1224
Estonia. Germans killed Knyaz Vyachko in Gyurgev (Tartu) and took the town.
Posadnik Fedor rode out with the men of Russa and fought with the Lithuanians; and they drove the men of Russa from their horses and took many horses, and killed Domazhir Torlinits and his son and of the men of Russa Bogsha and many others, and the rest they drove asunder in the forest.
The same year, for our sins, unknown tribes came, whom no one exactly knows, who they are, nor whence they came out, nor what their language is, nor of what race they are, nor what their faith is; but thy' call them Tartars, and others say Taurmen, and others Pecheneg people, and others say that they are those of whom Bishop Mefodi of Patmos bore witness, that they came out from the Etrian desert which is between East and North. For we have heard that they have captured many countries, slaughtered a quantity of the godless Yas, Obez, Kasog and Polovets peoples, and scattered others, who all died, killed thus by the wrath of God and of His immaculate Mother, for those cursed Polovets people had wrought much evil to the Russian Land. And the cursed Polovets people, the survivors of those who were killed, escaped [to Russia], Kotyan with other Knyazes, while Danil Kobyakovits and Gyurgi were killed, and with them a quantity of the Polovets people.
Polovetz Knjazes began to organize their forces, each his own province, and they went, having collected the whole Russian Land against the Tartars, and were on the Dnieper at Zarub. Then the Tartars having learned that the Russian Knyazes were coming against them sent envoys to the Russian Knyazes. But the Russian Knyazes did not listen to this, but killed all the envoys and themselves went against them, and took stand on the Dnieper, this side of Oleshe.
Mstislav having forded the Dnieper went across with 1,000 men, against the Tartar outposts, and defeated them, and the remainder of them fled with their Voyevoda Gemya-Beg to the Polovets kurgan and there they could not hold out, and they buried their Voyevoda Gemya-Beg alive in the earth, wishing to preserve his life ; and there the Polovets men, having begged permission of Mstislav, found him, and killed him.
Yarun came together with them, wishing to fight, but the Polovets men ran away back, having accomplished nothing, and in their flight they trampled the camp of the Russian Knyazes, for they had not had time to form into order against Tartars; and they were all thrown into confusion, and there was a terrible and savage slaughter. And thus, for our sins God put misunderstanding into us, and a countless number of people perished, and there was lamentation and weeping and grief throughout towns and villages. This evil happened on May 31, on Saint Eremei's Day. And the Tartars turned back from the river Dnieper, and we know not whence they came, nor where they liid themselves again; God knows whence he fetched them against us for our sins.
The same year, Knyaz Vsevolod went a second time from Novgorod secretly by night with all his Court, and having arrived took his seat in Torzhok; and his father Gyurgi came to him with troops, and his brother Yaroslav and Vasilko Kostyantinovits with the men of Rostov, and Mikhail with those of Chernigov. And the men of Novgorod placed outposts on the roads and fashioned forts, they wanted to die for St. Sophia in the cause of Posadnik Ivanko Dmitrovits.
Comments