Page:The Greek and Eastern churches.djvu/393

Rh hand, the first two bishops of Rostoff were driven away by the fierce tribes from the surrounding forests. Now, as on other occasions, we find the most enlightened people and those most in touch with the central life of the nation quickest to receive the new message, while the remote inhabitants of lonely places—the "heath-men," as our ancestors called them—are slowest to abandon their pagan habits.

Vladimir repeated his father's mistake in dividing his territory among his sons, with the same disastrous consequences. The result was that his death in the year 1015 was followed by a period of disorder. In the end the supreme power was secured by Yasolaf, the eldest son, who had received Novgorod in his father's partition. He appeared as the avenger of his two brothers Boris and Gled, who, it is said, had been murdered by another brother Sviatopolk while in the act of prayer, so that they have come to be honoured in the Church as Christian martyrs. Sviatopolk had seized Kiev; but Yasolaf succeeded in driving him into exile, and so came into possession of the southern capital. He ruled as a Christian prince, and his name is famous as that of the founder of the Russian code of laws. His long reign was prosperous, and it saw a continuous spread of missionary activity throughout his dominions. Yasolaf not only confirmed the charter of rights which his father had conferred on the Church; he went further, and granted ecclesiastical personages exemption from all civil duties and payments. This was in accordance with precedents set by Constantine and Constantius in the Roman Empire. He took a personal interest in the study and translation of Greek Church writers, of whose works he collected a library at Kiev. At the same time he established schools for the training of candidates for the clerical office at the two chief towns—Kiev and Novgorod. Like his father, Yasolaf distinguished himself and immortalised his name by church building.

Earlier in this reign a prince named Mistislief built