Sviatoslav Olgovich

Sviatoslav Olgovich (died February 14, 1164) was Prince of Novgorod (1136–1138); Novgorod-Seversk; Belgorod (1141–1154); and Chernigov (1154–1164).

Biography Early life Sviatoslav was the son of Oleg Sviatoslavich, the prince of Chernigov, and an unnamed daughter of Aepa, a Cuman prince. In 1108, Sviatoslav married a Cuman princess, daughter of Aepa son of Girgen, with whom he had a daughter and a son, Oleg II Svyatoslavich. In 1136 Svyatoslav married a second time, to the daughter of the posadnik of Novgorod, probably named Ekaterina or Catherine, who bore their son Igor Sviatoslavich, famous from The Tale of Igor's Campaign.

War with the Davidovichi After the death of their older brother Vsevolod II in 1146, Sviatoslav and his brother Igor were driven out of Kiev by Iziaslav Mstislavich. Sviatoslav escaped, but Igor was captured and eventually killed in 1147. Sviatoslav fled to Chernigov but was ordered to relinquish his city, Novgorod-Seversk, to his cousins, Iziaslav Davidovich and Vladimir Davidovich. With the assistance of his ally, Yuri Dolgoruki, and his father-in-law, Aepa Khan, Sviatoslav began a war against his cousins, but was forced to flee to Karachev. There on January 16, 1147, Sviatoslav defeated the Davidovichi brothers.

Death and succession

Upon his death in 1164, his widow Catherine briefly ruled as princess regnant of Chernigov. The reign of Ekaterina or Catherine of Chernigov lasted for a few days, during which she kept her husband's death a secret while she summoned her (step-?)son Oleg to come to Chernigov quickly, and told the city's leading men not inform her brother-in-law Sviatoslav Vsevolodich, who was the rightful heir to the Chernigovian throne. Nevertheless, the bishop of Chernigov betrayed the trust of princess (kniaginia) Catherine immediately, and sent Sviatoslav Vsevolodich a letter, writing that "the kniaginia rules [sedit'] in cahoots with the children and she has many goods." Sviatoslav Vsevolodich soon arrived and made a deal with Oleg, by which the former became prince of Chernigov and the latter prince of Novgorod-Seversk. Princess Catherine is not heard of again until two years later, when she reportedly died on 12 April 1166.