Evpaty Kolovrat ( rus, Евпатий Коловрат, Yevpatiy Kolovrat, ; c.1200 – 1238) is a Russian

bogatyr A bogatyr ( rus, богатырь, p=bəɡɐˈtɨrʲ, a=Ru-богатырь.ogg) or vityaz ( rus, витязь, p=ˈvʲitʲɪsʲ) is a stock character in medieval East Slavic legends, akin to a Western European knight-errant. Bogatyrs appear ma ...

described in ''

The Tale of the Destruction of Ryazan ''The Tale of the Destruction of Riazan'' (russian: Повесть о разорении Рязани Батыем) is an early Russian work about the capture of the city of Ryazan by the Mongols in 1237. Historical background Before the events ...

''. According to the tale he died while fighting the vastly superior army of the Mongol ruler

Batu Khan Batu Khan ( – 1255),, ''Bat haan'', tt-Cyrl, Бату хан; ; russian: хан Баты́й was a Mongol ruler and founder of the Golden Horde, a constituent of the Mongol Empire. Batu was a son of Jochi, thus a grandson of Genghis Khan. ...

, trying to avenge the destruction of Ryazan a few weeks earlier.

Appearance in the ''Tale''

Kolovrat was visiting

Chernigov Chernihiv ( uk, Черні́гів, , russian: Черни́гов, ; pl, Czernihów, ; la, Czernihovia), is a List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in northern Ukraine, which serves as the administrative ...

at the time of the

Siege of Ryazan Ryazan, capital of the Principality of Ryazan, was the first Russian city to be besieged by the Mongol invaders under Batu Khan. Prelude In the autumn of 1237 the Mongol Horde led by Batu Khan invaded the Rus' principality of Ryazan. The Pr ...

, 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 1700 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.

Legacy

The bravery and strength of Kolovrat were praised in the Russian literature, art and media by *

Nikolay Yazykov Nikolay Mikhailovich Yazykov (russian: Никола́й Миха́йлович Язы́ков, March 4, 1803, Simbirsk, Russian Empire – December 26, 1846, Moscow, Russian Empire) was a Russian poet and Slavophile who in the 1820s rivalled Alex ...

in "Evpaty" (1824) *

Lev Mei Lev Aleksandrovich Mei (russian: Лев Алекса́ндрович Мей (name sometimes transliterated as Lev Mey); ) was a Russian dramatist and poet. Biography Mei was born on 13/25 February 1822, in Moscow. His father was a German officer wh ...

in the "Song about boyar Evpaty Kolovrat" (1859) *

Sergei Yesenin Sergei Alexandrovich Yesenin ( rus, Сергей Александрович Есенин, p=sʲɪrˈɡʲej ɐlʲɪkˈsandrəvʲɪtɕ jɪˈsʲenʲɪn; ( 1895 – 28 December 1925), sometimes spelled as Esenin, was a Russian lyric poet. He is one o ...

in ''The Tale of Evpaty Kolovrat'' (1912) *

Vasily Yan Vasily Yan (Russian: Васи́лий Ян; 23 December 1874 (4 January 1875), Kyiv, Russian Empire – August 5, 1954, Zvenigorod, Moscow Oblast) was a Russian writer, author of famous historic novels. Also spelled "Vassily Yan" (or "Ian") or jus ...

in Chapter 3 "Evpaty the Fierce" of the book ''Batu'' (1942) *'' Furious'' (Kolovrat) film of Ivan Shuvkhovetsky (2017) * ''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

{{Russia-stub Russian knights 1200 births 1238 deaths