Mstislav Vladimirovich (died ) was the earliest attested prince of

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 ...

and

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 ...

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 ...

. He was a younger son of

Vladimir the Great Vladimir I Sviatoslavich or Volodymyr I Sviatoslavych (; Christian name: ''Basil''; 15 July 1015), given the epithet "the Great", was Prince of Novgorod from 970 and Grand Prince of Kiev from 978 until his death in 1015. The Eastern Orthodox ...

, the

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 ...

. His father appointed him to rule Tmutarakan, an important fortress by the

Strait of Kerch The Kerch Strait is a strait in Eastern Europe. It connects the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, separating the Kerch Peninsula of Crimea in the west from the Taman Peninsula of Russia's Krasnodar Krai in the east. The strait is to wide and u ...

, in or after 988. He invaded the core territories of Kievan Rus', which were ruled by his brother,

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, ...

, in 1024. Although Mstislav could not take Kiev, he forced the East Slavic tribes dwelling to the east of the

Dniester River 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 ...

to accept his suzerainty. Yaroslav the Wise also accepted the division of Kievan Rus' along the river after Mstislav had defeated him in a battle fought at Listven by

. Mstislav transferred his seat to the latter town, and became the first ruler of the principality emerging around it.

Early years

Mstislav was one of the many sons of

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 ...

. His exact position in Vladimir's family is disputed, because Vladimir, who had seven wives and many concubines before his conversion, fathered two sons called Mstislav, 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 ...

''. One of them was born to

Rogneda of Polotsk Rogneda Rogvolodovna (; Christian name: ''Anastasia''; ), also known as Ragnhild (Ragnheiðr), is a person mentioned in the ''Primary Chronicle'' as having been a princess of Polotsk, the daughter of Rogvolod (Ragnvald), who came from Scandinav ...

, who had been forced to be the first wife of Vladimir in the late 970s. The second Mstislav was born to a

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus *Czech (surnam ...

woman. Historians debate whether the future prince of Tmutarakan and Chernihiv was the son of Rogneda or Vladimir's Czech wife: the first option is preferred by

George Vernadsky George Vernadsky (; August 20, 1887 – June 12, 1973) was a Russian-born American historian and an author of numerous books on Russian history. European years Born in Saint Petersburg on August 20, 1887, Vernadsky stemmed from a respectable ...

, the second by Janet Martin.

Prince of Tmutarakan

Vladimir the Great administered large portions of Kievan Rus' through his sons by placing them in towns in the borderlands. The ''Primary Chronicle'' narrates, under the year 988, that Mstislav became the prince of

after the death of one of his brothers, Vysheslav of Novgorod. Vernadsky writes that Mstislav, as ruler of Tmutarakan, assumed the title of ''

khagan Khagan or Qaghan (Middle Mongol:; or ''Khagan''; ) or zh, c=大汗, p=Dàhán; ''Khāqān'', alternatively spelled Kağan, Kagan, Khaghan, Kaghan, Khakan, Khakhan, Khaqan, Xagahn, Qaghan, Chagan, Қан, or Kha'an is a title of empire, im ...

''. Tmutarakan was an important town controlling the

between the

Sea of Azov The Sea of Azov is an inland Continental shelf#Shelf seas, shelf sea in Eastern Europe connected to the Black Sea by the narrow (about ) Strait of Kerch, and sometimes regarded as a northern extension of the Black Sea. The sea is bounded by Ru ...

and the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...

. It was separated from other parts of the Kievan Rus' by the

steppes In physical geography, a steppe () is an ecoregion characterized by grassland plains without closed forests except near rivers and lakes. Steppe biomes may include: * the montane grasslands and shrublands biome * the tropical and subtropical gr ...

. Under Mstislav, who was the first known prince of Tmutarakan, the town developed into an important emporium for traders from the Kievan Rus' and the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

. Vladimir the Great died in 1014 while preparing a campaign against his rebellious son, Izyaslav. Mstislav remained neutral during the civil war which followed his father's death and ended with the victory of his brother,

in 1019. The Byzantine chronicler

John Skylitzes John Skylitzes, commonly Latinized as Ioannes Scylitzes (, ; , ; early 1040s – after 1101), was a Byzantine historian of the late 11th century. Life Very little is known about his life. The title of his work records him as a '' kouropalat ...

writes of one " Sphengos, the brother of Vladimir" who assisted the imperial fleet in attacking "

Khazaria The Khazars ; 突厥可薩 ''Tūjué Kěsà'', () were a nomadic Turkic people who, in the late 6th century CE, established a major commercial empire covering the southeastern section of modern European Russia, southern Ukraine, Crimea, an ...

