| Vladimir the Great's Polish Campaign | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Location of the Cherven Cities (modern–day) | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Kievan Rus' |  Duchy of Poland | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Vladimir the Great | Mieszko I | ||||||||
Vladimir the Great's Polish Campaign was a military campaign in the 10th century involving the Kievan Rus', led by Vladimir the Great, against the Duchy of Poland, led by Mieszko I. The result of the campaign was a Rus' victory.
Vladimir the Great became the Grand Prince of Kiev on 11 June 978 [1] [2] after first capturing Polotsk and Smolensk and then Kiev in 978, where he slew Yaropolk I of Kiev by treachery and was proclaimed knyaz of all Kievan Rus'. [1] [3] After this, he began a period of conquests, starting with his campaign against Poland. Józef Skrzypek claims that back in 981, the Cherven Cities only had a single stronghold, [4] and according to Boris Grekov the population of the Cherven’ Towns was Rusi’an. [4]
Back then, Przemyśl and Cherven’ were Polish strongholds but Poland did not have control over this entire area of Sub-Carpathian region, it was the Czechs. [4]
Even though Mieszko I objected to this campaign, Vladimir went through with it anyway, gathering troops and going against him. Vladimir reached the Vistula and the Polish troops and commanders were beaten or taken prisoner. Mieszko barely escaped to Kraków and then sent the Rus' ambassadors many gifts, asking for peace. [5]
Vladimir's campaign involved taking over the Cherven Cities: Przemyśl, Czerwień and others. [6] [4] [7] [8] [9] [10]
After settling peace with the Poles, Vladimir returned to Kiev. [5] Having successfully conquered the Cherven Cities, Vladimir provided them with a strong military garrison, then subjugating and annexing them under the Rus'. [11] Vladimir founded a fortified settlement on their border, which he named after himself. He also built fortresses on the Desna, Oster, Trubieża, Suła and Stuhna. Vladimir managed to create an entire system of fortifications that enabled him to protect his borders against Pecheneg raids. [6] [9]
It is generally agreed upon that the campaign definitely happened in the 10th century, although the year 981 is debated. Stefan Kuczyński accepts the content of the entry for 981 as reliable, with the sole reservation that the campaign of Vladimir did not take place in 981. He indicates two dates when the expedition could have occurred: 992 and 1012. [4]
According to Mykhailo Hrushevsky the expedition of 981 never happened, the record itself is a later interpolation of references entered in the Tale of the Bygone Years under the years 1018 and 1031. Myron Korduba and Eugeniusz Kucharski agreed on this. [4]
Other sources mention the years: 985, [11] 992, [12] [13] and 990 or 993. [5]
The House of Piast was the first historical ruling dynasty of Poland. The first documented Polish monarch was Duke Mieszko I. The Piasts' royal rule in Poland ended in 1370 with the death of King Casimir III the Great.
Subcarpathian Voivodeship is a voivodeship, or province, in the southeastern corner of Poland. Its administrative capital and largest city is Rzeszów. Along with the Marshal, it is governed by the Subcarpathian Regional Assembly.
Przemyśl is a city in southeastern Poland with 56,466 inhabitants, as of December 2023. In 1999, it became part of the Subcarpathian Voivodeship; it was previously the capital of Przemyśl Voivodeship.
Sanok is a town in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship of southeastern Poland with 38,397 inhabitants, as of June 2016. Located on the San River and around 52 km south of Przemyśl, Sanok lies directly by the Carpathian Mountains.
Red Ruthenia, also called Red Rus' or Red Russia, is a term used since the Middle Ages for the south-western principalities of Kievan Rus', namely the Principality of Peremyshl and the Principality of Belz. It is closely related to the term Cherven Cities.
The Ruthenian Voivodeship was a voivodeship of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland from 1434 until the First Partition of Poland in 1772, with its center in the city of Lwów. Together with a number of other voivodeships of southern and eastern part of the Kingdom of Poland, it formed Lesser Poland Province. Following the Partitions of Poland, most of Ruthenian Voivodeship, except for its northeastern corner, was annexed by the Habsburg monarchy, as part of the province of Galicia. Today, the former Ruthenian Voivodeship is divided between Poland and Ukraine.
