Evpaty Kolovrat (, ; – 1238) is a Russian
bogatyr
A bogatyr (, ; , ) or vityaz (, ; , ) is a stock character in medieval Bylina, East Slavic legends, akin to a Western European knight-errant. Bogatyrs appear mainly in Kievan Rus', Rus' epic poems—Bylina, ''bylinas''. Historically, they came i ...
described in ''
The Tale of the Destruction of Ryazan
''The Tale of the Destruction of Ryazan (by Batu)'' ( is a Russian literary work about the capture of the city of Ryazan by the Mongols in 1237. It is compiled from earlier manuscripts.
Historical background
Before the events described in the t ...
''. According to the tale, he died while fighting the vastly superior army of the Mongol ruler
Batu Khan
Batu Khan (–1255) was a Mongol ruler and founder of the Golden Horde, a constituent of the Mongol Empire established after Genghis Khan's demise. Batu was a son of Jochi, thus a grandson of Genghis Khan. His '' ulus'' ruled over the Kievan ...
, trying to avenge the
destruction of Ryazan a few weeks earlier.
[
]
Appearance in the ''Tale''
Kolovrat was visiting 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 ...
at the time of the Siege of Ryazan
The siege of Ryazan happened in Ryazan on December 1237 during the Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus'. Ryazan was the capital of the Principality of Ryazan, and was the first Kievan Rus' city to be besieged by the Mongol invaders under Genghis Khan ...
, which occurred between 16 and 21 December 1237. Learning about the tragedy, he rushed back home, only to find the city destroyed and most its inhabitants killed. He gathered 1,700 people from his soldiers and from the survivors of the siege and went after Batu Khan with a sole purpose of avenging the carnage. Kolovrat's forces suddenly attacked the rear-guard of Batu Khan's army and annihilated it in a fierce battle. Perplexed, Batu Khan sent out a much larger force, led by his relative Khostovrul. Khostovrul promised to capture Kolovrat alive, and accordingly challenged Kolovrat to a duel. A man of extraordinary strength, Kolovrat split his opponent in half with his sword and proceeded to kill the surrounding Mongols, splitting many of them down to the saddle. Khostovrul's remaining soldiers retreated and killed Kolovrat from a distance using stone launchers. In a sign of respect for Kolovrat's bravery, Batu Khan returned his body to his soldiers and let them return home.[ The bodies of the princes are brought back to ]Ryazan
Ryazan (, ; also Riazan) is the largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and administrative center of Ryazan Oblast, Russia. The city is located on the banks of the Oka River in Central Russia, southeast of Moscow. As of the 2010 C ...
by Yuri Ingvarevich and the tale ends with their burial.
Legacy
The bravery and strength of Kolovrat were praised in the Russian literature, art and media by
*Nikolay Yazykov
Nikolay Mikhailovich Yazykov (; – ) was a Russian poet and Slavophile who in the 1820s rivalled Alexander Pushkin and Yevgeny Baratynsky as the most popular poet of his generation.
Biography
Yazykov was born in Simbirsk to an old family of ...
in "Evpaty" (1824)
*Lev Mei
Lev Aleksandrovich Mei or Mey (; ) was a Russian dramatist and poet.
Biography
Mei was born on 13/25 February 1822, in Moscow. His father was a German officer who was wounded in the Battle of Borodino and died young. His mother was Russian. Mei c ...
in the "Song about boyar Evpaty Kolovrat" (1859)[
*]Sergei Yesenin
Sergei Alexandrovich Yesenin (, ; 1895 – 28 December 1925), sometimes spelled as Esenin, was a Russian lyric poet. He is one of the most popular and well-known Russian poets of the 20th century. One of his narratives was "lyrical evocations ...
in ''The Tale of Evpaty Kolovrat'' (1912)
*Vasily Yan
Vasily Yan (; , Kiev, Russian Empire – August 5, 1954, Zvenigorod, Moscow Oblast), also spelled "Vassily Yan" (or "Ian") or just "V. Yan", was the pen name of Vasily Grigoryevich Yanchevetsky (), a Russian and Soviet writer, author of famous his ...
in Chapter 3 "Evpaty the Fierce" of the book ''Batu'' (1942)
*Sergei Golitsyn
Sergei Mikhailovich Golitsyn (; – 7 November 1989) was a Russian writer.
Biography
Golitsyn was born on 14 March 1909 at an estate in the Tula guberniya. His father was prince Mikhail Vladimirovich Golitsyn (1873–1942), a member of the ...
in "The legend of Evpaty Kolovrat" (1984)
*'' Furious'' (Legend of Kolovrat) film of Ivan Shuvkhovetsky and Dzhanik Fayziev
Dzhanik Habibullaevich Fayziev (, born July 30, 1961) is an Uzbek and Russian film director, director, film producer, producer and screenwriter. He specializes in Historical film, historical Adventure film, adventure movies. Most notably, he dire ...
(2017). He is played by Russian actor Ilya Malakov.
* ''Evpatiy Kolovrat'', an icebreaker for the Russian Navy
The tale of Kolovrat is depicted in the 1985 Soviet short animated film ''The Tale of Evpaty Kolovrat'' and is being produced as a full-length movie.[
]
References
{{reflist, refs=
['']The Tale of the Destruction of Riazan
''The Tale of the Destruction of Ryazan (by Batu)'' ( is a Russian literary work about the capture of the city of Ryazan by the Mongols in 1237. It is compiled from earlier manuscripts.
Historical background
Before the events described in the t ...
'
translation into contemporary Russian
at pushkinskijdom.ru
lib.ru
rzn.info. 29 January 2016