David Rostislavich (
Cyrillic
The Cyrillic script ( ) is a writing system used for various languages across Eurasia. It is the designated national script in various Slavic, Turkic, Mongolic, Uralic, Caucasian and Iranic-speaking countries in Southeastern Europe, Ea ...
: Давыд Ростиславич) (1140 - 23 April 1197),
Prince
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...
of
Smolensk
Smolensk 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 cities in Russia. It has been a regional capital for most of ...
(1180–1198) was fourth son of
Rostislav Mstislavich,
Velikiy Kniaz
Grand prince or great prince (feminine: grand princess or great princess) (; ; ; ; ) is a hereditary title, used either by certain monarchs or by members of certain monarchs' families.
Grand duke is the usual and established, though not litera ...
(
Grand Prince
Grand prince or great prince (feminine: grand princess or great princess) (; ; ; ; ) is a hereditary title, used either by certain monarchs or by members of certain monarchs' families.
Grand duke is the usual and established, though not litera ...
) of
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, ...
.
Biography
David was born in Smolensk in 1140, in the family of
Rostislav Mstislavich,
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 ...
. Since 1167, David ruled in
Vyshhorod
Vyshhorod (, ; ) is a city in Kyiv Oblast, central Ukraine, situated immediately north of the capital Kyiv, and part of the Kyiv metropolitan area. It is on the right (western) bank of the Dnieper river and, as the location of the Kyiv Hydro ...
. In 1171, David attempted to put
Vladimir III Mstislavich
Vladimir III Mstislavich (1132–1171) was a prince of Dorogobuzh (1150–1154; 1170–1171), Vladimir and Volyn (1154–1157), Slutsk (1162), Trypillia (1162–1168) and Grand Prince of Kiev (1171). He was the son of Mstislav I Vladimirovich. ...
on the throne of the
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 ...
, and in the following year, did the same for his brother
Rurik Rostislavich
Rurik Rostislavich, also spelt Riurik, ({{circa, 1140 - 19 April 1212{{efn, Other sources state the date of Rurik's death as 1211,1214 or 1215) was Prince of Novgorod (1170–1171), Belgorod (1173–1194), Grand Prince of Kiev (1173;{{sfn, Mar ...
. In 1175, together with Prince Oleg Svyatoslavich, he fough in Chernigov, and in 1176, David was defeated by
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 ...
in the battle near Rostovets, which is mentioned in
The Tale of Igor's Campaign
''The Tale of Igor's Campaign'' or ''The Tale of Ihor's Campaign'' () is an anonymous epic poem written in the Old East Slavic language.
The title is occasionally translated as ''The Tale of the Campaign of Igor'', ''The Song of Igor's Campaign'' ...
.
Sources
The Chronicle of NovgorodPDF file
1197 deaths
Princes of Smolensk
12th-century princes from Kievan Rus'
Eastern Orthodox monarchs
1140 births
Davyd
{{East-Slavic-hist-stub