Igor Svyatoslavich
Encyclopedia
Igor Svyatoslavich the Brave (Novhorod-Siverskyi, April 3 / 10, 1151 – the spring of 1201 / December 29, 1202) was a Rus’
prince (a member of the Rurik dynasty
). His baptismal name was Yury.
Igor was prince of Putivl (1164–1180), of Novgorod-Seversk
(1180–1198), and of Chernigov (1198–1201/1202).
Chronicle evidence reveals that he had an enviably successful military career; he led many campaigns against the Cumans
from among which the chronicle
s report only one defeat. But it was his defeat at the river Kayala that has become immortalized through its literary rendering in “The Lay of Igor’s Campaign
”, the most celebrated epic
of Rus’.
During his reign Novgorod Severskiy
(today Novhorod-Siverskyi in Ukraine
) enjoyed the status of the second most powerful town in the Chernigov land. Basing their observations on archaeological evidence, a number of investigators proposed that Igor built the Cathedral of St. Savior in the Monastery of the Transfiguration outside of the town. It has also been suggested that he founded the stone church in Putivl.
To judge from circumstantial evidence, Igor’s reign in Chernigov
(today Chernihiv in Ukraine) was uneventful. He continued the family chronicle
that his father and brother had commissioned.
His father died on February 15, 1164; Igor's half-brother, Oleg Svyatoslavich took over the control of Novgorod Severskiy and probably gave Putivl to Igor. Before 1170, Igor married a daughter of prince Yaroslav Volodimerovich Osmomysl of Halych
.
Around June of 1171, the Cumans renewed their raids along the Ros River and they attacked towns belonging to the Olgovichi (the ruling dynasty of Chernigov). Igor led a campaign against the invaders on June 29. After crossing the river Vorskla, he learnt that Khans Kobyak and Konchak were devastating districts around Pereyaslavl
(now Pereiaslav-Khmelnytskyi in Ukraine); he crossed back over the river and rode to confront the raiders. On July 20, his druzhina
killed many of the nomads and took others captive.
While returning from his victory, Igor visited the shrine of SS. Boris and Gleb
in Vyshgorod
(today Vyshhorod in Ukraine) to celebrate their feast. There he met with Roman I Rostislavich of Kiev
(his brother-in-law) and his brothers on July 25. Their meeting was political in nature in that Igor would have pledged allegiance to the new ruler of Kiev.
summoned Igor and Igor’s brother Vsevolod Svyatoslavich to Lyubech and concluded an agreement. Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich’s main objective in assembling the senior generation of Olgovichi was to secure Igor’s allegiance. On September 8, Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich ordered Igor and prince Vsevolod III Yuryevich of Vladimir to lead the junior Olgovichi and Monomashichi against Vyshgorod that he was besieging; the nine-week siege of the town became a failure.
At the beginning of 1181, Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich launched an expedition against Vsevolod Yuryevich in order to free from captivity his son Gleb Svyatoslavich
. Before setting out, the grand prince commanded his son Yaroslav Svyatoslavich and Igor to remain behind and defend Chernigov against the Rostislavichi (the members of the ruling dynasty of Smolensk
). Later, Yaroslav Svyatoslavich and Igor waged war on the Principality of Drutsk
whose prince Gleb Rogvoldovich formed a pact with prince David Rostislavich of Smolensk. Although David Rostislavich came to assist the prince of Drutsk, but Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich, who had expanded his authority over Novgorod
, made David Rostislavich flee from the field of battle and forced Gleb Rogvoldovich to capitulate.
From Drutsk, Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich traveled south to evict grand prince Rurik Rostislavich
from the Kievan land. Meanwhile, Igor, accompanied by Khans Konchak and Kobyak, was waiting for him near Vyshgorod. After Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich occupied the capital, the Cumans asked him to let Igor accompany them to the Lake Dolobsk. When Ryurik Rostislavich learnt that Igor and the nomad
s were encamped on the other side of the Dnieper River
, he sent troops to attack them. His troops defeated the Cumans; Igor and Khan Konchak, however, escaped by boat to Chernigov. It is likely that Igor and Khan Konchak formed a marriage alliance and arranged their children’s engagement.
