| |
In this table we show only the
members of the "Rurik" family who became princes at Kyiv (plus four
fathers who did not who are included to show line of descent).
Please place your cursor over the name to link to a
description of the individual and his family. This group is but a small
part of the entire family tree from Rurik to Fedor Ivanovich. All the others
are included in cross linked geneological tables and father - son files.
* V. M. Kogan indicates that Izyaslav Vladimirovich
( lower right corner on chart) was grand prince of Kyiv 1234-36, even though
Kogan also shows Vladimir Rurikovich as grand prince for the same years. As the
chart shows he was not in any of the direct family lines who struggled over the
Kyivan throne. But his ancestry is is quite interesting. His great-great
grandfather was Oleg Svyatoslavich (shown on the chart). His great grand father
was Svyatoslav Ol'govich and his grand father was
Igor Svyatoslavich. His father was the
Vladimir Igor'yevich who was captured along with
Igor during the disasterous campaign described in the "Tale of the Host of
Igor". During that captivity Vladimir married a daughter of the Polovtsi
Khan, Konchak. Thus among the last of the Rurikid princes of Kyiv (that is
before the Mongol Conquest) we have one who was half-Tatar. Also of interest is
that another of the last rulers, Daniil Romanovich, who became King of Galicia,
married Anne Mstislavna, whose mother was also a Kypchak (Polovtsi) princess.
That there was frequently a bitter struggle to gain the throne at Kyiv can be
seen by noting from the dates how one ruler would supplant another only to be
thrown back out by the former prince. Rurik Rostislavich held the throne seven
times, sometimes for only a few months. His father, Rostislav Mstislavich, was
prince for three periods. In the previous century Izyaslav I, ruled the Kievan
lands three different times. By understanding the above chart we can see
quickly the main lines of the struggle over the ca 250 years.
1. Yaropolk disputed the throne with his half brother, Vladimir I, and lost.
2 Svyatopolk disputed the throne with his half brother, Yaroslav I, and lost
(after having 3 other brothers killed.)
3. Izyaslav I ran into multiple difficulties during one of which Vseslav
happened to be in a Kyivan jail and was released and made usurper ruler until
thrown out. During the next Izyaslav's brother, Svyatoslav II, took over and
then so did Vsyevolod I until Izyaslav drove him out.
4. Vladimir II defered to his senior cousin, Svyatopolk II, but since
Svyatoslav II had also held the throne (even as a usurper) his sons, David and
Oleg, demanded their turns.
5. Vladimir managed to seat his son, Mstislav I, on the throne, but after the
death of his second son, Yaropolk, who was not senior by rights anyway, Oleg's
and David's sons managed to take it.
6. This set up the widespread war between the Svyatoslavichi (Ol'govichi) of
Chernigiv and the Monomashichi descendents of Vladimir II, of whom the
descendents of Mstislav I held mostly to Volynia and of Yuri I held
Rostov-Suzdal-Vladimir.
7. This was further complicated when Mstislav's son, Rostislav Mstislavich,
raised his holding at Smolensk into a significant player in inter-city rivalry.
8. The family members who actually held Kyiv at one time or another, shown
here, are by far only a small part of the whole gang. For instance, Vseslav's
descendents continued to hold the Polotsk area, the line of Izyaslav I and
Svyatopolk II held Turov. Several families descended from Yaroslav I who never
held Kyiv held other important places including in Galich or
Vladimir-in-Volynia. These rulers were always available as allies for one or
the other of the three main parties (the Chernigiv, Novgorod-Severia, Ryazan
line of Svyatoslavichi) - (the Rostov-Suzdal-Vladimir line of Monomashichi) -
and the Volynia-Galich line of Monomashichi). All these gentlemen and more are
shown on their family geneology chart and briefly described in individual
files.
9. The objectives of all these cut-throats was to build their own power base
(fiscal resources based on tax and control of trade) and (sense of domination
over their rivals based on military prestige). Their military power was based
on ability to pay for larger druzhina (hired warriors) and pay for
foreign troops (Polovtsi, Poles, Hungarians, Varangians). Thus they had to
expand fiscal resources to increase military power and had to expand military
power to increase fiscal resources.
Here is the sequence for the most complex and chaotic period - 1132-1177
Death of Mstislav I Vladimirovich in 1132
Yaropolk Vladimirovich - 1132-1139;
Vyacheslav Vladimirovich - 2 months in 1139;
Vsyevolod Ol'govich - 1139 - Aug 1146;
Igor II Ol'govich - 1146;
in his place Izyaslav Mstislavich;
Igor Ol'govich - 1 Aug 1146;
Izyaslav Mstislavich - 13 Aug 1146 - 1149;
Yuri Dolgoruki - 27 Aug 1149 - 1151;
Izyaslav Mstislavich 2nd time (with Vyacheslav Vladimirovich) - 1151 - 1154;
Rostislav Mstislavich with Vyacheslav Vladimirovich - 8 Dec 1154;
Izyaslav III Davidovich - 1154 - 1155;
Yuri Dolgoruki again - spring 1155 - 1157;
Izyaslav Davidovich again - 21 May 1157 - 1159;
Rostislav Mstislavich again - 12 April 1159 - 1161;
Izyaslav Davidovich 3rd time - 1161;
Rostislav Mstislavich 3rd time - 1161-67;
Mstislav Izyaslavich - 14 March 1167 - 1169;
Gleb Yur'yevich (put there by father) - 20 March 1169 - 71;
Vladimir Mstislavich - 15 Feb 1171;
Mikhalko Yur'yevich (put there by father) - 30 May 1171;
Roman Rostislavich - 1171 - 1172;
Vsyevolod Yur'yevich (put there by father) - 1172;
Yaroslav Izyaslavich - 1173- 1175;
Svyatoslav III Vsyevolodovich first time - 1175;
Yaroslav Izyaslavich - 2nd time - 1175;
Roman Rostislavich - 2nd time 1176.
We have not shown on the chart the princes who may be called 'crown prince' of
Kyiv in that they were the sons of a ruling prince but did not attain the
throne. Some died young, but others played important supporting roles for their
fathers. Among these were:
Vladimir I Svyatoslavich's two sons, Pozvizd and Stanislav.
Yaroslav I Vladimirovich's son, Il'ya
Izyaslav I Yaroslavich's son, Mstislav and Mstislav's son, Rostislav
Svyatopolk II Izyaslavich's sons, Izyaslav and Bryachislav
Mstislav I Vladimirovich's son, Svyatopolk
Yaropolk II Vladimirovich's son, Vasilii
Gleb Yur'yevich's son, Izyaslav
Mstislav III Romanovich's two sons, Andrei and Rostislav
Vladimir Rurikovich's son, Rostislav
They are all included on their family charts and in the individual
descriptions.
|
|
