Battle of the Koloksha River (1177)

/

The Battle of the Koloksha River is the battle which took place in the winter of 1177 between the regiments of the Grand Prince of Vladimir Vsevolod Yuryevich and his Chernigov allies against the army of the Prince of Ryazan  Gleb Rostislavich, allied with the Polovtsians who supported Vsevolod's nephews Mstislav and Yaropolk Rostislavich in their struggle for power in the Principality of Vladimir-Suzdal,.

Background
P See also: [The internecine war in Northeast Russia (1174-1177) and the Battle of Lipitska (1176)

Gleb Rostislavich, married to the sister of Mstislav and Yaropolk, supported them since 1174, when during the expulsion from Vladimir Mikhail Yuryevich plundered the city and took out of it the icon of the Virgin. However, with the threat of a march to Ryazan, Mikhail and Vsevolod, established in 1175 in North-Eastern Russia, had to return the booty.

Mstislav Rostislavich suffered a decisive defeat at St. George's from Vsevolod Yuryevich on June 27, 1176, and was forced to leave not only the newly occupied Rostov, but Novgorod. In Novgorod, Vsevolod's nephew Yaroslav Mstislavich Krasnyi, who was called his son's chronicle, was accepted to reign.

Mstislav fled to Ryazan and in the autumn, together with Gleb Rostislavich, organized a campaign against Moscow and burned it, and Vsevolod, who opposed them from Vladimir, was greeted by the Novgorod embassy for Pereyaslavl near the Shernsky forest with a proposal to hold a joint campaign against the Ryazans, respectively postponing it. However, there are no indications of the participation of Novgorod in the subsequent battle.

In Kolomna, Vsevolod was joined by Chernigov princes Oleg and Vladimir Svyatoslavichy with the army, nephew Vladimir Glebovich Pereyaslavsky. Vsevolod reached Kolomna when he learned that Gleb and the Polovtsi had already gone to Vladimir in a different way, and followed him.

The battle
Koloksha river on the map of the Klyazma river basin The troops of the opponents met at Kolokshi. Gleb, having already pillaged the neighborhood of Vladimir and took prisoners, stood on its eastern shore.

Vsevolod sent convoys to the enemy occupied shore, Gleb sent them to capture Mstislav Rostislavich, and Vsevolod for their cover - Vladimir Glebovich with part of the Vladimir squad to ensure their success. Meanwhile, the main forces of Vladimir and Chernigov took a passive position on Pruskova Hill.

The main forces of Gleb and Yaropolk in turn crossed the river to the western shore for the attack, but when they approached the mountain for the distance of the flight of the arrow, it became known about the defeat and flight of Mstislav. Gleb and his allies, because of the threat of encirclement, refused to attack and fled, then Vsevolod went on the offensive, the enemy suffered huge losses killed and captured.

Aftermaths
On February 20, 1177, the victor's army returned to Vladimir. Vsevolodd won a final victory in the struggle for the Vladimir inheritance.

Mstislav, Gleb, his eldest son Roman and many noble boyars of Ryazan were taken prisoner. Yaropolk managed to escape and hide in Ryazan land. Then Vsevolod sent an ambassador to Ryazan with the words: " You have our wolf, or I'm coming to you ." The Ryazans " went to Voronezh, yasha himself and brought him to Volodimer ."

Mstislav and Yaropolk were planted in a chop, and in the event of disturbances in Vladimir blinded and released (then taken in Novgorod). Then Yaropolk was once again captured by Vsevolod (in 1180 in Torzhok) and was once issued hostile to Vsevolod the Olgovichi in accordance with the peace conditions (1196). Gleb remained in captivity, refusing the offer of freedom in exchange for a promise to leave Ryazan and go to the south and soon died in imprisonment (1177). An attempt to protect Mstislav from Smolensk Rostislavich, married to his daughter, was unsuccessful. In the future, Vsevolod, through repeated interventions, kept the Principality of Ryazan under his control.