Each of us is familiar with the famous monument of ancient Russian literature "The Lay of Igor's Host." Either read it myself, or at least heard something in school lessons. However, few people know that the literary prince Igor bears little resemblance to his historical prototype …
Igor, baptized George, was born on April 3, 1151. His father was the prince of Novgorod-Seversky Svyatoslav Olgovich, and his mother, according to one version, was a Polovtsian woman, daughter of Khan Aepa. Interestingly, in this case, on the maternal side, he was a cousin of Prince Vladimir-Suzdal Andrei Bogolyubsky (their mothers were sisters). In addition, both were great-great-grandchildren of Yaroslav the Wise. Igor's Asian features were probably even more pronounced than that of his Suzdal cousin, since his grandmother (on his father's side) was also a Polovtsian - the daughter of Khan Osuluk.
Polovtsian son
Paradoxically, before his ill-fated campaign of 1185, Igor Svyatoslavich became famous for his struggle not against the Polovtsy (he participated only in several skirmishes), but together with them against other princes in Russia.
At the age of 18, together with his brother Vsevolod (also a well-known character in The Lay …), he first participated in a major military campaign. This is the notorious raid of 1169, when the united Suzdal-Smolensk-Chernigov army, led by the Suzdal prince Mstislav (son of Andrey Bogolyubsky), together with the Polovtsy took Kiev and subjected the city to terrible devastation.
In 1173 Igor again participated in civil strife - on the side of Andrei Bogolyubsky against the Smolensk princes Rostislavichi. A year later - again in strife against his cousin Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich of Chernigov.
In 1181, Igor, who by that time had already become prince of Novgorod-Seversky, together with his cousins Svyatoslav and Yaroslav and help from Veliky Novgorod, fought against Polotsk, which was helped by the Smolensk and Suzdal princes. Igor's allies were the Polovtsian khans Kobyak and Konchak! Their army burned the surroundings of Drutsk, and Igor, taking new friends with him, went to the city of Vyshgorod (the chronicler writes that the Polovtsy "begged" to be accompanied by Prince Novgorod-Seversky).
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Here Igor Svyatoslavich was waiting for the first defeat as a military leader. Having relied on the large number of their troops, the Allies did not deploy proper guards. At night they were attacked by the Smolensk squads along with black hoods. In the confusion and confusion of the night battle, as the Ipatiev Chronicle says: "… Igor saw the Polovtsian defeated and tacos with Konchak jumped into the lordya, running to Gorodets to Chernigov." So, back in 1181, Igor had such a trusting relationship with Khan Konchak that he preferred to run away from the pursuit with the Polovtsian Khan, and not with one of the close commanders.
True, soon the friendship with the Polovtsians came to an end. In the spring of 1184, the Grand Duke of Kiev sent the younger princes (including Igor) with orders to march down the Dnieper against the nomads. There was a parochial dispute: who should go ahead? Princes Igor Svyatoslavich Novgorod-Seversky and Vladimir Glebovich Pereyaslavsky - both claimed this.
Having quarreled, Vladimir Glebovich with his retinue left the camp of the Russians, and even on the way home he plundered some "Seversk cities".
As for Igor, he tried, if possible, to carry out the order, and even defeated some Polovtsi on the Khiriya river. But that was a trifle. On the way back through the Pereyaslavl land, Igor Svyatoslavich, in revenge on Vladimir Glebovich, captured the city of Glebov and, according to the same chronicle: “he betrayed the city of Glebov near Pereyaslavl. Then innocent Christians experienced a lot of troubles: fathers with their children, brother with brother, with each other, wives with their husbands, daughters with their mothers, girlfriend with his girlfriend were separated. And everyone was in confusion: then they were full of grief, the living envied the dead, and the dead rejoiced that they, like holy martyrs, were cleansed in the fire from the filth of this life. The elders were kicked, the young ones suffered from cruel and unmerciful beatings, husbands were killed and cut, women were defiled …"
Steppe adventure
Igor set off for his fatal campaign on Tuesday, March 23, 1185, on the feast of St. George the Victorious (his heavenly patron). His brother Vsevolod Trubchevsky with his 15-year-old son Vladimir Putivl and his nephew Svyatoslav Olgovich Rylsky joined him in the campaign. In addition, Igor begged from the senior prince, Yaroslav Vsevolodovich of Chernigov, the so-called kovuyi - semi-nomadic Turks in the service of the Chernigov princes - led by the voivode Olsin Oleksich.
