Login
Login

Council of Liubech

The Council of Liubech (sometimes referred to as the Liubech Conference){{Cite journal |last=Gerasimov |first=Ilya |date=2023 |title=Political Ecology |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.5040/9781350196834.0005 |journal=A New Imperial History of Northern Eurasia, 600–1700 |pages=5–35 |doi=10.5040/9781350196834.0005|url-access=subscription }} ({{langx|uk|Лю́бецький з'їзд|Liubetskyy z’ïzd}}, {{langx|ru|Любечский съезд|Lyubyechski cyozd}}) was one of the best documented princely meetings in Kievan Rus' that took place in Liubech (today in Chernihiv Oblast, Ukraine) on October 19, 1097. The council ended the {{Interlanguage link|Chernihiv war of succession|uk|Міжусобна війна на Русі 1094—1097|ru|Междоусобная война на Руси (1094—1097)}} (1093–1097) between Sviatopolk II of Kiev, Vladimir II Monomakh and Oleg I of Chernigov who fought for the heritage of his father Sviatoslav II of Kiev.{{sfn|Martin|1995|p=30–32, 55}}

File:I zjazady książąt Rusi Kijowskiej. Brąz, granit. 1997 Lubecz, Ukraina.jpg]]

The council, initiated by Vladimir Monomakh, brought together Sviatopolk II, Vasylko Rostyslavych, Davyd Sviatoslavich, Oleg I, and other Rus' princes. It aimed to stop the Chernigov war of succession,{{sfn|Martin|1995|p=55}} to pacify the people, and to present a unified front against the Polovtsy (Cumans). It resulted in the division of Kievan Rus' among the princes, letting their immediate families inherit them. This broke a rota system (lestvichnoe pravo) that had been followed in Kievan Rus' for two centuries which saw the oldest son take the throne and was ruled by a succession of the eldest. Further, rulership of certain regions were never stable but shifted gradually upwards.{{Cite web |title=Состоялся Любечский съезд русских князей |url=https://www.prlib.ru/history/619643 |access-date=2024-01-06 |website=Президентская библиотека имени Б.Н. Ельцина |language=ru}}

As a result, each prince within Kievan Rus’ was given his principality as patrimonial domain.{{Cite book |last=Curta |first=Florin |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1111434007 |title=Eastern Europe in the Middle Ages (500-1300) (2 Vols) |date=2019 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-90-04-39519-0 |location=Boston |page=301 |oclc=1111434007}}

Following the conference in the second-quarter of the 12th century, historical chronicles began mentioning local princes as the growing issue became the regularization of relations between local princes and their individual clan estates, or principalities.Gerasimov (2023): 131.

Allocation

The Council assigned/confirmed the principalities as follows:

Of the remaining "outcast" princes:

  • David Igorevich, Prince of Volhynia, received Volodymyr.
  • Volodar and Vasilko Rostislavich received Peremyshl, Terebovl, and Cherven.[http://history.franko.lviv.ua/IIl_1.htm Council of Liubech] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100123153121/http://history.franko.lviv.ua/IIl_1.htm|date=2010-01-23}} at the Handbook on History of Ukraine.

Result

This change effectively established a feudal system in Kievan Rus'.{{cn|date=August 2022}} It stopped the struggle for Chernigov, but was not observed perfectly. After the death of Sviatopolk in 1113, the citizens of Kyiv revolted and summoned Monomakh to the throne. Nevertheless, the new dispensation allowed other principalities to consolidate their power and to develop as powerful regional centers: most notably Galicia-Volhynia and Vladimir-Suzdal. Further, the conference resulted in numerous policy developments including continued progress towards the Kievan Russian legal code known as the "Russian Truth" and the historigraphical chronicle known as "The Initial Code."{{Cite web |date=2023-08-17 |title=Любечский съезд 1097 |url=https://bigenc.ru/c/liubechskii-s-ezd-1097-60ed5e |access-date=2024-01-06 |website=Большая российская энциклопедия |language=ru}}

Despite the conference's larger goal of uniting the Kievan princes against the Cumans (otherwise known as the Polovtsians), the feuding did not end between the princes and instead led to continued conflicts. The blinding of David Igorevich by Vsevolod I of Kiev acted as a catalyst for continued warring which led to Vladimir II to organize the Vytychiv Congress on August 10, 1100.{{Cite web |title=Vytychiv congress of princes |url=https://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?linkpath=pages%5CV%5CY%5CVytychivcongressofprinces.htm |access-date=2024-01-06 |website=www.encyclopediaofukraine.com}}

Monuments

  • 1997: Monument to the Lyubech Congress of Princes (Gennady Ershov, Ukraine)

See also

References

{{Reflist}}

Bibliography

  • {{cite book | title=Christianization and the Rise of Christian Monarchy | url=https://archive.org/details/christianization00bere | url-access=limited | editor=Nora Berend | publisher=Cambridge University Press | location =University of Cambridge | year=2007 | page=[https://archive.org/details/christianization00bere/page/n408 393] }}
  • {{Cite book |last1=Martin |first1=Janet |date=1995 |title=Medieval Russia, 980–1584 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sRCc3TtL9bIC |location=Cambridge |publisher=Cambridge University Press |pages=450 |isbn=9780521368322 |access-date=24 August 2022}}
  • {{cite book |title=Medieval Russia: 980–1584. Second Edition. E-book |last=Martin |first=Janet |url=https://www.ebooks.com/en-us/book/802816/medieval-russia-980-1584/janet-martin/ |year=2007 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge |isbn=978-0-511-36800-4}}
  • [http://www.ukrinform.ua/rubric-society/1900553-kriza-vladi-na-rusi-shlyah-do-evropi-i-fart-kosigina.html Power crisis in Ruthenia]. Ukrinform. 20 October 2015

Category:11th century in Kievan Rus'

Category:1097 in Europe

Liubech

Category:Primary Chronicle episodes