Izyaslav Mstislavich, Grand Duke of Kiev: years of life and government

Representative of the Rurik dynasty - Izyaslav Mstislavich - was the son of Mstislav the Great and grandson of Vladimir Monomakh. His father and grandfather were Kiev princes. Under the direct order of succession, Izyaslav could also count on the throne in the Mother of Russian cities. However, he was born in 1097, and all his adult life fell on the XII century - the era of incessant civil strife and political fragmentation of his native country.

Youth

Izyaslav Mstislavich until the end of his days was forced to prove his right to leadership in the fight against numerous uncles and other senior relatives of the Rurik dynasty. He received the first experience of reigning in Kursk, where in 1125-1129 he was a member of the Russian Orthodox Church. Was the viceroy of his father. Then Mstislav sent his son to Polotsk. This city for a long time belonged to a separate branch of Rurikovich, briefly expelled therefrom after the lost war.

Mstislav the Great, who ruled in Kiev, had several sons, and Izyaslav Mstislavich was the second of them. His older brother Vsevolod received Novgorod, and younger - Rostislav - inherited Smolensk.

There is no doubt that Mstislav wanted to transfer Kiev to one of his sons, even in defiance of the established order, according to which the main city of Rus passed to the eldest member of the entire dynasty. To this end, the monarch concluded an agreement with his younger brother Yaropolk. The agreement was as follows. After the death of Mstislav, the childless Yaropolk received Kiev and promised to transfer the throne to one of his nephews. Time has shown that such arrangements were then unviable.

In Novgorod

Mstislav died in 1132, and his son Izyaslav Mstislavich received from Yaropolk first Pereyaslavl, and then instead Turov, Pinsk and Minsk. However, it was not possible to stay in the new place for a long time. In just a couple of years the prince was expelled by his other uncle - Vyacheslav.

Deprived of power, Izyaslav went to Novgorod to his elder brother Vsevolod. At the same time, the prince enlisted the support of the Olgovichi, the rulers of the Chernigov land. Mstislavichi, dissatisfied with their share, demanded from the uncles of great destinies. In an effort to prove the seriousness of intentions, the brothers at the head of the Novgorod army invaded Northeast Russia, which belonged to the youngest son of Monomakh, Yuri Dolgoruky.

Vsevolod wanted Prince Izyaslav Mstislavich to occupy the Rostov Principality. However, it was impossible to start a war with an uncle, declaring such a goal. A plausible occasion found very quickly. Traditionally, Novgorodians did not make bread, but bought it from neighbors. On the eve of the Mstislavichi campaign, Suzdal merchants greatly increased the prices of their goods, which aroused the indignation of Vsevolod's subjects.

At the end of 1134, the Novgorod army, led by Mstislavichi, invaded Yury Dolgoruky's estate. The squadron moved along the banks of the rivers Dubna and Kubri. Mstislavichi were going to establish control over the waterway in order to cut off the southern cities of the uncle from the northern ones.

On January 26, 1135, Izyaslav Mstislavich, the grandson of Vladimir Monomakh, led the army into the battle at Zhdanoi Mountain. The Novgorodians had an advantage - they were the first to occupy a strategically important height. To crush Suzdal, the squadron rushed down, but at that moment it turned out that part of the troops of Yuri Dolgoruky had conducted a deceptive maneuver and entered the rear of Mstislavich's regiments. The Novgorodians were defeated, the color of their army and aristocracy, including the thousandth Petrilo Mikulich and posadnik Ivanko Pavlovich, perished. Vsevolod subjects were accused of cowardice and flight from the battlefield. In 1136, as a result of the uprising, he lost power. Izyaslav had nothing to lose from the very beginning, and after the defeat he renewed the struggle for power with renewed vigor.

Volynsky and the Pereyaslav prince

In addition to Vsevolod's brother, Izyaslav's allies were the Chernigov Olgovichi. Together with them, he, returning from North-Eastern Russia, went to the raid in Pereyaslavl and Kiev land. This campaign proved to be more successful than the previous one. Not wishing war, Yaropolk gave his nephew Vladimir-Volynsky. Izyaslav ruled there in 1135-1142.

In 1139, Prince Yaropolk died. The Kiev throne was captured by Vsevolod Olgovich, who until then ruled Chernigov. The old promise of Yaropolk Mstislav about the transfer of power to his nephew never came true. By that time Izyaslav had become the eldest living son of Mstislav. His brother, expelled from Novgorod, died shortly before Yaropolk.

