February 2009 Archives

Kyivan Rus' was the first eastern Slavic state and was founded by Varangians around the 9^th century. The first rulers of Kyivan Rus' were Askold and Dyr. However, Prince Oleh killed Askold and Dyr in 882 and took control. Oleh declared Kyiv the capital of the Kyivan Rus' state. In 911, Oleh conquered Constantinople and a few years later he established an important relationship with the Byzantine Empire. Another successful prince was Sviatoslav, who defeated the Greeks and the Bulgarians, which allowed him to unite all of the East Slavic states under Kyivan rule. Following Sviatoslav was Volodymyr the Great, who adopted Orthodox Christianity in 988, which became the official religion of Kyivan Rus'. Yaroslav the Wise was the next prince and Kyivan Rus' was during its Golden Age throughout his rule. Yaroslav created the first law code, expanded relations with Europe, and founded school systems. After his death, Volodymyr Monomakh unified Kyivan Rus' under his reign and he wrote a testament called Pouchenie, which was created to protect the poor. In the last 100 years of the Kyivan state, there were 24 princes because of civil war. The civil wars weakened Kyivan Rus', and the state ended in 1240, when the Mongols destroyed Kyiv ("Kyivan Rus'").

Prince Yaroslav the Wise

Prince Yaroslav the Wise was born in 978 and was the son of Volodymyr the Great. Yaroslav ruled Kyivan Rus' from 1036 until his death in 1054. After his father's death in 1015, he waged a war against his brother for the Kyivan throne. Yaroslav and his army were victorious and gained control of the Kyivan throne. By 1030, Yaroslav had conquered the land between the Baltic Sea and Lake Peipus. In 1036, his army defeated the Pechenegs, when the Pechenegs attacked Kyiv. In 1037, the Saint Sophia Cathedral was built, which was during the height of the Kyivan Rus'. In addition, he built a brick wall surrounding Kyiv with Golden Gates for the entrance. Yaroslav improved relations with Europe and the Byzantine Empire by marrying a Swedish princess. He established the first east Slavic legal code called Ruska Pravda. Furthermore, he promoted and encouraged education by building a library called the Kyivan Cave Monastery. Yaroslav devised a plan to separate the territory among his sons, but his plan failed when his sons fought each other for the land anyway. One of the most important accomplishments in Yaroslav's life was that he built over 400 churches during his reign. Yaroslav was buried in the Saint Sophia Cathedral in a marble sarcophagus ("Yaroslav the Wise").

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Mongol Invasion

Nomads told the princes of Rus' that there were Mongol warriors heading toward Kyivan Rus'. The Mongols were also known as tartars to Eastern Europeans. The Mongol Invasion began in 1223, which took place at the Battle of the Kalka River. Since the princes controlled different territories, they combined forces to fight the Mongols. Despite the combined forces, the Mongols defeated the Kyivan army. However, the Mongol army retreated and rebuilt their army for the next thirteen years. Instead of the Rus' princes getting ready for another Mongol invasion, they continued with their civil wars. In 1236, the Mongol army was as large as 150,000 men and it was led by Batu Khan. By 1238, the Mongols destroyed the armies of the Volga Bulgarians and the Kypchaks. In the summer of 1238, Batu Khan led the army to obliterate Crimea and Mordovia. In December 1240, the Mongol army destroyed Kyiv and the Kyivan State fell apart. The year 1240 was when Kyivan Rus' officially ended. Most cities never fully recovered from the Mongol invasion. Only two parts of the Kyivan Rus' did not end up under Mongol control, which were the states of Galicia and Volhynia ("Mongol Invasion of Rus").

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References:

"Yaroslav the Wise." 1993. 6 Feb. 2009 <http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/pages/Y/A/YaroslavtheWise.htm>.

"Kyivan Rus'" 1989. 6 Feb. 2009 <http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?linkpath=pagesKYKyivanRushDA.htm>.

