Rostislav Vladimirovich, who was killed in Tmutarakan, has three sons: Rurik, Volodar and Vasilko. After the death of their father, they grew up at the court of their uncle, Yaropolk Izyaslavich, who in 1078 became a prince in Vladimir-Volynsky. The brothers, like their father, were outcasts, did not possess real power, did not have their own squads, and if they did, then in quantities that were clearly insufficient for an independent policy. They did not expect anything outstanding in the existing order of things, therefore they were actively looking for ways to improve their social status, or rather, to get their inheritance in government and stop depending on relatives who themselves either rose or fell in the turbulent cauldron of the political life of Russia at that time. It was difficult to do this by legal means, therefore, they were looking for illegal ways, i.e. just ways to expel the local princes from somewhere and sit down to rule for themselves.
Just at this time, on the territory of the principality, especially in its southern part, which was called Subcarpathia, later it would become the Przemysl principality, and then Galicia, dissatisfaction began to ripen. Local communities were dissatisfied with the rule of Yaropolk, strife, Polish garrisons in large cities, and much more. The factor of the weakening of the power of the Grand Duke of Kiev also had an effect, due to which there were tendencies towards separation or at least the isolation of individual principalities. Nevertheless, the legacy of the times of Vladimir the Great and Yaroslav the Wise still affected - the local communities connected their future only with the Rurikovichs and therefore they needed some kind of representative of the ruling dynasty in order to achieve legitimacy and, possibly, strengthen their capabilities in the future struggle for a place under the sun. In the person of the Rostislavichi, the local population acquired three princes at once. Without the support of the communities, Rurik, Volodar and Vasilko had little chance of success; furthermore, there is no information that they have any outside support. The union of the three brothers and the Subcarpathian communities became natural and even inevitable.
In 1084, taking advantage of the departure of Yaropolk Izyaslavich from Vladimir, the Rostislavichs went to the Cherven cities and revolted there against the prince. They were also supported by Przemysl, as a result of which the backbone of the troops of the three brothers formed the city regiments (otherwise it is almost impossible to explain the appearance of their army). The Polish garrisons were driven out in the face of superior forces, shortly after that, without much bloodshed, Vladimir-Volynsky was taken, which probably simply opened the gates to the rebels. Yaropolk requested help from the Kiev prince, and he sent his son, Vladimir Monomakh, in order to return the principality to the control of its rightful ruler. It was possible to recapture the capital of the principality, but its southern territories, including the large cities of Przemysl, Zvenigorod and Terebovlya, put up serious resistance. In the end, Monomakh was forced to go back to Kiev, and Yaropolk continued the struggle with the Rostislavichi, during which he died - in 1086 he was killed by his own warrior Neradts. Since the Neradets after that took refuge in Przemysl, the Rostislavichs were accused of murder, but they no longer mattered: acting together with the communities of three large cities of South-Western Russia, the outcast princes received vast and rich lands into their own possession, establishing their power there. …
Principality of Rostislavichi
Since 1086, the Volyn principality, before that single, was divided into two parts. Northern, with the capital in Volodymyr-Volynskiy, was controlled by "legal" rulers in accordance with the law of law, with the exception of the city of Dorogobuzh, which in 1084 was transferred to Davyd Igorevich by the decision of the Kiev prince. In the south, dividing the possessions among themselves, the Rostislavichi began to rule, who founded a separate branch of the Rurikovichi, later called the First Galician Dynasty. Rurik, as an older brother, became the supreme ruler of the newly formed principality, settling in Przemysl. His younger brothers, Volodar and Vasilko, sat down to rule in Zvenigorod and Terebovl, respectively. Inheritance in the principality took place within the framework of this branch of the Rurikovichs, in exchange for this, the princes received significant support from local communities, who regularly deployed their troops under the command of the Rostislavichi - otherwise it is difficult to explain how they managed to repel the numerous encroachments of their neighbors on the Przemysl lands.
