The life of Yaroslav the Wise, Grand Prince of Kievan Rus', Prince of Novgorod and Rostov.

In the XIth century Kievan Rus' reached its zenith under the reign of Yaroslav. He established enduring ties with many of the ruling European dynasties, strengthened the borders of Rus' and tried to free it from the influence of the Byzantine Empire. Since 988 the church of Rus' had been autonomous, apart from the right of Constantinople to appoint the Metropolitan.—Anonymous