Roman Mstislavich

A Polish contemporary, chronicler Kadlubek testifies that Roman was brought up in Poland. Kadlubek writes that Roman lived at the court of prince Casimir the Fair , brother of Agnieszka, but at that time Casimir II was not a politically significant figure, most likely Roman was brought up at the court of her older brothers Boleslav IV Kudryavy or Heinrich Sandomierz . According to the version of O. Golovko, Roman spent about 12 years in Poland, from 1155 , when Mstislav Izyaslavich fled with his family to Poland, in 1167 .

Novgorod reign

After the death in Kiev of Rostislav Mstislavich Smolensky and the impunity of Mstislav Izyaslavich, the Novgorodians in 1168 carried away Svyatoslav Rostislavich from themselves and invited Roman to reign. The first campaign was conducted against the Princes of Polotsk , the allies of Andrei Bogolyubsky - the main rival of Father Roman in the struggle for Kiev. The land was ravaged, the troops did not reach Polotsk 30 miles. Then Roman attacked the Principality of Toropetsk Smolensk Rostislavich, also allies of Andrew.

On the eve of the campaigns of Andrei and his allies in Kiev and Novgorod, his father sent an army to help Roman, led by Mikhail Yuryevich (the younger brother of Bogolyubsky), and the black hoods were intercepted by Rostislavich along the way.

Subjugating Kiev ( 1169 ), Andrew organized a campaign on Novgorod . In the winter of 1170, Mstislav Andreevich , Roman and Mstislav Rostislavichi, Vseslav Vasilkovich Polotsky, and also the Ryazan and Murom regiments came to Novgorod ^[10] . By the evening of February 25, Roman and the Novgorodians defeated Suzdal and their allies. Enemies fled. Novgorodians captivated so many Suzdalians that they sold them for nothing (2 legs ).

However, famine soon came to Novgorod, and the Novgorodians preferred to make peace with Andrey with all their will and invited Rurik Rostislavich to reign, and a year later - Yuri Andreevich .

In August 1170 , after the death of his father, he was forced to leave Novgorod and made an outing in Vladimir-Volynsky . At the same time, his uncle Yaroslav Izyaslavich , continuing to rule in Lutsk , headed the entire Volyn land in his struggle for Kiev.

In 1187 - 1189, in the traditionally union Volhynia from the moment of its separation from Kiev ( 1154 ), the Principality of Galicia there was a struggle for power due to the fact that Yaroslav Osmomysl bequeathed the throne to an illegitimate son . But the legitimate son Vladimir Yaroslavich did not work for the Galicians, and in 1188 they called for the reign of Roman, who left to reign in Volhynia his brother Vsevolod Mstislavich . Vladimir brought to the aid of the Hungarian king , but he took advantage of the preponderance of forces and put his son in Galich . Romana was supported by his father-in-law, Rurik Rostislavich , but the joint campaign did not bring success, and Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich of Kiev set the condition for his help in the struggle for Galich to be concession by the Smolensk Rostislavichs to him of the whole Kiev region , and after the refusal he even intervened in the struggle for Galich for himself, but to no avail. To commemorate the prisoners during the strife of the unions, Roman married one of his daughter to the son of Vladimir Galitsky, and the other to the grandson of Svyatoslav . Rurik only provided Roman with diplomatic support for his return to Vladimir-Volynsky, who Vsevolod now did not want to concede. With the intervention of the German emperor Frederick I Barbarossa , Vladimir returned to Galich, recognizing (like Rurik Rostislavich) the seniority of his maternal uncle, Vladimir-Suzdal Prince Vsevolod the Big Nest .

