VLADIMIR MONOMACH
In 1093 Vsevolod died at the age of sixty-four. His successor was
Sviatopolk, son of Izyaslav, a weak and worthless man. Then came
trouble and turmoil. “Those were days,” an old song says, “when strife
was sown, when it grew as grain in the field grows, when men’s lives
were shortened by princes’ struggles, when the cry of the earth-tiller
was heard only rarely, but often the scream of the crows wrangling over
corpses.” Monomach, the bravest and ablest of all the descendants of
Yaroslav, might have taken the Kief throne had he wished, since the
Kief people begged him to do so, but he feared civil war and refused,
saying: “Sviatopolk’s father was older than my father; he reigned first
in Kief.”
Sviatopolk, greedy and cruel, showed his character quickly. Envoys from
the Polovtsi came to sell peace to him. He cast them into prison. When
the Polovtsi heard of this insult they made war with the utmost vigor.
Sviatopolk then freed the envoys and asked for peace, but could not get
it. He began at once to prepare for war on a small scale, but at last
took advice and asked aid of Monomach, who came, bringing with him his
brother. The three princes with their combined forces attacked the
Polovtsi, though Monomach urged peace, since the enemy outnumbered them
notably. The Russians were beaten in a savage encounter and Rostislav,
Monomach’s brother, was drowned while crossing a river; Monomach
himself had a narrow escape when struggling to save him. Elated with
triumph, the Polovtsi hastened toward Kief, ravaging all before them.
Sviatopolk, who had taken refuge in the capital, summoned fresh
warriors and went out to meet the enemy a second time, but was again
defeated and fled back to Kief with but two attendants.
As Sviatopolk now wished greatly for peace, he gave what the Polovtsi
asked, and took the Khan’s daughter in marriage.
Oleg, son of Sviatoslav of Chernigoff, one of the most resolute and
active men of the eleventh century, came also with peace to sell,
leading in a new army of Polovtsi. The crushing defeats which his
cousins had suffered prepared the way for him. He laid siege to
Chernigoff, harried the surrounding country and burned churches and
villages. For eight days his Polovtsi worked at the stronghold, then
Monomach sent a message to Oleg declaring that to stop bloodshed and
ruin he would march from the city. Peace was made on that basis, and
Oleg became master of Chernigoff.
Pereyaslavl was now Monomach’s capital, and continued to be so during a
time of sore trial and waiting. Pereyaslavl was the place which the
Polovtsi struck first of all, when marching against Russia. Monomach
lived three years in this exposed capital, where he suffered through
lack of means and from ceaseless attacks of the Polovtsi. In 1095 two
Khans, Itlar and Kitan, came to Pereyaslavl to sell peace, that is to
take treasure for a promise of peace, and then break the promise.
Itlar went with his men to the stronghold to pass the night there and
was lodged at the house of Ratibor, a distinguished boyar.
Kitan remained between the outer wall and the second one, and Monomach
gave Sviatoslav, his son, to Kitan as hostage for the safety of Itlar.
A man by the name of Slavata, who had come that day on some mission
from Sviatopolk in Kief, persuaded Ratibor to get consent from Monomach
to kill those Polovtsi. “How could I permit such a deed?” demanded
Monomach; “I have given my oath to Itlar:” “The Polovtsi give oaths to
thee, and then slay and ruin us on all sides. That they will do this
time also.” Monomach yielded after much persuasion, and that night men
were sent out who stole away Sviatoslav and then killed Kitan with his
attendants. Itlar, at Ratibor’s house, knew nothing of what had
happened. Next morning Ratibor’s men climbed to the top of the house in
which Itlar was lodging, opened the roof and killed the Polovtsi
warriors with arrows. Sviatopolk and Monomach moved at once to the
steppe against the Polovtsi and sent to Oleg for aid in the struggle.
Oleg went, but held aloof through suspicion. The two princes were
successful. The Polovtsi, taken unawares, were badly defeated. The
princes seized men, cattle, horses and camels, and returned home with
rich booty.
Oleg’s conduct had angered Sviatopolk and Monomach seriously. “Thou art
unwilling to join us against the vile enemy,” said they. “In thy house
Itlar’s son is now living; give him to us, or else kill him.” Oleg
would not yield to his cousins. Soon after they sent this message:
“Come to Kief and take counsel, so that we may defend Russia together.”
“I will not let priests and common men judge me,” replied Oleg. This
answer enraged Kief people, and Sviatopolk and Monomach declared war
against Oleg without another question. “Thou wilt not help us to crush
pagans,” said they, “or meet us in council. Thou art plotting to
strengthen the enemy. Let God judge between us.” [7]
The two princes now marched on Chernigoff. Oleg fled thence to Starodub
and shut himself in there. The princes laid siege to the place, and
during thirty-three days they made vigorous onsets, but the defense was
most resolute. At last the besieged were exhausted, and Oleg was
obliged to beg for peace. “Go to David, thy brother,” replied the
princes, “and come with him to Kief. Kief is the mother city. In Kief
ruled our ancestors. Let us meet there and settle all questions.” Oleg
kissed the cross in assent and set out for Smolensk to find David, but
upon arriving at that city the people would not allow him to enter, so
he turned and went back toward Ryazan.
Since Oleg and David did not come to Kief to make peace and take
counsel, the two princes marched on Smolensk. David now made peace with
them, on what terms is unknown to us, while Oleg, with his own men and
some warriors sent him by David in secret, advanced against Murom to
expel Izyaslav, son of Monomach. Izyaslav, having a numerous force,
went out to meet Oleg. “Go to Rostoff, which belonged to thy father,”
said Izyaslav, “but leave my father’s portion.” “I wish to be here,”
replied Oleg. Izyaslav now gave battle. A fierce struggle followed, and
Izyaslav fell in the fight before the walls of Murom. The town then
received Oleg, who hurried on straightway to Suzdal, which also
surrendered. Of the citizens some he held captive while others were
sent to various places in his own land, but he seized all of their
property. He appeared next in front of Rostoff, which surrendered at
once, and he appointed men to collect taxes there.
Oleg held now all lands connected with Murom. At this juncture there
came to him an envoy from Mystislav, prince in Novgorod, with this
message: “Leave Suzdal and Murom. Take not another man’s province. I
will make peace between thee and my father, even though thou hast slain
Izyaslav, my brother.”
Oleg would not listen. After such a victory he had no desire for peace.
