Dmitry Kiselev – Russian journalist and TV presenter, general director of the Russian international news agency "Russia Today", deputy general director of the VGTRK media holding.
Some believe that Kiselev’s entire biography is connected with political propaganda, while others talk about him as an outstanding and comprehensively developed journalist.
We bring to your attention the main events of Dmitry Kiselev, as well as the most Interesting Facts from his life.
Biography of Dmitry Kiselev
Dmitry Konstantinovich Kiselev was born on April 26, 1954 in. He grew up and was brought up in an intelligent musical family. Even as a child, the boy received a musical education in guitar class.
An interesting fact is that he is a relative of the composer and teacher Yuri Shaporin.
Having received school certificate, Dmitry Kiselev successfully passed the exams at the local medical school. However special interest he had never had any interest in medicine. For this reason, he decided to enter the university. A. A. Zhdanov in, choosing the Faculty of Philology for himself.
A television
After graduating from university in 1978, Kiselev got a job at the State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company, where he worked for 10 long years. During this time, he managed to gain a lot of experience and hone the professional skills that an announcer should have.
In 1989, Dmitry Kiselev began working on the “Time” program as a TV presenter and political commentator. The day before, he was fired from Gosteleradio for refusing to inform government statements about events in.
Then Kiselev was part of the staff of the Vesti program, where he was one of the founders of the innovative format of television and radio broadcasting. At the same time, the journalist collaborated with various foreign publications.
In 1992, Dmitry Kiselev began hosting “International Panorama” on television, which discussed the events that happened this week. Later, as his own reporter, he worked for the Ostankino agency.
After the murder of Vladislav Listyev in the spring of 1995, Kiselyov was confirmed as the host of the popular program “Rush Hour”. At the same time, he hosts the program “Window to Europe,” but leaves it a year later.
In 1997, Dmitry began hosting the TV show “ National interest" It was broadcast on both Russian and Ukrainian TV. Kiselev also briefly hosted the news program “Events”. After that, he worked as a journalist, both in and on.
In 2003, Ukrainian colleagues working on the ICTV channel accused Kiselev of deliberately distorting facts. For this reason, the channel’s director, Alexander Bogutsky, decided to fire the Russian journalist.
During the biography period 2003-2008. Dmitry Kiselev led several highly rated television projects, among which were “ Morning conversation", "Authority" and "News +".
In 2008, he became deputy general director of the VGTRK media holding.
In 2013, Kiselev took the position of General Director of the International News Agency “Russia Today”. According to the order, it, first of all, was supposed to cover the politics of the Russian Federation and talk about the state of affairs in the state.
IN next year The agency expanded its activities. “Russia Today” began broadcasting in dozens of countries, trying to show viewers its vision of developments in the world.
Criticism and scandals
After Dmitry Kiselev became the head of the Rossiya Segodnya news agency, he began to be criticized in many countries.
The journalist was called a “pro-Kremlin” or “pro-Putin” TV presenter, and they also talked about his intolerance towards representatives of sexual minorities.
Information has repeatedly appeared in the media that the creation of “Russia Today” is another attempt by Putin to take control of the press.
Kiselev was subjected to even greater persecution in Ukraine, where all the media called him a “mouthpiece of the Kremlin,” a “pro-Putin propagandist,” and a “supporter of the Russian world” in Crimea and Donbass. As of today, the TV presenter is prohibited from entering the EU countries and Ukraine.
In 2016, it became known that Dmitry Kiselev’s email was hacked. The hackers said that they managed to take possession of a huge amount of information, exceeding 10 GB. According to the hackers, they discovered a lot of compromising material regarding the journalist’s money and real estate.
Since Kiselev is one of the most popular and discussed presenters, he somehow finds himself embroiled in various scandals. Nevertheless, genuine interest from society continues to grow in it.
Dmitry Kiselev speaks 4 languages and is an expert in music, literature and art. Giving him an interview is considered an honor by both domestic and foreign celebrities.
Personal life
There were many women in Kiselev’s biography. An interesting fact is that before the age of 23 he managed to get married and divorced three times. Today he has his seventh wife! But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, but consider all the marriages in order.
Dmitry Konstantinovich's first wife was Alena, whom he met in his youth. After marriage, their marriage did not last even a year. After this, Natalya and Tatyana, whom he met at the university, became his wives.
The fourth time Kiselev walked down the aisle was when he worked at the State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company. His beloved's name was Elena Borisova. IN this union they had a boy, Gleb. A year after the birth of their first child, their marriage broke up.
Natalya became the fifth wife in Kiselev’s biography, but Dmitry did not live with this girl for long. After breaking up with her, he fell in love with the British woman Kelly Richdale, with whom he worked on the Window to Europe project. However, after living together for only a year, the couple decided to leave.
