Vsevolod IV of Kiev
Encyclopedia
Vsevolod IV Svyatoslavich the Red (? - Chernigov, August, 1212) was a Rus'
prince (a member of the Rurik dynasty
). His baptismal name was Daniil. He was grand prince of Kiev (1203, 1206, 1207, 1208–1212); he was also prince of Chernigov (1204–1206/1208) and of Belgorod
(1205).
He was one of the most successful senior princes
of the Olgovichi (the ruling dynasty of Chernigov): while he was senior prince, they for the first time established their rule over lands stretching from Halych
through Kiev
and Pereyaslavl
to Chernigov.
Architectural and circumstantial evidence suggest that he initiated building projects in Chernigov: he sent an artel’ (a team of builders) to the town where it built the Church of St. Paraskeva Pyatnisa between 1211 and 1214.
(who later became the grand prince of Kiev) by his wife, Maria Vasilkovna of Polotsk. On November 14, 1179, Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich brought a daughter of duke Casimir II of Poland
(her name was Anastasia according to the Lyubetskiy sinodik) as wife for Vsevolod. Vsevolod’s patrimonial domain was located in the northwestern part of the Vyatichi lands
.
When Khan Konchak with his Cumans
pillaged the Pereyaslavl lands
as far as Dimitrov in February of 1184, Svyatoslav Vsevolodivich sent his sons (including Vsevolod) and his troops to prince Igor Svyatoslavich of Novgorod-Seversk
ordering him to pursue the tribesmen. Igor Svyatoslavich pursued the raiders, found them at the river Khiriya (a tributary
of the river Vorskla
), and took many captive.
Enemy bands frequently pillaged the Poros’e district (the Ros River basin) and the Chernigov lands after 1187. In 1192, Svyatoslav Vsevolodivich sent his sons (Vsevolod, Vladimir, and Mstislav) to march against the Cumans. The purpose of the campaign (which was lead again by Igor Svyatoslavich) was to plunder Cumanian camps; the Olgovichi ventured deep into the steppe
, past Kursk
into the upper reaches of the river Oskol
. But the nomad
s assembled in great numbers and awaited the princes. Igor Svyatoslavich, on seeing that he was outnumbered, resolutely ordered his troops to steal away under the cover of darkness.
His father 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 thus Vsevolod became answerable to his uncle. In the autumn of 1196, Yaroslav Vsevolodovich ordered Vsevolod and his brother, Mstislav Svyatoslavich to accompany him against grand prince Vsevolod III Yuryevich of Vladimir
and prince David Rostislavich of Smolensk who were pillaging the domains of the Olgovichi.
of Kiev who had summoned the Olgovichi to campaign against prince Roman Mstislavich
of Halych. The latter, however, pre-empted their attack, and the Kievans opened the gates of the podol’
to him; he forced Ryurik Rostislavich and the Olgovichi to capitulate.
On January 2, 1203, Ryurik Rostislavich and the Olgovichi re-captured Kiev. Ryurik Rostislavich avenged himself against the Kievans; the chronicler declares that his devastation exceeded that caused by all previous attacks. Ryurik Rostislavich had no intention of occupying the town, but he could not leave Kiev without a prince for fear that it would return into Roman Mstislavich’s hand. Accordingly, Vsevolod occupied the town.
However, Ryurik Rostislavich evidently appointed his ally to Kiev until he could settle his dispute with Roman Mstislavich and be reinstated. In February, Roman Mstislavich marched against Ryurik Rostislavich; the latter submitted to him and to Vsevolod III Yuryevich. Roman Mstislavich also advised him to ask Vsevolod Yuryevich to reinstate him in Kiev and promised to support his request. Consequently, the grand prince of Vladimir forgave Ryurik Rostislavich and reappointed him to the town which forced him to sever ties with the Olgovichi. Some month later, however, Roman Mstislavich seized Ryurik Rostislavich and had him tonsured as a monk
.
Under the year 1204, a number of chronicles state that Oleg Svyatoslavich of Chernigov died, while others add that his son died with him. The chroniclers do not identify Oleg’s successor at the time of his death, but later evidence confirms that his brother, Vsevolod replaced him. We may assume that, with the demise of Oleg Svyatoslavich’s family, Vsevolod appropriated his brother’s domains along with the territories Oleg himself had taken from his elder brother, Vladimir Svyatoslavich
; thus, with the extinction of the lines of his two elder brothers, Vsevolod’s family became the most powerful line of the Olgovichi.
