Historical Geography Journal ISSN 2782-6511 (Print) | ISSN 3034-5286 (Online)

Ivan N. Razumov
Candidate of Sociological Sciences, Institute of Archaeology, Russian Academy of Sciences (Russia, Moscow)
ORCID: 0000-0001-9527-2196
E-mail: inrazumov@gmail.com

Vladimir V. Minenko
Institute of Archaeology, Russian Academy of Sciences (Russia, Moscow)
ORCID: 0000-0002-4141-917X
E-mail: vvminenko@yandex.ru

 Download | Back to the Content № 3. 2025

UDC 94(47)«1238»:913
DOI: 10.58529/2782-6511-2025-4-3-6-15

ABSTRACT. The article examines the sacking of the chronicled town of Vshchizh, located in the Bryansk region, by Mongol troops in 1238 on the basis of written sources and archaeological evidence. Having studied the history of the Mongol raid on the former capital of the principality of Chernigov-Seversk land, the authors conclude that it appeared in the mid-19th century in one of the newspaper publications, compiled on the basis of a misinterpretation of the results of the excavations of the ancient Vshchizh temple, conducted by local landowners. Later, this version became dominant, and was finally consolidated in the works of academician B.A. Rybakov. Based on the analysis of materials obtained in the course of modern archaeological research, the authors conclude that the town suffered the greatest damage as a result of internecine wars in the mid-12th century, which led to a reduction in the urban area, the loss of its economic and political importance, and subsequently to the liquidation of the princely estate in Vshchizh after the death of the childless Prince Svyatoslav Vladimirovich. The invasion of Batu’s troops into the lands in the North-East Rus’ in the winter of 1237–1238 occurred during the period of gradual decay of the former center of the appanage principality and served as the final impetus for the final demise of the ancient Russian town. The further history of Vshchizh is connected with a rural settlement. At the end of the 15th century, it was a privately owned and quite large one, on its territory the court of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania was located. But it lost its urban status forever.

KEYWORDS: Ancient Russia, Middle Ages, Vshchizh, prince, chronicles, archaeological excavations, internecine wars, Polovtsy, stone church, Mongol invasion, siege

For citation: Razumov I. N., Minenko V. V. [The Sacking (Storming?) of the Ancient Russian Town of Vshchizh (In the Light of the Geography of Batu’s Invasion of Rus’ in 1238): A Reappraisal]. Istoriko-geograficheskiy zhurnal [Historical Geography Journal], 2025, vol. 4, no. 3, pp. 6–15. DOI: 10.58529/2782-6511-2025-4-3-6-15 (In Russian).

Received 6 April 2025
Accepted 12 August 2025

© 2025 The Authors

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