The Bolokhovians, Bolokhoveni or Bolokhovens (; Old Slavic: Болоховци, Bolokhovtsy) were a 13th-century ethnic group that resided in the vicinity of the principalities of Galicia,

Volhynia Volhynia or Volynia ( ; see #Names and etymology, below) is a historic region in Central and Eastern Europe, between southeastern Poland, southwestern Belarus, and northwestern Ukraine. The borders of the region are not clearly defined, but in ...

and

Kiev Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

, in the territory known as the "" centered at the city of

Bolokhov Bolokhov was a city mentioned in the '' Kievan'' and '' Galician–Volhynian'' chronicles, which gave the name to the , but that has not yet been found or identified. The currently known chronicle texts, like other historical sources, do not allow ...

or Bolokhovo (not identified yet). Their ethnic identity is uncertain. Archeological evidence and the ''

Hypatian Chronicle The ''Hypatian Codex'', also known as Hypatian Letopis or Ipatiev Letopis, is a compendium of three Rus' chronicles: the ''Primary Chronicle'', ''Kievan Chronicle'' and '' Galician-Volhynian Chronicle''. It is the most important source of histori ...

'' (which is the only

primary source In the study of history as an academic discipline, a primary source (also called an original source) is an Artifact (archaeology), artifact, document, diary, manuscript, autobiography, recording, or any other source of information that was cre ...

that documents their history) suggest that they were a

Slavic people The Slavs or Slavic people are groups of people who speak Slavic languages. Slavs are geographically distributed throughout the northern parts of Eurasia; they predominantly inhabit Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Southeastern Europe, and N ...

. Romanian scholars, basing on an interpretation of the ethnonym, identify them as

Romanians Romanians (, ; dated Endonym and exonym, exonym ''Vlachs'') are a Romance languages, Romance-speaking ethnic group and nation native to Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. Sharing a Culture of Romania, ...

(who were called

Vlachs Vlach ( ), also Wallachian and many other variants, is a term and exonym used from the Middle Ages until the Modern Era to designate speakers of Eastern Romance languages living in Southeast Europe—south of the Danube (the Balkan peninsula ...

in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

). Their princes, or ''

knyaz A , also , ''knjaz'' or (), is a historical Slavs, Slavic title, used both as a royal and noble title in different times. It is usually translated into English language, English as 'prince', 'king' or 'duke', depending on specific historical c ...

es'', were in constant conflict with

Daniel Daniel commonly refers to: * Daniel (given name), a masculine given name and a surname * List of people named Daniel * List of people with surname Daniel * Daniel (biblical figure) * Book of Daniel, a biblical apocalypse, "an account of the acti ...

, the prince of Galicia–Volhynia, between 1231 and 1257. After the Mongols sacked Kiev in 1240, the Bolokhovians supplied them with troops, but the Bolokhovian princes fled to

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

. The Bolokhovians disappeared after Daniel defeated them in 1257.

Etymology

The ethnonym seems to be connected to the name ''

'', an early medieval settlement that the ''

''a source on the history of Kievan Rus'mentioned around 1150. According to historian

Victor Spinei Victor Spinei (born 26 October 1943 in Lozova, Lăpușna County, Moldova) is Emeritus Professor of history and archaeology at the Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, member and vice president of the Moldavian Academy. He is a specialist on the hist ...

, this town may have been the same town as ''Borokhov'', which was recorded by the same chronicle in 1172. Alternatively, Spinei suggests, ''Bolokhovo'' may be the same town as Bolechow (now Bolekhiv, Ukraine), which was mentioned as the "town called 'the Vlachs in a Polish charter from 1472. Romanian scholars suggest that the name "Bolokhoveni" may have derived from ''Voloch'', the East Slavic term for

, or

. If this theory is correct, the Bolokhoveni were Romanians living in the western regions of

Kievan Rus' Kievan Rus', also known as Kyivan Rus,. * was the first East Slavs, East Slavic state and later an amalgam of principalities in Eastern Europe from the late 9th to the mid-13th century.John Channon & Robert Hudson, ''Penguin Historical At ...

. However this theory is contradicted by archaeological evidence, which indicates that the Bolokhovian material culture resembled that of its contemporaries in the western parts of Kievan Rus'. Furthermore, it is documented that the Bolokhovian princes had family ties with ''

boyar A boyar or bolyar was a member of the highest rank of the feudal nobility in many Eastern European states, including Bulgaria, Kievan Rus' (and later Russia), Moldavia and Wallachia (and later Romania), Lithuania and among Baltic Germans. C ...

s'' of the

Principality of Galicia The Principality of Galicia (; ), also known as Principality of Halych or Principality of Halychian Rus, was a medieval East Slavic principality, and one of the main regional states within the political scope of Kievan Rus', established by mem ...

Geography

The ''Hypatian Chronicle'' refers to the "" once. Based on the chronicle, modern historians say that this land bordered the principalities of Galicia,

and

. Bozhskyy, along with other Bolokhovian towns mentioned in the chronicle, were situated along the Buzhok and Sluch rivers. According to the ''

Encyclopedia of Ukraine The ''Encyclopedia of Ukraine'' (), published from 1984 to 2001, is a fundamental work of Ukrainian Studies. Development The work was created under the auspices of the Shevchenko Scientific Society in Europe (Sarcelles, near Paris). As the ...

'', the Bolokhovians inhabited the region around the sources of the

Teteriv The Teteriv () is a right tributary of the Dnieper River in Ukraine. It has a length of and a drainage basin of . The Teteriv flows generally in northeastern direction through geographic regions of Podolian Upland, Dnieper Upland, and Polesia. T ...

