Bolesław II the Bold's expedition to Kiev (1076–1077)
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| Bolesław II the Bold's expedition to Kiev (1076–1077) | |||||||
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| Part of Polish-Russian Wars | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Kingdom of Poland | |||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
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Bolesław II the Bold (disputed[1]) Mikołaj of Zębocin Iziaslav I of Kiev | Vsevolod I of Kiev | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
According to Jan Długosz's 1480 chronicle, Bolesław II the Bold conducted an expedition to Kiev around 1076 or 1077, in order to install Prince Iziaslav I on the Kievan Rus' throne after the death of Sviatoslav II of Kiev.
Although the Primary Chronicle does confirm Polish forces aided Iziaslav in fighting against Vsevolod I of Kiev, and to regain his throne in Kiev on 15 July 1077, neither Bolesław nor a battle for Kiev mentioned;[1] the conflict mostly concentrated on Chernigov and Volyn.[2][3] Samuel Hazzard Cross and Olgerd P. Sherbowitz-Wetzor (1930, 1953) concluded that Długosz's account is 'long and fabulous', while the Rus' chronicles are completely silent on Bolesław's participation, which therefore probably did not happen as narrated by Długosz.[1]
Background[edit]
During Bolesław II the Bold's expedition to Kiev (1069–1071), he had helped to restore Iziaslav to the Kievan throne on 2 May 1069.[4] But in 1073, Iziaslav was ousted by his brothers Sviatoslav and Vsevolod; he appealed to both Bolesław and Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor, but Sviatoslav persuaded both to ignore Iziaslav's pleas for assistance, bribing the emperor with rich gifts.[5] Previously, Sviatoslav had married off his daughter Wyszesława of Kiev to Bolesław II.[6]
Thus exiled from Kiev, Iziaslav surrendered Rus' as a fief of St. Peter church.[clarification needed] In 1075, the Pope Gregory VII demanded that Bolesław should give him armed assistance.[7][8] But even in 1076, Sviatoslav sent troops to help Bolesław invade Bohemia, thus confirming their alliance.[6] Iziaslav only found an opportunity to recover the Kievan throne after Sviatoslav died in 1076[5] (27 December 1076[9]).
King Bolesław II the Bold of Poland, after spending the winter[when?] and early spring[when?] at home with a bolstered army comprising both cavalry and infantry, swiftly marched[when?] towards Kievan Rus', nearing the capital Kiev, and laid siege to it.[10][failed verification]
Capture of Kiev[edit]
When news of the king's promise reached Kiev, its inhabitants wasted no time and surrendered the city on the same day. Bolesław, orchestrating a triumphant entry reminiscent of his great-grandfather's, Polish king Bolesław I the Brave, symbolically marked his victory by striking the Golden Gate with his sword, signifying the city's submission.[10][failed verification]
Aftermath[edit]
In the aftermath of the unjust murder of his son Sviatoslav II of Kiev, the prince of Chernigov, by his subjects, and the subsequent burial in the Church of the Holy Savior, the princely throne of Principality of Novgorod passed to Iziaslav's son Sviatopolk II of Kiev.[7][8] Iziaslav's other sons, Vladimir and Yaropolk Iziaslavich, assumed rule in Principality of Smolensk and Vyshhorod, respectively, marking a new era in the governance of these territories.[7][failed verification]
Return to the country[edit]
During the winter encampment in Kiev, the courage of the entire Polish army waned, and discipline slackened.[8] The soldiers, including King Bolesław and most of the knights, succumbed to a decline fueled by indulgence in lavish living, feasting, excessive drinking, and romantic entanglements.[8]
King Bolesław, intoxicated by his military successes and the accolades that flowed from them, fell into unbridled hubris, distancing himself from those seeking his audience and issuing orders through intermediaries.[8] His descent into depravity included engaging in the reprehensible sin of sodomy, reflecting the promiscuous customs of the Rus'.[8] His military conquests, tainted by the mistakes of those he defeated, brought shame not only on himself, but also on his descendants and the kingdom.[7] Contempt for the king spread first among his own subjects, the Poles, and then among the Rus, despite their imitation of debauched customs. Even the knights, once devoted to the king, became disappointed.[8]