He planned to take Novgorod, he had even sent forward his brother,
Yaroslav, and was going to assist him. Mystislav sent men, who seized
Oleg’s tax-gatherers. In view of this, Yaroslav warned Oleg to guard
himself carefully, that forces were advancing from Novgorod. Oleg
turned back to Rostoff, but Mystislav followed him. He then left
Rostoff for Suzdal; his enemy hurried straight after him. Oleg burned
Suzdal and fled to Murom. Mystislav reached Suzdal and halted. From
Suzdal he sent an envoy again to make peace, if possible.
Oleg, doubtful of victory through force, now sought it through
strategy. He sent back words of seeming friendliness, and was watchful.
Mystislav, thinking peace near, quartered most of his warriors at some
distance in villages. While eating at midday, news was brought in that
the enemy was advancing rapidly. Oleg had thought that a sudden feint
would put his nephew to flight, but Mystislav held his ground firmly.
He quickly called together all his men, and when Oleg was drawing near
Suzdal, an army was ready for action in front of him. For four days
were the two princes facing each other; neither one saw his way to
begin the hard trial. Meanwhile Monomach was hurrying on reinforcements
to Mystislav. These were Polovtsi commanded by another son, Vyacheslav.
On the fifth day Oleg moved against Suzdal, and Mystislav, having
placed the Polovtsi in ambush to attack at the critical moment, marched
out to meet him.
The battle began, and Mystislav with his Novgorod men was bearing down
heavily on the enemy, when the Polovtsi, with Monomach’s banner above
them, suddenly rushed at the flank of Oleg’s army. Panic fell on the
warriors at sight of that banner; they thought that Monomach was
attacking in person, and they fled from the field in disorder.
Oleg escaped to Murom, where he left his brother, Yaroslav, and then
marched with all speed to Ryazan. Mystislav hastened to Murom, made
peace with the people and freed the men seized by Oleg some time
earlier, then he pursued Oleg farther. Oleg, learning that Mystislav
was approaching, left Ryazan. Mystislav came to terms with the people
of Ryazan, as he had with those of Murom. He now sent a second letter
to Oleg, urging him to make peace with his cousins. Oleg made a
favorable promise, and Mystislav wrote to Monomach on behalf of Oleg,
who was his godfather. Because of this letter Monomach, anxious to put
an end to the dispute between the princes, sent a mild, but firm
message to Oleg. The result was a meeting of the princes in 1097 at
Lubetch, a place east of the Dnieper on the land of Chernigoff.
Seated on the same carpet, they agreed that in order to put an end to
civil war, each prince, or group of princes, should receive the land
held by his, or their father. Hence Sviatopolk received Kief with
Turoff; to Vladimir went all that Vsevolod, his father, had
held,—Smolensk with Rostoff and its settlements. Novgorod fell to
Mystislav, who had conquered Oleg; Sviatoslav’s sons, Oleg, David, and
Yaroslav, received the lands of Chernigoff. There now remained the
izgoi, or orphans, the excluded princes: David, son of Igor, with
Vassilko and Volodar, sons of Rostislav. To David was given Volynia, or
all that was left of it after the paring of land from that province.
Peremysl fell to Volodar, and Terebovl to Vassilko.
When everything was thus amicably settled, the princes kissed the
cross, and declared that if any one of them should raise hands on
another all the rest would oppose that man, and the holy cross be
against him. After that they kissed one another and parted.
This meeting at Lubetch fixed succession to lands east of the Dnieper
by giving what the father had held to the sons of Sviatoslav. But west
of that river were, as we shall find, fruitful causes of trouble. In
Polotsk was Vseslav, the restless wizard, unrecognized as yet, and
dissatisfied. In Volynia was David, son of Igor; next to him were the
sons of Rostislav, who had some land which David looked on as a part of
Volynia. Vassilko, Prince of Terebovl, was renowned for his activity
and enterprise. He had led Polovtsi into Poland and was planning new
exploits. Warriors from various tribes were coming even then to serve
under him. David, perfidious and grasping, but no warrior, was in
ceaseless dread of Vassilko. Before the council at Lubetch was ended,
Turijak, Vassili, and Lazar, three men of David’s escort, had persuaded
their master that Monomach and Vassilko had formed a plan and were
ready for action against him. Vassilko, they said, was to take Volynia,
David’s land, while Monomach would seize Kief from Sviatopolk. This
tale threatened David with loss of rule, and death or exile. He knew
well what wandering and seeking for power meant, so on the way back to
Kief he explained this tale to Sviatopolk, and added: “Unless we seize
Vassilko at once, thou wilt not stay in Kief, nor I in Volynia.” Since
Sviatopolk was doubtful as to the truth of this statement, David
developed his reasons for making it: “He killed thy brother Yaropolk,
and is now plotting against both of us; he is at one with Monomach.”
Sviatopolk was willing to have the deed done, but wished to make David
entirely responsible for it. “If thou art speaking the truth,” said he,
“God Himself will be witness on thy side. If untruth, He will judge
thee.”
When Vassilko reached Kief he was invited by Sviatopolk to the feast of
his name’s day, but he excused himself, saying that his men had gone
ahead and he must overtake them. On hearing this, David sent word to
Vassilko as follows: “Offend not thy elder brother, remain for the
feast.” Vassilko refused even this request. David turned then to
Sviatopolk, with these words: “Here in thy capital he dares to
disregard thee. What will the man do in his own land? He will take
Pinsk and other towns, thou wilt think of my words then. Send men,
seize Vassilko, and give him to me; I will care for him.”
Sviatopolk yielded and sent an invitation to Vassilko to visit him at
his home: “If thou wilt not stay for my festival,” said he, “visit me
this morning, and sit awhile with David and me.”
Vassilko consented and was on the way when a servant who met him gave
warning: “Go not, O prince,” said he; “they will seize thee.” “God’s
will be done,” replied Vassilko and making the sign of the cross, he
rode on. Upon his arrival Sviatopolk came to the door of his palace,
and greeted him with great cordiality and kindness. Then David
appeared, and Vassilko was invited to breakfast with his two kinsmen.
Presently Sviatopolk withdrew, as if to give orders, and upon some
pretext David followed him. The next moment men rushed into the room,
seized Vassilko and put him in double fetters.
Sviatopolk now sought the advice of Kief boyars and the clergy. The
boyars answered evasively; the clergy took the side of Vassilko, and
begged the Kief prince to free him. Sviatopolk seemed to waver. “This
is all David’s work,” declared he, “I have no part in it.” David
interfered at once, saying: “If thou set him free, we shall not remain
princes.” “He is in thy care then,” replied Sviatopolk, and Vassilko
was given up to David, who straightway had his eyes put out.
