The departure of the Pechenegs from the Northern Black Sea region caused a void, which sooner or later someone had to fill. From the second half of the 11th century, the Polovtsy became the new masters of the steppes. Since that time, a titanic

Russian-Polovtsian wrestling

, which was conducted on the broadest front from to the foothills of the Carpathians. Unprecedented in its scale, it stretched for a century and a half and had a significant impact on the fate of the Old Russian state.

Like the Pechenegs, the Polovtsy did not set themselves the task of capturing Russian territories, but limited themselves to robberies and captivity. And the ratio of the population of Ancient Russia and the steppe nomads was far from in favor of the latter: according to various estimates, about 5.5 million people lived on the territory of the Old Russian state, while there were several hundred thousand Polovtsians.

The Russians had to fight against the Polovtsians already in the new historical conditions of the collapse of a single state. Now the squads of individual principalities usually participated in the war with the nomads. The boyars were free to choose their place of service and could at any time go to another prince. Therefore, their troops were not particularly reliable. There was no unity of command and armament. Thus, the military successes of the Polovtsy were directly related to the internal political changes in the Old Russian state. Over a century and a half, nomads made about 50 major raids on Russian lands. Sometimes the Polovtsy became allies of the princes, leading the internecine struggle.

Russian-Polovtsian wars

can be roughly divided into three stages. The first covers the second half of the XI century, the second is associated with the activities of the prince, the third falls on the second half of the XII - the beginning of the XIII century.

Wars with the Polovtsians, first stage (second half of the 11th century)

The first attack of the Polovtsians on Russian soil dates back to 1061, when they defeated the army of the Pereyaslav prince Vsevolod Yaroslavich. Seven years later, a new foray was made. The joint forces of the Grand Duke of Kyiv Izyaslav and his brothers Svyatoslav of Chernigov and Vsevolod Pereyaslavsky came out to meet him.

Battle of the Alta River (1068). Opponents met in September on the banks of the Alta River. The battle took place at night. The Polovtsy turned out to be more successful and defeated the Russians, who fled from the battlefield. The consequence of this defeat was a rebellion in Kyiv, as a result of which Izyaslav fled to Poland. The invasion of the Polovtsy was stopped by Prince Svyatoslav, who, with a small retinue, boldly attacked a large army of nomads near Snovsk and won a decisive victory over them. Until the 90s of the XI century, chronicles are silent about major raids, but the "small war" periodically continued.

Battle of Stugna (1093). The onslaught of the Polovtsians intensified especially in the 90s of the XI century. In 1092, the nomads captured three cities: Pesochen, Perevoloka and Priluk, and also ravaged many villages on both sides of the Dnieper. In the raids of the 90s, the Polovtsian khans Bonyak and Tugorkan became famous. In 1093, the Polovtsian troops besieged the city of Torchesk. The Grand Duke of Kyiv Svyatopolk Izyaslavovich came out to meet them with a retinue of 800 soldiers. Along the way, he joined the troops of the princes Rostislav and Vladimir Vsevolodovich. But having joined forces, the princes could not work out joint tactics. Svyatopolk self-confidently rushed into battle. The rest, referring to the lack of forces, offered to enter into negotiations with the Polovtsy. In the end, the passionate Svyatopolk, desiring victory, won over the majority to his side. On May 24, the Russian army crossed the Stugna River and was attacked by superior Polovtsian forces. Unable to withstand the blow, the Russians fled to the river. In the stormy waters from the rains, many died (including the Pereyaslav prince Rostislav Vsevolodovich). After this victory, the Polovtsy captured Torchesk. To stop their invasion, the Grand Duke of Kyiv Svyatopolk was forced to pay tribute to them and marry the daughter of the Polovtsian Khan Tugorkan.

Battle of Trubezh (1096). The marriage of Svyatopolk to the Polovtsian princess briefly moderated the appetites of her relatives, and two years after the battle on Stugna, the raids resumed with renewed vigor. Moreover, this time the southern princes did not manage to agree on joint actions at all, since the Chernigov prince Oleg Svyatoslavich evaded the fight and preferred to conclude not only peace, but also an alliance with the Polovtsy. With the help of the Polovtsy, he expelled the prince from Chernigov to Pereyaslavl, who in the summer of 1095 had to single-handedly repel the raids of the nomads. The following year, Svyatopolk Izyaslavovich expelled Oleg from Chernigov and laid siege to his army in Starodub. This strife was immediately taken advantage of by the Polovtsy, who moved to Russia on both sides of the Dnieper. Bonyak appeared in the vicinity of Kyiv, and the princes Kurya and Tugorkan laid siege to Pereyaslavl.

Then Vladimir and Svyatopolk quickly moved to defend their borders. Not finding Bonyak at Kyiv, they crossed the Dnieper and, unexpectedly for the Polovtsians, appeared near Pereyaslavl. On July 19, 1096, the Russians quickly forded the Trubezh River and attacked Tugorkan's army. Not having time to line up for battle, it suffered a crushing defeat. During the persecution, many Polovtsian soldiers were killed, including Khan Tugorkan (Svyatopolk's father-in-law), along with his son and other noble commanders, who died.

Meanwhile, Bonyak, having learned about the departure of the princes beyond the Dnieper, almost captured Kyiv with an unexpected raid. The Polovtsy plundered and burned the Caves Monastery. However, having learned about the approach of the regiments of Svyatopolk and Vladimir, the Polovtsian khan quickly left with his army in the steppe. After the successful reflection of this raid on the service of the Russians, the Torks and other border steppe tribes begin to cross. The victory on the banks of the Trubezh was of great importance in the ascent of the military leader, who becomes a recognized leader in the fight against the Polovtsian danger.

Wars with the Polovtsians, second stage (second half of the 12th century)

The external threat made it possible to temporarily slow down the process of disintegration of state unity. In 1103 he convinced Svyatopolk to organize a large-scale campaign against the nomads. From this time, the offensive stage of the struggle against the Polovtsy begins, which becomes the inspiration. The campaign of 1103 was the largest military operation against the Polovtsians. It involved the armed forces of the seven princes. The united troops on boats and on foot reached the Dnieper rapids and turned from there into the depths of the steppes, to the town of Suten, where one of the large groups of nomads headed by Khan Urusoba was located. It was decided to set out in early spring, while the Polovtsian horses had not had time to gain strength after a long winter. The Russians destroyed the forward patrols of the Polovtsy, which made it possible to ensure the surprise of the attack.

Battle of Suteni (1103). The battle between the Russians and the Polovtsy took place on April 4, 1103. At the beginning of the battle, the Russians surrounded the Polovtsian avant-garde, led by the hero Altunopa, and completely destroyed it. Then, emboldened by their success, they attacked the main Polovtsian forces and inflicted a complete defeat on them. According to the chronicle, the Russians have never won such a famous victory over the Polovtsy. In the battle, almost the entire Polovtsian elite was destroyed - Urusoba and nineteen other khans. Many Russian prisoners were released. This victory marked the beginning of the offensive actions of the Russians against the Polovtsians.

Battle of Luben (1107). Three years later, the Polovtsy, having recovered from the blow, made a new raid. They captured a lot of booty and prisoners, but on the way back they were overtaken by Svyatopolk's squads across the Sula River and defeated. In May 1107, Khan Bonyak invaded the Pereyaslav principality. He captured herds of horses and laid siege to the city of Luben. The princely coalition led by the princes Svyatopolk and Vladimir Monomakh came out to meet the invaders.

