Considering the distribution of udfls between the Vseslavichs, one cannot help but notice that in the Polotsk lands the same phenomenon occurs as in other Russian lands. The polotsky table, as the main one in the region, is worthy of all the Vseslavichs, who occupy Polotsk either by seniority, or by senior military officers, or by invitation of the military leader. It is difficult to say whether the last two cases were anomalies, random phenomena; At the very least, you can naft the udfly of those from Vseslavich, who left male offspring in the udfly cities, but: not a single one of them owns Polotsk completely, all of them hesitate. The Polotsy prince is only a representative of the region, but apparently does not have actual power over the rest of the princes and their udflas. Therefore, almost as a representative. region is mentioned in the 1103 campaign against Polovtsev David. Vseslavich, as well as in 1104 on the campaign of the Navy from Monomakh to Glba Minsky 3'). Since 1128, Polotsy, against the will of the citizens (“stisnushaya”) and at the insistence of Metislav, Monomashich, occupied Rogvolod Vseslavich instead of David 3?) In 1133, with the beginning of Prince Yaropolk, the Polotsk people placed the third son of the Vseslavichs, Vasilko Svyatoslavich, in charge. 33). He was a prince, apparently, until 1143 and, most likely, died on this table, because he occupied Polotsk fourth. the representative of the Vseslavichs, Rogvolod Borisovich, happened, without a struggle, at least such a thing is not listed in the chronicle, and it no longer mentions VasilkV 3). Finally, in 1151, Rostislav Glbovich Mingxu occupied the table after. Polochans “Yasha” Rogvolod 35). $
Thus we see that all the Vseslavichs, the kromB of Roman, whose death the chronicle mentions back in 1114, and
Rostislav, who probably did not return from exile and left no sons, all the rest visited Polotsk either themselves (David, Rogvolod) or their sons. But there are no cases at all. so that the nephew can occupy the table while his uncle is alive. This suggests that the established order of occupying the main table was such that it was occupied by one of the Vseslavichs; but to think that it was inevitable that the senior member of the family occupied the main table, the facts do not make it possible. The calculated facts are very incomplete for such a conclusion (the main thing is that we do not know the seniority of Vseslav’s sons), but even directly contradict it: apparently the election depended solely on the will of the Vfcha; We just don’t know how Vseslav’s first successor was David, by election or by appointment of his father, but Rogvolod Vseslavich no longer occupied the table by family seniority. Vasilko Svyatoslavich and Rostislav Glbovich are also by election, etc. But in the first place he tries to elect the eldest of the princes, this is obvious; the reason for this phenomenon is natural: such a prince was well known in Polotsk, he managed to form a party for himself, otherwise his intelligence could have benefited from the interests of the city, saved it from civil strife, and so on.
Although it is true that in ancient Rus' we recognize the principle of the transition of the main table of a given region to the eldest at seven