Sviatoslav II of Kiev
Encyclopedia
Sviatoslav Iaroslavich (1027 – December 27, 1076, Kiev
) was the Prince (Kniaz) of Chernihiv
from 1054 to 1073 and Grand Prince (Veliki Kniaz) of Kiev
from 1073 until his death. A son of Iaroslav I the Wise
, he was a founder of the Chernihiv princely line and is sometimes referred to as Sviatoslav of Chernihiv and his sons Oleg and Davyd would later rule the Chernihiv's lands challenging the authority of Kiev. Sviatoslav's son Gleb was instrumental in establishing his father's authority in Novgorod and Tmutarakan
.
Upon his father's death in 1054, Sviatoslav joined his brothers Vsevolod and Iziaslav
in forming a kind of a princely triumvirate
that oversaw the affairs of Kievan Rus'
until 1072. In 1067, they defeated Vseslav of Polotsk, on the Nemiga River
and took him prisoner. A year later, the brothers were defeated
by the Polovtsi on the Alta River
. After a while, Sviatoslav returned to defeat these steppe nomads with a smaller force at the town of Snov, thus enhancing his prestige among the populace.
The second part of the first Russian legal code Russkaya Pravda
is assigned to the brothers.
Sviatoslav's first wife was named Kilikia (Cecilia), a lady of unknown origin, but possibly a princess from the Caucasus
. Their sons were Oleg, Gleb
, Roman, and Davyd
. There are also some speculations of Kilikia (Cecilia) had a daughter Wyszesława of Kiev
, which could be erroneous due to Sviatoslav's principal stance towards his older brother Izyaslav I of Kiev. In 1072, Sviatoslav married Oda, daughter of a certain "Count Lippold", and the sister of Burkhard, provost of Trier
. Oda's grand-uncles were Pope Leo IX
and Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor
. Not much is known about Sviatoslav's son Roman who also was nicknamed as the Red. Roman replaced Gleb after the last one being sent to Novgorod, then he united with his brother Oleg and cousin Boris (a son of one of younger sons of Yaroslav the Wise) in the fight against their uncles Grand Princes Vsevolod
and Iziaslav
after the death of his father in 1076. He took part at the battle of Nezhatina Niva, soon after which was killed somewhere in the Kipchak steppes (Desht-i Qipchaq) on August 2, 1079.
In 1073, the triumvirate broke up, when Sviatoslav, supported by his younger brother Vsevolod, dethroned and replaced his older brother Iziaslav. Three years later, Russian scribes compiled the so-called Izbornik Sviatoslava at his request. One of the oldest relics of the Old East Slavic language
, the book is a compilation of articles on grammar, logic, poetics, church matters, sermons, riddles, and parables. One of the miniatures represents Sviatoslav himself, standing with his second wife Oda and sons.
Sviatoslav's son Oleg of Chernihiv had a posterity which continues in the male line to the present day
. His son by Oda, Yaroslav, founded the great dynasty of Riazan, and the Seljuk Sultan Kilij Arslan II
claimed to descend from one of Sviatoslav's daughters.
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
) was the Prince (Kniaz) of Chernihiv
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...
from 1054 to 1073 and Grand Prince (Veliki Kniaz) of Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
from 1073 until his death. A son of Iaroslav I the Wise
Yaroslav I the Wise
Yaroslav I, Grand Prince of Rus, known as Yaroslav the Wise Yaroslav I, Grand Prince of Rus, known as Yaroslav the Wise Yaroslav I, Grand Prince of Rus, known as Yaroslav the Wise (Old Norse: Jarizleifr; ; Old East Slavic and Russian: Ярослав Мудрый; Ukrainian: Ярослав Мудрий; c...
, he was a founder of the Chernihiv princely line and is sometimes referred to as Sviatoslav of Chernihiv and his sons Oleg and Davyd would later rule the Chernihiv's lands challenging the authority of Kiev. Sviatoslav's son Gleb was instrumental in establishing his father's authority in Novgorod and Tmutarakan
Tmutarakan
Tmutarakan was a Mediaeval Russian principality and trading town that controlled the Cimmerian Bosporus, the passage from the Black Sea to the Sea of Azov. Its site was the ancient Greek colony of Hermonassa . It was situated on the Taman peninsula, in the present-day Krasnodar Krai of Russia,...
.
Iziaslav I of Kiev
Iziaslav Yaroslavich , Kniaz' , Veliki Kniaz of Kiev , King of Rus'...
in forming a kind of a princely triumvirate
Triumvirate
A triumvirate is a political regime dominated by three powerful individuals, each a triumvir . The arrangement can be formal or informal, and though the three are usually equal on paper, in reality this is rarely the case...
that oversaw the affairs of Kievan Rus'
Kievan Rus'
Kievan Rus was a medieval polity in Eastern Europe, from the late 9th to the mid 13th century, when it disintegrated under the pressure of the Mongol invasion of 1237–1240....
until 1072. In 1067, they defeated Vseslav of Polotsk, on the Nemiga River
Battle on the river Nemiga
Battle on the Nemiga River was a combat of the Russian feudal period that occurred on March 3, 1067 on the Niamiha River. The description of the battle is the first reference to Minsk in the chronicles of Belarusian history.- Background:...
and took him prisoner. A year later, the brothers were defeated
Battle of the Alta River
The Battle of Alta River was a 1068 clash on the Alta River between Kipchak army on the one hand and Kievan Rus' forces of Grand Prince Iziaslav I of Kiev, Prince Sviatoslav of Chernigov, and Prince Vsevolod of Periaslavl on the other in which the Rus' forces were routed and fled back to Kiev and...
by the Polovtsi on the Alta River
Alta River
Alta River is a small river in Ukraine and is a right tributary of the Trubizh River. The ancient town of Pereyaslav is situated between the Trubizh and Alta rivers....
