A son of Sviatoslav Vsevolodovich, younger than Oleg and later the most forceful of the Olgovichi (prince of Chernigov from 1204, prince of Kiev several times from 1206), holds Starodub in the Radimichi country west of the Desna, by one account from 1198 to 1201.
His Polish marriage ties him to Casimir II's sons and so to their cousin and ally Roman Mstislavich. His son Mikhail, about 14, is the future Saint Mikhail of Chernigov.
Who he is
- Name
- Vsevolod Sviatoslavich, called the Red (Chermnyi)
- Title
- Prince of Starodub (1198-1201 by ru.wikipedia)
- Since
- 1198 by ru.wikipedia; not confirmed by a chronicle
- Born
- Not pinned (12th century)
- Family
- Son of Sviatoslav Vsevolodovich of Kiev and Maria Vasilkovna of Polotsk; married 1178/1179 to Maria (called Anastasia), daughter of Casimir II of Poland, whose survival to 1200 is not pinned (ru.wikipedia gives her death as 1194); son Mikhail (born about 1185), daughters Agafia and Vera
- Confidence
- low
ru.wikipedia: Starodub 1198-1201; Chernigov 1204-1210 and from 1212; Kiev 1206-1207 and 1210-1212; dies 1212 (or 1215).
Overlord
Igor, as senior prince.
What it holds
- Starodub and its district on the Iput and the Besed (by ru.wikipedia)
How it was acquired
Not recorded; by agreement within the house when Igor moved to Chernigov in 1198 (ru.wikipedia).
Allies and rivals
His brothers; his Polish in-laws (the young dukes Leszek and Konrad); against the Rostislavichi for Kiev in later years.
How things stand that morning
Holds Starodub by one account; nothing else recorded for 1198-1200.
Wealth
Furs, honey and wax of the Radimichi forests; tolls on the roads to Smolensk.
Military
His retinue and the Starodub town host.
Threats
- The rotation, which keeps him behind Igor and Oleg
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.
- 1204 (beyond 1200)Becomes prince of Chernigov on Oleg's death.Depends on: Oleg's death. Stopped by: Play.
Places of note
- Starodub: His seat by ru.wikipedia.
Where the sources disagree
- en.wikipedia (Vsevolod IV of Kiev) names no town before 1204; the Starodub tenure is ru.wikipedia's.
Evidence: The Starodub tenure is a modern reconstruction cited without a chronicle reference.
On the map: Holder low confidence; the ground is the Olgovichi's whoever held it.
Primary sources for Chernigov (the Olgovichi)
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 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 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 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.