Vsevolod reënforced the place promptly, and Izyaslav of Volynia hurried men to his uncle. The besiegers were defeated and driven off by Vyacheslav.
Rostislav of Smolensk moved now from the west against Chernigoff territory. Izyaslav attacked it on the east, and seizing many places returned home with great honor. A new attack was made upon Vyacheslav soon after by the malcontents, who fought a three days’ battle, in which they were sorely defeated.
Vsevolod now summoned Sviatosha, his cousin, a monk renowned [[59]]widely for sanctity, to aid him in reasoning with his relatives, and he himself sent them this message: “Dear brethren, take what I offer with good feeling; fight with me no longer.” Discouraged by defeat and influenced by the monk they accepted, and settled in Kief.
Vsevolod, who owed what he had to his own subtle cunning and to the dissension among princes, was dissatisfied with the league between his brothers and their cousins. So, to detach the sons of David from the league, he said to them: “Leave my brothers; I will give you all splendid places.” Tempted by this promise, they deserted their allies, and received good places.
Vsevolod’s brothers were incensed at this open treachery, but were silent for the time. They clamored later on, however, and very loudly, when Vyacheslav, advised by Vsevolod, exchanged principalities with Izyaslav, his nephew of Volynia, and then gave Volynia for Turoff, from which Vsevolod recalled his own son, whom he sent to Volynia straightway.
Pereyaslavl, as the stepping-stone to Kief, was acceptable to Izyaslav, who wanted the succession most solemnly promised him. But Vsevolod’s brothers and his cousins were greatly angered by this change, which they understood not, and which they looked on as an act of monstrous treason. “Our brother keeps at his side the worst foes of our family,” complained they. “He leaves us without a chief, and without places,” and they urged Vsevolod to act against Monomach’s descendants, and demand the places which he had pledged to them earlier, but had not given.
It would have been difficult, nay, quite impossible for Vsevolod to keep those promises, and he made no real effort to do so. Izyaslav was disquieted, however. He saw clearly what Vsevolod was doing. He knew him to be an inveterate trickster, who would deceive all men, who ever they might be, whenever the chance came and his interest required it, so he resolved to change the position if possible, and try to win Yuri, his uncle. He journeyed to Suzdal to see him, but he could make no impression on Yuri. Next he went to Rostislav, his brother, in Smolensk, and, last of all, to his brother in Novgorod, where he passed the winter. Thus did the descendants of Monomach and Oleg stand toward one another. How stood the other princes?
First among these were the descendants of Rostislav, whose [[60]]sons, Volodar and Vassilko, are well-known to us. Both died in 1124, the first leaving two sons, Vladimirko and Rostislav; the second left two also, Grigori and Ivan.
Of these four men, Vladimirko alone was remarkable. This prince not only kept his own among others, but was able to leave a strong principality to his son, whose friendship or enmity became highly important. Being weaker at first than most of his neighbors Vladimirko worked for success without reference to truthfulness or methods. In 1127 he called in the Hungarians and rose against Rostislav, his elder brother. His cousins came to the aid of Rostislav, as did also Mystislav, the Kief prince, and saved him. Rostislav died some years later; his two cousins died also. Thereupon Vladimirko took all Galitch, disregarding his nephew, Ivan, then ruling in Zvenigorod. The wars which followed the death of Mystislav the Great left a free hand to Vladimirko.
In Vsevolod’s struggle with Monomach’s descendants, Vladimirko helped him, but matters changed altogether when the son of the Kief prince was transferred to Volynia. Vsevolod might permit Vladimirko to snatch land from a descendant of Monomach, but not from Sviatoslav, his son. Both men were perfectly selfish, neither had scruples of any kind, and in 1144 Vsevolod quarreled with Vladimirko because of Volynia, and marched against Galitch with a large army. Nine Russian princes went with him, and the Polish prince Vladislav. Vladimirko had called in his friends, the Hungarians, but his troops, outnumbered and cut off, would have been forced to surrender had he not saved himself cunningly through Igor, the Kief prince’s brother, to whom he sent this wily message: “Reconcile me with thy brother, and I will make thee prince in Kief, after Vsevolod.” Igor, influenced by this promise, set about making peace, and succeeded.