Drutsk, on the upper Drut near the watershed of the Dnieper and the Daugava, has been an appanage seat since 1101.
Its princes of Rogvolod's line backed Smolensk against the Polotsk princes and the Olgovichi: in 1180 (some date it 1181) the Chernigov coalition besieged Gleb Rogvolodovich and his ally David of Smolensk here for at least a week, David slipped away by night and the outer fort was burnt. One list ends Boris Glebovich's rule in 1196, the year of the war over Vitebsk; nobody is named for 1200. The town itself is said to flourish in the early 13th century.
Who he is
- Name
- not pinned for 1200
- Title
- prince of Drutsk
- Since
- not pinned
- Born
- not known
- Family
- the line of Rogvolod (Boris) Vseslavich: Rogvolod Borisovich (Drutsk 1158, Polotsk 1159-1162), Gleb Rogvolodovich (Smolensk's ally in 1180-1181); en.wikipedia lists 'Boris of Drutsk, son of Gleb, until 1196'
- Confidence
- low
ru.wikipedia (Друцк); en.wikipedia (Principality of Druck)
Overlord
the prince of Polotsk in name; the Drutsk princes leaned on Smolensk
What it holds
- Drutsk fort with its detinets and outer town
- probably Lukoml and the land between the Drut and the Berezina (not pinned)
How it was acquired
Appanage of Vseslav's son Rogvolod (Boris) from 1101.
Allies and rivals
Smolensk (ally in 1180-1181); the Polotsk princes and the Olgovichi (enemies then).
How things stand that morning
Not pinned. Held by a prince of Rogvolod's line or by a Polotsk nominee; no fighting recorded that winter.
Wealth
The Drut and Berezina waterways and the portage country; tribute of the villages.
Military
Drutsk fort (detinets and outer town of wood and earth).
Threats
- Polotsk and the Olgovichi, as in 1180 and 1196
Where the sources disagree
- ru.wikipedia dates the siege 1181 under Yaroslav of Chernigov; the Hypatian puts the Drutsk campaign under 6688 (1180) under Sviatoslav of Chernigov's coalition.
Evidence: Two Wikipedia articles with conflicting lists; nothing for 1197-1205.
On the map: Extent not recorded; Lukoml may have been held apart.
Primary sources for Polotsk
Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.
- The Chronicle of Novgorod (kept year by year; the Synodal manuscript written in the 13th and 14th centuries). Novgorod's own record, kept at St Sophia. Read online
- The Hypatian Chronicle (the Kievan Chronicle compiled about 1200 at the Vydubichi monastery; the Galician-Volhynian Chronicle in the 13th century). The southern record. Read online
- The Livonian Chronicle of Henry, Henry of Livonia (1225 to 1227). The chief source for the Baltic mission. Read online
- Charter book of Livonia, Estonia and Courland, volume 1, 1093 to 1300 (documents of 1093 to 1300, edited 1853). The documents of the Livonian mission: Innocent III's bull of 5 October 1199 calling for a crusade to protect the Livonian church, the privileges for Bishop Albert, Archbishop Hartwig of Bremen's acts for the see of Üxküll, and the later charters that settle who held what on the Düna.
- The Tale of Igor's Campaign (about 1187 to 1200 (disputed)). A poem on Igor Sviatoslavich's defeat by the Polovtsians in 1185 that addresses the princes of the day by name: Vsevolod of Vladimir, Rurik and David Rostislavich, Yaroslav of Galich, Roman of Volhynia and the Olgovichi of Chernigov, of whom Igor himself was prince from 1198. Read online
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.