Vladimir III Igorevich

Biography

He was with his father during his campaign against the Cumans on 13 April 1185, immortalized in the epic The Tale of Igor's Campaign; he participated in the first battle, wherein he set off ahead of the main group along with Svyatoslav Olgovich of Rylsk and defeated the Cuman forces. However, he was captured in the second battle by khans Gzak and Konchak. The Tale of Igor’s Campaign describes how, after Igor escaped from captivity, Gzak and Konchak debated whether to kill Vladimir or entice him into marrying a Cuman maiden:

Says Gzak to Končak:
“if the falcon [Igor] flies to its nest, —
let us shoot the falconet [Vladimir]
with our gilded arrows.”

Said Končak to Gzak:
“If the falcon flies to its nest,
let us snare the falconet
with a beautiful maiden.”

And said Gzak to Končak:
“If we snare him with a beautiful maiden,
we will have neither the falconet,
nor will we have the beautiful maiden,
so that the birds will begin to strike us
in the field of the Cumans.”

— The Lay of Igor’s Campaign

The Tale of Igor’s Campaign ends with Vladimir still captive to the khans. In the autumn of 1188, he returned home from captivity with Khan Konchak’s daughter Svoboda. Soon after, on 26 September, Rurik Rostislavich organized festivities to celebrate Vladimir’s wedding to Svoboda, attended by the rest of his family.