Kiselev met his seventh wife, Maria Georgievna, in Crimea. They started dating and soon decided to get married.
Dmitry Kiselev with his wife Maria Maria has a son, Fyodor, from a previous marriage. On this moment the couple had two children together - Konstantin and Varvara.
On the Internet you can find Dmitry Kiselev’s accounts in different in social networks, however, the fact that they belong to him raises serious doubts.
Kiselev and Dud
In 2019, Kiselev became a guest of the “vDud” Internet project, where he gave a long and interesting interview. Many critics and ordinary viewers liked the way the journalist behaved in front of the interviewer.
Dmitry Kiselev and Yuri Dud There were several moments when Dud, wanting to embarrass Kiselev, himself found himself in a very confused and stupid position.
Dmitry Kiselev skillfully answered the most provocative questions and a couple of times accused Yuri of the unreliability of the information he provided.
As a result, even those people who have a negative attitude towards Kiselev noted his intelligence and ingenuity, and Dud received great amount critical comments and accusations that he was “terribly prepared for the interview.”
Dmitry Kiselev today
As of today, Kiselev continues to host the “News of the Week” program. In addition, he attends various social events and becomes a guest of various programs.
In 2019, a video was shot with Dmitry Konstantinovich, in which he rapped. In this composition, he glorified his homeland and spoke of its invincibility. At the end of the video, the presenter invited everyone to Crimea to a rap festival.
Since Dmitry Konstantinovich continues to remain in the spotlight and is considered one of the most famous Russian journalists, fans will see him more than once in various projects.
Photo by Dmitry Kiselev
Photo of Dmitry Kiselev with his wife
On this photo you can see a photo of Dmitry Kiselev with his wife Maria. The photo was taken at the festival in Koktebel.
In the photo below, the general director of MIA Rossiya Segodnya, Dmitry Kiselev, with his wife Maria before the TEFI 2016 award ceremony in the Evening Prime category in Moscow.
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The famous journalist Dmitry Kiselev turns 65 today. On this anniversary day, our staff retro TV critic decided to turn to video materials from the past that are unlikely to be remembered by modern fans and critics of the quotes “Coincidence? I don’t think so” and “However, nothing new.” The biography of the hero even before he became a hero of modern times - on television screens in the 1990s and 2000s.
Dmitry Kiselev is already a legend. He is an idol, an object of hatred, a walking meme, and in general the era of journalism that began with the heyday of agitprop in 2013. We congratulate him on his 65th birthday and wish him to burn everything into radioactive ashes!
In the mid-1990s
It must be said that he was already a star in the 90s, and this is more of a comeback rather than a rise from oblivion. But first things first. Dmitry was born in 1954 in Moscow, into a family of true intellectuals. He grew up as a well-mannered, educated and aesthetically developed boy. There was a cult of music at home, and young Dima played the guitar beautifully, was a proud musician and an expert in the French language.
The stormy youth and personal life did not pass by. Yes, yes, he was married as many as 7 times, all of them were for love. But the search for a profession was just as vigorous. To begin with, he went to St. Petersburg to medical school. Then he changed his field and studied at the Scandinavian department of the Faculty of Philology of Leningrad University. As you understand, having left early for another city, he quickly grew up and began to earn a living. Tutoring, translations, other services. In 1978, he was assigned to Foreign Broadcasting of the USSR, but things didn’t work out there either.
He was kicked out of one editorial office because of two divorces (in those years this was a big minus in the biography of a Soviet journalist), in another - for mistakes, and in the third for no reason, because someone was returning from maternity leave. “I moved with my dubious background from one maternity leave to another for almost ten years,” recalled the future head of the Rossiya Segodnya agency. And so for about a decade, first as an editor, then as a senior editor and commentator in departments broadcasting to Norway and Poland. But fate loves the persistent and stubborn.
Perestroika required young blood on TV. This is how Eduard Sagalayev, a major head of the central heating center of those years, contacted Kiselyov. Kiselyov is appointed special correspondent for the Vremya program on parliament and Europe. The first report was a sketch of anti-communist demonstrations in Tbilisi. However, he was rarely on camera, very rarely, except when reading out official dispatches from the Council of Ministers.
That very first report (from 2:25):
The reports were a success, and in 1990 Kiselyov was already put on camera to host the “Television News Service” - news without propaganda, the first in the USSR. He, along with Mitkova and others, becomes a TV star. There was a lot of reporting work, because life in the country was in full swing. From parliament to the fjords of Norway - without Kiselev it’s like being without hands.
Zhirinovsky’s first interview with the USSR Central Television, and he gave it to Kiselev:
In 1991, due to his refusal to read a false appeal on the bloody events in Vilnius, he was removed from the air. However, he successfully and efficiently collaborates with German and Japanese TV. After the putsch, the authorities changed their anger to mercy and returned him to Channel One, where he worked mainly as a special correspondent in Europe and the host of the unrated show “Window to Europe” about the delights of the European path. Oh God, Kiselyov and so on!
