Chapter 2
The game is on
Year of the World 6715 (1216 A.D.)
Chisday Olkusz couldn’t care less about this new prince. In fact, Chisday Olkusz couldn’t care less about lot of things, sanctity of Sabbath, separation of milk and meat, the succession of Patriarchs long dead. Chisday, tailor’s apprentice, was a smug 21-year old man with a haughty demeanour and a face of a man, possessing a secret.
Typical wooden Synagogue of the region
But Chisday truly possessed a one. The secret being, that the bald, a bit fat, but generally not outstanding Jewish tailor, named Mordecai, was arguably the most powerful, and non-arguably richest man in the Principality of Volyn’.
Three horsemen arrived to the courtyard of Mordecai the Tailor’s house. “Go away, we’re closed” – Chisday shouted, but the riders ignored him. They dismounted in the courtyard, and Chisday took a closer look at them. One was a tall man of average build, moving with a precision of a master swordsman, his gestures and poses of the man, who gotten use to command. The second was bearded man with bear-like constitution. The third was a boy on a verge of manhood. Although without armour, all three of them had a druzhina feel. The first was probably a
grid’, the second was
otrok, the boy was
detskiy.
XIII century druzhina
Chisday checked his hidden dagger,
druzhina in the tailor’s house meant trouble, carefully he observed the commander for any hidden gestures, any signal. Suddenly, the bearded one grabbed him around the shoulders, threw him on the ground, scaring chickens, and kicked him in the hand, sending the dagger to fly out of his reach. He never saw the signal, because it came from a boy.
Chisday later in life
Disarmed and defeated, he was lifted back to his feet, the bearded man’s hand heavy around his shoulders, and let through the door into a tailor’s house. The door was already open, and tailor Mordecai bowed before the intruders. “Ah, the greatest Prince, to what this simple tailor owes the pleasure of Princely visitation?” he asked. “Oh, - the boy said – “I do not want to visit a tailor, we have plenty of those. I wanted to visit a
Rahdonit.”
The following night Alexander Rurikovich set behind the long a robust wooden chair in a Prince’s palace, seemingly lost in thought. He was a prince in his own right, but his princely
stol in Berestie was subordinate to Volyn’. When he heard about his cousin’s ascension, he had half a mind to raise banners and claim Volyn’ for himself.
It was a rich principality, sitting on crossroad of trade. From East, from Magometan strongholds on the Sea of Hwalynsk and in the mouth of Volga, the goods from Persia, India, and fabled Kitai went through Volyn’ westwards, towards Prague. In the opposite direction, the goods from Cesarstvo went to Magometans. That was the ancient way “
From Khazars to Nemci” The other way went up Luga and then up Western Bug rivers led to Varyag Sea. Siting on Luga, Vladimir-Volynsky controlled both of them.
Early Medieval trade routes, bit of period, Volyn' lies on an orange one, southwest from Kiev
But he decided to approach with caution, to visit his new sovereign first. Shrewd and careful was Price of Berestye, and some would call him craven, but not where they thought he’d here. They were mistaken usually, for Prince of Berestye had ears everywhere.
And when he met the boy, he knew he was right in his caution. Something about that boy told, that if Alexander wronged him, he would pay dearly. But something about this boy also whispered of future greatness, of victories and glory. And Alexander didn’t want to stay in the way of that. Nearly 100 years passed since the death of great Vladimir Monamakh, and Russians principalities was involved in petty squabbles since then, while
Polovtsi and
Litvins raded deeply into the Russian lands, and foreign kings set in ancestral halls of the House of Rurikovich.
And so this council gathered. Alexander set his eyes on the figures present. The Prince, the Rahdonit, Prince’s mother, Anna Angelos, and a man with a long black moustache, his wool hat on his knees. He smelled of goats and death, his people called him Uncle. And of course Alexander himself.
The only person of importance missing was the Archbishop, but if he and the Rahdonit were in the same room the fight would probably ensue. Not for the religious differences, but for the control over taverns.
The Archbishop was already briefed.