When Khan Konchak with his Donets Cumans
pillaged the Pereyaslavl lands in February of 1184, Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich sent his sons and his troops to Igor ordering him to pursue the tribesmen. Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich’s co-ruler, Rurik Rostislavich
, for his part, sent his troops under the command of prince Vladimir Glebovich of Pereyaslavl. Igor was appointed to command all the troops of the Olgovichi, and he refused Vladimir Glebovich permission to spearhead the attack, because the vanguard contingent would get the first chance to grab the booty. Shortly afterwards, Vladimir Glebovich pillaged the Seversk
towns of the Olgovichi and rode off in a huff; Igor also sent the Kievan troops home. Consequently, Igor went in pursuit of the Cumans with a greatly diminished force, including some Black Hats. Igor pursued the raiders, found them at the river Khiriya (a tributary of the Vorskla), and took many captive. On his way home, he probably attacked Vladimir Glebovich’s town of Glebov (on the right bank of the Trubizh River
).
In the summer, grand prince Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich launched a major campaign against the Cumans; Igor proposed that Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich take the route across the Pereyaslavl lands and he would meet him at the river Sula
. But Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich rejected his proposal, and therefore Igor boycotted the expedition. However, on learning that Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich’s troops had departed, he also summoned his relatives; his aim was to plunder Cuman camps while the nomads were preoccupied fighting Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich’s forces. Anticipating no opposition, Igor was surprised to chance upon a Cuman raiding party of 400 strong around the river Merla (south of the Khiriya) which gave his men an opportunity to win glory in the battle.
In 1184, Igor harbored Vladimir Yaroslavich
(his brother-in-law) who had been driven out of Halych by his own father.
When Khan Konchak attacked again Rus’ with a large force in 1185, Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich and Ryurik Rostislavich quickly assembled a force. The chronicler claims that Igor was also eager to attack him even against the advice of his druzhinniki and adverse weather conditions prevented his departure.
area. After the princes joined forces at the Oskol River
, a band of Cumans spotted them and sent horsemen to warn the neighboring camps. When Igor arrived at the river Salnitsa, his scouts
informed him that they had spotted the enemy in battle array. They advised him either to attack quickly before the Cuman band received reinforcements or to withdraw. Igor and his relatives refused to return home, because, they argued, their peers would mock them for fearing to face death and heap shame upon them.
As Igor’s forces came to the river Syuurliy, the enemy archers
shot a volley of arrow
s at them and withdrew. Igor and his brother prince Vsevolod Svyatoslavich of Trubetsk advanced in formation at a steady pace, but his nephew Svyatoslav Olgovich of Rylsk and his son Vladimir Igorevich
set off in pursuit and defeated the nomads. After all the contingents had reassembled, Igor advised that they withdraw under the cover of darkness because they had seen how great a force the Cumans had already mustered. But Svyatoslav Olgovich pointed out that he had pursued the Cumans over a great distance and that his horses were too exhausted to set off immediately; therefore Igor ordered his troops to rest for the night.
Alarmed at the audacity of the princes to come to their very lairs, the Donets Cumans sounded a general alarm; for three days enemy archers shot arrows at them without engaging them in battle. The princes’ only hope lay in reaching the river Donets; if they fled, however, it meant deserting the common soldiers, and therefore they rode against the enemy. The raid ended in catastrophe: the Cumans surrounded Igor’s forces like an unyielding wall so that only fifteen of the Rus’ men escaped. Igor was seized by a Cuman called Chilbuk but later Khan Konchak assumed responsibility for his svat (his son-in-law’s father) Igor who had been wounded.
After learning of Igor’s defeat Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich sent his two sons Vladimir and Oleg Svyatoslavich
to the Poseme region (along the Seym River
) to serve as interim defenders of the Seversk towns. According to the chronicler, the Cumans assembled their entire nation to march against Rus’. But the khan
s argued: Koza suggested that they should raid the towns of the defeated princes along the river Seym; Konchak proposed attacking the princes on the Kievan side. Because the khans obstinately stuck to their views, they split their horde into two. Koza attacked Putivl but failed to take it; nevertheless, he set fire to its outer town, pillaged the district, and razed surrounding villages.
Meanwhile, Igor was spending his captivity in Konchak’s camp. Although twenty Cumans were appointed to guard him, he was free to ride wherever he chose and to hunt with hawks
. We are told that a Cuman offered to help him to escape; one day at dusk, he raised the tent
flap and crawled out while the guards were entertaining themselves with games.
After crossing over to the other side of the river Tor, Igor rode away. He traveled eleven days to the town Donets
; from there he went to Novgorod Severskiy. We are not told when Igor escaped, but he could not have been in captivity for more than a few months; he probably fled in the late summer at the latest.
After arriving in Novgorod Severskiy, Igor visited Yaroslav II Vsevolodovich
(his cousin) in Chernigov and asked for military aid. Next, he went to Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich in Kiev, and he undoubtedly asked him to assist in collecting the ransom
s for the three captive princes. After leaving Svyatoslav, he visited Ryurik Rostislavich. Archaeological evidence suggests that after returning to Novgorod Severskiy, Igor reinforced the fortifications and founded new ones in the vicinity of Vyr.
to escort Vladimir Yaroslavich home. In the autumn of 1188, his son Vladimir Igorevich returned home from captivity with Khan Konchak’s daughter.
