Battle of Zawichost

The Battle of Zawichost (1205) was fought between Roman the Great of Galicia-Volhynia and Leszek the White of Sandomierz (in Lesser Poland), along with his brother Konrad I of Masovia. After declaring war and invading Lesser Poland, Roman and his forces (druzhina) were ambushed by the Poles in the vicinity of Zawichost by the river Vistula (Wisła). In the tumult that followed, Roman was killed and the Polish victory would lead to growing power for Leszek and Konrad, while triggering a war of succession in Galicia–Volhynia.

Background


In the 11th century, there were some border disputes between Polish duchies and Rus' principalities, with the lands of Lesser Poland and Galicia-Volhynia (called Ruthenia in Latin) changing hands several times. In the early Middle Ages, the area of what later would become Galicia was scarcely populated, as the region was settled by Rus' peoples from the east and by Poles from the west. Border clashes took place in the lands of Przemyśl, Sanok, Drohiczyn and Volodimer' in Volhynia. In 1199, an armed campaign led by Leszek the White helped to install Roman the Great on the throne in Volodimer' in Volhynia. In 1205, however, Roman marched into Lesser Poland. Polish chronicler Jan Długosz (1480) tried to give reasons for Roman's incursion:

"There are several reasons for his action: the huge wealth taken from Ruthenia in the years when almost the whole of the country was conquered; the disbandment and dispersion of his forces, cavalry and infantry, among many of the Polish duchies; the quarrels of the magnates; and, finally, the immaturity [referring to their young age] of Leszek and Konrad. Also the harsh reply they gave his emmissaries when he asked for all the land of Lublin and compensation for the losses and costs he had incurred at the Battle of River Mozgawa and was told that, having quit the field of battle, he was not entitled to anything."

Długosz further explains that before crossing the Polish frontier, Roman sent emissaries to the Bishop of Volodimer' and asked for his blessing, as he intended to campaign in Poland for three years. The Bishop declined Roman's gifts and denied him any blessing, explaining that "he cannot bless Roman or his enterprise, since he has previously started unjust and wicked wars and is again embarking on one that is quite unjustified, considering that the Poles have so often exposed their bodies to danger and death to defend the Ruthenians against the barbarians." Roman responded by telling the bishop that he will cut his head off when he returns from his victory.

Modern scholar George Perfecky (1973) provided a very different context for the conflict, linking it primarily to the German throne dispute (1198–1215): '[Roman] tried to colonize the Lithuanian and Jatvingian lands and participated in the struggle between two German princely houses, the Welfs, who were the dukes of Saxony and Bavaria, and the Hohenstaufens, then the ruling house of the Holy Roman Empire. In this struggle Roman sided with the Hohenstaufens and undertook a campaign against the Little Polish Prince Leszek of Cracow (in GVC Lestko), an ally of the Welfs. Roman planned to crush him and then to strike deep into Saxony against the Welfs. However, Roman was defeated by the Poles and died at Zavixvost on the Vistula in 1205.'

Earliest accounts
French chronicler Alberic of Trois-Fontaines (1251) wrote that Roman moved through Poland to Saxony in order to assist Philip of Swabia, the son of Frederick I Barbarossa, in the fight for the Imperial crown. This explanation was later accepted by Vladimir Pashuto (1968), Perfecky (1973), and Yanin, Popova and Shchaveleva (1987).

The Suzdalian Chronicle of the Laurentian Codex (compiled in 1377) mentions that "Roman of Halych took on Poles and conquered cities. And stopped at the Vistula River with his small druzhina. Poles then attacked and killed him with the druzhina. And people from Halych came, took their dead prince and carried him to Halych and buried him in a church." Perfecky (1973) interpreted the Suzdalian account as saying that 'Roman died while out on patrol and not in battle.'