A fragment of the BBC project “How to Make TV” (if anything, here Kiselev scolds Dorenko):
It ran every month for two years while the EU grant existed. It cost about 30 thousand dollars per issue. European media officials praised Dmitry and called him an “iron propagandist.” How true this is! In general, when our correspondents were filming about the country’s sorrows, Kiselyov in Europe was filming about the prosperity of the Old World and the wonderful liberal tomorrow of Russia with money from the European Commission.
Norwegian fun (about the 1994 Olympic Games):
Shots on a cold spring evening in 1995 changed his life too. At Listyev’s funeral, he gives a clear and concise speech, clearly and clearly saying: “The regime of personal non-participation in crimes will be a contribution.” These are wonderful words, because it’s true that if each of us behaves normally, then a lot will become easier.
He is assigned to host the main ORT program - “Rush Hour”, interviews at 19:00. He is now the face of the channel, and not just a reporter. This moment, and not Euromaidan, became the birth of Dmitry as a professional and master. However, in 1996, for various reasons, Dmitry left ORT for TVC. Apparently, he decided that after Listyev he had no right to host this show.
With Yura Shevchuk:
There he hosts the talk show “National Interest”, where he talks about all the important problems of the country. At the same time, he continues to promote Europe in his “window”. He was then friends with Venediktov and worked at Ekho Moskvy until about 2003. He broadcasts with those who in 15 years will be branded as traitors and fifth columns, talks about the liberal path of Russia and about Europe as a citadel of power.
At the same time, in 2000, a contract with Ukraine for huge sums arose in his life. The oligarchy of our poor neighbor was getting richer, gaining fat and definitely wanted to own their TV horns better than in Russia. Where should you call top managers if not from the union center? The channel of Kuchma’s son-in-law Pinchuk ICTV calls on Kiselyov to conduct a final review of the events of the week and manage the news broadcast that has just appeared. He became the first Russian to go there for a salary of 50 greens a month (that’s how Gusinsky paid the top presenter on NTV).
Not bad, huh? The programs “Facts” and “Details” have been broadcast for six years. He swears his love and makes documentaries about the fate of the people from Kievan Rus to the present day. In general, the Ukrainian period of his life made him a socialite and celebrity. He leads parties, establishes the “Skovoroda” club and in every possible way becomes related to Ukraine. He has his own stable and motorcycle park. Although it is absolutely impossible to say that he “got dirty.” Yes, he loves Ukraine, yes, he respects its culture.
But all those rumors that he allegedly promoted Ukraine’s European path or glorified Bandera’s supporters, drowned for Yushchenko, are lies. After analyzing the releases, it became clear to us that Dmitry Konstantinovich supports pro-Russian politicians, glorifies friendship with Russia and supports Yanukovych. That is why he was removed from the leadership of the channel in 2006; the new orange fighters definitely did not need such a channel leader. He was accused of lying, but this was also very doubtful. Allegedly, he distorted the material about Yushchenko’s poisoning, but even today this is a very controversial topic.
Cook Dmitry Konstantinovich and his confectionery supplier Count Pierre de Rochen He also does not forget about Russia - he films series of interviews for RTR, talk shows and morning reports. He lives in two countries and works like hell. But after the break with Ukraine, he focused on RTR. There he hosts “Vesti+”, “Details”, “National Interest”. And since 2012, he has become a superstar with the “News of the Week” program. You see, success can come to you after 60 years, you just have to not despair and work.
The 2006 National Interest program about sects, interesting:
We congratulate Dmitry and want to say that we appreciate his unique style and ability to speak clearly, clearly, and unambiguously. This is a very valuable quality these days.
Dmitry Konstantinovich Kiselev- Russian journalist and TV presenter, general director of the Russian international news agency "Russia Today", deputy general director of VGTRK.
Childhood and education of Dmitry Kiselev
His grandfather was a nobleman with the last name Not tasty, came from Western Ukraine, was a lieutenant colonel tsarist army and the head of the engineering services of General Brusilov,” the presenter said in an interview with the Ukrainian newspaper “Facts”.
Dmitry’s father, according to him, came from Tambov peasants, and was also connected with Ukraine, serving in Kyiv in the cavalry in 1937. Also, according to Kiselev, among his ancestors there were Chumaks who traded salt.
Uncle of Dmitry Kiselev - famous composer Yuri Shaporin. The biography of Dmitry Kiselev on Wikipedia notes that it was his uncle who advised the boy to take up music. Dmitry graduated music school in guitar class.
However, Dmitry did not make music his profession. First he decided to become a doctor. After school, he entered medical school, but after graduating, Dmitry did not continue medical education.
