By the time of the death of Prince Roman Mstislavich, signs of stratification began to appear among the boyars. The reason was the fact that at that time people of completely different origins and levels of well-being could get into the boyars. So, wealthy townspeople and representatives of rural communities, who had a certain influence, were also boyars. They, as well as the landless sons of the large boyars, small warriors, political active merchants and many others, formed a stratum of small boyars, which did not possess wealth, but was more closely connected with the community and differed in numbers. The older boyars turned into typical oligarchs - rich and influential, but socially destructive individuals who sought to put the whole world at the service of their own benefit. The first were entirely in favor of maintaining a strong princely power in 1205, although it came from the "widow Romanova" and two young sons of the deceased ruler, which was bad manners for Russia at that time. The latter wanted the return of old times and their own dominion over everything and everyone. As is often the case in history, money overcame good as a result.
Immediately I will make a reservation: the events of the first years after the death of Roman Mstislavich may not be completely correct by me. The thing is that such chaos began there, such a cheerful and versatile political movement that many researchers themselves get confused in the events and indicate a different sequence of events or completely forget some details. Even at a cursory examination of my own sources, I found FOUR different from each other in the details of the description of what was in Galich before the final approval of the Magyars there. Reading the further description of events, you need to remember this, but understand that, perhaps, this is how it was. And it will immediately become clear why many are confused in those events.
As soon as the news of the death of Roman Mstislavich arrived, his former enemies began to stir. From Hungary began to actively write to their supporters Kormilichi; Rurik Rostislavich rejected tonsure, renewed the alliance with the Olgovichi and Polovtsy, and moved to Galich. Anna Angelina was forced to develop an active work to put together her own coalition. Fortunately, Roman himself took care of protecting the claims of his own sons: in 1204 he signed an agreement with András Arpad on mutual support of the heirs. It was the result of a long game: Andrash once fought with his relative, Imre, for the crown, and received support from the Galicia-Volyn principality. It was in 1204 that the war ended and Andras became regent under his young nephew, Laszlo III, and after his death in 1205, the regent was crowned King Andras II. After the death of Roman Mstislavich, the treaty was recognized as valid, and Hungarian troops arrived in Galich. Having suffered defeat on the border, the Russian-Hungarian army arranged a real bloodbath for the allies of Rurik Rostislavich under the city walls. The Polovtsian Khan himself and his brother were nearly captured. Nevertheless, in 1206 Rurik repeated the campaign, this time bringing to the aid of the Poles Prince Leszek Bely. Andras II avoided the war, agreeing only to leave Volhynia to the children of the late Roman Mstislavich.
In Galich, all of a sudden, the local boyars, with the Kormilichichs at the head, were at the head of everything. They immediately returned to themselves all the food taken from them by the late prince, gathered their own army and began to decide what would happen to their principality in the future. Rurik Rostislavich and his allies evaded any serious decisions on Galich, waiting for the decision of the local boyars and actively pushing the veche towards the most advantageous option for them. At the suggestion of the Kormilichichs, it was decided to implement the option that had already been proposed after the death of Vladimir Yaroslavich: invite three brothers from among the Olgovichi, the sons of Prince Igor Svyatoslavich and the daughter of Yaroslav Osmomysl to rule in Galich "Lamenting Yaroslavna"). The brothers Vladimir, Svyatoslav and Roman Igorevich arrived in Galich at the invitation of the boyars and began to rule the principality as the legitimate heirs of the first Galician dynasty, under the control of the boyars.
The king of Hungary, Andras II, did not really like this option, and he unexpectedly decided to fight for Galich. True, he had already forgotten about the patronage of the children of Roman Mstislavich and decided to bet on the son of Vsevolod the Big Nest, Yaroslav. However, nothing came of the venture, even though the alliance of princes headed by Rurik Rostislavich collapsed soon after. Worse, the Kormilichichs, having gathered strength, were able to influence Vladimir-Volynsky, and Anna Angelina, along with her son and part of the boyars, was forced to leave the city. The Galicia-Volyn principality was completely in the power of the Igorevichs and the Galician boyars, and the Romanovichs fled … to Leshek Bely, who just a year ago became the decisive factor in their defeat in the struggle for Galich.