On August 12, they crossed the Sula River and decisively attacked the Polovtsians. They did not expect such a swift onslaught and fled from the battlefield, leaving their convoy. The Russians pursued them all the way to the Khorol River and took many prisoners. Despite the victory, the princes did not seek to continue the war, but tried to establish peaceful relations with the nomads. This, in particular, was evidenced by the fact that after the Battle of Luben, the Russian princes Oleg married their sons to Polovtsian princesses.

Battle of Salnitsa (1111). However, hopes that family ties would strengthen Russian-Polovtsian ties and bring peace with the nomads did not come true. Two years later hostilities resumed. Then Monomakh again convinced the princes to unite for joint action. He again proposed a plan of offensive actions, characteristic of his military leadership strategy, and transferring the war deep into the Polovtsian steppes. Monomakh managed to achieve coordination of actions from the princes and in 1111 organized a campaign that became the pinnacle of his military successes.

The Russian army set out even in the snow. The infantry, to which he attached particular importance, rode on a sledge. After four weeks of the campaign, Monomakh's army reached the Donets River. Never since the time of Svyatoslav have the Russians gone so far into the steppes. The two largest Polovtsian strongholds were taken - the cities of Sugrov and Sharukan. Having freed many prisoners there and captured rich booty, Monomakh's army moved back. However, the Polovtsy did not want to let the Russians out of their possessions alive. On March 24, the Polovtsian cavalry blocked the path of the Russian army. After a short fight, she was driven back.
Two days later, the Polovtsians tried again.

The decisive battle took place on March 26 on the banks of the Salnica River. The outcome of this bloody and desperate, according to the chronicle, battle was decided by the timely strike of the regiments under the command of princes Vladimir and Davyd. The Polovtsy suffered a crushing defeat. According to the legend, heavenly angels helped the Russian soldiers to smash the enemies. The Battle of Salnitsa was the largest Russian victory over the Polovtsians. She contributed to the growth of popularity - the main character of the campaign, the news of which reached "even to Rome."

After the death of the Grand Duke of Kyiv Svyatopolk in 1113, the Polovtsian khans Aepa and Bonyak made a major raid in the hope of internal unrest. The Polovtsian army besieged the fortress of Vyr. But having learned about the approach of the Russian squads, it hastily retreated, not accepting the battle. Apparently, the factor of the moral superiority of Russian soldiers had an effect.

In 1113 he took the throne of Kyiv. During his reign (1113-1125), the fight against the Polovtsians was carried out exclusively on their territory. In 1116, the Russian princes, under the command of the son of Yaropolk (an active participant in previous campaigns), moved deep into the Don steppes, again captured Sharukan and Sugrov. Another center of the Polovtsy, the town of Balin, was also taken. After this campaign, the Polovtsian dominance in the steppes came to an end. When in 1120 Yaropolk undertook another "preventive" campaign, the steppes were empty. By that time, the Polovtsians had already migrated to the North Caucasus, away from the Russian borders. The northern Black Sea region was cleared of aggressive nomads, and Russian farmers could safely harvest. It was a period of revival of state power, which brought peace and tranquility to the lands Ancient Russia.

Wars with the Polovtsians, third stage (second half of the 12th - early 13th centuries)

After his death, Khan Atrak dared to return to the Don steppes from Georgia. But the Polovtsian raid on the southern Russian borders was repulsed by Prince Yaropolk. However, soon the descendants of Monomakh were removed from power in Kyiv by Vsevolod Olgovich, a descendant of another grandson of Yaroslav the Wise, Oleg Svyatoslavovich. This prince made an alliance with the Polovtsy and used them as a military force in his campaigns against the Galician princes and Poland. After the death of Vsevolod in 1146, the struggle for the throne of Kyiv broke out between the princes Izyaslav Mstislavovich and Yuri Dolgoruky. During this period, the Polovtsians began to actively participate in internecine wars.

The regiments of the Polovtsian Khan Aepa distinguished themselves here. So, five times he led the Polovtsian troops to Kyiv, trying to capture the capital of Ancient Russia.
Years of strife nullified efforts to protect the Russian borders. The weakening of the military power of the ancient Russian state allowed the Polovtsians to strengthen themselves and create a large union of tribes in the 70s of the XII century. It was headed by Khan Konchak, whose name is associated with a new surge of Russian-Polovtsian confrontation. Konchak was constantly at war with the Russian princes, plundering the southern borderlands. The most brutal raids were carried out in the vicinity of Kyiv, Pereyaslavl and Chernigov. The Polovtsian onslaught intensified after the victory of Konchak over the Novgorod-Seversky prince Igor Svyatoslavich in 1185.

Campaign of Igor Svyatoslavich (1185). The prehistory of this famous campaign, sung in the "Tale of Igor's Campaign", is as follows. In the summer of 1184, the Kyiv prince Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich, at the head of the princely coalition, made a campaign against the Polovtsy and inflicted a crushing defeat on them in the battle on the Orel River on July 30. 7 thousand Polovtsians were captured, including their leader, Khan Kobyak, who was executed as punishment for previous raids. Khan Konchak decided to take revenge for the death of Kobyak. He came to the borders of Russia in February 1185, but was defeated in the battle on March 1 on the Khorol River by the troops of Svyatoslav. It seemed like times were returning. Another joint blow was needed for the final crushing of the revived Polovtsian power.

However, this time history did not repeat itself. The reason for this was the inconsistency of the actions of the princes. Under the influence of Svyatoslav's successes, his ally, the Novgorod-Seversky prince Igor Svyatoslavich, together with his brother Vsevolod, decided to receive the laurels of the triumphant without anyone's help and went on a campaign on their own. Igor's army of about 6 thousand people moved deep into the steppes and found himself face to face with all the forces of Konchak, who did not miss the chance given to him by the reckless prince.

Retreating after the vanguard battle, the Polovtsians, according to all the rules of their tactics, lured the Russian army into a trap and surrounded it with much superior forces. Igor decided to fight his way back to the Seversky Donets River. It is necessary to note the nobility of the brothers. Having cavalry to break through, they did not abandon their infantry to the mercy of fate, but ordered the cavalry soldiers to dismount and fight on foot, so that everyone could break through the encirclement together. “If we run, we kill ourselves, and leave ordinary people, then it will be a sin for us that we will give them up to enemies; we will either die or live together,” the princes decided. The battle between Igor's squad and the Polovtsy took place on May 12, 1185. Before the battle, Igor turned to the soldiers with the words: "Brothers! We were looking for this, so let's dare. Shame is worse than death!"
The fierce battle continued for three days. On the first day, the Russians repulsed the Polovtsian onslaught. But the next day one of the regiments could not stand it and ran. Igor rushed to the retreating to return them to the line, but was captured. The bloody battle continued even after the capture of the prince. Finally, the Polovtsy, due to their numbers, managed to grind the entire Russian army. The death of a large army exposed a significant line of defense and, according to Prince Svyatopolk, "opened the gates to the Russian land." The Polovtsy were not slow to take advantage of their success and made a number of raids on the Novgorod-Seversky and Pereyaslavl lands.

The exhausting struggle against the nomads, which lasted for more than one century, cost huge victims. Due to constant raids, the fertile outskirts of the southern regions of Russia were depopulated, which contributed to their decline. Constant hostilities in the steppes of the Northern Black Sea region led to the shift of the old trade routes to the Mediterranean region. Kievan Rus, which was a transit corridor from Byzantium to Northern and Central Europe, now remains aloof from new routes. Thus, the Polovtsian raids not least contributed to the decline of Southern Russia and the movement of the center of the Old Russian state to the northeast, to the Vladimir-Suzdal principality.

