Prince Igor Sviatoslavich the Brave or Ihor Sviatoslavych (

Old East Slavic Old East Slavic (traditionally also Old Russian; be, старажытнаруская мова; russian: древнерусский язык; uk, давньоруська мова) was a language used during the 9th–15th centuries by East ...

: Игорь Святъславичь, ''Igorĭ Svjatŭslavičĭ''; uk, Ігор Святославич, ''Ihor Svyatoslavych''; russian: Игорь Святославич, ''Igor Svyatoslavich'';

Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and their overseas settlement ...

: ''Ingvar Sveinaldsson'') (Novhorod-Siverskyi, April 3/10, 1151 – the spring of 1201/December 29, 1202) was a Rus’ prince (a member of the

Rurik dynasty The Rurik dynasty ( be, Ру́рыкавічы, Rúrykavichy; russian: Рю́риковичи, Ryúrikovichi, ; uk, Рю́риковичі, Riúrykovychi, ; literally "sons/scions of Rurik"), also known as the Rurikid dynasty or Rurikids, was ...

). His baptismal name was Yury. Igor was prince of Putivl (1164–1180), of Novgorod-Seversk (1180–1198), and of Chernigov (1198–1201/1202). Chronicle evidence reveals that he had an enviably successful military career; he led many campaigns against the

Cumans The Cumans (or Kumans), also known as Polovtsians or Polovtsy (plural only, from the Russian exonym ), were a Turkic nomadic people comprising the western branch of the Cuman–Kipchak confederation. After the Mongol invasion (1237), many so ...

from among which the

chronicle A chronicle ( la, chronica, from Greek ''chroniká'', from , ''chrónos'' – "time") is a historical account of events arranged in chronological order, as in a timeline. Typically, equal weight is given for historically important events and ...

s report only one defeat. But it was his defeat at the river Kayala (the exact location of which has never been definitively established) that has become immortalized through its literary rendering in ''“ The Lay of Igor’s Campaign”'', the most celebrated epic of Rus’. During his reign Novhorod-Siverskyi enjoyed the status of the second most powerful town in the Chernigov land. Basing their observations on

archaeological evidence The archaeological record is the body of physical (not written) evidence about the past. It is one of the core concepts in archaeology, the academic discipline concerned with documenting and interpreting the archaeological record. Archaeological th ...

, a number of investigators proposed that Igor built the Cathedral of the Holy Savior in the Monastery of the Transfiguration outside of the town. It has also been suggested that he founded the stone church in Putivl. To judge from circumstantial evidence, Igor's reign in

Chernigov Chernihiv ( uk, Черні́гів, , russian: Черни́гов, ; pl, Czernihów, ; la, Czernihovia), is a city and municipality in northern Ukraine, which serves as the administrative center of Chernihiv Oblast and Chernihiv Raion within t ...

(now Chernihiv in modern

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inva ...

) was uneventful. He continued the family

that his father and brother had commissioned.

His early life

Igor was the elder son of

Svyatoslav Olgovich Sviatoslav Olgovich (russian: Святослав Ольгович; died February 14, 1164) was the Prince of Novgorod (1136–1138); Novgorod-Seversky (1139); Belgorod Kievsky (1141–1154); and Chernigov (1154–1164). He was the son of Oleg S ...

, by his second wife, the Novgorodian Catherine. By giving the child the baptismal name of Yury, Svyatoslav Olgovich acknowledged his friendship with prince Yury Vladimirovich of Suzdal. In choosing Igor for the boy's princely name, he testified to the close bond that had existed between him and his deceased brother. When Sviatoslav died on February 15, 1164, Igor's older half-brother, Oleg Svyatoslavich, took over the control of Novgorod Severskiy and probably gave Putivl to Igor. Before 1170, Igor married a daughter of prince Yaroslav Volodymyrkovych Osmomysl of Halych. Around June 1171, the

Cuman The Cumans (or Kumans), also known as Polovtsians or Polovtsy (plural only, from the Russian exonym ), were a Turkic nomadic people comprising the western branch of the Cuman–Kipchak confederation. After the Mongol invasion (1237), many sough ...

s renewed their raids along the Ros River and they attacked towns belonging to the Olgovichi (the ruling dynasty of Chernigov). Igor led a campaign against the invaders on June 29. After crossing the river Vorskla, he learnt that Khans Kobyak and Konchak were devastating districts around Pereyaslavl (now ''Pereiaslav'' in Ukraine); he crossed back over the river and rode to confront the raiders. On July 20, his ''

druzhina In the medieval history of Kievan Rus' and Early Poland, a druzhina, drużyna, or družyna ( Slovak and cz, družina; pl, drużyna; ; , ''druzhýna'' literally a "fellowship") was a retinue in service of a Slavic chieftain, also called ''knyaz ...

