Yuri Dolgoruky: The Mythical Prince

Few people were as hated by their contemporaries and so revered by later generations as YURI DOLGORUKY. In the chronicles there isn’t a single kind word about him. Everything credited to him as good is called into question, including his most famous deed: founding Moscow. On the other hand, every wrongdoing is carefully recorded. During his lifetime, no one loved him—neither the common people, nor the boyars, nor even his own son, the heir. After his death, the people of Kyiv buried the prince outside the city walls—so even his grave is lost.

So what did Yuri Dolgoruky do to provoke such fierce hatred? Was he guilty of sins and crimes attributed to him? Did he kill the boyar Kuchka—if so, for what reason: political calculation, personal dislike, or… a woman? Is it true that the prince himself was poisoned at a feast, and no one who knew about the poison warned him of the danger? Finally, is he indeed the founder of Moscow? Because if you trust the chronicles, the order to do so was given only a year after his death…

Read the new book by the bestselling author of “The Grand Duchess Olga” and “Prophetic Oleg”—a novel-investigation of the complicated fate, difficult life, and terrible death of one of the most mysterious princes of Ancient Rus’.