. After a while, Sviatoslav returned to defeat these steppe nomads with a smaller force at the town of Snov, thus enhancing his prestige among the populace.
The second part of the first Russian legal code Russkaya Pravda
Russkaya Pravda
Russkaya Pravda was the legal code of Kievan Rus' and the subsequent Rus' principalities during the times of feudal division.In spite of great influence of Byzantine legislation on the contemporary world, and in...
is assigned to the brothers.
Sviatoslav's first wife was named Kilikia (Cecilia), a lady of unknown origin, but possibly a princess from the Caucasus
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
. Their sons were Oleg, Gleb
Gleb Svyatoslavich
Gleb Svyatoslavich was the ruler of Tmutarakan. He ruled this area under the overal authority of his father Svyatoslav II the Prince of Chernigov. In 1064 Gleb was removed from power by the forces of Rostislav, the son of a former ruler of Novgorod...
, Roman, and Davyd
Davyd Sviatoslavich
Davyd Sviatoslavich was the ruler of Murom and Chernigov.The date of his birth is uncertain. Before his father's death was appointed to the Pereyaslav Principality, however in 1076 he ran to Murom which was located as far away as possible from Kiev. In 1093 Davyd was appointed a prince of Smolensk...
. There are also some speculations of Kilikia (Cecilia) had a daughter Wyszesława of Kiev
Wyszesława of Kiev
Wyszesława Sviatoslavna of Kiev , was a Kievan Rus' princess and member of the Rurikid dynasty and by marriage Duchess and later Queen of Poland....
, which could be erroneous due to Sviatoslav's principal stance towards his older brother Izyaslav I of Kiev. In 1072, Sviatoslav married Oda, daughter of a certain "Count Lippold", and the sister of Burkhard, provost of Trier
Trier
Trier, historically called in English Treves is a city in Germany on the banks of the Moselle. It is the oldest city in Germany, founded in or before 16 BC....
. Oda's grand-uncles were Pope Leo IX
Pope Leo IX
Pope Saint Leo IX , born Bruno of Eguisheim-Dagsburg, was Pope from February 12, 1049 to his death. He was a German aristocrat and as well as being Pope was a powerful secular ruler of central Italy. He is regarded as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church, with the feast day of April 19...
and Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry III , called the Black or the Pious, was a member of the Salian Dynasty of Holy Roman Emperors...
. Not much is known about Sviatoslav's son Roman who also was nicknamed as the Red. Roman replaced Gleb after the last one being sent to Novgorod, then he united with his brother Oleg and cousin Boris (a son of one of younger sons of Yaroslav the Wise) in the fight against their uncles Grand Princes Vsevolod
Vsevolod I of Kiev
Vsevolod I Yaroslavich , ruled as Grand Prince of Kiev from 1078 until his death.-Early life:...
and Iziaslav
Iziaslav I of Kiev
Iziaslav Yaroslavich , Kniaz' , Veliki Kniaz of Kiev , King of Rus'...
after the death of his father in 1076. He took part at the battle of Nezhatina Niva, soon after which was killed somewhere in the Kipchak steppes (Desht-i Qipchaq) on August 2, 1079.
In 1073, the triumvirate broke up, when Sviatoslav, supported by his younger brother Vsevolod, dethroned and replaced his older brother Iziaslav. Three years later, Russian scribes compiled the so-called Izbornik Sviatoslava at his request. One of the oldest relics of the Old East Slavic language
Old East Slavic language
Old East Slavic or Old Ruthenian was a language used in 10th-15th centuries by East Slavs in the Kievan Rus' and states which evolved after the collapse of the Kievan Rus...
, the book is a compilation of articles on grammar, logic, poetics, church matters, sermons, riddles, and parables. One of the miniatures represents Sviatoslav himself, standing with his second wife Oda and sons.
Sviatoslav's son Oleg of Chernihiv had a posterity which continues in the male line to the present day
Gorchakov
Gorchakov, or Gortchakoff , is a Russian princely family of Rurikid stock, descended from the Rurikid sovereigns of Peremyshl, Russia.-Aleksey Gorchakov:The family first achieved prominence during the reign of Catherine II...
. His son by Oda, Yaroslav, founded the great dynasty of Riazan, and the Seljuk Sultan Kilij Arslan II
Kilij Arslan II
Kilij Arslan II was a Seljuk Sultan of Rûm from 1156 until his death in 1192.As Arnold of Lübeck reports in his Chronica Slavorum, he was present at the meeting of Henry the Lion with Kilij-Arslan during the former's pilgrimage to Jerusalem in 1172...
claimed to descend from one of Sviatoslav's daughters.