ronf from her. With the brother-in-law of this prince, the Polochans received strong support for some time from the princes of Smolensk, who patronized Vseslav. A particularly strong connection to Polotsk and Smolensk begins with it. His very appearance on the Polotsk table was apparently associated with a concession to the Smolensk princes. In the dfl itself, in 1162 he occupied the Polotsk table, and in 1165 David Rostilavich occupied Vitebsk. Therefore, it is not unreasonable to assume that the concession of Vitebsk. was associated with the support that Smolensk provided in this case, and also with the goal of recruiting an important patron to the Smolensk princes in the fight for Polotsk. The occupation of Vitebsk by David could have occurred immediately after the occupation of Polotsk by Vseslav in 11692, because the photo-written note, under 1165, states that David is “from here” in this udflV, does not indicate at all the time he occupied the table, but only on the owner. And indeed, Vseslav, as we will see now, is a big deal. Some of the princes of Polotsk enjoyed the protection and support of Smolensk.
So, when in 1167 Volodar Glbovich went to Polotsk and came out to defeat Vseslav and the Polotsk people, he then ran to David in Vitebsk. From the circumstances of the campaign, one can also see that at the first notice of Voloday’s movements, David sent help to Vseslav: “don’t let him buy (Volodarf - Vseslav, obviously with David) and hit them suddenly.”
Having defeated Vseslav, Volodar occupied Polotsk, established himself in it (“kissing the cross from Poltsana”) and immediately headed towards Vitebsk against David and Vseslav.
The troops met on the banks of some river. David was delaying time, did not want to enter into battle, waiting for his brother Roman with the Smolnyans. But at night there was confusion in Volodar’s camp, “at midnight there was loud thunder, as if wandering howling across the river, and fear of an attack on Volodar’s howl” - suddenly they ran away. In the morning, David, having learned about what had happened, sent in pursuit of the victim. An accidental victory over the enemy made it possible for Vseslav to reoccupy Polotsk. David, as the chronicle puts it, “sent” him there, which indicates the significant dependence of the Polotsk prince.
It is impossible not to pay attention to the fact that David’s control of Vitebsk was not his own; This was the case for the entire Smolensk land, for all the Rostislavichs, who, at the first need, went to support Vseslav and David. Indeed, Vitebsk, as we have already pointed out more than once, occupied a very prominent position along the great waterway; it gave the Smolensk princes the opportunity to produce. if necessary, saving money with reprisals on Novgorod, just as we saw, it served as the object of the aspirations of Rostislav and his sons.
Due to the strong support provided to the Vseslavichs, the Smolensk region in Polotsk was predominant, but it was in such a way that Polotsk was more or less subordinate to Smolensk. So, we see Polotsk in the campaigns of the Smolensk princes for Svyatoslav Rostislavich to Novgorod 13). The alliance with Smolensk and the support provided to it by Polotsk, involve the latter in the fight against Novgorod. As soon as the Novgorodians tried to free themselves from the Smiolensky Rostislavichs for a while, under the leadership of their prince Roman Mstislavich, the son of Mstislav Izyaslavich, they launched a campaign against the Polotsy ruler, part of which they managed to devastate without resistance. From there they attacked the Toropetsk volost 1"). The Polotsk residents themselves could not enter into a fight with the strong Verkhny principality. Yes, there was no need for this for them, since at that very period the Rostislavichs were fighting against Novgorod in alliance with Andrei of Suzdal. Therefore, the Polotsy Vasilkovichs, having united their interests with the interests of their patrons, are in general a campaign of the Rostislavichs and Andrey to Novgorod 15), which ended, as is well known, in ‘failure.
The chronicle mentions that the Polotsk princes, by order of Andrei, marched against the Rostislavichs near Vyshgorod in 1174 16), but this circumstance did not break the relations established between the two lines, although, perhaps, the Vasilkovichs took part in the said campaign. Interesting, you know
13) Nikon., 285. 14) Nikon., 236. 15) Nikon., 241. 16) Ip., 391.