Monomach wept when he heard of the tragedy. “Never before,” cried he,
“has such a deed as this been done in the midst of us.” And at once he
sent to Sviatoslav’s sons, Oleg and David, for aid in chastising the
criminal. They came promptly, with forces to help him. The three
princes then sent this query to Sviatopolk: “Why commit such iniquity;
why cast a knife between princes? Why put thy brother’s eyes out? If he
had offended, why not accuse him before us, we would have punished him
if guilty. But tell us now what his fault was, what did he do to thee?”
“David told me,” replied Sviatopolk, “that Vassilko slew Yaropolk, my
brother, that he was preparing to kill me, that Monomach would take
Kief and Vassilko Volynia. I had to care for my own life. Besides, it
was David, not I, who blinded Vassilko. David took him and on the way
home put his eyes out.”
“Thou canst not lay thy own sins on David. Not in his land, but in
thine, was the deed done,” retorted the envoys, and they left him.
Next day, when the three princes were marching on Sviatopolk, he
prepared to flee from his capital, but Kief men interposed and sent his
stepmother to Monomach. With her went Nikolai the metropolitan, to beg
in the name of the city not to make war upon Sviatopolk. They presented
such reasons that Monomach was moved, and he sent this injunction:
“Since David alone did this deed, as thou sayest, do thou, Sviatopolk,
move against David, and either seize the man captive, or drive him out
of his province.” Sviatopolk declared himself ready to do this.
Vassilko was meanwhile imprisoned by David, who took every town that he
could during the winter and set out the next spring before Easter to
seize all the lands that remained to his captive. He was met on the
boundary, however, by Volodar, who was ready for battle, hence David
took refuge in Bugsk. Volodar moved on that place without waiting, and
sent this question to David: “Why hast thou done so much evil, and wilt
not repent of it? See what immense harm thou hast wrought already.”
David laid the guilt upon Sviatopolk. “Was it I who did the deed?”
asked he. “Was it done in my capital? I feared to be treated as was thy
brother. I was not free; I was at their mercy.” “God knows which man of
you is guilty,” said Volodar. “Give me my brother and I will make peace
with thee.” David was glad to be free of Vassilko, so peace was
declared, and they parted. That peace, however, was not lasting, for
David would not yield the towns which he had taken after blinding
Vassilko, hence the two brothers attacked him at Vsevolod. But David
escaped, shut himself in at Vladimir, and waited.
Vsevolod was stormed and burned down. As the people fled from the
blazing city, Vassilko commanded Volodar to kill them. Thus he avenged
his own wrongs upon innocent people.
Next the two brothers hastened to Vladimir. “We have come,” declared
they to the citizens, “not against you, but to find Turijak, Vassili,
and Lazar, those men who lied foully to David. Through listening to
them he has done dreadful evil; yield those three up to us. If ye
protect them, we must attack you.” The citizens counseled together and
declared then to David: “Yield these three men; for thee we are ready
to battle, but not for them.” “They are not here,” replied David. He
had sent those attendants to Lutsk to save them. The people forced him
to bring back Vassili and Lazar; Turijak had fled to Kief and thus
saved himself. Peace was made, and next morning Vassili and Lazar were
hanged on two gibbets, in front of Vladimir.
Sviatopolk had promised to march against David and expel him, but all
this time he was idle; he set out only after a year, and then he moved
not directly, but to Brest on the boundary, where he made a Polish
alliance. He feared to attack single-handed and acted only when David
was beaten by Volodar and Vassilko; even then he wished the Poles to
assist him. He also made an alliance with Volodar and Vassilko, and
kissed the cross to them.
David, too, went to Brest to get Polish aid, and gave fifty gold
grievens [8] to King Vladislav Herman as a present. “Help me!” implored
David. “Sviatopolk is in Brest,” said the king, “I will reconcile thee
with him.” Vladislav, however, soon discovered by experience that the
friendship of Sviatopolk brought a greater return to him than did
friendship with David. The Kief prince made richer gifts, and to
Vladislav’s son he gave his daughter in marriage. In view of these
facts, the king informed David that he had failed in discussions with
Sviatopolk. “Go home,” said he; “I will send aid if thy cousin attacks
thee.”
David went home and waited a long time. Sviatopolk laid siege to
Vladimir. David held out, hoping for Polish assistance, which came not.
At last he yielded, and the two princes made peace. David marched out,
and Sviatopolk, when he had entered Vladimir in triumph, began to think
of Volodar and Vassilko. “They are on lands which belonged to my
father,” said he, and he marched against the two brothers, forgetting
that he had kissed the cross to them recently. He found it most
difficult, however, to deal with those princes. When he advanced to
invade their lands, Volodar and Vassilko met him promptly on the
boundary. Before the battle, which followed immediately, Vassilko held
up the cross which Sviatopolk had kissed, and cried out to him: “See
what thou didst kiss to prove thy good faith to me. Thou hast robbed me
of eyesight, and now thou art trying to kill me. Let this holy cross be
between us.”
The ensuing battle was savage. Sviatopolk was forced from the field and
withdrew to Vladimir, where he put his son, Mystislav, in charge, and
sent another son, Yaroslav, to Hungary to find aid against Volodar and
Vassilko, he himself going to Kief in the meantime.
At Yaroslav’s call, the Hungarian king, Koloman, came with an army and
two bishops and laid siege at once to Peremysl, where Volodar had fixed
himself. David came back from Poland, where he had begged aid without
finding it. Their common danger at this time brought him and his victim
together, and, leaving his wife in Volodar’s care, he set out to find
Polovtsi allies. He met Bonyak, the famous Polovtsi Khan, who returned
with him, bringing a strong force of warriors. They attacked and drove
out the Hungarians, and punished them severely. Yaroslav, son of
Sviatopolk, who had brought the Hungarians to Russia, fled now to the
Poles, and David, making use of his victory with promptness, marched on
Vladimir when he was not expected, seized the suburbs and laid siege to
the fortress without delay.
Mystislav, placed in command, as we have seen, by Sviatopolk, his
father, defended the city successfully till misfortune befell him. He
was standing one day on the wall behind a wooden curtain when an arrow
flew in through a crevice and killed him. His death was concealed from
the people for three days. When they learned of it, they said
straightway: “If we surrender now, Sviatopolk will destroy us.” So the
chief men sent to Kief, saying: “Thy son is slain, we are dying of
hunger. If thou come not, the people will yield to the enemy.”