Vsevolod Olgovich was married to Maria Mstislavovna - sister Izyaslav. Allied relations between them did not work out. Nevertheless, in 1135, Izyaslav lost to the Volgodonsky Vladimir-Volynsky, and in return Pereyaslavl. The proximity of this city to Kiev soon played the prince on hand.

The beginning of the reign in Kiev

Vsevolod of Kiev died in 1146. Shortly before his death, he forced Izyaslav to swear that he would not take the throne from his younger brother Igor. However, as soon as Vsevolod died, riots broke out in Kiev. The townspeople disliked the Olgovichi and wanted the descendant of Monomakh to rule over them. Soon Izyaslav mastered the city. Igor tried to defend himself. He opposed the opponent with the army, but was defeated and caught bogged down in the swamp.

The fact that Izyaslav Mstislavich - the Grand Duke of Kiev, angered his uncles. Vyacheslav, who once expelled his nephew from Turov, claimed his rights, but now he himself was deprived of an inheritance. Pereyaslavl, where Izyaslav ruled to Kiev, also remained under his control. In Turov he planted the son of Yaroslav by the governor. Pereyaslavl received a senior heir to Mstislav.

Meanwhile, in Kiev, a drama was played out. Deprived of power, Igor Olgovich was sent by Izyaslav to the monastery. There he became a monk and led a quiet life. But even Igor's sincere humility did not save him from an angry mob. In 1147 a group of people of Kiev again arranged riots in the city and broke into the monastery, where the disgraced prince lived. Igor was torn to pieces, and his name was publicly abused. Izyaslav was not bloodthirsty, he did not organize this brutal massacre, but he had to bear responsibility for it.

Approximation of internecine strife

The brother of Svyatoslav Seversky remained with Igor Igor. Having received the news of the terrible fate of a relative, he became an irreconcilable enemy of the Kiev prince. Izyaslav II Mstislavich had other opponents. The most active of them was Yuri Dolgoruky. The youngest son of Monomakh continued to rule Rostov and Suzdal. Sent to the far north-eastern Zalesye still his father, he from early years was dissatisfied with the dropped out share. Yuri was annoyed with his nephew, who was close to Kiev in a minute, when the people of Kiev made a rebellion against the Olhoviches.

Dolgoruky knowingly received his nickname. His ambitions from Rostov-Suzdal land extended to all of Russia. Yuri collected a whole coalition against Izyaslav. The already mentioned Svyatoslav Seversky, as well as Vladimir Galitsky (he wanted to preserve Galicia's independence from Kiev) entered the union. Finally, on the side of Dolgoruky there were Polovtsians, whose dubious services he always used without any hesitation.

Izyaslav in the approaching war was supported by the younger brother Rostislav Smolensky, Vladimir Davydovich Chernigov, Rostislav Yaroslavich of Ryazan and Novgorod. Also he was occasionally assisted by the kings of Hungary, the Czech Republic and Poland.

War for the championship

At the first stage, internecine strife swept through the Chernigov land. The Davydoviks strove to deprive Svyatoslav of his fate. While Prince Izyaslav Mstislavich and Yury Dolgoruky were deciding the fate of Kiev, the other Rurikovichs also tried to act according to their interests. All fought with everyone. Izyaslav sent his son Mstislav to the besieged Davydovichi Novgorod-Seversky with the Berendeys and the Pereyaslavlites. It was not possible to take the fortress.

Then Izyaslav Mstislavich, Grand Duke of Kiev, himself and his squad advanced to Novgorod. Svyatoslav first retreated to Karachev, and then, together with Yuri, attacked the Smolensk possessions. The turn in the war occurred after the Davydovici reconciled with the prince of the north. Izyaslav II Mstislavich, briefly, was not happy with what had happened. In 1148 he, together with the Hungarian army, invaded the Chernigov possessions. The general battle did not happen. After standing under Lyubech, the Kiev prince retreated.

Defeat

In 1149 Izyaslav 2 Mstislavich reconciled with the Davydoviches and Svyatoslav Seversky. In addition, to his service came one of the sons of Yuri Dolgoruky Rostislav, dissatisfied with the fact that his father deprived him of his lot. After that Izyaslav together Rostislav Smolensky and Novgorod went on a campaign in the North-Eastern Russia. The coalition army plundered many of Yuri's possessions. Seven thousand people were captured.