On June 29, 1205, Roman Mstislavich died, and two sons survived him: Daniil and Vasilko Romanovich. The Olgovichi marched to Kiev and met Ryurik Rostislavich who had reinstated himself there; they made a pact to attack Halych. The Olgovichi had presumably promised that, in exchange for Halych, they would support Ryurik Rostislavich’s rule in Kiev. Although, they achieved nothing in Halych, Ryurik Rostislavich paid Vsevolod for his support by giving him Belgorod
; Vsevolod, in turn, handed it over to his brother Gleb Svyatoslavich
.
In the early summer of 1206, Vsevolod assembled all the Olgovichi for a snem (a meeting) in Chernigov presumably to organize a second campaign against Halych. Vsevolod also invited prince Mstislav Romanovich of Smolensk
; his Polish
in-laws also brought troops, and at Kiev, Ryurik Rostislavich joined them with his troops. When the Galicians and Daniil Romanovich heard how large a force had assembled against them, they asked the king Andrew II of Hungary
for help; even so, Daniil Romanovich fled to his patrimony of Volodymyr-Volynskyi
. Meanwhile, Andrew II crossed the mountains and sent messengers to prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich
(a son of grand prince Vsevolod III Yuryevich) inviting him to rule Halych.
On hearing that the Hungarians stood poised for battle near Volodymyr-Volynskyi, the Olgovichi dared not attack Halych. For many days neither side made a move; finally, after the king negotiated peace with the Poles
and returned home, the Olgovichi also withdrew.
At that time, the Galicians sent word in secret to Vladimir Igorevich
(Vsevolod’s cousin) asking him to rule Halych. On receiving their invitation, Vladimir Igorevich stole away at night from the Olgovichi without informing Vsevolod; he rode to Halych, and occupied it. The Galicians also gave domains to Vladimir Igorevich’s brothers. The sources do not report the fate of Novhorod-Siverskyi
and the Poseme towns (along the Seym River
) after the Igorevichi vacated them; to judge from an earlier example of absentee prince, the vacated towns were probably administered by Vsevolod.
After Vsevolod failed to take Halych, he took advantage of the large force at his disposal, snatched Kiev from Ryurik Rostislavich, and forced him to withdraw to Vruchiy
. Vsevolod also sent his posadnik
i to all the Kievan towns. There can be no doubt that Vsevolod made generous concessions to the Rostislavichi (the members of the dynasty of Smolensk
) to win their support: Ryurik Rostislavich’s son, Rostislav Rurikovich
returned to Vyshgorod
and his nephew Mstislav Romanovich of Smolensk seized Belgorod. Vsevolod, however, evicted Yaroslav Vsevolodovich from Pereyaslavl, and in September, he returned to his father (grand prince Vsevolod III Yuryevich) in Suzdalia.
Although his brother, Mstislav Svyatoslavich was next in line for a major domain after his elder brother Gleb Svyatoslavich occupied Chernigov following Vsevolod’s seizure of Kiev, Vsevolod bypassed his brother and gave Pereyaslavl to his son Mikhail Vsevolodovich
.
However, Ryurik Rostislavich, the erstwhile monk, was determined to regain control of Kiev. Consequently, soon after Vsevolod occupied the town, Ryurik Rostislavich expelled him with relative ease. This is not surprising because the troops that had helped Vsevolod to capture Kiev had returned home. His failure to barricade himself in Kiev also suggests that the townsmen deserted him, and he withdrew to Chernigov.
At the beginning of 1207, Vsevolod marched against Kiev, but this time his attacking force constituted only his brothers Gleb and Mstislav Svyatoslavich with their sons; the Cumans came in the main to pillage. They pillaged around Kiev for 3 weeks but accomplished nothing and withdrew.
Some time in the summer of 1207, Vsevolod assembled his brothers, his nephews, the Cumans, and the princes of Turov and Pinsk; prince Vladimir Igorevich of Halych also came to his aid. He approached Kiev via Trepol
in order to disable Kiev’s southern outposts and deprive Ryurik Rostislavich of their military assistance. Outnumbered and outmaneuvered, Ryurik Rostislavich fled to Vruchiy even before the Olgovichi reached Kiev. Vsevolod besieged Belgorod, where Mstislav Romanovich had barricaded himself, and forced him to flee to Smolensk. Next, he attacked Ryurik Rostislavich’s nephew, Mstislav Mstislavich in Torchesk
. Mstislav Mstislavich put up such a valiant resistance; however, when Vsevolod unleashed the Cumans onto his lands, Mstislav capitulated in order to stop their atrocities. In the light of Ryurik Rostislavich’s flight and Vsevolod’s victories, the Kievans opened their gates.
