Sviatoslav Olgovich
Template:Infobox royalty Sviatoslav OlgovichTemplate:Efn (died February 14, 1164) was Prince of Novgorod (1136–1138); Novgorod-Seversk (1139); Belgorod (1141–1154); and Chernigov (1154–1164).
Biography
Early life
Sviatoslav was the son of Oleg Sviatoslavich, the prince of Chernigov, and an unnamed daughter of Aepa, a Cuman prince.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> In 1108, Sviatoslav married a Cuman princess, daughter of Aepa son of Girgen, with whom he had a daughter and a son, Oleg II Svyatoslavich.Template:Cn In 1136 Svyatoslav married a second time, to the daughter of the posadnik of Novgorod, probably named Ekaterina or Catherine,Template:Sfn who bore their son Igor Sviatoslavich, famous from The Tale of Igor's Campaign.Template:Cn
War with the Davidovichi
After the death of their older brother Vsevolod II in 1146, Sviatoslav and his brother Igor were driven out of Kiev by Iziaslav Mstislavich. Sviatoslav escaped, but Igor was captured and eventually killed in 1147. Sviatoslav fled to Chernigov but was ordered to relinquish his city, Novgorod-Seversk, to his cousins, Iziaslav Davidovich and Vladimir Davidovich. With the assistance of his ally, Yuri Dolgoruki, and his father-in-law, Aepa Khan, Sviatoslav began a war against his cousins, but was forced to flee to Karachev. There on January 16, 1147, Sviatoslav defeated the Davidovichi brothers.
Death and succession
Template:Main Upon his death in 1164, his widow Catherine briefly ruled as princess regnant of Chernigov.Template:Sfn The reign of Ekaterina or Catherine of Chernigov lasted for a few days, during which she kept her husband's death a secret while she summoned her (step-?)son Oleg to come to Chernigov quickly, and told the city's leading men not inform her brother-in-law Sviatoslav Vsevolodich, who was the rightful heir to the Chernigovian throne.Template:Sfn Nevertheless, the bishop of Chernigov betrayed the trust of princess (kniaginia) Catherine immediately, and sent Sviatoslav Vsevolodich a letter, writing that "the kniaginia rules [sedit'] in cahoots with the children and she has many goods."Template:Sfn Sviatoslav Vsevolodich soon arrived and made a deal with Oleg, by which the former became prince of Chernigov and the latter prince of Novgorod-Seversk.Template:Sfn Princess Catherine is not heard of again until two years later, when she reportedly died on 12 April 1166.Template:Sfn
Notes
References
Bibliography
Primary sources
- Kievan Chronicle (Template:Circa 1200)
- (Church Slavonic critical edition) Template:Cite book
- (modern English translation) Template:Cite thesis Template:ProQuest
Literature
- Dimnik, Martin. The Dynasty of Chernigov, 1146-1246, 2000
- Template:Cite web
- Template:Cite book