Battle of the Salnica (Russian: Битва на Салнице) was the main battle in the final phase of the great campaign of the South Russian princes against the Polovtsians in March 1111 on the Salnica River. In this battle, the Polovtsian army was completely defeated by Russian princes led by Grand Duke Svyatopolk Izyaslavich of Kiev, Prince Davyd Sviatoslavich of Chernigov and Prince Vladimir Monomakh southern Pereyaslavl.[2]
| Battle of the Salnitsa river | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Rus'-Cumans struggle | |||||||
 Battle of Salnitsa. Miniature from the Radziwill Chronicle. | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Cuman–Kipchak Confederation |
 Kievan Rus' | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Boniak Ayyub Khan(D) Koktus † Aklan Burchevich † Azgulai † |
Vladimir II Monomakh Sviatopolk II of Kiev Davyd Sviatoslavich | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Unknown; Much more than in Rus' | Unknown | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Heavy[1] | Unknown | ||||||
Campaign
editOn February 26, 1111 (the 2nd Sunday of Great Lent), russian army, led by a coalition of princes (Svyatopolk with his son Yaroslav, Davyd with his son, Vladimir with his sons), moved in battle order to the city of Sharukan.[3]
Place where russian gathered was Lake Dolobskoe. The route passed through the rivers Sula (day 5), Khorol (day 6), Psel (day 7), Golty, Vorskla (day 10), after which they reached the banks of the Seversky Donets (day 23).
On March 24, first fierce battle took place near the Donets, in which Russian soldiers took the upper hand. On the morning of March 27, at the full moon, the second, main battle began on the Salnitsa River.[4]
Rus' troops were surrounded, but the Polovtsians could not withstand their coordinated direct attack. Russians captured a large number of prisoners and loot.[5]
Aftermath
editIt was the decisive battle of the Rus'-Cumans wars. The victory of Russia ensured victory in the war, the Polovtsians began to be pushed back and the only thing they could do was small raids, some of which the Russians repelled.
In 1116, the Russians again gathered on a campaign and robbed the Polovtsian Villages on the Don. Vladimir Monomakh's son Yaropolk in 1120 also gathered troops to strike, but the Polovtsians went far into the steppe.
As a result, Russia annexed a huge part of the Polovtsian territories between the Don and the Carpathians.[6]
References
edit- ^ КРЕСТОВЫЙ ПОХОД В СТЕПЬ 1111 ГОДА. Дата обращения: 14 ноября 2018. Архивировано 14 ноября 2018 года
- ^ Perrie 2006, p. 90.
- ^ Подвальнов Е. Д. «Спор о дефинициях»: поход Владимира Мономаха 1111 г. против половцев в летописании – «Русский крестовый поход» или апелляция к ветхозаветной истории? // История: факты и символы. — 2024. — № 1. — С. 56—70
- ^ Полное собрание русских летописей. Т. 2. Ипатьевская летопись. — М., 1998. — Стб. 268 (третья строка сверху).
- ^ КРЕСТОВЫЙ ПОХОД В СТЕПЬ 1111 ГОДА. Дата обращения: 14 ноября 2018. Архивировано 14 ноября 2018 года
- ^ Gumilev 2023, p. 130.
Literature
edit- Gumilev, Lev (2023) [1996]. От Руси к России [For Rus' to Russia]. Эксклюзивная классика (revised ed.). Moscow: AST. ISBN 978-5-17-153845-3.
- Perrie, Maurren (2006). The Cambridge history of Russia. Volume 1: From early Rus' to 1689. Cambridge university Press. ISBN 0-521-81227-5.