Victoria KENDALL was born on 9 Nov 1873 in unknown. She died unknown in unknown.

Spouse: Stephen Dorsey PIERATT. Stephen Dorsey PIERATT and Victoria KENDALL were married on 24 Jun 1893 in West Liberty, Morgan, Kentucky.

Children were: Gladys Kendall PIERATT, Martha Rose PIERATT.

Bertha Roena KENNEDY was born on 9 Apr 1899 in Morgan County, Illinois. She died in 1983 in unknown. She was buried in Arcadia Cemetery, Morgan County, Illinois. Parents: James Oliver KENNEDY and Louisa Ann GOODPASTURE.

Spouse: William DELANEY. William DELANEY and Bertha Roena KENNEDY were married unknown in unknown.

Spouse: John DELANEY. John DELANEY and Bertha Roena KENNEDY were married unknown in unknown.

Carrie Estella KENNEDY was born on 24 Dec 1871 in Leloup, Franklin, Kansas. She died on 6 Feb 1951 in Wyandotte, Wayne, Michigan.

Spouse: Edgar Sherman OAKLEY. Edgar Sherman OAKLEY and Carrie Estella KENNEDY were married on 17 Feb 1889 in Leloup, Franklin, Kansas. Children were: Ralph Cecil OAKLEY, Orval Emmett OAKLEY, Clara Leota OAKLEY, Nina Blanche OAKLEY, Oren Francis OAKLEY.

Charles Burven KENNEDY was born on 23 Dec 1889 in unknown. He died of pneumonia on 13 Jan 1911 in Illinois. He was buried in Arcadia Cemetery, Morgan County, Illinois. Parents: James Oliver KENNEDY and Louisa Ann GOODPASTURE.

Elizabeth KENNEDY was born on 11 Aug 1856 in Kickapoo, Leavenworth, Kansas. Residence: Kickapoo, Leavenworth, Kansas in 1880. Residence: Kickapoo, Leavenworth, Kansas in 1900. Residence: Kickapoo, Leavenworth, Kansas in 1910. Residence: Kickapoo, Leavenworth, Kansas in 1920. Residence: Kickapoo, Leavenworth, Kansas with son Francis in 1930. She died on 26 Mar 1944 in Leavenworth, Leavenworth, Kansas. She was buried Unknown in Mount Olivet Cemetery, St Joseph of the Valley Church, Leavenworth County, Kansas.

Spouse: Julius C. PAYEUR. Julius C. PAYEUR and Elizabeth KENNEDY were married Unknown in unknown. Children were: Maude PAYEUR, Francis Larince PAYEUR, Blanche PAYEUR, Julius C. PAYEUR, Elizabeth PAYEUR.

James Oliver KENNEDY was born in 1866 in Illinois. He died on 19 Apr 1939 in Morgan County, Illinois. He was buried in Arcadia Cemetery, Morgan County, Illinois.

Spouse: Louisa Ann GOODPASTURE. James Oliver KENNEDY and Louisa Ann GOODPASTURE were married on 4 Mar 1889 in Morgan County, Illinois.
Children were: Charles Burven KENNEDY, Bertha Roena KENNEDY.

Janet KENNEDY.

Spouse: King James IV of SCOTLAND. Janet Kennedy was his Mistress. Children were: James STEWART.

Margaret J. KENNEDY was born on 4 Jul 1847 in unknown. She died on 29 Sep 1882 in unknown.

Spouse: James Monroe PIERATT. James Monroe PIERATT and Margaret J. KENNEDY were married in 1864 in Douglas County, Kansas. Children were: Marian R. PIERATT, James M. PIERATT, William Ira PIERATT, Martha PIERATT, Mary PIERATT.

Edgiva of KENT died on 25 Aug 968 in unknown. She was born Unknown in unknown. Edgiva of Kent, or also Eadgifu (d. August 25, 968) was the third wife of Edward the Elder, King of England. She became the mother of two sons, Edmund, later King Edmund I, and Edred, later King Edred, and two daughters, Edburh and Edgiva. Edgiva survived Edward for many years, dying in the reign of her grandson Edgar.

Spouse: King Edward the Elder of ENGLAND. King Edward the Elder of ENGLAND and Edgiva of KENT were married in 919 in unknown. Children were: King Edmund I of ENGLAND, Edred of ENGLAND, Edburh, Edgiva.

Wilma Gladys KEPHARDT was born on 4 Apr 1915 in unknown. She died unknown in unknown.

Spouse: William Julius WOOD. William Julius WOOD and Wilma Gladys KEPHARDT were married on 5 Jun 1935 in unknown.

Maurice Lawrence (Junior) KERN Jr was born on 6 Aug 1930 in Leavenworth, Leavenworth, Kansas. He died on 17 Dec 2006 in Leavenworth, Leavenworth, Kansas. He was buried on 21 Dec 2006 in Mount Calvary Cemetery, Lansing, Leavenworth, Kansas.

Spouse: . Children were: Living, Living, Living, Living, Living, Living.

Ethel KERNS was born on 5 May 1901 in unknown. She died on 27 Jun 1994 in Kentucky. She was buried in Crown Hill, Sharpsburg, Bath, Kentucky.

Spouse: Charles Morris GILVIN. Charles Morris GILVIN and Ethel KERNS were married unknown in unknown. Children were: Living.

Minnie KERR was born about 1888 in Kentucky. She died Unknown in unknown.

Spouse: Alexander STEWART. Alexander STEWART and Minnie KERR were married about 1908 in Kentucky.

Harald KESJA was born in 1080 in unknown. He died in 1135 in Vejle on Jutland. Harald Kesja, Harald the Spear, (1080-1135) was the son of Eric I of Denmark. He was married to Ragnhild Magnusdotter, the daughter of king Magnus III of Norway. Eric appointed Harald the ruler of Denmark in 1103, when he went to Jerusalem, but Harald had to step back because of his uncle Niels of Denmark, who was elected king in 1104.

Harald was courageous, but violent, cruel and debauched. Among his 15 sons, only four were born in wedlock. Harald plundered far and wide from his stronghold Haraldsborg at Roskilde. In 1132, he allied with his half-brother Eric Emune in order to avenge his third brother Canute Lavard, but he later turned to the murderer Magnus Nilsson and fought with him at the Battle of Fotevik in Skåne, 1134. He fled after the defeat but he was taken captive near Vejle on Jutland and decapitated together with six of his sons.

One of his sons, Björn Ironside Haraldsson married Katarina Ingesdotter the daughter of the Swedish king Inge I. Björn was the father of Christina Bjornsdatter, a Swedish queen.

Parents: King Eric I of DENMARK and Boedil THURGOTSDATTER.

Spouse: Ragnhild MAGNUSDOTTER. Harald KESJA and Ragnhild MAGNUSDOTTER were married Unknown in unknown. Children were: King Olaf II of DENMARK, Björn Ironside HARALDSSON.

Anna Maud KESSLER was born about 1897 in unknown. She died before 1989 in unknown. Parents: Grocie KESSLER and Mary Agnes FLEMING.

Spouse: Frank MORRISON. Frank MORRISON and Anna Maud KESSLER were married about 1915 in unknown.

Emma Leona KESSLER was born about 1899 in unknown. She died before 1989 in unknown. Parents: Grocie KESSLER and Mary Agnes FLEMING.

Spouse: Fred FRANKE. Fred FRANKE and Emma Leona KESSLER were married about 1918 in unknown.

Gilbert KESSLER was born on 5 Nov 1900 in Illinois. He died on 31 May 1946 in unknown. Parents: Grocie KESSLER and Mary Agnes FLEMING.

Spouse: Aster LINDSTROM. Gilbert KESSLER and Aster LINDSTROM were married about 1921 in unknown.

Grocie KESSLER was born about 1850 in unknown. He died in 1946 in unknown.

Spouse: Mary Agnes FLEMING. Grocie KESSLER and Mary Agnes FLEMING were married about 1896 in unknown. Children were: Anna Maud KESSLER, Emma Leona KESSLER, Gilbert KESSLER.

Francis KETETTA was born on 5 Feb 1851 in Germany. She died on 10 Apr 1905 in unknown. She was buried in St. Stanislaus Cemetery.

