Konstantin Dobrynich (; died 1022)
was an 11th-century
posadnik
A posadnik (, ) was a representative of the prince in some towns during the times of Kievan Rus', and later the highest-ranking official (mayor) in Novgorod (from 1136) and Pskov (from 1308).
In the early 12th century, Novgorod won the right to ...
of
Novgorod
Veliky Novgorod ( ; , ; ), also known simply as Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the oldest cities in Russia, being first mentioned in the 9th century. The city lies along the V ...
. According to the Novgorod chronicles, he was the son of
Dobrynya and wielded great influence at the court of his own cousin,
Yaroslav the Wise
Yaroslav I Vladimirovich ( 978 – 20 February 1054), better known as Yaroslav the Wise, was Grand Prince of Kiev from 1019 until his death in 1054. He was also earlier Prince of Novgorod from 1010 to 1034 and Prince of Rostov from 987 to 1010, ...
.
The time at which he became posadnik is uncertain, as are the circumstances. In 1018, he is said to have destroyed the boats which Yaroslav intended to use for fleeing to Scandinavia from his brother
Svyatopolk I. Konstantin persuaded Yaroslav to continue his war against Svyatopolk, helped him muster a new
druzhina and regain the Kievan throne. Several years later, he fell into disgrace, for reasons unknown, fled to
Rostov and was eventually assassinated in
Murom
Murom (, ) is a historical types of inhabited localities in Russia, city in Vladimir Oblast, Russia, which sprawls along the west bank of the Oka River. It borders Nizhny Novgorod Oblast and is situated from the administrative center Vladimir, ...
at the behest of Yaroslav.
Historians tend to view Konstantin as a leader of an anti-Varangian party in Novgorod. His conflict with the Varangians is sometimes given as a reason for the promulgation of the earliest part of the ''
Russkaya Pravda''. On the other hand, the chronicle's information about his career may have been biased, if Konstantin indeed was the ancestor of the chronicle's co-author,
Yan Vyshatich, as many historians speculate.
References
Sources
*
Valentin Yanin. ''Новгородские посадники''
n.: The Posadniks of Novgorod Moscow, 1962.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dobrynich, Konstantin
11th-century people from Kievan Rus'
Posadniks of Novgorod
10th-century births
1022 deaths