Rostislav Mstislavich ( – 1167) was
Prince of Smolensk
The Prince of Smolensk was the '' kniaz'', the ruler or sub-ruler, of the Rus' Principality of Smolensk, a lordship based on the city of Smolensk. It passed between different groups of descendants of Grand Prince Iaroslav I of Kiev until 1125, wh ...
(1125–1160),
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 ...
(1154) and
Grand Prince of Kiev
The Grand Prince of Kiev (sometimes also Grand Duke) was the title of the monarch of Kievan Rus', residing in Kiev (modern Kyiv) from the 10th to 13th centuries. In the 13th century, Kiev became an appanage principality first of the grand prin ...
(1154–1155; 1159–1161; 1161–1167).
He is the founder of the
Rostislavichi branch of
Rurikid
The Rurik dynasty, also known as the Rurikid or Riurikid dynasty, as well as simply Rurikids or Riurikids, was a noble lineage allegedly founded by the Varangian prince Rurik, who, according to tradition, established himself at Novgorod in the ...
princes in
Smolensk
Smolensk is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River, west-southwest of Moscow.
First mentioned in 863, it is one of the oldest cities in Russia. It has been a regional capital for most of ...
. He was the son of
Mstislav I of Kiev
Mstislav I Vladimirovich Monomakh (; Christian name: ''Fedor''; February 1076 – 14 April 1132), also known as Mstislav the Great, was Grand Prince of Kiev from 1125 until his death in 1132. After his death, the state began to quickly disin ...
and
Christina Ingesdotter of Sweden.
Reign
After
Yaroslav II of Kiev was driven out of Novgorod, Rostislav was invited to become the ruler of Novgorod. He accepted, and became the prince on April 17, 1154. Then, learning that
Iziaslav II had died, Rostislav left Novgorod to take the Kievan throne. Indignant that their prince had abandoned them and angered that "he did not make order among them, but tore them more apart", the citizens of Novgorod drove out Rostislav's son,
Davyd, who was their governor. They replaced him with Mstislav Yurievich, the son of
Yury Dolgoruky.
Rostislav ruled Kiev for one week before
Iziaslav III of Kiev forced him to flee to
Chernigov
Chernihiv (, ; , ) is a city and municipality in northern Ukraine, which serves as the administrative center of Chernihiv Oblast and Chernihiv Raion within the oblast. Chernihiv's population is
The city was designated as a Hero City of Ukrain ...
.
Issue
Rostislav had four sons:
*
Davyd Rostislavich, prince of Smolensk (1180–1197);
*
Mstislav Rostislavich, prince of Smolensk (1175–1177);
*
Roman I of Kiev, prince of Smolensk (1160–1172; 1177–1180), prince of Kiev (1171–1173; 1175–1177); and
*
Rurik Rostislavich, prince of Belgorod (1173–1194), intermittently prince of Kiev.
He also had two daughters:
* Elena Rostislavna of Kiev-Smolensk (died 1204); and
* Agrafena Rostislavna (died 1237).
Notes
References
Bibliography
*
*
1110s births
1167 deaths
Princes of Smolensk
Princes of Novgorod
Grand princes of Kiev
12th-century princes from Kievan Rus'
Year of birth uncertain
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