Spouse: Joannes BUJARSKI. Joannes BUJARSKI and Francis KETETTA were married on 22 Jan 1877 in Bay City, Michigan. Children were: Max M. BUJARSKI, Marian BUJARSKI, Mary V. BUJARSKI, Anthony J. BUJARSKI, Clara F. BUJARSKI, Anna BUJARSKI, John Francis BUJARSKI, Reginald M. BUJARSKI, Leon Robert BUJARSKI (BEIRS), Alfred Adam BUJARSKI, Gertrude R. BUJARSKI, Victoria BUJARSKI.

Eva Lorraine KETTER was born about 1922 in Kansas. She died on 11 Dec 1998. Parents: William KETTER Jr and Josephine NOWOWIEJSKI.

Spouse: .

William KETTER Jr was born on 6 Nov 1895 in Kansas. Military Service: drafted into WWI on 5 Jun 1917. Farmer in 1920 . Residence: High Prairie, Leavenworth, Kansas in 1920. Farmer in 1930 . He died on 24 Dec 1950 in Leavenworth, Leavenworth, Kansas. He was buried on 26 Dec 1950 in Mount Muncie Cemetery, Leavenworth, Leavenworth, Kansas.

Spouse: Josephine NOWOWIEJSKI. William KETTER Jr and Josephine NOWOWIEJSKI were married on 28 Aug 1918 in unknown. Children were: Living, Eva Lorraine KETTER, Living.

Glenda A. KETTERMAN was born on 29 Dec 1944 in unknown. She died on 3 Sep 1997 in Leavenworth, Leavenworth, Kansas. She was buried in Sunset Memorial Gardens Cemetery, Leavenworth, Leavenworth, Kansas.

Spouse: . Vincent Edward CHMIDLING and Glenda A. KETTERMAN were married on 29 May 1965 in Immaculate Conception Church, Leavenworth, Leavenworth, Kansas. Children were: Living, Living, Living.

Daughter of a Kipchak KHAN was born Unknown in unknown. She died Unknown in unknown.

Spouse: Ruler of Kievan Rus, Vladimir II MONOMAKH.

Daughter of Tugor KHAN was born Unknown in unknown. She died Unknown in unknown.

Spouse: Prince Sviatopolk II of KIEV and Chernigov. Prince Sviatopolk II of KIEV and Chernigov and Daughter of Tugor KHAN were married Unknown in unknown. Children were: Yaroslav.

Vsevolod of KHOLM died in 1364 in unknown. He was born Unknown in unknown. Parents: Grand Prince of Tver & Vladimir, Alexander of TVER and Anastasia of HALYCH.

Claude KIEFER died unknown in Kansas City, Kansas. He was born unknown in unknown.

Spouse: Christine Marie KEMP. Claude KIEFER and Christine Marie KEMP were married unknown in unknown. Children were: Living.

Prince Monwid of KIERNOW and Slonim was born about 1288. He died about 1342. Parents: Grand Duke Gediminas of LITHUANIA and Jewna.

Prince Wigunt (Alexander) of KIERNOW was born after 1350 in unknown. He died on 28 Jun 1392 in unknown. Parents: Grand Prince Algirdas of LITHUANIA and Uliana of TVER.

Anne of KIEV was born between 1024 and 1032 in unknown. She died in 1075 in unknown. She was buried in Villiers Abbey, La-Ferte-Alais, Essonne. Anne of Kiev or Anna Yaroslavna (between 1024 and 1032 - 1075), daughter of Yaroslav I of Kiev, and his wife Ingegarde of Sweden, was the queen consort of France, as the wife of Henry I and regent for her son Philip I. After the death of his first wife, Matilda, King Henry searched the courts of Europe for a suitable bride, but could not locate a princess who was not related to him within illegal degrees of kinship. At last he sent an embassy to distant Kiev, which returned with Anne (also called Agnes or Anna). Anne and Henry were married at the cathedral of Reims, May 19, 1051. They had three sons:

Philip (May 23, 1052 - July 30, 1108). Anne is credited with bringing the name Philip to the Western Europe. She imported this Greek name (Philippos, from philos (love) and hippos (horse), meaning "the one that love horses") from her Eastern Orthodox culture.
Hugh (1057 - October 18, 1102), called the Great or Magnus, later Count of Crépi, who married the heiress of Vermandois and died on crusade in Tarsus, Cilicia.
Robert (c.1055 - c.1060)

For six years after Henry's death in 1060, she served as regent for Philip, who was only seven at the time. She was the first queen of France to serve as regent. Her co-regent was Count Baldwin V of Flanders. Anne was a literate woman, rare for the time, but there was some opposition to her as regent on the grounds that her mastery of French was less than fluent.

A year after the king's death, Anne, acting as regent, took a passionate fancy for Count Ralph III of Valois, a man whose political ambition encouraged him to repudiate his wife to marry Anne in 1062. Accused of adultery, Ralph's wife appealed to Pope Alexander II, who excommunicated the couple. The young king Philip forgave his mother, which was just as well, since he was to find himself in a very similar predicament in the 1090s. Ralph died in September 1074, at which time Anne returned to the French court. She died in 1075, was buried at Villiers Abbey, La-Ferte-Alais, Essonne and her obits were celebrated on September 5.

Parents: Prince Yaroslav I the Wise of KIEV and Novgorod and Ingegerd OLOFSDOTTER.

Spouse: King Henry I of FRANCE. King Henry I of FRANCE and Anne of KIEV were married on 19 May 1051 in Cathedral of Reims. Children were: Count Hugh of VERMANDOIS, King Philip I of FRANCE, Robert, Emma.

Eudoksia of KIEV was born Unknown in unknown. She died Unknown in unknown.

Spouse: Duke Mieszko III The Old of Greater POLAND. Duke Mieszko III The Old of Greater POLAND and Eudoksia of KIEV were married in 1154 in unknown. Children were: Wladyslaw III SPINDLESHANKS.

Euphrosyne of KIEV was born Unknown in unknown. She died Unknown in unknown. Parents: Grand Prince Mstislav of KIEV and Daughter of Dmitry ZAVIDICH.

Spouse: King Geza II of HUNGARY. King Geza II of HUNGARY and Euphrosyne of KIEV were married in 1146 in unknown. Children were: Ilona of HUNGARY, István III, King Bela III of HUNGARY.

Prince Igor of KIEV was born before 912 in unknown. He died in 945 in unknown. Igor was a Varangian ruler of Kievan Rus from 912 to 945. Very little is known about him from the Primary Chronicle. It has been speculated that the chroniclers chose not to enlarge on his reign, as the region was dominated by Khazaria at that time. That he was Rurik's son is also questioned on chronological grounds.

He twice besieged Constantinople, in 941 and 944, and in spite of his fleet being destroyed by Greek fire, concluded with the Emperor a favourable treaty whose text is preserved in the chronicle. In 913 and 944, the Rus plundered the Arabs in the Caspian Sea and laid siege to the capital of Albania (modern-day Azerbaijan). It is not clear whether Igor had anything to do with this campaign, or it may have been an independent group of Varangians. Igor was killed while collecting tribute from the Drevlians in 945 and revenged by his wife, Olga of Kiev. The Primary Chronicle blames his death on his own excessive greed, indicating that he was attempting to collect tribute a second time in a month.

Spouse: Olga of KIEV. Prince Igor of KIEV and Olga of KIEV were married Unknown in unknown. Children were: Prince Sviatoslav I of KIEV.

Ingeborg of KIEV. Parents: Grand Prince Mstislav of KIEV and Christine of SWEDEN.

Iziaslav II of KIEV. Parents: Grand Prince Mstislav of KIEV and Christine of SWEDEN.

Prince Iziaslav of KIEV and Turaw was born in 1024 in unknown. He died in 1078 in unknown. Iziaslav Yaroslavich (1024-1078), Kniaz' (Prince) of Turaw, Veliki Kniaz (the Grand Prince) of Kiev (since 1054), the oldest son of Yaroslav I the Wise. Iziaslav was one of the authors of "Pravda Yaroslavichey" - a part of the first Russian legal code called Russkaya Pravda.

In 1043 his father Veliki Kniaz (Grand Prince) Yaroslav made an agreement with King Casimir I of Poland that recognized Cherven as part of Kiev. The agreement was sealed with a double marriage, Casimir to Dobronega, Yaroslav's sister; and Iziaslav to Gertrude, Casimir's sister. From this marriage was born Iziaslav's son Yaropolk. His other son, Sviatopolk, was illegitimate.