On May 7, 1185, the combined army of the four princes moved into the depths of the Polovtsian field. A "watchman" was sent forward to take the "tongue." The watchman returned without a "tongue" and with a nasty message: armed Polovtsian soldiers (obviously warned by someone) are driving around, and you need to decide: "either go greyhound, or turn home, as it is not our faith."
Igor turned to the squad, taking it "weakly". According to him, if you return now, then the shame that you have to endure will be worse than death. And the army, yielding to the call of their prince, marched all night.
On May 10, 1185, on the banks of the small river Syurliy, Russian regiments encountered one of the Polovtsian clans, trying to escape from Igor's warriors. The gathered Polovtsy, firing one or two arrows, rushed to their heels. The squads of the younger princes and the kovui began to pursue them. Igor and Vsevolod did not participate in the pursuit, keeping the formation.
The pursuers got rich booty and is full.
But the Russians and Kovui were overly carried away by the seizure of prey - many returned only at midnight. And again Igor proposes: “… But we’ll go through the night, and whoever goes to us in the morning will go all the way, but the best konnitsi will go over and how will God give us. So it is written in the Ipatiev Chronicle.
Stop! But how to break the spear on the edge of the Polovetsky Field? And drink water from the Don? All that is stated in the "Lay of Igor's Campaign"? But no! The real Igor did not even think about it. He captured the prey - and you need to leave immediately, at night.
But then Svyatoslav Olgovich became stubborn. He de chased the Polovtsians until midnight, and his horses were tired. If you go immediately, then he will surely fall behind. Brother Vsevolod supported his nephew and offered to go home in the morning. Left alone, Igor doomed predicted the dire consequences of this decision, but he also remained.
Bloody hangover
In the morning the Russians found themselves surrounded by a large number of nomads. Igor did not fail to reproach the brothers that, probably, the whole Polovtsian land had gathered there. But there is nothing to do - the princes decide to dismount and make their way home on foot (perhaps under the cover of an impromptu camp of carts). The princes explained their decision by nobility: they could have saved themselves, relying on their horses, but did not want to leave the "black people".
However, there were few chances - the border of the Russian land was too far away, the difference in the number of soldiers on both sides was very significant. Even at the beginning of the battle, an enemy arrow hit the prince's left hand and paralyzed it. Thus, Igor did not participate in subsequent hand-to-hand fights, remaining to watch the fight on horseback. Fighting with nomads continued throughout Saturday and Sunday night.
On Sunday, the cowwees wavered and ran. A number of ordinary soldiers and even boyar children tried to escape with them. Igor, being on horseback, tried to stop the fleeing and turn back - but in vain. Seeing that he was too far away from his troops, Igor took off his helmet and drove the horse back to his regiment. It was here that the Polovtsians intercepted him - literally at a distance of one arrow flight from their own. Already tied, Igor saw the desperately fighting brother Vsevolod and, as the chronicle testifies: “ask your soul for death, as if you had not seen the fall of your brother”.
Many questions arise about this episode of the prince's capture. Not to mention Igor's appeal in "The Lay …": "I would love to be, I would not be full of being." Why did the real, historical Igor chose captivity, and not death, which he allegedly asked for? It is also embarrassing that he took off his helmet just before his capture. Obviously, this was done in order to be recognized by sight. But who knew? Kovui? Or Polovtsians? It's not an easy question.
Honorable captivity
Let's go back to "Slaughter Igor". After the capture (or is it still surrender?) The leader of the campaign, the resistance of the Russians was finally broken. Moreover, the entire princely elite of the campaign also ended up in the hands of the nomads. The winners divided the captives among themselves. At the same time, according to the chronicler, Khan Konchak vouched for his matchmaker Igor. That is, at the time of the battle, Konchak and Igor were already matchmakers. At least they already had an agreement to marry their children.
