Izyaslav Ingvarevich was the son of Ingvar Yaroslavich, the Prince of Kiev. In 1220 AD, Izyaslav was appointed to be Prince of Dorogobuzh. During this time period, the Kievan Rus Dynasty had been divided into seperate principalities which were loosely organized. Meanwhile to the East, Genghis Khan had been busy conquering China and Central Asia to build a vast Empire with his eyes starting to look towards the West.

While the main Mongol army under Genghis Khan was busy ravaging Central Asia, two of his best generals Subutai and Jebe headed west with about 20000 men..Their job was to chase down the Khwarazmian Shah as well as learn about the countries of Europe - this information would be leveraged by the Mongol forces later in time. They left a trail of destruction as they moved through Persia, Azerbaijan and then into Georgia which they successfully plundered after facing some resistance.

Subotai was among the most capable Mongol generals - he was an expert at guerilla warfare and feigned retreats. He would employ these skills later during an all out invasion of Europe in the years to come. Meanwhile as the Mongol expedition arrived in Europe, the Rus created an alliance with various other nearby groups to defend against the invaders. Subotai recognized the danger and planned a trap. The combined Rus army defeated the Mongol rearguard easily and believed they were defeating the Mongols as treasure and prisoners were left behind. The Rus pursued the Mongols who were in a feigned retreat for several days which spread out their armies. Meanwhile the Mongols had setup a trap and waited on the banks of the Kalka River.

Feeling confident the Rus Princes marched their respective troops seperately and hours apart from each other. Mstislav III of Kiev and his Cuman allies attacked the Mongols without waiting for the rest of the Rus army and were defeated. In the ensuing confusion, several other Rus princes were defeated and killed including Izyaslav. Izyaslav was buried in a tomb within a church inside Lutsk Castle as shown here. Izyaslav's skull was found in 1989 aged 30-40 years old with an arrowhead stuck inside. Along with the carbon dating performed on both the skull and the tomb, the physical injuries match the description of Izyaslav being killed in battle.