As a result of the popular uprising in 1068, Iziaslav was deposed and fled to Poland. In 1069 he retook Kiev with the help the Polish army, however, he was ousted again by his brothers in 1073. Iziaslav turned to German emperor, Polish king and the Pope for help on several occasions. In 1077 he succeeded in retaking Kiev once again, but soon died in an internecine war against princes Oleg Sviatoslavich and Boris Viacheslavich.

Parents: Prince Yaroslav I the Wise of KIEV and Novgorod and Ingegerd OLOFSDOTTER.

Children were: Prince Sviatopolk II of KIEV and Chernigov.

Spouse: Gertrude. Prince Iziaslav of KIEV and Turaw and Gertrude were married in 1043 in unknown. Children were: Yaropolk.

Grand Prince Mstislav of KIEV was born on 1 Jun 1076 in unknown. He died on 14 Apr 1132 in unknown. Mstislav I Vladimirovich the Great (June 1, 1076 - April 14, 1132), was the Velikiy Kniaz (Grand Prince) of Kiev (1125-1132), the eldest son of Vladimir Monomakh by Gytha of Wessex. He figures prominently in the Norse Sagas under the name Harald, taken to allude to his grandfather, Harold II of England.

St Nicholas Cathedral, built by Mstislav I near his palace at Yaroslav's Court, Novgorod, contains 12th-century frescoes depicting his illustrious familyAs his father's future successor, Mstislav reigned in Novgorod the Great from 1088-93 and (after a brief stint at Rostov) from 1095-1117. Thereafter he was Monomakh's co-ruler in Belgorod-on-the-Dnieper, and inherited the Kievan throne after his death. He built numerous churches in Novgorod, of which St. Nicholas Cathedral (1113) and the cathedral of St Anthony Cloister (1117) survive to the present day. Later, he would also erect important churches in Kiev, notably his family sepulchre at Berestovo and the church of Our Lady at Podil.

Mstislav's life was spent in constant warfare with Cumans (1093, 1107, 1111, 1129), Estonians (1111, 1113, 1116, 1130), Lithuanians (1131), and the princedom of Polotsk (1127, 1129). In 1096, he defeated his uncle Oleg of Chernigov on the Koloksha River, thereby laying foundation for the centuries of enmity between his and Oleg's descendants. Mstislav was the last ruler of united Rus, and upon his death, as the chronicler put it, "the land of Rus was torn apart".

In 1095, Mstislav wed Princess Christine of Sweden, daughter of King Ingold I. They had many children:

Ingeborg of Kiev, married Canute Lavard of Jutland, and was mother to Valdemar I of Denmark
Malmfrid, married (1) Sigurd I of Norway; (2) Eric II of Denmark
Eupraxia, married Alexius Comnenus, son of John II Comnenus
Vsevolod of Novgorod
Maria, married Vsevolod II of Kiev
Iziaslav II of Kiev
Rostislav of Kiev
Sviatopolk of Pskov
Rogneda, married Yaroslav of Volinya
Xenia, married Briachislav of Izyaslawl

Christine died on January 18, 1122; later that year Mstislav married again, to the daughter of Dmitry Zavidich, a nobleman of Novgorod. Their children were:

Vladimir II Mstislavich (1132-1171)
Euphrosyne of Kiev, married King Geza II of Hungary.

Parents: Ruler of Kievan Rus, Vladimir II MONOMAKH and Gytha of WESSEX.

Spouse: Daughter of Dmitry ZAVIDICH. Grand Prince Mstislav of KIEV and Daughter of Dmitry ZAVIDICH were married in 1122 in unknown. Children were: Euphrosyne of KIEV, Vladimir II MSTISLAVICH.

Spouse: Christine of SWEDEN. Grand Prince Mstislav of KIEV and Christine of SWEDEN were married in 1095 in unknown. Children were: Ingeborg of KIEV, Malmfrid, Eupraxia, Vsevolod of NOVGOROD, Maria, Iziaslav II of KIEV, Rostislav of KIEV, Sviatopolk of PSKOV, Rogneda, Xenia.

Spouse: Kristina.

Olga of KIEV died on 11 Jul 969 in Kiev. She was born Unknown in unknown. Saint Olga (also called Olga Prekrasa, or Olga the Beauty, Old Norse: Helga; died July 11, 969, Kiev) was a Pskov woman of Varangian extraction who married the future Igor of Kiev, arguably in 903.

The Primary Chronicle gives 879 as her date of birth, which is rather unlikely, given the fact that her only son Svyatoslav was probably born some 65 years after that date. She spent great effort to avenge her husband's death at the hands of the Drevlians, and succeeded in slaughtering many of them and interring some in a ship burial, while still alive. She is reputed to have scalded captives to death and another, probably apocryphal, story tells of how she destroyed a town hostile to her. She asked that each household present her with a dove as a gift, then tied burning papers to the legs of each dove which she then released to fly back to their homes. Each avian incendiary set fire to the thatched roof of their respective home and the town was destroyed. After Igor's death, she ruled Kievan Rus as regent (945-c.963) for their son, Svyatoslav.

She was the first Rus ruler to convert to Christianity, either in 945 or in 957. The ceremonies of her formal reception in Constantinople were minutely described by Emperor Constantine VII in his book De Ceremoniis. After her baptism she took the Christian name Yelena, after the reigning Empress Helena Lekapena.

Olga was one of the first people of Rus to be proclaimed saint, for her efforts to spread the Christian religion in the country. However, she failed to convert Svyatoslav, and it was left to her grandson and pupil Vladimir I to make Christianity the lasting state religion.

Edward Gibbon upon Olga's conversion

Olga along with her escort in Constantinople, a miniature from the Chronicle of John Skylitzes.Photius of Constantinople, a patriarch, whose ambition was equal to his curiosity, congratulates himself and the Greek church on the conversion of the Russians. Those fierce and bloody Barbarians had been persuaded, by the voice of reason and religion, to acknowledge Jesus for their God, the Christian missionaries for their teachers, and the Romans for their friends and brethren. His triumph was transient and premature. In the various fortune of their piratical adventures, some Russian chiefs might allow themselves to be sprinkled with the waters of baptism; and a Greek bishop, with the name of metropolitan, might administer the sacraments in the church of Kiow, to a congregation of slaves and natives. But the seed of the gospel was sown on a barren soil: many were the apostates, the converts were few; and the baptism of Olga may be fixed as the aera of Russian Christianity.

A female, perhaps of the basest origin, who could revenge the death, and assume the sceptre, of her husband Igor, must have been endowed with those active virtues which command the fear and obedience of Barbarians. In a moment of foreign and domestic peace, she sailed from Kiow to Constantinople; and the emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus has described, with minute diligence, the ceremonial of her reception in his capital and palace. The steps, the titles, the salutations, the banquet, the presents, were exquisitely adjusted to gratify the vanity of the stranger, with due reverence to the superior majesty of the purple. In the sacrament of baptism, she received the venerable name of the empress Helena; and her conversion might be preceded or followed by her uncle, two interpreters, sixteen damsels of a higher, and eighteen of a lower rank, twenty-two domestics or ministers, and forty-four Russian merchants, who composed the retinue of the great princess Olga.

Monument to Princess Olga in Kiev. After her return to Kiow and Novogorod, she firmly persisted in her new religion; but her labours in the propagation of the gospel were not crowned with success; and both her family and nation adhered with obstinacy or indifference to the gods of their fathers. Her son Swatoslaus was apprehensive of the scorn and ridicule of his companions; and her grandson Wolodomir devoted his youthful zeal to multiply and decorate the monuments of ancient worship. The savage deities of the North were still propitiated with human sacrifices: in the choice of the victim, a citizen was preferred to a stranger, a Christian to an idolater; and the father, who defended his son from the sacerdotal knife, was involved in the same doom by the rage of a fanatic tumult.

Yet the lessons and example of the pious Olga had made a deep, though secret, impression in the minds of the prince and people: the Greek missionaries continued to preach, to dispute, and to baptize: and the ambassadors or merchants of Russia compared the idolatry of the woods with the elegant superstition of Constantinople. They had gazed with admiration on the dome of St. Sophia: the lively pictures of saints and martyrs, the riches of the altar, the number and vestments of the priests, the pomp and order of the ceremonies; they were edified by the alternate succession of devout silence and harmonious song; nor was it difficult to persuade them, that a choir of angels descended each day from heaven to join in the devotion of the Christians.

