Sviatoslav Iaroslavich

Born 1027; died 1076. Prince of Chernigov (1054–73) and grand prince of Kiev (1073–76). Son of Iaroslav the Wise.

Sviatoslav and his brothers, Prince Vsevolod and the Grand Prince of Iziaslav, formed a unique princely triumvirate that directed all affairs in Rus’ from 1054 to 1072. In 1067, the three princes defeated Vseslav Briacheslavich, prince of Polotsk, on the Nemig (Nemiz) River and took him captive. In 1068 they were defeated by the Polovtsy on the Al’ta River. Sviatoslav, with only one host, soon managed to defeat the Polovtsy near Snovsk, which greatly increased his prestige in Rus’.

Sviatoslav and his brothers compiled the Russkaia Pravda, also known as the Code of the Iaroslavichi. In 1073, Sviatoslav enlisted the support of Vsevolod and usurped the throne of the grand prince from Iziaslav, the eldest of the three. Sviatoslav commissioned the Izborniki Sviatoslava, collections of varied writings compiled in 1073 and 1076.