In 1194, Svyatoslav of Kiev died, Rurik took the throne, and Roman received from him five cities in the Kiev region: Torchesk , Trepol , Korsun , Boguslav , Kanev . In April 1195, Vsevolod Mstislavich died, which led to an increase in the political influence of Roman in Volhynia and caused concern for Vsevolod the Big Nest. He demanded Roman parish for himself, giving from it Torchesk to the son of Rurik Rostislav . So Vsevolod destroyed the union of the southern Monomakhovichs ^[11] , so as not to lose influence on the southern affairs. In response, Roman quarreled with his father-in-law and even divorced his wife, Predslava Rurikovna ^[12] , after which he entered into a secret alliance with Prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich of Chernigov, who was claiming Kiev . Rurik Rostislavich found out about this and declared his son-in-law a war. Roman turned to his Polish relatives for help: since 1194 , Roman was an ally of the young sons of the deceased prince of Little Poland, Casimir the Just . The eldest of them, Leszek Bely , became the Krakow prince, but his uncle disputed his power, Meshko Old . Wanting to strengthen the position of his allies and thereby secure their assistance in the upcoming war with Rurik Rostislavich, Roman intervened in the Polish wars and fought on the side of the Kazimirovich in a fierce and bloody battle on the Mozgava River ( September 13, 1195), where Roman himself was seriously injured , and his main opponent is Meshko Stary . According to the Polish chroniclers ^[13] , the battle did not bring decisive success to either side, but Roman’s help nevertheless helped the Kazimirovichs avoid defeat and repel uncle’s claims to Krakow.

Upon returning from Lesser Poland, Roman managed to reconcile with Rurik Rostislavich, who even provided the former son-in-law with a small volost in the Kiev region. A year later, in the fall of 1196 , Roman sided with the Prince of Chernigov , who claimed Kiev, and ordered his people to ravage the lands of Rurik Rostislavich, who, in turn, organized an attack by the troops of Vladimir Galitsky, Mstislav Romanovich and Rostislav Rurikovich on the lands of Roman at once from two parties, at Peremil and at Kamenetz . They did not manage to advance deep into his possessions ^[14] , but at that time Rurik, Davyd Smolensky and Vsevolod the Big Nest invaded the Principality of Chernigov and, although they did not overcome the defense of Chernigov and spotted in the north-east of the Principality, made the oath of Olgovich to renounce claims to Kiev and Smolensk .

In the winter of 1196 - 1197, Roman undertook a punitive expedition into the land of the Yatvingians , who raided his possessions.

In 1199 or early 1200 (the exact date is unknown) Vladimir Yaroslavich Galitsky died, who did not have legitimate sons. The novel, with the support of Polish troops, besieged Galich and forced the Galicians to accept him to reign. The Ipatiev Chronicle contains the news that Roman drove out two boyars - the “Nurses” (that is, the sons of a man who previously held the important position of “ breadwinner ” in Galich), because they advocated inviting the sons of Igor Svyatoslavich Chernigovsky, the grandchildren of Yaroslav Osmomysl to their mother, to Galich. The Polish chronicler Kadlubek , Roman’s youngest contemporary, testifies that Roman pursued a policy of terror in Galich against local boyars: he destroyed some, having committed various kinds of brutal executions, while others themselves scattered in fear all over the surrounding lands. Soviet historians also claimed, albeit without reliance on primary sources, that Roman confiscated the boyar lands.

Soon after the capture of Galich, Roman entered into a second marriage. Neither the name nor the origin of his second wife is unknown ^[15] .

Establishing control over Kiev

The union of Volhynia and Galich in the same hands led to a rearrangement of forces. Rurik Rostislavich entered into an alliance with the Olgovichi and in 1201 began to prepare a campaign for Galich. However, Roman was ahead of him, suddenly appearing in the Kiev region at the head of the Volyn and Galician regiments. Rurik Rostislavich was forced to leave Kiev , where Roman planted the reign of his cousin Ingvar Yaroslavich . These events are known from the chronicles of the Lavrentievsky group, reflecting (through the code of 1305) the chronicle of the times of Vsevolod the Big Nest , which indicate the decisive influence of Prince Vsevolod on the change of power in Kiev. Similarly presented in them is the imputation in Kiev of Rurik in 1194.