Spouse: Prince Igor of KIEV. Prince Igor of KIEV and Olga of KIEV were married Unknown in unknown. Children were: Prince Sviatoslav I of KIEV.

Rostislav of KIEV. Parents: Grand Prince Mstislav of KIEV and Christine of SWEDEN.

Prince Sviatopolk II of KIEV and Chernigov was born in 1050 in unknown. He died on 16 Apr 1113 in unknown. Sviatopolk II Iziaslavich (1050 - April 16, 1113) was a supreme ruler of 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. Upon his death the Kievan citizens raised a rebellion against the Jewish merchants and Varangian officials who speculated in grain and salt.

Sviatopolk was the illegitimate1 son of Iziaslav Yaroslavich by his mistress. During his brother Yaropolk's life, Sviatopolk was not regarded as a potential claimant to the Kievan throne. 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. Upon his brother's death he succeeded him in Turov, which would remain in possession of his descendants until the 17th century.

When Vsevolod Yaroslavich 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 in capturing and blinding one of Galician princes. He also sided with Vladimir Monomakh in several campaigns against the Kypchaks but was defeated in the Battle of the Stugna River (1097).

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

Sviatopolk married twice; to a Bohemian princess and then in 1094 to a daughter of Tugor Khan of the Kypchaks. By his first wife he had two daughters, Zbyslava, whom he married to king Boleslaw III of Poland, and Predslava to Prince Álmos of Croatia. His son Yaroslav reigned in Volynia and was married three times - to Hungarian, Polish, and Kievan princesses. In consequence of Yaroslav's early death, his descendants forfeited any right to the Kievan throne and had to content themselves with Turov and Pinsk.

Parents: Prince Iziaslav of KIEV and Turaw.

Spouse: Bohemian Princess. Prince Sviatopolk II of KIEV and Chernigov and Bohemian Princess were married Unknown in unknown. Children were: Predslava, Zbyslava.

Spouse: Daughter of Tugor KHAN. Prince Sviatopolk II of KIEV and Chernigov and Daughter of Tugor KHAN were married Unknown in unknown. Children were: Yaroslav.

Prince Sviatoslav I of KIEV was born about 945 in unknown. He died in 972 in unknown. Kniaz' Sviatoslav I, Prince of Kiev (c. 945 - 972) was the warrior Varangian prince of Kiev, who carved out for himself the largest state in Europe and finally moved his capital to Pereyaslavets in Bulgaria in 969.

We have no information about Svyatoslav's minority and youth, which he spent reigning in Novgorod. His mother, Saint Olga, ruled as Kievan regent until his majority (c.963). Sviatoslav was notorious as a stubborn pagan who rejected the Christianity, which had been embraced by his mother ca 945 or (more likely) in 957.

Svyatoslav's life was spent with his druzhina in permanent warfare against neighbouring states. During his reign, he created an empire that stretched from the Volga to the Danube. His greatest success was the conquest of Khazaria, which for centuries had been one of the strongest states of Eastern Europe. By 965 he also defeated the Volga Bulgars, thus bringing under Kievan control the entire area of the Volga River. Then, as an ally of the Byzantine Empire, which was at war with the Bulgarians, Sviatoslav decisively defeated the Bulgarians of the Danube (968), thereby paving the way for victories of Basil the Bulgar-Slayer.

In moving his capital to Bulgaria, Svyatoslav intended to make it the center of his extensive empire. He was forced to give up the Balkan lands (971), however, in a war with the Byzantine Emperor John I. His unorthodox appearance was noted by the Greeks, who described him as having shaved one side of his head, and having a single large gold earring. During his return from the abysmal Byzantine campaign, Sviatoslav was ambushed and killed by the Pechenegs (972). According to the Primary Chronicle, his skull was made into a chalice by the Pecheneg khan.

Edward Gibbon upon Svyatoslav's war with Byzantium

Pursuit of Svyatoslav's warriors by the Byzantine army, a miniature from John Skylitzes.The Russian traders had seen the magnificence, and tasted the luxury of the city of the Caesars. A marvellous tale, and a scanty supply, excited the desires of their savage countrymen: they envied the gifts of nature which their climate denied; they coveted the works of art, which they were too lazy to imitate and too indigent to purchase; the Varangian princes unfurled the banners of piratical adventure, and their bravest soldiers were drawn from the nations that dwelt in the northern isles of the ocean. The image of their naval armaments was revived in the last century, in the fleets of the Cossack, which issued from the Borysthenes, to navigate the same seas for a similar purpose. The Greek appellation of monoxyla, or single canoes, might justly be applied to the bottom of their vessels. It was scooped out of the long stem of a beech or willow, but the slight and narrow foundation was raised and continued on either side with planks, till it attained the length of sixty, and the height of about twelve, feet. These boats were built without a deck, but with two rudders and a mast; to move with sails and oars; and to contain from forty to seventy men, with their arms, and provisions of fresh water and salt fish.

Yet the threats or calamities of a Russian war were more frequently diverted by treaty than by arms. In these naval hostilities, every disadvantage was on the side of the Greeks; their savage enemy afforded no mercy: his poverty promised no spoil; his impenetrable retreat deprived the conqueror of the hopes of revenge; and the pride or weakness of empire indulged an opinion, that no honour could be gained or lost in the intercourse with Barbarians.

At first their demands were high and inadmissible, three pounds of gold for each soldier or mariner of the fleet: the Russian youth adhered to the design of conquest and glory; but the counsels of moderation were recommended by the hoary sages. "Be content," they said, "with the liberal offers of Caesar; it is not far better to obtain without a combat the possession of gold, silver, silks, and all the objects of our desires? Are we sure of victory? Can we conclude a treaty with the sea? We do not tread on the land; we float on the abyss of water, and a common death hangs over our heads."

The memory of these Arctic fleets that seemed to descend from the polar circle left deep impression of terror on the Imperial city. By the vulgar of every rank, it was asserted and believed, that an equestrian statue in the square of Taurus was secretly inscribed with a prophecy, how the Russians, in the last days, should become masters of Constantinople. In our own time, a Russian armament, instead of sailing from the Borysthenes, has circumnavigated the continent of Europe; and the Turkish capital has been threatened by a squadron of strong and lofty ships of war, each of which, with its naval science and thundering artillery, could have sunk or scattered a hundred canoes, such as those of their ancestors. Perhaps the present generation may yet behold the accomplishment of the prediction, of a rare prediction, of which the style is unambiguous and the date unquestionable.

Svyatoslav's meeting with Emperor JohnBy land the Russians were less formidable than by sea; and as they fought for the most part on foot, their irregular legions must often have been broken and overthrown by the cavalry of the Scythian hordes. Yet their growing towns, however slight and imperfect, presented a shelter to the subject, and a barrier to the enemy: the monarchy of Kiow, till a fatal partition, assumed the dominion of the North; and the nations from the Volga to the Danube were subdued or repelled by the arms of Swatoslaus, the son of Igor, the son of Ruric. The vigour of his mind and body was fortified by the hardships of a military and savage life. Wrapped in a bear-skin, Swatoslaus usually slept on the ground, his head reclining on a saddle; his diet was coarse and frugal, and, like the heroes of Homer, his meat (it was often horse-flesh) was broiled or roasted on the coals. The exercise of war gave stability and discipline to his army; and it may be presumed, that no soldier was permitted to transcend the luxury of his chief.

By an embassy from Nicephorus, the Greek emperor, he was moved to undertake the conquest of Bulgaria; and a gift of fifteen hundred pounds of gold was laid at his feet to defray the expense, or reward the toils, of the expedition. An army of sixty thousand men was assembled and embarked; they sailed from the Borysthenes to the Danube; their landing was effected on the Maesian shore; and, after a sharp encounter, the swords of the Russians prevailed against the arrows of the Bulgarian horse archers. The vanquished king sunk into the grave; his children were made captive; and his dominions, as far as Mount Haemus, were subdued or ravaged by the northern invaders.

But instead of relinquishing his prey, and performing his engagements, the Varangian prince was more disposed to advance than to retire; and, had his ambition been crowned with success, the seat of empire in that early period might have been transferred to a more temperate and fruitful climate. Swatoslaus enjoyed and acknowledged the advantages of his new position, in which he could unite, by exchange or rapine, the various productions of the earth. By an easy navigation he might draw from Russia the native commodities of furs, wax, and hydromed: Hungary supplied him with a breed of horses and the spoils of the West; and Greece abounded with gold, silver, and the foreign luxuries, which his poverty had affected to disdain. The bands of Patzinacites, Chozars, and Turks, repaired to the standard of victory; and the ambassador of Nicephorus betrayed his trust, assumed the purple, and promised to share with his new allies the treasures of the Eastern world. From the banks of the Danube the Russian prince pursued his march as far as Adrianople; a formal summons to evacuate the Roman province was dismissed with contempt; and Swatoslaus fiercely replied, that Constantinople might soon expect the presence of an enemy and a master.

