Boris Vyacheslavich (russian: Борис Вячеславич) was

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

for eight days in 1077. He was the son of

Vyacheslav Yaroslavich Vyacheslav Yaroslavich or Viacheslav Yaroslavich was the Prince of Smolensk from 1054 until his death in 1059. He was son of Yaroslav the Wise and Ingegerd Olofsdotter of Sweden. About Vyacheslav, there is almost no information. Some documents ...

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, when ...

. 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 grand duke) was the title of the ruler of Kiev and the ruler of Kievan Rus' from the 10th to 13th centuries. In the 13th century, Kiev became an appanage principality first of the grand prince of Vladimir and ...

on 3 October 1078.

Early life

Boris was the son of

, a younger son of

Yaroslav the Wise Yaroslav the Wise or Yaroslav I Vladimirovich; russian: Ярослав Мудрый, ; uk, Ярослав Мудрий; non, Jarizleifr Valdamarsson; la, Iaroslaus Sapiens () was the Grand Prince of Kiev from 1019 until his death. He was al ...

. 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 ( be, Ру́рыкавічы, Rúrykavichy; russian: Рю́риковичи, Ryúrikovichi, ; uk, Рю́риковичі, Riúrykovychi, ; literally "sons/scions of Rurik"), also known as the Rurikid dynasty or Rurikids, was ...

debarred from rulingafter his father's death, because his uncle,

Igor Yaroslavich Igor Yaroslavich was one of the younger sons of Yaroslav the Wise from the Rurikid dynasty of Kievan Rus’. He was baptized as George. The date of his birth is unsure. Some historians consider him to be born in 1034–35, while others think th ...

succeeded his father in Smolensk. Boris's allegedly close relationship with his cousins, Oleg Svyatoslavich and

Roman Svyatoslavich Roman Svyatoslavich or Roman the Handsome ( 1052 – 2 August 1079) was prince of Tmutarakan in Kievan Rus'. The starting year of his reign is uncertain, but he reigned his principality from around 1073 or 1077. His former allies, the Cumans k ...

implies that their father, Sviatoslav Iaroslavich,

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

In Chernigov

Principalities of Kievan Rus' (1054-1132)

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

Chernigov Chernihiv ( uk, Черні́гів, , russian: Черни́гов, ; pl, Czernihów, ; la, Czernihovia), is a city and municipality in northern Ukraine, which serves as the administrative center of Chernihiv Oblast and Chernihiv Raion within t ...

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

In Tmutarakan, 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), also known as Polovtsians or Polovtsy (plural only, from the Russian exonym ), were a Turkic nomadic people comprising the western branch of the Cuman–Kipchak confederation. After the Mongol invasion (1237), many so ...

and attacked Vsevolod on the

Sozh River The Sozh, or Sož ( be, Сож, ; russian: Сож, uk, Сож) is an international 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. T ...

, 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"''Russian Primary Chronicle'' (year 6586), p. 166. on 3 October, according to the ''Russian Primary Chronicle''.

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 in Kievan Rus' Princes of Chernigov Rurikids Rurik dynasty Year of birth unknown