'' killed many of the nomads and took others captive. While returning from his victory, Igor visited the shrine of SS. Boris and Gleb in Vyshgorod (today ''Vyshhorod'' in Ukraine) to celebrate their feast. There he met with Roman I Rostislavich of Kiev (his brother-in-law) and his brothers on July 25. Their meeting was political in nature in that Igor would have pledged allegiance to the new ruler of Kiev.

Prince of Novgorod-Seversk

His half-brother, Oleg Sviatoslavich died on January 16, 1180; thus Igor left Putivl to succeed him in Novgorod Severskiy. Soon after Oleg Sviatoslavich's death, grand prince Sviatoslav III Vsevolodovich of Kiev summoned Igor and Igor's brother Vsevolod Svyatoslavich to

Lyubech Liubech ( uk, Любеч, russian: Любеч, pl, Lubecz) is an urban-type settlement, previously a small ancient town (first mentioned in 882) connected with many important events in the Principality of Chernigov since the times of Kievan Rus'. ...

and concluded an agreement. Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich's main objective in assembling the senior generation of Olgovichi was to secure Igor's allegiance. On September 8, Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich ordered Igor and prince Vsevolod III Yuryevich of Vladimir to lead the junior Olgovichi and Monomashichi against Vyshgorod that he was besieging; the nine-week siege of the town became a failure. At the beginning of 1181, Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich launched an expedition against Vsevolod Yuryevich in order to free from captivity his son Gleb Svyatoslavich (Prince of Chernigov). Before setting out, the grand prince commanded his son Yaroslav Svyatoslavich and Igor to remain behind and defend Chernigov against the Rostislavichi (the members of the ruling dynasty of

Smolensk Smolensk ( rus, Смоленск, p=smɐˈlʲensk, a=smolensk_ru.ogg) is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River, west-southwest of Moscow. First mentioned in 863, it is one of the oldest ...

). Later, Yaroslav Svyatoslavich and Igor waged war on the

Principality of Drutsk The Duchy of Drutsk ( be, Княства Друцкае) was a small appanage principality of the Polotsk principality and was centred in Drutsk. It was located on a three way stick between Vitebsk, Minsk and Mogilev regions in modern Belarus. T ...

whose prince Gleb Rogvoldovich formed a pact with prince David Rostislavich of Smolensk. Although David Rostislavich came to assist the prince of Drutsk, but Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich, who had expanded his authority over

Novgorod Veliky Novgorod ( rus, links=no, Великий Новгород, t=Great Newtown, p=vʲɪˈlʲikʲɪj ˈnovɡərət), also known as just Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the ...

, made David Rostislavich flee from the field of battle and forced Gleb Rogvoldovich to capitulate. From Drutsk, Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich traveled south to evict grand prince

Rurik Rostislavich Rurik Rostislavich (Russian and Ukrainian: Рюрик Ростиславич) (died 1215), Prince of Novgorod (1170–1171), Belgorod Kievsky (currently Bilohorodka; 1173–1194), Grand Prince of Kiev (Kyiv, 1173, 1180–1181, 1194–1201, 1203–1 ...

from the Kievan land. Meanwhile, Igor, accompanied by Khans Konchak and Kobyak, was waiting for him near Vyshgorod. After Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich occupied the capital, the Cumans asked him to let Igor accompany them to the Lake Dolobsk. When Ryurik Rostislavich learnt that Igor and the

nomad A nomad is a member of a community without fixed habitation who regularly moves to and from the same areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the po ...

s were encamped on the other side of the

Dnieper River } The Dnieper () or Dnipro (); , ; . is one of the major transboundary rivers of Europe, rising in the Valdai Hills near Smolensk, Russia, before flowing through Belarus and Ukraine to the Black Sea. It is the longest river of Ukraine an ...