The Czerwień Cities or Cherven Gords, often literally translated as Red Cities, Red Forts or Red Boroughs, was a point of dispute between the Kingdom of Poland and Kievan Rus' at the turn of the 10th and 11th centuries, with both sides claiming their rights to the land.
The Principality or, from 1253, Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia, also known as the Kingdom of Ruthenia or Kingdom of Rus, was a medieval state in Eastern Europe which existed from 1199 to 1349. Its territory was predominantly located in modern-day Ukraine, with parts in Belarus, Poland, Moldova, and Lithuania. Along with Novgorod and Vladimir-Suzdal, it was one of the three most important powers to emerge from the collapse of Kievan Rus'.
Przeworsk is a town in south-eastern Poland with 15,675 inhabitants, as of 2 June 2009. Since 1999 it has been in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship, and is the capital of Przeworsk County. The ancient Przeworsk culture was named after the town.
Grand prince or great prince is a title of nobility ranked in honour below Emperor, equal to Archduke, King, Grand duke and Prince-Archbishop; above a Sovereign Prince and Duke.
The intervention in the Kievan succession crisis of 1015–1019 by the Polish ruler Bolesław I the Brave was an episode in the Kievan succession crisis of 1015–1019, the struggle between Sviatopolk I and his brother Yaroslav for the grand princely title of Kiev. It occurred when Sviatopolk's father-in-law Bolesław, ruler of Poland, intervened on Sviatopolk's behalf.
The Principality of Galicia, also known as Principality of Halych or Principality of Halychian Rus', was a medieval East Slavic principality, and one of the main regional states within the political scope of Kievan Rus', established by members of the oldest line of Yaroslav the Wise descendants. A characteristic feature of the Galician principality was the important role of the nobility and citizens in political life, and consideration a will which was the main condition for the princely rule. Halych as the capital mentioned in around 1124 as a seat of Ivan Vasylkovych the grandson of Rostislav of Tmutarakan. According to Mykhailo Hrushevsky the realm of Halych was passed to Rostyslav upon the death of his father Vladimir Yaroslavich, but he was banished out of it later by his uncle to Tmutarakan. The realm was then passed to Yaropolk Izyaslavich who was a son of the ruling Grand Prince Iziaslav I of Kiev.
The Lendians were a Lechitic tribe who lived in the area of East Lesser Poland and Cherven Cities between the 7th and 11th centuries. Since they were documented primarily by foreign authors whose knowledge of Central and East Europe geography was often vague, they were recorded by different names, which include Lendzanenoi, Lendzaninoi, Lz’njn, Lachy, Lyakhs, Landzaneh, Lendizi, Licicaviki and Litziki.
The Principality of Peremyshl was a medieval petty principality centred on Peremyshl in the Cherven lands.
Maria Dobroniega was a princess of Kievan Rus', by marriage to Casimir I the Restorer she was titled Duchess of Poland.
The period of rule by the Piast dynasty between the 10th and 14th centuries is the first major stage of the history of the Polish state. The dynasty was founded by a series of dukes listed by the chronicler Gall Anonymous in the early 12th century: Siemowit, Lestek and Siemomysł. It was Mieszko I, the son of Siemomysł, who is now considered the proper founder of the Polish state at about 960 AD. The ruling house then remained in power in the Polish lands until 1370. Mieszko converted to Christianity of the Western Latin Church in an event known as the Baptism of Poland in 966, which established a major cultural boundary in Europe based on religion. He also completed a unification of the Lechitic tribal lands that was fundamental to the existence of the new country of Poland.
Bolesław II the Bold's expedition to Kiev in 1069 aimed to assert Polish influence in the region, mirroring the conquests of his predecessor, Bolesław the Brave. Bolesław II the Bold occupied Kiev where he put the allied Iziaslav I of Kiev on the throne and on the way back occupied Przemyśl and annexed Cherven Cities to Poland.