Sviatopolk sent his voevoda, Putyata, with forces which halted at
Lutsk, where Sviatoslav, son of David of Chernigoff, had warriors. At
this juncture envoys from David, son of Rurik, who was besieging
Vladimir, had audience with Sviatoslav, who had just sworn friendship
to them. But when Putyata appeared, this same Sviatoslav was
frightened. He seized David’s envoys, and went himself with his
warriors to help Putyata, instead of helping David. These two allies
arrived before Vladimir one midday, and attacked David. The Vladimir
men, seeing this from the walls of the city, made a sally and David was
badly defeated. He fled and Putyata and his ally marched into Vladimir,
where they established one Vassili as lieutenant of Sviatopolk. After
that the allies departed for Lutsk, and Putyata went to Kief.
Meanwhile David fled quickly toward the steppe land to find Polovtsi.
Again he met Bonyak, who returned with him, and they captured Lutsk and
Vladimir, which David now occupied. Then he sent his nephew, Mystislav,
to the mouth of the Dnieper to seize merchants, and thus force the
Grand Prince to sue for peace as he had done formerly—Sviatopolk, by
nature weak and vacillating, had shown that he was not the man to
punish David, who was stronger now than he had ever been before.
In 1100 a new meeting of princes was arranged to assemble at
Vititchevo. At this meeting the following decision was made known to
David: “We will not let thee have Vladimir, because thou hast cast a
knife wickedly between us. We do not exclude thee, or punish thee
further. Thou canst take Bugsk with Ostrog. Sviatopolk gives thee Dubno
and Chartorisk, also Dorogobuj. In addition, Monomach gives thee two
hundred grievens, Oleg and David two hundred more.”
To Volodar the princes sent the following message: “Take thy brother,
Vassilko, and possess Peremysl. If thou wilt not keep thy brother, let
him come to us, we will support him.”
Volodar and Vassilko would not comply with this, and each remained in
the place which belonged to him. When the princes wished to constrain
the two brothers, Monomach would not consent to it; he insisted on the
Lubetch agreement.
The two meetings, the first at Lubetch, the second at Vititchevo, ended
that struggle which had raged half a century. The strong princes became
stronger, the izgoi (orphans) and their descendants were excluded.
Volodar and Vassilko were the only izgoi who retained a province. The
descendants of Vyacheslav, son of Yaroslav, lost their places in the
first generation; those of Igor, his brother, in the second. Later on
they reappear as petty princes of small places without independent
significance. With full and equal rights appear only the descendants of
the three elder sons of Yaroslav, Izyaslav, Sviatoslav and Vsevolod. Of
these, the sons of Sviatoslav saved themselves only after a bitter and
bloody struggle, thanks also to the moderation of Monomach, and his son
Mystislav.
The division of land between the descendants of these three sons of
Yaroslav the Lawgiver was unequal. Monomach, through his superior
personality and favoring fortune, received a much larger portion than
his brothers. He received Pereyaslavl, Novgorod, Smolensk and Rostoff.
Sviatopolk received Volynia, but Novgorod, connected always so closely
with Kief, did not fall to him. The sons of Sviatoslav, Oleg and his
brothers, received nothing beyond the land which their father had held.
Sviatopolk was greatly dissatisfied that Novgorod did not remain with
his house. As he could not take it from Monomach without compensation,
he gave Volynia in return for it. But when Mystislav, Monomach’s son,
was recalled to give place to a son of Sviatopolk, the men of Novgorod
revolted, and sent envoys to Kief with this message: “Novgorod wishes
neither Sviatopolk nor his descendants. If Sviatopolk’s son has two
heads, let him come to us.” Sviatopolk had to live without Novgorod.
Monomach, now free to act against steppe tribes, urged Sviatopolk to
help him. “Let us join our forces,” said he, “and march in the spring
against these enemies.” Sviatopolk turned to his warriors for counsel.
They were unwilling to move, and answered that war during spring months
took men from their labor. “Let us meet in some place, and consult with
the warriors,” was Sviatopolk’s answer to Monomach. They met at
Dolobsk, above Kief, on the bank of the Dnieper. “Begin, brother, thou
art the elder,” said Monomach; “tell what we are to do in our Russia.”
“Begin thou, that is better,” answered Sviatopolk. “How am I to speak,”
replied Monomach, “thy warriors will oppose, and say that I wish to
ruin earth-tillers and their labor, though I wonder why they are so
tender of earth-tillers, forgetting how Polovtsi come in the
spring-time, strike down each man in his furrow, take his wife, take
his children, seize his horse, and burn his granary.” “True,” said the
warriors. “Thou art right, they do much evil.” “I am ready to go!”
exclaimed Sviatopolk. And he rose and proclaimed the expedition. “Thou
hast done a great deed, O my brother,” said Monomach.
The two princes sent at once to the sons of Sviatoslav, saying: “Let us
march against the Polovtsi, we shall either fall in the struggle, or
survive it.” David promised aid, but Oleg would not go. His health was
too frail, he said. Four other princes joined willingly in making war
on the steppe foes of Russia.
The Polovtsi learned what was coming, and met in council. Some were in
favor of buying peace, but the younger men called loudly for war, and
their side won the mastery.
A force was sent out to reconnoitre. The princes met this force, cut
down every man in it, advanced on the main army quickly and struck it.
A fierce struggle followed. Twenty Polovtsi chiefs were killed, and a
Khan named Beldug was captured. Beldug, when brought to Sviatopolk,
offered much ransom for his life in gold, silver, cattle, horses and
camels. Sviatopolk sent him to Monomach for judgment. “How often hast
thou sworn not to war with us,” said Monomach to the Khan, “but still
thou attack. Why not teach thy sons what an oath is? How much Christian
blood hast thou shed? But now thy own blood be on thee, not on our
heads.” With that, he gave a sign to his men, and Beldug was cut to
pieces.
Immense booty was taken, and the princes went home rejoicing, and with
great glory. The terrible Bonyak was alive yet, however, and made his
power felt very keenly.
In 1106 Sviatopolk sent three voevodas against Polovtsi, whom they
defeated, and from whom they recovered much booty. In 1107, near
Pereyaslavl, Bonyak seized large herds of horses. Somewhat later he
appeared with other Khans and encamped at the Sula River near Lubni.