How the Igorevichs went to success
It seemed that the Igorevichs suddenly jumped from rags to riches. In their hands was a large and wealthy Galicia-Volyn principality. It was possible to do anything, including the classic scenario with making claims to Kiev and spending a huge amount of resources on the city, which with every year and conquest became less and less significant on the scale of Russia. However, the power of the Igorevichs was shaky, especially in Volyn, where the domination of the Galician boyars was perceived in the same way as a bull in a bullfight perceives a red rag. The Prince of Belz, Alexander Vsevolodovich, a close relative of the Romanovichs, raised his army and, with the support of the Poles with the communities, in 1207 expelled Svyatoslav Igorevich. From that moment on, the Galicia-Volyn principality actually disintegrated. Galich now had to cook in his own juice. In Volhynia, however, also began a period of internal unrest and wars.
The Igorevichs turned out to be by no means such friendly brothers as the founders of the Galician principality were. The boyars used this factor to their full potential. When Vladimir Igorevich began to claim too much power in the state, starting to suppress the interests of the boyars, they simply turned to another brother, Roman. He, having agreed with the Hungarian nobility, in 1208 overthrew his brother, who fled to Putivl and established his own rule. The novel also turned out to be a man eager for power, as a result of which in 1210 the boyars simply drafted the Hungarians and replaced him with Rostislav Rurikovich (the son of that same Rurik, who was the father-in-law of Roman Mstislavich). However, for some reason, Rostislav also wanted more power, as a result of which the boyars were again called upon to rule Vladimir Igorevich …
But the Igorevichs quickly learned a lesson from everything that happened and joined forces. Now they understood how dangerous the Galician boyars were and therefore launched large-scale repressions against them, following the example of Prince Roman. However, if Roman was careful with them, persecuting only the most odious boyars, the brothers turned out to be much less restrained and skillful in such things. According to the chronicle, several hundred boyars and rich townspeople of Galich were executed, because of which the princes turned against themselves not only the boyars, but also the community. As a result, the boyars decided to change their shoes in a jump and return to the reign of the young Daniil Galitsky, who could easily be controlled by writing him to the Hungarian "patron", Andras II. He invaded the territory of the principality in 1211 and achieved victory over the discordant army of the Igorevichs. Since then, there is no information about Vladimir; Roman and Svyatoslav were captured by the Hungarians, who handed them over to the Galician boyars. Deciding to teach a lesson to the future princes and avenge their murdered relatives, the Galicians hanged both brothers on a tree. Nowhere else and never in Russia were the princes executed by the decision of the Veche.
At the request of the Hungarians, the son of Roman Mstislavich again became the prince, and the boyars did not seem to be particularly resisting. Thus, in 1211, Daniel nevertheless became a prince in Galich, having no real power. However, he also had little time.
The circus continues
Daniil Romanovich, while still a nine-year-old boy, was highly dependent on his environment in general and Anna Angelina's mother in particular. Actually, it was she who all this time dragged on herself to defend the political interests of her son, using the support of some boyars and relatives, seeking from the Polish and Hungarian rulers what she needed. And, of course, when Daniel sat down to rule in Galich, she began to take all the levers of power in her hands in order to strengthen the position of both her own and her own son in the city. The boyars did not like this, and they decided to simply expel her from the city in order to turn the young prince into their own puppet. Of course, the Byzantine pride of our princess could not let some rude Russian barbarians get away with this …
The degree of lawlessness of what was happening was gaining momentum with the speed of a train running in a straight line and late on schedule. At the beginning of 1212, Anna returned with the Hungarian army and forced the boyars to come to terms with her stay in Galich, simultaneously restraining their overly raging ambitions. However, as soon as the Hungarian troops left, the boyars rebelled. Again. And Anna went into exile. Again. True, this time together with his son, since what was happening seriously made him fear for his safety. The boyars, without thinking twice, were invited to rule in the city of Mstislav Mute - already the old prince of Peresopnitsa, not rich and devoid of great ambitions, which made him a convenient puppet.
