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 cnetury to 1307.

Rogvold, a non-Riurikid 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, Iaropolk held, he sought an alliance with Rogvolod through a marriage with his daughter, Rogneda. 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. [Janet Martin, "Medieval Russia 980-1584" (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995), 1.] Polotsk was then granted to Vladimir's son, Iziaslav, around the time of Christianization (988), and when Iziaslav predeceased his father in 1001, the throne of Polotsk was passed on to Iziaslav's son, Briacheslav, and the Polotsk line (the senior branch of Vladimir's sons) became izgoi and was not legally allowed to succeed to the Kievan throne, [Martin, "Medieval Russia", 27.] although Briacheslav's son, Vseslav, held the Kievan throne in 1068-1069, after it was granted to him by the veche following the Kiev Uprising. [Martin, "Medieval Russia", 29.]

List of princes of Polotsk

* Ragnvald Olafsson, fl. 977

Polotsk Riurikids

* Iziaslav Vladimirovich, c. 987-1001
* Vseslav Iziaslavich, 1001-1003
* Briacheslav Iziaslavich, 1003-1044
* Vseslav Briacheslavich, 1044-1068

Turov Riurikids

* Mstislav Iziaslavich, 1069
* Sviatopolk Iziaslavich, 1069-1071

Polotsk Riurikids

* Vseslav Briacheslavich, (again), 1071-1101
* Davyd Vseslavich, 1101-1127
* Boris Vseslavich, 1127-1128
* Davyd Vseslavich (again), 1128-1129

Monomashichi Riurikids

* Iziaslav Mstislavich, 1129-1132
* Sviatopolk Mstislavich, 1132

Vitebsk Ruirikids

* Vasilko Sviatoslavich, 1132-1144

Drutsk Riurikids

* Rogvolod Borisovich, 1144-1151

Minsk Riurikids

* Rostislav Glebovich, 1151-1159

Drutsk Riurikids

* Rogvolod Borisovich (again), 1159-1162

Vitebsk Ruirikids

* Vseslav Vasilkovich, 1162-1167

Minsk Riurikids

* Volodar Glebovich, 1167

Vitebsk Riurikids

* Vseslav Vasilkovich (again), 1167-1175
* ?
* Vseslav Vasilkovich (3rd time), 1178-1180 x
* ?
* Vladimir or Volodar Vseslavich, 1186-1215

Drutsk Riurikids

* Boris Vseslavich, 1215-1222

molensk Riurikids

* Sviatoslav Mstislavich, 1222-1232

Vitebsk Riurikids

* Bryachislav Vasilkovich, 1232-1242

Lithuanian rulers

* Iziaslav of Vitebsk (?), ? 1267-?
* Konstantin Tovtivilovich, 1270/1280-c.1290
* "Part of the Archbishopric of Riga, 1290-1307"
* Vainius (Voin), 1307-1316
* Andrei of Polotsk, 1342-1377
* Skirgaila, 1377-1386
* Andrei of Polotsk (again), 1386-1387
* Skirgaila (again), 1387-1397

Notes

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.

Links

* [http://litopys.org.ua/dynasty/dyn24.htm Polotsk princes on litopys.org.ua]