Sviatopolk, Monomach, and Oleg, with four other princes, discovered his
camping-ground, and, stealing up to it, made an attack with great
outcry. The Polovtsi had no time to defend themselves. Those who could
seized their beasts, mounted and fled; those who could not mount rushed
off on foot, if they were able. The princes pursued them to the river
Horol, slaying all whom they could reach with their sabres.
Despite these successes, Oleg and David in that same year held a
meeting with two Khans, whose daughters they took as wives for two of
their sons.
In 1110 an expedition undertaken by Sviatopolk, Monomach and David came
to naught, but in 1111 they set out on the second Monday in Lent, and
on Friday before Passion Week they met the Polovtsi in large force
beyond the Don River, and crushed them. It was not till the following
Monday, however, that they found the main host of the enemy. When the
two armies met, there was a roar like thunder, as the chronicler
describes it, and the battle was merciless. Both sides were equal and
balanced each other till David and Monomach, with two regiments, rushed
furiously at the enemy’s center and pierced it. At this the Russians
dashed forward with renewed strength, broke the Polovtsi and, cutting
and slashing, pursued them to the steppes.
This was the greatest victory won up to that time over Polovtsi. The
profit of the exploit was enormous, and the fame of it extended through
Europe. It went both to Rome and to Tsargrad. Though all the princes
helped Monomach, they could not of themselves have conceived such a
feat or have accomplished it, hence to him the chief glory was due, and
was given. For him and for the whole land and people there was great
benefit in conquering the Polovtsi. For him, because those tribes were
ever ready to harass and plunder, and doubly ready to help any prince
in his projects.
To landless princes, or those who had quarrels, the Polovtsi were ready
aids, but they were the terror of all who tilled land or lived by
labor. To a great chief like Monomach they were enemies nearly always,
for principally through them civil war and disorder were possible. A
prince without land or position might find among Polovtsi at all times
men ready to go with him and take their reward in plundering the
country and enslaving as many people as they could lay hands on.
It was difficult in those days to be a Grand Prince ruling wisely and
with justice. Such a man had to get the throne of Kief first, and then
hold it; he had to satisfy, or eliminate, the unreasoning and unruly;
he had to crush or terrorize the Polovtsi; he had, by victory, a show
of power, or a daring front, to ward off his western neighbors. When
these deeds were all accomplished he might begin to work for wealth and
order. We can understand easily the desire of Monomach to crush the
Polovtsi, and his joy at having tamed them, at least for a season.
In 1113 Sviatopolk died, and Monomach succeeded him, but he took the
highest office only after a hesitation which we may believe to have
been shown to make men express themselves with the utmost emphasis.
Sviatoslav was older than Monomach’s father, but Sviatoslav, though he
had been prince in Kief, was prince by expelling Izyaslav unjustly,
and, though Sviatoslav had ceased to live before Izyaslav was
reinstated, and therefore died in office, he might be considered as not
having been in Kief at any time; his sons in this event could have no
real claim. In every case the people would receive no man except
Monomach, and he became Grand Prince by acclamation.
Though the sons of Sviatoslav made no demands in public, they cherished
plans in secret, as was shown somewhat later, and very clearly. But
trouble came immediately from other princes. Glaib of Minsk, a son of
Vseslav, that swift moving wizard, so well known to us, ravaged lands
in Monomach’s possessions, and when asked to cease made sharp
reproaches. Because of this, the Grand Prince, in 1116, marched against
Minsk with his sons, and others. The young princes seized various
towns, and Monomach resolved to capture Minsk at every hazard, hence he
fixed his camp before it, and had a house built in haste, for
headquarters. When Glaib saw this house, he begged for peace
straightway, and it was granted him. Somewhat later he rebelled again,
and in 1120 was brought to Kief, where he died that same season.
The next scene of trouble was Volynia. Sviatopolk, the last Grand
Prince, had cherished good feeling toward Monomach, and had caused
Yaroslav, his son, to marry the daughter of Mystislav of Novgorod, son
of Monomach. Sometime later, however, Monomach laid siege to Vladimir,
Yaroslav’s capital. After fighting two months, that prince asked for
peace, and Monomach granted it on condition that Yaroslav would come to
him whenever summoned. The attack on Yaroslav had been made because, in
connection with Boleslav of Poland, who had married his sister, he was
acting in Galitch against Volodar and Vassilko. Monomach had
remonstrated without effect, and then moved on Yaroslav, with the
result we have just seen. Before going on this expedition, the Grand
Prince had recalled Mystislav from Novgorod, and installed him in
Bailgorod, so that in case of need he might have that son near him.
Yaroslav, who, because his father had been Grand Prince, wished to
succeed Monomach, saw in this transfer a step toward taking the
succession from him and giving it to Mystislav, hence his enforced
obedience was short-lived, and he ended it by driving away his wife, a
granddaughter of Monomach. In punishment for this act Monomach moved a
second time against him.
To think of war with Vladimir Monomach, Yaroslav must have counted on
large forces, and have had firm faith in receiving assistance from
allies. But just then his own boyars deserted him, and he was obliged
to flee to Hungary, and later on to Poland.
Monomach then seated in Volynia Roman, his own son, and when this son
died, Andrei, his brother. In 1120 Andrei moved against the Poles with
Polovtsi forces. In the following year Yaroslav set out to attack
Cherven in Galitch with Polish forces, but Monomach had the border
towns well strengthened and in Cherven was Ratiborovitch, his voevoda,
who drove back Yaroslav, entirely baffled.
Most dangerous to the Poles was Volodar, who had as allies tribes in
Pomoria and in Prussia on the Baltic. These tribes were hostile to the
Poles. The question now was to stop Volodar. At the court of Boleslav
there lived Peter Vlast, a Dane of many adventures, who advised the
king not to meet Prince Volodar in battle, but to kidnap him, and
promised, if permission were given, to accomplish the deed himself.
The king was pleased, and Vlast, who had gained much renown through
marvelous exploits, set out with thirty men to win the confidence of
Volodar and capture him. He appeared before the prince and, feigning
himself an exile in deadly enmity with Boleslav, quickly won Volodar’s
good-will and confidence. Some weeks later the prince took Vlast to a
hunt in a great forest where, adroitly separated from his own people,
Volodar was seized by Vlast’s men, who bore him beyond the boundary and
never drew rein till they delivered him safely to Boleslav. The king
was triumphant.
Vassilko the Blind gave all the money that he and his brother possessed
to free Volodar; besides this, those two sons of Rostislav swore to act
with the Poles against every enemy.