Rurik died in 1092, leaving no children behind. Volodar became the prince in Przemysl, who turned out to be a long-lived prince and ruled there right up to 1124. His reign turned out to be quite eventful. In 1097, he attended the Lyubech congress of princes, where he became close to Vladimir Monomakh and achieved recognition of his rights to Przemysl. Prince Davyd Igorevich did not like this at all, who at that time began to rule Volyn: he considered that the Rostislavichs were threatening his position and could challenge him with power over the principality. It is possible that Davyd was supported by the community of Volodymyr-Volynsky, which lost some of its power and profits with the loss of Subcarpathia. The Grand Duke of Kiev, Svyatopolk Izyaslavich, took the side of Davyd Igorevich, who in the same year kidnapped Volodar's younger brother, Vasilko, and blinded him, thereby provoking the beginning of a new strife.
However, the effect of blinding Vasilko turned out to be completely opposite to what could have helped the cause of Davyd and Svyatopolk. For Volodar Rostislavich, the news of this abuse of his younger brother caused a storm of indignation. The community also joined the prince - the Rostislavichs were "hers" for her, and therefore Vasilko's blindness was an insult to all the community members of the principality. In addition, the youngest of the Rostislavichs was a fairly popular ruler; in the early 1090s, in alliance with the Polovtsians, he went on long campaigns, including Poland, had great ambitions and strove to establish himself in Bulgaria. People considered such a prince "their own" and therefore were ready to fit in for him to the fullest.
Davyd, taking with him the blinded Vasilko, invaded the territory of the Przemysl principality and laid siege to Terebovlya, a former border town. However, he soon ran into trouble - Volodar managed to quickly gather a considerable army and drove the Volyn prince to the city of Buzhsk, where he was forced to sit under siege. Davyd's position became hopeless, and in exchange for the release of Vasilko, he was allowed to leave the city. Nevertheless, Volodar did not calm down and laid siege to the Volyn prince already in his capital, the city of Vladimir. In the end, Davyd was forced to flee to Poland and seek support there, and the Rostislavichi began to catch everyone who, in one way or another, participated in the blindness of Vasilko. They did not execute them with their own hands, handing over the perpetrators into the hands of the townspeople-members of the community, who themselves perpetrated reprisals against the criminals, hanging them in trees and shooting them with bows. The unity of Rostislavichi and subcarpathian communities at that time was absolute.
And again the war
The Russian princes were outraged by the story of the blindness of Vasilko and therefore in 1098 they gathered a large army, which approached Kiev and forced Svyatopolk Izyaslavich, a participant in the blinding, to punish the main culprit of what happened, Davyd Igorevich. He wasted no time, having managed to return to his principality with the support of the Poles. Svyatopolk had to negotiate neutrality with them, and then besiege Vladimir-Volynsky in order to punish the Volyn prince. However, when it came to real punishments, no special measures followed - Davyd Igorevich, in fact, voluntarily left the city, going to rule in Cherven, and Svyatopolk's son, Mstislav, sat down to rule in Vladimir.
After confirming his power in Volhynia, Svyatopolk did not find a better idea of how … to march against the Rostislavichi! Meanwhile, Davyd Igorevich was not going to give up his claims to Volhynia, actively looking for allies. As a result of this, a situation arose in South-Western Russia where military operations were conducted between three separate parties, which could both fight with each other and conclude short-term alliances. The first side was the Rostislavichi, who defended their possessions in the Principality of Przemysl, the second - Prince Chervensky, Davyd Igorevich, who claimed Vladimir-Volynsky, and the third - the Grand Duke of Kiev Svyatopolk. The latter theoretically possessed the greatest opportunities, but he put his son Mstislav to reign in Vladimir without taking into account the opinion of the local community, as a result of which she did not have much love for him. This could not but play its role in the future …
The campaign of Svyatopolk with his sons against the Rostislavichi in 1099 ended with the battle on the Rozhny field. Volodar and Vasilko, accustomed to fighting for their interests together with the community members, won the battle. This victory of its kind was the first, for the troops of the Kiev prince were for the first time defeated in a battle not for Kiev itself. One of the sons of Svyatopolk, Yaroslav, was still not appeased and therefore soon invaded the territory of the principality from the west, enlisting the support of the Hungarian king Koloman I, his relative. This was the first time in a long series of interventions by the Hungarian kings in the affairs of Southwestern Russia. The brothers sat under siege, as they could not resist the large Hungarian army in the field.
