Davyd Rostislavich of Novgorod (1140-1197)

David Rostislavich (Cyrillic: Давыд Ростиславич) (1140 - 23 April 1197), Prince of Smolensk (1180–1197) was fourth son of Rostislav Mstislavich, Velikiy Kniaz (Grand Prince) of Kievю

David was born in 1140, Smolensk, in a family of Rostislav Mstislavich, Prince of Smolensk. During 1167 David received in his rule Vyshhorod. In 1171 David was trying to put Vladimir III Mstislavich to a tron, and in a next year his brother Rurik Rostislavich. In 1175 he together with Prince Oleg Svyatoslavich, was fighting in Chernigov and in next year lost battle with Cumans near city of Rostovec. This battle mentioned in The Tale of Igor's Campaign.

Davyd Rostislavich (1140 - April 23, 1197) - Prince Smolensky (1180-1197 [1] ), the fourth of the sons of Rostislav Mstislavich, Grand Duke of Kiev.

Contents [ hide ] 1	Biography 2	In The Lay of Igor's Host 3	Children 4	References 5	References Biography [ edit | edit source ] David was born in Smolensk, in 1140 in the family of Rostislav Mstislavich , prince of Smolensk [2]. Departing from Smolensk to Kiev, Rostislav sent Davyd in 1154 to Novgorod, but the Novgorodians in January of the following year drove him away. In 1157, he again appears in Novgorod with his brother Svyatoslav and then after a campaign against the relatives of Rogvolod Borisovich, the prince of Polotsk, occupies the throne in Torzhok (1158). But from here, at the request of the Novgorodians, Davyd was sent to Smolensk by his brother Svyatoslav (1160). In 1165, he took the Vitebsk throne, but in the following year he yielded to his exile from Polotsk Vseslav Vasilkovich.

In the wake of 1167 in Kiev Mstislav Izyaslavich Davyd received the inheritance of Vyshgorod. Davyd participated in the next year at the Princes Congress in Kiev, where it was decided to go to Polovtsy , but for some reason he refused to participate, broke with the Prince of Kiev and even in 1169 was at the capture of Kiev by the troops of Andrei Bogolyubsky. On the departure of the latter, Mstislav attacked Davydov, but the latter stayed in his Vyshgorod and then burnt Mr. Mikhailov, the last refuge of Mstislav's nephew, and Vasyl Yaropolkovich (1170).

In 1171, Davyd took an active part in the planting on the Kiev table of Vladimir Mstislavich, the prince of the Dorogobuzhsky, and the following year his brother, Rurik. Since Davyd's recent actions went against the wishes of Andrei Bogolyubsky, who sent his brother Mikhail to Kiev, he suggested that the younger Rostislavichs retire to Berlad. A proud response to this proposal was the reason that Andrei Bogolyubsky sent a huge army to Vyshgorod, which, however, after the nine-week siege of the city was broken (1173).

In 1175 he, together with Oleg Svyatoslavich, the prince of the north, fought the Chernigov region and the following year he was defeated by the Polovtsians at Rostov. The author of The Lay of Igor's Campaign reminds Davyd and his brother Ryurik of those events: do not I wax the husk with the blood of a swimmer? . Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich Chernigov demanded that Davyd, as the perpetrator of the defeat, was deprived of an inheritance in the Kiev principality. Davyd stayed for some time in Belgorodand after the death of his brother Roman wook in Smolensk (1180). All his seventeen-year reign here passed, on the one hand, in a continuous struggle with the Smolensk Veche, and the matter often reached serious uprisings, fatal for the Smolnyans, and on the other - in frequent wars with neighboring princes and Polovtsians. So in 1181 Davyd went to Drutka against the Olgovichi, in 1184 to the Polovtsians. In 1185, after the defeat in the steppes of Igor Svyatoslavich Novgorod-Seversky, he led his troops to help the southern princes against the Polovtsians who invaded Pereyaslavl and Polovtsy and settled in Trepol on the right bank of the Dnieper (on the way from the left bank of the river through Vitichevskyford to Kiev). The lack of further movement of Smolensk troops is usually interpreted by the researchers as "treason of David." When Svyatoslav and Rurik crossed the Dnieper to the south, on the Zarubinsk ford, entering the rear of the besieged Pereyaslavl Konchak, and he hastily retired, Davyd returned to Smolensk.

In 1186, Davyd went to Polotsk, in 1190 he fought with Svyatoslav of Chernihiv, in 1195 he was defeated by the Olgovichi, who severely ruined Smolensk land and in 1196 was defeated near Vitebsk.

At first Davyd was a supporter and even a fan of Vsevolod the Big Nest, at first demand he sent his troops, then he noticed that he was only an instrument in Vsevolod's hands, which was especially revealed when the latter concluded peace with the Olgovichi in 1196, and began to prepare to an independent campaign, but died among preparations, having accepted monasticism according to the custom of that time.

Davyd Rostislavich died on April 23, 1197, after him Smolensk's throne was occupied by Mstislav Romanovich Old [1].

Children
daughter ; husband: Gleb Vladimirovich (died 1219), Prince of Ryazan daughter [6] ; husband: Vasilko Bryachislavich (died about 1221), Prince of Vitebsk
 * Mstislav the elder [4] (died 1189), Prince of Novgorod 1184-1187, Vyshgorodsky 1187-1189
 * Izyaslav (between 1164 and 1170 - after 1185), a participant in the march to the Polovtsians 1184
 * Vladimir (early 1170s - after 1187) [5] - Prince Vyshgorodsky in 1187
 * Constantine (1184 / 1192-1219), the ancestor of the princes of Fominsk and Berezui
 * Mstislav the younger (Fedor) (1193-1230 / 1231), Prince Smolensky from 1219
 * Rostislav [7]