Upon his return to Kiev, Izyaslav quarreled with Rostislav Yurievich, accusing him of treason and depriving him of his inheritance. Dolgoruky took advantage of the fact that his son fell into disgrace and, having received another fair reason for the enemy's attack, went with a campaign to the south. In the decisive battle near Pereyaslavl in August 1149, the Kiev prince was defeated. Yuri Dolgoruky fulfilled his old dream and took possession of the ancient capital. It seemed that Izyaslav Mstislavich (1146-1149) would not regain control of Kiev, but he did not think to give up.

The Volyn campaign

Having lost Kiev, Izyaslav retained Volyn. That's where the internecine war moved . Here, in the west of Russia, he especially needed the support of the kings of the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary. The army of Yuri besieged the fortress of Lutsk, whose defense was headed by Vladimir Mstislavich.

Izyaslav, along with his Western allies, came to the rescue of the city when there was already a shortage of water in it. Battles, however, did not happen. Opponents agreed that Izyaslav would refrain from claiming the throne of Kiev, and Yuri would give him a selected Novgorod tribute. As usual in that turbulent era, these agreements have not been de facto implemented.

Return to Kiev

In 1151, Izyaslav, joined by a Hungarian detachment, sent by King Geza II, again took Kiev. During this campaign, the main threat to him was represented by Vladimir Galitsky, who managed to tear himself away with the help of a deceptive maneuver. Yuri left Kiev, actually surrendering it without any struggle. Vladimirko Galitsky, angered by the inaction of the allies, also stopped the war.

So, in Kiev the years of the reign of Izyaslav Mstislavich (1151-1154) continued. This time he went on a compromise and invited Vyacheslav, whom he had formally reigned together since then. Relations between my uncle and nephew can not be called good: they suffered a lot of quarrels and mutual insults. Now the princes finally reconciled. The nephew lost his palace as a symbolic gesture and treated him like a father. In fact, in fact, Izyaslav Mstislavich took all the decisions. The prince's internal and foreign policy depended entirely on war. For all the time of his reign, there was not a single long period of peace.

Yuri Dolgoruky, who returned to Rostov-Suzdal land, was not going to give up his own ambitions. In 1151, he again went with his retinue to the south. Yuri supported the Chernigov princes and Polovtsy. To attack Kiev it was necessary to first force the Dnieper. The first attempt at crossing took place near Vyshgorod. Izyaslav prevented her, sending there a fleet of many rooks.

The squad of the Suzdal prince did not retreat and once again tried her luck on another part of the river. Having crossed the Zarubinsky ford, she approached Kiev. The advance detachment, consisting mainly of Polovtsi, was destroyed in the vicinity of the city. In the battle, Khan Bonyak was killed. Yuri Dolgoruky, hoping for help from Vladimir Galitsky, retreated to the west, but was soon defeated in the battle on the Rute River. The battle cost the life of Chernigov prince Vladimir Davydovich. Izyaslav could triumph. Yuri Dolgoruky in the south of Russia remained only Kursk.

Last years

The internecine strife prevented the princes from fighting against the real threat - the Polovtsians. Fixed in Kiev, Izyaslav twice sent his sons and his troops to the steppe. The trips were successful. The Kiev land for several years forgot about the disastrous invasions. In 1152, Izyaslav Mstislavich Izyaslav Davydovich was besieged by Dolgoruky in Chernigov. The prince of Kiev at the head of the army went to his rescue. Yuri had to retreat.

Izyaslav's opponent also remained Vladimir Galitsky. In 1152, the Hungarians broke it on the river Sanaa. Then Izyaslav himself went to Galicia. Vladimirko reconciled with him and soon died. His son and heir Jaroslav Osmomysl recognized Izyaslav as a senior, but actually carried out an independent policy, which led to an armed conflict. The Kiev prince defeated him under Terebovlev. This was the last major battle of the commander.

Izyaslav Mstislavich (or Vladimirovich, or rather, Monomachevich - that is, the grandson of Vladimir Monomakh) died in 1154 in Kiev. His death caused great grief among the townspeople. Izyaslav liked the people's love, he regularly feasted with commoners and performed in general veche like his glorious ancestor Yaroslav the Wise. The prince was buried in the monastery of St. Theodore, built by his father Mstislav the Great.

After the death of Izyaslav, a long internecine war did not stop. Kiev passed from hand to hand. In 1169, he was burned and plundered by the heir of Yuri Dolgoruky, Andrei Bogolyubsky, and then lost the importance of the key political center of Russia. Descendants of Izyaslav entrenched in Volhynia. His grandson Danil Romanovich united all South-Western Russia and even wore the title of King of Russia.