The Polovtsian Khan Bonyak saved their position, who acted simultaneously as an ally of both the Rostislavichi and Davyd Igorevich. Hungarian troops were ambushed on the Wagra River and suffered a heavy defeat, because of which they were forced to leave the territory of the Przemysl principality. After that, Davyd Igorevich and the Polovtsy moved to the capital of Volyn. The city was defended mainly by alien warriors, which is emphasized by the chronicle - the people of Vladimir themselves refused to support Mstislav Svyatopolchich, who died during the siege while on the wall. An attempt by the supporters of the Kiev prince led by Davyd Svyatoslavich (not to be confused with his namesake!) To unblock the city failed, as a result of which Davyd Igorevich's control over Volyn was restored.
In 1100, the Russian princes gathered in Uvetichi to agree on the terms of peace. Davyd Igorevich, despite his achievements, was nevertheless deprived of the Volyn principality, which was transferred to Yaroslav Svyatopolchich (the same one that brought the Hungarians to Russia a year ago). However, Davyda was still left in possession of a number of cities, the main of which was Buzhsk. The Grand Duke of Kiev himself, Svyatopolk, was still trying to return Subcarpathia to his possession, and therefore, together with his allies and supporters, put forward an ultimatum to the Rostislavichs - to give him Terebovl and remain to rule only Przemysl, which he was ready to hand over to them from the lordly hand to the volost. How exactly the brothers responded to this is unknown, but the fact remains: they did not give anything to the Kiev prince. The isolated existence of the Rostislavich principality continued.
Volodar, Prince of Przemyshl
Volodar after 1100 could with even greater right to be considered the prince of Przemysl and all the lands of Subcarpathia, and even the prince of Kiev could not somehow weaken the power of the Rostislavichi, who acted in close cooperation with local communities. The prince himself turned out to be a fairly good ruler, a skillful diplomat, able to plan ahead and see the benefits of relations with certain of his relatives. In addition, he perfectly understood both his precarious position and the importance of developing the lands entrusted to him, thanks to which his policy regarding strife in Russia can be called successful. Rostislavichi took part in them, but rarely enough, without attracting large forces. Everything was done to ensure the rapid development of the principality, its security and independence. Communities of the cities of Subcarpathia highly appreciated this policy and remained selflessly loyal to Volodar throughout his reign.
The prince conducted his "foreign" policy rather flexibly. Sworn enemies or eternal friends did not exist for him. In 1101, Volodar, together with the prince of Chernigov, Davyd Svyatoslavich, went on a campaign against the Poles, although just a couple of years ago they were, if not enemies, then certainly fought on opposite sides of the barricades. Relations with Vladimir Monomakh, who were supported during his conflict in 1117 with the Volyn prince, Yaroslav Svyatopolchich, remained warm enough. This did not prevent Volodar in 1123 from supporting the same Yaroslav Svyatopolchich in the war against the son of Monomakh, Andrei, since the Rostislavichi were seriously afraid of the strengthening of Vladimir Monomakh's power in Volyn. In 1119, together with the Polovtsy, the prince of Przemysl went to Byzantium, collecting rich booty, and in 1122, during a raid on the Poles, he was captured due to the betrayal of his voivode, as a result of which Vasilko had to ransom his older brother for a large amount of money. Of the two daughters of Volodar, one was married to the son of Vladimir Monomakh, and the other to the son of the Byzantine emperor Alexei I Comnenus.
