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Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by R ...
ian statehood can be traced to the medieval
Principality of Polotsk The Principality of Polotsk ( be, По́лацкае кня́ства, ''Polackaje kniastva''; la, Polocensis Ducatus), also known as the Duchy of Polotsk or Polotskian Rus', was a medieval principality of the Early East Slavs. The origin and ...
. From the 13th century, the lands of modern-day Belarus became part of the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state that existed from the 13th century to 1795, when the territory was partitioned among the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg Empire of Austria. The state was founded by Li ...
which later evolved into the
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi-confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Crown of the Kingdom of ...
. In the 19th century, the territories of present-day Belarus together with
Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
formed the
Northwestern Krai Northwestern Krai (russian: links=no, Северо-Западный край) was a ''krai'' of the Russian Empire (unofficial subdivision) in the territories of the former Grand Duchy of Lithuania (present-day Belarus and Lithuania). The adminis ...
of the
Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
. At the beginning of the 20th century, the short-lived
Belarusian People's Republic The Belarusian People's Republic (BNR; be, Беларуская Народная Рэспубліка, Bielaruskaja Narodnaja Respublika, ), or Belarusian Democratic Republic, was a state proclaimed by the Council of the Belarusian Democratic R ...
was proclaimed, and in 1922, the
Byelorussian SSR The Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (BSSR, or Byelorussian SSR; be, Беларуская Савецкая Сацыялістычная Рэспубліка, Bielaruskaja Savieckaja Sacyjalistyčnaja Respublika; russian: Белор ...
was a founding member of the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
.
West Belarus Western Belorussia or Western Belarus ( be, Заходняя Беларусь, translit=Zachodniaja Bielaruś; pl, Zachodnia Białoruś; russian: Западная Белоруссия, translit=Zapadnaya Belorussiya) is a historical region of mod ...
remained under
Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...
rule until 1939 when it was annexed by the Soviet Union. In 1991, Belarus declared its independence from the Soviet Union.


Pre-Rurikid rulers


Non-dynastic

* Vespasius * Ragvalod I (? - 980)