“I’m a nurse, I can give injections, cupping, and enemas. You know, sometimes it helps me out,” Dmitry Kiselev said about his first education.
Then the future journalist went to Leningrad and entered the philological faculty (chose Scandinavian philology) at the University. A.A. Zhdanova, from which he graduated in 1978. Then Dmitry Kiselev dreamed of making a career as a diplomat.
Work biography of Dmitry Kiselev
Dmitry took his first steps in journalism at the USSR State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company. Here, the young journalist worked for about ten years in the sector responsible for covering the life of the country abroad.
Working in this department taught Kiselev to control his every word, even intonation.
In 1988, a familiar turning point occurred in the journalist’s career; Dmitry Kiselev moved to the news department of the Vremya program. As part of this program, the journalist was the presenter and also conducted political reviews.
However, when dramatic changes began in the country, Dmitry refused to read the official government statement about the events in the Baltic states and was fired from the State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company, according to Kiselev’s biography on Wikipedia.
After some time, Kiselev was invited to the Vesti program. Here Dmitry became one of the creators of a new format of television and radio. Active cooperation with foreign journalists began.
From that moment on, Dmitry Kiselev was engaged in extensive activities as a journalist and TV presenter. He hosted the Panorama news program and worked as his own correspondent in Helsinki for the Ostankino agency.
After tragic death Vladislav Listyeva in 1995 he hosted the program “Rush Hour” on Channel One. During the same period, Dmitry hosted another program - “Window to Europe” (1994−1996). But Kiselev worked on this project for about a year.
In 1997, Dmitry Kiselev new stage in his career - he became the host of the talk show “National Interest”, which aired on the RTR channel. Then the range of the program expanded. Dmitry Kiselev moved the release of the program to the Ukrainian channel ICTV.
Wikipedia’s biography of Kiselev states that since February 1999, the journalist was at one time also the author and voice-over presenter of the “Window to Europe” column on the morning channel “Day by Day” (TV-6). In addition, Dmitry Kiselev hosted the nightly edition of the TV Center television company's information program "Events" and the talk show "In the Center of Events."
Since the 2000s, Kiselev lived and worked for two countries - Ukraine and Russia. He was the host of the current interview “In detail with Dmitry Kiselev”, the chief editor of the information service of the Ukrainian television company ICTV. Hosted the “Facts” program. In Ukraine, Dmitry Kiselev also did successful career.
At the same time, he insisted that Kyiv period biographies are just a moment, and his career as a journalist in Russia did not stop. Dmitry Kiselev collaborated with the Russia-1 TV channel, where he worked on the programs “Morning Conversation” and “Authority”. From 2005 to 2008, Kiselev was the host of the information and analytical program “Vesti +” of the television company “Russia”, a topical interview “Vesti. Details."
In 2006-2012, Dmitry revived the talk show “National Interest”, where he became the host.
In March 2012, Dmitry Kiselev replaced Sergei Kurginyan as a presenter in the program " Historical process».
Since January 2013, Kiselev has been a permanent presenter of Christmas interviews with Patriarch Kirill on the Rossiya-1 channel.
For a short period in his activities, Dmitry Kiselev led an interesting intellectual game“Knowledge is power” (autumn 2015). We visited Kiselev Gennady Zyuganov , Karen Shakhnazarov, Alexey Pushkov, Nikolay Drozdov, Vladimir Menshov, Joseph Kobzon and others.
Dmitry Konstantinovich Kiselev also proved himself as a documentary director. He is the author of the series “USSR: The Collapse”, “Sakharov”, “100 Days of Gorbachev”, “100 Days of Yeltsin”, “1/6 of the Land”.
In 2015, the program “News of the Week” with Dmitry Kiselev of the channel “Russia-1” became owner TEFI-2015 awards in the category " Information program».
MIA "Russia Today" (RIA "Novosti")
At the end of 2013, RIA Novosti reported that a new structure would be created - the International News Agency Rossiya Segodnya. General Director Dmitry Konstantinovich Kiselev was appointed. According to Kiselev, the mission of his organization is “to restore a fair attitude towards Russia as an important country in the world with good intentions.”
Crimea, Koktebel
In the biography of Dmitry Kiselev on Wikipedia, it is reported that the journalist built a house in Koktebel, and in 2003 founded the Jazz Koktebel festival there. By in my own words Kiselev, he also initiated the reconstruction of the house-museum of the writer and artist Maximilian Voloshin, in which Ukrainian politicians helped him Dmitry Tabachnik And Petro Poroshenko .
Since 2012, he began creating a winery in Koktebel “Cock t’est belle” with a capacity of up to 4 thousand bottles per year.