By the beginning of the 90s of the XII century, the raids subsided, but after the death of the Kyiv prince Svyatoslav in 1194, a new streak of strife began, in which the Polovtsy were also drawn. The geography of their attacks is expanding. The Polovtsy make repeated raids on the Ryazan principality. By the way, the Ryazan prince Roman "with the brethren" organized the last major Russian campaign against the Polovtsy in April 1206. During this period, the Polovtsy are already completely moving to the second stage of nomadism - with constant winter roads and summer roads. The beginning of the 13th century is characterized by a gradual fading of their military activity. The last Polovtsian raid on Russian lands (near Pereyaslavl) is dated by the chronicle to 1210. The further development of Russian-Polovtsian relations was interrupted by a hurricane from the east, as a result of which both the Polovtsians and Kievan Rus disappeared.

According to the materials of the portal "

About them under 1152, the Ipatiev Chronicle speaks quite definitely: "All the Polovtsian land, which is between the Volga and the Dnieper." The author of "The Tale of Igor's Campaign" mentions almost all the border Polovtsian lands: the Volga, Pomorye, Posulye, Crimea (Surozh and Korsun), Tmutarakan (North-Western Ciscaucasia). Mapping of the finds of Polovtsian statues confirms the information of written sources.

Having appeared in the Eastern European steppes, new aliens repeatedly violated the borders of Russia and devastated its lands. Being at the first (tabor) stage of nomadism, the Kipchaks showed particular aggressiveness. According to chronicle sources, there are 46 campaigns of the Polovtsy against Russia, not counting minor raids. In 1061, the Polovtsy first came to fight the Russian land. Vsevolod Yaroslavich went out to meet them, the Polovtsians defeated him, conquered the land and left.

In 1068, again, many Polovtsy came to the Russian land, as a result of which Prince Vseslav Bryachislavovich sat in Kyiv. The Polovtsy devastated the Russian land, reached Chernigov. Svyatoslav Chernigovsky gathered an army, hit and defeated the Polovtsy, although he had only 3 thousand, and the Polovtsy - 12 thousand.

The Polovtsy repeatedly raided Russia in connection with princely strife and without any reason (1071, 1078, 1092, etc.). In successful battles with them, Prince Vladimir Monomakh (1053-1125+) began to become famous and gain popular love. He withstood 12 successful battles with the Polovtsy in one reign of his father Vsevolod. In 1103, Vladimir Monomakh and Svyatopolk Izyaslavich inflicted a severe defeat on the western Polovtsian group on the Suteni (Milk) River. In this battle, 20 Polovtsian princes were killed. The power of the Dnieper Polovtsy was undermined. The subsequent successes of the Russians forced them to leave their camps in the Bug region.

In 1109, 1111 and 1116, the Russian princes made a series of victorious campaigns against the Don Polovtsy, took the city of Sharukhan, Sugrov and Balin, where the Alano-Bulgarian population lived under the rule of the Polovtsy, who had appeared here since the time of the Khazar Khaganate. Unable to withstand the blows of the Russian squads, part of the Polovtsy, led by Khan Otrok, migrated to the North Caucasian steppes. Khan Syrchan remained on the Don. On the way to Ciscaucasia, the Polovtsy in 1117 destroyed Sarkel-Belaya Vezha and forced its inhabitants to leave for Russia. Together with them, the Pechenegs and Torks, who roamed at Belaya Vezha, ended up in Russia.

After the death of Vladimir Monomakh and his son Mstislav the Great (1132), the Don and Dnieper Polovtsians rarely made independent raids on Russia. The 30s-50s of the XII century are characterized by their most active participation in the internecine wars of the Russian princes. The Russians, who had just defeated the nomads, again themselves helped them to gain strength. Until the 60s - 70s of the XII century, the Polovtsians were divided into separate hordes, which actively participated in raids on Russian lands as part of the squads of one or another Russian prince. Some of their tribal names are very stable, and information about them reached the eastern countries. Thus, the Arab authors al-Mansuri and al-Nuwayri mention the associations of "Burjoglu" (Burcheviches) and "Toksoba" (Toksobichs).

In the second half of the 12th century, the Polovtsian hordes began to rally into new associations on the basis of the former alliances, broken by Monomakh. The strongest of them were Pridneprovskoe and Donskoe. The Dnieper association of hordes consolidated with the Lukomorsky Polovtsy, who lived on the western shore of the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bAzov, and the Donskoy - with the Primorsky, nomadic near the Taganrog Bay, and the Ciscaucasian. Thus, in the southern Russian steppes, two unions of tribes were formed, equal in territory to the largest Russian principalities and western kingdoms. Among the khans who led the Pridnestrovian-Lukomorsky Cumans, Togly, Izai, Osoluk, Kobyak and others are known. The Don Cumans eventually united under the rule of Otrak's son, Konchak, who later claimed power over all the southern Russian steppes.

Having strengthened, the Polovtsians began to impede the caravans' march to Russia along the trade route from the "Varangians to the Greeks", along the "Salt" and "Zalozny" routes. Their independent raids on Russia began again. In response, the Russians organized a series of campaigns in the steppe. The campaign of 1184 is most famous, when the Russian squads defeated the Polovtsy and captured Khan Kobyak. The Russian princes also waged a long struggle against the Don Konchak association. One of the episodes of this struggle was the unsuccessful campaign of Prince Igor Svyatoslavich Seversky in 1185, which served as the theme of "The Tale of Igor's Campaign". However, by the mid-90s of the XII century, the surge in the external activity of the Polovtsy ceased, and in the future they only participate in civil strife of Russian princes as mercenaries.

The Polovtsians were defeated and subjugated by the Mongol-Tatars in the 13th century (some of them went to Hungary).

The Polovtsy remained in the history of Russia as the worst enemies of Vladimir Monomakh and cruel mercenaries from the times of internecine wars. The tribes that worshiped the sky terrorized the Old Russian state for almost two centuries.

Who are the Polovtsy?

In 1055, Prince Vsevolod Yaroslavich of Pereyaslavl, returning from a campaign against the Torques, met a detachment of new nomads, previously unknown in Russia, led by Khan Bolush. The meeting was peaceful, the new "acquaintances" received the Russian name "Polovtsy" and the future neighbors dispersed. Since 1064, in Byzantine and since 1068 in Hungarian sources, Cumans and Kuns are mentioned, also previously unknown in Europe. They were to play a significant role in the history of Eastern Europe, turning into formidable enemies and insidious allies of the ancient Russian princes, becoming mercenaries in a fratricidal civil strife. The presence of the Polovtsians, Kumans, Kuns, who appeared and disappeared at the same time, did not go unnoticed, and the questions of who they were and where they came from still worry historians.

According to the traditional version, all four of the above-mentioned peoples were a single Turkic-speaking people, which was called differently in different parts of the world. Their ancestors, the Sars, lived on the territory of Altai and the eastern Tien Shan, but the state they formed was defeated by the Chinese in 630. The rest went to the steppes of eastern Kazakhstan, where they got their new name "Kipchaks", which, according to legend, means "ill-fated". Under this name, they are mentioned in many medieval Arab-Persian sources. However, both in Russian and in Byzantine sources, the Kipchaks are not found at all, and a people similar in description is called "Kumans", "Kuns" or "Polovtsy". Moreover, the etymology of the latter remains unclear. Perhaps the word comes from the old Russian “polov”, which means “yellow”. According to scientists, this may indicate that this people had light hair color and belonged to the western branch of the Kipchaks - “Sary-Kipchaks” (Kuns and Cumans belonged to the eastern and had a Mongoloid appearance). According to another version, the term "Polovtsy" could come from the familiar word "field", and designate all the inhabitants of the fields, regardless of their tribal affiliation.

