Igor’s sons crossed the Galitch boundary, but halted when they found that the king was leading in a strong army. At this juncture, affairs suddenly called Andrei back to Hungary. Such disturbances had broken out there that he feared for his throne. In view of this, he sought peace with the Poles, pointing out to them that he did not seek Galitch for himself, and did not insist now on setting up Roman’s children. He advised Galitch men to invite Yaroslav, son of Big Nest, to be their prince.
Abandoned by Andrei and all the Hungarians, the men of Galitch were terrified by the advance of Rurik and the Chernigoff forces. Yaroslav was hastening to them from Pereyaslavl, but the sons of Igor anticipated him, for they were present in the Chernigoff army. Owing to the ancient ties between Novgorod-Seversk and the family of Eight Minds, but, more than that, owing to the triumph at that juncture of those boyars who preferred the sons of Igor to all other princes, they established themselves in Galitch. Such a quick turn toward Oleg’s descendants put an end to the whole expedition.
Chermny, satisfied with the success of his line, withdrew from his connection with Rurik and the quarreling allies returned to their homes. But it was not enough that the sons of Igor were in Galitch. The boyars who had seated them did not wish to lose Volynia, and commanded these princes, who were now in their power, to get possession of that city, and expel the sons of Roman. The sons of Igor immediately sent envoys to Volynia to demand the surrender of the city. The people were so enraged by this demand that they wished to tear the envoys to pieces. But in Volynia, too, there were boyars who sided with the sons of Igor, hence the disposition of the capital was mutinous. The widowed princess, on learning that the sons of Igor had threatened to destroy Volynia if Roman’s sons, Daniel and Vassilko, were not given up to them, and that the city contained not a few partisans of those princes, counseled with Miroslav, her elder son’s tutor, and resolved to flee promptly. [[164]]
Avoiding the city gates, where the guards might be hostile, the princess crept through a hole in the wall during night hours. With her were three persons, Miroslav, a priest, and a nurse who cared for the little princes. “Not knowing to what place they should flee,” adds the chronicler, “since the Poles had murdered Roman.” But being related to Leshko, the widow decided to appear before him, and ask refuge. Leshko was moved when he saw the little orphans of the man who had been both his friend and opponent. “The devil himself made us disagree in those days,” cried he. Leshko had in fact loved Roman; but the crafty Cane Legs, for purposes of his own, had brought about the quarrel.
Leshko kept the princess with her infant Vassilko, and sent Daniel with attendants to Hungary, commanding his envoys to say to the king there: “Remember not the faults of Roman, for he was a friend to thee. He and thou swore to each other that whoso of you lived the longer would cherish the orphans of the dead man. Now Roman’s children are exiles, but thou and I may help them to return to their country.” These words, flattering, through confidence, served to bring the prince and the Hungarian king nearer to each other. Hitherto they had been quarreling, but thenceforth both men cared actively for the two sons of Roman. This care was friendly in appearance, but fatal in reality. These men had now an opportunity to reëstablish the strong house of Roman, but fearing its power, they hesitated to do so. For them there was profit in separating Galitch from Volynia, and more profit still in taking possession of those lands and dividing them. Hence throughout Galitch and Volynia endless disorder continued.
In Kief troubles multiplied immensely, because Big Nest did not choose to put an end to them. He left Southern Russia to follow its own course. But great changes were at hand. Chermny, seeing that matters had arranged themselves well to his profit in Galitch without Rurik’s devices, and that Rurik had not power to bestow on Chernigoff the Kief cities promised it, quarreled with him finally, and, relying on himself, seized Kief. “Why should I not take it?” thought he. “I am Sviatoslav’s heir.”
Once in Kief, Chermny sent these words to Yaroslav, Prince of Pereyaslavl on the Alta: “Go to thy father, and seek not to take Galitch from my cousins. Unless thou leave of thy own will, I will march against thee.” [[165]]
Pereyaslavl was vacated immediately, and Chermny installed a prince of his own line. Rurik, enraged by this, summoned Mystislav, the Smolensk prince, Mystislav the Gallant, and his own sons, Vladimir and Rostislav, to help him, and, aided by their forces, he drove Chermny out of Kief, and won back Pereyaslavl. The following winter Chermny, as was his wont, led into the country great hordes of Polovtsi, and laid siege to Kief, but was soon forced to raise the siege and withdraw. At the end of the year he returned with larger forces, and began by winning Tripoli on the Ros. Vladimir, son of Igor, came with assistance, and all marched on Kief. Rurik, learning that enormous forces were moving against him from every side, and knowing that there was no aid from any place, withdrew to Ovrutch. Chermny, besides seizing Kief, took Bailgorod, and reduced Torchesk by famine. Thus at the end of 1207 all the Kief country fell into his possession.
Meanwhile, in Galitch and Volynia, affairs were very gloomy. At first the Hungarian king, taking pity on Daniel, wished to give him the dominions of his father, but the sons of Igor sent costly gifts to Andrei, and ceased not in the sending, declaring at the same time that they were ready to remain as his assistants. This was the position which the boyars desired. Such subjection of Galitch pleased the king, who kept Daniel near him, as if through hospitality. Leshko, by sheltering Vassilko and his mother, under pretext of defending the orphans and restoring their inheritance, managed in Volynia as he did in his own house. At this work he was helped most zealously by Alexander, better known as Bailski, Roman’s nephew, his brother’s son, who wished to rule in Volynia, and set aside Roman’s sons if possible. So the sons of Igor were protected by the King of Hungary, and Bailski worked with Leshko to keep Volynia from the sons of Roman. Thanks to Bailski, Leshko, and Konrad his brother, brought Polish forces to Volynia and disposed of places in it, as if they were their own inherited possessions. Some they gave to Russian princes who pleased them; others they reserved for their own special use. The people of Volynia, indignant at this Polish action, passed judgment on Bailski “the traitor,” saying; “We trusted Bailski, since he was Roman’s nephew. Had it not been for that, the Poles could never have crossed the Būg to rob us.” [[166]]
The Polish princes kept Bailski in Volynia, as the manager. Leshko married Gremislav, Bailski’s daughter, and the former connection of Mazovian princes with the princes of Volynia became even more involved through this marriage, which gave them, as they thought, still greater right to use Volynia as their own inheritance.