Act |
The Legend of Rogned' (Rogneda) Primary Chronicle sub anno 980 Laurentian + Hypatian texts |
The Legend of Gorislava Suzdalian Chronicle sub anno 1128 Laurentian + Radziwiłł + Academic texts |
Request |
Vladimir returned to Novgorod with Varangians, and told the lieutenants of Yaropolk: 'You need to go to my brother and tell him: "Vladimir is advancing against you, prepare to fight".' He established himself in Novgorod, and sent messengers to Rogvolod in Polotsk with the word: 'I want your daughter as a wife.' |
About these Vseslavichi it is thus, as knowledgeable people have related, that Rogvolod was holding and ruling and reigning in the land of Polotsk, and Vladimir was in Novgorod, still a child and a pagan. And the commander of his forces was his uncle Dobrynia, a brave and effective man. And this man sent to Rogvolod and requested his daughter for Vladimir. |
Rejection |
He [Rogvolod] asked his daughter: 'Do you want to marry Vladimir?' She replied: 'I do not want to untie the shoes of a slave's son, but I want Yaropolk [instead].' Now Rogvolod had come from overseas, and exercised the authority in Polotsk, just as Tury, from whom the Turovians get their name, had done in Turov. |
And he (Rogvolod) said to his daughter: 'Do you want to marry Vladimir?' And she said: 'I do not want to unshoe a slave's son, but want Yaropolk', for Rogvolod had come from across the sea, and he had his domain, Polotsk. |
Capture |
The servants of Vladimir returned and reported to him all the words of Rogned', the daughter of Rogvolod, Prince of Polotsk. Vladimir then collected a large army, consisting of Varangians, Slovenes, Chuds, and Krivichians, and marched against Rogvolod. At this time, the intention was that Rogned' should marry Yaropolk. [But] Vladimir attacked Polotsk, killed Rogvolod and his two sons. He took his daughter as a wife. Then he proceeded against Yaropolk. |
And Vladimir, having heard, became angry about that remark: ‘I do not [want/want to marry] a slave’s son.’ And Dobrynia became angry and was filled with fury, and they took forces and marched on Polotsk and defeated Rogvolod. Rogvolod fled into the fortress. And they came to the fortress and took the fortress. And they took [Rogvolod] himself and his wife and his daughter. And Dobrynia insulted him and his daughter [calling her a slave's daughter/who called him a slave’s son], and he ordered Vladimir to be with her in front of her father and mother. Then he killed the father and took her herself as a wife and they named her "Gorislava". |
Gorislava's revenge |
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And she bore Iziaslav. And he also took many other wives and she became unhappy. Once when she he had come to her and fallen asleep she wanted to kill him with a knife. And it happened that he awoke and took her by the hand. And she said: 'I have become sad because you killed my father and seized his land for my sake, and now you do not love me and this child.' |
Iziaslav's plot |
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And he ordered her to dress herself in all her royal raiment, as on the day of her wedding, and to sit on the bright bedding in the chamber, so that he might come and stab her to death. She did so, giving a naked sword into the hand of her son Iziaslav and saying (to Iziaslav): 'When (your) father enters, say, stepping forth, "Father, do you think you are walking here alone?"' And Vladimir said: 'And who would have expected you here?' and he threw down his sword |
Boyar council |
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and called together the boyars and told them. And they said: “For the sake of this child do not kill her, but restore her patrimony and give it to her with her son.” And Vladimir fortified a city and gave it to them and gave that city the name Iziaslavl. |
Epilogue |
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And since then the descendants of Rogvolod take up the sword against the descendants of Yaroslav. |