The official version has many weaknesses. Firstly, if all the above-mentioned peoples initially represented a single people - the Kipchaks, then in this case, how to explain that neither Byzantium, nor Russia, nor Europe, this toponym was unknown. In the countries of Islam, where the Kipchaks were known firsthand, on the contrary, they did not hear about the Polovtsians or Cumans at all. Archeology comes to the aid of the unofficial version, according to which, the main archaeological finds of the Polovtsian culture - stone women erected on mounds in honor of the soldiers who fell in battle, were characteristic only of the Polovtsy and Kipchaks. The Cumans, despite their worship of the sky and the cult of the mother goddess, did not leave such monuments.

All these arguments "against" allow many modern researchers to move away from the canon of studying the Polovtsians, Cumans and Kuns as one and the same tribe. According to the candidate of sciences, Evstigneev, the Polovtsy-Sars are the Turgesh, who for some reason fled from their territories to Semirechie.

Weapons of civil strife

The Polovtsians had no intention of remaining a "good neighbor" of Kievan Rus. As befits nomads, they soon mastered the tactics of sudden raids: they set up ambushes, attacked by surprise, swept away an unprepared enemy in their path. Armed with bows and arrows, sabers and short spears, the Polovtsian warriors rushed into battle, at a gallop bombarding the enemy with a bunch of arrows. They went "raid" through the cities, robbing and killing people, driving them into captivity.

In addition to the shock cavalry, their strength also lay in the developed strategy, as well as in new technologies for that time, such as heavy crossbows and "liquid fire", which they borrowed, obviously, from China since the days of living in Altai.

However, as long as centralized power was maintained in Russia, thanks to the order of succession to the throne established under Yaroslav the Wise, their raids remained only a seasonal disaster, and certain diplomatic relations even began between Russia and the nomads. A lively trade was carried on, the population communicated widely in the border regions Among the Russian princes, dynastic marriages with the daughters of the Polovtsian khans became popular. The two cultures coexisted in a fragile neutrality that could not last long.

In 1073, the triumvirate of the three sons of Yaroslav the Wise: Izyaslav, Svyatoslav, Vsevolod, to whom he bequeathed Kievan Rus, fell apart. Svyatoslav and Vsevolod accused their older brother of conspiring against them and striving to become "autocratic", like his father. This was the birth of a great and long turmoil in Russia, which the Polovtsy took advantage of. Without taking sides to the end, they willingly took the side of the man who promised them big "profits". So, the first prince who resorted to their help, Prince Oleg Svyatoslavich, whom his uncles disinherited, allowed them to rob and burn Russian cities, for which he was nicknamed Oleg Gorislavich.

Subsequently, the call of the Cumans as allies in the internecine struggle became a common practice. In alliance with the nomads, Yaroslav's grandson Oleg Gorislavich expelled Vladimir Monomakh from Chernigov, he also got Murom, driving out Vladimir's son Izyaslav. As a result, the warring princes faced a real danger of losing their own territories. In 1097, on the initiative of Vladimir Monomakh, then Prince of Pereslavl, the Lubech Congress was convened, which was supposed to end the internecine war. The princes agreed that from now on everyone had to own his "fatherland". Even the prince of Kyiv, who formally remained the head of state, could not violate the borders. Thus, fragmentation was officially fixed in Russia with good intentions. The only thing that even then united the Russian lands was a common fear of the Polovtsian invasions.

Monomakh's War

The most ardent enemy of the Polovtsians among the Russian princes was Vladimir Monomakh, during whose great reign the practice of using Polovtsian troops for the purpose of fratricide was temporarily stopped. Chronicles, which, however, actively corresponded with him, tell about him as the most influential prince in Russia, who was known as a patriot who spared neither strength nor life for the defense of Russian lands. Having suffered defeats from the Polovtsians, in alliance with whom stood his brother and his worst enemy - Oleg Svyatoslavich, he developed a completely new strategy in the fight against the nomads - to fight on their own territory. Unlike the Polovtsian detachments, which were strong in sudden raids, the Russian squads gained an advantage in open battle. The Polovtsian "lava" broke on the long spears and shields of Russian foot soldiers, and the Russian cavalry, surrounding the steppes, did not allow them to run away on their famous light-winged horses. Even the time of the campaign was thought out: until early spring, when the Russian horses, which were fed with hay and grain, were stronger than the Polovtsian horses that were emaciated on pasture.

Monomakh's favorite tactics also gave an advantage: he provided the enemy with the opportunity to attack first, preferring defense at the expense of footmen, since by attacking the enemy exhausted himself much more than the defending Russian warrior. During one of these attacks, when the infantry took the main blow, the Russian cavalry went around from the flanks and hit the rear. This decided the outcome of the battle. Vladimir Monomakh needed just a few trips to the Polovtsian lands to rid Russia of the Polovtsian threat for a long time. In the last years of his life, Monomakh sent his son Yaropolk with an army beyond the Don, on a campaign against the nomads, but he did not find them there. The Polovtsy migrated away from the borders of Russia, to the Caucasian foothills.

"Polovtsian women", like other stone women - not necessarily the image of a woman, among them there are many male faces. Even the very etymology of the word "woman" comes from the Turkic "balbal", which means "ancestor", "grandfather-father", and is associated with the cult of veneration of ancestors, and not at all with female beings. Although, according to another version, stone women are traces of a matriarchy that has gone into the past, as well as a cult of veneration of the mother goddess, among the Polovtsians - Umai, who personified the earthly principle. The only obligatory attribute is the hands folded on the stomach, holding the bowl for sacrifices, and the chest, which is also found in men, and is obviously associated with the feeding of the clan.

According to the beliefs of the Polovtsy, who professed shamanism and tengrism (worship of the sky), the dead were endowed with a special power that allowed them to help their descendants. Therefore, a Polovtsian passing by had to make a sacrifice to the statue (judging by the finds, these were usually rams) in order to enlist its support. Here is how the 12th-century Azerbaijani poet Nizami, whose wife was a Polovtsy, describes this ceremony:
“And before the idol the Kipchak back bends...
The rider hesitates before him, and, holding his horse,
He stoops an arrow, bending down, among the grasses,
Every shepherd who drives the flock knows
Why leave a sheep in front of an idol?

	The end of the XI - the middle of the XIII centuries.
	Mostly Southern Russia and the steppes of the northern Black Sea region
	Moving the struggle to the Polovtsian steppe (except for the participation of the Polovtsians in civil strife in Russia)
Territorial changes:	Capture of the Tmutarakan Principality and Belaya Vezha by the Polovtsians
Opponents
	Kievan Rus and Russian principalities
Commanders
Khans Tugorkan†, Bonyak, Sharukan, Konchak and others.	Russian princes: Izyaslav Yaroslavich†, Svyatopolk Izyaslavich, Vladimir Monomakh, Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich, Roman Mstislavich and others.

A series of military conflicts that lasted for about a century and a half between Kievan Rus and the Polovtsian tribes. It was another clash of interests between the ancient Russian state and the nomads of the Black Sea steppes. Another side of this war was the intensification of contradictions between the fragmented Russian principalities, whose rulers often made the Polovtsy their allies.