On September 26, 1188, Igor and his family attended the festivities organized by Rurik Rostislavich to celebrate his son’s wedding. During the same week, Rurik Rostislavich gave away his daughter to Igor’s son Svyatoslav.
In 1190, grand prince Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich married his grandson David Olgovich to Igor’s daughter.
Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich died during the last week of July of 1194, and his death changed the order of seniority among the Olgovichi: his only brother, Yaroslav Vsevolodovich became the new senior prince
of the dynasty, and Igor became the second in seniority in the family.
of Chernigov. One of his first tasks was to renew the alliances that Yaroslav Vsevolodovich had concluded with Roman Mstislavich of Volodymyr-Volynskyi
; he also endorsed the alliances Yaroslav Vsevolodovich had made with Vsevolod III Yuryevich of Vladimir and the Rostislavichi.
The same year, his brother-in-law, prince Vladimir Yaroslavich of Halych died, and his death created a political vacuum. Although, the Olgovichi could argue that their marriage ties with his dynasty gave them the right to rule Halych, however, Roman Msislavich was the quickest off the mark and he captured Halych.
When he died, as the prince of Chernigov, Igor merited burial in the Cathedral of Saint Saviour.
or in rhythmic prose
; in either case, it is poetry at its height and its language is racy and powerful. Besides rhythm, the poetic elements of the Lay comprise an extremely rich imagery constructed primarily on parallels with nature, symbolism, poetic address, and lyric lamentation.
In 1869, Vladimir Stasov, a major literary figure of 19th-century Russia
, suggested to Alexander Borodin
that an opera
might be written on the subject of the Lay of Igor’s Campaign. Borodin began to write his Prince Igor
but he left the opera unfinished at the time of his death nearly twenty years later. It fell to Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
and Alexander Glazunov
to finish the orchestration
and prepare Prince Igor for publication and performance in 1890.
by his first wife Olga Yuryevna of Kiev
Rus' (people)
The Rus' were a group of Varangians . According to the Primary Chronicle of Rus, compiled in about 1113 AD, the Rus had relocated from the Baltic region , first to Northeastern Europe, creating an early polity which finally came under the leadership of Rurik...
prince (a member of the Rurik dynasty
Rurik Dynasty
The Rurik dynasty or Rurikids was a dynasty founded by the Varangian prince Rurik, who established himself in Novgorod around the year 862 AD...
). His baptismal name was Yury.
Igor was prince of Putivl (1164–1180), of Novgorod-Seversk
Principality of Novgorod-Seversk
The Principality of Novgorod-Seversk was a medieval Rus' principality centered on the town now called Novhorod-Siverskyi. The principality was aligned to the Principality of Chernigov. It may have been created in 1139, the date of one modern authority...
(1180–1198), and of Chernigov (1198–1201/1202).
Cumans
The Cumans were Turkic nomadic people comprising the western branch of the Cuman-Kipchak confederation. After Mongol invasion , they decided to seek asylum in Hungary, and subsequently to Bulgaria...
from among which the chronicle
Chronicle
Generally a chronicle is a historical account of facts and events ranged in chronological order, as in a time line. Typically, equal weight is given for historically important events and local events, the purpose being the recording of events that occurred, seen from the perspective of the...
s report only one defeat. But it was his defeat at the river Kayala that has become immortalized through its literary rendering in “The Lay of Igor’s Campaign
The Tale of Igor's Campaign
The Tale of Igor's Campaign is an anonymous epic poem written in the Old East Slavic language.The title is occasionally translated as The Song of Igor's Campaign, The Lay of Igor's Campaign, and The Lay of...
”, the most celebrated epic
Epic poetry
An epic is a lengthy narrative poem, ordinarily concerning a serious subject containing details of heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation. Oral poetry may qualify as an epic, and Albert Lord and Milman Parry have argued that classical epics were fundamentally an oral poetic form...
of Rus’.
During his reign Novgorod Severskiy
Novhorod-Siverskyi
Novhorod-Siversky is a historic city in the Chernihiv Oblast of Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Novhorod-Siversky Raion, and is situated on the bank of the Desna River, 330 km from the capital, Kiev, and 45 km south of the Russian border. Current estimated population:...
(today Novhorod-Siverskyi in Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
) enjoyed the status of the second most powerful town in the Chernigov land. Basing their observations on archaeological evidence, a number of investigators proposed that Igor built the Cathedral of St. Savior in the Monastery of the Transfiguration outside of the town. It has also been suggested that he founded the stone church in Putivl.
