Prince Svyatopolk Vladimirovich the accursed. Svyatopolk the Accursed - fratricide on the throne
Vladimir Svyatoslavich |
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7th Grand Duke of Kyiv |
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Predecessor: |
Vladimir Svyatoslavich |
Successor: |
Yaroslav Vladimirovich the Wise |
Predecessor: |
Yaroslav Vladimirovich the Wise |
Successor: |
Yaroslav Vladimirovich the Wise |
Religion: |
Paganism, converted to Orthodoxy |
Birth: |
OK. 979 |
Dynasty: |
Rurikovich |
Yaropolk Svyatoslavich |
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Reign and murder of brothers
Fight with Yaroslav
In historiography
Svyatopolk Vladimirovich, in baptism Peter, in ancient Russian historiography - Svyatopolk the Accursed(c. 979-1019) - Prince of Turov (from 988), and then of Kiev in 1015-1016 and 1018-1019, ruler of Kievan Rus.
Origin
Born to a Greek woman, a widow Prince of Kyiv Yaropolk Svyatoslavich, taken as a concubine by his brother and murderer Vladimir. The chronicle says that the Greek woman was already pregnant (not idle), thus his father was Yaropolk. Nevertheless, Vladimir considered him his legitimate son (one of the eldest) and gave him an inheritance in Turov. The chronicler calls Svyatopolk the son of two fathers (from two fathers) and notes with a hint of future fate Prince: “From sin comes evil fruit.”
In the Tale of Bygone Years, Vladimir’s other son Yaroslav, who became the Grand Duke of Kyiv Yaroslav the Wise, is placed ahead of Svyatopolk. In the Novgorod First Chronicle, Yaroslav the Wise occupies the fourth position, which, apparently, is more consistent with reality according to historians. The rumor about the birth of Svyatopolk from two parents gives reason to believe that he was born 7-9 months after Vladimir entered Kyiv in June 978, respectively, Svyatopolk could have been born at the beginning of 979.
Some historians continue to consider the origin of Svyatopolk debatable. G. Kotelshchik, based on the tamga on the coins of Svyatopolk, believes that the prince himself declared his descent from Yaropolk. If this version is correct, and the interpretation of the princely tamgas is quite controversial (the bident was also on the tamga of Mstislav Vladimirovich, found in Taman), then this proves Svyatopolk’s efforts to dissociate himself from Vladimir and his other sons. It is known that in 1018 Svyatopolk took Yaroslav’s stepmother and sisters hostage; this would hardly be acceptable if he also considered himself the son of Vladimir.
Marriage
Svyatopolk was married to the daughter of the Polish prince Boleslaw the Brave (Polish: Boleslaw I Chrobry). She was born from her third marriage to Emgilda between 991-1001. (closer to the first date) and died after August 14, 1018. Most researchers date the marriage to 1013-1014, believing that it was a consequence of the peace concluded with Poland after unsuccessful trip Boleslav. However, the mission of the Cistercian Bruno in 1008, which could have ended in peace, sealed by marriage, remains unnoticed. Svyatopolk occupied the throne of Turov somewhere from 990, his lands bordered on Poland and therefore it was he who was chosen by Vladimir as a candidate for marriage with the Polish princess.
Reign and murder of brothers
Shortly before Vladimir's death, he was imprisoned in Kyiv; His wife (daughter) was taken into custody with him Polish king Bolesław I the Brave) and his wife’s confessor, Kolobrzeg (Kolberg) Bishop Reinburn, who died in prison. The reason for Svyatopolk's arrest was, apparently, Vladimir's plan to bequeath the throne to his beloved son Boris; It is noteworthy that Vladimir’s other eldest son, Prince Yaroslav of Novgorod, also rebelled against his father around this time.
After the death of Vladimir on July 15, 1015, Svyatopolk was released and ascended the throne without much difficulty; he was supported by both the people and the boyars who made up his entourage in Vyshgorod near Kiev.
In Kyiv, Svyatopolk managed to issue silver coins (50 such coins are known), similar to Vladimir’s silver coins. On the front side there is an image of the prince with a circular inscription: “Svyatopolk on the table [throne].” On back side: a princely sign in the form of a bident, the left end of which ends with a cross, and the inscription: “And behold his silver.” On some coins Svyatopolk is called his Christian name Petros or Petor.
