Rogvolod Vseslavich, baptismal name Boris, was the Prince of

Drutsk Druck or Drutsk ( be, Друцк, ; pl, Druck, russian: Друцк, also known as ''Дрютескъ'' (''Dryutesk'') or ''Дрюческъ'' (''Druchesk'') in the Middle Ages), is a historical town in Belarus, 40 kilometres (ca. 25 miles) west ...

and

Polotsk Polotsk (russian: По́лоцк; be, По́лацк, translit=Polatsk (BGN/PCGN), Polack (official transliteration); lt, Polockas; pl, Połock) is a historical city in Belarus, situated on the Dvina River. It is the center of the Polotsk Dist ...

. He was the son of

Vseslav of Polotsk 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 ...

, Grand Prince of Rus. Rogvolod probably was named in honor of his ancestor

Rogvolod Rogvolod (russian: Рогволод, translit=Rogvolod; be, Рагвалод, translit=Rahvałod; 920978) was the first chronicled prince of Polotsk (945–978). In the ''Russian Primary Chronicle'', he is known as , probably a slavicized versio ...

. Some historians, including

Mikhail Pogodin Mikhail Petrovich Pogodin (russian: Михаи́л Петро́вич Пого́дин; , Moscow, Moscow) was a Russian Imperial historian and journalist who, jointly with Nikolay Ustryalov, dominated the national historiography between the death ...

, believe that Rogvolod-Boris are two different princes. It is also not clear whether or not Rogvolod was the older brother of Davyd and

Gleb Gleb ( Russian and be, Глеб) or Hlib ( uk, Гліб) is a Slavic male given name derived from the Old Norse name ''Guðleifr'', which means "heir of god." According to another version, the name Gleb comes from the name Olaf. It is popular in Ru ...

. However, if he was given the Principality of Drutsk it, probably, corresponds to the ''line of succession'' which presumably made him second in that line. It also possible that he was the

Prince of Polotsk The Princes of Polotsk ruled the Principality of Polotsk within the realm of Kievan Rus or within the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from the mid ninth century to 1307. Rogvold, a non-Rurikid Varangian, was the first Prince of Polotsk. When Vladimir t ...

right after his father's death, but that account is rebutted by another fact which is supported by some Slavic chronicles that call Davyd Vseslavich as the leader of the Polotsk armed forces and possibly the main successor of the Polotsk throne. According to

Vasily Tatishchev Vasily Nikitich Tatishchev (russian: Васи́лий Ники́тич Тати́щев) (19 April 1686 – 15 July 1750) was a prominent Russian Imperial statesman, historian, philosopher, and ethnographer, best remembered as the author of the ...

, Rogvolod has found the city of

Barysaw Barysaw ( be, Барысаў, ) or Borisov (russian: Борисов, ) is a city in Belarus near the Berezina River in the Minsk Region 74 km north-east from Minsk. Its population is around 145,000. History Barysaw is first mentioned in t ...

in 1102,

Mykhailo Hrushevsky Mykhailo Serhiiovych Hrushevsky ( uk, Михайло Сергійович Грушевський, Chełm, – Kislovodsk, 24 November 1934) was a Ukrainian academician, politician, historian and statesman who was one of the most important figure ...

. ''History of Ukraine-Rus''. Vol.2. Kiev 1992 hence are the main speculation him being also called Boris. In 1106 he possibly participated in the united campaign of Polotsk Principality against the

Semigallians Semigallians ( Latvian ''Zemgaļi''; lt, Žiemgaliai, also ''Zemgalians, Semigalls, Semigalians'') were the Baltic tribe that lived in the southcentral part of contemporary Latvia and northern Lithuania. They are noted for their long resistance ...

, which ended in defeat. Sometime in 1120 Rogvolod founded a princely residence near

in Belchitsy.

References

Sources

List of Princes of Rus at hrono.ru (as Rogvolod Vseslavich)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vseslavich, Rogvolod 11th-century births 1128 deaths Princes of Polotsk Izyaslavichi family (Polotsk) 12th-century princes in Kievan Rus'