And Anna went to Hungary. Again. And she asked for help from Andras II. Again. And he went on a campaign. Again. Those who had not laughed at what was happening now laughed, and those who had laughed before could no longer laugh … The campaign failed, as the Hungarian aristocracy conspired and killed Queen Gertrude of Meran, who allowed herself in Hungary even more than Anna Angelina in Galich. Of course, the king in response to such news deployed his army, and the venture failed. But the mere rumor of her approach was enough for the next Galician prince to leave his post ahead of time, escaping back to Peresopnitsa. Yes, again …
After this, the boyars decided to get rid of the painful choice of which puppet to rule in Galich, and simply elected the boyar Volodislav Kormilichich, the head of all the progressive boyars of the city, as prince. And if earlier everything that was happening still had some kind of shaky connection with traditions and established orders, then landing as a prince of a person who was not Rurikovich or a representative of another royal dynasty was not at all according to concepts. Already in 1213, a strong coalition of Mstislav Dumb, Volyn princes, Poles and Hungarians was formed against the Kormilichichs. And again (yes, again!) Because of Galich, the neighboring rulers had to send a large army. The Galician boyar army was defeated, but the city held on, as a result of which the allies had to retreat.
However, it was too early for the Kormilichichs to celebrate the victory. The Polish prince Leszek White and the king of Hungary Andras II gathered in Spis in order to solve the problem with the Galician principality once and for all. Nobody was going to leave everything as it was, but it was impossible to constantly interfere in internal affairs - it simply diverted all the attention and resources of the sovereigns from other matters. The boyar freemen in Galich had to be stopped. As a result, a number of decisions were made, and in 1214 the Polish-Hungarian army again invaded the principality and this time took its capital. Volodislav Kormilichich and a number of boyars were taken to Hungary, where their traces are lost. A Hungarian garrison was located in Galich, and Koloman, the son of Andrash, was put in the place of the prince, who became engaged to Salome, the daughter of Leszek Bely. The Galician principality turned into a condominium of Hungary and Poland, the latter, according to the good old tradition, set up garrisons in the towns of Cherven and Przemysl. The problem was solved, however, without any benefit to anyone who considered himself a Russian person.
But you don't think it was all over, do you?
And what about Volyn?
After the expulsion of the Igorevichs, Prince of Belz Alexander Vsevolodovich settled in Vladimir-Volynsky. He received power with the help of the Poles and was in fact dependent on Prince Leszko Bely. In order to consolidate these ties, Leshko even married Alexander's daughter, Gremislava. This, however, never once saved the prince from falling into disgrace, as a result of which, already in 1209, the Poles forcibly removed him and put the prince of Ingvar Yaroslavich, Prince of Lutsk to reign. However, this candidacy was not to the taste of the boyars and the community of the capital city, who still had considerable political weight, and therefore in 1210 Alexander was able to return the principality to his own hands, after which relative order reigned in Vladimir for five whole years. During this time, he managed to take part in a number of campaigns against Galich as part of the allied forces, as well as fight the Lithuanians who occupied the northern territories of the state of Roman Mstislavich. Nothing good happened to the Lithuanians, and such cities as Novogrudok and Gorodno were taken over by the Lithuanian princes.
The Romanovichs at this time were divided: Daniel was at the court of Andras II, and Anna and Vasilko remained at the court of Leszek Bely. He took care of their interests, however, in a very peculiar way, singling out Vasilka in 1207 a principality in Belz, where he ruled until 1211. In addition, Vasilko in 1208-1210 also held the post of prince in Berestye (Brest). He himself had no political weight. Anna Angelina, being a wise woman, quickly realized that Leszek Bely plans in the future to slowly take over the whole of Volhynia. The dowager princess was not going to pay at such a price to defend the interests of her sons, and her relations with the Polish prince remained rather cool.
