Mstislav Glebovich of Chernigov (c1178-1239)

Mstislav III Glebovich (c1178–1239) was a Rus' prince (a member of the Rurik dynasty). He was probably prince of Rylsk (1212–1239/1241) and of Chernigov (1235–1239/1241). During his reign, the Tatars (the Mongols) invaded and pillaged the towns of the Principality of Chernigov.

Early life
He was the son of Prince Gleb Svyatoslavich of Chernigov and Anastasia Ryurikovna, a daughter of Grand Prince Ryurik Rostislavich of Kiev.

By 1225, Mstislav had already been second in seniority among the Olgovichi (the ruling dynasty of Chernigov), and therefore during the absence of his cousin, Mikhail Vsevolodovich, he commanded them.[2] On April 6, 1231, he attended a council (a meeting of some leading princes of Rus’ organized by Grand Prince Vladimir III ) in Kiev, but the reasons for convoking the council are not given. It appears that his domain probably lay west of the Snov River and Desna Rivers.

Prince of Chernigov
Although the chronicles never tell us that he ruled the Principality of Chernigov, he was entitled to this due to his seniority.

In the autumn of 1239, the Tatar horde advanced against Chernigov along the northern shore of the Seym River.[2] Presumably, the invaders captured Hlukhiv, Kursk, Rylsk, and Putivl, and on reaching the Desna River, they advanced towards Chernigov.[2] When Mstislav heard that the Tatars were attacking the town, he came with his troops to confront them. The nomads used catapults that hurled stones the distance of a bowshot and a half. Mstislav barely escaped, but many of his men were killed. After Chernigov fell on October 18, the Tatars pillaged the towns in the surrounding countryside.

Before departing from Chernigov, the Tatars sent messengers to Kiev proposing peace, and their proposals were accepted by Mstislav.[2] The chronicler probably made only a passing reference to his capitulation in an effort to underplay the nature of his commitments.[2] He must have submitted to Batu Khan’s authority and agreed to campaign with him and to pay a tithe in everything.[2]

In 1241, his cousin, Mikhail Vsevolodovich, who had returned from Masovia when the Tatars invaded his lands, gave Chernihiv to his own son, Rostislav Mikhailovich. Mikhail Vsevolodovich may have repudiated Mstislav because, contrary to his wishes, he had formed a pact with the enemy; or (although the chronicles fail to tell us) Mstislav may have died following his pact with the Tatars. The possibility of his demise is implied by the silence of the chronicles, which never mention him again .[2]

Mstislav Glebovich (—After 1239 ) - Prince of Chernigov (from 1235), son of Gleb Svyatoslavich of Chernigov.

According to L.Voytovych [1], coming from the assumption that after the princely Olgovichi congress in 1206, descendants of the Chernihiv branch ( Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich , Mstislav Glebovich’s grandfather) received the right to occupy the Novgorod-Seversky throne , Mstislav was the Novgorod-Seversky prince from 1212 or 1215 to 1239, that is, he occupied the second oldest table in Chernihiv-Seversk land. In this case, Voitovich L.V. He considers Mstislav's elder cousin, Mikhail Vsevolodovich, the only one mentioned in 1223 by the chronicle of Olgovich, after Prince of Chernigov Mstislav Svyatoslavich, at that time the owner of a certain principality near Chernigov, but not Starodubsky, Vshchizhsky or Snovsky. According to another version [2] [3], Novgorod-Seversky prince after Vladimir Igorevich was Oleg Igorevich , then Izyaslav Vladimirovich.

Biography
In 1234, Mikhail Vsevolodovich, Mstislav's cousin, made a campaign under Kiev against Vladimir Ryurikovich. In response, Daniil Galitsky’s troops invaded Chernigov and fought on the land of the Desna. Mstislav participated in the conclusion of peace between Chernigov and Vladimir Kiev and Daniel. According to Gorsky A.A. [4], Mstislav Glebovich, instead of Mikhail, became a result of power intervention in Chernigov. After the announcement of the conclusion of peace, the chronicle gives a description of the storming of the city using a powerful siege technique, which a number of researchers attribute to the storming of Chernigov by the Mongols in 1239 After the death in the battle of the City of Yuri Vsevolodovich of Vladimir and the departure of Yaroslav Vsevolodovich from Kiev to Vladimir (spring 1238 ), Kiev was occupied by Mikhail Vsevolodovich. Mstislav arrived in Chernigov, but was soon expelled by Mikchail. Despite this, the conflict between the brothers did not inflame, and during the Mongol invasion of the Principality of Chernigov and the siege of the capital (until October 18, 1239), Mstislav commanded the troops who had attempted a deblocking strike. It was not possible to save the city, but after the capture of Chernigov, the Mongols did not continue their march into the depths of Russia.

After 1239, Mstislav is not mentioned in the annals. Supposedly, together with Mikhail Vsevolodovich and other Olgovichi went to Hungary.

Marriage and children
Nothing is known about Mstislav’s wife. Sons :


 * Andrei Mstislavich ( 1245 ), Prince of Chernigov [6] or Novgorod-Seversky [1]
 * name unknown (p. 1233 ).