On hearing that Vsevolod had expelled Yaroslav Vsevolodovich from Pereyaslavl, his father Vsevolod III Yuryevich summoned his eldest son Konstantin Vsevolodovich
from Novgorod
, prince Roman Glebovich of Ryazan
with his brothers, and prince David Yuryevich of Murom
. On August 19, Vsevolod Yuryevich set out for the river Oka
to meet the princes of Ryazan. After the latter arrived, two of the princelings accused their uncles of conspiring with the Olgovichi against Vsevolod Yuryevich; after satisfying himself that the accused were guilty, he took them captive on September 22 and carted them off to Vladimir. Then Vsevolod Yuryevich marched against Pronsk
, where Vsevolod’s son-in-law Mikhail Vsevolodovich was prince who fled to his father-in-law. On October 18 Vsevolod Yuryevich captured Pronsk and took Mikhail Vsevolodovich’s wife (Vsevolod’s daughter) captive. After devastating the lands of Ryazan, Vsevolod Yuryevich returned home without attacking Chernigov.
When Ryurik Rostislavich learnt that Vsevolod Yuryevich was devastating Ryazan, he rode post-haste to Kiev, drove out Vsevolod, and occupied the town. Vsevolod fled from Kiev with his wife and children. Vsevolod launched an attack against Kiev in late February of 1208, but he accomplished nothing, and he must have derived some satisfaction from pillaging the environs of Kiev. However, Ryurik Rostislavich died in that year, and thus Vsevolod became the only claimant to the capital of Rus’, and he occupied Kiev.
In the following year (on April 10, 1211), Vsevolod Yuryevich’s son Yuri Vsevolodovich and Vsevolod’s daughter Agafia Vsevolodovna were married in the Cathedral of the Mother of God in Vladimir; Vsevolod attended with his court.
In September 1211, Daniil Romanovich attacked the Olgovichi in Halych and captured the towns ruled by them. The Galician boyar
s hanged three of Vsevolod’s relatives (Roman Igorovich, Svyatoslav Igorovich, and Rostislav Romanovich). If the information of a late chronicle is true, Roman and Svyatoslav’s wives and children were executed with them. Consequently, the Igorevichi were reduced to one family, that of Vladimir Igorevich. In appropriating the patrimonies of the two executed Igorevichi, Vsevolod increased his personal holdings.
The hangings in Halych were an unforgivable insult to the Olgovichi, and the ignominious murder of three of their princes called for unmitigated reprisals. At the beginning of 1212, Vsevolod waged war against the Rostislavichi. Surprisingly, he unleashed his wrath neither against the Galicians nor against Daniil Romanovich; instead, he accused the minor Rostislavichi ruling insignificant domains in the Kievan land of killing his relatives, and expelled them. In June of 1212, the Rostislavichi launched a major offensive against Vsevolod to reclaim their lands. In addition to the troops that Mstislav Romanovich mustered from the Smolensk domains, Mstislav Mstislavich set out on June 8, with the Novgorodian
militia. The attackers pillaged many districts belonging to the Olgovichi beginning with Rechitsa which shows that they came down the right bank of the Dnieper River
.
Vsevolod and his relatives confronted the attackers at Vyshgorod; but the Rostislavichi occupied the town. As the Rostislavichi pillaged the towns of the Olgovichi on their march to Kiev, their slow approach allowed the beleaguered inhabitants to warn Vsevolod of the advancing enemy. Accordingly, he had time to summon reinforcements, but the easy victory of the Rostislavichi suggests that they still greatly outnumbered the Olgovichi.
Vsevolod fled from Kiev for the third time and sought safety in Chernigov. Although the Rostislavichi pursued him, they failed to capture the well-defended citadel. After some two weeks they succeeded only in setting fire to the outer town and in pillaging surrounding villages. As they passed their attack, Vsevolod died.
