A film from the documentary series ‘Great Ukrainians’.

The film tells the story of the heyday of Kyivan Rus during the era of Yaroslav the Wise, including the laws he established for his state and the battles he led. In particular, Yaroslav put an end to the Pechenegs once and for all — in 1036, a general battle took place, after which the Pechenegs never attacked Rus again — and St. Sophia Cathedral was built in honour of this victory.

Particular attention is paid to his daughter Anne, who became the Queen of France and the de facto ruler of the country until 1074, in particular to her novels, as well as to her son, the French King Philip, a worthy successor to the royal dynasty.

The filmmakers also tackled the mystery of the Norman sagas, which, according to some reports, accuse Yaroslav (“Yaritsleiva”) of being the mastermind behind the murder of his brother Boris (“Buritsleiva”), and will try to understand this dubious version of the events of a thousand years of history.

But the main theme of the film is the search for Yaroslav's library, which, like the Grail, symbolises the wisdom of this great sovereign. One of Yaroslav's books, the Gospel in Old Slavonic, which Anna Yaroslavivna brought with her to France as a dowry, was used by all French kings until the end of the eighteenth century, when they were anointed to the throne.