Russia throughout its existence fought with nomads. At first it was the Pechenegs. In the XII century, the Polovtsy came to their place. The last wave brought numerous Mongols to the Russian lands.
The fight against the Polovtsy occurred during the period of political fragmentation of the Eastern Slavs. Princes several times went to the steppe, but more often, on the contrary, defended their native lands. Why is Prince Igor’s campaign against the Polovtsy most known of all these cases? Because it was he who served as the source for the famous literary monument. This is the "Word about Igor’s regiment."
Igor's biography
Prince Igor Svyatoslavovich was born in 1151. He was a representative of the Chernihiv branch of the Rurikovich dynasty. At the age of 29, he inherited the city of Novgorod-Seversky. The lands around it were directly adjacent to the steppes.
Russian princes often changed their policy towards the Polovtsy: made peace and alliance or fought. So it was with Igor. Sometimes he hired nomads during civil wars with relatives. But along with this, he fought with the khans. For example, in 1171 he defeated Konchak across the Vorskla River. However, another expedition received historical fame.
Campaign against the steppes
In 1185, the princes of southern Russia united to go to the steppe and defeat the Polovtsy there. Igor was the initiator of this voyage. He was supported by his immediate family. It was Vsevolod Svyatoslavich (Prince of Kursk), Svyatoslav Olgovich (Prince of Ryl) and Vladimir Igorevich (Prince of Putivl). Also under Russian banners stood kovuy. It was a small nation of nomads who lived on the borders of Chernihiv possessions.
The united army was deprived of many allies. The campaign of Prince Igor to the Polovtsians took place without the support of the Kiev Prince Svyatoslav. The reason was that the Seversky ruler was in a hurry and decided not to wait for a strong ally who was just collecting regiments. Haste later played a fatal role in the fate of the troops. The army went to the banks of the Donets, where the Polovtsy had camps, due to which it was possible to profit well.
Defeat
A few days later, on the way, the Russian army came across a small detachment of the enemy, which was defeated. This turned the commander's head. The princes decided that the first time they smiled at luck, then in the future they will succeed. That was a mistake. Prince Igor’s campaign against the Polovtsy turned out to be a failure due to haste and adventurism.
When the army met the main army of the nomads, it was immediately surrounded because of the numerical superiority of the enemy. Caught in the trap of the Russian soldiers were killed, few managed to escape. The unsuccessful campaign of Prince Igor against the Polovtsy turned into captivity for himself. He managed to escape from captivity only a few years after he fled under cover of night on a cooked horse.
Return trip Polovtsy
After the victory, the nomads traditionally went straight to Russia: to rob and profit. Prince Igor’s campaign against the Polovtsians caused a terrible invasion, which civilians had not known for several decades. The city of Rome, as well as neighboring villages, was looted and burned. The Kiev prince, who did not get into the steppe due to the allies hastening to grab the laurels of the winners, united with the Galician ruler and expelled the nomads. In addition, riders never lingered on foreign territory until the onset of winter. With the advent of snow, they disappeared and returned to their homeland, taking away the looted wealth in the wagon train.
Svyatoslav (Prince of Kiev) was first angry at Igor for having gone to the steppe secretly from an ally. However, after it became known that the unsuccessful commander was captured, the relative forgot the insult and mourned him for a long time, thinking that he would not return.
Literary monument
A few years later, the campaign of Novgorod-Seversky Prince Igor to the Polovtsy formed the basis of the famous "Word ...". The author of this literary heritage is unknown. The work miraculously survived and became truly famous only in the 19th century, when the public received a list compiled by Count Musin-Pushkin.
This is a great example of the language of the time. "Word ..." is a guide to Old Russian folklore. Because of its significance, the work fell into the school curriculum. Many plots and phraseological units (for example, “the cry of Yaroslavna”) have become popular and winged.
The original manuscript was purchased by Count Musin-Pushkin from the Yaroslavl monastery. The sale took place due to the fact that the religious institution was closed. Soon, the original died in a fire, but by this time several complete lists had been compiled, thanks to which the published copies survived to our time. The legacy of the "Word ..." is often compared with the meaning of the legends of European bards of the Middle Ages.
Prince Igor and his campaign against the Polovtsy became one of the recognizable symbols of ancient Russia. Rurikovich himself, after escaping from captivity, lived for several more years. As the eldest among his closest relatives, he inherited Chernihiv, where he died in 1201.