In the winter of 1201 - 1202, Roman made a trip to the Polovtsian steppes, thereby helping his ally, Byzantine Emperor Alexei III Angel : the Polovtsy left Thrace . The novel captured a huge booty and many Christian souls otpolony from them , for which he was honored by comparing the annals with his ancestor Vladimir Monomakh. On January 2, 1203, Rurik Rostislavich, in alliance with the Olgovichi and Polovtsy, took Kiev, and the Allies subjected the city to the most brutal looting . Already in February, Roman besieged Rurik in Ovruch . A peace was concluded according to which Rurik returned to Kiev at the cost of renouncing the Olgovichi and Polovtsy and recognizing the seniority of not only Vsevolod the Big Nest (as before), but his children . Then in the fierce winter ^[16] Roman, together with Rurik, Mstislav Mstislavich and the son of Vsevolod the Big Nest Yaroslav , Prince Pereyaslavsky , made a new successful campaign against the Polovtsy, and during subsequent negotiations on the volosts, Roman captured Rurik and tonsured him as a monk, along with his wife Anna and daughter Predslava (her ex-wife). Roman took the two sons of Rurik Rostislavich as captives to Galich, but after accepting the embassy from Vsevolod the Big Nest released them; the eldest, Rostislav Rurikovich , married to the daughter of Vsevolod, became the Grand Prince of Kiev.

The foreign policy of Roman Mstislavich combines elements of ancient Russian and European political traditions. Therefore, he, like Russian princes, fights and makes aggressive campaigns in Poland and Lithuanian lands, but at the same time, “islands of medieval diplomacy” are already observed - Roman Mstislavich’s attempts to join the European world and become a full member of it.

Flight to Galich of Emperor Alexei III

Polish escape from the Byzantine emperor besieged by the crusaders of Constantinople reports that the Polish chronicler of the second half of the 15th century, Jan Dlugosh, said : “Askarius, the emperor of Constantinople, after taking the city (the crusaders) moved to the Pontic Sea, to Terson, and from there he subsequently arrived in Galicia, or Galicia the land, which is part of Russia, still under the Kingdom of Poland, and, being graciously and favorably received and placed by the Prince of Russia Roman, stayed there for some time ” ^[17] .

In the “New Church History”, after the message about the capture of Byzantium by the crusaders, the Italian church historian Del Fiadoni writes: “During her fall, Askarius reigned, as Kuzentin writes, who immediately went through the Black Sea to Chersonesos and from there went to Galatia, which now exists part of Russia ” ^[18] . As follows from the quotation, the news of Askarius’s flight was taken from an even earlier source - the Chronicle of Cousin, which is a continuation of the Annals of Archbishop Romoald of Salerno, completed by Archbishop of Cosenza Tomaso from Leontino in 1267-1272 ^[19] .

The Polish historian I. Grail believes that Kuzentin and Fiadoni, and after them Dlugosh and other chroniclers mixed up the ancient Russian Galich and Galicia with another historical area with a consonant name - Galatia, located in Asia Minor, and the future Nicene Emperor is actually hiding under Emperor Askarius. Theodore I Laskar . Based on this, Grail concludes that the message of Fiadoni and Dlugosh is not about the stay of Alexei Angel in Tauric Chersonesus and Galich, but about the stay of Theodore Laskar in Chersonesus of Thrace and in Asia Minor Galatia ^[20] .

According to A.V. Mayorov, Italy, of course, distinguished between the Malaysian Galatia (Galathae), which was part of the Koni Sultanate, and Russian Galicia (Rutenia sive Gallacia). In particular, these areas differ on marine nautical charts (portolans), for example, on the map of Angelino de Dalorto from 1325–1330 ^[21] . Western European and Italian sources of the XIII-XIV centuries (Genoese and Pisa annals, Chronicle of Salimbene de Adam and others) make a clear distinction between Emperor Alexei III and other rulers who accepted the title of emperor, in particular Theodore Laskaris, who never ruled in Constantinople. The use of Askarius Kuzentin and Fiadoni as applied to Alexei III is explained by the wide popularity in Western Europe of the representatives of the Lascarius dynasty, who ruled in Nicaea, in view of their many years of struggle with the Latin Empire ^[22] .