As a rule, three stages of hostilities are distinguished: the initial (second half of the 11th century), the second period associated with the activities of the famous political and military figure Vladimir Monomakh (the first quarter of the 12th century), and the final period (until the middle of the 13th century) (it was part the famous campaign of the Novgorod-Seversky prince Igor Svyatoslavich, described in the Tale of Igor's Campaign).

The situation in Russia and in the steppes of the northern Black Sea region at the beginning of the clashes

By the middle of the XI century. A number of important changes have taken place in the region under consideration. The Pechenegs and Torks, who ruled for a century in the "Wild Steppe", weakened by the struggle with their neighbors - Russia and Byzantium, failed to stop the invasion of the Black Sea lands by newcomers from the Altai foothills - the Polovtsians, also called Cumans. The new masters of the steppes defeated the enemies and occupied their camps. However, they had to take upon themselves all the consequences of being close to neighboring countries. For many years of clashes between the Eastern Slavs and the steppe nomads, they developed a certain model of relations, into which the Polovtsians were forced to fit in.

Meanwhile, the process of disintegration started in Russia - the princes began to wage an active and ruthless struggle for inheritances and at the same time resort to the help of strong Polovtsian hordes to fight competitors. Therefore, the emergence of a new force in the Black Sea region became a difficult test for the inhabitants of Russia.

The balance of forces and the military organization of the parties

Not much is known about the Polovtsian warriors, but contemporaries considered their military organization to be quite high for their time. The main force of the nomads, like any steppe dwellers, were detachments of light cavalry armed with bows. Polovtsian warriors, in addition to bows, also had sabers, lassoes and spears. Wealthy warriors wore chain mail. Apparently, the Polovtsian khans also had their own squads with heavy weapons. It is also known (since the second half of the 12th century) that the Polovtsians used heavy crossbows and “liquid fire”, borrowed, perhaps, from China since their time in the Altai region, or in later times from the Byzantines (see Greek fire). The Polovtsy used the tactics of surprise attacks. They operated mainly against weakly defended villages, but rarely attacked fortified fortresses. In the field battle, the Polovtsian khans competently divided forces, used flying detachments in the forefront to start a battle, which were then reinforced by an attack by the main forces. Thus, in the face of the Cumans, the Russian princes faced an experienced and skillful enemy. No wonder the old enemy of Russia - the Pechenegs were utterly defeated by the Polovtsian troops and scattered, practically ceasing to exist.

Nevertheless, Russia had a huge superiority over its steppe neighbors - according to historians, the population of the ancient Russian state in the 11th century was already over 5 million inhabitants, while there were several hundred thousand nomads. The successes of the Polovtsy were due, first of all, to the disunity and contradictions in the camp of their opponents.

The structure of the Old Russian army in the era of fragmentation changed significantly compared to the earlier period. Now it consisted of three main parts - the princely squad, personal detachments of aristocratic boyars and city militias. The military art of the Russians was at a fairly high level.

The first period of wars (second half of the 11th century)

Immediately after the death of Yaroslav the Wise (1054), the Polovtsy invaded the Principality of Pereyaslav, but made peace with Vsevolod Yaroslavich. In 1059, Vsevolod, and in 1060, all three senior Yaroslavichs, in alliance with Vseslav of Polotsk, inflicted a crushing defeat on the Torks in the steppes. The first clash between Russians and Polovtsians dates back to 1061. The Pereyaslav Principality became a victim of the nomads. Since then, the nomads began to make frequent raids within the borders of Russia.

One of the largest Polovtsian invasions of Russia took place in 1068. The Polovtsy were opposed by the forces of Izyaslav, Svyatoslav and Vsevolod Yaroslavich, who together owned all of Russia at that time. However, this army suffered a crushing defeat on the Alta River. Izyaslav Yaroslavich refused to give the people of Kiev horses and weapons from his arsenal for the second time in order to fight the Polovtsy, and on the left side of the Dnieper, Prince Svyatoslav Yaroslavich of Chernigov on November 1, with 3,000 soldiers, was able to stop the advance of 12,000 Polovtsy in the battle on the Snova River, and the Novgorod First Chronicle reports the capture Sharukan is captured. An uprising took place in Kyiv, forcing Izyaslav to flee to Poland.

For the first time, the Polovtsians were used in Russian civil strife not against the central government, but by the central government:

After the death of Svyatoslav Yaroslavich in the reign of Kiev in 1076, Izyaslav Yaroslavich returned to Kyiv, and Vsevolod Yaroslavich kept Chernigov. Svyatoslavichs Roman and Oleg, in alliance with the Polovtsians, began a struggle for the former possessions of their father, which led to the death in 1078 in the battle on Nezhatinnaya Niva of Izyaslav Yaroslavich and Oleg's ally Boris Vyacheslavich. In 1079, Roman Svyatoslavich was also killed by the Polovtsy.

In 1078, Vsevolod Yaroslavich reigned in Kyiv and left his son Vladimir as governor in Chernigov. A new powerful onslaught on the Russian lands, led by khans Bonyak and Tugorkan, was timed to coincide with the illness of Vsevolod of Kyiv in 1092. The following year, Vsevolod died, and Tugorkan laid siege to the city of Torchesk. The united Kiev-Chernigov-Pereyaslav army, headed by Svyatopolk Izyaslavich, Vladimir and Rostislav Vsevolodovichi, respectively, came to the aid of the defenders, as well as 25 years before, but was defeated in the battle on the Stugna River, and Rostislav died during the retreat in stormy from the rain waters of the river. Torchesk fell, and Svyatopolk was forced to make peace with Tugorkan by marrying his daughter.

In 1094, Oleg Svyatoslavich with the Polovtsians laid siege to Vladimir Vsevolodovich in Chernigov. After a long siege, Vladimir openly left the city ( do not brag about the wicked), having passed between the enemy forces without a fight, but the strife continued in the northeastern lands - Rostov and Murom, during which Monomakh's son Izyaslav (1096) died. Taking advantage of the absence of the forces of Svyatopolk and Monomakh in southern Russia, two Polovtsian armies attacked the Russian principalities on both banks of the Dnieper. Khan Bonyak appeared near Kyiv itself, and Tugorkan and Khan Kurya laid siege to Pereyaslavl. The last and waited for the first major defeat from the Russians. On July 19, 1096, on the Trubezh River, the army of princes Svyatopolk Izyaslavich and Vladimir Monomakh defeated the enemy. Upon learning of the defeat of Tugorkan, Bonyak, who had already managed to plunder the environs of Kyiv and burned the Caves Monastery, hastily left for the steppe. A year earlier, Monomakh killed two khans, Itlar and Kitan, during negotiations in Pereyaslavl.

Second period of wars (first quarter of the 12th century)

The blow inflicted on the Polovtsy at Trubezh was very painful for the nomads. The largest Polovtsian commander Tugorkan died in the battle. But the power of the steppes was still great. In 1097, at the Lyubech Congress of Princes, a decision was made let each one keep his own(The Svyatoslavichi received their father's inheritance), and Monomakh managed to convince the Russian princes of the need for retaliatory campaigns against the Polovtsy and the transfer of the fight against them deep into the steppes.

In 1103, in early spring, the allied army of Russian princes moved into the steppes. The calculation was made to weaken the Polovtsian cavalry. After a long winter, the horses had not yet had time to gain strength, while the Russian army included, in addition to the princely squads, large forces of "pedestrians" - infantrymen. The foot army moved along the Dnieper on boats, the cavalry marched in parallel. Then the army turned deep into the steppes. The decisive battle of the campaign took place on April 4 near the town of Suten. Monomakh and Svyatopolk defeated the Polovtsy, Khan Urusoba and 19 other princes were killed in this battle.

