Council of Dolobsk of 1103
The Primary Chronicle narrates that both Sviatopolk II Iziaslavich (at the time Grand Prince of Kiev) and Volodimer' Monomakh (at the time Prince of Pereyaslavl) were given "inspiration by God" in order to campaign against the Polovtsi, and they decided to meet up at Lake Dolobsk to discuss it. At the princely council of Dolobsk, the two princes and their druzhina sit down in a tent to talk about their options. Men from Sviatopolk's druzhina argue: "Now that it is spring, it is not the appropriate time to head into battle; we would ruin the peasants and their crop fields." Monomakh responds by describing how the life of Rus' people at that time might go: [3] "I am surprised, comrades, that you concern yourselves for the beast [horse] with which the peasant plows. Why do you not bear in mind that as soon as the peasant begins his plowing, the Polovcian will come, shoot him down with his bolt, seize his horse, ride on into his village, and carry off his wife, his children, and all his property? Are you concerned for the horse and not for the peasant himself?" Sviatopolk's men have no response, and he therefore says: "Look, I am already standing ready."
They decide to send messengers to Davyd Sviatoslavich of Chernigov and Oleg I Sviatoslavich of Novgorod-Seversk; Oleg refuses, saying he is ill. The subsequent narrative indicates that the Rus' campaign was successful: they defeat the Polotvsi, killing some in battle, The Polovtsi commander Beldyuz' is taken prisoner of war by Sviatopolk, handed over to Monomakh, who interrogates him. Beldyuz' offers a large sum of goods to pay for his release, but Monomakh accuses him of "[violating your] oaths by the shedding of Christian blood", and orders him to be executed. Polovtsi livestock, slaves and other spoils are captured, and carried off home to Rus'.
Council of Dolobsk of 1111 in the Hypatian Codex
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The Council of Dolobsk in the Hypatian Codex
in the year 1103 (left) and 1111 (right) [10] |
According to the Hypatian Codex, in the year 6619 (1111), another council was held in Dolobsk between Volodimer' Monomakh and Sviatopolk Iziaslavich. The reason for their meeting was again planning a campaign against the Polovtsi, as well as exchanging the same arguments for and against the campaign, only formulated in a slightly different way. This time Sviatopolk's druzhina directly agree with Volodimer's arguments, saying: "Indeed, it is true." Sviatopolk responds: "Now, brother, I am ready to advance together with you", and not "Look, I am already standing ready", as in 1103 (6611). In 1111 Monomakh and Sviatopolk send messengers to David Sviatoslavich to join them; in the chronicle record under 1103 they also send a messenger to Oleg Sviatoslavich, who refused because of illness, but in 1111 Oleg is not mentioned at all.
Scholars have different theories about the origin of this apparent duplication, with some believing that it occurred when the Primary Chronicle was completed during the compilation of the so-called "Kyivan Codex" around 1200.
The subsequent narrative of the 1111 Rus' campaign against the Polovtsi shows many similarities with that of 1103, including killing many Polovtsi in battle and capturing livestock, other booty and prisoners of war, but this time, none of the prisoners of war is executed. Instead, Sviatopolk, Monomakh and David interrogate the Polovtsi POWs how they were defeated by the numerically inferior Rus', to which the Polovtsi captives reply: "How can we do battle with you? For others rode above you with shining and terrible weapons, aiding you", in reference to the narrator's earlier claims that angels of God provided assistance to the Christian Rus' forces against the pagan Polovtsi. The narrator then goes off on a long tangent about angels in Christian scriptures, and how this 1111 campaign confirms that the pious Rus' princes are also blessed in their struggle against the unbelievers, leaving the fate of the Polovtsi prisoners of war unspecified.
The Primary Chronicle, shortened from the common Russian Primary Chronicle, is a chronicle of Kievan Rus' from about 850 to 1110. It is believed to have been originally compiled in or near Kiev in the 1110s. Tradition ascribed its compilation to the monk Nestor beginning in the 12th century, but this is no longer believed to have been the case.
