Boris Vyacheslavich (died 1078) was

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 ...

for eight days in 1077. He was the son of Vyacheslav Yaroslavich,

Prince of Smolensk The Prince of Smolensk was the '' kniaz'', the ruler or sub-ruler, of the Rus' Principality of Smolensk, a lordship based on the city of Smolensk. It passed between different groups of descendants of Grand Prince Iaroslav I of Kiev until 1125, wh ...

. Following his father's death in 1057, the child Boris was debarred from his inheritance. He died fighting against his uncles Vsevolod Yaroslavich, Prince of Chernigov and Izyaslav Yaroslavich,

Grand Prince of Kiev The Grand Prince of Kiev (sometimes also Grand Duke) was the title of the monarch of Kievan Rus', residing in Kiev (modern Kyiv) from the 10th to 13th centuries. In the 13th century, Kiev became an appanage principality first of the grand prin ...

on 3 October 1078.

Early life

Boris was the son of Vyacheslav Yaroslavich,

, a younger son of

Yaroslav the Wise Yaroslav I Vladimirovich ( 978 – 20 February 1054), better known as Yaroslav the Wise, was Grand Prince of Kiev from 1019 until his death in 1054. He was also earlier Prince of Novgorod from 1010 to 1034 and Prince of Rostov from 987 to 1010, ...

. According to the historian Martin Dimnik, Boris was a child when his father died in 1057. Boris became an ''

izgoi Izgoi is a term that is found in medieval Kievan Rus'. In primary documents, it indicated orphans who were protected by the church. In historiographic writing on the period, the term was meant as a prince in Kievan Rus' who was excluded from succe ...

''a member of the

Rurik dynasty The Rurik dynasty, also known as the Rurikid or Riurikid dynasty, as well as simply Rurikids or Riurikids, was a noble lineage allegedly founded by the Varangian prince Rurik, who, according to tradition, established himself at Novgorod in the ...

debarred from rulingafter his father's death, because his uncle, Igor Yaroslavich succeeded his father in Smolensk. Boris's allegedly close relationship with his cousins, Oleg Svyatoslavich and Roman Svyatoslavich implies that their father, Sviatoslav Iaroslavich,

appeased Boris "in some manner, undoubtedly, by giving him a town", according to Martin.

In Chernigov

Upon the death of Sviatoslav Yaroslavich in 1077, his brothers Vsevolod Yaroslavich and Izyaslav Yaroslavich started a bitter rivalry over the

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, ...

an throne. Vsevolod left

Chernigov Chernihiv (, ; , ) is a city and municipality in northern Ukraine, which serves as the administrative center of Chernihiv Oblast and Chernihiv Raion within the oblast. Chernihiv's population is The city was designated as a Hero City of Ukrain ...

and headed towards Izyaslav, who had set out on a military campaign against Kiev. Boris took advantage of his uncle's absence and seized control of Chernigov. He only managed to remain in power for eight days and then had to flee to Tmutarakan upon hearing the news of Vsevolod's return.

In Tmutarakan

Tmutarakan Tmutarakan (, ; ) was a medieval principality of Kievan Rus' and trading town that controlled the Cimmerian Bosporus, the passage from the Black Sea to the Sea of Azov, between the late 10th and 11th centuries. Its site was the ancient Greek col ...

, Boris was accepted by his cousin, Prince Roman Svyatoslavich. The two were soon joined by Roman's brother, Oleg, who had been banished by his uncles from the Principality of Vladimir. Boris and Oleg allied themselves with the

Cumans The Cumans or Kumans were a Turkic people, Turkic nomadic people from Central Asia comprising the western branch of the Cumania, Cuman–Kipchak confederation who spoke the Cuman language. They are referred to as Polovtsians (''Polovtsy'') in Ru ...

and attacked Vsevolod on the

Sozh River The Sozh (, ; ; ) is a river flowing in Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine. It is a left bank tributary of the Dnieper. The Sozh passes through Gomel, the second largest city in Belarus. The river is crossed by the Sozh Floating Bridge at Karma, Kar ...

, defeating his army in a bloody battle and capturing Chernigov on 25 August 1078. Soon, Vsevolod and Izyaslav were able to muster a new army with the help of their sons and headed for Chernigov. Boris and Oleg had already left the city by the time Vsevolod and Izyaslav approached it, but the citizens of Chernigov closed the gates and prepared for the siege. The attackers burned the outer parts of the city and wanted to proceed further, but received the news on Oleg and Boris coming to Chernigov's rescue. Oleg tried to convince his cousin Boris not to seek direct confrontation with the four princes, but Boris decided to take them on. Boris died in a fierce battle "at a place near a village on the meadow of Nezhata"''Primary Chronicle'' (year 6586), p. 166. on 3 October, according to the ''

Primary Chronicle The ''Primary Chronicle'', shortened from the common ''Russian Primary Chronicle'' (, commonly transcribed ''Povest' vremennykh let'' (PVL), ), is a Rus' chronicle, chronicle of Kievan Rus' from about 850 to 1110. It is believed to have been or ...

''.

Notes

References

Sources

* * *''The Russian Primary Chronicle: Laurentian Text'' (Translated and edited by Samuel Hazzard Cross and Olgerd P. Sherbowitz-Wetzor) (1953). Medieval Academy of America. .

External links

Profile at hrono.ru
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vyacheslavich, Boris 1078 deaths Military personnel killed in action 11th-century princes from Kievan Rus' Princes of Chernigov Family of Vladimir the Great Year of birth unknown