Nicephorus could no longer expel the mischief which he had introduced; but his throne and wife were inherited by John Zimisces, who, in a diminutive body, possessed the spirit and abilities of a hero. The first victory of his lieutenants deprived the Russians of their foreign allies, twenty thousand of whom were either destroyed by the sword, or provoked to revolt, or tempted to desert. Thrace was delivered, but seventy thousand Barbarians were still in arms; and the legions that had been recalled from the new conquests of Syria, prepared, with the return of the spring, to march under the banners of a warlike prince, who declared himself the friend and avenger of the injured Bulgaria. The passes of Mount Haemus had been left unguarded; they were instantly occupied; the Roman vanguard was formed of the immortals (a proud imitation of the Persian style), the emperor led the main body of ten thousand five hundred foot; and the rest of his forces followed in slow and cautious array, with the baggage and military engines. The first exploit of Zimisces was the reduction of Marcianopolis, or Peristhlaba, in two days; the trumpets sounded; the walls were scaled; eight thousand five hundred Russians were put to the sword; and the sons of the Bulgarian king were rescued from an ignominious prison, and invested with a nominal diadem.

After these repeated losses, Swatoslaus retired to the strong post of Drista, on the banks of the Danube, and was pursued by an enemy who alternately employed the arms of celerity and delay. The Byzantine galleys ascended the river, the legions completed a line of circumvallation; and the Russian prince was encompassed, assaulted, and famished, in the fortifications of the camp and city. Many deeds of valour were performed; several desperate sallies were attempted; nor was it till after a siege of sixty-five days that Swatoslaus yielded to his adverse fortune. The liberal terms which he obtained announce the prudence of the victor, who respected the valour, and apprehended the despair, of an unconquered mind. The great duke of Russia bound himself, by solemn imprecations, to relinquish all hostile designs; a safe passage was opened for his return; the liberty of trade and navigation was restored; a measure of corn was distributed to each of his soldiers; and the allowance of twenty-two thousand measures attests the loss and the remnant of the Barbarians.

After a painful voyage, they again reached the mouth of the Borysthenes; but their provisions were exhausted; the season was unfavourable; they passed the winter on the ice; and, before they could prosecute their march, Swatoslaus was surprised and oppressed by the neighbouring tribes with whom the Greeks entertained a perpetual and useful correspondence. Far different was the return of Zimisces, who was received in his capital like Camillus or Marius, the saviours of ancient Rome. But the merit of the victory was attributed by the pious emperor to the mother of God; and the image of the Virgin Mary, with the divine infant in her arms, was placed on a triumphal car, adorned with the spoils of war, and the ensigns of Bulgarian royalty. Zimisces made his public entry on horseback; the diadem on his head, a crown of laurel in his hand; and Constantinople was astonished to applaud the martial virtues of her sovereign.

Parents: Prince Igor of KIEV and Olga of KIEV.

Spouse: Malusha. Prince Sviatoslav I of KIEV and Malusha were married Unknown in unknown. Children were: Grand Prince Vladimir I of KIEV.

Grand Prince Vladimir I of KIEV was born in 958 in unknown. He died in 1015 in Berestovo, near Kiev. Saint Vladimir Svyatoslavich the Great (c. 958-1015) was the grand prince of Kiev who converted to Christianity in 988, and proceeded to baptise the whole Kievan Rus. His name may be spelled in different ways: in Old East Slavic as Volodimir), in modern Ukrainian as Volodymyr, in Old Church Slavonic and modern Russian as Vladimir, in Old Norse as Valdamarr and the modern Scandinavian languages as Valdemar

Way to the throne
Vladimir was the youngest son of Svyatoslav I by his housekeeper Malusha, described in the Norse sagas as a prophetess who lived to the age of 100 and was brought from her cave to the palace to predict the future. Hagiographic tradition of dubious authenticity connects his childhood with the name of his grandmother, Olga Prekrasa, who was Christian and governed the capital during Svyatoslav's frequent military campaigns.

Transferring his capital to Pereyaslavets in 969, Sviatoslav designated Vladimir ruler of Novgorod the Great but gave Kiev to his legitimate son Yaropolk. After Sviatoslav's death (972), a fratricidal war erupted (976) between Yaropolk and his younger brother Oleg, ruler of the Drevlians. In 977 Vladimir fled to his kinsmen in Scandinavia, collecting as many of the Viking warriors as he could to assist him to recover Novgorod, and on his return the next year marched against Yaropolk.

Vladimir and Rogneda (1770).On his way to Kiev he sent ambassadors to Rogvolod (Norse: Ragnvald), prince of Polotsk, to sue for the hand of his daughter Rogneda (Norse: Ragnhild). The well-born princess refused to affiance herself to the son of a bondswoman, but Vladimir attacked Polotsk, slew Rogvolod, and took Ragnhild by force. Actually, Polotsk was a key fortress on the way to Kiev, and the capture of Polotsk and Smolensk facilitated the taking of Kiev (980), where he slew Yaropolk by treachery, and was proclaimed konung, or kagan, of all Kievan Rus.

Years of pagan rule
In addition to his father's extensive domain, Vladimir continued to expand his territories. In 981 he conquered the Cherven cities, the modern Halychyna; in 983 he subdued the Yatvyags, whose territories lay between Lithuania and Poland; in 985 he led a fleet along the central rivers of Russia to conquer the Bulgarians of the Kama, planting numerous fortresses and colonies on his way.

Though Christianity had won many converts since Olga's rule, Vladimir had remained thorough going pagan, taking eight hundred concubines (besides numerous wives) and erecting pagan statues and shrines to gods. It is argued that he attempted to reform Slavic paganism by establishing thunder-god Perun as a supreme deity. It is probable that he instituted the practice of human sacrifices as well.

Baptism of Rus

Modern statue in London, UKIn the year 987, as the result of a consultation with his boyars, Vladimir sent envoys to study the religions of the various neighboring nations whose representatives had been urging him to embrace their respective faiths. The result is amusingly described by the chronicler Nestor. Of the Muslim Bulgarians of the Volga the envoys reported there is no gladness among them; only sorrow and a great stench, and that their religion was undesirable due to its taboo against alcoholic beverages and pork. Russian sources also describe Vladimir consulting with Jewish envoys (who may or may not have been Khazars), and questioning them about their religion but ultimately rejecting it, saying that their loss of Jerusalem was evidence of their having been abandoned by God. Ultimately Vladimir settled on Christianity. In the churches of the Germans his emissaries saw no beauty; but at Constantinople, where the full festival ritual of the Byzantine Church was set in motion to impress them, they found their ideal: "We no longer knew whether we were in heaven or on earth," they reported, "nor such beauty, and we know not how to tell of it." If Vladimir was impressed by this account of his envoys, he was yet more so by political gains of the Byzantine alliance.

In 988, having taken the town of Chersones in Crimea, he negotiated for the hand of the emperor Basil II's sister, Anna. Never had a Greek princess married a Barbarian before, as matrimonial offers of French kings and German emperors had been peremptorily rejected. In short, to marry the 27-year-old princess to a pagan Slav seemed impossible. Vladimir, however, was baptized at Chersones, taking the Christian name of Basil out of compliment to his imperial brother-in-law; the sacrament was followed by his marriage with the Roman princess. Returning to Kiev in triumph, he destroyed pagan monuments and established many churches, starting with the splendid Church of the Tithes (989) and monasteries on Mt. Athos.

Christian reign

Historic statue in Kiev, UkraineHe now formed a great council out of his boyars, and set his twelve sons over his subject principalities. With his neighbors he lived at peace, the incursions of the savage Pechenegs alone disturbing his tranquillity. After Anna's death, he married again, most likely to a granddaughter of Otto the Great.

He died at Berestovo, near Kiev, while on his way to chastise the insolence of his son, Prince Yaroslav of Novgorod. The various parts of his dismembered body were distributed among his numerous sacred foundations and were venerated as relics. One of the largest Kievan cathedrals is dedicated to him. The University of Kiev was named after the man who both civilized and Christianized Kievan Rus. There is the Order of St. Vladimir in Russia. The Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches celebrate the feast day of St. Vladimir on 15 July.

