Chernigov (or Chernigov-Seversk) Principality was one of the most significant states into which the initially united possessions of the Rurikovichs broke up. In the principality, several cities were constantly strengthening at once, therefore, in the end, it broke up into smaller destinies. In the XIV century, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania included the Chernihiv-Seversky Principality among the subject lands.
Natural conditions and territory of the Principality
The main territories of this principality were located in the basin of the Desna and the Seim, extended to the eastern bank of the Dnieper. From the Don, the merchants dragged their way to the Seim, from it they got to the Desna, and from it to the Dnieper. It was on trade along these rivers that the Chernigov-Seversk principality based its power. The occupations of the population were typical for the lands of central Russia at that time. Most of it cultivated the land, cutting down and burning for this forest.
In different decades, the Chernihiv-Seversky Principality included differentterritory. For most of its history, in the west it was limited to the lands of Chernigov, in the east, during its heyday, even included Murom. Novgorod-Seversky remained its most significant city after Chernigov for most of its history; in the last decades of its independent existence, Bryansk became the center of this state.
Principality becomes independent
Chernigov became the center of a separate principality for the first time after the Battle of Listven in 1024. This is the last and biggest battle between the sons of St. Vladimir. During the battle, Mstislav Vladimirovich Udaloy utterly defeated Yaroslav Vladimirovich (later the Wise), but did not continue the fight, but invited his brother to divide the subject lands. Chernigov turned out to be the main city of the part inherited by Mstislav. But the Principality of Chernihiv-Seversk did not receive the founder of its dynasty in the person of this not without reason nicknamed Udaly, the founder of his dynasty - his only son Eustace died before his father and did not leave his own heirs. Therefore, when in 1036 Mstislav died hunting, his possessions were under the rule of Yaroslav.
Yaroslav the Wise, as you know, divided his state between his sons before his death. Chernihiv went to Svyatoslav. Then the future Chernihiv-Seversk principality became finally independent. The princes of his dynasty began to be called Olgovichi after the son of Svyatoslav Oleg.
The struggle of the heirs of Yaroslav the Wise for the principality
Yaroslav the Wise bequeathed to his three sons to live in peace. These sons (Izyaslav, Vsevolod andSvyatoslav) did this for almost 20 years - they formed an alliance, which today is called the Triumvirate of the Yaroslavichs.
But in 1073, Svyatoslav, with the support of Vsevolod, expelled Izyaslav and became the Grand Duke, uniting the Kiev and Chernigov-Seversky principalities under his rule. Three years later, Svyatoslav died because they unsuccessfully tried to remove the tumor. Then Vsevolod reconciled with Izyaslav, who returned from Poland, ceded the throne of Kyiv to him and received the Chernigov-Seversk principality as a reward.
The policy of the brothers in the redistribution of land deprived the sons of Svyatoslav Chernigov. They didn't put up with it. The decisive battle at this stage was the battle on Nezhatina Niva. This time Vsevolod won, the Chernihiv-Seversky principality remained with him (as well as Kiev, because Izyaslav died from an enemy spear).
The difficult fate of Oleg Svyatoslavich: overseas
As mentioned above, in the end, the family of the Chernigov-Seversky princes came precisely from Oleg Svyatoslavich. But his path to the inheritance of his father was very difficult.
After the defeat in the battle on Nezhatina Niva, Oleg and Roman managed to escape to the lot of the second - Tmutarakan. But soon Roman was killed by his allies, the Cumans, who betrayed him, and Oleg was captured by the Khazars and transferred to Constantinople.
It is not known what plans the Byzantine emperor had about the grandson of Yaroslav the Wise, in any case, they changed dramatically after the rebellion of the famous Varangian guard, which was then made up of immigrants from Russian lands.
This event had no political background: just soldiers, being in a state of intoxication,attacked the imperial bedroom. The speech failed, its participants were forgiven, but expelled from the capital, and the Varangian Guard from that time consisted of Anglo-Saxons who fled from England after this country was conquered by William the Conqueror. There is no information about Oleg's participation in the rebellion, but he was also exiled - to the island of Rhodes.
In Rhodes, Oleg's affairs gradually began to improve. He married a representative of the local influential family Theophano Mouzalon. In 1083, apparently, not without the help of the Byzantine detachment, he expelled the Khazars and became either a prince or a Byzantine governor in Tmutarakan.
The difficult fate of Oleg Svyatoslavich: return to Chernigov
In 1093, Vsevolod Yaroslavich died and the Polovtsy attacked the Russian lands, including the Chernigov-Seversk principality, the geographical position of which completely allowed the nomadic peoples from the Black Sea steppes to reach it. It was the Polovtsians who supported Oleg Svyatoslavich in the struggle for his father's inheritance. The famous son of Vsevolod Vladimir Monomakh spoke out against the nomads.
The following year, Svyatoslavich received Chernigov. He began to annex other cities of the principality to him, went on campaigns against Murom, Rostov and Suzdal, but was defeated by the sons of Vladimir Monomakh Mstislav and Vyacheslav and the Polovtsians (who now acted on the side of Vladimir).
To finally establish peace between the Russian princes, in 1097 the famous congress took place in Lubitsch. Counts,that he consolidated the trend towards the disintegration of the legacy of St. Vladimir into destinies. But for this article, it is important that the Chernihiv-Seversk principality, despite the defeat of Oleg, finally passed to this prince.
