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Yaroslav Volodymyrovych, known as Yaroslav the Wise (983 / 987 - February 17/20, 1054) - Grand Prince of Kiev (1015–1018, 1019–1054), Prince of Rostov (989–1010), Prince of Novgorod (1010–1034), saint. He was the second son of the baptizer of Kievan Rus, Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich of the Rurik dynasty, by Princess Rogneda of Polotsk. At baptism, he had the name George (or Yuri - a later form of the name George, widely used in the Old Russian language, in the 11th–12th centuries it had the form Gyurgi). In the rating project Great Ukrainians Yaroslav the Wise occupies position No. 1. Under Yaroslav the Wise, Christianity spread and strengthened in Kievan Rus, and the organizational structure and church hierarchy were also formed: in 1039, the existence of the Kiev Metropolis, which was under the jurisdiction of the Patriarch of Constantinople, was documented. Yaroslav agreed on a church charter that defined the rights of the church and clergy. In addition to appointing metropolitans to the Kiev cathedral, the Church of Kievan Rus enjoyed autonomy, including the fact that in 1051, on the initiative of Yaroslav, the council of local bishops elected the Ruthenian Hilarion as Metropolitan of Kiev. During this time, the first monasteries in Russia were also founded: St. George, St. Irene and the glorious Kiev-Pechersk monastery in 1051, which became important cultural centers in which chronicles were written and there were schools of icon painting. Under Yaroslav the Wise, a national evolution also took place in the Kievan state: the Varangian influence remained only in the circle of the military squad, and state figures were recruited mostly from local people, among whom were: Vyshata, Ivan Tvorymyrych, Konstantin, the son of Dobrynya, and others. Yaroslav the Wise was a highly educated man, he cared about the education and culture of his people, founded a school and a library at St. Sophia Cathedral. On his initiative, work began in Kiev on translations of Greek and other books into Church Slavonic, many books were rewritten, and a chronicle collection was compiled. Kievan Rus under Yaroslav the Wise was a large and powerful state in Europe, reaching the highest development at that time. To preserve the integrity of his state and at the same time ensure the rights of his sons, Yaroslav established a system of succession (seigniorage), according to which his elder brother Izyaslav received the grand ducal throne in Kyiv, Svyatoslav - Chernigov, Murom and Tmutorokan, Vsevolod - Pereyaslav, Suzdal and Rostov regions, Igor - Volodymyr Volynsky, Vyacheslav - Smolensk region.