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| Dmitry Alexandrovich | |
|---|---|
 Fresco from theCathedral of the Archangel (17th century) | |
| Grand Prince of Vladimir | |
| Reign | 1276–1281, 1283–1293 |
| Predecessor | Vasily of Kostroma |
| Successor | Andrey of Gorodets |
| Born | 1250 (1250) |
| Died | 1294 (aged 43–44) |
| Burial | Saviour Cathedral of Pereslavl-Zalessky |
| House | Rurik |
| Father | Alexander Nevsky |
| Religion | Eastern Orthodox |
Dmitry Alexandrovich (Russian:Дмитрий Александрович; 1250–1294)[1][2] wasGrand Prince of Vladimir from 1276 to 1281, and again from 1283 until 1293.[3]
Dmitry was the second son ofAlexander Nevsky. When his elder brother Vasily died young, Dmitry remained the chief heir to his illustrious father. As early as 1259, he was left by Alexander in charge ofNovgorod. Upon Alexander's death in 1264, however, the Novgorodians expelled Dmitry to his nativePereslavl-Zalessky, citing his youth as a pretext.
Four years later, when Dmitry had turned 18, he was welcomed back to Novgorod and — together with his future son-in-law,Daumantas of Pskov — led a local militia againstLivonian Knights in theBattle of Rakvere. During the following decade, he struggled for control of Novgorod against his uncles,Yaroslav III andVasily of Kostroma. In 1276, when his elders died, he finally ascended the coveted thrones ofVladimir andNovgorod. Two years later, he founded a great fortress ofKoporye, which he intended to rule himself. The Novgorodians revolted, forcing Dmitry to leave Koporye and Novgorod altogether.
While Dmitry was preoccupied with pacifying Novgorod,Andrey of Gorodets (Dmitry's younger brother) went to theGolden Horde and received from the khan permission to replace Dmitry as the Grand Prince. In 1281, Andrey returned to Russia, joined his forces with princes ofRostov andYaroslavl and, after much devastation to Dmitry's lands, seized his capital Pereslavl. Dmitry fled toKoporye but, failing to win support of Novgorodians, had to retreat further northward, probably toScandinavia.
Two years later, Dmitry returned to Russia, only to find his lands ravaged by theMongols and his brother Andrey. Thereupon he went to theBlack Sea and metNogai Khan, who was the greatest enemy of theGolden Horde at that time. Wishing to increase his authority in Russia, Nogai vowed to support Dmitry in his struggle for the grand ducal throne. On hearing about this, Andrey renounced his claims to Vladimir and Novgorod and returned toGorodets.
In 1285 Andrey again brought Mongol hordes to Russia, but these were expelled by Dmitry and his allies. Finally, in 1293 Andrey managed to unite the Mongols and Rus' princes in opposition to Dmitry. Reluctant to renew fratricidal hostilities, Dmitry took monastic vows in 1293 and died the next year. He was buried in the Saviour Cathedral of Pereslavl-Zalessky.
In 2023, paleogeneticists (Zhur et al.) identified him as having the same Y-chromosomal line as most modern representatives of theRurikid family. The results of the study were published in the journalActa Naturae. Scientists identified his mitochondrial haplogroupF1b1-a3a2a,[4] which belongs to the East Eurasian cluster, and the Y-chromosomal haplogroupN1a1a1a1a1a1a7a (N1a1-L550>Y4339>VL11[5]).[6]
Media related toDmitry I, Grand Prince of Vladimir at Wikimedia Commons
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Grand Prince of Vladimir 1276–1293 | Succeeded by |