As the former prince of Chernigov he was interred inside the Holy Saviour Cathedral.
by his wife Helen of Znojmo
, a Přemyslid princess
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 Daniil. He was grand prince of Kiev (1203, 1206, 1207, 1208–1212); he was also prince of Chernigov (1204–1206/1208) and of Belgorod
Belgorod Kievsky
Bilhorod Kyivsky was a city-castle of Kievan Rus' on the right bank of Irpin River. The city was quite prominent in the 10th-12th centuries but ceased to exist after 1240 destruction of Kiev by the Mongols. Currently there is a small village of Bilohorodka, Kiev Oblast near the location of the...
(1205).
He was one of the most successful senior princes
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 Olgovichi (the ruling dynasty of Chernigov): while he was senior prince, they for the first time established their rule over lands stretching from Halych
Halych
Halych is a historic city on the Dniester River in western Ukraine. The town gave its name to the historic province and kingdom of Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia, of which it was the capital until the early 14th century, when the seat of the local princes was moved to Lviv...
through 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....
and 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...
to Chernigov.
Architectural and circumstantial evidence suggest that he initiated building projects in Chernigov: he sent an artel’ (a team of builders) to the town where it built the Church of St. Paraskeva Pyatnisa between 1211 and 1214.
His early life
He was the third son of Sviatoslav VsevolodovichSviatoslav III of Kiev
Sviatoslav III Vsevolodovich , Prince of Turov , Vladimir and Volyn , Pinsk , Novgorod-Seversky , Chernigov , Grand Prince of Kiev...
(who later became the grand prince of Kiev) by his wife, Maria Vasilkovna of Polotsk. On November 14, 1179, Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich brought a daughter of duke Casimir II of Poland
Casimir II the Just
Casimir II the Just was a Lesser Polish duke at Wiślica during 1166–1173, and at Sandomierz since 1173. He became ruler over the Polish Seniorate Province at Kraków and thereby High Duke of Poland in 1177; a position he held until his death, interrupted once by his elder brother and predecessor...
(her name was Anastasia according to the Lyubetskiy sinodik) as wife for Vsevolod. Vsevolod’s patrimonial domain was located in the northwestern part of the Vyatichi lands
Vyatichs
The Vyatichi or Viatichi were a tribe of East Slavs who inhabited a part of the Oka basin.The Primary Chronicle names a certain tribal leader Vyatko as the forefather of the tribe, but the modern etymology places the word as a cognate to Veneti and Vandals. The Vyatichi were mainly engaged in...
.
When Khan Konchak with his Cumans
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...
pillaged the Pereyaslavl lands
Principality of Pereyaslavl
The Principality of Pereslavl was a regional principality of Kievan Rus from the end of 9th to 1302 based on the city of Pereyaslavl on the Trubezh river. It was usually administrated by younger sons of the Grand Prince of Kiev...
as far as Dimitrov in February of 1184, Svyatoslav Vsevolodivich sent his sons (including Vsevolod) and his troops to prince Igor Svyatoslavich of Novgorod-Seversk
Igor Svyatoslavich
Igor Svyatoslavich the Brave was a Rus’ prince...
ordering him to pursue the tribesmen. Igor Svyatoslavich pursued the raiders, found them at the river Khiriya (a tributary
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
of the river Vorskla
Vorskla River
The Vorskla River , located in Russia and northeastern Ukraine, is a south-flowing tributary of the Dnieper River.An ancient fort, thought to be Gelonos, is on the Vorskla south of Okhtyrka. In 1399, the Battle of the Vorskla River was fought in the area...
), and took many captive.
Enemy bands frequently pillaged the Poros’e district (the Ros River basin) and the Chernigov lands after 1187. In 1192, Svyatoslav Vsevolodivich sent his sons (Vsevolod, Vladimir, and Mstislav) to march against the Cumans. The purpose of the campaign (which was lead again by Igor Svyatoslavich) was to plunder Cumanian camps; the Olgovichi ventured deep into the steppe
Steppe
In physical geography, steppe is an ecoregion, in the montane grasslands and shrublands and temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biomes, characterized by grassland plains without trees apart from those near rivers and lakes...
, past Kursk
Kursk
Kursk is a city and the administrative center of Kursk Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Kur, Tuskar, and Seym Rivers. The area around Kursk was site of a turning point in the Russian-German struggle during World War II and the site of the largest tank battle in history...
into the upper reaches of the river Oskol
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....
. But 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 assembled in great numbers and awaited the princes. Igor Svyatoslavich, on seeing that he was outnumbered, resolutely ordered his troops to steal away under the cover of darkness.