According to the later Chronica Poloniae Maioris (c. 1290), Roman "refuses to pay the tribute to Leszek, bravely challenges him and with amassing the large force unexpectedly invades into the Polish lands. As Leszek found that out, he assembled a small troop rushed to meet him in Zawichost, fiercely attacks him, captures and defeats. Of the Ruthenians, that initially came arrogantly, many were wounded, very many killed with prince Roman, and the others, seeing [that] tried to find the rescue escaping, and many pathetically ended their lives in the Vistula [...] And so happened in 1205 AD." Yanin et al. (1987) found it improbable 'that one of the powerful princes of Rus', Roman, was in vassal dependence on the prince of Lesser Poland, and paid him tribute.'

The Galician–Volhynian Chronicle (c. 1292) does not provide a coherent narrative of how Roman died, instead repeatedly recording several events "after Roman's death" (opening sentence, sub anno 6709, 6710, 6711). The closet it gets is mentioning in passing that after Roman's death, the Galician boyars invited the Igorevichi princes to the throne; in the confusing attack that followed, Roman's wife Anna-Euphrosyne and sons first fled to Volodimer and then to Poland: 'They did not know where to turn: Prince Roman had been killed in Poland [в Ляхах v Lyakhakh] and Lestko [Leszek] had not yet concluded peace. But the Lord interceded in their behalf: Lestko made no mention of the hostilities [between them] and received his sister-in-law and her children with great honor. He took pity on them and remarked that the devil had caused this enmity to come between them. And indeed Volodislav [Tonkonogij] had plotted discord between [Roman and Lestko], for he was envious of the amicable relations that existed [between them].' The chronicler thus blamed Władysław Laskonogi (Volodislav Tonkonogij) for the conflict. Mykhailo Hrushevsky suggested that, if true, Władysław's attempts to undermine the Leszek–Roman alliance probably began in 1202, when Władysław was driven out of Kraków by Leszek, although Hrushevsky could not say whether this was the real reason behind the clash.

Długosz version (1480)
Writing almost three centuries after the events, Polish chronicler Jan Długosz (1480) published a lengthy and detailed story about what supposedly happened. In the early spring, Roman invaded the land of Lublin and laid siege to the city. The Polish garrison was successful in defending the city, but the Rus'ian caused great destruction to the local population, as they captured and raped the wives of the knights of Lublin. Leszek then started recruiting a force of knights and peasants from Sandomierz, Kujawy, and Mazovia, which was reinforced with a force of volunteers from Kraków. When Roman learned of the Polish force that was advancing towards him, he raised the siege and advanced deep into Poland by pillaging and threatening with devastation and eradication of the Latin rite. Several bishops and nobles approached Roman and asked for peace, promising to pay compensation; Roman accepted, but continued with the war. He captured some priests and had them shot at with arrows, hoping to have the location of Leszek disclosed. Długosz gives a detailed description of the battle.

Many of the Rus' drowned and many more died at the hands of the local population, as Polish troops chased them all the way to Volodimer'. Few survived the massacre and at the order of Leszek and Konrad, Roman's body was buried in Sandomierz. The two factions came to an agreement and the Ruthenians released all their prisoners and paid 1,000 silver marks to recover the body of Roman, which was then buried in Volodimer'.

Aftermath
After his triumph, Leszek's reputation took a positive turn, earning him credibility and the trust of Kraków, which would give him temporary power over the city. Konrad, coming of age, asked for his share of power and at the meditation of their mother and a selected group of aristocrats, the two brothers divide the country under their authority. Rus' turned unstable from its internal conflicts and the country is invaded by Lithuanians, this being the first time the Poles hear of that name. The Ruthenians suffered great casualties, but managed to defeat the invaders. In 1208, the country fell into civil war.

Literature

 * Dovidnyk z istoriï Ukraïny, 3-Volumes, Article "Roman Mstyslavych" (T.3), Kyiv, 1993–1999, ISBN 5-7707-5190-8 (t. 1), ISBN 5-7707-8552-7 (t. 2), ISBN 966-504-237-8 (t. 3).
 * Ivan Kryp'yakevych, Halych Volynian principality (Kiev 1984).
 * Roman Mstyslavych in Енциклопедія українознавства (Encyclopedia of Ukrainian studies). 3 volumes. (Kyiv 1994). ISBN 5-7702-0554-7.