Oleg I of Chernigov facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Oleg I of Chernigov |
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| Prince of Chernigov Prince of Novgorod-Seversk |
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The image of Prince Oleg Svyatoslavich ("Gorislavich") on a princely coin.
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| Prince of Chernigov | |||||
| Reign | 1094–1097 | ||||
| Predecessor | Vladimir II Monomakh | ||||
| Successor | Davyd Sviatoslavich | ||||
| Prince of Novgorod-Seversk | |||||
| Reign | 1097–1115 | ||||
| Predecessor | ? | ||||
| Successor | ? | ||||
| Born | c. 1052 | ||||
| Died | 1 August 1115 (aged 62 or 63) | ||||
| Spouse | 1. Theophano Mouzalonissa 2. Maria Yuryevna, daughter of Yuri I Vladimirovich Dolgoruky and Aëpovna, Princess of the Kumans, who is the daughter of Aëpa II Ocenevich, Khan of the Cumans and Okand. |
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| Issue | Vsevolod II of Kiev Igor II of Kiev Maria Gleb Sviatoslav Olgovich |
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| House | Rurik | ||||
| Father | Sviatoslav Yaroslavich | ||||
| Mother | Killikiya | ||||
Oleg Svyatoslavich (Russian: Олег Святославич; c. 1052 – 1 August 1115) was an important prince from Kievan Rus'. He lived during a time of much political change. Oleg ruled as the Prince of Chernigov from 1094 to 1097. Later, he was the Prince of Novgorod-Seversk from 1097 until his death in 1115. He is known as the founder of the Olgovichi family line.
Contents
Who Was Prince Oleg?
Oleg was a younger son of Sviatoslav Iaroslavich. His father was the Prince of Chernigov. Oleg's mother was Killikiya. Historians believe Oleg was born around 1050. His baptismal name was Michael. He was named after his great-uncle.
Oleg's family line, the Olgovichi, became rivals of another powerful family. This other family was the Monomakhovichi, descendants of Vladimir II Monomakh. These two families often competed for power in Rus'.
Oleg's Children
Oleg had several children. They included:
Oleg's Early Adventures
Oleg likely became the ruler of Tmutarakan around 1068. This happened after his father made his brother, Gleb, the Prince of Novgorod.
In 1073, Oleg's father and his uncle, Vsevolod Iaroslavich, joined forces. They removed their older brother, Iziaslav Iaroslavich, from his position as Grand Prince of Kiev. Oleg's father then became the Grand Prince. Oleg may have received the Principality of Vladimir from his father.
Oleg and his cousin, Vladimir II Monomakh, became good friends. Vladimir Monomakh even wrote that Oleg was the godfather of his oldest son, Mstislav. In 1076, Oleg and Vladimir Monomakh led troops together. They helped Boleslav II of Poland in Bohemia.
A Change in Power
Oleg's father died in 1077. His uncle, Vsevolod Iaroslavich, became the new Grand Prince. At first, Vsevolod seemed to let Oleg keep ruling Vladimir. But then, Iziaslav Iaroslavich, who had been removed earlier, returned with help from Poland.
Iziaslav and Vsevolod made an agreement. Vsevolod gave up Kiev but received Chernigov. Chernigov had been Oleg's father's land. Oleg was with Vsevolod in Chernigov at this time. This suggests Oleg had to leave Vladimir.
Conflict and Exile
Oleg did not get along with his uncle Vsevolod. So, in 1077, Oleg went to his brother Roman in Tmutarakan. Oleg, along with his cousin Boris Vyacheslavich, teamed up with the Cumans. They invaded Rus' in the summer of 1078. They defeated Vsevolod and entered Chernigov.
Some records say Oleg and Boris were the first to bring "pagans" (the Cumans) to attack Rus'. However, Vladimir Monomakh later said that he and his father had also hired Cumans before.
Vsevolod fled to Kiev and got help from his brother Iziaslav. They marched against Chernigov. Oleg wanted to talk, but Boris refused. A big battle happened on October 3. Oleg was defeated and escaped back to Tmutarakan.
In Tmutarakan, the Khazars captured Oleg. They sent him in chains to Constantinople. The emperor, who was related to Vsevolod, sent Oleg away to Rhodes. While there, Oleg married a noblewoman named Theophano Mouzalonissa. They had several children.
The Chernigov War
Four years later, Oleg was back in Tmutarakan. He took the title "archon of Khazaria". A long struggle began with his cousins, Sviatopolk II Iziaslavich and Vladimir II Monomakh.
This war started when Vsevolod I Yaroslavich, the Grand Prince of Kiev, died in 1093. Sviatopolk became the new ruler of Kiev. But the different branches of the ruling family disagreed about who should rule other lands.
The main groups fighting were:
- The Iziaslavichi: Descendants of Iziaslav I. This included Sviatopolk II Iziaslavich of Kiev.
- The Monomakhovichi: Descendants of Vsevolod I. This included Vladimir II Monomakh of Pereyaslavl.
- The Sviatoslavichi: Descendants of Sviatoslav. This included Oleg I Sviatoslavich of Chernigov and Davyd Sviatoslavich of Smolensk.
Before Vsevolod died, he had put his son Vladimir Monomakh in charge of Chernigov. Oleg's father, Sviatoslav II, had ruled Kiev for a short time. But he had taken power by force. So, Vladimir Monomakh believed his father's claim to Chernigov was stronger than Oleg's. He refused to give Chernigov to Oleg.
Oleg decided to fight for his claim to Chernigov. In 1094, he returned from Tmutarakan with an army of Kipchaks. He drove out Monomakh and captured Chernigov. Monomakh moved to Pereyaslavl. However, Monomakh's sons still controlled parts of eastern Chernigov.
In 1096, Oleg attacked. He killed Monomakh's son Iziaslav in Murom. But when Oleg invaded another area, he was pushed back by Monomakh's other son, Mstislav.
The war finally ended with an agreement at the Council of Liubech in 1097.
Later Life and Legacy
Oleg was one of the most important princes of his time. However, he never became the Grand Prince of Kiev. He passed away on August 1, 1115. He was buried in Chernigov.