“And so, - the Prince said – what is to be decided? What shall we do to dethrone the false King?”
“Ah, - Rahdonit replied, he left his tailor’s disguise out of this room, no more scared and petty man, but rather a man of Imperial dignity, - young Kalman is set to dethrone himself, his Hungarian compatriots persuaded him to banish
boyarin Vladislav Kormilchich, his former Regent”
“What of it? – Prince’s mother, Anna Angelos, cut off – my husband banished the bugger, he just keeps returning.”
The time wasn’t kind to Anna, her beauty faded, and where in the past was serenity and pace, befitting Emperor’s daughter, nervousness and constant worrying settled.
“This was late prince’s mistake, but that belongs to the past. Galichian
boyars hold no love for Kalman. But Vladislav was their leader, and when they acknowledged Kalman, they did it only because Vladislav would be the regent. And all this banishment thing, that just reminded them why they didn’t like Prince’s father.”
“Moreover, – Alexander begun, after Rahdonit finished – “Kalman, or rather Tamas, his new Regent, begun to instill
Ugrs in
Boyars’ seats. Not one family was ousted, their lands confiscated for the Crown. He even instil some
Ugr in Terebovl’”
“Terebovl’? – the Prince said – Princely
stol? Now, our dear family, Cousin, would love to hear that. If foreign
korolevich isn’t an affront enough for them, how would they look on some shoemaker from Pest ruling the Russian principality? They may even stop they squabbles for a minute and send some help to us.”
“That all is very well, but even in a better times Kalman’s military power was negligible, his father is a problem, - Rahdonit said – and even if all principalities send help, by the time they’d arrived, his father, King of Hungary, would burn Volyn’ to a crisp. We can’t stop him from crossing the Carpathians”
“Aye, - the Uncle said, - we can’t, but let him cross. Mountain clans got no love for this
Madyars. Hutsuls will bloody his ranks, steal his sheep. His army would be eating grass by the time it reaches this side of the mountains. And when he would be on this side, the clans would descend into Hungary. I’m an old man myself, but my nephews would love to do some pillaging. Let him cross back if he doesn’t want to entertain his wife in his castle.” Uncle’s smile was terrifying, and not because of missing teeth.
Hutsuls, fiercely independent, semi-nomadic mountain people of Carpathian Mountains, and their favourite battleaxe "bratka" ("little brother")
“And even as we speak, - Alexander said, - His Grace, the Archbishop is instructing his agents. Not a fortnight from now all kalikas and strannicas in Rus would be preaching about devout Orthodox prince devoid of his birthright by Papist infidels. And of the churches of Galich, desecrated by Latins. May be they even washed their boots in baptistery, that one always works well. Our ranks would swell with peasants in their rightful anger.”
The council was adjourned, and the Prince left his hall. He stood in a inner courtyard of the palace, and watched, as far to the East the sunrise begun to paint the sky in a colour of blood. And the Prince felt good.
Glossary
Druzhina - I wanted to add, that the word "druzhina" comes from a word "drug" ("friend") and literally translates as "fellowship". The ties between Prince and his Druzhina were stronger, than usual "commander-subordinate" relationship.
Grid' - Officer rank in druzhina.
Otrok - private, common rank in druzhina.
Detskiy, plural "
detskie" - youngest warriors, not yet initiated into druzhina.
Iz khazar v nemci - "From Khazars to Germans", ancient trading route.
Sea of Khavlynsk - Caspian Sea
Cesarstvo - Holy Roman Empire
Varyag Sea - Baltic Sea
Polovtsi - Cumans.
Litvins - Lithuanians
Korolevich - King's son.
Kalikas - usualy mentally or phisically handicapped persons, roaming the roads of Rus', preaching and living off charity. They were considered "touched by Holy Spirit", and thus could preach whatever they want. Even during the reign of Ivan the Terrible, some kalikas openly preached, that the Tsar is abomination of Evil, with no consequences.
Strannitsas - literally "female wanderers", nuns, roaming the roads of Rus', preaching etc. - see kalikas.