Russia throughout its existencefought with nomads. At first they were Pechenegs. In the XII century, Polovtsians came to their place. The last wave led numerous Mongols to the Russian lands.
The struggle with the Polovtsy came in the periodpolitical fragmentation of the Eastern Slavs. Princes were sent to the steppe several times, but more often, on the contrary, they defended their native lands. Why, of all these cases, Prince Igor’s campaign on the Polovtsi is best known? Because it was he who served as the source for the famous literary monument. This is the "Word about Igor's regiment".
Prince Igor Svyatoslavovich was born in 1151.He was a representative of the Chernihiv branch of the Rurik dynasty. At the age of 29 he inherited the city of Novgorod-Seversky. The lands around him were directly adjacent to the steppe inhabitants.
Russian princes often changed their policy onrelation to the Polovtsy: they concluded peace and alliance or fought. So it was with Igor. Sometimes he hired nomads during the internecine wars with relatives. But along with this he fought with the khans. For example, in 1171 he defeated Konchak across the Vorskla River. However, another campaign gained historical fame.
In 1185, the princes of southern Russia were united togo to the steppe and break the Polovtsy there. Igor was the initiator of this voyage. He was supported by the next of kin. It was Vsevolod Svyatoslavich (Kursk prince), Svyatoslav Olgovich (Rylsky prince) and Vladimir Igorevich (Putivl prince). Also under the Russian flags stood Kowi. It was a small nomad people who lived on the borders of the Chernigov possessions.
The combined army was deprived of many allies.Prince Igor’s campaign on the Polovtsy was without the support of Prince Svyatoslav of Kiev. The reason was that the Seversky ruler hurried and decided not to wait for a strong ally, who was only collecting shelves. Haste later played a fatal role in the fate of the troops. The army went to the shores of the Donets, where the Polovtsy had camps, due to which it was possible to profit well.
A few days on the road Russian armystumbled upon a small detachment of the enemy, which was defeated. This turned the head commander. The princes decided that if they were lucky for the first time, they would succeed in the future. That was a mistake. Prince Igor’s campaign on the Polovtsy turned out to be a failure due to haste and adventurousness.
Когда войско встретило основную армию кочевников, it was immediately surrounded because of the numerical superiority of the enemy. Caught in the trap Russian soldiers were killed, few managed to escape. The unsuccessful campaign of Prince Igor against the Polovtsy turned for him as a captive. He managed to escape from captivity only a few years after he, under the cover of night, fled on a cooked horse.
After the victory, the nomads traditionally set outStraight to Russia: rob and cash in. Prince Igor’s campaign on the Polovtsy caused a terrible invasion, which civilians had not known for several decades. The city of Rim and the neighboring villages were looted and burned. The prince of Kiev, who did not get into the steppe due to the fact that the allies rushed to snatch the laurels of the victors, united with the Galician ruler and expelled the nomads. In addition, the riders never stayed on foreign territory before the onset of winter. With the advent of snow, they disappeared and returned to their homeland, taking the stolen wealth in a wagon train.
Svyatoslav (prince of Kiev) was at first angry atIgor for the fact that he went to the steppe in secret from an ally. However, after it became known that the unfortunate commander was in captivity, the relative forgot the offense and mourned for a long time, thinking that he would not return.
Через несколько лет поход новгород-северского Prince Igor Polovtsy formed the basis of the famous "Words ...". The author of this literary asset is unknown. The work miraculously survived and became truly famous only in the XIX century, when the public received a list compiled by Count Musin-Pushkin.
This is an excellent example of the then language. "Word...»Is a guide to ancient Russian folklore. Because of its importance, the work fell into the school curriculum. Many plots and phraseological units (for example, “the weeping of Yaroslavna”) became popular and winged.
The original manuscript was purchased by the graph.Musin-Pushkin at the Yaroslavl Monastery. The sale took place due to the fact that the religious institution was closed. Soon the original died in a fire, but by that time several complete lists had been compiled, thanks to which the published copies survived to our time. The legacy of “Words ...” is often compared with the meaning of the legends of European bards of the Middle Ages.
Prince Igor and his campaign against the Polovtsy steelone of the recognizable symbols of ancient Russia. Rurikovich himself, after escaping from captivity, lived a few more years. As the eldest among his closest relatives, he inherited Chernigov, where he died in 1201.