The Grand Prince of Kiev was the title of the monarch of Kievan Rus', residing in Kiev from the 10th to 13th centuries. In the 13th century, Kiev became an appanage principality first of the grand prince of Vladimir and the Mongol Golden Horde governors, and later was taken over by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
Vladimir II Monomakh was Grand Prince of Kiev from 1113 to 1125. He is considered a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church and is celebrated on May 6.
Andrey Yuryevich Bogolyubsky, was Prince of Vladimir-Suzdal from 1157 until his death. During repeated internecine wars between the princely clans, Andrey accompanied his father Yuri Dolgorukiy during a brief capture of Kiev in 1149. 20 years later, his son led the Sack of Kiev (1169). He was canonized as a saint in the Russian Orthodox Church in 1702.
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Oleg Svyatoslavich was a prince from Kievan Rus' whose equivocal adventures ignited political unrest in the country at the turn of the 11th and 12th centuries. He reigned as Prince of Chernigov from 1094 to 1097, and as Prince of Novgorod-Seversk from 1097 to 1115. He was the progenitor of the Olgovichi family.
Aepa is the name of at least two early 12th-century Cuman (Polovtsi) princes mentioned in Rus' chronicles.
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Boniak, Bonyak or Maniac, also known as Boniak the Mangy, was "one of the most prominent Cuman chieftains" in the late 11th century and the early 12th century. He headed a powerful Cuman tribe or clan that inhabited the steppes to west of the Dnieper River. He supported the Byzantines against the Pechenegs in the Battle of Levounion in 1091. He defeated Coloman, King of Hungary in 1097 or 1099.
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Iaroslav Sviatopolkovich, also known as Iaroslav or Yaroslav Sviatopolchich, was Prince of Volhynia from 1100 to 1118.
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The calling of the Varangians, calling of the (Varangian) princes or invitation to the Varangians is a legend about the origins of the Rus' people, the Rurik dynasty and the Kievan Rus' state, recorded in many divergent versions in various manuscripts and compilations of Rus' chronicles. These include the six main witnesses of the Primary Chronicle and the Novgorod First Chronicle (NPL), as well as later textual witnesses such as the Sofia First Chronicle and the Pskov Third Chronicle.
Textual variants in the Primary Chronicle manuscripts of the Kievan Rus' arise when a copyist makes deliberate or inadvertent alterations to the text that is being reproduced. Textual criticism of the Primary Chronicle or Tale of Bygone Years has included study of its textual variants.
The Olgovichi or Olhovychi were one of the four dominant princely clans of Kievan Rus' in the 12th and 13th century. First mentioned in the Hypatian continuation of the Primary Chronicle (PVL) under the year 1116 and literally meaning "the sons of Oleg", they were named after Oleg I Sviatoslavich, Prince of Chernigov and Principality of Novgorod-Seversk.
The Kievan succession crisis of 1015–1019, also known as the Feud of the Volodimerovichi or the Internecine war in Rus', was a war of succession in Kievan Rus' caused by the death of Volodimer I of Kiev in 1015. Several of his sons claimed the throne, and began fighting and killing each other, until eventually Yaroslav emerged victorious in 1019.
The Battle of the Alta River was a battle that took place on 24 July 1019 between the troops of the Novgorodian prince Yaroslav "the Wise" Volodimerovich and the army of his brother, prince Sviatopolk I of Kiev, who was supported by the Pechenegs. It was part of the Kievan succession crisis of 1015–1019.
The Feud of the Sviatoslavichi was a war of succession in Kievan Rus' in the late 970s, between the sons of the Kievan prince Sviatoslav I Igorevich, for 'eldership' after the death of their father.
The Battle of Liubech (1016) was a clash between the troops of Sviatopolk and his brother Yaroslav near the town of Liubech. It was part of the Kievan succession crisis of 1015–1019 that broke out between the brothers after the death of prince Volodimer I of Kiev (1015).
