Frontier town · The Kiev land of Rurik Rostislavich · as at first light, 1 January 1200

Kanev

Kanev guards the Dnieper below the Ros mouth: the princes' mustering place for the steppe wars and the meeting place with the Cuman khans (the peace talks of 1193).

Its stone church of St George was built by Vsevolod Olgovich in 1144. With Torchesk it was a centre of the Black Hoods.

Who holds it

Name
Rurik Rostislavich
Title
Prince of Kiev
Since
1194
Confidence
high

Lord in 1200

Under Rurik; one of the five towns of 1195; governor in 1200 not pinned

How things stand that morning

Under Rurik.

Charter

No charter: Rus' towns of this age had no written privileges. The prince's governor or steward judges and collects; the townsmen meet in assembly (veche) at need.

Council

Governor.

Communities

Rus' and Black Hoods.

Fairs and markets

None recorded.

Militia

Garrison and Black Hoods.

Walls and castle

Earth-and-timber fort; the stone church of St George (1144).

Trade and crafts

River crossing; frontier trade.

Where the sources disagree

Evidence: Governor not named for 1200.

Primary sources for Kiev (Rurik Rostislavich)

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

  1. Hypatian Codex, Kievan Chronicle to 1198/1199 (PSRL vol. 2): the entries for 1190-1199 as we know them; the online text (litopys.org.ua) refused automated fetching in this run, so not re-checked
  2. Chernye klobuki (Russian Wikipedia)

Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.