Four years later, the nomads went on the offensive again. In May, Khan Bonyak with his horsemen invaded the borders of the Principality of Pereyaslavl and besieged the city of Luben. Monomakh was again forced to defend his patrimony. Together with Svyatopolk, he came to the aid of the besieged and attacked the Polovtsians. This time, Bonyak and his soldiers did not resist for long: they fled, leaving the convoy and booty. Once again, peace was concluded, sealed by two dynastic marriages: the daughters of Khan Aepa were married to the son of Vladimir Yuri and the son of Oleg Svyatoslavich Svyatoslav.

The truce did not last long. The Polovtsians were preparing a new attack on Russia, but this time Monomakh forestalled them. Thanks to a sortie to the steppe under the command of governor Dmitry, having found out that several Polovtsian khans were gathering soldiers on a big campaign against Russian lands, the Pereyaslavl prince suggested that the allies attack the enemy themselves. This time they performed in the winter. On February 26, 1111, Vladimir Monomakh and Svyatopolk Izyaslavich, at the head of a large army, moved deep into the Polovtsian pastures. The army of princes penetrated as far into the steppes as never before - all the way to the Don. The Polovtsian cities of Sharukan and Sugrov were captured. But the main forces of Khan Sharukan brought out from under the blow. On March 26, hoping for the fatigue of the Russian soldiers after a long campaign, the Polovtsians attacked the allied army on the banks of the Salnitsa River. In a bloody and fierce battle, the victory again went to the Russians. The enemy fled, the prince's army returned home without hindrance.

After Vladimir Monomakh became the Grand Duke of Kyiv, Russian troops made another major campaign in the steppe (led by Yaropolk Vladimirovich and Vsevolod Davydovich) and captured 3 cities from the Polovtsians (1116). In the last years of his life, Monomakh sent Yaropolk with an army beyond the Don against the Polovtsy, but he did not find them there. The Polovtsy migrated away from the borders of Russia, to the Caucasian foothills.

The third period of wars (until the middle of the XIII century)

With the death of Monomakh's heir Mstislav, the Russian princes returned to the practice of using the Polovtsy in civil strife. One by one, the Polovtsian khans returned to the Don nomad camps. So, Yuri Dolgoruky five times brought the Polovtsy under the walls of Kyiv during the wars with Prince Izyaslav Mstislavich. Other princes did the same.

The resumption of campaigns of Russian princes in the steppe (to ensure the security of trade) is associated with the great Kievan reign of Mstislav Izyaslavich (1167-1169).

In the 70s of the XII century, in the steppe expanses from the Don to the southern borderlands of Russia, a large association of Polovtsian tribes arose, headed by Khan Konchak. The environs of Kyiv, Chernigov, Pereyaslavl again became victims of more frequent raids by newcomers from the steppes. In 1177, the Polovtsians defeated the Russian troops near Rostovets.

In 1183, the forces of the coalition of South Russian princes, led by Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich of Kyiv, moved into the nomads of the Polovtsians. A strong Russian army defeated near the river. Aurely a large detachment of Polovtsian horsemen, capturing 7 thousand people, including Khan Kobyak, who then died in a Kyiv prison. On March 1, 1185, Konchak himself was defeated on the Khorol River. After that, Svyatoslav left for the northeastern lands of the Chernigov principality, gathering go to the Don on the Polovtsians for the whole summer, and Prince Igor Svyatoslavich of Novgorod-Seversky undertook a separate campaign in the steppe (this time unsuccessful, unlike the campaign of the previous year).

The army of the Seversky prince set out on a campaign on April 23, 1185. On the way to Igor, his son Vladimir Putivl, his nephew Svyatoslav Rylsky, Igor's brother, Prince Vsevolod of Chernigov and the Chernigov kovui joined with squads: a total of 5 regiments. Also in this campaign, the sixth regiment, consisting of archers from all regiments. The first meeting with the Polovtsy took place on the banks of the river. Syuurli was successful for the Russians. Rich booty was captured, part of the Russian forces (except for the regiments of Igor and Vsevolod) participated in the pursuit of the defeated enemy. The next day, the princely regiments clashed with the main forces of Khan Konchak. On the banks of the river Kayala broke out into a bloody battle. The cavalry squads could have fled, but chose not to black people, dismounted and began to make their way to the Donets. Having been wounded, Igor got back on his horse. The whole day Igor's warriors held back the onslaught of superior enemy forces, but at the dawn of the next day they faltered. The prince's army was defeated, Igor himself and his son Vladimir were captured.

The Polovtsy invaded Russia, laid siege to Pereyaslavl, took Rome. Svyatoslav of Kyiv and his co-ruler Rurik Rostislavich managed to build a defense, and when they learned that they had crossed the Dnieper, Konchak lifted the siege from Pereyaslavl and went into the steppe. Novgorod-Seversky prince, who later escaped from the Polovtsian captivity, managed to take revenge on the enemies: he made several victorious campaigns against the nomads. After 1185, the Polovtsy invaded Russia only as allies of one of the coalitions of Russian princes fighting each other. At the same time, the largest campaigns in the steppe were undertaken by Vsevolod the Big Nest in 1198 (the Polovtsians migrated south to avoid a collision), Roman Mstislavich in 1202 (for which he was awarded a comparison by the chronicler with his great ancestor Monomakh) and 1203.

In the first half of the 13th century, both Russians and Polovtsy became victims of the Mongol conquests. At the first appearance of the Mongols in Europe in 1222-1223, the Russian princes joined forces with the Polovtsian khans, although the Mongol ambassadors suggested that the Russian princes act together against the Polovtsians. The battle on the Kalka River ended unsuccessfully for the allies, but the Mongols were forced to postpone the conquest of Eastern Europe for 13 years. Western campaign of the Mongols 1236-1242, also referred to in Eastern sources Kipchak, that is, Polovtsian, did not meet the joint resistance of the Russian princes and Polovtsian khans.

The results of the wars

The results of the Russian-Polovtsian wars were the loss of control by the Russian princes over the Tmutarakan principality and Belaya Vezha, as well as the cessation of the Polovtsian invasions of Russia outside the framework of alliances with some Russian princes against others. At the same time, the strongest Russian princes began to undertake campaigns deep into the steppes, but even in these cases, the Polovtsy preferred to retreat, avoiding a collision.

The Ruriks intermarried with many Polovtsian khans. Yuri Dolgoruky, Svyatoslav Olgovich (Prince of Chernigov), Rurik Rostislavich, Yaroslav Vsevolodovich (Prince of Vladimir) were married to Polovtsian women at different times. Christianity became widespread in the Polovtsian elite: for example, of the four Polovtsian khans mentioned in Russian chronicles under 1223, two had Orthodox names, and the third was baptized before a joint campaign against the Mongols.

POLOVETSKY CAMPAIGNS - campaigns of Russian princes, military enterprises of the rulers of the Old Russian state, and then the Old Russian principalities to defend the southern borders and prevent Polovtsian raids at the end of the 11th - beginning of the 13th centuries.