To judge from circumstantial evidence, Igor’s reign in Chernigov
Chernihiv
Chernihiv or Chernigov is a historic city in northern Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Chernihiv Oblast , as well as of the surrounding Chernihivskyi Raion within the oblast...
(today Chernihiv in Ukraine) was uneventful. He continued the family chronicle
Chronicle
Generally a chronicle is a historical account of facts and events ranged in chronological order, as in a time line. Typically, equal weight is given for historically important events and local events, the purpose being the recording of events that occurred, seen from the perspective of the...
that his father and brother had commissioned.
His early life
He was the elder son of Svyatoslav Olegovich, by his second wife, the Novgorodian Catherine. By giving the child the baptismal name of Yury, Svyatoslav Olgovich acknowledged his friendship with prince Yury Vladimirovich of Suzdal. In choosing Igor for the boy’s princely name, he testified to the close bond that had existed between him and his deceased brother.His father died on February 15, 1164; Igor's half-brother, Oleg Svyatoslavich took over the control of Novgorod Severskiy and probably gave Putivl to Igor. Before 1170, Igor married a daughter of prince Yaroslav Volodimerovich Osmomysl of Halych
Yaroslav Osmomysl
Yaroslav Osmomysl was the most famous Prince of Halych from the first dynasty of its rulers, which descended from Yaroslav I's eldest son. His sobriquet, meaning "Eight-Minded" in Old East Slavic, was granted to him in recognition of his wisdom...
.
Around June of 1171, the Cumans renewed their raids along the Ros River and they attacked towns belonging to the Olgovichi (the ruling dynasty of Chernigov). Igor led a campaign against the invaders on June 29. After crossing the river Vorskla, he learnt that Khans Kobyak and Konchak were devastating districts around Pereyaslavl
Pereiaslav-Khmelnytskyi
Pereiaslav-Khmelnytskyi is a town located where Alta River flows into Trubizh River in the Kiev Oblast in central Ukraine. Serving as the administrative center of the Pereiaslav-Khmelnytskyi Raion , the town itself is also designated as a separate raion within the oblast...
(now Pereiaslav-Khmelnytskyi in Ukraine); he crossed back over the river and rode to confront the raiders. On July 20, his druzhina
Druzhina
Druzhina, Drużyna or Družyna in the medieval history of Slavic Europe was a retinue in service of a chieftain, also called knyaz. The name is derived from the Slavic word drug with the meaning of "companion, friend". -Early Rus:...
killed many of the nomads and took others captive.
While returning from his victory, Igor visited the shrine of SS. Boris and Gleb
Boris and Gleb
Boris and Gleb , Christian names Roman and David, respectively, were the first saints canonized in Kievan Rus' after the Christianization of the country....
in Vyshgorod
Vyshhorod
Vyshhorod is a city in the Kiev Oblast , in central Ukraine. It is the administrative centre of the Vyshhorodskyi Raion , and is located along the Dnieper River upstream from the national capital, Kiev...
(today Vyshhorod in Ukraine) to celebrate their feast. There he met with Roman I Rostislavich of Kiev
Roman I of Kiev
Roman Rostislavich , Prince of Smolensk , Grand Prince of Kiev and Prince of Novgorod . He was the son of Rostislav Mstislavich.-Succession:...
(his brother-in-law) and his brothers on July 25. Their meeting was political in nature in that Igor would have pledged allegiance to the new ruler of Kiev.
Prince of Novgorod-Seversk
His half-brother, Oleg Svyatoslavich died on January 16, 1180; thus Igor left Putivl to succeed him in Novgorod Severskiy. Soon after Oleg Svyatoslavich’s death, grand prince Svyatoslav III Vsevolodovich of KievSviatoslav III of Kiev
Sviatoslav III Vsevolodovich , Prince of Turov , Vladimir and Volyn , Pinsk , Novgorod-Seversky , Chernigov , Grand Prince of Kiev...
summoned Igor and Igor’s brother Vsevolod Svyatoslavich to Lyubech and concluded an agreement. Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich’s main objective in assembling the senior generation of Olgovichi was to secure Igor’s allegiance. On September 8, Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich ordered Igor and prince Vsevolod III Yuryevich of Vladimir to lead the junior Olgovichi and Monomashichi against Vyshgorod that he was besieging; the nine-week siege of the town became a failure.
At the beginning of 1181, Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich launched an expedition against Vsevolod Yuryevich in order to free from captivity his son Gleb Svyatoslavich
Gleb Svyatoslavich (Prince of Chernigov)
Gleb Svyatoslavich was a Rus' prince . His baptismal name was Pakhomy. He was prince of Kaniv , of Belgorod , and of Chernigov . He helped to pay for the Church of St...
