Sviatoslav of Novgorod

Who he is

Name

Sviatoslav Vsevolodovich

Title

prince of Novgorod

Since

1 January 1200, St Basil's day, when he came to Novgorod and was enthroned in St Sophia (Novgorod chronicle under 6707). Granted by his father to the Novgorod envoys in the autumn of 1199.

Born

27 March 1196 (en.wikipedia); aged three

Family

Son of Vsevolod III Big Nest, grand prince of Vladimir, and Maria Shvarnovna; younger brother of Konstantin (born 1186), Yuri, Yaroslav and Vladimir; the infant Ivan (born 1197) is younger. Grandson of Yuri Dolgoruky.

Confidence

high

Novgorod First Chronicle under 6707 and 6713 (Michell and Forbes, scan pp. 93-94, 100); en.wikipedia Sviatoslav III of Vladimir.

Overlord

His father Vsevolod III, grand prince of Vladimir, rules through him; the town treats the prince as bound by its terms.

What it holds

• the princely seat of Novgorod and the prince's share of its courts, fines and tribute
• the Gorodishche residence with its churches
• command of the prince's court (dvor) and of the host when the prince leads it
• the prince's rights in the subject towns (in 1192 Yaroslav sat in Pskov and sent his court to war from there)

How it was acquired

In 1199 Vsevolod sent for Yaroslav Vladimirovich and took him out of Novgorod, and summoned the archbishop, the posadnik Miroshka and the leading men to come for his son; Archbishop Martirii died on the way at Lake Seliger on 24 August 1199. The posadnik and Mikhalko then went to Vsevolod, who received them with honour, gave them Sviatoslav and, after taking counsel with the posadnik, sent the boy to Novgorod with them.

Allies and rivals

His father's party in Novgorod, led by the posadnik Miroshka who fetched him. Rivals: the Olgovichi of Chernigov, whose Yaropolk held the seat for six months in 1197; any boyar faction that would rather have a grown prince of its own choosing.

How things stand that morning

Enthroned on 1 January 1200 (the first public event of the game in Novgorod). His father's men act for him; the posadnik and boyars govern the town.

Wealth

The prince's share of court fines and tribute and the revenues of his lands round the Gorodishche; no figures.

Military

His father's men and whatever retinue came with him; in war Novgorod's host would follow a commander chosen by the town or sent by Vsevolod.

Threats

• His age: he cannot lead the host, which the town will use against him in 1205.
• Any break between Novgorod and Vsevolod.

Seat note

The Gorodishche, the princes' residence on the Volkhov about 2 km above the town, with the church of St Nicholas (wooden, built by Yaroslav in 1191) and the Transfiguration church on the Nereditsa hill nearby (built by Yaroslav in 1198, painted in 1199).

What the year holds

What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.

In 1200

1. 1 January 1200Enthronement in St Sophia.Depends on: Arrival as planned. Stopped by: A refusal by the veche (no sign of one).

Later, on the likely course

1. 20 March 1205 (after this year)Replaced by his brother Konstantin; Vsevolod says the boy is too young for war.Depends on: Vsevolod's choice. Stopped by: A change of plan in Vladimir.

Places of note

• The Gorodishche: prince's residence
• St Sophia: enthronement on 1 January 1200

Where the sources disagree

• Modern lists date his first reign 1200-1205; the chronicle's St Basil's day under 6707 makes it from 1 January 1200 exactly.

Evidence: The arrival day, the embassy and the replacement are all in the Novgorod chronicle; the names of his father's men are not.

On the map: Only the residence is drawn; the prince's rights run through the whole Novgorod land, which is drawn as the realm.

Primary sources for Novgorod

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 Laurentian Chronicle (the Suzdal continuation kept in the late 12th and 13th centuries; manuscript 1377). The court record of Vsevolod III of Vladimir. Read online
• The Livonian Chronicle of Henry, Henry of Livonia (1225 to 1227). The chief source for the Baltic mission. Read online
• The birch-bark letters (11th to 15th centuries). Excavated letters and notes on birch bark, dated by the layer they lie in. Read online
• The law of the Gotlanders; The saga of the Gotlanders (Guta lag about 1220, Guta saga about 1220 to 1275; manuscript of about 1350). The law and the short history of the self-governing island. Read online