In 1123 Yaroslav, son of Sviatopolk, appeared at Vladimir with immense
forces,—Cheks, Poles and Hungarians, bringing also as allies Volodar
and Vassilko. Monomach’s son, Andrei, who was prince there, defended
the city. Monomach sent forward Mystislav, and also hurried men from
Kief, but before Mystislav could arrive the siege was well ended.
Early one Sunday morning Yaroslav rode toward the walls with two
attendants, and shouted to Andrei and the citizens: “This city is mine!
Open ye the gates and come out to me with homage. If not I will storm
the place to-morrow and take it.”
While he was thus riding in front of the city and boasting, two Poles,
employed, as is said, by Andrei, slipped out and hid near the wayside.
When the prince was retiring from the walls, they sprang up and sent a
spear through his body. He reached camp, barely living, and died a few
hours later.
Stephen II, King of Hungary, thought to continue the siege, but the
chiefs of his army were opposed to shedding blood without profit. In
view of this, the allies of Yaroslav, the late prince, made peace with
the Kief prince and retired each to his own land. Through Yaroslav’s
death Sviatopolk’s descendants lost the Kief succession. Four years
later his younger sons, Izyaslav and Bryache, died, so that Volynia and
Turoff went to Monomach’s descendants.
Monomach’s strength with the people swept all men and obstacles before
it. Yaroslav, with a foreign army, failed in Volynia, because the
people and the boyars would not uphold him, but stood firm for
Monomach. Monomach saw the danger of Russia’s falling into a chaos of
insignificant and independent principalities, therefore he strove to
increase the authority of the Grand Prince, and to restrict the
succession to his own descendants, with the provision that if the
younger brothers died before the eldest, who was Prince of Kief, their
sons were to be excluded forever from the succession.
New persons now and dramatic scenes pass before us swiftly. Vladimir
Monomach, always spoken of in Russia as Monomach, died in 1125, and
with him departed the prosperity of ancient Russia. He had come to the
throne with thirty years of experience in statescraft. He had been the
right hand of his father, and without him Sviatopolk could not have
ruled at all. He was a man who worked always for what he thought to be
the good of his country. Like his grandfather, he was a founder of
cities and a lawgiver. There is an interesting paper still extant which
he compiled for the guidance of his sons, some clauses of which I will
quote: “It is neither fasting nor solitude nor monastic life that will
procure you life eternal—it is well doing. Forget not the poor, but
nourish them. Bury not your riches in the earth, for that is contrary
to the teachings of Christianity. [9] Be a father to orphans; judge the
cause of widows yourself. Put to death no human being, be he innocent
or guilty, for there is nothing more sacred than the soul of a
Christian. Love your wives, but beware lest they obtain power over you.
When you have learned something useful, strive to retain it in your
memory, and work unceasingly for knowledge.”
Monomach had eight sons, named here in the order of their ages:
Mystislav the Great, who succeeded his father; Izyaslav, killed before
Murom in battling against Oleg of Chernigoff; Sviatoslav, given once as
a hostage to Kitan and then stolen away in the night at Pereyaslavl on
the Alta; Roman, famous in nothing, married the sister of the renowned
Vladimirko of Galitch; Yaropolk, who reigned in Kief after Mystislav,
and died without issue; Vyacheslav, “of scant mind and simple,” who
raised Monomach’s ensign over the Polovtsi contingent at Koloksha, and
thus routed Oleg; Yuri, named later on Dolgoruki, or Long-Handed
(Grasping); and Andrei, who died rather early.
The two sons of Vladimir Monomach renowned in history are Mystislav the
Great, and Yuri, surnamed Dolgoruki. From the first comes the elder,
from the second the younger line of Monomach’s descendants. Mystislav
became the ancestor of the Western Russian princes, those of Galitch
(Galicia), Smolensk and Volynia. Yuri, through the founding of Moscow
and the results flowing from it, became the father of that northern
line of princes so famous in history. The descendants of these two
brothers were often at enmity, and it was their rivalry which later on
ruined Kief.
Mystislav succeeded his father in 1125 without opposition. Oleg of
Chernigoff had died during Monomach’s reign, so had David, his brother.
Only Yaroslav, the youngest brother, now remained. He, not greatly
considered in his family, was expelled from Chernigoff by Vsevolod, his
nephew, and founded in Ryazan a new principality.
Mystislav’s reign was distinguished for three things. First he brought
to order those Polovtsi who would live in peace near the boundary, and
crushed or expelled the others; then he seized all lands of the Polotsk
princes, the descendants of Rognyeda, that unwilling wife of Vladimir
(Saint Vladimir of the Orthodox Church). We have seen how those Polotsk
princes, when excluded from the Kief succession, harried Smolensk and
raided Novgorod, bringing ceaseless trouble and never-ending bloodshed.
Later on both Pinsk and Turoff had been taken from them. This
intensified resistance, and, as they would abate no claim whatever,
Mystislav resolved at last to end the trouble. He captured all those
princes and, putting them on a vessel, sent them to Tsargrad, where the
Emperor, his friend, detained the captives. Some died; the survivors,
or most of them, escaped in later days, and ruled again in parts of
Polotsk, but soon were lost to fame, unless the tradition be true that
Gedimin and his sons, who seized Western Russia during Mongol dominion
and joined it with Poland through marriage, were descended from those
Polotsk princes who returned from Tsargrad. A third event in
Mystislav’s reign was the founding of Ryazan, which happened in this
way.
Oleg of Chernigoff, who died during Monomach’s reign, was succeeded by
his youngest brother, Yaroslav. Of Oleg’s sons the second, Vsevolod,
later on the Kief prince, was a man who in early life had planned a
great career very carefully. He had married the eldest daughter of
Mystislav the Great, and had thus become connected with Monomach’s
descendants. When Mystislav succeeded Monomach, his father, in Kief,
Vsevolod drove his uncle from the throne of Chernigoff, and seated
himself there. Vsevolod was unceremonious with Yaroslav because the man
was not strong, and because he himself wanted Kief when the time came
to get it. To possess Kief, he must first win, or get Chernigoff, hence
must drive out his uncle.
Yaroslav turned for assistance to Mystislav, who was willing to
reinstate him by force even, if need be. It was the proper policy of
Kief to act thus, and be the arbiter in Russia. But times had changed
much, and Kief men were no longer willing to fight for helpless
princes. Yaroslav, unable to fight his battles alone, and forced to
withdraw from Chernigoff, settled in Ryazan, where he founded a new
line of princes.