. Before setting out, the grand prince commanded his son Yaroslav Svyatoslavich and Igor to remain behind and defend Chernigov against the Rostislavichi (the members of the ruling dynasty of Smolensk
Principality of Smolensk
The Principality of Smolensk was a Kievan Rus' lordship from the eleventh to the fifteenth century...
). Later, Yaroslav Svyatoslavich and Igor waged war on the Principality of Drutsk
Principality of Drutsk
The Duchy of Drutsk was a state with the centre in Drutsk on the lands of modern Belarus in the Early Middle Ages.The independent Duchy of Drutsk was established after the death of Usiaslau, the duke of Polatsk, in 1101 and the division of the Polatsk territory between Usiaslau's sons...
whose prince Gleb Rogvoldovich formed a pact with prince David Rostislavich of Smolensk. Although David Rostislavich came to assist the prince of Drutsk, but Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich, who had expanded his authority over Novgorod
Novgorod Republic
The Novgorod Republic was a large medieval Russian state which stretched from the Baltic Sea to the Ural Mountains between the 12th and 15th centuries, centred on the city of Novgorod...
, made David Rostislavich flee from the field of battle and forced Gleb Rogvoldovich to capitulate.
From Drutsk, Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich traveled south to evict grand prince Rurik Rostislavich
Rurik Rostislavich
Ruryk Rostislavich , Prince of Novgorod , Belgorod Kievsky, presently Bilohorodka , Grand Prince of Kiev , Prince of Chernigov...
from the Kievan land. Meanwhile, Igor, accompanied by Khans Konchak and Kobyak, was waiting for him near Vyshgorod. After Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich occupied the capital, the Cumans asked him to let Igor accompany them to the Lake Dolobsk. When Ryurik Rostislavich learnt that Igor and the nomad
Nomad
Nomadic people , commonly known as itinerants in modern-day contexts, are communities of people who move from one place to another, rather than settling permanently in one location. There are an estimated 30-40 million nomads in the world. Many cultures have traditionally been nomadic, but...
s were encamped on the other side of the Dnieper River
Dnieper River
The Dnieper River is one of the major rivers of Europe that flows from Russia, through Belarus and Ukraine, to the Black Sea.The total length is and has a drainage basin of .The river is noted for its dams and hydroelectric stations...
, he sent troops to attack them. His troops defeated the Cumans; Igor and Khan Konchak, however, escaped by boat to Chernigov. It is likely that Igor and Khan Konchak formed a marriage alliance and arranged their children’s engagement.
When Khan Konchak with his Donets Cumans
Seversky Donets
Seversky Donets is a river on the south of the East European Plain. It originates in the Central Russian Upland, north of Belgorod, flows south-east through Ukraine and then again through Russia to join the Don River, about from the Sea of Azov...
pillaged the Pereyaslavl lands in February of 1184, Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich sent his sons and his troops to Igor ordering him to pursue the tribesmen. Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich’s co-ruler, Rurik Rostislavich
Rurik Rostislavich
Ruryk Rostislavich , Prince of Novgorod , Belgorod Kievsky, presently Bilohorodka , Grand Prince of Kiev , Prince of Chernigov...
, for his part, sent his troops under the command of prince Vladimir Glebovich of Pereyaslavl. Igor was appointed to command all the troops of the Olgovichi, and he refused Vladimir Glebovich permission to spearhead the attack, because the vanguard contingent would get the first chance to grab the booty. Shortly afterwards, Vladimir Glebovich pillaged the Seversk
Severia
Severia or Siveria is a historical region in present-day northern Ukraine and southwestern Russia, centered around the city of Novhorod-Siverskyi in Ukraine.-Severians:...
towns of the Olgovichi and rode off in a huff; Igor also sent the Kievan troops home. Consequently, Igor went in pursuit of the Cumans with a greatly diminished force, including some Black Hats. Igor pursued the raiders, found them at the river Khiriya (a tributary of the Vorskla), and took many captive. On his way home, he probably attacked Vladimir Glebovich’s town of Glebov (on the right bank of the Trubizh River
Trubizh River
Trubizh is a river entirely located in Ukraine, a left tributary of Dnieper. It falls into the Dnieper's Kaniv Reservoir .It is not to be confused with the Russian Trubezh River ....
).
In the summer, grand prince Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich launched a major campaign against the Cumans; Igor proposed that Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich take the route across the Pereyaslavl lands and he would meet him at the river Sula
Sula River
The Sula River is a left tributary of the Dnipró or Dnieper River with a total length of 365 km and a drainage basin of 19,600 km²....