The modern Russian historian Igor Nikolaevich Danilevsky half-jokingly, half-seriously asserted that the Igor Regiment was nothing more than a wedding train, during which the Russians could not resist and robbed the Polovtsians (from another, however, kind). In general, what a wedding without a fight!
Yaroslavna's lament sounds completely different if you know the context of historical events
Someone will object that Igor's life in captivity was not sweet. But the Ipatiev chronicler paints a completely different picture for us. After grieving a little, the prince cheered up. I even forgot about the wound. He began to go hunting with a hawk, and from Novgorod-Seversky he ordered himself a priest with singers. In addition, he had five or six servants, including an equestrian and a son of a thousand. Another 15 ordinary and five noble Polovtsians made up his honorary convoy. It seems that the prince even feasted with his guards from time to time. In a word, captivity is not so terrible as it is painted.
So why is it so vividly described in "Word …" how "Yaroslavna cries early in Putivl on the visor, arkuchi"? Is it just longing for a strong man's shoulder to lean on, or something else?
The fact is that the Russians went to the Polovtsian field, figuratively speaking, for wool - but they themselves were cut. Indeed, the living will envy the dead. One must think that a ransom was demanded for the prisoners, and a considerable one. And where can we get so much if the whole army is in captivity? From such thoughts you will not only climb the wall …
"Brave" deed
Meanwhile, Igor enjoyed his captivity, not caring much about the painful consequences of it. On the persuasion of his groom and the son of the thousand to flee and thus save the principality from the ransom noose, he refused. From the point of view of feudal ethics (and the laws of steppe hospitality), he acted correctly. To those who persuaded him, he invariably replied that he had not abandoned his people during the battle - so he would not abandon them in captivity; and if it is necessary to run, then all together.
However, after the defeat of Konchak at Pereyaslav, the groom and the son of tysyatsky again turned to the prince, warning that now his life was in real danger. Of course, Igor was an important prisoner. But sometimes, in the heat of revenge, even such people were killed, neglecting the gains not received. Prince Novgorod-Seversky knew this, and therefore was frightened.
One Polovtsian named Laurus volunteered to be Igor's companion and guide in his escape (the Christian name indicates that he, like many Polovtsians at that time, had already been baptized according to the Orthodox rite). It was decided to flee on Friday evening (June 21, 1185, as the historian Leonid Makhnovets calculated), when the Polovtsian convoy got drunk on kumis. Igor was very nervous before escaping, prayed for a long time, and finally, taking the cross and the icon with him, threw back the wall of the tent.
The irony of fate is that Igor's most courageous act was to escape! The fugitives very soon drove their horses, and for 11 days they had to walk to the border town of Donets. You just wonder how the Polovtsian pursuit did not overtake them.
The appearance of the fugitive prince in Russia was received with joy and relief. And Igor, without wasting time, first went to the Chernigov prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich. He was delighted with him and promised to provide all possible help. After that Igor went to Kiev - also asking for help. At the same time, one must think, under a brisk pen was born "The Lay of Igor's Host", the main goal of which was to unite the princes of Russia. For a good purpose - to protect the Novgorod-Seversky principality. After all, the Polovtsians have now ceased to be a guarantor of security.
As for Prince Igor, in 1191 he and his brother Vsevolod (who had already freed himself from captivity) again made a predatory raid on the lands of the Polovtsy, capturing cattle and horses. In the winter of the same year, Igor, Vsevolod, and five more younger princes again opposed the Polovtsy on the Oskol River. But they were warned and set up an ambush. The "Battle of Igor" could well be repeated. However, this time Igor convinced the princely brethren to get out at night, pick up and greet. In the morning the nomads rushed in pursuit - but in vain.
On December 29, 1201, at the 51st year of his life, Prince Igor Svyatoslavich, who at that time occupied the Chernigov table, died, and remained in history as the leader of an unsuccessful campaign …
Andrey Podvolotsky