Principality of Chernigov

Last updated
Principality of Chernigov
1024–1402
Triangle of Kyiv Chernihiv Pereyaslavl 1132.png
  Principality of Chernigov (1132)
Status Principality
Capital Chernigov
Common languages Old East Slavic (official)
Religion
Eastern Orthodoxy (official)
Government Monarchy
Prince  
• 1024–1036
Mstislav (first)
History 
• Established
1024
• Disestablished
1402
Currency Grivna
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Blank.png Kievan Rus'
Grand Duchy of Lithuania Blank.png
Murom-Ryazan Principality Blank.png
Today part of Russia
Ukraine
Belarus

The Principality of Chernigov [lower-alpha 1] was one of the largest and most powerful states within Kievan Rus'. For a time the principality was the second most powerful after Kiev. The principality was formed in the 10th century and maintained some of its distinctiveness until the 16th century. The Principality of Chernigov consisted of regions of modern-day Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia. [1] [ better source needed ]

Contents

Location

Most of the Principality of Chernigov was located on the left bank of the river Dnieper, within the basins of the Desna and Seim rivers. The principality was supposedly populated by mostly Slavic tribes of Siverians and partially by the Dnieper Polans. Later the territory of the principality extended to the lands of the Radimichs and partially the Vyatichs and Drehovichs. The capital of the principality was the city of Chernigov, the other main important cities were Novgorod-Seversky, Starodub-Seversky, Trubchevsk and Kozelsk. Ownership and influence of the Chernigov Principality bordered Murom-Ryazan Land to the north and Tmutorokan Principality to the southeast. [1]

History

According to the Primary Chronicle , before the 11th century the principality was ruled by local tribal elders and voivodes from Kiev who were appointed by the Grand Prince to collect tribute from the local population, manage judicial trials, and defend the land from external enemies. [1]

In 1024, Mstislav of Chernigov, son of Vladimir the Great arrived from Tmutarakan and established rule over the principality of Chernigov. [2] Mstislav set the Dnieper river as the boundary between his sphere of influence and that of his brother, Yaroslav the Wise. This would be the first recorded attempt to settle areas of authority by agreement rather than by violence in the lands of the Rus'. The division of land between the brothers progressed in a stable position, this was easily facilitated by the vast distances of the region, where Mstislav expanded south while Yaroslav ventured north. [3]

He began establishing Chernigov as one of the most important administrative centres in the region, whereupon he constructed defensive barriers and expanded the citadel. Fortified ramparts were built with a circumference of 2.5 km with an average height of 4 meters, vast even by the standards of the Rus. [3] Upon the death of Mstislav after a hunting trip in 1036, [3] Chernigov was incorporated into the realm of Kiev.

With the death of his brother, Yaroslav the Wise attained sole authority of the dynasty and claimed the principality of Chernigov, he would rule until 1054. [3] Subsequently, his son who would eventually be titled Grand Prince Sviatoslav initiated the Chernigov branch of the Rurikids. During the civil war of the Yaroslavichi, Chernigov was contested between the sons of Sviatoslav and Vsevolod. After the death of Sviatoslav in 1076, it decided on the Council of Liubech, that the sons of Sviatoslav, Oleg and Davyd, and their descendants secure the principality. [4] The principality subsequently obtained a certain degree of autonomy and was primarily secured thereafter.

The Principality was later split into three main apanage principalities: Chernigov proper, Novgorod-Seversk, and Murom-Ryazan. [1] While Tmutarakan, due to its remoteness, often became contested and eventually was overtaken. Murom and later the Ryazan principality drifted away from the influence of Chernigov and after some time was contested by the Principality of Vladimir. Nonetheless, the influence of the Chernigov princes remained large and they retained the title of Grand Prince of Kiev for some time. Chernigov was one of the largest economic and cultural centres of Kievan Rus'. [1]

List of princes

List of counties and cities

Territories of Chernigov in the 15th century Ziemie Czernihowsko-Siewierskie w XV wieku.jpg
Territories of Chernigov in the 15th century

Below is a list of former counties and cities of the Principality of Chernigov: [1]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Russian: Черниговское княжество; Ukrainian: Чернігівське князівство

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iziaslav I of Kiev</span> King of Rus

Iziaslav Yaroslavich was Prince of Turov and Grand Prince of Kiev from 1054.

Sviatoslav II Iaroslavich or Sviatoslav II Yaroslavich was Grand Prince of Kiev between 1073 and 1076. He was born as a younger son of Grand Prince Yaroslav the Wise, and became the progenitor of the Sviatoslavichi (Svyatoslavychi). His baptismal name was Nicholas.

Vsevolod IV Svyatoslavich the Red or Vsevolod Chermnyi was Grand Prince of Kiev. He was also Prince of Chernigov (1204–1206/1208) and Belgorod Kievsky (1205). His baptismal name was Daniil.