Volodar died in 1124, showing himself, though not a great ruler, but certainly outstanding against the background of many others. The fact that he acted in the interests of his principality, as well as ruled for more than 30 years, allowed the Principality of Przemysl to gain strength and strength to a significant extent. Moreover, the laws of the ordinary ladder did not apply to the Rostislavich principality now. Three large estates, Przemysl, Terebovlya and Zvenigorod, could henceforth only be in the possession of the Rostislavichs. It is from the reign of Prince Volodar that the beginning of the future Galician principality can be counted as isolated from the rest of Russia, strong and developed, having great potential.
It is impossible not to mention the activities of the younger Rostislavich. Vasilko continued to rule Terebovl until his death in the same year 1124. During this time, he managed to significantly strengthen the possessions bordering the steppe, populating them with settlers and founding a number of settlements. At the same time, relations with the Polovtsy gradually improved, which even their periodic raids on the Terebovl land could not prevent. In his expansion to the south, he even made claims to the Bulgarian territories and actively used nomads who wanted to settle as new settlers. Probably, it was Vasil'ko who was credited with the rapid development of one of the cities of his land, which in the future will become the capital of the entire principality - Galich, in which immediately after Vasilko's death one of his sons sat down to rule. However, this is a slightly different time …
Vladimirko Volodarevich
After the death of Volodar Rostislavich, his eldest son, Rostislav, became the ruler in Przemysl. He had not the easiest relationship with the Poles - in 1122 he managed to be held hostage, captured after an unsuccessful campaign in Poland, while his father was collecting a ransom, and already in 1124 he had a chance to defend Przemysl from them. Soon he also had a chance to fight with his younger brother, Vladimir Volodarevich, who, with the help of the Hungarians, tried to become the supreme ruler of the entire principality. The war did not lead to anything, since the prince was supported by his cousins and Mstislav of Kiev. However, in 1128, for some unknown reason, Rostislav died, leaving no heirs, and the same Vladimir became the prince in Przemysl.
Vladimir Volodarevich was an energetic, purposeful and domineering person, not counting his natural duplicity, cynicism and lack of principle. He wanted to create a centralized and strong principality, capable of not only defending against external enemies, but also going on the offensive. He inherited a good inheritance from his father, and in 1128 he united under himself two of the four inheritances of the principality - Przemysl and Zvenigorod. In his actions, Vladimir relied on the support of the communities, but he made a special emphasis on the boyars, which at that time had practically become a separate aristocracy and began to act as a new political force. Together with the boyars, Vladimir possessed sufficient power, resources and troops to realize his main aspirations.
In 1140, Vladimir took part in another strife in Russia, speaking in support of Vsevolod Olgovich of Kiev against Izyaslav Mstislavich Volynsky. Here again the factor of fear of the Rostislavichs of strengthening someone in Volhynia played a role, but there was another reason: Prince Przemyshl sought to expand his own possessions, primarily at the expense of Volyn. Nothing came of this venture, since Izyaslav Mstislavich turned out to be a more skillful commander and politician, which he will demonstrate in the future, having earned one of the first in Russia the title of tsar, albeit so far only in correspondence. Despite the insignificant scope of this conflict, it will turn out to be a prologue to a rather serious confrontation between these two Rurikovichs in the future.
Prince Vasilko Rostislavich left behind two sons - Ivan and Rostislav, who ruled in Galich and Terebovl, respectively. The latter died before the 1140s, and his brother, Ivan, inherited his property. Ivan himself died in 1141, leaving no heirs, as a result of which all the lands, with the exception of Zvenigorod, were inherited by Vladimir Volodarevich. This was a great success, as it allowed for the first time ever to unite in one hand almost all of the Subcarpathia. Vladimir immediately after that thought about moving the capital: constant conflicts with the Poles over the border of Przemysl caused a lot of problems. A capital was required, sufficiently remote from the borders, but at the same time developed and rich. At that time, only Galich could become such a capital. Moving there was carried out in the same year, and it was from this moment that the history of the Galician principality began with the capital in the city of the same name.