. But Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich rejected his proposal, and therefore Igor boycotted the expedition. However, on learning that Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich’s troops had departed, he also summoned his relatives; his aim was to plunder Cuman camps while the nomads were preoccupied fighting Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich’s forces. Anticipating no opposition, Igor was surprised to chance upon a Cuman raiding party of 400 strong around the river Merla (south of the Khiriya) which gave his men an opportunity to win glory in the battle.
In 1184, Igor harbored Vladimir Yaroslavich
Vladimir II Yaroslavich
Vladimir II Yaroslavich was a Rus’ prince . He was prince of Halych .He was profligate by nature. He lived a debauched life and was politically ineffectual...
(his brother-in-law) who had been driven out of Halych by his own father.
When Khan Konchak attacked again Rus’ with a large force in 1185, Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich and Ryurik Rostislavich quickly assembled a force. The chronicler claims that Igor was also eager to attack him even against the advice of his druzhinniki and adverse weather conditions prevented his departure.
His campaign and its aftermath
Later, on April 13, 1185, Igor, with some other junior princes, undertook a daring raid against the nomads with the object of reaching the Lower DonDon River (Russia)
The Don River is one of the major rivers of Russia. It rises in the town of Novomoskovsk 60 kilometres southeast from Tula, southeast of Moscow, and flows for a distance of about 1,950 kilometres to the Sea of Azov....
area. After the princes joined forces at the Oskol River
Oskol River
Oskol is a river in Russia and Ukraine. It is a left tributary of the Seversky Donets. It is 436 km long, with a drainage basin of 14,680 km²....
, a band of Cumans spotted them and sent horsemen to warn the neighboring camps. When Igor arrived at the river Salnitsa, his scouts
Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
informed him that they had spotted the enemy in battle array. They advised him either to attack quickly before the Cuman band received reinforcements or to withdraw. Igor and his relatives refused to return home, because, they argued, their peers would mock them for fearing to face death and heap shame upon them.
As Igor’s forces came to the river Syuurliy, the enemy archers
Archery
Archery is the art, practice, or skill of propelling arrows with the use of a bow, from Latin arcus. Archery has historically been used for hunting and combat; in modern times, however, its main use is that of a recreational activity...
shot a volley of arrow
Arrow
An arrow is a shafted projectile that is shot with a bow. It predates recorded history and is common to most cultures.An arrow usually consists of a shaft with an arrowhead attached to the front end, with fletchings and a nock at the other.- History:...
s at them and withdrew. Igor and his brother prince Vsevolod Svyatoslavich of Trubetsk advanced in formation at a steady pace, but his nephew Svyatoslav Olgovich of Rylsk and his son Vladimir Igorevich
Vladimir III Igorevich
Vladimir III Igorevich was a Rus' prince . His baptismal name was Peter...
set off in pursuit and defeated the nomads. After all the contingents had reassembled, Igor advised that they withdraw under the cover of darkness because they had seen how great a force the Cumans had already mustered. But Svyatoslav Olgovich pointed out that he had pursued the Cumans over a great distance and that his horses were too exhausted to set off immediately; therefore Igor ordered his troops to rest for the night.
After learning of Igor’s defeat Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich sent his two sons Vladimir and Oleg Svyatoslavich
Oleg III Svyatoslavich (Prince of Chernigov)
Oleg III Svyatoslavich was a Rus' prince . His baptismal name was Feodosy. He was prince of Vshchizh , of Novgorod-Seversk , and of Chernigov .-His life:...
to the Poseme region (along the Seym River
Seym River
Seym is a river in Russia and Ukraine. Its length is 748 km and its basin area about 27,500 km². It is the largest tributary of the Desna....
) to serve as interim defenders of the Seversk towns. According to the chronicler, the Cumans assembled their entire nation to march against Rus’. But the khan
Khan (title)
Khan is an originally Altaic and subsequently Central Asian title for a sovereign or military ruler, widely used by medieval nomadic Turko-Mongol tribes living to the north of China. 'Khan' is also seen as a title in the Xianbei confederation for their chief between 283 and 289...
s argued: Koza suggested that they should raid the towns of the defeated princes along the river Seym; Konchak proposed attacking the princes on the Kievan side. Because the khans obstinately stuck to their views, they split their horde into two. Koza attacked Putivl but failed to take it; nevertheless, he set fire to its outer town, pillaged the district, and razed surrounding villages.
