"Michael, prince of Chernihiv" (1981)
Nicholas Zharkikh
Shortened text of the section. Full text in ukrainian version.
Dimnik M. and grand prince of Kyiv: 1224 – 1246. – Toronto: 1981. – 16, 199 p.
This is the first one (after M. Ivanchyn-Pysarev’s long-outdated brochure [Ivanchyn-Pysarev N. Kyiv-Chernihiv and his boyar Feodor. – Moscow: 1839]) a separate book dedicated to one of the leading figures of the 1st half of the 13th century. Either Soviet or modern Ukrainian science cannot produce such a monograph, nor to translate the book by M. D. In the preface it is stated that the book was defended as a dissertation in 1976, and the preface itself is dated December 1978.
In modern (after 1991) Ukrainian and Russian historiography, this book had a strange fate: it was often mentioned, but almost never quoted or discussed – as if there were no controversial provisions in it. This is explained very simply – no one (or almost no one) has read this book.
There is an operational pause in the war and there are no major changes on the fronts. That’s in Bucha (it’s 30 km from my house) 67 local civilians killed by Muscovites…
And you, Moshka, play (March 13, 2022 at 8:15 a.m.)…
M. D. right noted the uniqueness of the situation with this enthronement – earlier and later the Vladimir princes tried not to let Novgorod out of their hands [p. 19]. The same right M. D. explained Michael’s subsequent refusal from the Novgorod throne (T-91) by the fact that Michael was focused on the Chernihiv throne [p. 22].
March 14, 2022 at 5:09 am in a residential building on the street Bogatyrska (this is Obolon in Kyiv), two dead…
But as long as I can continue – I will continue (14.03.2022 at 8:50)…
The same as in case of J. Fennell, we have purely cyclical logic: why did the Smolensk princes own Kyiv? – Because they have reached the peak of power. And how can it be seen that they have reached the top? – But from the fact that they owned Kyiv!
: On March 13, 2022, Russian "liberators" shot our scientist-physicist Vasyl Kladko in Vorzel near Kyiv. He tried to take his family out…
He was 65 years old (like me) and he was a corresponding member of NASU, deputy director of the Institute of Semiconductor Physics. I did not have the honor of being acquainted with him, but in the now distant years of 1977-1978, I did my thesis at this institute…
And so against this background – I continue (March 15, 2022 at 7:55).
Examining the situation that developed after the capture of Halych by Michael, M.D. suggested that Danylo, seeking help against the growing power of Michael, resorted to an alliance with Vladimir prince Yury Vsevolodovich, and as a result of their agreement, Kyiv was handed over to prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich [p. 80 – 81]. But where can it be seen? – Actually, out of nowhere, M. D. refers to the marriage of Vasylko Romanovych with the daughter of Yuri, concluded back in 1226, but about agreement the sources are silent, also about Kyiv. I consider this an assumption groundless.
: Ukrainian aviation destroyed the military helicopters of the Russian occupiers, which were stationed at the temporarily captured airport near Kherson.
A trifle (confirmed destruction of 3 helicopters and several vehicles), but how nice! Muscovites wanted our land – eat!
So, I continue (March 16, 2022 at 7:45).
Having brought the story about Michael to 1243, in the next chapter – "Michael in Galicia" – M.D. had to return to 1235 [p. 95].
, that on March 17, 2022, on the 22nd day of the war, at 5:02 a.m., fragments of a downed cruise missile hit a residential building in the Darnytsky district in Kyiv, killing at least one person.
Since the house where I live has survived so far (March 17, 2022 at 8:15 a.m.) – I continue…
And then I’m already reading pure fantasy:
Consequently, the boyar Dobroslav Sud’ich assumed the role of prince. In his new capacity he distributed Galician territory to the boyars of Chernihiv rather than to the boyars of Galicia, thus strengthening the Ol’govichi faction in southwest Rus’ [p. 115].
What kind of Chernihiv boyars? History does not know none Chernihiv boyars for the entire 13th century! Why mislead an English-speaking reader who does not know the primary sources?
M. D.’s general conclusion from the entire book: historians underestimated the political weight of Michael and the Olgovychs in the first half of the 13th century [p. 136] – sounds quite true.
So, in general, Martin Dimnik’s book about prince Michael Vsevolodovych deserves a high rating. Despite the individual shortcomings noted above, the author managed to draw an accurate political portrait of Michael against the background of the history of Rus’ in the 1st half 13th century, to refute some erroneous views of the predecessors and emphasize the important role of the Olgovychs family at this time.
It is no less important that the book was written in simple, easy-to-understand English (reads without any problems) and conveyed to the English-speaking reader a great deal of knowledge about the history of Rus’. Neither the Soviet nor the post-Soviet historical science managed to produce such a monograph, did not even manage to translate Dimnik’s finished book.
As a result, this book was often mentioned in literature lists, but no one had ever read it, and even Nicholas Zharkikh himself was in no hurry to read it – until the Muscovites started firing their rockets at Kyiv and I realized that I couldn’t delay any longer. The account of my comments – 25 (40%) provisions by M. D. were noted as correct, 38 (60%) – as erroneous or doubtful. Of course, I paid more attention to what I did not like, passing without comment the majority of the places with which I can agree.
Nowadays, after writing my work, I believe that M. D.’s book is outdated and remains a fact of historiography. But someone else has to write this historiography.