According to the Spish agreement, the Hungarians and Poles took Galich from the Romanovichs for a reason, but in exchange for control over Volyn, i.e. the city of Vladimir was to go to Daniel. Alexander, of course, refused to leave the profitable place, as a result of which the Poles had to pick him out by force. Returning to his native Belz, he harbored a grudge against the Romanovichs and tried in 1215 to regain what had been lost earlier, taking advantage of the deteriorating relations between them and the Poles. However, both Daniel and Vasilko had already grown up and, by the standards of that time, were quite adults for themselves, and most importantly, very capable rulers. Daniel grew up a born leader and commander, and Vasilko, who also had good skills, but was much more indecisive, turned out to be an almost ideal assistant with his brother. The Vladimir community, after long rushes and mistakes, returned to where it had started, and began to show complete loyalty to the sons of Roman Mstislavich. Thanks to this, young Daniil and Vasilko managed to repel the attack of Alexander Vsevolodovich and even launch a counteroffensive. However, they failed to achieve great success in this due to the intervention of the Poles and Mstislav Udatny.
And yet the Romanovichs came out of this situation as winners. The difficult childhood years were lived through, adolescence began, and in the young men people were already beginning to see their leaders. Volhynia, albeit weakened and divided, was now in their hands, and it was possible to piece together little by little the fragments of Roman Mstislavich's legacy. The failure of Alexander Belzsky showed that young princes have fangs. In the future, one could hope for the great achievements of the brothers. Daniel turned out to be especially talented, having inherited the best traits of his parents, showing the abilities of a skilled ruler from an early age. The struggle for the restoration of the Galicia-Volyn principality was just beginning.
Mstislav Udatny
The union of Hungarians and Poles turned out to be very short-lived. Already in 1215, the Hungarians began to oust the Poles from the Galician principality, claiming sole rule. Leszek Bely, having less strength and knowing full well that he himself would not be able to fight the Hungarians, began to look for allies. In this, apparently, Anna Angelina helped him, in whose interests was also the emergence of a new figure in the politics of South-Western Russia, who could break the existing vicious triangle between the Hungarians, Poles and Galician boyars. The urban communities were ready to provide support, since the Hungarian domination in the Galician land turned out to be very burdensome, ranging from the violence perpetrated by the Hungarian garrisons, and ending with the imposition of Catholicism. Such a person was found quickly enough, and Prince Mstislav Udatny arrived to fight the Hungarians from the Novgorod land.
This commander was one of the most militant, capable and brilliant princes in Russia at that time. His whole life was spent in battles - with other princes, crusaders, Chud, and later with Hungarians, Poles and Mongols. By 1215, he already had a resounding fame. His squad included many dashing warriors who, under the command of their prince, went through many battles. He quickly enough responded to the invitation, came to Galich with an army and forced the prince Koloman to flee to Hungary. The ease with which he dealt with the Magyars was impressive. But in the same year, the Hungarians were able to regain control of the principality, since Mstislav Udatny appeared light and was not ready for a serious war.
A serious war began in 1217, when he sorted out all his affairs in Novgorod and paid maximum attention to Galich. The campaign of 1218 was especially successful, when the Russian troops were able to take advantage of the fact that a significant part of the Hungarian troops went on another crusade. Mstislav again took possession of Galich and began to build local politics. He quickly noticed the capable Daniil Romanovich and gave him his daughter, Anna. Somewhere at the same time, it was decided that Daniel would later become the heir to Galich in exchange for the custody of the children of Mstislav Udatny. Together they acted as allies against two strong enemies at once: Leshek Bely, whom the Russians "threw" with his demands from Russian cities, and the Hungarians. In addition, with the active participation of his mother, Daniel entered into an agreement with the Lithuanian tribes, who, using his support, began large raids on Poland, seeking to deprive her of the opportunity to wage a serious war in Russia.
