1020
- punkar7
- May 2, 2015
- 1 min read
Boleslav led a Polish army into Russia, engaging Yaroslav in 1020 at the Battle of Bug. After a protracted fight, Boleslav prevailed, advanced into Kiev, restored Sviatopolk to the throne, and occupied the city. No sooner was this accomplished, however, than Sviatopolk bristled under Polish domination. He decided to betray his father-in-law and laid plans to massacre the Polish army of occupation in Kiev. Unfortunately for Sviatopolk, his plan was discovered, which incited the Poles to riot. The Poles looted Kiev, then left the city, with Sviatopolk and his forces in pursuit.
At the Bug River, Boleslav's army suddenly wheeled about and attacked its pursuer. Sviatopolk's army was defeated and retreated to Kiev. Realizing that the Russian army was weak, the Poles laid siege to Kiev, which soon surrendered. Thus Boleslav amassed all territory bounded by the Elbe and the Bug rivers, and from the Baltic Sea to the Danube. Unwilling to rely on military conquest alone, Boleslav solidified his authority by securing papal sanction for his coronation by the archbishop of Ghiezno on December 25, 1024.
1015-1025 Russian Dynastic war
1015-1019 Sviatopolk wars
1015-1019 Bolesław I's intervention in the Kievan succession crisis
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