God's wrath seemed to descend upon the Poles as the wives, sisters and daughters of knights, especially those indulging in excesses in Kiev, bemoaned the prolonged absence of their husbands.[10] Rumors circulated about the fate of their husbands - death, victims of battles or infidelity - which led some of them to romance their servants, others were forcibly entrapped, and still others succumbed to temptation and deception.[10][7]
As tales of the immoral conduct of Polish women reached the king's camp, exacerbated by exaggerated reports from messengers, fear and suspicion fueled the spread of rumors.[8] Some, consumed by rage, fled to Poland without the king's knowledge or consent, followed by others seeking to avenge perceived wrongs against their wives and servants.[10][7] Neither the king's admonishments nor his flattery could halt their exodus, which continued unabated, almost daily, under the cover of night, leaving King Bolesław stranded in hostile territory.[10]
Punishment of unfaithful wives[edit]
Consequently, he ordered the knights who initiated the flight to be arrested and executed, while others who followed them were either imprisoned or stripped of their possessions.[8]
Taking away the children born to the women with the servants, whom their husbands had previously spared, as a means of avenging the lewd acts they had committed, he ordered puppies to be placed against their chests.[10] He argued that women who had forsaken good morals and defiled their marital beds by consorting with servants while their husbands were at war were not worthy to nurture human offspring with their milk but with puppies.[10]
In all this, it seemed even more shameful that King Bolesław not only persisted in his meanness, which he indulged in in Rus', but even intensified it.[7][8] However, among the multitude of clergy and laity in Poland, no one dared to admonish the king for his cruelty. Everyone feared his severity. As a result, uninhibited by any rebuke, the king plunged further and further into his shameful transgressions and all the other sins that brought terrible misfortunes and calamities to his subjects.[8] Witnessing and realizing this, Bishop Stanislaus of Szczepanów was deeply saddened, and as a compassionate bishop he was deeply concerned for his king, which gave rise to their dispute which ended in Stanislaus' tragic death.[10][7]
See also[edit]
- Murder of Stanislaus of Szczepanów
- Bolesław II the Bold's expedition to Kiev (1069–1071)
- Bolesław II the Bold
- Iziaslav I of Kiev
Notes[edit]
- ^ The exact date of Bolesław's expedition remains a dispute among historians, although it is certain that it did not occur until after Bolesław's coronation on 26 December 1076. It is therefore presumed that it most likely took place in late 1076/1077.
References[edit]
- ^ a b c Cross & Sherbowitz-Wetzor 1953, pp. 165, 270–271.
- ^ Cross & Sherbowitz-Wetzor 1953, p. 165.
- ^ Martin 2007, p. 57.
- ^ Martin 2007, p. 55.
- ^ a b Martin 2007, pp. 56–57.
- ^ a b Martin 2007, p. 56.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Bolesław II Szczodry albo Śmiały (1042 - 2/3 IV 1082)". historia.interia.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2024-02-19.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Bolesław Śmiały i jego czarna legenda". histmag.org. Retrieved 2024-02-19.
- ^ Franklin & Shepard 1996, p. 259.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Jak król Bolesław niewierne żony ukarał". CiekawostkiHistoryczne.pl (in Polish). 2020-05-25. Retrieved 2024-02-19.
Sources[edit]
Primary sources[edit]
- Cross, Samuel Hazzard; Sherbowitz-Wetzor, Olgerd P. (1953). The Russian Primary Chronicle, Laurentian Text. Translated and edited by Samuel Hazzard Cross and Olgerd P. Sherbowitz-Wetzor (PDF). Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Mediaeval Academy of America. p. 325. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
- Jan Długosz, Annales seu cronici incliti regni Poloniae (1480).
- Gallus Anonymus, Gesta principum Polonorum (c. 1118).
Literature[edit]
- Franklin, Simon; Shepard, Jonathan (1996). The Emergence of Rus 750–1200. Longman. ISBN 0-582-49091-X.
- Martin, Janet (2007). Medieval Russia: 980–1584. Second Edition. E-book. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-511-36800-4.