Oleg Svyatoslavich ; c. 1052 – 1 August 1115) was a Rus Sviatoslavichi prince whose equivocal adventures ignited political unrest in Kievan Rus' at the turn of the 11th and 12th centuries. He reigned as Prince of Chernigov from 1097 to 1115, and was the progenitor of the Olgovichi family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mstislav Mstislavich</span> Russian prince (died c. 1228)

Mstislav Mstislavich the Daring, also called the Able, was a prince of Tmutarakan and Chernigov, one of the princes from Kievan Rus' in the decades preceding the Mongol invasions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mstislav of Chernigov</span> Earliest attested prince of Tmutarakan and Chernigov in Kievan Rus

Mstislav Vladimirovich was the earliest attested prince of Tmutarakan and Chernigov in Kievan Rus'. He was a younger son of Vladimir the Great, the grand prince of Kiev. His father appointed him to rule Tmutarakan, an important fortress by the Strait of Kerch, in or after 988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boris Vyacheslavich</span> Prince of Chernigov

Boris Vyacheslavich was Prince of Chernigov for eight days in 1077. He was the son of Vyacheslav Yaroslavich, Prince of Smolensk. Following his father's death in 1057, the child Boris was debarred from his inheritance. He died fighting against his uncles—Vsevolod Yaroslavich, Prince of Chernigov and Izyaslav Yaroslavich, Grand Prince of Kiev—on 3 October 1078.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Listven</span> Battle in Eastern Europe in 1024

The Battle of Listven (1024) was part of the succession struggle following the death of Vladimir the Great (Volodymyr) in 1015. It was fought between Mstislav of Chernigov and Kievan forces supporting Yaroslav the Wise; Mstislav defeated Yaroslav. According to legend, the battle took place at night during a thunderstorm.

The Prince of Chernigov was the kniaz, the ruler or sub-ruler, of the Rus' Principality of Chernigov, a lordship which lasted four centuries straddling what are now parts of Ukraine, Belarus and the Russian Federation.

The Prince of Murom was the title of the ruler of the Principality of Murom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Principality of Murom</span> Russian principality (1127–1392)

The Principality of Murom, also referred to as the Murom-Ryazan Principality until the mid-12th century, was a principality with its capital in Murom, now in Vladimir Oblast, Russia. Murom lay in an area that was strongly Finnic and for much of its medieval history, located in the homeland of the Muromians. In 1392, it was incorporated into the Grand Principality of Moscow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gleb Svyatoslavich</span> Prince of Tmutarakan

Gleb Svyatoslavich was Prince of Tmutarakan and Novgorod of Kievan Rus'. He ruled Tmutarakan under the overall authority of his father Sviatoslav Iaroslavich, Prince of Chernigov. He was twice expelled from his principality by one of his cousins Rostislav Vladimirovich.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Council of Liubech</span>

The Council of Liubech was one of the best documented princely meetings in Kievan Rus' that took place in Liubech on October 19, 1097. The council ended the Chernihiv war of succession (1093–1097) between Sviatopolk II of Kiev, Vladimir II Monomakh and Oleg I of Chernigov who fought for the heritage of his father Sviatoslav II of Kiev.

Mstislav II Svyatoslavich was a Kievan Rus' prince. His baptismal name was Panteleymon. He was probably prince of Kozelsk (1194–1223), of Novgorod-Seversk (1206–1219), and of Chernigov (1215/1220–1223). He was killed in the Battle of the Kalka River.

Oleg III Svyatoslavich was a Kievan Rus' prince. His baptismal name was Feodosy. He was prince of Vshchizh, of Novgorod-Seversk (1200–1201), and of Chernigov (1201/1202–1204).

Yaroslav II Vsevolodovich was an Olgovichi prince. He was prince of Ropesk, of Starodub (1166–1176), and of Chernigov (1176–1198).

Yaropolk III Yaroslavich was a Kievan Rus' prince. He was prince of Novgorod (1197).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Principality of Volhynia</span> State in Eastern Europe

The Principality of Volhynia was a western Kievan Rus' principality founded by the Rurikid prince Vsevolod in 987 centered in the region of Volhynia, straddling the borders of modern-day Ukraine, Belarus, and Poland. From 1069 to 1118, it belonged to Izyaslavichi who primarily ruled from Turov. After losing Turov to Monomakhovichi in 1105, the descendants of Iziaslav Yaroslavovich for a few years continued to rule in Volhynia. From 1154 to 1199, the Principality was referred to as the Principality of Volodymyr when the Principality of Lutsk (1154–1228) was separated.

Roman Svyatoslavich or Roman the Handsome was prince of Tmutarakan in Kievan Rus'. The starting year of his reign is uncertain, but he reigned his principality from around 1073 or 1077. His former allies, the Cumans killed him after their unsuccessful joint campaign against his uncle, Vsevolod I of Kiev.

The Mongol siege, capture and sack of Chernigov, capital of the Chernigov Principality, occurred on 18 October 1239 during the westward expansion of the Mongol Empire. It was part of the 1237–1242 Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus'.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Entry Display Web Page".
  2. ↑ Dimnik, Martin (1994). The Dynasty of Chernigov, 1054–1146. Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies. pp. 8, 12, 16.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Simon, Franklin; Shepard, Jonathan (1996). The Emergence of Rus 750–1200. Longman. pp. 205–208. ISBN   9780582490918 . Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  4. ↑ Dimnik, Martin (2003). The Dynasty of Chernigov, 1146–1246. Cambridge University Press. pp. 11–13. ISBN   9781139436847 . Retrieved 1 April 2022.

51°30′N32°0′E / 51.500°N 32.000°E / 51.500; 32.000

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.