During the same year, three brothers of Svyatopolk were killed - Boris, the Murom prince Gleb and the Drevlyan Svyatoslav. The Tale of Bygone Years accuses Svyatopolk of organizing the murder of Boris and Gleb, who were glorified as holy martyrs under Yaroslav. According to the chronicle, Svyatopolk sent the Vyshgorod men to kill Boris, and upon learning that his brother was still alive, he ordered the Varangians to finish him off. According to the chronicle, he called Gleb in the name of his father to Kyiv and sent people to kill him along the way. Svyatoslav died trying to escape from the killers to Hungary.
However, there are other theories about this. In particular, the Scandinavian Saga of Eymund mentions a war between King Yarisleif (Yaroslav) and his brother Burisleif, where Yarisleif hires the Varangians to fight his brother and ultimately wins. The name Burisleif is identified by many with Boris (cf. also the connection of the name Boris with the name Borislav), but according to another version it is the name of King Boleslav the Brave, which the saga calls his ally Svyatopolk, without separating them. Also, the chronicle of Thietmar of Merseburg, which tells how Svyatopolk fled to Poland, is often interpreted in favor of his innocence, since it does not mention Svyatopolk’s reign in Kiev (which, however, contradicts the existence of Svyatopolk’s coins) and any actions against Boris and Gleb.
Fight with Yaroslav
A power struggle began between Svyatopolk and Yaroslav. In 1016, Yaroslav marched with the Novgorod and Varangian troops against his brother. The troops met near Lyubech on the Dnieper, and for a long time neither side decided to be the first to cross the river and give battle. Finally, Yaroslav attacked, taking advantage of the moment when Svyatopolk was feasting with his squad. The troops of the Kyiv prince were defeated and thrown into the river, Yaroslav captured Kyiv.
The defeated prince retreated to Poland, where he called for help from his father-in-law, King Boleslaw I the Brave. In 1018, with the support of Polish and Pecheneg troops, Svyatopolk and Boleslav set out on a campaign against Kyiv. The squads met on the Bug, where the Polish army under the command of Boleslav defeated the Novgorodians, Yaroslav again fled to Novgorod.
Svyatopolk again occupied Kyiv. Not wanting to support Boleslav's troops, stationed in Russian cities for food, he broke the alliance and expelled the Poles. Many Kyiv boyars left along with Boleslav. Less than a year later, deprived military force Svyatopolk was forced to flee Kyiv again from Yaroslav, who returned with the Varangians. The Kiev prince called on other allies, the Pechenegs, for help, hoping with their help to regain power. In the decisive battle on the Alta River (not far from the place where Boris died), Svyatopolk received a wound from which, apparently, he died: “... and his bones, weakened, cannot turn gray, they carry them and carry them.” PVL designates the place of death of Svyatopolk as “between the Poles and the Chakhas,” which many researchers (starting with one of the first researchers of the Boris and Gleb monuments O.I. Senkovsky) consider not literal geographical designation borders of the Czech Republic and Poland, but a proverb meaning “God knows where.”
There is an Icelandic saga “The Strand of Eymund Hringsson”, which describes the struggle between three brothers: Buritslav, in whom most researchers see Svyatopolk, Yaritsleif (Yaroslav the Wise) and Vartislav, who is most often identified with Prince of Polotsk Bryachislav Izyaslavich, nephew, and not brother of Yaroslav and Svyatopolk. According to it, after being wounded, Buritslav goes to “Turkland” and returns with an army. So the feud could continue indefinitely. Therefore, King Eymund asked Yaritsleif: “Will you order him to be killed or not?” To which Yaritsleiv gave his consent:
Having received consent, Eymund and his comrades set off to meet Buritslav’s army. Having set up an ambush along the route and waited until nightfall, Eymund tore down the tent of the prince's tent and killed Buritslav and his guards. He brought the severed head to Yaritsleiva and asked if he would order his brother to be buried with dignity. Yaritsleiv said that since they killed him, they should bury him. Then Eymund returned for the body of Buritsleiv, left behind by the army that had dispersed after his death, and brought it to Kyiv, where the body and head were buried.