His father 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 thus Vsevolod became answerable to his uncle. In the autumn of 1196, Yaroslav Vsevolodovich ordered Vsevolod and his brother, Mstislav Svyatoslavich to accompany him against grand prince Vsevolod III Yuryevich of Vladimir
Vladimir-Suzdal
The Vladimir-Suzdal Principality or Vladimir-Suzdal Rus’ was one of the major principalities which succeeded Kievan Rus' in the late 12th century and lasted until the late 14th century. For a long time the Principality was a vassal of the Mongolian Golden Horde...
and prince David Rostislavich of Smolensk who were pillaging the domains of the Olgovichi.
Prince of Chernigov and his struggle for Kiev
In 1201, Vsevolod’s brother, Oleg Svyatoslavich pledged loyalty to grand prince Rurik RostislavichRurik Rostislavich
Ruryk Rostislavich , Prince of Novgorod , Belgorod Kievsky, presently Bilohorodka , Grand Prince of Kiev , Prince of Chernigov...
of Kiev who had summoned the Olgovichi to campaign against prince Roman Mstislavich
Roman the Great
Roman Mstislavich , also Roman Mstyslavych or Roman the Great, was a Rus’ prince, Grand Prince of Kiev ....
of Halych. The latter, however, pre-empted their attack, and the Kievans opened the gates of the podol’
Podil
The Podil or Podilskyi Raion is a historic neighbourhood and an administrative raion in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine. It is one of the oldest neighborhoods of Kiev, the birthplace of the city's trade, commerce and industry...
to him; he forced Ryurik Rostislavich and the Olgovichi to capitulate.
On January 2, 1203, Ryurik Rostislavich and the Olgovichi re-captured Kiev. Ryurik Rostislavich avenged himself against the Kievans; the chronicler declares that his devastation exceeded that caused by all previous attacks. Ryurik Rostislavich had no intention of occupying the town, but he could not leave Kiev without a prince for fear that it would return into Roman Mstislavich’s hand. Accordingly, Vsevolod occupied the town.
However, Ryurik Rostislavich evidently appointed his ally to Kiev until he could settle his dispute with Roman Mstislavich and be reinstated. In February, Roman Mstislavich marched against Ryurik Rostislavich; the latter submitted to him and to Vsevolod III Yuryevich. Roman Mstislavich also advised him to ask Vsevolod Yuryevich to reinstate him in Kiev and promised to support his request. Consequently, the grand prince of Vladimir forgave Ryurik Rostislavich and reappointed him to the town which forced him to sever ties with the Olgovichi. Some month later, however, Roman Mstislavich seized Ryurik Rostislavich and had him tonsured as a monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
.
Under the year 1204, a number of chronicles state that Oleg Svyatoslavich of Chernigov died, while others add that his son died with him. The chroniclers do not identify Oleg’s successor at the time of his death, but later evidence confirms that his brother, Vsevolod replaced him. We may assume that, with the demise of Oleg Svyatoslavich’s family, Vsevolod appropriated his brother’s domains along with the territories Oleg himself had taken from his elder brother, Vladimir Svyatoslavich
Vladimir III Svyatoslavich
Vladimir III Svyatoslavich was a Rus' prince . His baptismal name was Boris...
; thus, with the extinction of the lines of his two elder brothers, Vsevolod’s family became the most powerful line of the Olgovichi.
On June 29, 1205, Roman Mstislavich died, and two sons survived him: Daniil and Vasilko Romanovich. The Olgovichi marched to Kiev and met Ryurik Rostislavich who had reinstated himself there; they made a pact to attack Halych. The Olgovichi had presumably promised that, in exchange for Halych, they would support Ryurik Rostislavich’s rule in Kiev. Although, they achieved nothing in Halych, Ryurik Rostislavich paid Vsevolod for his support by giving him Belgorod
Belgorod Kievsky
Bilhorod Kyivsky was a city-castle of Kievan Rus' on the right bank of Irpin River. The city was quite prominent in the 10th-12th centuries but ceased to exist after 1240 destruction of Kiev by the Mongols. Currently there is a small village of Bilohorodka, Kiev Oblast near the location of the...
; Vsevolod, in turn, handed it over to his brother 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...
.