In the last quarter of the 11th century, the South Russian ter-ri-to-rii str-mi-tel-no ur-ba-ni-zi-ro-va-lis, the number of uk-re- p-lyon-nyh cities, there was a massive construction-tel-st-in and re-con-st-management of uk-re-p-le-ny. At the beginning of the 12th century, the Russian princes struggled with the po-lov-ts-mi. Defensive so-ti-ka uk-re-p-lyon lines (go-ro-disch along Su-le and other border rivers), re-re- hva-ta trains-call of the step-nyakov at their from-stu-p-le-nii to-half-ni-las, and in some way changed re-gu-lyar -we-mi-rei-da-mi into the depths of the steppe-drink, strikes at the ko-chev-pits and in-se-le-ni-pits against-no-ka. Spring-September-up-re-g-giving-blow-ry into the depths of the steppe-eye-behind-there is extremely-not effective-fek-tiv-ny, winter-ma os-lab-la-la-ko- chev-ni-kov is much stronger than the settled population of the Old Russian state. At the turn of the 11th and 12th centuries, at the end of the cha-tel-but the decor-mi-las of the rider-ni-che-sky sub-cult-tu-ra of the old Russian friend-zhi-ny: horse-naya “knights-king -skaya "dru-zhi-na became the main shock element of the army.

Ve-ro-yat-no, the first own-st-ven-but Polovtsian campaign can be called or-ha-ni-zo-van-ny pe-re-yas-lav-sky prince Vla-di -mir-rom All-in-lo-do-vi-than Mo-no-ma-hom and the Prince of Kiev Holy-half-com Izya-sla-vi-what on the move of 1095, to -when their howl for-hva-ti-li-lo-vets-kie-se-le-niya (ve-zhi) and big do-by-chu. Na-chi-naya since 1103, after the decision of the Pre-lob-sko-th congress about the organization of the Polovtsian campaigns by the forces of the Russian coalition prince-zey, in-ad-like ways became-whether re-gu-lyar-ny-mi. 4.4.1103, the catchers would have been full of times, 20 khans perished, Khan Bel-duz was taken prisoner and Kaz- nyon. In December 1109, the commander-in-chief Dmitri Ivo-ro-vich captured the vestments on the Don River. In the spring of 1111, the biggest Polovtsian campaign was held, someone was heading the Kiev prince of the Holy Regiment Izya-slavich, pe -re-yas-lav-sky prince Vla-di-mir Mo-no-max and black-ni-gov-sky prince Da-view Holy-slav-vich. On March 24, the Russian army reached the Don River; In 1113, one of your own, you-st-p-le-ni-em to the borders of the Old Russian state, the new Kiev prince Vla-di-mir Mo-no-max for-hundred -vil po-lov-tsev run. In 1116, the pe-re-yas-lav-sky prince Yaro-regiment Vla-di-mi-ro-vich and the son of the black-ni-gov-sky prince All-in-lod Da-vi-do-vich for -hva-ti-whether on Do-well in-lo-vets-kie in-se-le-niya Sug-ditch, Sha-ru-kan and Ba-lin. In the Kievan prince-zhe-nie Avenge-slav-va Vla-di-mi-ro-vi-cha (1125-1132) his military from-whether the catchers for the Don , Vol-gu and Yaik, that is, fak-ti-che-ski eyes-sti-whether the southern Russian near-border steppes. In the rezul-ta-te-be-to-nose-of-the-moves of the Russian princes, there would be times-of-thunder-le-na.

Polovtsian campaigns with-hundred-vi-whether more-shin-st-in of 83 precisely named Vla-di-mir-rom Mo-no-ma-hom his "paths" (campaigns ), which is evidence that at the end of the 11th - beginning of the 12th centuries, Russian princes (especially ben-no prince-zya of Southern Russia) boo-to-val-no zhi-whether pro-ble-my steppe ug-ro-zy. The prince remembered practically all his pro-tiv-ni-kov and co-yuz-ni-kov (for an hour they are one and the same person) among in-lo-vets-kih ha-nov by name-us. His “Teaching” is brightly from-ra-zi-lo double-st-ven-noe from-no-ne-the Russian princes to catchers. On the one hand, Mo-no-mah 19 times made peace with ko-chev-ni-ka-mi (whether it was practical-ti-che-ski annual , sta-no-viv-shie-sya tra-di-qi-ee, meet-chi with but-ma-da-mi ki-ev-so-prince-zya and, vi-di-mo, black-no -gov-sko-go and pe-re-yas-lav-sko-go prince-zey). On the other hand, he is pre-pri-ni-small, one-hundred-yan-nye military climbs into the steppe, many of his Polovtsian campaigns were co-top - us in the same year. These campaigns in the eyes of the so-time-men-ni-kov had the character of their own kind of “re-li-gi-oz-noy war-na”, “crystal- in-go-ho-yes ”(A.V. La-ush-kin). After them, after them, after-catching for-nya-whether a sub-chi-nyon-noe place-a hundred co-yuz-ni-kov of various Russian princes in their inter-before-individual struggle, on -chi-naya with Prince Ole-ga Holy-sla-vi-cha and Bo-ri-sa Vya-che-sla-vi-cha in 1078.

Again, not-about-ho-di-bridge of or-ga-ni-for-tion of special-ci-al-ny Polovtsian campaigns arose only in the 1150s and was connected with wasps -lab-le-ni-em of the South Russian principalities (pre-zh-de of everything Ki-ev-sko-go) in re-zul-ta-te me-zh-du-prince-same mustache In 1153, for the defense of the southern borders of the Kiev prince Izya-slav Msti-slavich on-right-vil against the catchers of his son - Avenge-sla -va Izya-sla-vi-cha. In 1159, the Russian princes co-ver-shi-whether 2 us-foot Polovtsian campaigns: sleep-cha-la son of the black-no-gov-sky prince Holy-glory-va Ol-go- vi-cha - Oleg Svyato-slav-vich won-stinged-du-du over-catching-tsa-mi, and soon his us-peh was second-ri-do-ro-go- Buzh-sky prince Vla-di-mir An-d-ree-vich and Lutsk prince Yaroslav Izya-slav-vich with the support of ga-li-chan. In 1161, black clo-bu-ki on-carried-whether in-ra-same-catchers on the Ros River. In 1164, the Russian prince Vasil-ko Yaro-pol-chich repeated this success. At the end of 1166, the Kiev troops under the command of the military commander Vla-di-sla-va La-ha you-stu-pi-li for oh-ra-na "Greek-no-ka "- tor-go-go-ty along the Dnieper-ru. Then the new-go-rod-se-ver-sky prince Oleg Svyato-slav-vich broke the forces of ha-na Ko-bya-ka (in le-to-pi-si oshi-boch -but upo-mi-na-et-sya Bo-nyak), but one-but-time-men-but pe-re-yas-lav-sky voe-vo-yes Schwarn ter-sang in-ra- same-tion at Pe-re-yas-lav-la. At the beginning of 1167, Ol-go-vi-chi pro-dol-zha-whether active-tiv-but dey-st-vo-vat against le-in-be-rezh-nyh-catchers: new- the city-se-ver-sky prince Oleg Svyato-slav-vich took "ve-zhi Ko-zi-ny" (khan Kzy), and the old-ro-dub-sky prince Yaroslav Vse- in-lo-do-vich - "Run-lu-ko-you-ve-zhi." One-but-time-men-but the Ki-ev-sky prince Ros-ti-slav Msti-slav-vich or-ga-ni-zo-val large-scale move of the coalition of the South Russian princes zey for oh-ra-ny tor-go-th ways - “Greek-no-ka” and “For-for-know-ka”.