His memory was also kept alive by innumerable folk ballads and legends, which refer to him as Krasno Solnyshko, that is, the Fair Sun. With him the Varangian period of Eastern Slavic history ceases and the Christian period beg

Until his baptism, Vladimir I of Kiev (c.958-1015) was described by Thietmar of Merseburg as a great profligate (Latin: fornicator maximus). He had a few hundred of concubines in Kiev and in the country residence of Berestovo. He also had official pagan wives, the most famous being Rogneda of Polotsk. His other wives are mentioned in the Primary Chronicle, with various children assigned to various wives in the different versions of the document. Hence, speculations abound

Greek wife
During his unruly youth, Vladimir begot his eldest son, Sviatopolk, relations with whom would cloud his declining years. His mother was a Greek nun captured by Svyatoslav I in Bulgaria and married to his lawful heir Yaropolk I. Tatischev, invariably erring in the matters of onomastics, gives her the fanciful Roman name of Julia. When Yaropolk was murdered by Vladimir's agents, the new sovereign raped his wife and she soon (some would say, too soon) gave birth to a child. Thus, Sviatopolk was probably the eldest of Vladimir's sons, although the issue of his parentage has been questioned and he has been known in the family as "the son of two fathers".

Norse wife
Norse sagas mention that, while ruling in Novgorod in his early days, Vladimir had a Varangian wife named Olava or Allogia. This weird name is probably a feminine form of Olaf. According to Snorri Sturluson the runaway Olaf Tryggvason was sheltered by Allogia in her house; she also payed a large fine for him.

Several authorities, notably Rydzevskaya ("Ancient Rus and Scandinavia in 9-14 cent.", 1978), hold that later skalds confused Vladimir's wife Rogneda with his grandmother and tutor Olga, with Allogia being the distorted form of Olga's name. Others postulate Olava was a real person and the mother of Vysheslav, the first of Vladimir's sons to reign in Novgorod, as behooves the eldest son and heir. On the other hand, there is no evidence that the tradition of sending the eldest son of Kievan monarch to Novgorod existed at such an early date.

Those scholars who believe that this early Norse wife was not fictitious, suppose that Vladimir could have married her during his famous exile in Scandinavia in the late 970s. They usually refer to the Ingvars saga's evidence of Eric VI of Sweden marrying his daughter to a 'konung of fjord lying to the East from Holmgard'. This prince could (or could not) have been Vladimir the Great.

Polotsk wife
Rogneda of Polotsk is the best known of Vladimir's pagan wives, although her ancestry has fuelled the drollest speculations. See this article for extensive but tenuous arguments for her Yngling royal descent.

The Primary Chronicle mentions three of Rogneda's sons - Izyaslav of Polotsk (+1001), Vsevolod of Volhynia (+ca 995), and Yaroslav the Wise. Following an old Yngling tradition, Izyaslav inherited the lands of his maternal grandfather, i.e., Polotsk. According to the Kievan succession law, his progeny forfeited their rights to the Kievan throne, because their forefather had never ruled in Kiev supreme. They, however, retained the principality of Polotsk and formed a dynasty of local rulers, of which Vseslav the Sorcerer was the most notable.

Bohemian wife
Vladimir apparently had a Czech wife, whose name is given by Vasily Tatishchev as Malfrida. Historians have gone to extremes in order to provide a political rationale behind such an alliance, as the Czech princes are assumed to have backed up Vladimir's brother Yaropolk rather than Vladimir. His children by these marriage were probably Svyatoslav of Smolensk, killed during the 1015 internecine war, and Mstislav of Chernigov. Some chronicles, however, report that Rogneda was Mstislav's mother.

Bulgarian wife
Another wife was a Bulgarian lady, whose name is given by Tatishchev as Adela. Historians have disagreed as to whether she came from Volga Bulgaria or from Bulgaria on the Danube. According to the Primary Chronicle, both Boris and Gleb were her children. This tradition, however, is viewed by most scholars as a product of later hagiographical tendency to merge the identity of both saints. Actually, they were of different age and their names point to different cultural traditions. Judging by his Oriental name, Boris could have been Adela's only offspring.

Anna Porphyrogeneta
Anna Porphyrogeneta was the only princess of the greatest of Byzantine dynasties, the Makedonioi, to have been married to a foreigner. The Byzantine emperors regarded the Franks and Russians as barbarians, refusing Hugues Capet's proposals to marry Anna to his son Robert I, so the Baptism of Kievan Rus was a prerequisite for this marriage. Following the wedding, Vladimir is said to have divorced all his pagan wives, although this claim is disputed. Regarded by later Russians as a saint, Anna was interred with her husband in the Church of the Tithes.

As all the Makedonioi princesses, Anna is not known to have had any children. Either her barenness or the Byzantine house rule could account for this. If she had any progeny, the prestigious and much sought for imperial parentage would have certainly been advertised by her descendants. The hagiographic sources, contrary to the Primary Chronicle, posit Boris and Gleb as her offspring, on understanding that holy brothers should have had a holy mother.

Yaroslav's parentage
There is also a case for Yaroslav the Wise's descent from Anna. According to this theory, implausible as it is, Nestor the Chronicler deliberately represented Yaroslav as Rogneda's son, because he systematically removed all information concerning Kievan ties with Byzantium, spawning pro-Varangian bias (see Normanist theory for details). The enthusiasts allege that Yaroslav's true age was falsified by Nestor, who attempted to represent him as 10 years older than he actually had been, in order to justify Yaroslav's seizure of the throne at the expense of his older brothers.

The Primary Chronicle, for instance, says that Yaroslav died in 1054 at the age of 76, thus putting his birth at 978, whereas Vladimir's encounter and marriage to Yaroslav's purported mother Rogneda is dated to 980. Elsewhere, speaking about Yaroslav's rule in Novgorod (1016), Nestor says that Yaroslav was 28, thus putting his birth at 988. The forensic analysis of Yaroslav's skeleton seems to have confirmed these suspicions, estimating Yaroslav's birth at ca. 988-990, i.e., after the Baptism of Kievan Rus and Vladimir's divorce with Rogneda. Consequently, it is assumed that either Yaroslav was Vladimir's natural son born after the latter's baptism, or he was his son by Anna.

Of course, if Yaroslav really had an imperial Byzantine descent, he wouldn't have missed the chance to publicize it. Some have seen the willingness of European kings to marry Yaroslav's daughters as an indication of this. Subsequent Polish chroniclers and historians, in particular, were eager to view Yaroslav as Anna's son. Recent enthusiasts envoke onomastic arguments, which have often proved decisive in the matters of medieval prosopography. It is curious that Yaroslav named his elder son Vladimir (after his own father) and his eldest daughter - Anna (as if after his own mother). Also, there is a certain pattern in his sons having Slavic names (as Vladimir), and his daughters having Greek names only (as Anna). In the absence of better sources, Anna's maternity remains a pure speculation, however.

German wife
Anna is known to have predeceased Vladimir by four years. Thietmar of Merseburg, writing from contemporary accounts, mentions that Boleslaw I captured Vladimir's widow during his raid on Kiev in 1018. The historians long had no clue as to identity of this wife. The emigre historian Nicholas Baumgarten, however, pointed to the controversial record of the "Genealogia Welforum" and the "Historia Welforum Weingartensis" that one daughter of Count Kuno von Oenningen (future Duke Konrad of Swabia) by "filia Ottonis Magni imperatoris" (Otto the Great's daughter) married "rex Rugorum" (king of Russia). He interpreted this evidence as pertaining to Vladimir's last wife.

It is believed that the only child of this alliance was Dobronega, or Maria, who married Casimir I of Poland between 1038 and 1042. As her father Vladimir died about 25 years before that marriage and she was still young enough to bear at least five children, including two future Polish kings (Boleslaw II and Wladyslaw Herman), it is thought probable that she was Vladimir's daughter by the last marriage.

Obscure offspring
Vladimir had several children whose maternity cannot be established with certainty. These include two sons, Stanislav of Smolensk and Sudislav of Pskov, the latter outliving all of his siblings. There is also one daughter, named Predslava, who was captured by Boleslaw I in Kiev and taken with him to Poland as a concubine. Another daughter, Premyslava, is attested in numerous (though rather late) Hungarian sources as the wife of Duke Ladislaus, one of the early Arpadians.