According to the Latin anonymous chronicle, known as the “Baldwin of Constantinople,” compiled no later than 1219, the crusaders could not find Emperor Alexei III in captured Constantinople, “because together with five thousand people [he] flees to John, king of Wallachia” ^{[ 23]} . According to A.V. Mayorov, after August 1203 and until April 1204, when Alexei III was in Bulgaria with the aim of finding military allies against the crusaders, he had enough time and opportunities for direct contacts with Roman Mstislavich and even for a personal visit to Galich. Evidence in favor of this may be evidence of the military and dynastic alliance of Alexei and Roman, as well as the traditionally active role of Galich in supporting applicants for the Byzantine and Bulgarian thrones ^[22] .

Marriage with Princess Euphrosyne-Anne (Maria)

The union of Roman with Alexei III was sealed by the marriage of the Galician-Volyn prince with Anna Maria , daughter of Emperor Isaac II Angel. In the annals there is no information about her name and origin, the chronicler calls the widow of Roman simply “Princess Romanova”: “the priest of Berest'ne to Lestkov and asking for Romanov’s dignity” ^[8] . Currently, two versions of the origin of Princess Romanova are common. According to the "Slavic" version, Anna was a relative of one of the representatives of the Volyn boyar, possibly boyar Miroslav . This is partly based on annalistic news, in which Miroslav is called the "uncle" of Daniel Romanovich. ^[24]

The version of the Byzantine origin of the wife of Roman Mstislavich is currently supported, among others, by L. V. Voitovich ^[7] , D. Dombrowski (who calls Roman's second wife Maria) ^[25] and A. V. Mayorov ^[26] . According to the version of this version presented by A.V. Mayorov, Anna (or Maria, or Efrosinya) was the daughter of Isaac II and Margarita of Hungary, born around 1187. The birth of the firstborn, therefore, dates from 1201 (when the princess was 14-15 years old). The logical argument is the appearance of the uncharacteristic (mainly of Greek origin) names in the family of Volyn Izyaslavichs (Romanovichs) after the second marriage: Heraclius, Leo, Schwarn (sons of Daniel), etc. D. Dombrowski, agreeing with the “Byzantine” version, not ready to support the specific filing of Roman’s wife.

In 1205, Roman for some reason broke his long-term alliance with Leszek Bely and his brother Konrad , invaded Lesser Poland, took two cities and stopped on the Vistula River near the town of Zawihost . Here, having left with a small detachment from the main forces, Roman was unexpectedly attacked by the Poles and died in battle ^[27] . The imagination of Polish chroniclers turned this skirmish into a grand battle (the battle of Zawihost ) ^[28] . According to the version of the late Polish historian Jan Dlugosh , the body of Roman after the battle remained in the hands of the Poles and was buried in Sandomierz, but later bought out by the “Russian nobility” and reburied in Vladimir Volynsky ^[17] . It has been proved, however, that this later news is knowingly false ^[29] . According to the Laurentian Chronicle, transmitting the annals of 1305, Roman was buried in Galich, in the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin.

Yan Dlugosh mentions the battle of Sukhodol, which actually relates to the struggle between the Romanovichs and the heirs of Leszek Bely in the early 1240s, at the same time it was about control over the Lublin land. The death of Roman in Poland could have occurred during a campaign in Saxony against Otto of Braunschweig in support of Philip of Swabia in their struggle for power in the Holy Roman Empire after the death of Henry VI (1197) ^[30] .

Roman also supported Andras II against his older brother Imre (brothers of the second wife of Isaac II Angel) in the struggle for power in Hungary after the death of their father Bela III (1196). On November 30, 1204, Roman Mstislavich and Andras II concluded an agreement on mutual assistance and patronage over the children of both rulers in the event of the premature death of one of them ^[30] .

