Dobrynya (, ) was

Vladimir the Great Vladimir I Sviatoslavich or Volodymyr I Sviatoslavych (; Christian name: ''Basil''; 15 July 1015), given the epithet "the Great", was Prince of Novgorod from 970 and Grand Prince of Kiev from 978 until his death in 1015. The Eastern Orthodox ...

's maternal uncle and tutor. He was the historical prototype of the invincible

bogatyr A bogatyr (, ; , ) or vityaz (, ; , ) is a stock character in medieval Bylina, East Slavic legends, akin to a Western European knight-errant. Bogatyrs appear mainly in Kievan Rus', Rus' epic poems—Bylina, ''bylinas''. Historically, they came i ...

called

Dobrynya Nikitich Dobrynya Nikitich () is one of the most popular bogatyrs (epic knights) from the " Kievan" series of Russian folklore based on bylina (epic songs) originating from the area around the capital of the Kievan Rus, Kiev. According to the bylinas, ...

who appears in

Russian folklore The Russian folklore, i.e., the folklore of Russian people, takes its roots in the pagan beliefs of ancient Slavs and now is represented in the Russian fairy tales. Epic Russian bylinas are also an important part of Slavic paganism. The oldest ...

('' byliny''). Dobrynya's life and extent of his influence on Vladimir are shrouded in speculation and controversy. It is fairly certain that his sister

Malusha Malusha Malkovna () was allegedly a servant ('' kholopka'') for Olga of Kiev and a concubine of Sviatoslav I of Kiev. According to chronicles, she was the mother of Vladimir the Great and sister of Dobrynya. The Norse sagas describe Vladimir's ...

was Vladimir's mother. It is also generally accepted that Dobrynya's

posadnik A posadnik (, ) was a representative of the prince in some towns during the times of Kievan Rus', and later the highest-ranking official (mayor) in Novgorod (from 1136) and Pskov (from 1308). In the early 12th century, Novgorod won the right to ...

dynasty in

Novgorod Veliky Novgorod ( ; , ; ), also known simply as Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the oldest cities in Russia, being first mentioned in the 9th century. The city lies along the V ...

was continued by his son

Konstantin Dobrynich Konstantin Dobrynich (; died 1022) was an 11th-century posadnik of Novgorod. According to the Novgorod chronicles, he was the son of Dobrynya and wielded great influence at the court of his own cousin, Yaroslav the Wise. The time at which he beca ...

and grandson

Ostromir Ostromir (; Christian name: Joseph; died ) was the posadnik of Novgorod from 1054 to 1057. Ostromir is known from the first Russian dated book, the Ostromir Gospels (or Ostromir Codex), which he commissioned from his scribe Gregory. The chronicles ...

. According to the Novgorod chronicles, it was at his urging that

Sviatoslav I Sviatoslav or Svyatoslav I Igorevich (; Old Norse: ''Sveinald''; – 972) was Prince of Kiev from 945 until his death in 972. He is known for his persistent campaigns in the east and south, which precipitated the collapse of two great powers ...

sent his illegitimate son, Vladimir, to govern Novgorod, with Dobrynya as his tutor. Nine years later, Dobrynya persuaded Vladimir to wrest

Kiev Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

from his brother Yaropolk. On their way to Kiev, Yaropolk's bride,

Rogneda of Polotsk Rogneda Rogvolodovna (; Christian name: ''Anastasia''; ), also known as Ragnhild (Ragnheiðr), is a person mentioned in the ''Primary Chronicle'' as having been a princess of Polotsk, the daughter of Rogvolod (Ragnvald), who came from Scandinav ...

, offended Dobrynya by calling his sister a "bondswoman". Dobrynya took his revenge by arranging Rogneda's rape by Vladimir. After Vladimir's enthronement in Kiev, Dobrynya returned to rule Novgorod in his name. He accompanied his nephew in the 985 expedition against

Volga Bulgaria Volga Bulgaria or Volga–Kama Bulgaria (sometimes referred to as the Volga Bulgar Emirate) was a historical Bulgar state that existed between the 9th and 13th centuries around the confluence of the Volga and Kama River, in what is now Europea ...

and, following his lead, erected an idol of

Perun In Slavic paganism, Slavic mythology, Perun () is the highest god of the Pantheon (religion), pantheon and the god of sky, thunder, lightning, storms, rain, law, war, fertility and oak trees. His other attributes were fire, mountains, wind, ir ...

on the bank of the

Volkhov River The Volkhov ( ; ; ) is a river in Novgorodsky District, Novgorodsky and Chudovsky Districts of Novgorod Oblast and Kirishsky District, Kirishsky and Volkhovsky Districts of Leningrad Oblast in northwestern Russia. The Volkhov River, Volkhov, whi ...

. After the

Baptism of Kiev The Christianization of Kievan Rus' was a long and complicated process that took place in several stages. In 867, Patriarch Photius of Constantinople told other Christian patriarchs that the Rus' people were converting enthusiastically, but his ...

, he is said to have forced the Novgorodians into Christianity "by fire".

Vasily Tatishchev Vasily Nikitich Tatishchev (sometimes spelt Tatischev; , ; 19 April 1686 – 15 July 1750) was a statesman, historian, philosopher, and ethnographer in the Russian Empire. He is known as the author of a book on Russian history titled ''The His ...

wrote that Dobrynya, along with Bishop

Ioakim Korsunianin Joachim of Korsun () was the first bishop of Novgorod the Great (). His surname suggests he probably came from the Byzantine town of Cherson (theme), Cherson (Korsun) on the Crimean Peninsula and, according to the chronicles, arrived in Kievan Ru ...

, faced a violent, pagan mob which burned Dobrynya's house and killed his wife and several other family members.Vasilii Tatishchev, ''Istoriia rossiiskaia'', A. I. Andreev, et al., eds. Moscow and Leningrad: AN SSSR, 1962) vol. 1, pp. 112-113.

Notes

Posadniks of Novgorod 10th-century births Bogatyrs Year of death unknown