"Mongol Invasion of Rus'" 6 Feb. 2009 http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Mongol-invasion-of-Rus

After the Mongols destroyed Kyiv in 1240, a new period of Ukrainian history began. The Mongols controlled all the land except for two independent principalities. These two principalities were called Galicia and Volhynia and they were merged together by King Roman to form Galicia-Volhynia. The lands were divided, but King Danylo of Halytsky regained control of Galicia-Volhynia. In 1323, the Romanovych family dynasty ended its rule in Ukraine. In the mid 14^th century, the Lithuanians invaded and conquered Ukrainian land all the way to Kyiv. The Lithuanians did not influence their culture on the Ukrainians, but rather accepted their local culture. However, Poland had also conquered Ukrainian territory and fought the Lithuanians for the control of the land. Both countries decided they had similar objectives, so they ended in partition. The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was created to share Ukrainian land between the two of them. During this time, Ukrainian territories were ruled by Lithuanians, Poles, and the Mongols. The territories in the north and northwest (Volhynia) were ruled by Lithuanian princes and the territories in the southwest (Galicia) were ruled by Poles. The Mongols controlled the Steppe and Crimea. In the early 16^th century, Cossacks began to form armies, which would lead to the Cossack Era ("Ukraine").

King Danylo Halytsky

King Danylo Halytsky was born in 1201 and was the son of Prince Roman Mstyslavych.  After his father's death in 1205, Danylo, his mother, and his brother were sent into exile by the boyars. The boyars chose one of their own people to be prince, but the Poles and the Hungarians invaded to support Danylo and his brother. In 1221, Danylo regained control of Volhynia and then in 1238, he defeated the Teutonic Knights to regain most of Galicia. One year later, Danylo gained control of Kyiv, but in 1240, the Mongols destroy Kyiv. In 1245, he took full control of Galicia by defeating the remaining boyars. Danylo became the ruler of Galicia and made his brother the ruler of Volhynia. Danylo was known as the prince of Galicia-Volhynia. Danylo created many new cities in western Ukraine. One of these new cities included Lviv, which is a major Ukrainian city today. He also encouraged Western European influence to spread throughout Ukraine. In 1260, the Mongols came and weakened his power of control and eventually defeated Danylo's forces. Danylo died shortly after in 1264. Danylo was overall a successful king and there is a monument in Lviv to commemorate him and his part in Ukrainian history ("Danylo: legendary Ukrainian King").

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Establishment of Lviv

Lviv was founded in the mid 13^th century by King Danylo Halytsky. The first record of the existence of Lviv dates back to 1256. The city of Lviv was named after Danylo's son; Lev. When Danylo died, Lev made Lviv the capital of Halich-Volhynia. Lviv consisted of fortresses and urban areas since it was located in the hills. Lviv was one of the biggest and most important towns in western Ukraine during this time period. In addition, Lviv became a center of trade because it was located in the crossroads of trading routes. Germans, Greeks, and Italian merchants began to inhabit Lviv because of its prosperous trade. Since Lviv was involved in trading and was in a good geographical area close to the rivers, it led to economic development and rapid growth of the region. However, in 1349, the Polish King conquered Lviv and heavily influenced the area of Lviv with the Polish language and the Roman Catholicism religion. In 1356, the Polish king gave Lviv the Magdeburg right, which meant a city council was the new form of government and the members were to be elected by wealthy citizens. Lviv would remain under foreign control throughout the next centuries, but today it is independent and one of the biggest cities in Ukraine ("A brief history: Lviv's founding and early years").

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References:

"A brief history: Lviv's founding and early years." 10/08/06, The Ukrainian Weekly. 27 Feb. 2009 <http://www.ukrweekly.com/old/archive/2006/410626.shtml>.

"Danylo: legendary Ukrainian King." Ukrainian diaspora in Canada and USA. 27 Feb. 2009 <http://www.ukrainians.ca/content/view/2169/1/lang,en/>.

"Ukraine." Encyclopedia Britannica Online Encyclopedia. 27 Feb. 2009 <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/612921/Ukraine>.