One of the most controversial and mysterious personalities of the decline of the Old Russian state was Prince Mstislav Udaloy. He was distinguished by unprecedented courage, fighting the enemies of Russia, but quite often used his skills in internecine strife. It will be very interesting for the modern generation of people to get acquainted with the biography of such an outstanding personality as Mstislav Udaloy. A brief biography of this prince will be the subject of our study.
Origin of nickname
The original nickname of Prince Mstislav was Udatny, which means "lucky" in Old Russian. But due to misinterpretation, the translation of "Udaloy" became generally accepted. It was under this nickname that the prince got into the pages of most history textbooks.
We will not change the generally accepted tradition either.
Birth
The date of birth of Mstislav Udaly remains a mystery to historians. There is no doubt only that he was born within the second half of the XII century and was named Fedor in baptism. He was the son of the Novgorod prince Mstislav Rostislavovich the Brave from the Smolensk branchMonomakhovichi. The origin of Mstislav Udaly's mother is controversial. According to one version, she was the daughter of Yaroslav Osmomysl, who reigned in Galich, according to another, the Ryazan prince Gleb Rostislavovich.
The place of Mstislav Udaly among the sons of Mstislav Rostislavovich is also ambiguous. Some researchers consider him the eldest son, others - the youngest, moreover, born after the death of his father. In the latter case, the year of his birth may be 1180.
Early references
The first mention of Mstislav Udal in chronicles dates back to 1193. It was then that he, while still the Prince of Tripolsky, took part in the campaign against the Polovtsy, along with his cousin Rostislav Rurikovich.
In 1196, Rostislav's father, Prince of Kyiv Rurik Rostislavovich, sends Mstislav the Udaly to help Vladimir Yaroslavovich Galitsky, who opposed Roman Mstislavovich Volynsky. In 1203, already as Prince Torchesky, young Mstislav Udaloy again made a campaign against the Polovtsians. But in 1207, he was driven out of Torchesk by the troops of Vsevolod Svyatoslavovich Chermny, a representative of the Olgovichi line, when he made a successful campaign against Kyiv, which at that time was controlled by Rurik Rostislavovich.
After that, Mstislav Mstislavovich Udaloy fled to the Principality of Smolensk, where he received from his relatives a fiefdom in Toropets. Since then, he has become known as Prince Toropetsky.
Novgorod reign
Remaining Prince of Toropetsk, in 1209Mstislav Udaloy was invited by the Novgorod veche to reign in their lands. His father was also a prince of Novgorod in his time. Prince Svyatoslav, the son of the Great Vladimir Prince Vsevolod the Big Nest, who until then ruled in Novgorod, was deposed by the Novgorodians themselves. Replaced by Mstislav Udaloy. The years of the reign of this prince in Novgorod were marked by a special confrontation with the Vladimir-Suzdal principality.
In 1212, Mstislav made a successful campaign at the head of the Novgorod army against the pagan tribe of Chud.
Trip to Chernigov
Realizing that he himself could not cope with the Prince of Kyiv, Mstislav Romanovich Smolensky asked for help from his cousin - Mstislav Udaly. He immediately responded.
The united army of Novgorodians and Smolensk began to ruin the Chernihiv land, which, by right of patrimony, belonged to Vsevolod Chermny. This forced the latter to leave Kyiv and accept the reign in Chernigov. Thus, the capital city of Russia was captured without a fight by Mstislav Udaly, who put Ingvar Yaroslavovich Lutsky on a temporary reign. But after the conclusion of peace with Vsevolod Chermny, Mstislav Romanovich Smolensky became the Grand Duke of Kyiv, laternicknamed Old.
Participation in civil strife
Meanwhile, after the death of Vsevolod the Big Nest in North-Eastern Russia, a major internecine war broke out (between his heirs) for the possession of the Vladimir-Suzdal principality. Mstislav Udaloy supported the eldest son of Vsevolod of Rostov, Prince Konstantin, in this struggle. At the same time, according to the will left by Vsevolod the Great Nest, the principality was to be inherited by his son Yuri, who was supported by his brother Yaroslav Vsevolodovich, at the same time claiming the Novgorod principality.
In 1215, when Mstislav the Udaloy, together with his retinue, moved south, Yaroslav Vsevolodovich captured Novgorod - at the invitation of the local residents themselves. But soon he had a conflict with the Novgorodians. Yaroslav captured a large city in the south of the Novgorod land - Torzhok. The Novgorodians again called on Mstislav.
The decisive battle between the troops of Mstislav the Udaly, which was joined by the Smolensk army, the son of Mstislav the Old with his retinue and Konstantin of Rostov, and the army of the Vladimir-Suzdal princes Yuri and Yaroslav happened in 1216 on the Lipitsa River. It was the largest battle of the internecine wars of that period. The Novgorod-Smolensk army won a complete victory. During the flight, Yaroslav Vsevolodovich even lost his helmet.
The result of the battle was the approval of Konstantin Vsevolodovich on the reign of Vladimir and the temporary refusal of Yaroslav Vsevolodovich from Novgorod. However, already in 1217, Mstislav Udaloy abandoned Novgorod in favor of Svyatoslav -son of Mstislav the Old.
Reigning in Galicia
Rejection of Novgorod was due to the fact that Mstislav Udaloy put forward his claims to Galich. According to one version, he began trying to seize power there even earlier, but without much success. In 1218, with the support of the princes of Smolensk, he finally expelled the Hungarians from Galich.
From now on, Mstislav Udaloy became the Prince of Galicia. His foreign and domestic policy was particularly active. He concluded an alliance agreement with Daniil Romanovich Volynsky, fought against the Hungarians and Poles. During these wars, Galich passed from one hand to another. But in 1221, Mstislav was still able to finally establish himself there.
Battle on Kalka
1223 was a turning point in the fate of all Russia. Hordes of Mongol-Tatars under the leadership of Genghis Khan's loyal commanders Jebe and Subudai invaded the southern Russian steppes. Against the common danger, most of the principalities of southern Russia united with the Polovtsian army of Khan Katyan (who was the father-in-law of Mstislav the Udalny), who took an active part in creating a coalition.
Although the formal head of the coalition was the Grand Duke of Kyiv Mstislav Stary, but in reality many princes did not obey him. Disunity served as the main reason for the defeat that the Russian-Polovtsian army suffered in the Battle of the Kalka. Many Russian princes and ordinary soldiers died in this battle, among them was Mstislav of Kyiv. Few managed to survive. But among those who are luckyto escape, Mstislav Udaloy turned out to be.
Further fate and death
After the battle on Kalka, Mstislav returned to Galich. There he continued to fight with the Hungarians, Poles and with his former ally Daniil Volynsky, who later became the king of Russia. Despite the relatively successful outcome of these wars, in 1226 Mstislav left the reign in Galich and moved to the city of Torchesk, located in the south of Kyiv land, where he already ruled in his youth.
Shortly before his death, he became a monk. He died in 1228 and was buried in Kyiv.
Personality profile
Researchers name many lands and cities where Mstislav Udaloy ruled. These are Tripoli, Torchesk, Toropets, Novgorod, Galich, but nowhere did he settle for a long time. And the reason for this lay not so much in the intrigues of other princes, but in his character, thirsting for change. Contemporaries note that Mstislav the Udaly had a violent temper, but at the same time, this man was distinguished by amazing prudence.
Of course, this prince played one of the key roles in the history of our state in the first half of the 13th century.