Parents: Prince Sviatoslav I of KIEV and Malusha.

Spouse: Rogneda of POLOTSK. Grand Prince Vladimir I of KIEV and Rogneda of POLOTSK were married Unknown in unknown. Children were: Prince Yaroslav I the Wise of KIEV and Novgorod, Vsevolod, Mstislav, Izyaslav, Predslava.

Children were: Maria DOBRONEGA.

Prince Vsevolod of KIEV and Chernigov was born in 1030 in unknown. He died on 13 Apr 1093 in unknown. Vsevolod I Yaroslavich (1030 - 13 April 1093) ruled as Grand Prince of Kiev from 1076 until his death. He was the fourth and favourite son of Yaroslav I the Wise by Ingigerd Olafsdottir. To back up an armistice signed with the Byzantine Empire in 1046, his father made him marry a daughter of the then Emperor Constantine IX and the couple later had a son, the future Vladimir Monomakh.

Upon his father's death in 1054, he received in appanage the towns of Pereyaslav, Rostov, Suzdal, and the township of Beloozero which would remain in possession of his descendants until the end of Middle Ages. Together with his elder brothers Iziaslav and Sviatoslav he formed a sort of princely triumvirate which jointly waged war on the steppe nomads and compiled the first East Slavic law code. In 1067 Vsevolod's Greek wife died and he soon married a Kypchak princess. She brought him another son, who drowned after the Battle of the Stugna River, and two daughters, one becoming a nun and another, Eupraxia of Kiev, marrying Emperor Henry IV.

Upon Sviatoslav's death in 1077 he inherited the Kievan throne, but ceded it to the banished Iziaslav in return for his patrimony of Chernigov. Izyaslav died next year and was succeeded by Vsevolod. He was versed in Greek learning and spoke 5 languages. Last years of his reign were clouded by grave illness, and his eldest son Vladimir Monomakh actually presided over the government.

Parents: Prince Yaroslav I the Wise of KIEV and Novgorod and Ingegerd OLOFSDOTTER.

Spouse: Anastasia. Prince Vsevolod of KIEV and Chernigov and Anastasia were married Unknown in unknown. Children were: Ruler of Kievan Rus, Vladimir II MONOMAKH.

Grand Prince Vsevolod the Big Nest of Vladimir-Suzdal and KIEV was born in 1154 in unknown. He died on 12 Apr 1212 in unknown. He was buried in Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir. Vsevolod III Yuryevich, or Vsevolod the Big Nest (1154-1212), was the Grand Prince of Vladimir during whose long reign (1177-1212) the city reached a zenith of its glory.

Vsevolod was the tenth or eleventh son of Yury Dolgoruky, who founded the town Dmitrov to commemorate the site of his birth. Karamzin was the first to speculate that Vsevolod's mother Helene was a Greek princess, for after her husband's death she took Vsevolod with her to Constantinople. It was at the chivalric court of the Komnenoi that he spent his youth. On his return from Byzantium to Rus in 1170, Vsevolod supposedly visited Tbilisi, as a local chronicle records that year Georgian king entertained his nephew from Constantinople and married him to his relative, an Ossetian princess.

Vsevolod's christian name was Dmitry, so he dedicated his palace church to St. Demetrius, his patron saint.In 1173, Vsevolod is briefly installed at the Kievan throne and taken prisoner by two Smolensk princes who captured the town. Ransomed a year later, he took his brother Mikhalko's side in his struggle against the powerful boyars of Rostov and Suzdal. Upon Mikhalko's death, Vsevolod succeeded him in Vladimir. He promptly subjugated the boyars and systematically raided the Volga peoples, notably Volga Bulgaria. He installed his puppets on the throne of Novgorod and married his daughters to princes of Chernigov and Kiev. Even the sovereigns of far-away Halych had to acknowledge his suzerainty.

Vsevolod showed little mercy to those who disobeyed his word. In 1180 and 1187, he punished the princes of Ryazan by ousting them from their lands. In 1207, he burnt to the ground both Ryazan and Belgorod. His military fame spread quickly. The Tale of Igor's Campaign, thought to be written during Vsevolod's reign, addresses him thus: Great prince Vsevolod! Don't you think of flying here from afar to safeguard the paternal golden throne of Kiev? For you can with your oars scatter in drops the Volga, and with your helmets scoop dry the Don.

But Kievan matters little concerned Vsevolod in the latter part of his reign. He concentrated on making his own capital, Vladimir, the most glorious city of Rus. His Ossetian wife, Maria Shvarnovna, who devoted herself to the works of piety and founded several convents, was glorified by the Russian church as a saint. By her Vsevolod had no less than twelve children, thus earning for himself a sobriquet of the Big Nest. He died on April 12, 1212 and was buried at the Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir.

Parents: Grand Prince Yuri Dolgoruki of KIEV and Helene.

Spouse: Maria SHVARNOVNA. Grand Prince Vsevolod the Big Nest of Vladimir-Suzdal and KIEV and Maria SHVARNOVNA were married Unknown in unknown. Children were: Grand Prince of Vladimir, Yaroslav II of RUSSIA.

Vyacheslav of KIEV. Parents: Ruler of Kievan Rus, Vladimir II MONOMAKH and Gytha of WESSEX.

Yaropolk II of KIEV. Parents: Ruler of Kievan Rus, Vladimir II MONOMAKH and Gytha of WESSEX.

Prince Yaroslav I the Wise of KIEV and Novgorod was born in 978 in unknown. He died in 1054 in unknown. Yaroslav I the Wise (c. 978-1054) (Christian name: Yuri, or George) was thrice Grand Prince of Novgorod and Kiev, uniting the two principalities for a time under his rule. During his lengthy reign, Kievan Rus' reached a zenith of its cultural flowering and military power

His way to the throne
Early years of Yaroslav's life are enshrouded in mystery. He was one of the numerous sons of Vladimir the Great, presumably his second by Rogneda of Polotsk, although his actual age (as stated in the Primary Chronicle and corroborated by the examination of his skeleton in the 1930s) would place him among the youngest children of Vladimir. It was speculated that he was a child begotten out of wedlock after Vladimir's divorce with Rogneda and his marriage to Anna Porphyrogeneta. Yaroslav figures prominently in the Norse Sagas under the name of Jarisleif the Lame; his legendary lameness (probably result of an arrow wound) was corroborated by the scientists who examined his relics.

In his youth, Yaroslav was sent by his father to rule the northern lands around Rostov the Great but was transferred to Novgorod the Great, as befitted a senior heir to the throne, in 1010. While living there, he founded the town of Yaroslavl (literally, Yaroslav's) on the Volga. His relations with father were apparently strained, and grew only worse on the news that Vladimir bequeathed the Kievan throne to his younger son, Boris. In 1014 Yaroslav refused to pay tribute to Kiev and only Vladimir's death prevented a war.

The Ukrainian hryvnia represents Yaroslav unbearded, as was the custom of Zaporozhian CossacksDuring the next four years Yaroslav waged a complicated and bloody war for Kiev against his half-brother Sviatopolk, who was supported by his father-in-law, Duke Boleslaus I of Poland. During the course of struggle, several other brothers (Boris and Gleb, Svyatoslav) were brutally murdered. The Primary Chronicle accused Svyatopolk of planning those murders, while the Saga of Eymund is often interpretated as recounting the story of Boris's assassination by the Varangians in the service of Yaroslav. However, the victim's name is given there as Burizlaf, which is also a name of Boleslaus I in the Scandinavian sources. It is thus possible that the Saga tells the story of Yaroslav's struggle against Svyatopolk (whose troops were commanded by the Polish duke), and not against Boris.

Yaroslav defeated Svyatopolk in their first battle, in 1016, and Svyatopolk fled to Poland. But Svyatopolk returned with Polish troops furnished by his father-in-law Duke Boleslaus of Poland, seized Kiev and pushed Yaroslav back into Novgorod. In 1019, Yaroslav eventually prevailed over Svyatopolk and established his rule over Kiev. One of his first actions as a grand prince was to confer on the loyal Novgorodians (who had helped him to regain the throne), numerous freedoms and privileges. Thus, the foundation for the Novgorod Republic was laid. The Novgorodians respected Yaroslav more than other Kievan princes and named a veche square after him. It is thought that it was at that period that Yaroslav promulgated the first Russian code of laws, called Yaroslav's Justice.

