Fiodor of Kiev

Fiodor of Kiev (14th century) was Duke of Kiev and brother of Gediminas, Grand Duke of Lithuania. Only a couple of short notes survive regarding Fiodor's life.

In early 1320's [Historians disagree on exact dating: Maciej Stryjkowski provided 1320/21, Aleksandr Ivanovich Rogov argues for 1322, C. S. Rowell for 1323, Feliks Shabul'do for 1324, Romas Batūra for 1325.] Gediminas won the Battle on the Irpen' River against Stanislav of Kiev and captured the city. [cite book | title=Lithuania Ascending: A Pagan Empire Within East-Central Europe, 1295-1345 | first=C. S. | last=Rowell | pages=97 | year=1994 | publisher=Cambridge University Press | series=Cambridge Studies in Medieval Life and Thought: Fourth Series| isbn=9780521450119 ] The Tatars, who also claimed Kiev, retaliated in 1324–1325. Lithuanian Chronicles mention that Gediminas installed his deputy Algimantas, son of Mindaugas from Olshanski family. There were some attempts to claim that Algimantas was Fiodor's pagan name, but they are discharged by evidence that Algimantas was baptized as Mikhail. [Rowell, C. S. "Lithuania Ascending", 104.]

In 1331 Vasily Kalika, a newly consecrated Archbishop of Novgorod, was traveling from Volodymyr-Volynskyi to Veliky Novgorod. [Rowell, C. S. "Lithuania Ascending", 176–177.] On his way he was stopped by Fiodor, Duke of Kiev, a Tatar tax collector ("basqaq"), and fifty men.Rowell, C. S. "Lithuania Ascending", 100.] The presence of a Tatar official led historians to believe that while Kiev was ruled by a Lithuanian, it had to pay a tribute to the Mongol Empire. [cite encyclopedia | editor=Simas Sužiedėlis | encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Lituanica | title=Theodore | year=1970-1978 | publisher=Juozas Kapočius | volume=V | location=Boston, Massachusetts | id=LCC | 74-114275 | pages=446–447] Lithuanians gained full control of the city after the victorious Battle of Blue Waters in 1362. [lt icon cite encyclopedia | first=Edvardas | last=Gudavičius | editor=Vytautas Spečiūnas | encyclopedia=Lietuvos valdovai (XIII-XVIII a.): enciklopedinis žinynas | title=Teodoras | year=2004 | publisher=Mokslo ir enciklopedijų leidybos institutas | location=Vilnius | id=ISBN 5-420-01535-8 | pages=31] According to Gustynskaia Chronicle, after the battle Fiodor was replaced as Duke of Kiev by Vladimir, son of Algirdas.

For a long time scholars assumed that Fiodor was of Rurikid origin because of his Christian name. However, in 1916 Russian historian Mikhail Dmitrievich Priselkov published a list of property belonging to Theognostus, a deceased Metropolitan of Moscow. [lt icon cite encyclopedia | encyclopedia=Lietuvių enciklopedija | title=Teodoras | location=Boston, Massachusetts | publisher=Lietuvių enciklopedijos leidykla |year=1953–1966 |volume=31 |pages=49 |id=LCC|55020366 ] The list, compiled in 1331, listed two silver cups gifted to Theognostus by Fiodor, brother of Gediminas. Modern historians agree that Fiodor from the list and Fiodor from Kiev was one and the same person. No other evidence survives regarding Fiodor's family.

ee also

* House of Gediminas – family tree of Fiodor

References