" in 1016. According to the historians Simon Franklin and Jonathan Shepard, this Sphengoswhose name seems to be the Greek variant of the

Varangian The Varangians ( ; ; ; , or )Varangian
," Online Etymology Dictionary were

Svein or Sveinki namescould well have been identical with Mstislav. In 1022, Mstislav killed Rededia, the prince of the Circassian tribe of the

Kassogians The Circassians or Circassian people, also called Cherkess or Adyghe ( Adyghe and ), are a Northwest Caucasian ethnic group and nation who originated in Circassia, a region and former country in the North Caucasus. As a consequence of the Ci ...

in a duel after violating the agreed upon rules in the duel. Rededia proposed a physical duel without the use of arms in order to spare the possibility of more war and death for the Kassogians who were already in a semi-permanent state of war. Mstislav agreed and the duel began: Rededia immediately asserted his dominance and defeated Mstislav. Caught unaware, Mstislav unsheathed a concealed dagger and betrayed Rededia and the honour of the duel by stabbing him. Rededia later, in his dying breaths, insisted that his comrades not hold a blood vendetta to avoid further gruelling wars for the Kassogians who had already fought the Mongols previous to Mstislav's campaign. Rededia's legacy was immortalized by his fellow Kassogian bards and his name continues to live even in modern Circassian minstrels, poems and folk songs. According to the ''Primary Chronicle'', Mstislav seized Rededia's "wife and children" and "imposed tribute upon the Kasogians" after his victory. Many Kassogians joined Mstislav's ''

druzhina A druzhina is the Slavonic word for a retinue in service of a chieftain, also called a ''knyaz'' (prince). Kievan Rus' ''Druzhina'' was flexible both as a term and as an institution. At its core, it referred to the prince's permanent perso ...

'' or retinue. He had a church, dedicated to the

Holy Virgin Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under various titles such as virgin or queen, many of them mentioned in the Litany of Loret ...

, built in his seat in fulfillment of the oath he had taken before the duel.

Prince of Chernigov

In 1024, while Yaroslav the Wise was away from

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, ...

, Mstislav led his army, which included Kassogian and

Khazar The Khazars ; 突厥可薩 ''Tūjué Kěsà'', () were a nomadic Turkic people who, in the late 6th century CE, established a major commercial empire covering the southeastern section of modern European Russia, southern Ukraine, Crimea, an ...

troops, against the city. Although he could not enter the capital of Rus' because of the locals' opposition, he forced the

Severians The Severians, also Severyans, Siverians, or Siverianians (; ; ; ) were a tribe or tribal confederation of early East Slavs occupying areas to the east of the middle Dnieper River and southeast of the Danube River. They are mentioned by the Bav ...

an East Slavic tribe dwelling along the

Desna River The Desna ( Russian and ) is a river in Russia and Ukraine, a major left-tributary of the Dnieper. Its name in means "right hand". It has a length of , and its drainage basin covers .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 ...

, which was the second largest town in Kievan Rus'. Since no source mentions a local prince ruling in Chernigov before this event, historians regard Mstislav as the first ruler of the

Principality of Chernigov The Principality of Chernigov was one of the largest and most powerful states within Kievan Rus'. For a time the principality was the second most powerful after the Principality of Kiev. The principality was formed in the 10th century and maint ...

. He had the citadel expanded and the defensive works surrounding the suburb reinforced in his new seat.

Duumvirate

Yaroslav the Wise, who mustered

Varangian The Varangians ( ; ; ; , or )Varangian
," Online Etymology Dictionary were

Novgorod Veliky Novgorod ( ; , ; ), also known simply as Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the oldest cities in Russia, being first mentioned in the 9th century. The city lies along the V ...

, invaded Mstislav's domain in 1024. In the decisive battle, which was fought at Listven near Chernihiv, Mstislav emerged the victor. Yaroslav the Wise surrendered all the territories to the east of the

Dnieper River 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 ...

to Mstislav. After this distribution of the lands of Kievan Rus' Mstislav ruled in his principality autonomously. He ordered the erection of a stone and masonry

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

, dedicated to the Transfiguration of the Holy Savior, in his capital in 1030 or 1031. Mstislav forced the

Alans The Alans () were an ancient and medieval Iranian peoples, Iranic Eurasian nomads, nomadic pastoral people who migrated to what is today North Caucasus – while some continued on to Europe and later North Africa. They are generally regarded ...

who dwelled along the lower course of the river Don to accept his suzerainty in 1029. He closely cooperated with his brother in the last years of his life. Yaroslav and Mstislav jointly invaded

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 ...

and occupied the Cherven towns in 1031. The ''Primary Chronicle'' narrates that they "also captured many

Poles Pole or poles may refer to: People *Poles (people), another term for Polish people, from the country of Poland * Pole (surname), including a list of people with the name * Pole (musician) (Stefan Betke, born 1967), German electronic music artist ...

and distributed them as colonists in various districts."''Russian Primary Chronicle'' (year 6539), p. 136. Mstislav's only known son, Evstafy died in 1033. According to the ''Primary Chronicle'', Mstislav "fell sick and died"''Russian Primary Chronicle'' (year 6542–44), p. 136. on a hunting expedition between 1034 and 1036. He was buried in the Transfiguration of the Holy Savior Cathedral which had been by that time "built to a point higher than a man on horseback could reach with his hand". Because Mstislav had no surviving sons at the time of his death, his principality was united with his brother's realm.

Notes

References

Sources

Primary sources

*''John Skylitzes: A Synopsis of Byzantine History, 811–1057'' (Translated by John Wortley with Introductions by Jean-Claude Cheynet and Bernard Flusin and Notes by Jean-Claude Cheynet) (2010). Cambridge University Press. . *''The Russian Primary Chronicle: Laurentian Text'' (Translated and edited by Samuel Hazzard Cross and Olgerd P. Sherbowitz-Wetzor) (1953). Medieval Academy of America. .

Secondary sources

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mstislav Of Chernigov 970s births 1030s deaths Eastern Orthodox monarchs Princes of Chernigov Princes of Tmutarakan Children of Vladimir the Great Duellists