, Boh,

Horyn The Horyn or Haryn (, ; , ; ; ) is a tributary of the Pripyat, which flows through Ukraine and Belarus. The Horyn is long, and has a drainage basin of .Sluch rivers. On the other hand, historian believes that the Bolokhovian Land was located between the

Dniester The Dniester ( ) is a transboundary river in Eastern Europe. It runs first through Ukraine and then through Moldova (from which it more or less separates the breakaway territory of Transnistria), finally discharging into the Black Sea on Uk ...

and

Dnieper The Dnieper or Dnepr ( ), also called 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. Approximately long, with ...

rivers. He also says that the Bolokhoveni were located southeast of the present-day town of Ushitsa ().

History

The ''Hypatian Chronicle'' first refers to "Bolokhovian princes" when documenting a war between Daniel Romanovich, the prince of Galicia–Volhynia, and the

Hungarians Hungarians, also known as Magyars, are an Ethnicity, ethnic group native to Hungary (), who share a common Culture of Hungary, culture, Hungarian language, language and History of Hungary, history. They also have a notable presence in former pa ...

in 1231. The Bolokhovian princes fought in alliance with the Hungarians. They supported a rebellion against Daniel Romanovich, and they besieged an important stronghold,

Kamianets-Podilskyi Kamianets-Podilskyi (, ; ) is a city on the Smotrych River in western Ukraine, western Ukraine, to the north-east of Chernivtsi. Formerly the administrative center of Khmelnytskyi Oblast, the city is now the administrative center of Kamianets ...

, in 1233 or 1235 and also in 1236. However, the princes were captured and brought to the court of Daniel Romanovich in

Vladimir Vladimir (, , pre-1918 orthography: ) is a masculine given name of Slavic origin, widespread throughout all Slavic nations in different forms and spellings. The earliest record of a person with the name is Vladimir of Bulgaria (). Etymology ...

. When

Mikhail Michael is a common masculine given name derived from the Hebrew phrase ''mī kāʼēl'', 'Who slike-El', in Aramaic: ܡܝܟܐܝܠ (''Mīkhāʼēl'' ). The theophoric name is often read as a rhetorical question – "Who slike he Hebrew Go ...

, the

prince of Chernigov The Prince of Chernigov () was the ''kniaz'', the ruler or sub-ruler, of the Rus' people, Rus' Principality of Chernigov, a lordship which lasted four centuries straddling what are now parts of Ukraine, Belarus and the Russian Federation. List of ...

, and Iziaslav, the

prince of Novgorod-Seversk Prince of Novgorod-Seversk was the ''kniaz'' , the ruler or sub-ruler, of the Principality of Novgorod-Seversk. It may have been created in 1139, the date of one modern authority, and is most famous for Igor Sviatoslavich, hero of the Old East Sla ...

, requested their release, they referred to Bolokhovian princes as their "brothers". After the

Mongols Mongols are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, China ( Inner Mongolia and other 11 autonomous territories), as well as the republics of Buryatia and Kalmykia in Russia. The Mongols are the principal member of the large family o ...

destroyed Kiev in 1240, the Mongols moving westward did not attack the "Bolokhovian Land". However, they did force the Bolokhovians to supply their army with crops. At the same time, the Bolokhovian princes fled to the

Duchy of Masovia The Duchy of Masovia was a District duchy, district principality and a fiefdom of the Kingdom of Poland (1025–1385), Kingdom of Poland, existing during the Middle Ages. The state was centered in Mazovia in the northeastern Kingdom of Poland, a ...

(now in Poland). They promised Duke

Bolesław I of Masovia Bolesław I of Masovia (; 1208 – ca. 25 February 1248), was Polish prince member of the Polish House of Piast, Duke of Sandomierz (only a part) during 1229–1232, Duke of Dobrzyń during 1233-1247 and Duke over whole Masovia during 1247–1248 ...

that they would accept his suzerainty, but the duke captured them. They were released after Daniil Romanovich and his brother,

Vasylko Romanovich Vasylko Romanovych (1199 or 1203–1269 or 1271) was Prince of Belz (1207–1269), Prince of Berestia (1231–1269), and Prince of Volhynia (1231–1269). He was the son of Roman the Great and Anna-Euphrosyne, and the younger brother of Daniel o ...

, promised to give Duke Bolesław I many gifts. The

Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus' The Mongol Empire invaded and conquered much of Kievan Rus' in the mid-13th century, sacking numerous cities such as Principality of Ryazan, Ryazan, Principality of Yaroslavl, Yaroslavl, Principality of Pereyaslavl, Pereyaslavl and Vladimi ...

did not end the conflicts among the local rulers. The Bolokhovian princes supported

Rostislav Mikhailovich Rostislav Mikhailovich (, Bulgarian language, Bulgarian and Ukrainian language, Ukrainian: Ростислав Михайлович) (after 1210 / c. 1225 – 1262) was a Rurikid prince and a dignitary in the Kingdom of Hungary. He was Novgorod R ...

when he besieged Bakota, a major town held by Daniel Romanovich's officials, in 1241. In revenge for the attack, Daniel Romanovich invaded and pillaged the Bolokhovian Land and destroyed their fortified towns. Archaeological research at Gubin and Kudin, two supposedly Bolokhovian towns, shows that the town walls were dug up by Daniil's army. However, no corpses or traces of fire were found, implying that Daniel took the towns' inhabitants to his own principality. Their defeat by Daniel's troops in 1257 was the last recorded event of the history of the Bolokhovians.

Notes

References

Sources

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