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He was the son of Rostislav Mstislavich, prince of Kyiv. His mother's
name is not known. He was prince of Kyiv several times, most notably before
1202, and 1207 - 11. He is shown on this family chart. He married Anna, daughter of
Yuri Yaroslavich, prince of Turov. His sons were
Rostislav, prince of Kiev; Vladimir, prince of Kyiv. His daughters were Maria
(who married Vsyevolod Yur'yevich, prince of
Vladimir), (another, who married Gleb Svyatoslavich,
prince of Chernigiv and had a son named Mstislav), and Predslava and Vsyeslava,
who married Yaroslav Glebovich, prince of Ryazan.
Predslava was married to Roman Mstislavich, who was
prince at Novgorod but then prince of Vladimir-in-Volynia.
These two sometimes were allies but also were enemies in the ever shifting
family balance of power politics in Russia, especially after Roman deserted
Rurik's daughter. Rurik was involved in the struggle between the sons of
Rostislav Mstislavich and Andri Yur'yevich over the throne at Kyiv. He held the
throne seven times and lost it or gave it up voluntarily. He is mentioned in
the Lay of Prince Igor as one of the Kyivan leaders supplying troops. When he
was not fighting other Rus princes, he was campaigning against the Polovtsi or
with them as allies. In the 1180's he helped his son in law, Roman, to regain
his capital at Vladimir-in-Volynia. But by the 1190's the political maneuvering
of Vsyevolod Yur'yevich of Suzdal brought Rurik and
Roman into conflict over various towns around Kyiv. In 1202 Rurik prepared to
take the offensive against Roman at Vladimir-in-Volynia. But the Kyivan leaders
opened the city gates to Roman, forcing Rurik to flee. Roman gave the city to
his cousin, Ingvar Yaroslavich. In 1203 Rurik
returned and devastated Kyiv with his Polovtsi troops. In 1205 Roman
Mstislavich forced Rurik and his family to take monastic vows, but that didn't
hold him back. He regained the Kyivan throne the next year and only gave it up
in 1211, this time to Vsyevolod IV Svyatoslavich
Chermny. He then switched back to Chernigiv where he died in 1215.
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