Sviatopolk II Iziaslavich ( orv, Свѧтополкъ Изѧславичь; rus, Святополк Изяславич, Svyatopolk Izyaslavich; uk, Святополк Ізяславич; November 8, 1050 – April 16, 1113) was supreme ruler of the Kievan Rus for 20 years, from 1093 to 1113. He was not a popular prince, and his reign was marked by incessant rivalry with his cousin Vladimir Monomakh.

Early life

Sviatopolk was the son of Iziaslav Iaroslavich by his concubine. Sviatopolk's Christian name was Michael. During his brother Iaropolk's life, Sviatopolk was not regarded as a potential claimant to the throne of

Kiev Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...

. In 1069 he was sent to Polotsk, a city briefly taken by his father from the local ruler Vseslav, and then he spent ten years (1078–88) ruling

Novgorod Veliky Novgorod ( rus, links=no, Великий Новгород, t=Great Newtown, p=vʲɪˈlʲikʲɪj ˈnovɡərət), also known as just Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the ol ...

. Upon his brother's death he succeeded him in Turov, which would remain in possession of his descendants until the 17th century.

Reign

When

Vsevolod Iaroslavich Vsevolod I Yaroslavich (Russian: Всеволод I Ярославич, Ukrainian: Всеволод I Ярославич, Old Norse: Vissivald) (c. 1030 – 13 April 1093), ruled as Grand Prince of Kiev from 1078 until his death. Early lif ...

died in 1093, Sviatopolk was acknowledged by other princes as the senior son of Veliki Kniaz and permitted to ascend the Kievan throne. Although he participated in the princely congresses organized by Vladimir Monomakh, he is sometimes charged with encouraging internecine wars among Rurikid princes. For instance, he sided with his cousin David of Volhynia and his son-in-law Bolesław III Wrymouth in capturing and blinding one of the Galician princes. He also sided with Vladimir Monomakh in several campaigns against the

Kipchaks The Kipchaks or Qipchaks, also known as Kipchak Turks or Polovtsians, were a Turkic nomadic people and confederation that existed in the Middle Ages, inhabiting parts of the Eurasian Steppe. First mentioned in the 8th century as part of the Se ...

but was defeated in the Battle of the Stugna River (1093). Later that year, Sviatopolk would face the Kipchaks again, and again be defeated, whereupon the Kipchaks destroyed Torchesk, an Oghuz Turk settlement. In 1096, in an attempt to force Oleg I of Chernigov into a Rus compact, Sviatopolk left his lands undefended. His father-in-law, Tugorkhan, raided Pereiaslavl, while Boniak raided as far as Kiev, destroying Berestovo and sacking the three monasteries of Klov, Vydubichi, and the Caves. Tugorkhan was killed during his raid on Pereiaslavl, and so Sviatopolk had him buried in Kiev. Sviatopolk's

Christian name A Christian name, sometimes referred to as a baptismal name, is a religious personal name given on the occasion of a Christian baptism, though now most often assigned by parents at birth. In English-speaking cultures, a person's Christian name ...

was Michael, so he encouraged embellishment of St Michael's Abbey in Kiev, which has been known as the '' Golden-Roofed'' up to the present. The history now known as ''the

Primary Chronicle The ''Tale of Bygone Years'' ( orv, Повѣсть времѧньныхъ лѣтъ, translit=Pověstĭ vremęnĭnyxŭ lětŭ; ; ; ; ), often known in English as the ''Rus' Primary Chronicle'', the ''Russian Primary Chronicle'', or simply the ...

'' was compiled by the monk Nestor during Sviatopolk's reign.

Marriage and children

Sviatopolk married firstly a

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...

n princess ( Přemyslid dynasty), probably a daughter of Duke Spytihněv II. They had three children: # Zbyslava, married to king Boleslaw III of Poland on November 15, 1102. # Predslava, married to

Prince Álmos Álmos (also "Almus", Slovak, hr, Almoš; 1070 or 1075 – 1 September 1127) was a Hungarian prince, the son of King Géza I of Hungary and brother of King Coloman. He held several governmental posts in the Kingdom of Hungary. Life Ear ...

of Hungary on August 21, 1104. Her fate is less known. # Iaroslav (died 1123), Prince of Volynia and Turov was married three times - to the Hungarian-Polish Sophia (daughter of

Władysław I Herman Władysław I Herman ( 1044 – 4 June 1102) was the duke of Poland from 1079 until his death. Accession Władysław was the second son of the Polish duke Casimir the Restorer and Maria Dobroniega of Kiev. As the second son, Władysław was not ...

and his second wife

Judith of Swabia Judith of Swabia ( hu, Sváb Judit, pl, Judyta Szwabska, Judyta Salicka; Summer 1054 – 14 March ca. 1105?), a member of the Salian dynasty, was the youngest daughter of Emperor Henry III from his second marriage with Agnes of Poitou. By her t ...

), and Kievan princesses. In consequence of Iaroslav's early death, his descendants forfeited any right to the Kievan throne and had to content themselves with Turov and Pinsk. Secondly, in 1094 Sviatopolk married a daughter of Tugorkhan of the

Kypchaks The Kipchaks or Qipchaks, also known as Kipchak Turks or Polovtsians, were a Turkic nomadic people and confederation that existed in the Middle Ages, inhabiting parts of the Eurasian Steppe. First mentioned in the 8th century as part of the Sec ...

, Olena. They had four children: # Anna (died 1136), married to Sviatoslav Davydych from Chernihiv who took monastic vows upon her death and later became Saint Nikolai Svyatoslav Davydych of Chernihiv. # Maria, married Piotr Włostowic, castellan of Wroclaw and Polish palatine. # Bryachislav (1104–1127), possibly dethroned Iaroslav as the Prince of Turov (1118–1123) in 1118. # Izyaslav (died 1127), possibly the Prince of Turov in 1123. In 1104, Sviatopolk would marry for a third time to

Barbara Komnena Barbara Komnena (russian: Варвара Комнина, Varvara Komnina) is a mythical figure, claimed to be the daughter of the Byzantine emperor Alexios I Komnenos (reigned 1081–1118), and the wife of the Grand Prince of Kiev Sviatopolk II Izi ...

. Some sources claim Sviatopolk had an out-of-wedlock son, Mstislav, who ruled Novgorod-Sieversky from 1095–1097 and later Volyn (1097–1099). Mstislav later was murdered in Volodymyr-Volynski.

Footnotes

References

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External links