, he sent troops to attack them. His troops defeated the Cumans; Igor and Khan Konchak, however, escaped by boat to Chernigov. It is likely that Igor and Khan Konchak formed a marriage alliance and arranged their children's engagement. When Khan Konchak with his

Donets The Seversky Donets () or Siverskyi Donets (), usually simply called the Donets, is a river on the south of the East European Plain. It originates in the Central Russian Upland, north of Belgorod, flows south-east through Ukraine (Kharkiv, D ...

Cumans pillaged the Pereyaslavl lands in February 1184, Sviatoslav Vsevolodovich sent his sons and his troops to Igor ordering him to pursue the tribesmen. Sviatoslav Vsevolodovich's co-ruler,

, for his part, sent his troops under the command of prince Vladimir Glebovich of Pereyaslavl. Igor was appointed to command all the troops of the Olgovichi, and he refused Vladimir Glebovich permission to spearhead the attack, because the vanguard contingent would get the first chance to grab the booty. Shortly afterwards, Vladimir Glebovich pillaged the Seversk towns of the Olgovichi and rode off in a huff; Igor also sent the Kievan troops home. Consequently, Igor went in pursuit of the Cumans with a greatly diminished force, including some Black Hats. Igor pursued the raiders, found them at the river Khiriya (a tributary of the Vorskla), and took many captive. On his way home, he probably attacked Vladimir Glebovich's town of Glebov (on the right bank of the

Trubizh River The Trubizh (, russian: Трубе́ж) is a river entirely located in Ukraine, a left tributary of Dnieper. It falls into the Dnieper's Kaniv Reservoir (named after Kaniv). It is long, and has a drainage basin of .Sula. But Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich rejected his proposal, and therefore Igor boycotted the expedition. However, on learning that Sviatoslav Vsevolodovich's troops had departed, he also summoned his relatives; his aim was to plunder Cuman camps while the nomads were preoccupied fighting Sviatoslav Vsevolodovich's forces. Anticipating no opposition, Igor was surprised to chance upon a Cuman raiding party of 400 strong around the river Merla (south of the Khiriya) which gave his men an opportunity to win glory in the battle. In 1184, Igor harbored Vladimir Yaroslavich (his brother-in-law) who had been driven out of Halych by his own father. When Khan Konchak attacked again Rus’ with a large force in 1185, Sviatoslav Vsevolodovich and Ryurik Rostislavich quickly assembled a force. The chronicler claims that Igor was also eager to attack him even against the advice of his '' druzhinniki'' and adverse weather conditions prevented his departure.

His campaign and its aftermath

Later, on April 13, 1185, Igor, with some other junior princes, undertook a daring raid against the nomads with the object of reaching the Lower Don area. After the princes joined forces at the

Oskol River The Oskil ( uk, Оскiл) or Oskol (russian: Оскол) is a south-flowing river in Russia and Ukraine. It arises roughly between Kursk and Voronezh and flows south to join the Seversky Donets which flows southeast to join the Don. It is long ...

, a band of Cumans spotted them and sent horsemen to warn the neighboring camps. When Igor arrived at the river Salnitsa, his scouts informed him that they had spotted the enemy in battle array. They advised him either to attack quickly before the Cuman band received reinforcements or to withdraw. Igor and his relatives refused to return home, because, they argued, their peers would mock them for fearing to face death and heap shame upon them. As Igor's forces came to the river Syuurliy, the enemy archers shot a volley of

arrow An arrow is a fin-stabilized projectile launched by a bow. A typical arrow usually consists of a long, stiff, straight shaft with a weighty (and usually sharp and pointed) arrowhead attached to the front end, multiple fin-like stabilizers ...

s at them and withdrew. Igor and his brother prince Vsevolod Svyatoslavich of Trubetsk advanced in formation at a steady pace, but his nephew Svyatoslav Olgovich of Rylsk and his son Vladimir Igorevich set off in pursuit and defeated the nomads. After all the contingents had reassembled, Igor advised that they withdraw under the cover of darkness because they had seen how great a force the Cumans had already mustered. But Svyatoslav Olgovich pointed out that he had pursued the Cumans over a great distance and that his horses were too exhausted to set off immediately; therefore Igor ordered his troops to rest for the night. Igorsvyat

Alarmed at the audacity of the princes to come to their very lairs, the Donets Cumans sounded a general alarm; for three days enemy archers shot arrows at them without engaging them in battle. The princes’ only hope lay in reaching the river Donets; if they fled, however, it meant deserting the common soldiers, and therefore they rode against the enemy. The raid ended in catastrophe: the Cumans surrounded Igor's forces like an unyielding wall so that only fifteen of the Rus’ men escaped. Igor was seized by a Cuman called Chilbuk but later Khan Konchak assumed responsibility for his ''svat'' (his son-in-law's father) Igor who had been wounded. After learning of Igor's defeat Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich sent his two sons Vladimir and Oleg to the Poseme region (along the

Seym River The Seim (also transcribed as Seym and Sejm, in ; ) is a west-flowing river in Russia and Ukraine. Its length is (250 km within Ukraine) and its basin area about . It is the largest tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river t ...