Sanctions against Dmitry Kiselev
After the Crimean crisis in August 2014, September 2015, Dmitry Kiselev was included by Ukraine in sanctions list for the position on the war in the East of Ukraine and the annexation of Crimea to Russia, which includes 400 physical and 90 legal entities. Also, the head of RIA Novosti was included in the sanctions lists of Switzerland and Canada, and is persona non grata in Moldova.
Dmitry Kiselev is deprived state award Lithuania (memory medals). The President of the country signed a decree on this Dalia Grybauskaite, reported in the news. According to an employee of the Grybauskaite administration, the reason for what happened was that Dmitry Kiselev “discredited the honor of the award.”
In 2016, Kiselev said that his nephew Sergei fought in Donbass. “He has a German passport. However, he could not stay away from what was happening in eastern Ukraine. In Gorlovka or somewhere, he showed me photographs,” told Head of RIA Novosti.
Views of Dmitry Kiselev
Journalist Kiselev is accused of homophobia in Western media for his harsh statements against the propaganda of homosexuality in Russia. In an interview with the Ekho Moskvy channel, Dmitry explained his position on this issue:
“The problem we have with homosexuals is that they behave provocatively, they behave victimarily, yes, that is, deliberately calling for, provoking situations for them to become victims. No one is stopping them from loving each other the way they want. They aggressively impose the values of the minority on the majority. Probably society will oppose this. Naturally, right? In a variety of forms, including brutal ones.”
In 2017, Dmitry Kiselev advised editor-in-chief of Ekho Moskvy Alexey Venediktov contact a psychiatrist after the news that Venediktov demanded to interrogate VGTRK journalists after the attack on Tatiana Felgenhauer.
Personal life of Dmitry Kiselev
In the biography on the Find Out Everything website, Dmitry Kiselev’s personal life is called stormy. His first marriage was a student's and short-lived. At seventeen, when the young man was studying at medical school, his wife was a classmate named Alena. Dmitry Kiselev and his first wife separated in less than a year.
Having entered the university in Leningrad, Dmitry married again. The chosen one's name was Natalya. A year later, student Dmitry Kiselev was already married for the third time. The name of his third wife is Tatyana.
Further, in the journalist’s biographies in the “personal life” section, it is reported that Kiselev married for the fourth time after university, when he began his career at the USSR State Television and Radio. A year later, his wife, whose name is Elena, gave birth to Kiselyov’s son named Gleb. When the child was one year old, Dmitry Konstantinovich left the family.
Natalya became his fifth wife, but the presenter’s personal life did not stop there.
Dmitry Kiselev’s sixth wife appeared in 1998. She became Kelly Richdale(Kelly Richdale). Dmitry Konstantinovich married for the seventh time a year later. This time the chosen one was called Olga.
At that time, the TV presenter built own house in Crimea. Being a fan of jazz music, he held a jazz festival there, which he founded in 2003 and was called “Jazz Koktebel”. This festival has become an annual event. While in Koktebel, riding there on his rubber boat, Dmitry Konstantinovich saw a girl on the shore. She turned out to be student Masha from Moscow. She was studying at the institute at that time practical psychology and psychoanalysis. Masha already had a son, Fyodor.
A year after they met, their wedding took place. Maria gave birth to a son, Kostya, in 2007, and three years later, a daughter, Varvara, was born. Last wife Dmitry Kiseleva graduated from three universities with honors and is currently receiving a fourth education, says the biography of Dmitry Konstantinovich, Maria Kiseleva plans to work as a psychotherapist.
Interests and hobbies of Dmitry Kiselev
Together with his family, TV presenter Dmitry Kiselev lives in the Moscow region, where a Scandinavian house built according to his design is located. It should be noted that the construction lasted for several years, Kiselev said that he took an active part in it, having mastered the construction specialty while still a student. There is a small mill installed on the well in the yard, complementing the general form Houses.
The TV presenter often gets to work by motorcycle, only getting into a car in winter. Dmitry Kiselev is a well-known lover of motorcycles and motorsports, which, unfortunately, affected his health. There was a time when Dmitry Konstantinovich kept four horses, but after he fell along with the car from the bridge into the water and received compression fracture spine, he was no longer able to engage in horse riding. Being keen on motocross, the TV presenter also received serious injury— torn ligaments in his knee, he underwent three operations and walked on crutches for a whole year. After this, Kiselev gave one horse to his trainer, sold one, and donated two horses to childcare facility. The TV presenter’s eldest son, Gleb, is already an adult; they have always maintained a relationship and traveled a lot together. The son shared his father's passion for horses. IN country house Kiselev, Gleb has his own room where he lives when he comes to visit.
Dmitry Konstantinovich is fluent in Norwegian, English and French languages, in addition, reads Icelandic, Swedish and Danish.
It is difficult to find at least one ruler or simply significant historical figure, whose life would be shrouded in as many legends and secrets as the life of King Solomon. His name became synonymous with wisdom throughout the centuries, and the period of his reign became the “Golden Age,” the heyday of the Kingdom of Israel.
