him). Anyway, he failed to produce an heir, bringing to an end the seven hundred year old Rurikid dynasty, thus precipitating the 15 years of chaos known as the Time of Troubles, which also brought forth...
False Dmitry, Tsar 1605-6. Attained power after claiming to be the youngest son of Ivan the Terrible, which he almost certainly wasn’t (the son in question was almost certainly dead). Was hacked to death, but at least two and possibly three other False Dmitrys popped up claiming to be the first one. It’s called the Time of Troubles for a reason.
Alexis the Most Quiet, Tsar, 1645-76. Apparently just quite a nice bloke? A relief, after all that came before. Father of, among others, Peter the Great (1682-1725), who westernised Russia, founded St Petersburg and declared himself emperor and generally earned his sobriquet, while also laying the grounds for a lot of the horrors to come. I should really end there, except I have a question:
Paul I, Tsar, 1796-1801. Son of Peter III and Catherine the Great; an actual character in The Great (he’s the baby). Not an interesting name: I mention him here purely because there is no Paul II yet he’s always described as Paul I.
Can anyone out there explain this to me? Enquiring minds want to know.
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No, this is not me coming out in favour of Putin’s revanchism: medieval Kyivan Rus’ is claimed as an ancestor by Russia, Ukraine and Belarus alike, without being particularly like any of them. At any rate, Rurik is generally seen as the point where Russian history “starts”, and these nicknames are also great (though not Great), so this felt like fair game. Slava Ukraini.