) to serve as interim defenders of the Seversk towns. According to the chronicler, the Cumans assembled their entire nation to march against Rus’. But the ''

khan Khan may refer to: *Khan (inn), from Persian, a caravanserai or resting-place for a travelling caravan *Khan (surname), including a list of people with the name *Khan (title), a royal title for a ruler in Mongol and Turkic languages and used by ...

''s argued: Koza suggested that they should raid the towns of the defeated princes along the river Seym; Konchak proposed attacking the princes on the Kievan side. Because the ''khan''s obstinately stuck to their views, they split their horde into two. Koza attacked Putivl but failed to take it; nevertheless, he set fire to its outer town, pillaged the district, and razed surrounding villages. Meanwhile, Igor was spending his captivity in Konchak's camp. Although twenty Cumans were appointed to guard him, he was free to ride wherever he chose and to hunt with hawks. We are told that a Cuman offered to help him to escape; one day at dusk, he raised the

tent A tent () is a shelter consisting of sheets of fabric or other material draped over, attached to a frame of poles or a supporting rope. While smaller tents may be free-standing or attached to the ground, large tents are usually anchored using ...

flap and crawled out while the guards were entertaining themselves with games. After crossing over to the other side of the river Tor, Igor rode away. He traveled eleven days to the town

; from there he went to Novgorod Severskiy. We are not told when Igor escaped, but he could not have been in captivity for more than a few months; he probably fled in the late summer at the latest. After arriving in Novgorod Severskiy, Igor visited Yaroslav II Vsevolodovich (his cousin) in Chernigov and asked for military aid. Next, he went to Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich in Kiev, and he undoubtedly asked him to assist in collecting the

ransom Ransom is the practice of holding a prisoner or item to extort money or property to secure their release, or the sum of money involved in such a practice. When ransom means "payment", the word comes via Old French ''rançon'' from Latin ''re ...

s for the three captive princes. After leaving Svyatoslav, he visited Ryurik Rostislavich. Archaeological evidence suggests that after returning to Novgorod Severskiy, Igor reinforced the fortifications and founded new ones in the vicinity of Vyr.

Marriage alliances

In 1187, Igor reconciled his brother-in-law (Vladimir Yaroslavich) and father-in-law (prince Yaroslav Volodymyrkovych of Halych), and dispatched his son Svyatoslav Igorevich to escort Vladimir Yaroslavich home. In the autumn of 1188, his son Vladimir Igorevich returned home from captivity with Khan Konchak's daughter. On September 26, 1188, Igor and his family attended the festivities organized by Rurik Rostislavich to celebrate his son's wedding. During the same week, Rurik Rostislavich gave away his daughter to Igor's son Svyatoslav. In 1190, grand prince Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich married his grandson David Olgovich to Igor's daughter. Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich died during the last week of July 1194, and his death changed the order of seniority among the Olgovichi: his only brother, Yaroslav Vsevolodovich became the new senior prince of the dynasty, and Igor became the second in seniority in the family.

Prince of Chernigov

On an unspecified date in 1198, prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich died, and Igor succeeded him on the

throne A throne is the seat of state of a potentate or dignitary, especially the seat occupied by a sovereign on state occasions; or the seat occupied by a pope or bishop on ceremonial occasions. "Throne" in an abstract sense can also refer to the mon ...

of Chernigov. One of his first tasks was to renew the alliances that Yaroslav Vsevolodovich had concluded with Roman Mstislavich of Vladimir-in-Volhynia; he also endorsed the alliances Yaroslav Vsevolodovich had made with Vsevolod III Yuryevich of Vladimir and the Rostislavichi. The same year, his brother-in-law, prince Vladimir Yaroslavich of Halych died, and his death created a political vacuum. Although, the Olgovichi could argue that their marriage ties with his dynasty gave them the right to rule Halych, however, Roman Mstislavich was the quickest off the mark and he captured Halych. When he died, as the prince of Chernigov, Igor merited burial in the Cathedral of Holy Saviour.