Solomon was born in 1011 BC. in Jerusalem. His parents were the powerful King of Israel David and the beautiful Bathsheba. The only source in which one can find confirmation of the real existence of the legendary ruler of the united kingdom of Israel is the Torah. Therefore, with scientific point To this day, it is difficult to say for sure whether Solomon is a historical figure.
This is what he says Holy Bible about the history of the birth of the future King Solomon: “One evening, David, getting out of bed, was walking on the roof of the king’s house and saw a woman bathing from the roof; and that woman was very beautiful. And David sent to find out who this woman was? And they said to him, This is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite. David sent servants to take her; and she came to him, and he slept with her.". In order to get rid of the beauty’s husband, King David ordered him to be sent on a military campaign and, so that the warrior would certainly not return home, gave instructions: “Place Uriah where the strongest battle will be and retreat from him so that he will be defeated and die.”. When Uriah died, the king was able to marry Bathsheba, and in due course they had a son.
As you know, sooner or later everything secret becomes clear, and the treacherous act of the king is no exception. A scandal broke out in Jerusalem. The prophet Nathan openly cursed the house of David, dooming it to fratricidal strife. In addition, he predicted that the baby born to Bathsheba would die. And so it happened. David then repented before the Lord, and Nathan declared that he was forgiven. Soon, the beautiful Bathsheba gave birth to a second son, who was named Solomon (Shlomo), that is, “peacemaker.” The second name was given to him at birth by the prophet Nathan: Jedidiah - “favorite of God.”
By the time Solomon was born, forty-year-old King David already had two dozen offspring from different wives. Naturally, they received the news about the appearance of another heir without delight, and they did not treat each other like brothers.
David's two eldest sons, Amnon and Absalom, died in fratricidal internecine conflicts. The next oldest was Adonijah. Formalities required that he should ascend to the throne of Israel after David, but the great ruler had already promised Bathsheba that he would make Solomon his successor. Distressed by his father's injustice, Adonijah found support in the military commander Joav and the high priest Evyatar, who also believed that Adonijah had a greater right to the throne than Solomon. Adonijah, already confident of his own victory, arranged a luxurious feast in honor of his coronation. However, Bathsheba entered the king’s chambers and reminded him of the promise given to her: “Did you not, my lord the king, swear to your servant, saying: “Your son Solomon will be king after me”? Why did Adonijah reign?" And David appointed 18-year-old Solomon as his successor. Having learned of his failure and the failure of his intrigues, Adonijah ran, fearing reprisals, to the temple and grabbed the horns of the altar in the form of a bull's head - this meant that he was asking for protection from G-d. Solomon came to Adonijah and promised that he would not kill him if he behaved with dignity from now on.
Soon David died, and Adonijah again tried to make his way to power. He decided to marry Abishag, King David's handmaiden at the end of his life. Solomon saw in this Adonijah’s claim to the throne, since, according to custom, the right to the throne is the one who gets the king’s wife or concubine, and ordered Adonijah to be killed.
After this execution, Solomon decided to once and for all get rid of the remaining “well-wishers” - the adherent of Adonijah Yoav and the long-time enemy of the Davidic dynasty Shimi, a relative of the first king Shaul. Solomon was not driven by a blind thirst for revenge, and there are no documents in history confirming the use of the death penalty by the king. In relation to Yoav and Shimi, Solomon only fulfilled David's will.
Solomon ruled the kingdom of Israel from 967 to 928 BC. As already mentioned, the king was unusually wise. One day, before the construction of the Temple, G-d appeared to Solomon in a dream and promised to fulfill his every desire. Solomon asks: “Give Your servant an understanding heart, to judge Your people and discern between what is good and what is evil.”
“And God said to him: because you asked for this, and did not ask for yourself a long life, did not ask for wealth, did not ask for the souls of your enemies, but asked for understanding so that you could judge, behold, I will do according to to your word: Behold, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there was no one like you before you, and after you there will not arise one like you; and that which you did not ask I give you, both riches and glory, so that There shall be one like you among kings all your days; and if you walk in My way, keeping My statutes and My commandments, as your father David walked, I will also prolong your days.”(Kings).
Having decided to unite his people with a common cause, one task, King Solomon built the main shrine of Judaism - the First Temple of Jerusalem on Mount Zion. The Ark of the Covenant (aron ha-brit) was placed in this Temple - the greatest shrine, inside of which were kept the tablets received by Moses from the Lord himself.
David also wanted to build a worthy container for the Ark, but did not have time. Solomon continued the work begun by his father. He made a deal with the king of Phoenician Tire, Hiram, in whose country the Lebanese cedars, famous throughout the Middle East, grew.