The campaign of 1219 turned out to be large-scale, the Polish-Hungarian army laid siege to Galich, which defended Daniel, while Mstislav was gathering the troops of his relatives and allies in the east, but for some reason a big battle did not happen. The Volyn prince left the city together with his troops, and the Hungarians for some time again took possession of it … in order to soon lose it again. Mstislav Udatny eventually connected the Polovtsy to the war, and after two new campaigns by 1221 he captured Galich, at the same time taking Koloman of Hungary prisoner. Andras II, wanting to free his son, was forced to negotiate, at which he recognized Mstislav as a Galician prince. At the same time, Udatny was recognized by the local community and the boyars, as a result of which, it seemed, finally, peace reigned.
The vicissitudes of fate
In 1223, still being allies, Daniel and Mstislav Udatny, together with the Polovtsy and a number of other Russian princes, set out on a campaign far to the Steppe to fight the Mongols. It all ended with the battle on Kalka, which has already been described in abundance. One need only add that this was the last time the two princes acted as allies. Soon after returning from the campaign, Alexander Belzsky, still claiming power in the entire Volyn land, was able to drive a wedge between the Galician and Volyn princes, and Mstislav considered that Daniel posed a threat to him. In the strife that began after this, the Galician prince took the side of Alexander, but did not show much activity. Thanks to this, Daniel again showed the Belz prince where the crayfish winter, and he was forced to go to reconciliation.
Despite the absence of active confrontation, the paths of Mstislav Udatny and the Volyn prince parted. In 1226, the Hungarians again tried to regain possession of Galich, but were defeated by the prince at Zvenigorod. Nevertheless, the aging Mstislav went to peace, which was beneficial primarily to the Hungarians. One of his daughters married the son of the Hungarian king, who bore the name Andrash, and the Hungarian prince himself was appointed heir to Mstislav in Galich. This broke the agreement with Daniil Romanovich. In the same year, Andrash took possession of Przemysl, and in 1227 Udatny completely retired to Ponizye (modern Podillia), giving Galich to his son-in-law. Everything ended with the same thing as it began - Hungarian domination.
Daniel, however, continued to fight with Alexander Vsevolodovich, who did not quit. Once again, the old alliance with the Poles had to be restored, since Alexander summoned Mstislav Mute, Vladimir Rurikovich of Kiev and the Polovtsi. And again, the Volyn principality, thanks to the close interaction of the prince of the boyars and the community, was able to repel all the attacks of the enemy. Moreover, Mstislav Nemoy, rejecting the ladder, in exchange for protecting the hereditary rights of his son bequeathed the Lutsk principality, where he ruled at that time, to Daniel. Mstislav died in 1226, his son Ivan - in 1227, and after resolving the issue with the nephews of the deceased, Vasilko Romanovich settled in Lutsk. Little by little, issues with other princes were resolved, as a result of which the increasing fragmentation of Volyn was gradually reversed. The more strength Daniel became in his hands, the faster the process of the revival of the father's state proceeded. Politics was also in play: in 1228 Daniel in Kamenets was besieged by a large army of several princes and Cumans, but he was able to upset the ranks of the allies and even redirect the Cumans to Hungarian territories, as a result of which it was possible not only to lift the siege of the city, but also to retaliate against Kiev principality.
In 1228, when Mstislav Udatny died and Andrash of Hungary entered into the full rights of Prince Galich, Daniel had significant resources, allies and experience in using them in the current conditions. Neither the community nor the boyars liked the assertion of Hungarian domination in the Galician principality. True, the boyars perfectly knew the methods of the Romanovichs and therefore split into two parties, but as a result those who considered the Magyars to be a great evil took the upper hand. Daniel received an invitation to the Galician table. In 1229 Galich was besieged and soon taken; overthrown Andrash was honorably escorted to the border by Daniel himself. From that moment on, it was already possible to start talking about the revival of the Galicia-Volyn state, although the struggle for recognition of this was still a decade and a half.