Meanwhile, Igor was spending his captivity in Konchak’s camp. Although twenty Cumans were appointed to guard him, he was free to ride wherever he chose and to hunt with hawks
Falconry
Falconry is "the taking of wild quarry in its natural state and habitat by means of a trained raptor". There are two traditional terms used to describe a person involved in falconry: a falconer flies a falcon; an austringer flies a hawk or an eagle...
. We are told that a Cuman offered to help him to escape; one day at dusk, he raised the tent
Tent
A tent is a shelter consisting of sheets of fabric or other material draped over or attached to a frame of poles or attached to a supporting rope. While smaller tents may be free-standing or attached to the ground, large tents are usually anchored using guy ropes tied to stakes or tent pegs...
flap and crawled out while the guards were entertaining themselves with games.
After crossing over to the other side of the river Tor, Igor rode away. He traveled eleven days to the town Donets
Seversky Donets
Seversky Donets is a river on the south of the East European Plain. It originates in the Central Russian Upland, north of Belgorod, flows south-east through Ukraine and then again through Russia to join the Don River, about from the Sea of Azov...
; from there he went to Novgorod Severskiy. We are not told when Igor escaped, but he could not have been in captivity for more than a few months; he probably fled in the late summer at the latest.
After arriving in Novgorod Severskiy, Igor visited Yaroslav II Vsevolodovich
Yaroslav II Vsevolodovich
Yaroslav II Vsevolodovich was a Rus’ prince . He was prince of Ropesk , of Starodub , and of Chernigov...
(his cousin) in Chernigov and asked for military aid. Next, he went to Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich in Kiev, and he undoubtedly asked him to assist in collecting the ransom
Ransom
Ransom is the practice of holding a prisoner or item to extort money or property to secure their release, or it can refer to the sum of money involved.In an early German law, a similar concept was called bad influence...
s for the three captive princes. After leaving Svyatoslav, he visited Ryurik Rostislavich. Archaeological evidence suggests that after returning to Novgorod Severskiy, Igor reinforced the fortifications and founded new ones in the vicinity of Vyr.
Marriage alliances
In 1187, Igor reconciled his brother-in-law (Vladimir Yaroslavich) and father-in-law (prince Yaroslav Volodimerovich of Halych), and dispatched his son Svyatoslav IgorevichSvyatoslav III Igorevich
Svyatoslav III Igorevich was a Rus' prince . His baptismal name was Adrian. He was prince of Peremyshl , and of Volodymyr-Volynskyi .-His early life:...
to escort Vladimir Yaroslavich home. In the autumn of 1188, his son Vladimir Igorevich returned home from captivity with Khan Konchak’s daughter.
On September 26, 1188, Igor and his family attended the festivities organized by Rurik Rostislavich to celebrate his son’s wedding. During the same week, Rurik Rostislavich gave away his daughter to Igor’s son Svyatoslav.
In 1190, grand prince Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich married his grandson David Olgovich to Igor’s daughter.
Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich died during the last week of July of 1194, and his death changed the order of seniority among the Olgovichi: his only brother, Yaroslav Vsevolodovich became the new senior prince
Rota System
The rota system, from the Old Church Slavic word for "ladder" or "staircase", was a system of collateral succession practiced in Kievan Rus' and later Appanage and early Muscovite Russia, in which the throne passed not linearly from father to son, but laterally from brother to brother and then to...
of the dynasty, and Igor became the second in seniority in the family.
Prince of Chernigov
On an unspecified date in 1198, prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich died, and Igor succeeded him on the throneThrone
A throne is the official chair or seat upon which a monarch is seated on state or ceremonial occasions. "Throne" in an abstract sense can also refer to the monarchy or the Crown itself, an instance of metonymy, and is also used in many expressions such as "the power behind the...
of Chernigov. One of his first tasks was to renew the alliances that Yaroslav Vsevolodovich had concluded with Roman Mstislavich of Volodymyr-Volynskyi
Roman the Great
Roman Mstislavich , also Roman Mstyslavych or Roman the Great, was a Rus’ prince, Grand Prince of Kiev ....
; he also endorsed the alliances Yaroslav Vsevolodovich had made with Vsevolod III Yuryevich of Vladimir and the Rostislavichi.
The same year, his brother-in-law, prince Vladimir Yaroslavich of Halych died, and his death created a political vacuum. Although, the Olgovichi could argue that their marriage ties with his dynasty gave them the right to rule Halych, however, Roman Msislavich was the quickest off the mark and he captured Halych.
When he died, as the prince of Chernigov, Igor merited burial in the Cathedral of Saint Saviour.