The version of “The Strand” about the murder of Buritslav-Svyatopolk by the Varangians, who were sent by Yaroslav, is now accepted by many historians, sometimes preferring it to the story about the death of Svyatopolk in the chronicles.
In historiography
In connection with the role that Svyatopolk plays in the chronicle and hagiography of Boris and Gleb (created starting from the third quarter of the 11th century), he appears as one of the most negative characters in medieval Russian history; Svyatopolk the Accursed is a constant epithet of this prince in chronicles and lives. There are hypotheses of a number of historians of the second half of the 20th century. (N.N. Ilyin, M.Kh. Aleshkovsky, A. Poppe) revise the reports of sources, disagreeing with the chronicle texts, justify Svyatopolk, and attribute the murder of Boris and Gleb to Yaroslav or even Mstislav Vladimirovich. This point of view is based, in particular, on the testimony of the Scandinavian sagas, where Prince “Burislav” dies at the hands of Yaroslav.
Prince Svyatopolk happened to be born in the era dramatic changes in Kievan Rus, when the country was first plunged into princely civil strife. In that fierce struggle for primacy, Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich won.
Grandfather of Svyatopolk, Grand Duke Svyatoslav Igorevich of Kiev, nurtured the idea of creating a powerful Russian state centered on the Danube. In the plans of this brilliant military leader, Rus' was assigned the role of the eastern outskirts of the new state. In 971, Svyatoslav divided the Fatherland into three appanages between his sons Yaropolk, Oleg and Vladimir, thereby violating the already established government system Kievan Rus. None of the new rulers of the Russian land had supremacy over the others, which is why a bloody struggle arose between the heirs of Svyatoslav for possession of the throne in Kyiv - “the mother of Russian cities.”
Svyatopolk was only son Prince Yaropolk, a handsome, educated and gentle ruler of Kyiv, but by the will of fate he turned out to be the stepson of the cruel and power-hungry Vladimir Svyatoslavich, who stopped at nothing in his struggle for dominance in Rus'. Raised by his Christian mother, Svyatopolk gravitated towards Orthodoxy, but already at a young age he witnessed the establishment by Prince Vladimir of a pagan pantheon, designed to unite the beliefs of people in equal parts of the Russian land. When an attempt to turn paganism into state religion was not successful, Vladimir carried out a new religious reform, as a result of which Kievan Rus adopted Christianity according to the Byzantine model.
Svyatopolk's marriage to the daughter of the Polish prince Boleslav from the Piast dynasty led him to active participation in international politics countries Western Europe. Svyatopolk began to take an interest in the Roman Church, thinking of withdrawing his appanage land of Turov from the Kyiv State and found their own state. However, he failed to become an independent ruler. After the death of Prince Vladimir, Svyatopolk tried to seize power in Kyiv, for which he committed numerous atrocities. Defeated by his half-brother Yaroslav, he died ingloriously.
CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS
1015-1019 The internecine struggle of the sons of Vladimir Svyatoslavich for the Kiev table.
1015-1016, 1018-1019 The reign of Svyatopolk (the Accursed) in Kyiv.
1015 July 24 Murder of Prince Boris Vladimirovich of Rostov on the Alta River by Svyatopolk’s henchmen.
1015 September 5 Murder near Smolensk on the orders of Svyatopolk, Prince of Murom Gleb Vladimirovich.
1015 autumn Murder of Prince Svyatoslav Vladimirovich of the Drevlyansky land by Svyatopolk's mercenaries in the Carpathian Mountains.
1016 The campaign of the Novgorod prince Yaroslav against Svyatopolk. Victory of Yaroslav near the city of Lyubech. Flight of Prince Svyatopolk to Poland. Acceptance of the great reign in Rus' by Yaroslav Vladimirovich.
1018 The campaign of Svyatopolk and the Polish prince Boleslav the Brave against the Grand Duke of Kyiv Yaroslav. Defeat of the troops of the Grand Duke of Kyiv Yaroslav on the Western Bug River. Flight of Grand Duke Yaroslav to Novgorod.
1018 August 14 Capture of Kyiv by the united army of Svyatopolk and Boleslav the Brave. Boleslav's seizure of the grand ducal treasury and his capture of Yaroslav's mother, sisters and wife.
