Putivl, on the high bank of the Seim, is first named in 1146, when it was already a strong fortress of Sviatoslav Olgovich.
It lies at a meeting of roads from Chernigov and Novgorod-Seversky to the Seim and the steppe. In 1185, after the Kayala, the khan Gzak burned its outer defences but could not take the town; the Tale of Igor's Campaign sets Yaroslavna's lament on its rampart. Vladimir Igorevich was its prince in 1185 and probably still is.
Who holds it
- Name
- Vladimir Igorevich, Igor's eldest son
- Title
- Lord of the town
- Since
- See the lord's record
- Confidence
- medium
Lord in 1200
Vladimir Igorevich, Igor's eldest son
How things stand that morning
Held for Vladimir Igorevich (medium confidence).
Charter
None: Rus' towns of this age have no charters; the townsmen live under the prince's law (the Russkaya Pravda) and his officers' courts.
Council
None recorded.
Communities
Retainers and townsmen.
Militia
The town host.
Walls and castle
Timber and earth fort with an outer enclosure (ostrog).
Trade and crafts
The Seim crossing and the steppe road; farming and cattle.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: First mention and 1185 firm; holder in 1200 probable.
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.