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Principality of Volhynia Волинське князівство (Ukrainian) | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 987–1199/1452 | |||||||||||||||
.svg) Flag  Coat of arms | |||||||||||||||
 Principality of Volhynia (shown in orange) | |||||||||||||||
| Capital | Volodymyr | ||||||||||||||
| Common languages | Old East Slavic | ||||||||||||||
| Religion | Eastern Orthodox | ||||||||||||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||||||
• Established | 987 | ||||||||||||||
• United withHalych intoPrincipality of Galicia-Volhynia | 1199 | ||||||||||||||
• War for succession between Poland and Lithuania | 1340–1392 | ||||||||||||||
• Incorporated intoLithuania | 1452 | ||||||||||||||
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ThePrincipality of Volhynia (Ukrainian:Волинське князівство) was a westernKievan Rus' principality founded by theRurikid prince Vsevolod in 987 centered in the region ofVolhynia, straddling the borders of modern-dayUkraine,Belarus, andPoland. From 1069 to 1118, it belonged to the Izyaslavichi who primarily ruled fromTurov (seePrincipality of Turov). After losing Turov to theMonomakhovichi in 1105, the descendants of Iziaslav Yaroslavovich for a few years continued to rule in Volhynia. From 1154 to 1199, the Principality was referred to as thePrincipality of Volodymyr (Latin:Lodomeria) when the Principality of Lutsk (1154–1228) was separated.
The principality held the lands of the historic region ofVolhynia from where it acquired its name. The capital of the principality as well as the largest and most important city of the region wasVolodymyr.[1] Other notable cities in the principality includeKremenets,Lutsk,Busk,Dorogobuzh,Brest,Belz, andShumsk.
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The Principality of Volhynia along with her sister state, thePrincipality of Halych were formed by sons of the rulingRurikid clan in Kiev.Iziaslav Mstislavich, the grandson ofVladimir Monomakh, moved toVolodymyr and started ruling it as his own possession, defeating a number of attempts to restore control by Kyivan princes. After Iziaslav's death in 1154, his sonMstislav defeated another attempt to bring his land under Kyiv's control.[2]
After Mstislav's death, the principality was divided between his sons, one of whom,Roman, managed to reunite the land under his rule. Following the death of the prince ofHalychVolodymyr Yaroslavovych in 1199, the Halych line of the Rurikid family had become extinct and the prince of Volhynia,Roman the Great annexed the principality, moved his seat to the city of Old Halych and formed the unitedKingdom of Galicia-Volhynia.[3][4][2]