Rurikid Belarus

In 978, with the marriage of
Rogneda Rogneda of Polotsk (962–1002) is the Slavic name for Ragnheiðr, a Princess consort of Rus'. She was the daughter of Ragnvald (Slavic: Rogvolod) who came from Scandinavia and established himself at Polotsk in the mid-10th century. Life It ...
, daughter of Ragvalod, with
Vladimir I of Kiev Vladimir I Sviatoslavich or Volodymyr I Sviatoslavych ( orv, Володимѣръ Свѧтославичь, ''Volodiměrъ Svętoslavičь'';, ''Uladzimir'', russian: Владимир, ''Vladimir'', uk, Володимир, ''Volodymyr''. Se ...
, the
Principality of Polotsk The Principality of Polotsk ( be, По́лацкае кня́ства, ''Polackaje kniastva''; la, Polocensis Ducatus), also known as the Duchy of Polotsk or Polotskian Rus', was a medieval principality of the Early East Slavs. The origin and ...
became property of the
Rurik dynasty The Rurik dynasty ( be, Ру́рыкавічы, Rúrykavichy; russian: Рю́риковичи, Ryúrikovichi, ; uk, Рю́риковичі, Riúrykovychi, ; literally "sons/scions of Rurik"), also known as the Rurikid dynasty or Rurikids, was ...
. It was ruled by the Rurikids until 1243, when the Lithuanian duke
Tautvilas Tautvilas (or Tautvila; died 1263) was Duke of Polotsk and one of Dausprungas' sons and nephews of King of Lithuania Mindaugas. Tautvilas together with his brother Gedvydas and uncle Vykintas waged a civil war against Mindaugas. The war resulted ...
, the son-in-law of Bryachislav III Vasilkovich, became its ruler in 1243, thus the duchy became part of the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state that existed from the 13th century to 1795, when the territory was partitioned among the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg Empire of Austria. The state was founded by Li ...
. The
King of Lithuania The monarchy of Lithuania concerned the monarchical head of state of Lithuania, which was established as an absolute and hereditary monarchy. Throughout Lithuania's history there were three ducal dynasties that managed to stay in power—House ...
Mindaugas Mindaugas (german: Myndowen, la, Mindowe, orv, Мендог, be, Міндоўг, pl, Mendog, c. 1203–1263) is the first known Grand Duke of Lithuania and the only crowned King of Lithuania. Little is known of his origins, early life, or r ...
soon got angry with Tautvilas and drove him away, which caused an uprising. However, after the reconciliation of Tautvilas and Mindaugas in 1253, Tautvilas ruled Polotsk until 1263, when he was assassinated. From 1263, the Duchy of Polotsk was ruled by , the Duke of
Nalšia Nalšia or Nalšėnai (sometimes Nalsen, Nalse) was an ancient land (regional duchy, a subject of Polatsk) in the early stages of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. It is mentioned in written sources from 1229 to 1298. The references to it cease as it wa ...
, until 1267, when he was also assassinated. It is not known who ruled Polotsk after Gerdenis' death. It might have been Iziaslav, the Duke of Vitebsk. At the end of the 13th century, Tautvilas' son Konstantinas Tautvilaitis established himself on the throne of Polotsk. As he had no heirs, he left Polotsk to the Archbishop of Riga after his death. However, the local population experienced a lot of dissatisfaction with the new rule and therefore they turned to Duke
Vytenis Vytenis ( be, Віцень, Vicień; pl, Witenes) was the Grand Duke of Lithuania from c. 1295 to c. 1316. He became the first of the Gediminids, Gediminid dynasty to rule for a considerable amount of time. In the early 14th century his reputa ...
for help to fight the Teutonic Ordren. In 1307 Polotsk Principality finally united with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Between 978 and 1101, the Principality of Polotsk's domain was uncontested in the majority of the Belarusian territory. Polotsk possibly reached the peak of its influence with the access of
Vseslav the Seer Vseslav of Polotsk or Vseslav Bryachislavich ( 1029 – 24 April 1101), also known as ''Vseslav the Sorcerer'' or ''Vseslav the Seer'', was the most famous ruler of Polotsk and was briefly Grand Prince of Kiev in 1068–1069. Together with Rostis ...
to the Kievan throne, but at the death of the latter Polotsk was split in three smaller principalities: a smaller Polotsk, the
Principality of Minsk The Principality of Minsk was an appanage principality of the Duchy of Polotsk and centered on the city of Minsk (today in Belarus). It existed from its founding in 1101 until it was annexed by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1242, and only no ...
and the
Principality of Vitebsk The Principality of Vitebsk ( be, Віцебскае княства) was a Ruthenian principality centered on the city of Vitebsk in modern Belarus, that existed from its founding in 1101 until it was inherited into the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in ...
.


Rurik Dynasty The Rurik dynasty ( be, Ру́рыкавічы, Rúrykavichy; russian: Рю́риковичи, Ryúrikovichi, ; uk, Рю́риковичі, Riúrykovychi, ; literally "sons/scions of Rurik"), also known as the Rurikid dynasty or Rurikids, was ...

The
Rurikids The Rurik dynasty ( be, Ру́рыкавічы, Rúrykavichy; russian: Рю́риковичи, Ryúrikovichi, ; uk, Рю́риковичі, Riúrykovychi, ; literally "sons/scions of Rurik"), also known as the Rurikid dynasty or Rurikids, was ...
were descendants of
Rurik Rurik (also Ryurik; orv, Рюрикъ, Rjurikŭ, from Old Norse '' Hrøríkʀ''; russian: Рюрик; died 879); be, Рурык, Ruryk was a semi-legendary Varangian chieftain of the Rus' who in the year 862 was invited to reign in Novgoro ...
(''Hrørekr''), a
Varangian The Varangians (; non, Væringjar; gkm, Βάραγγοι, ''Várangoi'';Varangian
" Online Etymo ...
pagan
konung Germanic kingship is a thesis regarding the role of kings among the pre-Christianized Germanic tribes of the Migration period (c. 300–700 AD) and Early Middle Ages (c. 700–1,000 AD). The thesis holds that the institution of feudal mo ...
or chieftain, who supposedly was of haplogroup N1c1, which is common among
Finnic peoples The Finnic or Fennic peoples, sometimes simply called Finns, are the nations who speak languages traditionally classified in the Finnic (now commonly '' Finno-Permic'') language family, and which are thought to have originated in the region of ...
and not so rare in Baltic region.DNA Testing of the Rurikid and Gediminid Princes
/ref>


Decline of the Principality of Polotsk

On the death of Vseslav the Seer, the Principality was divided between his sons and descendants, in three major principalities:


Rurik Dynasty The Rurik dynasty ( be, Ру́рыкавічы, Rúrykavichy; russian: Рю́риковичи, Ryúrikovichi, ; uk, Рю́риковичі, Riúrykovychi, ; literally "sons/scions of Rurik"), also known as the Rurikid dynasty or Rurikids, was ...