In the early summer of 1206, Vsevolod assembled all the Olgovichi for a snem (a meeting) in Chernigov presumably to organize a second campaign against Halych. Vsevolod also invited prince Mstislav Romanovich of Smolensk
Mstislav III of Kiev
Mstislav Romanovich the Old , Prince of Pskov , Smolensk , Belgorod , Halych and Grand Prince of Kiev...
; his Polish
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
in-laws also brought troops, and at Kiev, Ryurik Rostislavich joined them with his troops. When the Galicians and Daniil Romanovich heard how large a force had assembled against them, they asked the king Andrew II of Hungary
Andrew II of Hungary
Andrew II the Jerosolimitan was King of Hungary and Croatia . He was the younger son of King Béla III of Hungary, who invested him with the government of the Principality of Halych...
for help; even so, Daniil Romanovich fled to his patrimony of Volodymyr-Volynskyi
Volodymyr-Volynskyi
Volodymyr-Volynsky is a city located in Volyn Oblast, in north-western Ukraine. Serving as the administrative centre of the Volodymyr-Volynsky District, the city itself is also designated as a separate raion within the oblast...
. Meanwhile, Andrew II crossed the mountains and sent messengers to prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich
Yaroslav II of Vladimir
Yaroslav II , Christian name Theodor was the Grand Prince of Vladimir who helped to restore his country and capital after the Mongol invasion of Russia.-Prince of Pereyaslav:...
(a son of grand prince Vsevolod III Yuryevich) inviting him to rule Halych.
On hearing that the Hungarians stood poised for battle near Volodymyr-Volynskyi, the Olgovichi dared not attack Halych. For many days neither side made a move; finally, after the king negotiated peace with the Poles
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
and returned home, the Olgovichi also withdrew.
At that time, the Galicians sent word in secret to Vladimir Igorevich
Vladimir III Igorevich
Vladimir III Igorevich was a Rus' prince . His baptismal name was Peter...
(Vsevolod’s cousin) asking him to rule Halych. On receiving their invitation, Vladimir Igorevich stole away at night from the Olgovichi without informing Vsevolod; he rode to Halych, and occupied it. The Galicians also gave domains to Vladimir Igorevich’s brothers. The sources do not report the fate of Novhorod-Siverskyi
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:...
and the Poseme towns (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....
) after the Igorevichi vacated them; to judge from an earlier example of absentee prince, the vacated towns were probably administered by Vsevolod.
After Vsevolod failed to take Halych, he took advantage of the large force at his disposal, snatched Kiev from Ryurik Rostislavich, and forced him to withdraw to Vruchiy
Ovruch
Ovruch is a city in the Zhytomyr Oblast of northern Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Ovruch Raion . The current estimated population is around 17,000 . It is home to Ovruch air base....
. Vsevolod also sent his posadnik
Posadnik
Posadnik was the mayor in some East Slavic cities or towns. Most notably, the posadnik was the mayor of Novgorod and Pskov...
i to all the Kievan towns. There can be no doubt that Vsevolod made generous concessions to the Rostislavichi (the members of the dynasty of Smolensk
Principality of Smolensk
The Principality of Smolensk was a Kievan Rus' lordship from the eleventh to the fifteenth century...
) to win their support: Ryurik Rostislavich’s son, Rostislav Rurikovich
Rostislav II of Kiev
Rostyslav Rurykovych , Prince of Torchesk , Grand Prince of Kiev , Prince of Vyshhorod , Prince of Halych . Son of Rurik Rostislavich.-References:...
returned to 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...
and his nephew Mstislav Romanovich of Smolensk seized Belgorod. Vsevolod, however, evicted Yaroslav Vsevolodovich from Pereyaslavl, and in September, he returned to his father (grand prince Vsevolod III Yuryevich) in Suzdalia.
Although his brother, Mstislav Svyatoslavich was next in line for a major domain after his elder brother Gleb Svyatoslavich occupied Chernigov following Vsevolod’s seizure of Kiev, Vsevolod bypassed his brother and gave Pereyaslavl to his son Mikhail Vsevolodovich
Michael of Chernigov
Saint Michael of Chernigov or Mikhail Vsevolodovich was a Rus' prince...
.
However, Ryurik Rostislavich, the erstwhile monk, was determined to regain control of Kiev. Consequently, soon after Vsevolod occupied the town, Ryurik Rostislavich expelled him with relative ease. This is not surprising because the troops that had helped Vsevolod to capture Kiev had returned home. His failure to barricade himself in Kiev also suggests that the townsmen deserted him, and he withdrew to Chernigov.