In the arts
On his campaign against the Cumans, a heroic poem was written which is the peak of old Russian poetry. As a matter of fact, scholars still argue as to whether the Lay of Igor’s Campaign is written in verseVerse (poetry)
A verse is formally a single line in a metrical composition, e.g. poetry. However, the word has come to represent any division or grouping of words in such a composition, which traditionally had been referred to as a stanza....
or in rhythmic prose
Prose
Prose is the most typical form of written language, applying ordinary grammatical structure and natural flow of speech rather than rhythmic structure...
; in either case, it is poetry at its height and its language is racy and powerful. Besides rhythm, the poetic elements of the Lay comprise an extremely rich imagery constructed primarily on parallels with nature, symbolism, poetic address, and lyric lamentation.
In 1869, Vladimir Stasov, a major literary figure of 19th-century Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, suggested to Alexander Borodin
Alexander Borodin
Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin was a Russian Romantic composer and chemist of Georgian–Russian parentage. He was a member of the group of composers called The Five , who were dedicated to producing a specifically Russian kind of art music...
that an opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
might be written on the subject of the Lay of Igor’s Campaign. Borodin began to write his Prince Igor
Prince Igor
Prince Igor is an opera in four acts with a prologue. It was composed by Alexander Borodin. The composer adapted the libretto from the East Slavic epic The Lay of Igor's Host, which recounts the campaign of Russian prince Igor Svyatoslavich against the invading Polovtsian tribes in 1185...
but he left the opera unfinished at the time of his death nearly twenty years later. It fell to Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov was a Russian composer, and a member of the group of composers known as The Five.The Five, also known as The Mighty Handful or The Mighty Coterie, refers to a circle of composers who met in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in the years 1856–1870: Mily Balakirev , César...
and Alexander Glazunov
Alexander Glazunov
Alexander Konstantinovich Glazunov was a Russian composer of the late Russian Romantic period, music teacher and conductor...
to finish the orchestration
Orchestration
Orchestration is the study or practice of writing music for an orchestra or of adapting for orchestra music composed for another medium...
and prepare Prince Igor for publication and performance in 1890.
Marriage and children
#before 1170: Unnamed (Evfrosinia) Yaroslavna, the second daughter of prince Yaroslav Volodimerovich of HalychYaroslav Osmomysl
Yaroslav Osmomysl was the most famous Prince of Halych from the first dynasty of its rulers, which descended from Yaroslav I's eldest son. His sobriquet, meaning "Eight-Minded" in Old East Slavic, was granted to him in recognition of his wisdom...
by his first wife Olga Yuryevna of Kiev
- Prince Vladimir Igorevich of HalychVladimir III IgorevichVladimir III Igorevich was a Rus' prince . His baptismal name was Peter...
(October 8, 1170 – 1211 or after) - Unnamed Igorevna (1171/1173–after 1196), wife of David Olegovich
- Oleg Igorevich (end of 1174–after 1183) died at an early age
- Prince Svyatoslav III Igorevich of Volodymyr-VolynskyiSvyatoslav III IgorevichSvyatoslav III Igorevich was a Rus' prince . His baptismal name was Adrian. He was prince of Peremyshl , and of Volodymyr-Volynskyi .-His early life:...
(1176–September, 1211) - Prince Roman II Igorevich of HalychRoman II IgorevichRoman II Igorevich was a Rus' prince . He was prince of Zvenigorod , and of Halych .-His life:...
(1177/1179–September, 1211)
Ancestors
See also
- Battle at the Kayala River
- Battle of Kalka River
- The Lay of Igor’s CampaignThe Tale of Igor's CampaignThe Tale of Igor's Campaign is an anonymous epic poem written in the Old East Slavic language.The title is occasionally translated as The Song of Igor's Campaign, The Lay of Igor's Campaign, and The Lay of...
- Prince IgorPrince IgorPrince Igor is an opera in four acts with a prologue. It was composed by Alexander Borodin. The composer adapted the libretto from the East Slavic epic The Lay of Igor's Host, which recounts the campaign of Russian prince Igor Svyatoslavich against the invading Polovtsian tribes in 1185...
- Cuman people
Sources
- Dimnik, Martin: The Dynasty of Chernigov - 1146-1246; Cambridge University Press, 2003, Cambridge; ISBN 978-0521-03981-9.
- Jellinek, George: History through the Opera Glass: From the Rise of Caesar to the Fall of Napoleon; Proscenium Publishers Inc., 2000, New York; ISBN 0-87910-284-5.
- Vernadsky, George: Kievan Russia; Yale University Press, 1948, New Haven and London; ISBN 0-300-01647-6.
- Zenkovsky, Serge A.: Medieval Russia’s Epics, Chronicles and Tales; Penguin Group, 1974; ISBN 978-0-45201-086-4.