Vladimir of Pereyaslavl on the Alta at last led troops across the river, and took a flank position against Mystislav, Glaib’s ally. After this, reinforcements crossed over in numbers to strengthen him, Vsevolod remaining meanwhile on the other bank of the river: Glaib, thinking to cut Vsevolod off and capture him, pushed across the river. While he was making this movement, Vladimir struck with great impetus on Mystislav, put his warriors to flight and pursued them. Glaib’s men crossed the river, but seeing their comrades in flight on the other side, fell into disorder. Vsevolod charged now quickly, and a general rout was the end of the battle. Oleg and Vladimir, sons of Sviatoslav, rushed forward to hunt down the Polovtsi. Their warriors were trained well in sword-play, and they spared no man. Of the Polovtsi only those who were swiftest and strongest could save themselves. Joyous shouts were raised in the pens which the pagans had built around their captives, freed now by that fortunate battle. Mystislav was made prisoner. Nearly all his advisers were slain; those who survived were bound with hemp ropes and taken to Vladimir.
The return of the victors to the capital was a triumph such as no man there had ever seen or imagined. In front of all rode the princes, Oleg and Vladimir, who had hewn down the Polovtsi; next came the bound prisoners, the boyars, then Vsevolod the conqueror, and last of all came the captives saved from the Polovtsi by the battle. Delight was unbounded in Vladimir, where there were mothers who had been weeping for sons, and wives for husbands whom they had looked on as lost to this world. To crown the whole victory were the treasures and booty seized from the Polovtsi. [[114]]
After the triumph came questions of policy, and here the prince and the people differed greatly. “He is too kind,” said the people. “He does not understand those traitors, their plans and their wickedness. He is too innocent, too good-hearted.” Still Vsevolod’s celebrated “good-heartedness” was what bound the people to him. They believed him to be honest and kind. But they saw in the captured boyars vile enemies with whom there could be no compromise. They were traitors who had burned, robbed and slain, and were not to be forgiven. They accused the Ryazan princes and boyars openly of framing the plot to kill Andrei. They accused Glaib’s brother-in-law and his adherents of being connected with the murder, because they exhibited no enmity toward the assassins.
All the inhabitants met and took counsel. Then, going to Vsevolod, they addressed him thus: “We are willing to lay down our lives for thee, and will spare nothing. But those Ryazan prisoners are treated as if they were guests in our city. In secret they are preparing to attack us, and will do so if freed from prison. We ask thee to punish these enemies with death, or if not with death to put their eyes out. If thou wilt do neither, deliver them to us. We will care for them.”
It was difficult for Vsevolod to restrain the people who stood there before him. He promised to keep the prisoners, not as guests, but in strictness, and to treat future captives more sternly. He declared also that he had sent a demand to deliver other enemies to Vladimir; if not, he would march to Ryazan with his warriors. But prayers for the captives came now from many sides. Mystislav the Brave, who had married Glaib’s daughter, begged Sviatoslav of Chernigoff to free the prisoners if possible. A whole embassy came from Chernigoff with the bishop at the head of it. In Vladimir the report spread that Vsevolod was weakening. There was anger a second time, and more danger than ever. The people threatened to break open the prisons and slay the captives, or at least blind them. The crowd gathered in greater numbers than before. Vsevolod went out to them, accompanied by the bishop, and declared that the Ryazan princes would not be freed until all the conditions were complied with. The bishop spoke to the people, who answered: “We wish not to break faith, we ask only that God’s justice be dealt out to traitors. The Lord himself, [[115]]seeing their wickedness, has delivered them to us. Are we free to liberate such criminals?”
Seeing this intense feeling, Vsevolod gave his final decision: “Yaropolk and Mystislav will be freed only when blinded. If Glaib yields not the cities which we demand of him, he will stay in prison till he dies there.” On hearing this the people went to their homes somewhat pacified. Toward evening of that day the sons of Rostislav suffered that operation which gave them the name of Bezoki, or The Eyeless ever after. The “Good-hearted,” however, had given command not to injure their eyes, but to simply perform an operation which would deceive the people. The executioner made deep cuts above their eyes, which he seemed then to dig out. In the night both princes were borne away to Smolensk very speedily, lest the people should kill them even though they had been blinded, as was supposed. Years after, the story was current that they had been blinded through too great anger of the people, and that the Lord had given back to them their eyesight. Still, though they had their eyes, they retained the surname—Bezoki.
Freedom was offered Glaib if he would yield up Kolomna. He did not accept the proposal. To the offer made through the Prince of Chernigoff that he should go to the south and surrender the Ryazan principality, he gave the stern answer: “Rather than do that, I will die here in prison.” Some time later, while still a prisoner, he was found dead. After Glaib’s death his son, Roman, having promised perfect submission, was set free with permission to go to Ryazan.
Thus ended the war and the disturbance which broke out after the murder of Andrei, and lasted from 1174 till 1177. It ended to the profit of the work begun by Yuri Dolgoruki, enlarged by Andrei, and strengthened by Vsevolod.
The work of Yuri, his father, and Andrei, his elder brother, was completed finally by Vsevolod. During his life Rostoff and Suzdal, and now we must call it the Vladimir country, contained a well-ordered society, in which the prince’s authority was great, because the people approved and accepted it. The people and the prince stood face to face squarely. The people knew well that their popular society could not stand without the prince, and the prince knew that he could not rule a day without the people to support him. This mutual understanding secured the position of Vladimir [[116]]and made Northern Russia what it is to-day, the head of a great empire, and, after Northern Russia, made what is called Great Russia, that country beyond the forest. This land of the younger sons of Monomach grew to be more important than the domains of the eldest sons, and got the upper hand of Southern Russia.
Rostoff and Suzdal bowed at last, when forced to do so, and Vladimir became, as to influence, the mother of Russian cities, the recognized capital. This was the result of the understanding between prince and people, and of that searching for the best place wherein to do a work,—an effort which is always made when people are in earnest. Later on, Vladimir lost the position and Moscow attained it. But at first Vladimir was the natural capital of Russia. It was the place in which the greatest number of people were willing to give their adherence to him whom they considered best qualified to hold their society together. And in that age the prince by descent and connection with their history was the man for that work. Because of this great mutual interest, the people and their prince formed a unit, while the boyars formed a number of units, each acting mainly for itself.