princes, of which the main allies are the Vasilkovichs, Vseslav with the Polochans, Bryachislav with the Viteblians, Vseslav Mikulichy with the Logozhans; in addition, Vladimir’s son Andrey, his nephew Izyaslav and Vasilko Bryachislavich. All of them, having united, passed past Drutsk to the north to unite with Svyatoslav. Thus, we see that almost all the Polotsk princes, former allies and even henchmen of David, have now united against him. David and his regiment quickly moved to Drutsk and occupied it. Here at this time there was already a prince, the son of Rogvolod Glb. David wanted to immediately fight with. Yaroslav and Igor, until they managed to unite with Svatoslav and the Polotsk princes. But Yaroslav and Igor avoided the battle, chose an elevated place on the banks of the Druta, and stood there; David stood on the opposite bank, but acted. carelessly. So far the matter was limited to minor skirmishes and a shootout across Drutsk. A week passed in this. Then Svyatoslav appeared with the Novgorod militia and allies and began to drive Drut in order to attack David. The latter, without waiting for the battle, not hoping to cope with more numerous opponents, fled at night to Smolensk. However, the allies could not take advantage of the defender’s attack. Drutska. Svyatoslav burned the advanced fortifications of the city, but out of fear. After the Rostislavichs attacked their own Chernigov possessions, he moved south, releasing the Novgorodians 19).
Thus, the Prince of Smolensk was defeated, but his opponents did not triumph for long. Prince David of Polotsk decided to make his more energetic leaders dependent on him. He went to Polotsk in 1186; The mentioned Vasilko and Drutsy Prince Vseslav, probably Rog, also went with him. Volodovich; A son was going from the north with the Novgorodians to Polotsk. David Mstislav. Polotsk residents, having gathered at the meeting, decided that “we cannot resist the Novgorodians and Smolnyans; if we let them into our land, then even though we make peace with them, they will still do a lot of evil to us, destroy our land, coming at us; we will go to them at our own expense.” Indeed, Polochans
EGINNING. KhPG ST. 159
They met the Smolensk and Novgorod militia at the borders: “and ‘I’m at the borders with a bow and honor and Dasha many gifts.” The conflict was settled without a fight, peace was concluded 20).
It is unknown what obligations the Polochans assumed when concluding peace terms; It seems probable that Vitebsk was ceded to David this time, as we will now see. Polotsk itself, if it accepted any obligations, did not hold on to them for long, and already under 1191 the chronicle says that the Novgorod prince Yaroslav Vladimirovich, accompanied by the “front” squad of Novgorod, met with the princes of Polotsk on the border and here they ‘concluded an alliance,’ love,” between themselves and the darkness, in order to go to either Chud or Lithuania. Yaroslav actually went to Chud, but whether the Polochans fulfilled their condition is not mentioned in the topology 21).
This alliance with Novgorod shows that the Polochans sought to acquire an ally against Smolensk: they gave gifts to the Novgorod prince and agreed to go with him to Lithuania or Chud, while they themselves had no reason for these campaigns, so that the gifts and the campaign, perhaps, were only a favor on the part of the Polochans for the alliance. The solemn march of Yaroslav to the borders of Iolotskaya, the involvement of the “front” Novgorod men in the conclusion of peace terms, hardly fails to indicate that the convened campaign on Chud was not the main subject of discussion of the gathered representatives of the two neighboring national governments. The essence of the Soviets should be seen much deeper: here the Polochans and Novgorodians tried to conclude an alliance against the Rostislavichs, suppressing the freedom of both.
Smolensk falls to Polotsk and its appanages, as we have already seen, its princes are trying to enter into an alliance with the Olgovichs and provide them with significant support. But the Olgovichi, for their part, do not support Polotsk well and only take advantage of their help during the attack on David, without providing them with help in turn. On my last day's hike, how
2) Lavrent., 383, Ltop. Obolenskogo, 100, Nikon. X, 17, Novgorod. 160. 21), Novgorod. 164, Tversk., 280, Nikon. X, 19, Lftop. Danilovich, 122-8.
160 M. DOVNART-ZAPOLSKTI.