According to the agreement, in exchange for cedar wood, Solomon agreed to supply Hiram every year with a large number of oils, meat and grains. 30 thousand people were sent to Tire to harvest wood; another 150 thousand residents of Israel mined stones in the mountains and transported them to Jerusalem. Almost everyone was forced to build the temple healthy men. The construction lasted 7 years, and is associated with it famous legend about the chief mason, whose name was Hiram according to some sources, and Adoniram according to others. He refused to reveal the secrets of his craft, and for this he was killed. Hiram's heirs allegedly founded the brotherhood of “free masons” (Masons) to protect the secret, making its emblems a compass, a square and a plumb line.
The erected Temple was a huge building that could accommodate up to 50 thousand worshipers. In the center of the Temple was the “Holy of Holies” (Davir), where the Ark was installed on a stone pedestal, guarded by gilded statues of cherubs. The temple was destroyed in 586 BC. Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II, but before that the ark mysteriously disappeared. Mystery lovers are still looking for it.
Many still consider Solomon to be the personification of wisdom, and there is even a saying: “He who sees Solomon in a dream can hope to become wise” (Berachot 57 b).
No matter how atypical it may sound for those times, King Solomon was a peaceful ruler and, unlike his father, waged virtually no wars. At the same time, he managed to expand the territory of Israel from the Nile to the Euphrates. It was under this ruler that the Kingdom of Israel became a significant and quite influential state in Asia.
Strategy foreign policy Solomon began to build the kingdom of Israel by establishing and strengthening friendly relations with neighbors. At the beginning of his reign, he put an end to the age-old enmity between the Egyptians and the Jews by marrying his daughter Egyptian pharaoh and thereby strengthening the southern borders of the state. Most likely, it was precisely in order to get closer to neighboring peoples and strengthen his power that Solomon took as wives Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites who belonged to the noble families of these peoples.
King Solomon was a good diplomat, builder and trader. He turned an agricultural country into a strong, economically developed state that had great influence on international arena. He rebuilt and strengthened Jerusalem and other cities of his kingdom, introduced cavalry and chariots into the Jewish army for the first time, built a merchant fleet, developed crafts and in every possible way supported trade with other countries.
The new government of King Solomon consisted of a high priest, a commander of the troops, a minister of taxation, the head of the royal administration and the head of 12 governors, as well as several court chroniclers.
During excavations in Jerusalem, many cups for cosmetics, mirrors, hairpins, jugs for imported incense were found - this proves that the ladies of the court vigilantly followed fashion. The king established the mining and smelting of copper, and also built a large fleet, which sailed to the country of Ophir every three years, bringing gold and valuable wood from there.
Henry Rider Haggard's book King Solomon's Mines, published in 1885, inspired many adventurers to go in search of treasure. Haggard believed that Solomon owned diamond and gold mines. Most archaeologists are confident that the king mined copper ore in his mines. In the 1930s it was suggested that the Solomon mines were located in southern Jordan. And only at the beginning of the 21st century did archaeologists find evidence that, indeed, the copper mines discovered on the territory of Jordan in the town of Khirbat en-Nahas may be the legendary mines of King Solomon. Obviously, Solomon had a monopolist in the copper production market, which gave him the opportunity to receive super-profits. Ambassadors from the most different countries arrived in Jerusalem to conclude peace and trade agreements with Israel, and brought rich gifts.
One of the hallmarks of Solomon's reign was extraordinary luxury everywhere: "And the king made the silver in Jerusalem equal in value to common stones". Special attention deserves the throne of a king. In the Second Targum to the Book of Esther it is said that 12 golden lions and the same number of golden eagles sat opposite each other on the steps of the throne of the king of Israel. On the top of the throne is a golden image of a dove. There was also a golden candlestick with fourteen candle cups, seven of which were engraved with the names of Adam, Noah, Shem, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Job, and seven others with the names of Levi, Kehat, Amram, Moshe, Aaron, Eldad and Hura. As stated in the Targum, when the king ascended the throne, the lions, using a mechanical device, extended their paws so that Solomon could lean on them. In addition, the throne itself moved at the request of the king. When Solomon, ascending to the throne, reached the last step, the eagles lifted him up and seated him on a chair.
Understanding the importance of education, realizing the influence of education on the future of the state, wanting to spread the Torah throughout the country, Solomon built synagogues and schools. However, the king was not distinguished by arrogance: when it was necessary to determine leap year, he invited 7 learned elders to his place, "in whose presence he remained silent"(Shemot Rabbah 15, 20).
There are legends about the king's wisdom. One day Solomon turned to the court sage with a request: “Help me - a lot in this life can make me angry. I am very susceptible to passions, and this bothers me!” To which the sage replied: “I know how to help you. Put on this ring - the phrase is carved on it: “This will pass!” When strong anger or strong joy surges, look at this inscription, and it will sober you up. In this you will find salvation from passions!"
