Mystislav the Silent, whose rule had been short-lived, left his capital, and vanished. His place was immediately occupied by Volodislav. The chronicler says that he took the throne and ruled Galitch. All this was incredible only in appearance, for everything took place in the simplest manner possible. The Poles and Hungarians, who were guarding the persons, and also the inheritance of Daniel and Vassilko, vied with each other in turning this inheritance to their own use and profit. Neither lacked will in the matter; means alone failed them. The determination of Hungarians equaled that of the Poles, but their absence of means was equal also. The Poles tried to win by bringing forward their kinship in Russia. The Hungarians worked in another way. They promised to give the boyars of Galitch a constitution like that in Hungary. They agreed to deliver the whole land and the people to those boyars. Volodislav’s aims were clear and consistent. A year earlier, he had promised the submission of Galitch; he had guaranteed to snatch the whole land from Igor’s sons and return it to Hungary. This he had done, and the king might have placed there as viceroy any boyar whom he liked, but to have Daniel thrust upon this party of magnates was unendurable. Volodislav had fulfilled his promise, and now he explained to Andrei that Galitch did not want a Russian prince; it wanted to be governed by boyars associated intimately with Hungary. This time Volodislav assured the king of a satisfactory agreement. Thus the solid union of Galitch with Hungary seemed imminent. Andrei sent Volodislav forward with associates to bring all things to order, while he, with his main army, followed. He was on the Russian slope of the mountains when news overtook him of a terrible outburst in Hungary, not simply in the kingdom, but in his own palace. Andrei had been forced to yield more than any preceding king, to do more toward lessening royal power and building up nobles. Gertrude, his queen, was ambitious. A German princess, she had filled Hungary with her relatives and with Germans in general. She had urged Andrei to cruelties, and in retaliation attacks upon Hungarians were increasing. The queen helped her relatives and countrymen to wealth and high places. She was fond also of aiding in love intrigues. Eckbert, her brother, became enamoured of the wife of Benedict Bor, the man known in Galitch as Antichrist. The queen permitted the lovers to meet in the palace, even in one of her own chambers. Though Bor was notorious for absence of morals, and was in the habit of seizing other men’s wives if they pleased him, he could not pardon the queen, when her love intrigues involved his own family. The king being absent, Bor joined with other avengers, and slew a great number of Germans. Queen Gertrude was cut into pieces, and the whole palace was plundered. This was the news brought to Andrei in the mountains.