Igor Svyatoslavich

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Igor Svyatoslavich (April 3, 1151–1202) was the prince of Novhorod-Siversky from 1180 to 1202. His skirmishes against the Polovtsians would most likely pass into oblivion, if they hadn't been immortalized in The Tale of Igor's Campaign and the opera Prince Igor.

Costume design for Prince Igor (1909).

Igor was the son of Svyatoslav Olgovich, and a grandson of Oleg of Chernigov. His mother was Catherine of Novgorod. His princely name was Igor, in honor of his uncle Igor II of Kiev, but his baptismal name was George, in honor of his father's ally George the Long-Armed.

In 1171, Igor led his first campaign against the Polovtsians; it was a success. He defeated the khans, Kobyak and Konchak, who had been ravaging the lands around Pereyaslav. In 1183 he defeated a Polovtsian raiding party by the Merla river.

In 1185, Khan Konchak attacked the Rus, and in response Igor amassed a force of some 6,000-8,000 soldiers to retaliate against the Polovtsians. He was joined by a number of Kievan princes, including his brother Vsevolod, his nephew Sviatoslav, and his son Vladimir. They were able to penetrate deeply into the Polovtsian territory and take them by surprise. However, they were also surrounded by enemies on every side, and facing heavy bombardment by arrows. Mounted warriors attacked, led by a number of khans, including Konchak. The Kievans were trapped between the Polovtsy and a lake, and those who were not killed by the enemy were drowned.

Igor left in pursuit of some deserters, and on his return he was captured. Vsevolod, Sviatoslav, and Vladimir were also taken prisoner. Igor managed to escape, however, leaving his son as a hostage. Four years prior to his death, he was installed as the Prince of Chernigov, partitioning his Severian lands between his five sons.