Mstislav II Svyatoslavich (c. 1168 – 31 May 1223)
was a
Rus' prince (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 ...
).
His
baptismal name
A Christian name, sometimes referred to as a baptismal name, is a religious personal name given on the occasion of a Christian baptism, though now most often assigned by parents at birth. In English-speaking cultures, a person's Christian name ...
was Panteleymon.
He was probably
prince of Kozelsk (1194–1223),
of
Novgorod-Seversk (1206–1219),
and
of Chernigov (1215/1220–1223).
He was killed in the
Battle of the Kalka River
The Battle of the Kalka River (russian: Битва на реке Калке; uk, Битва на річці Калка) was fought between the Mongol Empire, whose armies were led by Jebe and Subutai, and a coalition of several Rus' principalit ...
.
His life
He was the youngest son of Grand Prince
Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich of Kiev and
Maria Vasilkovna of Polotsk.
At the beginning of 1182, when his father and Prince
Vsevolod Yuryevich of Suzdalia concluded peace, the latter promised to give
his wife’s sister as wife to Mstislav.
Mstislav married Yasynya (whose Christian name was Marfa) at the beginning of 1183.
In the summer of 1184, his father launched a major campaign against the
Cumans
The Cumans (or Kumans), also known as Polovtsians or Polovtsy (plural only, from the Russian language, Russian Exonym and endonym, exonym ), were a Turkic people, Turkic nomadic people comprising the western branch of the Cuman–Kipchak confede ...
and summoned him.
In 1189, after
the Hungarians had occupied the principality of Halych, his father agreed to attack them with Prince
Rurik Rostislavich of Belgorod, and Mstislav rode with his father.
However, his father and Rurik Rostislavich failed to reach an agreement on the partition of the lands to be occupied, and thus they returned home.
In 1192, his father sent him and his elder brothers (Vladimir and
Vsevolod Svyatoslavich) to take part in the campaign of
Igor Svyatoslavich
Prince Igor Sviatoslavich the Brave or Ihor Sviatoslavych (Old East Slavic: Игорь Святъславичь, ''Igorĭ Svjatŭslavičĭ''; uk, Ігор Святославич, ''Ihor Svyatoslavych''; russian: Игорь Святослави ...
,
Prince of Novgorod-Seversk against the Cumans, but on seeing that they were outnumbered Igor Svyatoslavich resolutely ordered his troops to steal away under the cover of darkness.
His father died in the last week of July 1194 and his only brother,
Yaroslav II Vsevolodovich
Yaroslav II Vsevolodovich (Kiev, 1139–1198) was a Rus’ prince (a member of the Rurik dynasty). He was prince of Ropesk (c. 1146–1166), of Starodub (1166–1176), and of Chernigov (1176–1198).
His early life
He was the second son of princ ...
of Chernigov, became the senior prince of his dynasty; thus the genealogical reshuffle made Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich's sons (among them Mstislav) answerable to their uncle.
Mstislav probably inherited
Kozelsk
Kozelsk (russian: Козе́льск) is a town and the administrative center of Kozelsky District in Kaluga Oblast, Russia, located on the Zhizdra River (Oka's tributary), southwest of Kaluga, the administrative center of the oblast. Populatio ...
from his father who divided up the
Vyatichi lands among his several sons.
In 1196, when Mstislav’s brother-in-law, Vsevolod Yuryevich (accompanied by the
princes of Ryazan,
Murom
Murom ( rus, Муром, p=ˈmurəm; Old Norse: ''Moramar'') is a historical city in Vladimir Oblast, Russia, which sprawls along the left bank of the Oka River. Population:
History
In the 9th century AD, the city marked the easternmost settle ...
, and the Cumans) attacked the principality of Chernigov, his uncle ordered Mstislav to accompany him against Vsevolod Yuryevich.
Mstislav probably got the principality of Novgorod Seversk in the early summer of 1206, when its former ruler,
Vladimir Igorevich became the prince of Halych.
Shortly afterwards, his eldest brother, Vsevolod Svyatoslavich snatched
Kiev
Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...
from Rurik Rostislavich, and their brother,
Gleb Svyatoslavich
Gleb Svyatoslavich ( 1052 – 30 May 1078) was Prince of Tmutarakan and Novgorod of Kievan Rus'. He ruled Tmutarakan under the overall authority of his father Sviatoslav Iaroslavich, Prince of Chernigov. He was twice expelled from his princip ...
occupied Chernihiv.
Although, Mstislav was next in line for a major domain, his eldest brother bypassed him and gave
Pereyaslavl to his own son
Michael of Chernigov
Saint Michael of Chernigov (russian: Михаи́л Черни́говский, uk, Миха́йло Все́володович Чернігівський) or Mikhail Vsevolodovich (russian: Михаил Всеволодович, uk, Михай ...