In the arts

On his campaign against the Cumans, a heroic poem was written which is the peak of Russian Bylinas. As a matter of fact, scholars still argue as to whether the ''Lay of Igor’s Campaign'' is written in verse or in rhythmic

prose Prose is a form of written or spoken language that follows the natural flow of speech, uses a language's ordinary grammatical structures, or follows the conventions of formal academic writing. It differs from most traditional poetry, where the fo ...

; in either case, it is poetry at its height and its language is racy and powerful. Besides rhythm, the poetic elements of the Lay comprise an extremely rich imagery constructed primarily on parallels with nature, symbolism, poetic address, and lyric lamentation. In 1869,

Vladimir Stasov Vladimir Vasilievich Stasov (also Stassov; rus, Влади́мир Васи́льевич Ста́сов; 14 January Adoption_of_the_Gregorian_calendar#Adoption_in_Eastern_Europe.html" ;"title="/nowiki> O.S._2_January.html" ;"title="Adoption of ...

, a major literary figure of 19th-century

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

, suggested to

Alexander Borodin Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin ( rus, link=no, Александр Порфирьевич Бородин, Aleksandr Porfir’yevich Borodin , p=ɐlʲɪkˈsandr pɐrˈfʲi rʲjɪvʲɪtɕ bərɐˈdʲin, a=RU-Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin.ogg, ...

that an

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

might be written on the subject of the ''Lay of Igor’s Campaign''. Borodin began to write his '' Prince Igor'' but he left the opera unfinished at the time of his death nearly twenty years later. It fell to

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov . At the time, his name was spelled Николай Андреевичъ Римскій-Корсаковъ. la, Nicolaus Andreae filius Rimskij-Korsakov. The composer romanized his name as ''Nicolas Rimsk ...

and

Alexander Glazunov Alexander Konstantinovich Glazunov; ger, Glasunow (, 10 August 1865 – 21 March 1936) was a Russian composer, music teacher, and conductor of the late Russian Romantic period. He was director of the Saint Petersburg Conservatory between 190 ...

to finish the

orchestration Orchestration is the study or practice of writing music for an orchestra (or, more loosely, for any musical ensemble, such as a concert band) or of adapting music composed for another medium for an orchestra. Also called "instrumentation", orch ...

and prepare ''Prince Igor'' for publication and performance in 1890.

Marriage and children

''#before 1170:'' ''Unnamed'' (Evfrosinia)Basing their observations on the evidence of the ''Lay of Igor’s Campaign'', a number of historians have suggested that her name was Evfrosinia and that she may have been Igor’s second wife; on the other hand, the chronicles neither give Yaroslavna’s name nor suggest that she was Igor’s second wife; ''Dimnik, Martin op. cit. 121.'' Yaroslavna, the second daughter of prince Yaroslav Volodymyrkovych of Halych by his first wife Olga Yuryevna of Kiev *Prince Vladimir Igorevich of Halych (October 8, 1170 – 1211 or after) *''Unnamed'' Igorevna (1171/1173 – after 1196), wife of David Olegovich *Oleg Igorevich (end of 1174 – after 1183) died at an early age *Prince Svyatoslav III Igorevich of Vladimir-in-Volhynia (1176 – September, 1211) *Prince Roman II Igorevich of Halych (1177/1179 – September, 1211)

Ancestors

Footnotes

Sources

*Dimnik, Martin: ''The Dynasty of Chernigov - 1146-1246''; Cambridge University Press, 2003, Cambridge; . *Jellinek, George: ''History through the Opera Glass: From the Rise of Caesar to the Fall of Napoleon''; Proscenium Publishers Inc., 2000, New York; . *Vernadsky, George: ''Kievan Russia''; Yale University Press, 1948, New Haven and London; . *Zenkovsky, Serge A.: ''Medieval Russia’s Epics, Chronicles and Tales''; Penguin Group, 1974; .
Dimnik, Martin. Battle of Kayala River (1185).The Encyclopedia of War 2011Anatoly Vorony. In Search of the River Kayala. Day, Kiev. 12 December, 2000
{{DEFAULTSORT:Igor Svyatoslavich 1151 births 1200s deaths Olgovichi family Princes of Novgorod-Seversk Princes of Chernigov Eastern Orthodox monarchs The Tale of Igor's Campaign