Lev I of Galicia (ca. 1228 – ca. 1301) became in turn Knyaz

Knyaz

Kniaz, knyaz or knez is a Slavic title found in most Slavic languages, denoting a royal nobility rank. It is usually translated into English as either Prince or less commonly as Duke....

 of Belz (1245–1264), Knyaz of Peremyshl

Principality of Peremyshl

The Principality of Peremyshl was a medieval petty principality centred on Peremyshl in the Cherven lands .-First mentioning:...

, king of Halych

Halych

Halych is a historic city on the Dniester River in western Ukraine. The town gave its name to the historic province and kingdom of Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia, of which it was the capital until the early 14th century, when the seat of the local princes was moved to Lviv...

 (1264–1269) and King of Rus'

King of Rus'

King of Rus, later Ruthenian king of Galicia-Volhynia was a title of monarch of Kievan Rus' and Rus' kingdom, which granted the Pope.- Kings of Rus' kingdom :...

 (1269–1301), Grand Prince of Kiev (1271–1301).

Family

He was a son of King Danylo of Galicia and his first wife Anna of Novgorod. His maternal grandparents were Mstislav the Bold

Mstislav the Bold

Mstislav Mstislavich the Bold was one of the most popular and active princes of Kievan Rus' in the decades preceding Mongol invasion of Rus. He was the maternal grandfather of Alexander Nevsky and the prince Leo of Galicia....

 and an unnamed daughter of Kotian, Khan of the Cumans

Cumans

The Cumans were Turkic nomadic people comprising the western branch of the Cuman-Kipchak confederation. After Mongol invasion , they decided to seek asylum in Hungary, and subsequently to Bulgaria...

.

Reign

Lev moved his father's capital from Halych to the newly-founded city

City

A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...

 of Lviv

Lviv

Lviv is a city in western Ukraine. The city is regarded as one of the main cultural centres of today's Ukraine and historically has also been a major Polish and Jewish cultural center, as Poles and Jews were the two main ethnicities of the city until the outbreak of World War II and the following...

. This city was named after him by its founder, Lev's father King Danylo. In 1247 Lev married Constance, daughter of Béla IV of Hungary

Béla IV of Hungary

Béla IV , King of Hungary and of Croatia , duke of Styria 1254–58. One of the most famous kings of Hungary, he distinguished himself through his policy of strengthening of the royal power following the example of his grandfather Bela III, and by the rebuilding Hungary after the catastrophe of the...

. Unlike his father, who pursued a Western political course, Lev worked closely with the Mongols and together with them invaded Poland. However, although his troops plundered territory as far west as Racibórz, sending many captives and much booty back to Galicia, Lev did not ultimately gain much territory from Poland. Lev cultivated a particularly close alliance with the Tatar khan Nogai. Lev also attempted, unsuccessfully, to establish his family's rule over Lithuania. Soon after his brother Shvarno ascended to the Lithuanian throne in 1267, Lev organized the murder of Grand Duke of Lithuania Vaišvilkas

Vaišvilkas

Vaišelga or Vaišvilkas was the Grand Duke of Lithuania...

. Following his brother Shvarno's loss of the throne in 1269, Lev entered into conflict with Lithuania. From 1274-1276 he fought a war with the new Lithuanian ruler Traidenis

Traidenis

Traidenis was the Grand Duke Lithuania from 1270 till 1282. He is the second most prominent, after Mindaugas, Grand Duke of Lithuania in the 13th century. His reign ended a seven-year unrest period after Mindaugas was assassinated in 1263 and firmly established the Grand Duchy as a pagan state...

 but was defeated, and Lithuania annexed the territory of Black Ruthenia with its city of Navahrudak. In 1279, Lev allied himself with king Wenceslaus II of Bohemia and invaded Poland, although his attempt to capture Krakiv

Kraków

Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...

 in 1280 ended in failure. That same year, however, Lev defeated Hungary and annexed part of Transcarpathia, including the city of Mukachevo. In 1292 he defeated Poland and added Lublin

Lublin

Lublin is the ninth largest city in Poland. It is the capital of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 350,392 . Lublin is also the largest Polish city east of the Vistula river...

 with surrounding areas to the territory of Galicia-Volhynia. At the time of Lev's death in 1301 the state of Galicia-Volhynia was at the height of its power.

Marriage and children

Leo I married Constance of Hungary. She was a daughter of Béla IV of Hungary

Béla IV of Hungary

Béla IV , King of Hungary and of Croatia , duke of Styria 1254–58. One of the most famous kings of Hungary, he distinguished himself through his policy of strengthening of the royal power following the example of his grandfather Bela III, and by the rebuilding Hungary after the catastrophe of the...

 and Maria Laskarina

Maria Laskarina

Maria Laskarina was a daughter of Theodore I Laskaris and his first wife Anna Angelina.-Life:She was a younger sister of Irene Lascarina, first Empress consort of John III Doukas Vatatzes. Theodore married his eldest daughter to his designated heir in 1212...

. They had three children:

• Yuri I of Galicia (24 April 1252/1257 - 18 March 1308).
• Svyatoslava of Halych (d. 1302). A nun
• Anastasia of Galicia (d. 12 March 1335). She married Siemowit of Masovia who was a son of Casimir I of Masovia and his third wife Euphrosyne of Opole
  Euphrosyne of Opole
  Euphrosyne of Opole was a daughter of Casimir I of Opole and his wife Viola, Duchess of Opole. She was a member of the House of Piast and became Duchess of Kujavia from her first marriage and Duchess of Pomerania from her second marriage.- Family :Euphrosyne's paternal grandparents were Mieszko I...
  
  .

See also

• Danylo of Halych
• List of rulers of Galicia and Volhynia
• List of Ukrainian rulers

External links

• Genealogy of Danylo's family
• Lev Danylovych at the Encyclopedia of Ukraine