After the death of Roman in the Principality of Galicia-Volyn, a 40-year power struggle began , which ended with the complete victory of his sons and the unification of the principality.

The Imperial Project by Roman Mstislavich

The “ History of the Russian ” by V. N. Tatishchev contains six completely original (not supported by well-known chronicles) stories about Roman Mstislavich: under 1182, 1195, 1197, 1203, 1204, 1205. From time to time these tatischevskie news are used by historians on a par with the usual annals (often not in full, but selectively). Recently, the entire cycle has been the subject of careful analysis ^[31] .

In the past, the greatest resonance in literature was caused by the story placed under 1203 about the project of political reorganization of all Russian lands compiled by Roman. The Kiev prince was to "defend the Russian land from everywhere, but in the brethren, the princes of Russia, keep good order so that he could not offend one another and run into and destroy other regions." The novel accuses the younger princes, trying to capture Kiev, not having the strength for defense, and those princes who "bring filthy Polovtsy." Then the draft election of the Kiev prince in the event of the death of his predecessor is presented. Six princes should choose: Vladimir, Chernigov, Galician, Smolensk, Polotsk, Ryazan; "Junior princes are not needed for that election." Thus, the Roman project resembles the structure of the Holy Roman Empire (as Tatishchev himself was the first to note). The six largest principalities: Vladimir ^[32] , Chernigov , Galitsky , Smolensk , Polotsk and Ryazan should be inherited by their eldest son and not be divided into parts "so that the Russian land does not diminish in strength." The novel proposed to convene a princely congress to confirm this order and the election of the Grand Duke of Kiev. ^[33]

Already Mikhail Grushevsky believed that the news of the “Romanov proposal” was a Tatishchev counterfeit: “This project belongs, of course, to the 18th, and not the 13th century” ^[34] . Textological arguments in favor of this point of view can be found among modern historians. ^[35] Otherwise, the modern Ukrainian historian Oleg Kupchinsky approached the problem, who considered it possible to include reprints of texts from both editions of the Tatishchevsky “History” in the fundamental code “Acts and documents of the Galicia-Volyn principality of the 13th - first half of the XIV century” (placing them, however , among the "unauthentic" acts and documents) ^[36]

Among modern historians, the attitude to the text of the project remains ambiguous. B. A. Rybakov wrote that the project is based on a certain “Tatishchev annals” that has not been preserved to this day, so he was inclined to trust the 18th century historian. L. V. Voitovich presents this project as an example of the so-called. “Good order”, explaining its “imperial” interpretation by Roman Mstislavich of the latter’s connections with the Holy Roman Empire ^[37] . A.V. Mayorov noted that the practice of “preliminary voting” in a narrow circle of princes was a phenomenon that was characteristic of Ancient Russia during the period of Monomakh’s reign. The “project” of Roman Mstislavich follows from the practice that V. T. Pashuto and N. F. Kotlyar call “collective suzerainty” - the joint, coalition management (in a sense, even supervision) of Kiev, which was characteristic of Russia during the period of fragmentation ^{[ 38]} , therefore, the solution of all-Russian problems by "senior" princes - in this case, electing princes - this is quite normal for Ancient Russia.

Arrival of papal ambassadors

Often used by historians, beginning with Karamzin , the Tatishchev news of the papal embassy to Roman under 1204. Tatishchev says that the pope (judging by the date, it could only be Innocent III ) offered Roman a royal crown subject to conversion to Catholicism . However, Roman refused and retained the Orthodox faith. This story was widely known thanks to the ballad by A. K. Tolstoy “Roman Galitsky” and the picture of N. V. Nevrev on the same plot.