His reign

Russian images represent Yaroslav with a beard, as was the Muscovite customLeaving aside the legitimacy of Yaroslav's claims to the Kievan throne and his postulated guilt in the murder of brothers, Nestor and later Russian historians often represented him as a model of virtue and styled him the Wise. A less appealing side of his personality may be revealed by the fact that he imprisoned his younger brother Sudislav for life. Yet another brother, Mstislav of Tmutarakan, whose distant realm bordered on the Northern Caucasus and the Black Sea, hastened to Kiev and inflicted a heavy defeat on Yaroslav in 1024. Thereupon Yaroslav and Mstislav divided Kievan Rus: the area stretching left from the Dnieper, with the capital at Chernigov, was ceded to Mstislav until his death in 1036.

In his foreign policy, Yaroslav relied on the Scandinavian alliance and attempted to weaken the Byzantine influence on Kiev. In 1030 he reconquered from the Poles Red Rus, and concluded an alliance with king Casimir I the Restorer, sealed by the latter's marriage to Yaroslav's sister Maria. In another successful military raid the same year, he conquered the hypothetical Estonian fortress of Tarbatu, built his own fort in that place, which went by the name of Yuriev (after St George, or Yury, Yaroslav's patron saint) and forced the surrounding province of Ugaunia to pay annual tribute (possibly until 1061).

One of many statues of Yaroslav holding the Russkaya Pravda in his hand.In 1043 Yaroslav staged a raid against Constantinople led by his son Vladimir. Although the Rus army was defeated, Yaroslav managed to conclude the war with a favourable treaty and prestigious marriage of his son Vsevolod to the emperor's daughter.

To defend his state from nomadic tribes threatening it from the south he constructed a line of fortifications near the towns of Chersones, Kanev and Pereyaslav. To celebrate his decisive victory over the Pechenegs (who thereupon never were a threat to Kiev) he sponsored the construction of the Saint Sophia Cathedral in 1037. Other celebrated monuments of his reign, such as the Golden Gates of Kiev, have since perished.

Yaroslav was a notable patron of book culture and learning. In 1051, he had a Russian monk Ilarion proclaimed the metropolitan of Kiev, thus challenging old Byzantine tradition of placing Greeks on the episcopal sees. Ilarion's discourse on Yaroslav and his father Vladimir is frequently cited as the first work of Old Russian literature.

Family life and posterity

Yaroslav and his wife Irene are buried in the 13-domed Saint Sophia Cathedral they built in Kiev.In 1019, Yaroslav married Ingegerd Olofsdotter, daughter of king of Sweden, and gave Ladoga to her as a marriage gift. There are good reasons to believe that before that time he had been married to a woman named Anna, of disputed extraction.

In the Saint Sophia Cathedral, one may see a fresco representing the whole family: Yaroslav, Irene (as Ingigerd was known in Rus), their 5 daughters and 5 sons. Yaroslav married three of his daughters to foreign princes who lived in exile at his court: Elizabeth to Harald III of Norway (who had attained her hand by his military exploits in the Byzantine Empire); Anastasia to the future Andrew I of Hungary, and the youngest daughter Anne of Kiev married Henry I of France and was the regent of France during their son's minority. Another daughter may have been the Agatha who married Edward the Exile, heir to the throne of England and was the mother of Edgar Atheling and St. Margaret of Scotland.

Sarcophagus of Yaroslav the WiseYaroslav had one son from the first marriage (his Christian name being Ilya), and 6 sons from the second marriage. Apprehending the danger that could ensue from divisions between brothers, he exhorted them to live in peace with each other. The eldest of these, Vladimir of Novgorod, best remembered for building the Saint Sophia Cathedral in Novgorod, predeceased his father. Three other sons - Iziaslav, Sviatoslav, and Vsevolod - reigned in Kiev one after another. The youngest children of Yaroslav were Igor of Volynia and Vyacheslav of Smolensk.

Parents: Grand Prince Vladimir I of KIEV and Rogneda of POLOTSK.

Spouse: Anna. Prince Yaroslav I the Wise of KIEV and Novgorod and Anna were married Unknown in unknown. Children were: Llya.

Spouse: Ingegerd OLOFSDOTTER. Prince Yaroslav I the Wise of KIEV and Novgorod and Ingegerd OLOFSDOTTER were married in 1019 in unknown. Children were: Prince Iziaslav of KIEV and Turaw, Elizabeth, Anastasia, Anne of KIEV, Agatha, Vladimir of NOVGOROD, Sviatoslav, Prince Vsevolod of KIEV and Chernigov, Igor of VOLYNIA, Vyacheslav of SMOLENSK.

Grand Prince Yuri Dolgoruki of KIEV was born about 1099 in unknown. He died on 15 May 1157 in unknown. He was buried in Saviour Church of Berestovo. Yuri Dolgoruki also known as George I of Russia, (c. 1099 - May 15, 1157) was a key figure in transition of political power from Kiev to Vladimir-Suzdal following the death of his elder brother Mstislav the Great. He reigned as Veliki Kniaz (Grand Prince) of Kiev from September 1149 to April 1151 and then again from March 1155 to May 1157.

Activities in Rostov and Suzdal
Yuri, or rather George in English, was the sixth son of Vladimir Monomakh. Although his birthdate is uncertain, some chronicles report that Yuri's elder brother, Viacheslav, said to him: "I am much older than you; I was already bearded when you were born." Since Viacheslav was born in the early 1080s, this pushes Yury's birth to c. 1099/1100.

In 1108, Yuri was sent by his father to govern the vast Rostov-Suzdal province in the north-east of Kievan Rus'. In 1121, he quarelled with the boyars of Rostov and moved the capital of his lands from that city to Suzdal. As the area was sparsely populated, Yury founded many a fortress there. He established the towns of Ksniatin in 1134, Pereslavl-Zalesski and Yuriev-Polski in 1152, and Dmitrov in 1154. The establishment of Tver, Kostroma, and Vologda is also popularly assigned to Yury.

In 1147, Yuri Dolgoruki had a meeting with Sviatoslav Olgovich in a place called Moskva, or Moscow. This first mention of Moscow is considered the traditional date of the city's founding. In 1156, Yuri fortified Moscow with wooden walls and a moat.

Struggle for Kiev
For all the interest he took in fortifying his Northern lands, Yuri still coveted the throne of Kiev. It is his active participation in the Southern affairs that earned him the sobriquet of "Dolgoruki", i.e., "the long-armed". His elder brother Mstislav of Kiev died in 1132, and "the Russian lands fell apart", as one chronicle put it. Yuri instantaneously declared war on the princes of Chernigov, enthroned his son in Novgorod, and captured Pereyaslav of the South. The Novgorodians, however, betrayed him, and Yuri avenged by seizing their key fortress, Torzhok.

In 1147, Dolgoruki resumed his struggle for Kiev and two years later he captured it, but in 1151 he was driven from the Russian capital by his nephew Iziaslav. In 1155, Yuri regained Kiev once again. His sudden death, however, sparkled anti-Suzdalian uprising in Kiev. Yuri Dolgoruki was interred at the Saviour Church of Berestovo, which still stands in Kiev.

In memoriam
The Muscovites cherished Yuri's memory ever since and represented his patron saint, Saint George slaying a dragon, on the city's coat of arms. In 1954, a monument to him was erected on Moscow's principal avenue. Dolgoruki's image was stamped on a medal "In commemoration of Moscow's 800th anniversary", introduced in 1947. The nuclear submarine "Yuri Dolgoruki" is named after him.

Parents: Ruler of Kievan Rus, Vladimir II MONOMAKH and Byzantine noblewoman.

Spouse: Helene. Grand Prince Yuri Dolgoruki of KIEV and Helene were married Unknown in unknown. Children were: Grand Prince Vsevolod the Big Nest of Vladimir-Suzdal and KIEV.

Prince Vladymir of KIEW Kopylsk and Sluck died after Oct 1398 in unknown. He was born Unknown in unknown. Parents: Grand Prince Algirdas of LITHUANIA and Maria of WITEBSK.

John KIGER was born unknown in unknown. He died unknown in unknown.

Spouse: Pearl CARTER. John KIGER and Pearl CARTER were married unknown in unknown.

Prince Fiodor of KIJOW died about 1362 in unknown. He was born Unknown in unknown. Parents: Grand Prince Pukuwer of LITHUANIA.