1019 The Battle of the Alta River between the troops of Yaroslav and Svyatopolk. Defeat of Svyatopolk. His flight and death in the Bohemian Mountains.
ADDITIONALLY
Vladimir Svyatoslavich began his princely “career” as an insidious, vengeful pagan, but later, having established himself in power, he managed to do so much useful for Rus' that his memory remained as the Red Sun. His heir was not like that - the people called him the Damned. For what “feats” did the Russians reward Vladimir’s successor with such an unflattering name for centuries?
After the death of Vladimir, the throne should have gone to either Boris or Gleb - one of Vladimir’s favorite sons. But besides his beloved children, the Grand Duke had an adopted nephew - Svyatopolk. It was his father who was killed by Vladimir before taking the Kiev throne.
Svyatopolk, of course, could not experience friendly feelings for his stepfather. And Vladimir reciprocated his feelings, although he tried to do everything he could for his nephew. Svyatopolk believed that he had the right to become the Grand Duke - instead of own father, destroyed by Vladimir. And he began to act as soon as the death of Vladimir Svyatoslavich was announced.
Svyatopolk decided to destroy all possible competitors. Boris was his first victim. While in Kyiv, Svyatopolk was one of the first to learn about the death of the head of state and sent hired killers to Boris. Boris was informed by loyal people that an assassination attempt was being prepared on him, but he did not speak out against his brother. He believed: there would be no strife, Svyatopolk would now become all the brothers instead of a father. But he was cruelly mistaken. Four mercenaries ended his life while he was praying. The people of Kiev believed that Boris could become a kind, fair ruler: he was distinguished by a calm disposition, possessed wisdom and courage.
Svyatopolk's next victim was his second brother, Gleb. He was in Murom and still knew nothing about the death of his father. Svyatopolk deceived him by sending a messenger with the news that Vladimir was sick and wanted to see him. Gleb came out with small detachment, but on the way he was met by messengers from another brother, Yaroslav, who told the truth.
Gleb did not have time to mourn his father and brother: he was also killed. The next of the brothers, Svyatoslav, having heard about the atrocities of Svyatopolk, decided to flee to Hungary. However, the killer's hand overtook him.
So Svyatopolk ended up on the throne. With a generous hand, he distributed gifts to the people of Kiev, but the people treated him with hostility.
Invasion of the Poles
Now Svyatopolk had only one serious opponent left - Yaroslav, who was in Novgorod. Yaroslav was at a loss: he had just dealt with the Novgorodians, who rebelled against the Varangians who served in the princely squad. These Varangians caused unrest in the city and robbed civilians. Yaroslav needed support, because he understood that Svyatopolk would sooner or later get to him. But he turned the residents of Novgorod against himself, and therefore could not count on their help. However, he still had to take a risk: he gathered the Novgorodians and told them about the atrocities of Svyatopolk. The Novgorodians were so shocked that they decided to help Yaroslav in the fight against his bloodthirsty brother.
Yaroslav and the Novgorodians set out on a campaign, defeated Svyatopolk, and he fled to Poland. It would seem that the threat has passed. Yaroslav became the new Grand Duke, who began to gradually delve into state affairs. But then a new disaster struck Rus': the Polish king Boleslav the Brave, supported by Svyatopolk, set out on a campaign against Kievan Rus.
Boleslav took cities one after another. He was an experienced warrior and a talented strategist, so he succeeded without great losses. Yaroslav took refuge in Novgorod. Not knowing what to do, the future prince Yaroslav the Wise intended to leave everything and run to the Varangians. He did not hope that he would be able to cope with the Poles, and was already in despair.
But he was helped by the Novgorod boyars, who did not want to see a foreigner on the grand-ducal throne and were disgusted by the fratricide Svyatopolk. They collected money and an army, and Yaroslav hired a squad of Varangians, and together they opposed the Poles and Svyatopolk.
Meanwhile, Boleslav, having occupied Kyiv, began to behave like a sole ruler, which Svyatopolk did not like. And this latter, acting in his “best traditions,” began, through loyal people, to destroy the Poles who were in Kyiv.
Discord in the enemy camp played into Yaroslav's hands. The brothers met in battle at the very place where the assassins sent by Svyatopolk ended the life of Prince Boris. After a long battle, Svyatopolk fled. Svyatopolk’s luck completely turned away: he suddenly fell ill and was immobilized. The vigilantes managed to deliver him to the Bohemian desert lands, where he died.
