In Kiev, There Were Sitting the Men: a New Reconstruction of the Dynastic Conflict between Yaroslav and Mstislav, Sons of Vladimir Svyatoslavich

The article analyses the last episode of the internecine war between the sons of the Kiev prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich — the confrontation in 1024—1026 between Yaroslav (“the Wise”) and Mstislav. It has repeatedly become the object of attention of researchers, but many questions still remain controversial and unclear. The main problem is unclearness of the story about these events in the main source — “The Tale of Bygone Years”. According to it, despite the fact that after the victory in the Battle of Listven in 1024 Mstislav allegedly ceded Kiev to Yaroslav, the latter did not dare to come there and ruled Kiev through members of his retinue. On the basis of various sources (a Scandinavian saga, the Annals by the Polish chronicler Jan Długosz written in Latin, Old Rus princely seals) the authors come to the following conclusions. The Kiev prince in 1024—1026 was most likely Mstislav Vladimirovich, not Yaroslav. Ιn favour of this is speaks, in particular, the Mstislav’s adoption of title μέγας ἄρχων Ῥωσίας, which was later adopted by Yaroslav, but then stopped to be used. The tendency of the Russian chronicle was probably determined by a desire to soften the conflict character of the relations between the two positive heroes of the narrative after the sudden appearance of Mstislav in Southern Rus. As a result, logical inconsistencies and silence about some important events in the “The Tale of Bygone Years”, were connected not so much with its later editing as with the original contradictory rhetorical strategy of the autor of the annalistic narrative. In addition, new finds of Mstislav’s seals confirm that his saint patron was Constantine the Great.

Keywords

Old Rus, Yaroslav the Wise, Mstislav Vladimirovich, princely seals, The Tale of Bygone Years

Acknowledgment

Part of the article, written by Andrey Yu. Vinogradov, was completed within the framework of the state assignment of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Part of the article written by Pavel V. Lukin was prepared within the framework of a grant provided by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation (Grant agreement No 075-15-2022-326).

Received

08.05.2024

Publication date

15.07.2024

Number of characters

38509

Cite

GOST	Vinogradov A., Lukin P. “In Kiev, There Were Sitting the Men”: a New Reconstruction of the Dynastic Conflict between Yaroslav and Mstislav, Sons of Vladimir Svyatoslavich // ISTORIYA – 2024. – V. 15. – Issue 5 (139) [Electronic resource]. URL: https://history.jes.su/S207987840031707-6-1 (circulation date: 25.08.2024). DOI: 10.18254/S207987840031707-6
MLA	Vinogradov, Andrey, Lukin, Pavel "“In Kiev, There Were Sitting the Men”: a New Reconstruction of the Dynastic Conflict between Yaroslav and Mstislav, Sons of Vladimir Svyatoslavich." ISTORIYA 15.5 (139) (2024) DOI: 10.18254/S207987840031707-6
APA	Vinogradov A., Lukin P. (2024). “In Kiev, There Were Sitting the Men”: a New Reconstruction of the Dynastic Conflict between Yaroslav and Mstislav, Sons of Vladimir Svyatoslavich. ISTORIYA 15(5 (139)) DOI: 10.18254/S207987840031707-6

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