our chronicles that Yaropolk Rostislavich Vladimirsky, having intended to marry Vseslav’s daughter, “send to Omolensk, girding himself.” 1"). Thus, Vseslav’s daughter lived in Vitebsk with the princes of Smolensk. This circumstance, in addition to indicating the existing relationship, also hints at the fact that the daughter Vseslav was kept in Smolensk, perhaps with the aim of keeping the Prince of Polotsk in greater dependence.
The intercession of the Smolensk prince prevented a military offensive that threatened PSholotsk from Novgorod. When Mestislav Rostislavich began to reign last year and the people were greatly inspired by the first successes of the citizens under the leadership of this prince, the Novgorodians decided to honor their community for the constant assistance provided to its enemies.
In fact, Polotsk not only with its participation in the campaign with the Rostislavichs against Novgorod could bring harm to the latter, but it was almost more dangerous for him with its participation in the coalitions formed by the Suzdal and Smolensk princes, which was already the case. The disruption in trade, the cessation of the import of grain, etc. from Polotsk had no less disastrous effect on the welfare of Novgorod. Naturally, the inhabitants of the latter sought, at every opportunity, to take revenge on their neighbor; We have already indicated one of such attempts.
Now, apparently, the most convenient time has come for the Novgorodians. Yevnyaz Metislav Rostislavich was known throughout Rus' for his courage and his stand for lies and insults. Metislav valued more the interests of his citizens, who had the truth on their sides, than the interests of his brothers who defended Polotsk. That's why he's undertaking this trip. The pretext for it, indicated by the chronicles, is that Mstislav allegedly went against Vseslav because the latter’s grandfather, the famous sorcerer, once robbed Novgorod - of course, there is no basis and, probably, the Novgorodians only remembered this insult under the influence of recent events; perhaps such an explanation was also put in place to inspire the mob and, on the other hand, to disguise the true economic reason for the campaign from
Rostislavich. But as soon as Metislav reached Luk, how to take him Roman, having heard about the campaign, immediately sent his son Mstislav to Vseslav to help, and he himself sent to tell his brother: “You have no offense, but if you want to go against him (Vseslav), then go against me first.” The pretext of war put forward by the Novgorodians was, of course, not convincing for Roman, who understood the essence of the cause. The Novgorodians saw that it was difficult for them to argue with such an energetic zalcitV, and retreated 18) (1178). “In this way the Polochans got rid of the unequal struggle.
We have already indicated. that in the Polotsk land there was a struggle between representatives of three families: the Vasilkovichs, the Glbovichs and the Boririsovich Rogvolod. At the beginning of the struggle, the Smolensk princes, as we saw, supported Frogvolod, but then Vseslav. Just as then the break between the Smolensk prince and Rogvolod occurred for some internal reasons, about which the chronicle is silent, so now there was a break between Vseslav and David, and the latter united with the Drutsk prince Glb Rogvolodovich. The real reason is difficult to pinpoint; Perhaps Vseslav himself, having established himself with his brothers in his deeds, began to be burdened by his great dependence on Smolensk. In any case, the cause of the discord could soon have originated from him, since it was unprofitable for David to lose his power over PSholotsk and the other two estates of the Vasilkovichs, Logozhsky and Izyaslavl, to the small inheritance of Rogvolod, who lost his name in Polotsk itself.
Whatever it was, but in 1180, David and Vsevolod Yuryevich began a struggle with the Chernigov princes, the eldest of whom were Vsevolod and Svyatoslav; We have already talked about the reasons for the Olgovichi’s enmity with David. The first, bypassing the Smolensk lands themselves, decided to attack Drutsk, obviously hoping to strike David from a weaker side. First, Yaroslav Vsevolodich and Igor Svyatoslavich moved there with a detachment of Polovtsians. Svyatoslav at that time was in Novgorod and was preparing the Great Militia. But he previously concluded an alliance with various Polotsk estates
18} John, 412, Novtor., Nikon. X, 6.
158 M. DOBNAR-ZAPOLSKTI.