Volodar Glebovich, Prince Of Minsk
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Volodar Glebovich of Minsk was a
prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...
of
Minsk Minsk (, ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach (Berezina), Svislach and the now subterranean Nyamiha, Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the administra ...
, belonging to the Vseslavichi clan of the
principality of Polotsk The Principality of Polotsk (obsolete spelling: ''Polock''; ; ), also known as the Duchy of Polotsk or Polotskian Rus', was a medieval principality. The origin and date of the establishment of the state are uncertain. Chronicles of Kievan Rus' ...
from where it originated. He was the son of Gleb Vseslavich of Minsk (death 1119) and Princess Yaropolkovna of Minsk. The first time he is mentioned as prince of Minsk in the ''
Kievan Chronicle The ''Kievan Chronicle'' or ''Kyivan Chronicle'' is a chronicle of Kievan Rus'. It was written around 1200 in Vydubychi Monastery as a continuation of the ''Primary Chronicle''. It is known from two manuscripts: a copy in the '' Hypatian Codex'' ...
'' is in 1159, one year after a long obituary to his mother, indicative that she reigned as princess of Minsk between her husband Gleb's death in 1119 and her son Volodar's mention as prince in 1159. Volodar died after 1167, possibly 1176.


Biography

Volodar's family had long been in conflict with the Grand Prince of
Kiev Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...
, Vladimir Monomach, who in 1113 (according to some information 1119) conquered Minsk from Volodar's father. Later, the remaining possessions of the Polotsk dynasty had been conquered by Vladimir's son
Mstislav I of Kiev Mstislav I Vladimirovich Monomakh (; Christian name: ''Fedor''; February 1076 – 14 April 1132), also known as Mstislav the Great, was Grand Prince of Kiev from 1125 until his death in 1132. After his death, the state began to quickly disin ...
and its members were forced into exile to, inter alia,
Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...
. However, after Mstislav's death in 1132, Kievan Rus' experienced some turmoil, enabling the Polotsk dynasty to make a political comeback beyond its patrimony. Volodar was married June 5, 1135 (probably while in exile in
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
) to Richeza of Poland, Queen of Sweden, daughter of
Bolesław III Wrymouth Bolesław III Wrymouth (; 20 August 1086 – 28 October 1138), also known as Boleslaus the Wry-mouthed, was the duke of Lesser Poland, Silesia and Sandomierz between 1102 and 1107 and over the whole of Poland between 1107 and 1138. He was the onl ...
and widow of the Danish prince and short-lived King Magnus I of Sweden, who the year before fell in the
Battle of Fotevik Battle of Fotevik () was fought between forces of King Niels of Denmark and his son Magnus Nielsen, against those of Erik Emune on 4 June 1134 at the bay of Fotevik in Skåne. At his death, King Eric I of Denmark had two known sons who w ...
. Volodar and Richeza had the daughter
Sofia of Minsk Sophia of Minsk or Sophia of Polotsk (died 5 May 1198) was a Danish queen consort by marriage to King Valdemar I of Denmark, and a landgravine of Thuringia by marriage to Louis III, Landgrave of Thuringia. Life Origin Sophia was the daughter o ...
, who later married Valdemar the Great of Denmark. The marriage of Volodar and Richeza was a political move by her father directed against the then alliance between Erik Emune of Denmark and the descendants of Monomach. Since several central actors in this conflict died and the position of the Monomies in Russia greatly weakened, the foundation of the marriage also fell, which was dissolved in divorce, after which Richeza married
Sverker I of Sweden Sverker the Elder (Old Swedish: ''Swærkir konongær gambli''; c. 1100 - 25 December 1156), also known as Sverker I, was King of Sweden from about 1132 until his murder. Of non-royal descent, he founded the House of Sverker, the rulers of which ...
. The ''
Kievan Chronicle The ''Kievan Chronicle'' or ''Kyivan Chronicle'' is a chronicle of Kievan Rus'. It was written around 1200 in Vydubychi Monastery as a continuation of the ''Primary Chronicle''. It is known from two manuscripts: a copy in the '' Hypatian Codex'' ...
'' states that Vseslav Glebovich, with Lithuanian help, defeated Rogvolod-Vasily of Polotsk in 1162, either near Minsk or "Garadzets". ''Sub anno'' 1167, it states that Volodar defeated Vseslav Vasilkovich near Polotsk, but when Volodar's army advanced to Vitebsk, it had to retreat due to a storm.


Misconception

In ancient history research, Volodar was usually confused (among others by Nikolaj von Baumgarten) with the half-mythical prince Vladimir Vsevolodich of
Novgorod Veliky Novgorod ( ; , ; ), also known simply as Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the oldest cities in Russia, being first mentioned in the 9th century. The city lies along the V ...
.


References


Bibliography


Primary sources

* ''
Kievan Chronicle The ''Kievan Chronicle'' or ''Kyivan Chronicle'' is a chronicle of Kievan Rus'. It was written around 1200 in Vydubychi Monastery as a continuation of the ''Primary Chronicle''. It is known from two manuscripts: a copy in the '' Hypatian Codex'' ...
'' ( 1200), ''sub anno'' 6682 (1174) 173** (Church Slavonic critical edition) ** (modern English translation) ** (modern Ukrainian translation) — A modern annotated Ukrainian translation of the ''
Kievan Chronicle The ''Kievan Chronicle'' or ''Kyivan Chronicle'' is a chronicle of Kievan Rus'. It was written around 1200 in Vydubychi Monastery as a continuation of the ''Primary Chronicle''. It is known from two manuscripts: a copy in the '' Hypatian Codex'' ...
'' based on the Hypatian Codex with comments from the Khlebnikov Codex.


Literature

* * John Lind "The Russian Marriages. Dynamic and Political Coalitions During the Danish Civil War of the 1130s" in (Danish) '' Historical Journal '' No. 2 1992. {{authority control 1176 deaths Iziaslavichi family (Polotsk)