Mystislav reigned seven years and died in 1132. He was succeeded by
Yaropolk, his brother, who, himself without issue, swore to provide in
all fairness for Mystislav’s children. He strove to do this without
offending any one, but was unable, as there were not places enough for
the two lines of landless princes. The first step he took was to summon
from Novgorod Vsevolod, son of the late Mystislav, and give him
Pereyaslavl on the Alta. Thereupon Yuri Dolgoruki marched with
astonishing swiftness from Suzdal to the Alta, fell upon Vsevolod and
expelled him. His reason for this act was that for three reigns
Pereyaslavl had been, as it were, the stepping-stone to Kief, the
capital and first place, the transfer being made from Pereyaslavl.
Dolgoruki, as uncle to Vsevolod, was his senior, and would not permit
him to settle in Pereyaslavl and thus obtain the succession.
The sons of Mystislav rose up now against their uncles, and, to gain
force sufficient to war with them, made a league with their cousins,
David of Chernigoff and Oleg, his brother. Yaropolk, Mystislav’s
brother, and brother of Yuri, moved against Chernigoff. Mystislav’s
sons helped the Chernigoff princes, and when these sons attacked their
uncle, Dolgoruki, Vsevolod, son of the late Oleg the endless quarreler,
went to help them. Meanwhile the condition of Kief was almost repeated
in Novgorod.
When the late Prince of Kief, Mystislav the Great, was recalled from
Novgorod by Monomach, his father, his brother Vsevolod was sent to
replace him. During Vsevolod’s day the dignity of prince was lowered
notably in Novgorod. In earlier times the posadnik had been an aid to
the prince,—an assistant; he was now his associate, and at times even
his superior. Vsevolod was disliked in Novgorod because, as the men
there declared, he had left it for another place, that is, Pereyaslavl
on the Alta. He had fought against his uncle Dolgoruki, and had fled
from him. They said, too, that he cared only for falcons and hunting;
that he sided with the rich, and with boyars; that he looked with
contempt on poor people, and on small folk. To these words they added a
deed never witnessed till that day in Novgorod. They seized Vsevolod,
locked him up in a tower and set a watch around it. They sought then
for a prince who might please them. Some, unwilling to offend
Dolgoruki, their dangerous neighbor, thought to choose Rostislav, his
son, as their ruler, but others, who were greater in number, prevailed
and turned to Chernigoff. Vsevolod, son of Oleg, sent his brother,
Sviatoslav, but Novgorod was no better pleased with the new than with
the late prince.
Pskoff, up to this time dependent on Novgorod, resolved now to break
its bonds. Vsevolod, freed from the Novgorod tower and expelled from
the city, went to Pskoff and was received joyfully. Novgorod sent
Sviatoslav, its new prince, with warriors to subdue the Pskoff men, but
Sviatoslav, finding the task both impossible and useless, led his men
back to Novgorod. The city, enraged at this failure, turned out the new
prince, and sent him home to Chernigoff.
Thus disorder was rife in all places, and only after much time and
great effort was Yaropolk, the Grand Prince, able to satisfy his
nephews, without, at the same time, enraging his brothers. When all
were in a deadlock of dissension and wearied of fighting, he gave them
lands in the following order: Izyaslav, eldest son of Mystislav,
received for his sons the Polotsk principality, or the greater part of
it, and for himself Volynia and its adjuncts. His brother, Rostislav,
received Smolensk, which, increased by additions from Polotsk and
Volynia, became a great principality. Vsevolod, son of Mystislav,
connected with Pskoff till his death, left no posterity. Vladimir and
Sviatopolk, also sons of Mystislav, received nothing and led a landless
existence. Yaropolk’s brothers, that is, the other surviving sons of
Monomach, were settled thuswise: Yuri Dolgoruki retained his northern
land in entirety. He obtained also Gorodok on the Oseter, a place which
he prized because of its connection with Kief and with Southern Russia.
Pereyaslavl was given to Andrei, the youngest brother. Having settled
questions as best he was able Yaropolk had little left for himself save
the capital.
It is to be remembered that besides the few leading princes, who gave
away or received immense regions, there was now a horde of small
princes, all related to one another and to the great ones. These it was
necessary to satisfy, some with a single town, others with more, as the
case might be. There was not land enough to satisfy all, however, for
sons of the ruling princes were increasing in number. There were also
princes who, dying before they had received places, left orphans. These
orphans needed sustenance; they were of princely blood and, what was of
more importance, made trouble when discontented, if they had power to
do so. This great band of land-seekers turned to the Kief prince, who
was for them in the place of a father. Yaropolk, while trying to settle
princes of this kind, was forced to set aside towns to support them
till he could find permanent places. Thus Kief was soon reduced to
narrow limits.
At first the lands of the mother city covered all Southern Russia. On
the southwest and the south they touched the Carpathians and the
Danube; on the west they reached the headwaters of every river flowing
toward the Euxine and included some rivers flowing into the Baltic.
They extended toward the Volga and the Caspian till they reached the
territory occupied by the wild tribes of the Polovtsi. But now, by
gifts to the dissatisfied and the demanding, Yaropolk left little to
the city. In later reigns there was nothing left, and in that final day
a Kief prince was no longer the highest power in Russia; he was
scarcely more than a guardian of the capital.
It was not the might of Kief which, in his day, gave Yaropolk
influence, but his native worth, and his character, which recalled that
of Monomach, his father. Lofty qualities gave him strength against
Vsevolod, the keen, cunning, shifty son of Oleg. Vsevolod had not
seized Chernigoff from his uncle to sit there in quietness; he aimed at
Kief, through which alone power was at that time obtainable, and power
was the lodestar of his existence.
During Mystislav’s reign Vsevolod had made no move whatever, and, while
Yaropolk was settling with his brothers and nephews, he took no part
with the dissatisfied, but when Yaropolk had decided every question,
the crafty Vsevolod joined hands with Igor and Sviatoslav, his cousins,
sons of David, and attacked Yaropolk on both sides of the Dnieper. Fire
and sword swept through those lands on the Ros and the Sula, and west
of the Dnieper a great war began in which all men of weapons took part
with eagerness. After several preliminary battles troops hurried in
from many places,—brothers and nephews came to help Yaropolk. From
Volynia, Polotsk, Smolensk, Rostoff, Turoff and Suzdal did they come.
Yaropolk himself led the regiments of Kief and the Black Caps, called
also “Cherkassi” (Circassians).