The end of the reign of Svyatopolk the Accursed
What did Svyatopolk do for Rus'? He did not perform any glorious deeds in his life. On the contrary, only murders, insidious ones at that, committed at the hands of mercenaries, are remembered by the people. He brought only discord and pain native land. Burned only by a thirst for power and revenge on the sons of Vladimir, he gave Russian cities to be desecrated and plundered by foreigners.
The short reign of Svyatopolk the Accursed ended with inglorious exile and death in a foreign land.
Svyatopolk Vladimirovich “Cursed”
(Art. V. Sheremetyev. 1867)
(nicknamed "The Damned") — son or stepson of Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich from an unknown “Greek woman”, ex-wife from Prince Yaropolk, and taken as a concubine by Vladimir after the murder of her brother.
Born around 979, Svyatopolk never considered himself the son of Vladimir, and after his death he seized power in Kiev, starting the internecine war of 1015-1019 (he ruled Kiev in 1015-1016 and 1018-1019). According to the generally accepted version of history, it was Svyatopolk who sent assassins to his brother princes Boris, Gleb and Svyatoslav, for which he received the nickname “Cursed”.
He fought with his brother Yaroslav for power with the help of the Polish prince Boleslav, whose daughter he was married to. After the defeat in 1019, he fled to the West, and died somewhere between the Czech Republic and Poland.
Early years and reign in Turov
Nothing is known about Svyatopolk’s childhood. Around 988-990, he was placed by his father to reign in Turov. After the death of princes Vsevolod and Pozvizd Vladimirovich, who settled in Volyn, the territories of Svyatopolk began to border on Poland. Perhaps this is why he was chosen as a candidate for marriage with the daughter of the Polish prince Boleslav I the Brave.
Marriage to the daughter of Bolesław I the Brave
According to various versions, the daughter of Boleslav I from his third marriage with Emgilda was married to Svyatopolk in 1008 (mission of the Cistercian Bruno) or 1013-1014 (as a sign of peace with Poland after Boleslav’s unsuccessful campaign).
The Polish princess was accompanied to her marriage in Turow by the Catholic Bishop Rainburn. Subsequently, for organizing a conspiracy to turn Rus' away from the “Byzantine rite,” Svyatopolk was removed from inheriting the Kiev throne and imprisoned along with his wife and her confessor Rainburn, who, according to historians, promised Svyatopolk the support of Poland if the conspiracy was successful. In addition, one of possible reasons The conspiracy is called Vladimir's plan to transfer rule to his son Boris, whom he had previously instructed to lead the Kyiv princely squad.
Boleslaw I the Brave
(art. Ya. B. Jacobi, 1828)
Civil war 1015-1019
Even before the death of Prince Vladimir, signs of impending civil strife were visible in Kievan Rus - Prince Yaroslav the Wise, who ruled in Novgorod, in 1014 refused to pay an annual tribute to Kyiv. In response to this, Vladimir ordered his beloved son Boris to prepare for a campaign against Yaroslav, and the Novgorod prince began to hire Varangians for a future confrontation.
Svyatopolk was forgiven and released from prison, but realizing the danger of leaving the young prince unattended, Vladimir imprisoned him near Kyiv - in Vyshgorod.
In 1015, Prince Vladimir dies in the village of Berestovo and Kievan Rus is plunged into a bloody confrontation between his children for the right to the Kievan throne.
Svyatopolk hides the death of Prince Vladimir
“(Vladimir) died on Berestovoy, and they hid (his death) because Svyatopolk was in Kiev: at night, having dismantled the platform between two cages, they wrapped him in a carpet and lowered him on ropes to the ground; they put him on a sleigh, took him and placed him in the Church of the Holy Mother of God, which he himself created"— PVL
They are hiding the death of Prince Vladimir (Fragment of chronicles) After the death of Vladimir, Svyatopolk established himself in Kyiv and began to distribute estates and gifts to the local nobility, wanting to appease the people of Kiev at the beginning of his reign.
