The assessment of the life, motives and actions of Grand Duke Yaroslav the Wise in the book offered to the reader is quite different from the one to which we are accustomed, getting acquainted with the materials of school history courses and numerous popular literature. Indeed, the figure of this extraordinary personality, upon careful study of the sources, does not appear as unambiguous and positive as it might seem. This is precisely what the author draws attention to, showing us the past from a new, rather unexpected side.