In 1173 two
Smolensk princes captured Kiev (
Kyiv), captured Vsevolod and briefly installed him on the throne. Ransomed a year later, Vsevolod took his brother
Mikhalko's side in his struggle against the powerful
boyars of
Rostov and
Suzdal. Upon Mikhalko's death in 1176, Vsevolod succeeded him in
Vladimir. He promptly subjugated the boyars and systematically raided the Volga states, notably
Volga Bulgaria. He installed puppet rulers on the throne of
Novgorod and married his daughters to princes of
Chernigov and
Kiev. Vsevolod showed little mercy to those who disobeyed his commands. In 1180 and 1187 he punished the princes of
Ryazan by ousting them from their lands. In 1207 he burned to the ground both Ryazan and
Belgorod. His military fame spread quickly. ''
The Tale of Igor's Campaign'', thought to be written during Vsevolod's reign, addresses him thus: ''"Great prince Vsevolod! Don't you think of flying here from afar to safeguard the paternal golden throne of Kiev? For you can with your oars scatter in drops the Volga, and with your helmets scoop dry the Don."'' But Kievan matters concerned Vsevolod little in the latter part of his reign. He concentrated on building up his own capital,
Vladimir. His
Ossetian wife,
Maria Shvarnovna, who devoted herself to works of piety and founded several convents, was glorified by the
Russian church as a saint. By her Vsevolod had no fewer than fourteen children, and earned the
sobriquet Big Nest. == Death and succession ==