Murders of Boris, Gleb and Svyatoslav
According to the established version, it was Svyatopolk who sent assassins to his brother princes in order to prevent possible claims to the Kiev throne. However, subsequently, after the translation of the Scandinavian sagas intersecting with these events, some historians made assumptions that it was not Svyatopolk, but Yaroslav, who was guilty of the death of Boris. The official interpretation will be outlined below.
Death of Boris Vladimirovich
Prince of Rostov
At the time of Vladimir’s death, Prince Boris of Rostov was returning from a campaign against the Pechenegs - the enemy fled without engaging in battle, so the princely squad accompanying Boris was in full combat readiness.
During a stop on the Alta River, a message first came about the death of Vladimir, and then from Svyatopolk:
“Brother, I want to live with you in love and I will add more to the possessions received from my father” - Svyatopolk the Accursed
Having learned about the death of the Grand Duke, the warriors suggested that Boris go to Kyiv and take his father’s throne from Svyatopolk by force, but the young prince replied:
“I cannot raise my hand against my brother, whom I honor as a father.” — Boris Muromsky
“Svyatopolk came to Vyshgorod at night, secretly, called Putsha and the Vyshgorod Bolyarians and asked them: “Are they devoted to me with all their hearts?” Putsha and the Vyshgorod residents answered: “We can lay down our heads for you.” And he said to them: “Without telling anyone, go and kill my brother Boris.” They promised him to fulfill everything soon.” — Chronicles
After Boris was abandoned by the warriors and he was left only with his closest servants. Prince Boris began to pray, grieving for his dead father. In the dead of night, the Vyshgorod boyars sent by Svyatopolk, led by Putsha, surrounded the prince’s tent and, waiting until he fell asleep, attacked, killing the servants and piercing Boris with spears.
The killers wrapped Boris, who was still breathing, in tent cloth and took him to Kyiv. Driving past the forest in a cart, Boris suddenly began to raise his head. When Svyatopolk was informed that his brother was still alive, the new Kiev prince sent two Varangians to finish him off, which they did, piercing Boris with a sword in the heart. Boris's body was secretly brought to Vyshgorod and buried there in the church of St. Vasily.
Death of Gleb Vladimirovich
Prince of Murom
Having learned about the murder of Boris, Native sister Yaroslav the Wise, Predslava, wrote to her brother about the crime committed and warned about the danger that threatened it:
“Your father died, and Svyatopolk sits in Kyiv, killed Boris and sent for Gleb, be very careful of him.” — Predslava
Yaroslav, in turn, sent a message to Prince Gleb of Murom, who at that time was on his way to Kyiv, where he was summoned by Svyatopolk under the pretext of “visiting his seriously ill father.” Official historians suggest that Svyatopolk decided to lure Gleb, since he was the brother of the previously killed Boris and might want revenge.
“Come here quickly, your father is calling you: he is very ill!”— Svyatopolk the Accursed
Gleb received a letter from Yaroslav during one of his stops, not far from Smolensk on the Smyadyn River:
“Don't go, brother! Your father died, and your brother was killed by Svyatopolk.”- Yaroslav the Wise
As the life says, when the young prince prayed with tears for his father and brother, those sent to him by Svyatopolk appeared and showed a clear intention to kill him. The youths accompanying him, according to the chronicles, became despondent, and according to the lives of the holy prince, they were forbidden to use his weapons in defense. Goryaser, who stood at the head of those sent by Svyatopolk, ordered his own cook to kill the prince.
Gleb's body was buried by the killers “in an empty place, on a gap between two decks”(that is, in a simple coffin consisting of two hollowed out logs).
Murder of Gleb in the boat. Mark of the icon from the Boris and Gleb Church in Zaprudy in Kolomna
Death of Svyatoslav Vladimirovich
Prince Drevlyansky
Having learned about the death of Boris and Gleb, Svyatoslav Drevlyansky left his capital and tried to escape to the Carpathians. The chase caught up with Svyatoslav Drevlyansky on the bank of the Opir near the present city of Skole. According to local legend, when the Kiev prince saw that victory was close, he decided not to leave anyone from the family of his persecuted brother alive and gave the order:
“Pin them all!”
The legend associates the name of the city of Skole with this episode. In the battle with the troops of Svyatopolk, seven sons of Svyatoslav and the prince himself died.