(Note:The list follows one single numbering for all principalities, and continues the previous table.)


Grand Duchy of Lithuania

Title:
Grand Duke Grand duke (feminine: grand duchess) is a European hereditary title, used either by certain monarchs or by members of certain monarchs' families. In status, a grand duke traditionally ranks in order of precedence below an emperor, as an approxi ...
(, , or ''Didysis Kunigaikštis'')


Early Lithuanian rulers (1248–1316)


Gediminid dynasty (1285–1440)


Jagiellonian dynasty (1440–1569)


Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (1569–1795)


Belarusian People's Republic (1918–1920)


Presidents of the Rada of the Republic


Presidents of the Rada in Exile (1920–present)


Soviet Belarus (1919–1991)


Heads of state


Leaders of the Byelorussian Communist Party


Republic of Belarus (1991–present)

As an aftermath of the August 1991 failed coup d'état in Moscow Supreme Soviet of the Byelorussian SSR proclaimed the Declaration of Sovereignty a constitutional law on August 25 1991, making the republic de facto independent from the Soviet Union. The official name of the state was changed to the Republic of Belarus on September 19 1991 and on December 8 1991 it became one of the parties to sign the
Belovezha Accords The Belovezh Accords ( be, Белавежскае пагадненне, link=no, russian: Беловежские соглашения, link=no, uk, Біловезькі угоди, link=no) are accords forming the agreement declaring that the ...
that effectively disestablished the USSR. On March 15 1994 a new constitution, which introduced the office of
President of Belarus The president of the Republic of Belarus ( be, Прэзідэнт Рэспублікі Беларусь; russian: Президент Республики Беларусь) is the head of state and head of government of Belarus. The office was cre ...
, was adopted. As of 2022, there were 2 living former National Leaders of Belarus: Vyacheslav Kuznetsov (as acting Chairman of the Supreme Council) and
Myechyslaw Hryb Myechyslaw Ivanavich Hryb, , russian: Мечислав Иванович Гриб, (born on 25 September 1938) is a Belarusian politician who was the eleventh Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of Belarus from 28 January 1994 to 10 January 1996. In ...
(as acting Chairman of the Supreme Council) The most recent death of a former National Leaders of Belarus was
Stanislav Shushkevich Stanislav Stanislavovich Shushkevich ( be, Станісла́ў Станісла́вавіч Шушке́віч, translit=Stanisłáŭ Stanisłávavič Šuškiévič,; russian: Станисла́в Станисла́вович Шушке́вич; ...
(served from 1991 to 1994), on 3 May 2022, aged 87.


See also

*
List of national leaders of Belarus This is a comprehensive chronological list of national leaders of Belarus since its first independence, in 1918, including its presidents both before and after the Soviet era, and the Soviet leaders themselves, who, unlike the Presidents, were not ...
*
President of Belarus The president of the Republic of Belarus ( be, Прэзідэнт Рэспублікі Беларусь; russian: Президент Республики Беларусь) is the head of state and head of government of Belarus. The office was cre ...
*
Prime Minister of Belarus The prime minister of the Republic of Belarus (; ) is the deputy head of government of Belarus. Until 1991, it was known as the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic as the head of the government of t ...


Notes


References

*{{cite web , url=http://www.worldstatesmen.org/Belarus.html , work=worldstatesmen.org , title=Rulers of Belarus , accessdate=2006-03-21


External links


Grand Dukes of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
Belarusian
Rulers A ruler, sometimes called a rule, line gauge, or scale, is a device used in geometry and technical drawing, as well as the engineering and construction industries, to measure distances or draw straight lines. Variants Rulers have long ...
Rulers A ruler, sometimes called a rule, line gauge, or scale, is a device used in geometry and technical drawing, as well as the engineering and construction industries, to measure distances or draw straight lines. Variants Rulers have long ...