Of Andrei there remains in the minds of the Russian people a bright and pure memory. From every part of Russia come pilgrims to Vladimir to pray before his coffin. With the blood of a martyr, the prince sprinkled the house in which he lived. In the moments of his bitterest agony he parted from this world with the words, “O God, receive Thou my spirit,” and to that coffin people turn now, saying: “Pray thou for us also, that the Lord may assist us against enemies.”
Immediately after the death of Andrei, men of the party opposed to him in Suzdal and Rostoff began to ask: “What are we to do, now that our prince is gone? With whom can we replace him? Ryazan is our neighbor; if Ryazan princes attack, what shall we do without a leader? Shall we not take a Ryazan prince? [[108]]The wife of their ruling prince is a daughter of Rostislav, son of Yuri Dolgoruki; she is a relative of our late prince. Let us find a prince in Ryazan; that is better.” The boyars sent confidants to Vladimir, who declared to the friends of Andrei: “Ye are not many in number; ye would better not oppose Rostoff and Suzdal; your city is still a dependency. It is wise for you to agree with us. If ye hold to the plans of Andrei, we will meet you with war to the death. The Ryazan princes may also attack you.”
Volunteers from Rostoff and Suzdal hovered round, as it were, to support all these statements. In Vladimir the “smallest people,” as they called themselves, and those who were not in the boyar conspiracy, gave answer in this form: “Whose is with you, is not on our side.” The boyars wanted a prince who would not punish those who had caused the murder of Andrei. They wanted a prince who would be an opponent of all that Andrei had established, hence they selected two nephews of Andrei, two orphans, sons of Rostislav, Andrei’s elder brother, who died early.
In Ryazan itself, where the conspiracy had originated, there was joy, but words were few: no discussion was needed; all knew exactly what they wanted. In Rostoff and Suzdal the plan existed even before Andrei was assassinated. Glaib of Ryazan, when envoys came to him to ask for a prince in place of Andrei, was greatly delighted. To those envoys he added others, and all went to Chernigoff, where the orphans were living.
When the envoys appeared before Sviatoslav, he saw at once the meaning of the embassy and was not pleased with the project of choosing the orphans. He insisted that Mihalko and Vsevolod, brothers of Andrei, who were in Chernigoff, should go to Vladimir in company with Mystislav and Yaropolk (the orphans).
On hearing of this, the Rostoff and Suzdal boyars were angry, and sent a message saying that Mihalko and Vsevolod were not to come nearer than Moscow. Mihalko paid no attention to the message, but hastened to Vladimir, where the people received him with gladness, and prepared for a siege by the boyars. Meanwhile Glaib of Ryazan, bringing Rostoff and Suzdal forces, with Mystislav and Yaropolk, attacked the city. A siege of seven weeks brought the people to famine and a surrender on promise that no harm should meet any man. Mihalko and Vsevolod went back to Chernigoff, and the new princes, after hearing the statement [[109]]of the Vladimir men: “Not against you have we struggled, but against the boyars of Rostoff, who boasted: we will scorch you, and then send a posadnik to rule. Ye are our slaves, O ye masons and carpenters,” took oath to give kindness and peace to the people.
But their position was impossible. The boyars, who had insulted Vladimir and forced those two princes upon the country, were the real masters. Their friend, Glaib of Ryazan, did what seemed good to him; his troops sacked villages in every direction and burned them. Rostoff boyars got what they wanted; they and their friends took all the offices of value. The importance of Vladimir was leaving it daily. The cathedral was plundered, the holy images taken, and the chief one, that of the Mother of God, was given to Glaib. He got also the sword of Boris, inherited from Monomach, as well as silver and gems from the churches. He got much for he had helped much, and might help still more in the future. Soon the position became unendurable. The plan of the boyars was evident. They were undoing the work of Andrei, reducing and robbing Vladimir, and enslaving common people. Seeing this clearly, the Vladimir men were enraged to the utmost, and sent at once for Mihalko and Vsevolod. The brothers set out from Chernigoff immediately, but at the Oká Mihalko fell ill and was carried on a litter to Moscow, where envoys from Vladimir were waiting.
The boyars prepared now for a life and death struggle. Yaropolk was sent with forces toward Moscow to cut off Andrei’s brothers from Vladimir. But they were well on their way, and Yaropolk missed them in the deep forests of that time. On learning this, he sent a swift courier with warning to Mystislav, who hastened at once to cut off Mihalko and Vsevolod. He met them near Vladimir, and rushed at them “as if to devour them,” says the chronicler. But as his chief forces were militia without marks to distinguish them from other men, they became mixed and confused with the men of Vladimir, and had to cease fighting. That at least was the tale told when they were reproached by the boyars. The truth was, as it seems, that the common men of Rostoff and Suzdal would not fight against those of Vladimir, and whatever struggle there was, was sustained by the personal following of the boyars. [[110]]
Mihalko and Vsevolod, in after years called “Big Nest” because of his many children, were installed June 15, 1176, a great and memorable day for Vladimir. The people praised the Lord and His Holy Mother for their ready assistance. “Oh,” said they, of the Ryazan and Suzdal boyars, “they did not care for God’s truth; they boasted that they would do what they liked with us. Well, God did not let them offend us.” The defeated princes vanished; Mystislav fled to Novgorod, and Yaropolk sought refuge in Ryazan.
The new princes gave peace to the whole country promptly, and then, resolved to settle with the faith-breaking Glaib of Ryazan, they marched against him that summer. Their success had thus far been so signal that Glaib was alarmed and sent envoys with this message: “I bow down to you; I am to blame in every way. All that was seized by Mystislav and Yaropolk and given to me, I will gladly return.” He sent back the treasures with the holy image, and the sword of Boris that Andrei had kept in his bed-chamber. Peace was made, and the princes returned to Vladimir. [[111]]