The battle on the Alta River between the Russian princes, the sons of Yaroslav the Wise, and the Polovtsian army took place in 1068. There is not much information about this battle in the annals, but meanwhile it became one of the largest clashes during the Russian-Polovtsian confrontation. This battle should be seen as part of a long war between the young Old Russian state and the steppe world of the Polovtsians.
Backstory
The battle on the Alta River was the result of previous clashes between the Russian princes and the Polovtsians. Historians conditionally distinguish three stages of the struggle:
- 11th century;
- the reign of Vladimir Monomakh;
- second half of the 12th - early 13th century.
In the 11th century, instead of the Pechenegs, the territory of the Northern Black Sea region was settled by new steppe tribes, who from time to time carried out periodic raids on Russian lands. At the same time, they did not seek to conquer the young state, they limited themselves only to robbing the population of the principalities and taking people into captivity. Their number reached several hundred thousand people, while in the Old Russian state, according to scientists, about five and a half lived.million people. Nevertheless, despite such a difference in the number of people, the Polovtsy posed a serious threat to Russia. The first mention of these warlike nomadic tribes is contained in the Tale of Bygone Years under 1061, when they attacked the Pereyaslav lands, where one of the younger sons of Yaroslav the Wise reigned.
Background
The battle on the Alta River ended in the defeat of the Yaroslavichs. The reason for this failure should be sought in the historical conditions of the existence of the Old Russian state in the 11th century. If during the period of the struggle against the Pechenegs, the princes acted together, then at the time in question their forces were divided due to the onset of fragmentation.
The princely troops no longer represented, as before, a single military force, the boyars could freely move from one ruler to another, and each of them felt like a full-fledged master on his land. Nevertheless, the battle on the Alta River demonstrated the possibility of uniting forces in the face of a common threat. Three princes - Izyaslav of Kyiv, Svyatoslav of Chernigov and Vsevolod Pereyaslavsky - united to fight a common enemy. However, not all princes acted unanimously. So, they captured their brother Vseslav of Polotsk and held him hostage in the capital.
Fight and aftermath
The Battle of the Alta River took place in September 1068. At the head of the Polovtsian army was Khan Sharukan, nicknamed the Old. The battle ended with the defeat of the Russian troops, the princes fled from the battlefield, and the Polovtsy began to rob the outskirts of Kyiv, which caused displeasure of the inhabitants. The princes refusedorganize a new campaign against the enemies, and then an uprising began in the city. Izyaslav Yaroslavich himself fled to Poland to King Boleslav II, who sent an army to help him.
The second prince, Svyatoslav, with a small squad went out to meet the enemy and defeated his superior forces. This happened in November 1068, not far from the city of Snovska. The Novgorod first chronicle of the younger edition even reports that Khan Sharukan himself was captured by the Russian squad. However, this information is not considered completely accurate, since the Tale of Bygone Years, telling about these events, does not name the captive khan. One way or another, the Polovtsian threat was eliminated for a long time, although in the 70s of the 11th century a small skirmish took place between them and the Russian squad. In addition, we must not forget that the Polovtsian rulers from time to time intervened in internecine wars between Russian princes, sometimes even becoming their allies.
Results
The battle on the Alta River between the Yaroslavich brothers and the Polovtsians is known not only for the battle itself, but also for the serious political consequences that it had for the history of the Old Russian state.
After the refusal of the princes to organize a new campaign against the Polovtsians, the inhabitants of Kyiv raised an uprising, freed Vseslav of Polotsk and demanded to defend the city. The unrest spread to other areas, swept a number of villages, and in some of them the dissatisfied were led by the Magi. The population of Kyivheld power for seven months. Izyaslav regained power with the help of Polish forces, Vseslav Polotsky fled the city.
Measures of princes
The battle on the Alta River with the Polovtsy led to a serious internal political crisis. After the uprising was suppressed, and Izyaslav again sat down to reign in Kyiv, he, together with his brothers, published a collection of laws, which was called “The Truth of the Yaroslavichs.”
The resolutions of the brothers concerned primarily the protection of princely, feudal and boyar property, from which we can conclude that the Polovtsian invasion led to serious clashes between the upper and lower strata of society. So, the battle on the Alta River with the Polovtsy took place at a time when social contradictions in the Old Russian state escalated.