At the beginning of 1207, Vsevolod marched against Kiev, but this time his attacking force constituted only his brothers Gleb and Mstislav Svyatoslavich with their sons; the Cumans came in the main to pillage. They pillaged around Kiev for 3 weeks but accomplished nothing and withdrew.
Some time in the summer of 1207, Vsevolod assembled his brothers, his nephews, the Cumans, and the princes of Turov and Pinsk; prince Vladimir Igorevich of Halych also came to his aid. He approached Kiev via Trepol
Trypillia
Trypillia is a village in the Obukhiv Raion of the Kiev Oblast, in central Ukraine, with 2,800 inhabitants...
in order to disable Kiev’s southern outposts and deprive Ryurik Rostislavich of their military assistance. Outnumbered and outmaneuvered, Ryurik Rostislavich fled to Vruchiy even before the Olgovichi reached Kiev. Vsevolod besieged Belgorod, where Mstislav Romanovich had barricaded himself, and forced him to flee to Smolensk. Next, he attacked Ryurik Rostislavich’s nephew, Mstislav Mstislavich in Torchesk
Torchesk
Torchesk was a medieval town, located between today's villages of Olshanytsia and Sharky in Kiev Oblast of northern Ukraine some east of Bila Tserkva....
. Mstislav Mstislavich put up such a valiant resistance; however, when Vsevolod unleashed the Cumans onto his lands, Mstislav capitulated in order to stop their atrocities. In the light of Ryurik Rostislavich’s flight and Vsevolod’s victories, the Kievans opened their gates.
On hearing that Vsevolod had expelled Yaroslav Vsevolodovich from Pereyaslavl, his father Vsevolod III Yuryevich summoned his eldest son Konstantin Vsevolodovich
Konstantin of Rostov
Konstantin Vsevolodovich was the eldest son of Vsevolod the Big Nest and Maria Shvarnovna.In 1206 and 1207, he was the prince of Novgorod. In 1207, his father sent him to rule the towns of Rostov and Yaroslavl...
from Novgorod
Veliky Novgorod
Veliky Novgorod is one of Russia's most historic cities and the administrative center of Novgorod Oblast. It is situated on the M10 federal highway connecting Moscow and St. Petersburg. The city lies along the Volkhov River just below its outflow from Lake Ilmen...
, prince Roman Glebovich of Ryazan
Ryazan Principality
The Grand Duchy of Ryazan existed from 1078 when it was separated from the Chernigov Principality as the provincial Murom Principality.-Prior to the invasion of Batu Khan:...
with his brothers, and prince David Yuryevich of Murom
Principality of Murom
The Principality of Murom was a medieval Rus' lordship based on the city of Murom, now in Vladimir Oblast, Russia. Murom lay in an area that was strongly Finno-Ugric for much of its medieval history, located in the homeland of the Muromians...
. On August 19, Vsevolod Yuryevich set out for the river Oka
Oka River
Oka is a river in central Russia, the largest right tributary of the Volga. It flows through the regions of Oryol, Tula, Kaluga, Moscow, Ryazan, Vladimir, and Nizhny Novgorod and is navigable over a large part of its total length, as far upstream as to the town of Kaluga. Its length exceeds...
to meet the princes of Ryazan. After the latter arrived, two of the princelings accused their uncles of conspiring with the Olgovichi against Vsevolod Yuryevich; after satisfying himself that the accused were guilty, he took them captive on September 22 and carted them off to Vladimir. Then Vsevolod Yuryevich marched against Pronsk
Pronsk
Pronsk is an urban locality and the administrative center of Pronsky District of Ryazan Oblast, Russia. Population: Pronsk was first attested in chronicles in 1186...
, where Vsevolod’s son-in-law Mikhail Vsevolodovich was prince who fled to his father-in-law. On October 18 Vsevolod Yuryevich captured Pronsk and took Mikhail Vsevolodovich’s wife (Vsevolod’s daughter) captive. After devastating the lands of Ryazan, Vsevolod Yuryevich returned home without attacking Chernigov.
When Ryurik Rostislavich learnt that Vsevolod Yuryevich was devastating Ryazan, he rode post-haste to Kiev, drove out Vsevolod, and occupied the town. Vsevolod fled from Kiev with his wife and children. Vsevolod launched an attack against Kiev in late February of 1208, but he accomplished nothing, and he must have derived some satisfaction from pillaging the environs of Kiev. However, Ryurik Rostislavich died in that year, and thus Vsevolod became the only claimant to the capital of Rus’, and he occupied Kiev.