In 1168, the Kievan prince Msti-slav Izya-slavich pre-took to torture ob-e-di-thread of Russian princes-zey put-them or-ga-ni-za-tion Polovtsian campaigns. At his call, from-click-well, almost all the neighbors were right. In the composition of the coalition, you-stup-piv-shey on March 2 on the Polovtsian campaign, the military forces of over 10 Russian princes entered. In re-zul-ta-those of this-ho-yes-yes-fishing-tsy would you be-b-you on the Orel and Sa-ma-ra rivers, from-bro-she-na across the river Os-col. The princes for-hwa-ti-whether a significant bosom, one-but-time-men-but os-bo-divs of many captive Russians.

New ak-ti-vi-za-tion of the Polovtsian campaigns pro-isosh-la in the 1180-1190s, after the sta-bi-li-za-tion in 1181 in lytic si-tua -tion in South Russia. In 1184, the Polovtsian campaign was undertaken by the new-go-rod-se-ver-sky prince Igor Svyato-slavich, someone together with his brother, Kursk and trumpets Prince of Chev All-in-lo-house Holy-glorious-with-what, two-kin-tribal-no-one All-in-lo-house Holy-glorious-with-what Cherm -nym and sons-new-i-mi (Ro-ma-nom and Holy-glory-vom), as well as black-us-mi-clo-bu-ka-mi under the command of Kul-dy- rya and Kun-duv-dyya, won in the battle on the river Khi-riya. In the summer of the same year, the main Polovtsian campaign of the Russian princes took place under the leadership of the Kievan prince Holy-glory-va All-in-lo-do -vi-cha, white-go-rod-sky prince Ryu-ri-ka Ros-ti-sla-vi-cha (more than 10 princes in total). The main battle took place on July 30, if there would be a thunder-le-na, many pre-hundred-vi-te-whether in-lo-vets- who knew you would have been taken prisoner, including Ko-byak with two sons-new-I, Gleb Ti-rie-vich, Oso-bow (Ose-bow) and others. According to the catchers, there was on-not-sen-su-s-st-ven-ny damage. In addition to this, the new-born-se-ver-sky prince Igor Svyato-slav-vich with his brother All-in-lo-house, son Vla-di -the world and the ple-myan-no-one - the Ryl-sky prince of the Holy Glory Ol-go-vi-what beat a small detachment of catchers on the Mer River -la.

In 1185, a new Polovtsian campaign against those who came to the Kho-rol river, hunters ha-na Kon-cha-ka so-ver-shi-li, the prince of Svyato-glory All-in-lo-do-vich, Bel-go-rod-sky prince Ryu-rik Ros-ti-slav-vich, pe-re-yas-lav-sky prince Vla-di-mir Gle-bo-vich, Prince Msti-Slav Ro-ma-no-vich and black clo-boo-ki led by Kun-duv-dy-em. In re-zul-ta-te on-fishing-tsy would you be-be-you on March 1, Khan Kon-chak fled. In April 1185, a detachment of black clo-bu-kov was on-right-len on the po-lo-vets-kie under the command of Ro-ma-na Ne-zdi-lo-vi-cha , someone on Pas-hu (April 21) for-grabbed a vest, taking a large bosom and a lot of ko-it. In the summer of 1185, the Kievan prince rec-counted-you-wal-to-right-twist a new trip “for the whole summer” to the very center of the lo-vets che-viy to the river Se-ver-sky Do-nets. One-on-ko this for-we-sat down was on-ru-shen se-pa-rat-ny-mi dey-st-via-mi of the new-born-se-ver-sky prince Igo-rya Holy-sla-vi-cha, someone pre-accepted together with his son Vla-di-mir, brother All-in-lo-house and ple-myan-ni- com of the Holy glory of Ol-go-vi-chem, as well as with the black-and-gov-sky "help" the self-standing Polovtsian campaign, completed -shi-sya heavy-zhe-lym in-ra-same-no-eat Russian princes on May 12 and ple-no-no-eat all ru-ko-vo-di-te-lei in-ho-yes. These so-be-ti-pits are sacred, but one of the main pro-of-ve-de-niy of ancient Russian literature is “The Word of the Igo-re-ve half”. In the spring of 1187, the Kievan prince Svyato-glory All-in-lo-do-vich and the Bel-go-rod prince Ryu-rik Ros-ti-slavich re-shi-li before -accept a new Polovtsian campaign, one-on-one, learn about you-st-p-le-nii of Russian princes, catch-y be-zha-whether in the steppe, but the move had to be interrupted because of the beginning of the le-to-ho-yes on the Dnieper. Winter-my 1189/1190 years of du-um-vi-ry on-great-vi-li against the catchers of black clo-bu-kov led by Ro-ma-n Ne-zdi -lo-vi-what: you-would-you-would have taken it, but there weren’t any of them there, since they went to the Danube. Winter 1190/1191 black clo-bu-ki with the support of the tor-che-sky prince Ros-ti-sla-wa Ryu-ri-ko-vi-cha and prince Ros-ti -sla-va Vla-di-mi-ro-vi-cha oder-zha-whether in-be-du over the catch-tsa-mi, ko-che-vav-shi-mi on the right be-re -gu of the Dnieper River, for-capturing a large bosom. The same winter-mine against the right-in-be-rezh-nyh-fishers us-pesh-but dey-st-in-val son of the Kiev prince Gleb Svyato- slav-vich, left by the father of the prince-to live in Ka-ne-ve. He managed to break up the detachment of Kun-duv-dyya near the city of To-va-ditch on the Ros River. In 1191, the main pro-ti-vo-dey-st-vie le-vo-be-rezh-nym-catchers eyes-for-whether black-no-go-in-se-ver-princes-zya . Sna-cha-la us-foot-walk against them was co-made by the new-go-rod-se-ver-sky prince Igor Svyato-slav-vich “with her brother”. And in the winter of 1191/1192, a large coalition, a new-born-se-ver-sky prince Igor Svyato-slavich, Kur-sky and Trub-chev-sky prince All-in-lod Holy-slav-vich, three sons-on the ki-ev-sky prince-zya (All-in-lod, Vla-di-world and Avenge-slav Holy-sla-vi-chi), princes Ros-ti-slav Yaro-slav-vich and Da-vid Ol-go-vich, co-ver-shi-la without-re-zul-tat-ny on the way to the Os-kol river, not finding catchers. In 1192, Holy Glory All-in-lo-do-vich and Ryu-rik Ros-ti-slav-vich stood at Ka-ne-va to protect the southern borders of Kiev th principality. In December 1193, a us-foot march on the floor of co-ver-shi-li tor-che-sky prince Ros-ti-slav Ryu-ri-ko-vich, his cousin brother Msti-slav Msti-slavich Udat-ny (si-dev-shey together with brother Vla-di-mir in Tre-po-le) and black clo-bu-ki. Winter 1193/1194 Svyato-glory All-in-lo-do-vich and Ryu-rik Ros-ti-slav-vich stood with a half-ka at Wa-si-le-va, adjoining the Ki-ev principality. Winter of 1200/1201 (according to A.V. May-o-ro-va) po-lov-tsev once-gro-mil ha-lits-ko-vo-lyn-sky prince Roman Msti-slavich, you-stepped to help the Byzantine emperor Alexei III An-ge-lu Kom-ni-nu.

The last major Polovtsian campaign took place at the beginning of 1203 (according to updated data); his ru-ko-vo-di-te-li - Kiev prince Ryu-rik Ros-ti-slav-vich, Ga-lits-ko-vo-lyn-sky prince Ro-man Msti-slav-vich and pe-re-yas-lav-sky prince Yaroslav Vse-vo-lo-do-vich.