To Volodar the princes sent the following message: “Take thy brother, Vassilko, and possess Peremysl. If thou wilt not keep thy brother, let him come to us, we will support him.”
Volodar and Vassilko would not comply with this, and each remained in the place which belonged to him. When the princes wished to constrain the two brothers, Monomach would not consent to it; he insisted on the Lubetch agreement.
The two meetings, the first at Lubetch, the second at Vititchevo, ended that struggle which had raged half a century. The strong princes became stronger, the izgoi (orphans) and their descendants were excluded. Volodar and Vassilko were the only izgoi who retained a province. The descendants of Vyacheslav, son of Yaroslav, lost their places in the first generation; those of Igor, his brother, in the second. Later on they reappear as petty princes of small places without independent significance. With full and equal rights appear only the descendants of the three elder sons of Yaroslav, Izyaslav, Sviatoslav and Vsevolod. Of these, the sons of Sviatoslav saved themselves only after a bitter and bloody struggle, thanks also to the moderation of Monomach, and his son Mystislav.
The division of land between the descendants of these three sons of Yaroslav the Lawgiver was unequal. Monomach, through his superior personality and favoring fortune, received a much larger portion than his brothers. He received Pereyaslavl, Novgorod, Smolensk and Rostoff. Sviatopolk received Volynia, but Novgorod, connected always so closely with Kief, did not fall to him. The sons of Sviatoslav, Oleg and his brothers, received nothing beyond the land which their father had held.
Sviatopolk was greatly dissatisfied that Novgorod did not remain with his house. As he could not take it from Monomach without compensation, he gave Volynia in return for it. But when Mystislav, Monomach’s son, was recalled to give place to a son of Sviatopolk, the men of Novgorod revolted, and sent envoys to Kief with this message: “Novgorod wishes neither Sviatopolk [[44]]nor his descendants. If Sviatopolk’s son has two heads, let him come to us.” Sviatopolk had to live without Novgorod.
Monomach, now free to act against steppe tribes, urged Sviatopolk to help him. “Let us join our forces,” said he, “and march in the spring against these enemies.” Sviatopolk turned to his warriors for counsel. They were unwilling to move, and answered that war during spring months took men from their labor. “Let us meet in some place, and consult with the warriors,” was Sviatopolk’s answer to Monomach. They met at Dolobsk, above Kief, on the bank of the Dnieper. “Begin, brother, thou art the elder,” said Monomach; “tell what we are to do in our Russia.” “Begin thou, that is better,” answered Sviatopolk. “How am I to speak,” replied Monomach, “thy warriors will oppose, and say that I wish to ruin earth-tillers and their labor, though I wonder why they are so tender of earth-tillers, forgetting how Polovtsi come in the spring-time, strike down each man in his furrow, take his wife, take his children, seize his horse, and burn his granary.” “True,” said the warriors. “Thou art right, they do much evil.” “I am ready to go!” exclaimed Sviatopolk. And he rose and proclaimed the expedition. “Thou hast done a great deed, O my brother,” said Monomach.
The two princes sent at once to the sons of Sviatoslav, saying: “Let us march against the Polovtsi, we shall either fall in the struggle, or survive it.” David promised aid, but Oleg would not go. His health was too frail, he said. Four other princes joined willingly in making war on the steppe foes of Russia.
The Polovtsi learned what was coming, and met in council. Some were in favor of buying peace, but the younger men called loudly for war, and their side won the mastery.
A force was sent out to reconnoitre. The princes met this force, cut down every man in it, advanced on the main army quickly and struck it. A fierce struggle followed. Twenty Polovtsi chiefs were killed, and a Khan named Beldug was captured. Beldug, when brought to Sviatopolk, offered much ransom for his life in gold, silver, cattle, horses and camels. Sviatopolk sent him to Monomach for judgment. “How often hast thou sworn not to war with us,” said Monomach to the Khan, “but still thou attack. Why not teach thy sons what an oath is? How much Christian blood hast thou shed? But now thy own blood be on [[45]]thee, not on our heads.” With that, he gave a sign to his men, and Beldug was cut to pieces.
Immense booty was taken, and the princes went home rejoicing, and with great glory. The terrible Bonyak was alive yet, however, and made his power felt very keenly.