The death of Svyatoslav and the struggle for power between the sons of Vladimir Svyatoslavich deprived the Carpathian Croats last ally, and the valleys of Borzhava and Latorica were annexed by the Hungarians.
The struggle between Yaroslav and Svyatopolk for the Kiev throne
1016 - Battle of Lyubech
In 1016 Yaroslav, at the head of a 3,000-strong Novgorod army and mercenary Varangian troops, moved against Svyatopolk, who called the Pechenegs for help. The two troops met on the Dnieper near Lyubech and throughout three months, before late autumn, neither side risked crossing the river. Finally, the Novgorodians did it, and they got the victory. The Pechenegs were cut off from Svyatopolk's troops by the lake and were unable to come to his aid.
1017 - siege of Kyiv
Next year 1017 (6525) The Pechenegs, at the instigation of Buritsleif (here the opinions of historians differ, some consider Buritsleif to be Svyatopolk, others - Boleslav) undertook a campaign against Kyiv. The Pechenegs launched an attack with significant forces, while Yaroslav could only rely on the remnants of the Varangian squad led by King Eymund, the Novgorodians and a small Kiev detachment. According to the Scandinavian saga, Yaroslav was wounded in the leg in this battle. The Pechenegs managed to break into the city, but a powerful counterattack by a selected squad after a heavy, bloody battle put the Pechenegs to flight. In addition, large “wolf pits” near the walls of Kyiv, dug and camouflaged by order of Yaroslav, played a positive role in the defense of Kyiv. The besieged made a sortie and during the pursuit captured the banner of Svyatopolk.
1018 - Battle of the Bug River
Svyatopolk and Boleslav the Brave capture Kyiv
In 1018 Svyatopolk, married to the daughter of the Polish king Boleslav the Brave, enlisted the support of his father-in-law and again gathered troops to fight Yaroslav. Boleslav's army, in addition to the Poles, included 300 Germans, 500 Hungarians and 1000 Pechenegs. Yaroslav, having gathered his squad, moved towards him and as a result of the battle on the Western Bug, the army of the Kyiv prince was defeated. Yaroslav fled to Novgorod, and the road to Kyiv was open.
August 14, 1018 Boleslav and Svyatopolk entered Kyiv. The circumstances of Boleslav's return from the campaign are vague. The Tale of Bygone Years speaks of the expulsion of the Poles as a result of the Kiev uprising, but Thietmar of Merseburg and Gallus Anonymus write the following:
Boleslav the Brave and Svyatopolk at the Golden Gate of Kyiv
“Boleslav put in his place in Kyiv one Russian who became related to him, and he himself began to gather for Poland with the remaining treasures.”
Boleslav received, as a reward for his help, the Cherven cities (an important trading hub on the way from Poland to Kiev) the Kiev treasury and many prisoners, and also, according to the Chronicle of Thietmar of Merseburg, Predslava Vladimirovna, Yaroslav’s beloved sister, whom he took as a concubine.
And Yaroslav prepared to flee “over the sea.” But the Novgorodians chopped up his boats and convinced the prince to continue the fight with Svyatopolk. They collected money, concluded a new treaty with the Varangians of King Eymund and armed themselves.
1019 - Battle of the Alta River
In the spring of 1019 Svyatopolk fought with Yaroslav in a decisive battle on the Alta River. The chronicle did not preserve the exact location and details of the battle. It is only known that the battle lasted all day and was extremely fierce.
“Svyatopolk came with the Pechenegs in heavy force, and Yaroslav gathered many soldiers and went against him to Alta. They attacked each other, and the Alta field was covered with many warriors. ... and at sunrise both sides came together, and there was an evil slaughter, the likes of which had never happened in Rus'. And, grabbing their hands, they chopped and came together three times, so that blood flowed through the lowlands. By evening Yaroslav dressed, and Svyatopolk fled."
Yaroslav the Wise reoccupied Kyiv, but his position was precarious and the prince had to prove more than once his right to own the capital of Kievan Rus.
Death of Svyatopolk the Accursed
According to the chronicles, after the defeat on the Alta River, Svyatopolk fled through Berestye and Poland to the Czech Republic. On the way, suffering from illness, he died.