Novgorod-Seversky is separated from the Principality
Specific fragmentation is the time of constant wars between the princes. Almost all of them sought to expand their possessions, and many - to take the grand throne in Kyiv. Actively participated in these wars and the Chernigov-Seversk principality. The geographical position (proximity to Kyiv and control over part of the Dnieper) contributed to this. Because the principality was ruined many times.
Large principalities broke up into smaller destinies. Novgorod-Seversky became the center of a separate principality by decision of the congress of princes in Lyubech in 1097, but for a long time its ruler was the heir to the throne in Chernigov. In 1164, after the death of Svyatoslav Olgovich, an agreement was concluded between his son Oleg and Oleg's eldest cousin, Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich. According to him, Chernigov went to the first, and Novgorod-Seversky to the second. Thus, independent dynasties began to rule in these cities.
Gradually, the fragmentation of these principalities into smaller destinies continued.
Batu invasion
The principalities that broke up into small destinies could not defeat the Tatar-Mongolian troops led by Batu Khan (in the Russian tradition, Batu). There are many explanations for this, one of the main ones is that the cities did not rally in the face of a common enemy. The Chernihiv-Seversk Principality is a clear confirmation of this.
It became the target of the main enemy strike in 1239, although its first destinies were defeated in the previous, 1238th. After the first blow, Prince Mikhail of Chernigov did not prepare in any way to repulse the main blow. He fled to Hungary, returned a few years later, went to the Horde and died for refusing to perform pagan rites (canonized as a holy martyr), but he never entered the battlefield against the Tatar-Mongol.
The defense of Chernigov was headed by Mstislav Glebovich, who previously claimed the princely throne in this city. But Chernigov resisted without the support of the rest of the principality and was defeated, Mstislav fled again to Hungary.
Chernihiv-Seversk Principality became famous for the defense of one of its small towns - Kozelsk. The city was ruled by a young prince (he was only 12), but it was built impregnable. Kozelsk was located on a hill between two rivers (Zhizdra and Drugusnaya) with steep banks. The defense lasted 7 weeks (only powerful Kyiv managed to defend itself longer). It is indicative that Kozelsk fought alone: the main forces of the Chernihiv-Seversk principality, which in 1238 was still practically not affected by the invasion, did not come to his aid.
Under the Tatar-Mongol yoke
Shortly after the conquest of Russian lands, the Tatar-Mongol state collapsed. Batu Khan actively participated in the struggle of the descendants of Genghis Khan with each other. As a result, he became the ruler of onefrom the fragments of his state - the Golden Horde (to which the Russian lands were also subject).
Under the rule of the Golden Horde, the princes did not lose their power, but they needed to confirm their right to it, for which they went to the Horde and received the so-called label. It was beneficial for the invaders to manage the Russian lands with the hands of the Russians themselves.
The administration of the Chernigov-Seversky Principality was built on the same principle. But the center has shifted. Now the Grand Dukes of Chernigov began to rule from Bryansk. It suffered from the invasion much less than Chernigov and Novgorod-Seversky.
Olgovichi, who could not organize the defense of the principality, lost this title. Over time, the princes from Smolensk received it.
As part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
In 1357, Bryansk was captured by the Grand Duke of Lithuania Olgerd. Soon, the rest of the destinies of the Chernigov-Seversky principality became part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. It is worth saying a few words about Olgerd, through whose efforts the Chernihiv-Seversk principality came out of the power of the Tatar-Mongol.
Olgerd was not the eldest son of the previous Grand Duke of Lithuania Gedemin, but 4 years after the death of his father, it was he who, with the support of his brother Keistut, received supreme power. Of his sons, the most famous is Jagiello. Thus, the descendants of Olgerd were the Jagiellons, a dynasty that ruled in several states of Eastern and Central Europe.
When Olgerd andKeystut received supreme power in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, they shared powers. Keistut took up the defense of the western borders, his main opponent was the crusaders. Olgerd took over the eastern foreign policy. His main opponent was the Golden Horde and its dependent states (one of which at that time was the Principality of Moscow). Olgierd succeeded. He defeated the Tatars in 1362 in a major battle at Blue Waters and annexed many of the ancient possessions of the Rurikovich to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. He also became the owner of the capital of the first Russian dynasty - Kyiv.
As part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, autonomy was preserved for a long time, which means that the features of the Chernigov-Seversky principality, because formally it remained independent, just its ruler was appointed from Vilna. The last such prince was Roman Mikhailovich, who later ruled Smolensk, where in 1401 he was killed by angry residents of the city. In the XV century, the destinies of the former Chernihiv-Seversk principality lost their independence.
Afterword
Among the states into which the once united power of the Rurikovichs broke up, one of the most significant was the Chernigov-Seversk principality. The characterization of its history is relatively typical of many former possessions of Yaroslav the Wise, but it also has its bright interesting pages.
It separated itself, broke up into destinies, could not resist the invasion of the Tatar-Mongols and submitted to them, and later to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. In 1569, his lands were transferred to the Kingdom of Poland.
From the destinies of Chernigov-Many influential families of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Commonwe alth took place in the Seversky Principality. The most famous of them is the Novosilsky princes.