Grand prince of Kiev
During the winter of 1210, Vsevolod and all the Olgovichi sent Metropolitan Matfey to Vsevolod Yuryevich, who had been razing the towns of Ryazan, requesting peace. The chronicler states that they submitted to him in all matters; Vsevolod Yuryevich undoubtedly demanded that the Olgovichi relinquish control of Pereyaslav. After Vsevolod submitted in all matters, Vsevolod Yuryevich released his daughter (the wife of Mikhail Vsevolodovich of Pronsk). Nevertheless, Vsevolod Yuryevich kept the princes of Ryazan in chains and refused to forgive them.In the following year (on April 10, 1211), Vsevolod Yuryevich’s son Yuri Vsevolodovich and Vsevolod’s daughter Agafia Vsevolodovna were married in the Cathedral of the Mother of God in Vladimir; Vsevolod attended with his court.
In September 1211, Daniil Romanovich attacked the Olgovichi in Halych and captured the towns ruled by them. The Galician boyar
Boyar
A boyar, or bolyar , was a member of the highest rank of the feudal Moscovian, Kievan Rus'ian, Bulgarian, Wallachian, and Moldavian aristocracies, second only to the ruling princes , from the 10th century through the 17th century....
s hanged three of Vsevolod’s relatives (Roman Igorovich, Svyatoslav Igorovich, and Rostislav Romanovich). If the information of a late chronicle is true, Roman and Svyatoslav’s wives and children were executed with them. Consequently, the Igorevichi were reduced to one family, that of Vladimir Igorevich. In appropriating the patrimonies of the two executed Igorevichi, Vsevolod increased his personal holdings.
The hangings in Halych were an unforgivable insult to the Olgovichi, and the ignominious murder of three of their princes called for unmitigated reprisals. At the beginning of 1212, Vsevolod waged war against the Rostislavichi. Surprisingly, he unleashed his wrath neither against the Galicians nor against Daniil Romanovich; instead, he accused the minor Rostislavichi ruling insignificant domains in the Kievan land of killing his relatives, and expelled them. In June of 1212, the Rostislavichi launched a major offensive against Vsevolod to reclaim their lands. In addition to the troops that Mstislav Romanovich mustered from the Smolensk domains, Mstislav Mstislavich set out on June 8, with the Novgorodian
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...
militia. The attackers pillaged many districts belonging to the Olgovichi beginning with Rechitsa which shows that they came down the right bank 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...
.
Vsevolod fled from Kiev for the third time and sought safety in Chernigov. Although the Rostislavichi pursued him, they failed to capture the well-defended citadel. After some two weeks they succeeded only in setting fire to the outer town and in pillaging surrounding villages. As they passed their attack, Vsevolod died.
As the former prince of Chernigov he was interred inside the Holy Saviour Cathedral.
Marriage and children
# October 14/December 24, 1178 / November 14, 1179: Maria (renamed Anastasia), a daughter of Duke Casimir II of PolandCasimir II the Just
Casimir II the Just was a Lesser Polish duke at Wiślica during 1166–1173, and at Sandomierz since 1173. He became ruler over the Polish Seniorate Province at Kraków and thereby High Duke of Poland in 1177; a position he held until his death, interrupted once by his elder brother and predecessor...
by his wife Helen of Znojmo
Helen of Znojmo
Helena of Znojmo was a Bohemian princess, a member of the Přemyslid dynasty. She was the daughter of Duke Conrad II of Znojmo and his Serbian wife Maria of Rascia...
, a Přemyslid princess
- Grand prince Mikhail Vsevolodovich of KievMichael of ChernigovSaint Michael of Chernigov or Mikhail Vsevolodovich was a Rus' prince...
(c. 1185 - September 20, 1246); - Agafia Vsevolodovna (? - February 7, 1238), wife of Prince Yuri Vsevolodovich of Vladimir;
- Vera Vsevolodovna, wife of prince Mikhail Vsevolodovich of Pronsk.
Ancestors
Sources
- Dimnik, Martin: The Dynasty of Chernigov - 1146-1246; Cambridge University Press, 2003, Cambridge; ISBN 978-0521-03981-9.