We can’t endure it in one place, and having run through the Lyadskaya land, we are driven by God’s wrath, running into the desert between the Lyakhs and the Czechs, casting out our evil lives- chronicles
Prince of Turov (988-1015) and Grand Duke of Kiev (1015-1019) Svyatopolk Vladimirovich, known in ancient Russian historiography as Svyatopolk the Accursed, was born around 979. At baptism he was given the name Peter.
Svyatopolk is the son of Yaropolk Svyatoslavich, his mother Julia was a Greek nun. As the chronicle says, at one time Svyatoslav brought her as a captive and married her to Yaropolk.
The chronicler reports that after the murder of his brother Yaropolk, Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich took his widow, who was already pregnant from Yaropolk, as his wife. Soon she gave birth to a son, Svyatopolk, whom Vladimir raised along with his children. Therefore, in some sources Svyatopolk is called the son of Yaropolk, in others - the son of Vladimir.
Around 988, Vladimir gave Svyatopolk an inheritance in Turov.
Around 1013, Svyatopolk married the daughter of the Polish prince Boleslav the Brave. Together with the young princess, her confessor, Bishop Rainburn, arrived in Turov, who obviously had the intention of tearing the Russian Church away from Constantinople and reassigning it to Rome.
Svyatopolk, dissatisfied with Vladimir and incited by his wife and bishop, began preparing an uprising against Prince Vladimir, enlisting the support of his father-in-law. But the plot was discovered, and Vladimir imprisoned Svyatopolk along with his wife and Rainburn.
Vladimir died in 1015 while preparing for a campaign against Novgorod against another rebellious son, Yaroslav. The prince did not have time to make any orders regarding the heir, and therefore Svyatopolk was released and took the throne without any difficulties.
In The Tale of Bygone Years, Svyatopolk is accused of organizing the murder of Boris and Gleb, who are canonized as innocent victims. First of all, Svyatopolk decided to deal with Vladimir’s favorite, the Rostov prince Boris, who had the grand ducal squad at his disposal. Svyatopolk sent faithful people to Boris. During matins, the murderers made their way to the prince’s tent and stabbed him with spears. The wounded but still alive Boris was brought to Svyatopolk, and there he was hacked to death with a sword. Then Svyatopolk sent messengers to Gleb of Murom, inviting him to visit his allegedly seriously ill father, whose death Gleb did not yet know. On the way, Gleb was attacked by assassins sent by Svyatopolk, and one of Gleb’s men, a cook named Torchin, stabbed his master to death on the orders of the villains. The third brother, Svyatoslav Drevlyansky, having learned about the death of Boris and Gleb, fled to Hungary, but on the way Svyatopolk’s people caught up with him and also killed him.
After the massacres of his relatives, Svyatopolk received the nickname “Cursed” from his contemporaries.
Having learned about the murder of the brothers, the Novgorod prince Yaroslav, with the support of the Varangians and Novgorodians, went to war against Svyatopolk in 1016. A power struggle began between Svyatopolk and Yaroslav. The troops met on the Dnieper at Listven. Yaroslav went on the attack, taking advantage of the moment when Svyatopolk and his squad were feasting. The troops of Svyatopolk the Accursed were defeated and thrown into the river. Yaroslav seized the throne in Kyiv.
Prince Svyatopolk fled to Poland and called for help from King Boleslav I the Brave, his father-in-law. In 1017, with the support of Pecheneg and Polish troops, they marched on Kyiv. The meeting of the squads took place on the Bug, Yaroslav was defeated and fled to Novgorod.
The Kyiv throne again began to belong to Svyatopolk. In order not to support the troops of his father-in-law Boleslav, who were stationed in Russian cities, he expelled the Poles. Together with Boleslav the Brave, most of the Kyiv boyars also left.
Meanwhile, with the money collected by the Novgorodians, Yaroslav hired a new army from the Varangians and went to Kyiv. Left without military strength, Svyatopolk fled to other allies - the Pechenegs. There he recruited a new army and moved to Rus'. In 1019, Yaroslav met him on the Alta River, not far from the place where Boris was killed. The Pecheneg army was defeated, and Svyatopolk himself was seriously wounded. He fled to Poland, then to the Czech Republic.
The chroniclers wrote: “...and his bones, having weakened, cannot turn grey, they do not lie down and are carried.” Abandoned by everyone, he died in 1019 on the road somewhere between Poland and the Czech Republic.
