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Mykola Zharkikh (Kyiv)

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The first reign in Novgorod (1225)

Nicholas Zharkikh

Shortened text of the section. Full text in ukrainian version.

Everything we know about Michael is related to his participation in inter-princely relations. The first enterprise of this kind was his participation in the coalition of Vladimir princes against Novgorod the Great.

Yuri’s marriage to Vsevolod Chermny’s daughter had some political consequences, giving Yuri an ally in Chernihiv and Michael a throne in Novgorod. Both princes were satisfied with what had been achieved and withdrew their forces from Torzhok.

Who represented Michael in Chernihiv during his Novgorod "business trip" – our sources do not know, but it was clear that the long absence of the prince would cost him a throne, because not only Novgorodians knew how to say "And we will find a prince."

So, Michael returned to Chernihiv (approximately at the end of 1225), and the people of Novgorod invited Prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovych to the throne. (And Yaroslav – I note casually – in the winter of the same year had to repel a Lithuanian attack on Torzhok. This would have been impossible if there had been no prince in Novgorod.)