Yaropolk II of Kiev
Encyclopedia
Yaropolk II Vladimirovich (1082 – 18 February 1139), Prince of Pereyaslav (1114–1132), Velikiy Kniaz (Grand Prince
Grand Prince
The title grand prince or great prince ranked in honour below emperor and tsar and above a sovereign prince .Grand duke is the usual and established, though not literal, translation of these terms in English and Romance languages, which do not normally use separate words for a "prince" who reigns...

) of Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....

 (1132–1139), son of Vladimir II Monomakh
Vladimir II Monomakh
Vladimir II Monomakh |Basileios]]) was a Velikiy Kniaz of Kievan Rus'.- Family :He was the son of Vsevolod I and Anastasia of Byzantium Vladimir II Monomakh |Basileios]]) (1053 – May 19, 1125) was a Velikiy Kniaz (Grand Prince) of Kievan Rus'.- Family :He was the son of Vsevolod I (married in...

 and Gytha of Wessex
Gytha of Wessex
Gytha of Wessex was one of several daughters of Edith Swanneck by Harold II, the last Anglo-Saxon king of England.According to Saxo Grammaticus, two of Harold's sons and a daughter escaped to the court of their uncle, king Sweyn Estridsson of Denmark. They were treated by Sweyn with hospitality,...

. He fought in several campaigns against the Polovtsy (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...

), once in 1103 and again in 1116.

After the death of his brother in 1132, Msitslav I the Great, Yaropolk received the crown of Kiev. Yaropolk had to deal with the many interests of his family, most of all his powerful half brother Yuri Dolgoruki
Yuri Dolgoruki
Prince Yuri I Dolgorukiy , also known as George I of Rus, was the founder of Moscow and a key figure in the transition of political power from Kiev to Vladimir-Suzdal following the death of his elder brother Mstislav the Great...

. Yaropolk appointed Vsevolod Mstislavich
Vsevolod of Pskov
Vsevolod Mstislavich , the patron saint of the city of Pskov, ruled as Prince of Novgorod in 1117–32, Prince of Pereslavl and Prince of Pskov in 1137–38.- Early life :...

 to succeed him in Pereyaslav but Yuri Dolgoruki, with the consent of the Novgorodians, soon drove out his nephew. Yaropolk appointed another son of Mstislav I: Iziaslav Mstislavich
Iziaslav II of Kiev
Iziaslav II Mstislavich , Prince of Pereyaslav , Prince of Turov , Prince of Rostov , Prince of Vladimir and Volyn , Pereyaslavl , Velikiy Kniaz of Kiev , was the oldest son of Mstislav Vladimirovich, Kniaz' , and...

 to Pereyaslav, who also received Turov. He was replaced soon thereafter by Yaropolk's brother Viacheslav Vladimirovich
Viacheslav I of Kiev
Viacheslav Vladimirovich , Prince of Smolensk , Turov , Pereyaslavl , Peresopnitsa , Vyshgorod and Grand Prince of Kiev ....

.

The peace didn't last long and in 1134 the merry-go-round started once more. Iziaslav had to transfer Turov to his uncle Viacheslav to let him rule the principality once again. Pereyaslav would come to Yuri Dolgoruki on the condition that Iziaslav got to rule Rostov
Rostov
Rostov is a town in Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, one of the oldest in the country and a tourist center of the Golden Ring. It is located on the shores of Lake Nero, northeast of Moscow. Population:...

 although Yuri kept a large part of the principality under his influence. Iziaslav also got to rule Volyn and another half brother of Yaropolk, Andrey Vladimirovich was to rule Pereyaslav.

Vsevolod Olgovich
Vsevolod II of Kiev
Vsevolod II Olgovich was the Prince of Chernigov and Grand Prince of Kiev , son of Oleg Svyatoslavich, Prince of Chernigov....

, then Prince of Chernigov
Chernihiv
Chernihiv or Chernigov is a historic city in northern Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Chernihiv Oblast , as well as of the surrounding Chernihivskyi Raion within the oblast...

, the Cumans and his allies who were asked by Iziaslav to make his point against Viacheslav, continued their war against Yaropolk and crossed the Dnieper to loot the Kiev region. After a decisive battle at the river Supoy in 1135, Yaropolk had to cede the town of Kursk
Kursk
Kursk is a city and the administrative center of Kursk Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Kur, Tuskar, and Seym Rivers. The area around Kursk was site of a turning point in the Russian-German struggle during World War II and the site of the largest tank battle in history...

 and Poseme only gained 17 years earlier.

Due to this change of balance the people of Novgorod expelled Vsevolod Mstislavich from Novgorod and replaced him with the brother of the Chernigov prince, Sviatoslav Olgovich. Vsevolod moved to Pskov
Pskov
Pskov is an ancient city and the administrative center of Pskov Oblast, Russia, located in the northwest of Russia about east from the Estonian border, on the Velikaya River. Population: -Early history:...

 and died in 1138 at the siege of Novgorod. Who where convinced to replaced Sviatoslav with Rostislav Yuryevich
Rostislav Yuryevich
Rostislav Yuryevich was the Prince of Novgorod and Pereyaslavl, oldest son of Yuri Dolgoruky, and brother of Andrei Bogolyubsky.- Biography :...

, the eldest son of Yuri Dolgoruki.

Sviatoslav continued the war against Yaropolk with also this time, Yaropolk's old enemies, the Cumans on his side. He found soon the combined troops of Kiev, Pereyaslav, Rostov, Polotsk, Smolensk, parts of Halych and 30-thousand Hungarians, send by the king Bela II
Béla II of Hungary
Béla II the Blind , King of Hungary and Croatia . Still as a child, Béla was blinded by his uncle, King Coloman who wanted to ensure the succession of his own son, the future King Stephen II...

 before the gates of Chernigov. He was forced to make peace in 1139.

Just before his death Yaropolk assisted Bela II when he was faced with internal enemies.

He died in 1139, and was buried in the church of St. Andrey. His brother, Vyacheslav I
Viacheslav I of Kiev
Viacheslav Vladimirovich , Prince of Smolensk , Turov , Pereyaslavl , Peresopnitsa , Vyshgorod and Grand Prince of Kiev ....

, who succeeded him was soon driven out by Vsevolod II
Vsevolod II of Kiev
Vsevolod II Olgovich was the Prince of Chernigov and Grand Prince of Kiev , son of Oleg Svyatoslavich, Prince of Chernigov....

.

Ancestors



See also

  • Cuman people
  • Cumania
    Cumania
    Cumania is a name formerly used to designate several distinct lands in Eastern Europe inhabited by and under the military dominance of the Cumans, a nomadic tribe who, with the Kipchaks, created a confederation. The Cumans were also known as the Polovtsians, or Folban...

  • Kipchak people
  • Cuman language
    Cuman language
    Cuman was a Kipchak Turkic language spoken by the Cumans and Kipchaks; the language was similar to the today's Crimean Tatar language...

  • Kipchak languages
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