And you, brave Roman, and Mstislav ! Brave plans draw your mind into a feat. You fly high on a feat in courage, like a falcon, hovering in the winds, trying to overcome the bird in impudence. After all, your warriors have iron pawrsi under Latin helmets. That is why the earth trembled, and many peoples - quinova, Lithuania , Yatvyag , woods and Polovtsy - threw their spears and bowed their heads under those damask swords.

Ingvar and Vsevolod and all three Mstislavich - not a bad six-winged nest! Not by right of victories have stolen their possessions ! Where are your golden helmets, and Polish spears, and shields? Block the Field Gate with your sharp arrows, for the Russian land, for the wounds of Igor , the brave Svyatoslavich! ^[39]

• 1st wife : from 1170/1180 ^[7] Predslava , daughter of Rurik Rostislavich , Grand Duke of Kiev (divorce no later than the summer of 1195 ) ^[40] .
• 2nd wife : from approx. 1197 Anna . Versions of Origin:
• 1) A. V. Mayorov, on the basis of a study of Byzantine and other foreign sources, argued that Anna was Anna Maria , daughter of the Byzantine emperor Isaac II Angel and his first wife Irina and sister of the wife of Philip of Swabia ^[30] .
• 2) N.I. Kostomarov calls her the named sister of the Hungarian king Andras II ^{[41] [42]}
• 3) Ukrainian researcher N. F. Kotlyar makes the assumption that Anna was a relative (possibly a sister) to one of the “great” Volyn boyars, Miroslav ^[24] .

Children :

From a marriage with a Preface:

• Theodore - in 1187 - 1188 married to Vasilko , the son of Vladimir Yaroslavich Galitsky . Due to the intrigues of her father, her husband was forced to flee Galich, and the Galicians prevented her from leaving with her husband in exile, and the marriage was actually dissolved ^[43]
• Olga - with 1188/1190 married to Mikhail Vsevolodovich , son of Vsevolod Chermny .

From marriage with Anna:

• Daniil Romanovich Galitsky ( 1201 - 1264 ), Prince of Galitsky -Volynsky, king of Russia from 1254
• Vasilko Romanovich ( 1203 - 1269 ) - Prince of Belz 1207-1211, Beresteysky 1208-1210, 1219-1228, Peremyshlsky 1209-1218, Peresopnytsky 1225-1229, Lutsky 1229-1238, Vladimir-Volynsky from 1238

• Named after Prince Roman:
  • Street in Lviv .

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• Kotlyar N. F. Daniil, Prince of Galitsky - St. Petersburg: Aletheya; Kiev: Ptakh, 2008 .-- 320 p.
• Mayorov A.V. From the history of the foreign policy of Galicia-Volyn Rus at the time of Roman Mstislavovich // Ancient Russia. Questions of Medieval Studies . - 2008. - No. 4 (34). - S. 78-96.
• Mayorov A.V. Tsar’s title of the Galician-Volyn prince Roman Mstislavich and his descendants. // Studia Slavica et Balcanica Petropolitana . - No. 1-2. - 2009.
• Gorovenko A.V. The Last Campaign of Roman Galitsky // Para bellum. - 2008. - No. 30. - S. 53-76.
• Gorovenko A.V. Sword of Roman Galitsky. Prince Roman Mstislavich in history, epic and legends. - St. Petersburg: "Dmitry Bulanin", 2011. - 480 p., Ill.
• Gorovenko A. V. Vasily Tatishchev and the “ancient annals”: ​​pre-Mongol Russia through the eyes of the first Russian historian. - St. Petersburg: Oleg Abyshko Publishing House, 2019 .-- 416 p., Ill. - S. 238-298.
• Slavic Encyclopedia. Kievan Rus - Muscovy: in 2 tons / autostat V.V. Boguslavsky. - M .: Olma-Press, 2001.
• Litvina A.F. , Uspensky F. B. Choice of a name among Russian princes in the 10th-16th centuries A dynastic story through the prism of anthroponymy . - M .: Indrik , 2006 .-- 904 p. - 1000 copies. - ISBN 5-85759-339-5 .

• Roman Mstislavich at the Chronos project