At sight of these overwhelming forces Vsevolod lost all hope of
victory. He prepared to abandon Chernigoff and flee to the Polovtsi,
but he was stopped by the bishop at the head of the people. “Halt,”
said the bishop; “leave thy pride, and beg for peace. Yaropolk is kind
and generous; he will grant it.” Vsevolod listened to this advice, and
sent envoys to Yaropolk, who received the men graciously, gave presents
in return for those brought by them, forgave Vsevolod, and made peace.
Yaropolk’s advisers were enraged at this peace. They desired the
destruction of Vsevolod, and wished to avenge their comrades who had
fallen in recent battles, but Yaropolk was firm; he dismissed his
forces and returned to Kief, where he ruled for a season, and then
died, after years of sore trial and effort.
Yaropolk was succeeded in 1150 by his brother, Vyacheslav, a prince
“poor in wit, and simple,” as the chronicler assures us, but in fact a
person original and most interesting,—one of “God’s fools” in the
language of myth tales. Vsevolod’s chance appeared now, and he seized
it greedily. He promised Chernigoff to his cousins, Monomach’s
descendants, and then pledged to his brothers all the possessions of
those same descendants of Monomach, thus promising to men what was not
their own, but their neighbors’. He fell upon Kief, fired the suburbs,
and sent this message to Vyacheslav: “Go in peace out of Kief.” “Not of
myself did I come to Kief,” replied Vyacheslav; “I came, commanded by
my ancestors and in succession to my brother. If thou, abandoning thine
own, hast come to take what belongs to thy senior, I will offer no
resistance; I become thy junior.” And he went out of Kief, thus making
his withdrawal a reproach and a shame to Vsevolod.
That prince, however, cared no whit for reproach and shame; he wanted
power. To him all else, be it right or wrong, was as nothing. Hence he
entered Kief in pomp and great circumstance. An immense feast was
placed before the people, and to the monasteries and churches rich
presents were given. Highly gifted with the art of pleasing, and lavish
of money and flattery, Vsevolod won the multitude quickly.
This seizure and holding of sovereignty by a man in a junior and
excluded line was a real exploit. How did Vsevolod accomplish it; and,
once having Kief, how did he hold it? Why did Monomach’s descendants
let Oleg’s son take possession of the city, which was theirs by
inheritance, and thus lose that which distinguished them from all other
princes?
The position of Monomach’s descendants was peculiar at this juncture.
It was involved beyond measure. Though the strongest group of men in
Russia, they had no leader. The oldest of Monomach’s three surviving
sons, Vyacheslav the Simple, was incompetent in action; the second,
Yuri Dolgoruki, was competent, but not ready at that time. He was
little known in southern regions, and, so far as known, was unpopular.
Andrei, the youngest brother, was popular, but could not be the leader.
The man best fitted to be Grand Prince was Izyaslav, then ruling in
Volynia. He was the eldest son of Mystislav the Great, who was the
eldest son of Monomach. But Izyaslav was barred from action by his
three living uncles, the younger brothers of his father. He could not
win Kief without them, and they would neither yield to him, nor help
him.
The house of Monomach was thus divided. Vsevolod saw clearly that,
thanks to this division, he could seize the capital, and hold it. Hence
he hastened to win over Izyaslav with the following message: “At thy
father’s death, Kief should have been thine, but thy uncles would not
suffer thee to take it; they expelled thee and thy brothers from every
place, and had I not assisted, ye would to-day have no land in Russia.
I want Kief. Thou and thy brothers will be as my own blood to me. Ye
will get the choicest places, and at my death Kief will fall to thee,
Izyaslav, but thou and they must not help thy uncles to oppose me.”
These words pleased Izyaslav; he and Vsevolod made a pact and kissed
the cross to keep it. Owing to this pact, Vsevolod appeared in Kief
with slender forces and found few men opposing, though Kief might have
resisted very easily. Once in power, Vsevolod became expectant; he
waited to see what would happen.
The Monomach party, both uncles and nephews, met promptly for counsel.
Izyaslav went to Smolensk to confer with Rostislav, to whom Dolgoruki
went also. Rostislav could not act with both nephews and uncles. To
Dolgoruki he had been respectful at all times, and now Dolgoruki’s
talks with him were successful. Vsevolod learned of this, and was ready
for action immediately. He made proposals to Izyaslav, whom he invited
to Kief. Izyaslav would not go; he had lost all faith in Vsevolod; he
would have nothing further to do with him.
Izyaslav and his friends now began preparations for an attack on the
usurper.
Vsevolod resolved to forestall his enemies; to meet each separately,
take his land and give it to his brothers as he had promised. Against
Vyacheslav, whom he had driven out of Kief, and Izyaslav, his cousin,
he sent Izyaslav, son of David, with Vladimirko and Rostislav, the
Galitch princes, grandsons of Rostislav. Vsevolod himself marched
against Andrei, son of Monomach, in Pereyaslavl, taking with him his
own brother Sviatoslav, for whom he intended this city. While on the
road he sent Andrei a message containing the sentence: “Go thou to
Kursk!” “I will die rather than leave my inheritance,” retorted Andrei.
“My father ruled here, not in Kursk. If there is not sufficient land
for thee elsewhere in Russia, and thou must have this place, slay me
and take it. While I live, I will not leave what belongs to me.”
Vsevolod did not in person attack Andrei’s forces, but sent Sviatoslav,
his brother, who was defeated. Next day they made peace. The terms, as
we know them, left Andrei in his capital while he agreed to join in no
war upon Vsevolod, and to recognize him as Grand Prince. The prince
returned to Kief then, defeated, but still with some part of a victory.
The attack on Volynia was a failure, but Vladimirko of Galitch and the
Poles, his allies, succeeded in a degree. They captured towns, but they
could not expel Izyaslav or his uncle. There, as in other places
outside of Chernigoff, the people favored Monomach’s line, though
neither Yuri of Suzdal nor Rostislav of Smolensk had given aid to them.
The reason aid did not come was that Novgorod would not help Izyaslav,
and had driven out Yuri’s son Rostislav. Yuri returned then to Suzdal
and seized Torjok to punish Novgorod by stopping supplies.
While Yuri was acting thus, Rostislav of Smolensk dared not move
against Vsevolod. Peace was concluded because of this balance of
forces. Izyaslav got Volynia, and Vsevolod was acknowledged as Grand
Prince.
Division among opponents gave Vsevolod the headship. Had they been
united he could not have taken Kief, or, if he had taken that city, he
could not have retained it. Even now his hold, though efficient, was
exceedingly slender and delicate, for among his adherents, that is, his
cousins and his brothers, there was endless dissension and wrangling.