Rogvolod Vseslavich, baptismal name Boris, was the Prince of

Drutsk Drutsk (, ; , , also known as ''Дрютескъ'' (''Dryutesk'') or ''Дрюческъ'' (''Druchesk'') in the Middle Ages), is a historical town in Belarus, 40 kilometres (ca. 25 miles) west of Mogilev. The town was established in 1078 as an o ...

and

Polotsk Polotsk () or Polatsk () is a town in Vitebsk Region, Belarus. It is situated on the Dvina River and serves as the administrative center of Polotsk District. Polotsk is served by Polotsk Airport and Borovitsy air base. As of 2025, it has a pop ...

. He was the son of

Vseslav of Polotsk Vseslav Bryachislavich ( 1029 – 24 April 1101; also known as ''Vseslav the Sorcerer'' or ''Vseslav the Seer'') was Prince of Polotsk (1044–1101) and Grand Prince of Kiev (1068–1069). Together with Rostislav Vladimirovich and voivode Vys ...

, Grand Prince of Rus. Rogvolod probably was named in honor of his ancestor

Rogvolod Rogvolod (; ; 920978) was the first chronicled prince of Polotsk. He reigned until 978, when he and his two sons were killed by Vladimir the Great, then the prince of Novgorod, who took his daughter Rogneda as a wife. Name In the ''Primary Chro ...

. Some historians, including Mikhail Pogodin, believe that Rogvolod-Boris are two different princes. It is also not clear whether or not Rogvolod was the older brother of Davyd and

Gleb Gleb (; ) or Hlib (, ) is a Slavic male given name derived from the Old Norse name ''Guðleifr'', which means "heir of god." According to another version, the name Gleb comes from the name Olaf. It is popular in Russia due to an early martyr, Saint ...

. However, if he was given the Principality of Drutsk it, probably, corresponds to the ''line of succession'' which presumably made him second in that line. It also possible that he was the

Prince of Polotsk The Prince of Polotsk ruled the Principality of Polotsk within the realm of Kievan Rus' or within the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from the mid-9th century to 1307. History Rogvolod, Rogvold, a non-Rurik Dynasty, Rurikid Varangians, Varangian, was t ...

right after his father's death, but that account is rebutted by another fact which is supported by some Slavic chronicles that call Davyd Vseslavich as the leader of the Polotsk armed forces and possibly the main successor of the Polotsk throne. According to

Vasily Tatishchev Vasily Nikitich Tatishchev (sometimes spelt Tatischev; , ; 19 April 1686 – 15 July 1750) was a statesman, historian, philosopher, and ethnographer in the Russian Empire. He is known as the author of a book on Russian history titled ''The His ...

, Rogvolod has found the city of

Barysaw Barysaw or Borisov (, ; , ) is a city in Minsk Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Barysaw District. It is located on the Berezina, Berezina River and north-east from the capital Minsk. As of 2025, it has a population of 1 ...

in 1102,

Mykhailo Hrushevsky Mykhailo Serhiiovych Hrushevsky (; – 24 November 1934) was a Ukrainian academician, politician, historian and statesman who was one of the most important figures of the Ukrainian national revival of the early 20th century. Hrushevsky is ...

. ''History of Ukraine-Rus''. Vol.2. Kiev 1992 hence are the main speculation him being also called Boris. In 1106 he possibly participated in the united campaign of Polotsk Principality against the

Semigallians Semigallians (; ; also ''Zemgalians'', ''Semigalls'' or ''Semigalians'') were the Balts, Baltic tribe that lived in the south central part of contemporary Latvia and northern Lithuania. They are noted for their long resistance (1219–1290) agai ...

, which ended in defeat. Sometime in 1120 Rogvolod founded a princely residence near

in Belchitsy.

References

Sources

List of Princes of Rus at hrono.ru (as Rogvolod Vseslavich)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vseslavich, Rogvolod 11th-century births 1128 deaths Princes of Polotsk Iziaslavichi family (Polotsk) 12th-century princes from Kievan Rus'