.
Rurik Rostislavich, however, was determined to regain control of Kiev, and he expelled Vsevolod Svyatoslavich; but the latter refused to give up and marched against Kiev at the beginning of 1207.
His attacking force constituted his two brothers, Gleb and Mstislav with their sons.
But Rurik Rostislavich was prepared for the attack and successfully kept the besiegers outside the walls, and thus they pillaged around Kiev for three week but accomplished nothing and withdrew.
His brother, Gleb Svyatoslavich, prince of Chernigov was last mentioned under 1215, and Mstislav replaced him as senior prince.
Consequently, when in the winter of 1220, the
Lithuanians
Lithuanians ( lt, lietuviai) are a Baltic ethnic group. They are native to Lithuania, where they number around 2,378,118 people. Another million or two make up the Lithuanian diaspora, largely found in countries such as the United States, Uni ...
pillaged the lands of the Olgovichi (the ruling dynasty of Chernigov), Mstislav set out in pursuit from Chernihiv, caught the raiders, killed them all, and retrieved the plundered goods.
In 1221, Mstislav participated in the campaign Prince
Mstislav Mstislavich the Bold lead against
Halych
Halych ( uk, Га́лич ; ro, Halici; pl, Halicz; russian: Га́лич, Galich; german: Halytsch, ''Halitsch'' or ''Galitsch''; yi, העליטש) is a historic city on the Dniester River in western Ukraine. The city gave its name to the P ...
.
In the spring of 1223,
the Tatars (the Mongols) arrived on the frontiers of Rus’ and attacked the Cumans; the latter, unable to withstand the onslaught, fled to
Rus’ warning the princes.
Under the influence of Mstislav Mstislavich the Bold several of the Russian princes (among them Mstislav, and Grand Prince
Mstislav Romanovich of Kiev) agreed to cooperate with the Cumans against the
Mongols
The Mongols ( mn, Монголчууд, , , ; ; russian: Монголы) are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, Inner Mongolia in China and the Buryatia Republic of the Russian Federation. The Mongols are the principal membe ...
.
The first skirmish took place on the banks of the
Dnieper River
}
The Dnieper () or 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. It is the longest river of Ukraine and B ...
, and in this vanguard battle Mstislav Mstislavich succeeded in defeating a detachment of Mongol troops.
After their victory, the Russian armies crossed the river and marched through the
steppe
In physical geography, a steppe () is an ecoregion characterized by grassland plains without trees apart from those near rivers and lakes.
Steppe biomes may include:
* the montane grasslands and shrublands biome
* the temperate grasslands, ...
s for 8 days before they met the main Mongol force at the banks of the
Kalka River
Kalka is a town in the Panchkula district of Haryana, India. It is near Panchkula city. The name of the town is derived from the Hindu goddess Kali. It is situated in the foothills of the Himalayas and is a gateway to the neighbouring state o ...
.
There, without consultation with the princes of Kiev and Chernihiv, Mstislav Mstislavich the Bold and the Cumans attacked the Mongols.
The results were disastrous: their forces were disorganized, and a number of princes, including Mstislav and his son,
perished during the flight.
Their body was left to the mercy of prairie
scavenger
Scavengers are animals that consume dead organisms that have died from causes other than predation or have been killed by other predators. While scavenging generally refers to carnivores feeding on carrion, it is also a herbivorous feeding b ...
s.
Marriage and children
''#1183:'' Yasynya (Marfa), the sister of
Maria
Maria may refer to:
People
* Mary, mother of Jesus
* Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages
Place names Extraterrestrial
* 170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877
* Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, ...
, the wife of Prince
Vsevolod Yuryevich of Suzdalia
*Dmitry Mstislavich (c. 1185 – May 31, 1223)
[The Gustinskiy Chronicle calls him Prince Yury Mstislavich Nesvezhskiy, but the compiler conflated the phrase ''“Mstislav of Chernigov with his son, George Nesvezhskiy”'' to read as ''“Mstislav Svyatoslavich of Chernigov and his son George”''; ''Dimnik, Martin op. cit. p. 296.'']
*Andrey Mstislavich
*Ioann Mstislavich
*Gavriil Mstislavich
Ancestors
Footnotes
Sources
*Dimnik, Martin: ''The Dynasty of Chernigov - 1146-1246''; Cambridge University Press, 2003, Cambridge; .
*Vernadsky, George: ''Kievan Russia''; Yale University Press, 1948, New Haven and London; .
{{s-end
12th-century princes in Kievan Rus'
Olgovichi family
Princes of Chernigov
Eastern Orthodox monarchs
13th-century princes in Kievan Rus'
1223 deaths
Year of birth uncertain