Solomon followed the advice of the sage and found peace. But the moment came when, looking, as usual, at the ring, he did not calm down, but on the contrary, he lost his temper even more. He tore the ring off his finger and wanted to throw it further into the pond, but suddenly noticed that inside The ring has some kind of inscription. He took a closer look and read: “This too shall pass...” According to another legend, the engraved ring - a source of wisdom and peace - was made for Solomon by a first-class jeweler who was threatened the death penalty in case of unsuccessful work.
There's another one famous story, which testifies to the insight and intelligence of the great king. Once, two women came to the king for trial, who could not divide the baby between them - both claimed that the child belonged to her. Solomon, without thinking twice, ordered the baby to be cut in half so that each woman would get a piece. When one of the women screamed in horror: “Better give it to her, but don’t kill him!” Solomon made a decision in favor of this woman - she was the mother of the child...
King Solomon's Court
Legends say that all animals and birds obeyed Solomon. Gems Demons brought them to Solomon's palace, angels guarded them. With the help of a magical ring on which the name of God was engraved, Solomon learned many secrets about the world from the angels.
Having learned about the wisdom and fabulous wealth of King Solomon, the legendary Queen of Sheba from the country of Saba in what is now Yemen visited him to test his wisdom and verify his wealth. The queen brought with her numerous gifts. The Saba state successfully traded with neighboring countries spices and incense. Trade routes crossed the territory of Solomon's kingdom, and the passage of caravans depended on the will and disposition of the king, which was the real reason for the visit of the Queen of Sheba. There is an opinion that she was just a “delegate”, an “ambassador” of the country and was not a dynastic queen. But only someone equal in status could speak to the king, so the envoys were “assigned” temporary status for negotiations. Folk legends gave a romantic touch to this visit. Blinded by the beauty of the Queen of Sheba, Solomon was inflamed with passion for her, she reciprocated his feelings, all questions about the advancement of the caravans were settled. Returning home, the queen gave birth to a boy named Menelik. The Ethiopians claim that their imperial dynasty descends from him. In Ethiopia, the queen is considered their countrywoman.
Solomon and the Queen of Sheba in a fresco by Piero della Francesca from the Basilica of San Francesco
During his reign, Solomon also made mistakes, which became the catalyst for the collapse of the state after his death. Time passed, and the king’s income ceased to cover his expenses. Grandiose construction and fast economic development demanded work force: “And King Solomon imposed a tax on all Israel; the tax was thirty thousand people.”
Solomon divided the country into 12 tax districts, which were required to support the royal court and army. The tribe of Yehuda, from which Solomon and David were from, was exempt from taxes, which caused discontent and increased the degree of social tension in society. Jeroboam from the tribe of Ephraim, who held a prominent position in the royal administration, rebelled, and then fled to Egypt, where he was hospitably received by Pharaoh Shusakim. Another threat was the bandit Razon, who captured Damascus and became king there, constantly attacking the northern lands of Israel.
Solomon's extravagance and craving for luxury led him to lose his solvency. Solomon was unable to pay off King Hiram, and was forced to give him about twenty of his cities as debt.
The priests also had reasons for dissatisfaction. The king had many wives of various races and religions. Solomon allowed them to worship their gods, built temples for them, and at the end of his life he himself began to participate in pagan cults.
King Solomon in old age. Engraving by Gustav Dore
King Solomon is credited with the authorship of many books and literary works. He is believed to have written the book Ecclesiastes, but scholars have found Persian and Aramaic words in it that prove the book was written centuries later. The Song of Songs (Shir Ha-shirim) is also attributed to Solomon’s pen. great book about love.
Already in the Middle Ages, many other works were attributed to Solomon - for the most part occult and magical. Astrologers and alchemists, in order not to be accused of heresy, declared the king, recognized as a saint, as their patron.
At the end of his life, G-d appeared to Solomon and said: “Because this is done among you, and you have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I commanded you, I will tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant; but in your days I will not do this for the sake of David your father; I will pluck him out of the hand of your son"(Kings).
According to most sources, King Solomon's reign lasted about 37 years, and he died at the age of 52 while overseeing the construction of a new altar. Those close to the king did not immediately bury him in the hope that the ruler simply fell into a lethargic sleep. When the worms began to sharpen the royal staff, Solomon was finally declared dead and buried with full honors.
After the death of King Solomon, as a result of numerous uprisings, his kingdom split into two weak states - Israel and Judah, which were mired in constant internecine wars.
Solomon himself, looking at the disappointing results of his reign, could well have uttered the sad words put into his mouth by the author of the book of Ecclesiastes: “I gave my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and stupidity: I learned that this too is vexation of the spirit; For in much wisdom there is much sorrow, and whoever increases knowledge increases sorrow.”
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