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Feud of the Sviatoslavichi
The Death of Oleg, Prince of Dereva (1836). Drawing made by Taras Shevchenko.
Date 970s Location Kievan Rus' Result Victory of Volodimer
Commanders and leaders
Yaropolk Rogvolod  †	Oleg † Volodimer

The Feud of the Sviatoslavichi (Ukrainian: Усобиця Святославичів, romanized: Usobytsya Svyatoslavychiv) was a war of succession in Kievan Rus' in the 970s (the precise dating is uncertain), between the sons of the Kievan prince Sviatoslav I Igorevich (died 972), for 'eldership' after the death of their father.

Shortly before his death, according to the Primary Chronicle (PVL) in the year 6478 (970), Sviatoslav had appointed his sons over various parts of Kievan Rus': Yaropolk as prince of Kiev (modern Kyiv), Oleg as prince of Dereva, and Volodimer as prince of Novgorod.

After the death of Sviatoslav, a war broke out between his sons. The casus belli appears to have been an incident mentioned sub anno 6483 (975), in which Oleg of Dereva killed the Kievan boyar Lyut' (Old East Slavic: Лютъ) for tresspassing on his hunting grounds.

In the year 6483 (975), the son of Sveinald, Lyut by name, was devoted to hunting, and went out of Kiev to chase wild beasts in the forest. Oleg once saw him, and inquired who he was. He was informed that it was the son of Sveinald; then he rode up and killed him, for Oleg was hunting too. Therefore there sprung up a feud between Yaropolk and Oleg, and Sveinald was continually egging Yaropolk on to attack his brother and seize his property, because he wished to avenge his son.

— Primary Chronicle, translation Cross & Sherbowitz-Wetzor (1953)

Incited by Lyut's father Sveneld (alias Svenald or Sveinald), Yaropolk decided to take revenge for him, and eventually in 6485 (977) went to war against his brother Oleg. According to the PVL, Oleg's troops were compelled to flee from Yaropolk's advancing forces, retreating into the fortified town of Vruchii. However, during the stampede to cross the bridge over the moat, Oleg fell off and died. Upon receiving news of Oleg's demise, Yaropolk pushed on towards Novgorod to defeat his other brother Volodimer, who fled to the Varangians in Scandinavia. Yaropolk then appointed a governor in Novgorod and reigned in Rus' alone.

Зібравши військо Володимир пішов на брата щоб відвоювати престол, сказавши посередникам Ярополковим:

«Ідіте до брата мойого і скажіте йому: «Володимир іде на тебе, готуйся насупроти, битися». Зраджений воєводою Блудом, Ярополк загинув від варязького меча у своїх княжих палатах. Відтак Володимир залишився князювати в Києві, варягів спровадив до Візантії.

References

1. Martin 2007, p. 1.
2. Cross & Sherbowitz-Wetzor 1953, p. 87.
3. ^ Martin 2007, p. 14.
4. ^ Cross & Sherbowitz-Wetzor 1953, p. 90.
5. Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

Bibliography

Primary sources

• Primary Chronicle (c. 1110s).
  • 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. (First edition published in 1930. The first 50 pages are a scholarly introduction.)
  • Thuis, Hans (2015). Nestorkroniek. De oudste geschiedenis van het Kievse Rijk (in Dutch). Nijmegen: Uitgeverij Vantilt. p. 304. ISBN 9789460042287.
  • Ostrowski, Donald; Birnbaum, David J. (7 December 2014). "Rus' primary chronicle critical edition – Interlinear line-level collation". pvl.obdurodon.org (in Church Slavic). Retrieved 5 May 2023.

Literature

• Історія України / Упор.: С. Крупчан, Т. Корольова, О. Скопенко, О. Іванюк. — 5-е вид., переробл. і доповн. —К.: ТОВ "КАЗКА", 2010 — 736 с. —іл., табл. — (Серія "Новий довідник"). ISBN 978-966-8055-18-8
• Butler, Francis (2012). "The "Legend of Gorislava" (not "Rogned'" or "Rogneda"): An Edition, Commentary, and Translation". Dubitando: Studies in History and Culture in Honor of Donald Ostrowski (PDF). Bloomington: Slavica Publishers. pp. 335–352. ISBN 9780893574048. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
• Martin, Janet (2007). Medieval Russia: 980–1584. Second Edition. E-book. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-511-36800-4.

Category:Military history of Kievan Rus' Category:10th century in Kievan Rus' Category:970s conflicts Category:Wars of succession involving the states and peoples of Europe Category:Primary Chronicle