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 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 ...

Varangian, was the first Prince of Polotsk. When Vladimir the Great returned from exile in Scandinavia in 980 to try to claim the Kievan throne that his brother, Yaropolk, held, he sought an alliance with Rogvolod through a marriage with his daughter,

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 ...

. When she refused, calling Vladimir the "son of a slave," he attacked Polotsk, killed Rogvold and his son, and took Rogneda by force to be his wife. Polotsk was then granted to Vladimir's son,

Izyaslav Iziaslav ( uk, Ізя́слав, ) or Zaslav ( uk, Заслав, links=no, ; pl, Zasław) is one of the List of cities by time of continuous habitation, oldest cities in Volhynia. Situated on the Horyn River, Horyn river ( uk, Горинь, links ...

, around the time of Christianization (988), and when Izyaslav predeceased his father in 1001, the throne of Polotsk was passed on to Izyaslav's son, Briacheslav, and the Polotsk line (the senior branch of Vladimir's sons) became

izgoi Izgoi is a term that is found in medieval Kievan Rus'. In primary documents, it indicated orphans who were protected by the church. In historiographic writing on the period, the term was meant as a prince in Kievan Rus' who was excluded from succe ...

and was not legally allowed to succeed to the Kievan throne, although Bryacheslav's son, Vseslav, held briefly the Kievan throne in 1068-1069, after it was granted to him by the

veche Veche ( rus, вече, véče, ˈvʲet͡ɕe; pl, wiec; uk, ві́че, víče, ; be, ве́ча, viéča, ; cu, вѣще, věšte) was a popular assembly in medieval Slavic countries. In Novgorod and in Pskov, where the veche acquired gre ...

following the Kiev Uprising.Martin, ''Medieval Russia'', 29.

List of princes of Polotsk

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 ...

, fl. 977

Rurikids / Izyaslavichi of Polotsk

* 987–1001 Iziaslav I Vladimirovich * 1001–1003 Vseslav I Iziaslavich * 1003–1044 Briacheslav I Iziaslavich * 1044–1069 Vseslav II Briacheslavich * 1069 Vseslav II Briacheslavich, Sviatopolk I Iziaslavich and Mstislav I Iziaslavich * 1069–1071 Vseslav II Briacheslavich and Sviatopolk I Iziaslavich * 1071-1101 Vseslav II Briacheslavich (alone) * 1101–1129 Davyd Vseslavich * 1127–1128 Boris I Vseslavich * 1129–1132 Iziaslav II Mstislavich * 1132–1132 Sviatopolk II Mstislavich

Vseslavichi of Polotsk

* 1132–1144 Vasilko Sviatoslavich (Prince of Vitebsk) * 1144–1151 Rogvolod Borisovich (Prince of Drutsk) * 1151–1159 Rostislav Glebovich (Prince of Minsk) * 1159–1162 Rogvolod Borisovich (again) * 1162–1167 Vseslav III Vasilkovich (Prince of Vitebsk) * 1167–1167 Volodar Glebovich (Prince of Minsk) * 1167–1180 Vseslav III Vasilkovich (Prince of Vitebsk) * 1186–1215 Vladimir Vseslavich (Princes of Vitebsk) * 1215–1222 Boris II Vseslavich (Prince of Drutsk) * 1222–1232 Sviatoslav Mstislavich * 1232–1242 Bryachislav II Vasilkovich (Prince of Vitebsk)

Lithuanian assimilation

* 1252–1263

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 ...

* 1264–1267 Gerdine * ''1267–1270 Iziaslav III of Vitebsk'' (?) * 1270–1290 Konstantin the Armless * 1290–1307 occupation by the

Livonian Order The Livonian Order was an autonomous branch of the Teutonic Order, formed in 1237. From 1435 to 1561 it was a member of the Livonian Confederation. History The order was formed from the remnants of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword after the ...

( Archbishopric of Riga)

Gediminids

* 1307–1336

Vainius Vainius or Voin (died between 1338 and 1342) was the Prince of Polotsk from 1315 to his death. Very little is known about Vainius, brother of Gediminas, Grand Duke of Lithuania. He is mentioned in written sources in 1324 for the first time. In 1328 ...

(Voin) * 1336–1345 Narimantas * 1345–1399 Andrei of Polotsk * 1377–1397 Skirgaila

Notes

{{Reflist

References

* Алексеев Л. В. Полоцкая земля // Древнерусские княжества Х—XIII вв. — М., 1975., pp. 202—239. * Богуславский В. В. Славянская энциклопедия. Киевская Русь — Московия: в 2 т. — М.: Олма-Пресс, 2001. * Данилович В. Е. Очерк истории Полоцкой земли до конца XIV столетия. — К., 1896. p. 731 * Martin, Janet, ''Medieval Russia, 980-1584'', Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995 * Рыжов К. Все монархи мира. Россия. — Москва, Вече, 1998. * Selart A.:
Fürst Konstantin von Polock und die Geschichte Livlands im dritten Viertel des 13. Jahrhunderts
in: Forschungen zur baltischen Geschichte 2006, vol. 1.

External links

Polotsk princes on litopys.org.ua
Polotsk Noble titles of Kievan Rus Princes of Polotsk