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| Yuri II of Vladimir | |
|---|---|
| Grand Prince of Vladimir | |
 | |
| Reign | 1212–1216, 1218–1238 |
| Predecessor | Vsevolod the Big Nest |
| Born | 26 November 1188 |
| Died | 4 March 1238 Battle of the Sit River |
| Spouse | Agatha (daughter ofVsevolod IV of Kiev) |
| Issue | VsevolodVladimir |
| House | Yurievichi |
| Father | Vsevolod the Big Nest |
| Mother | Maria Shvarnovna |
Yuri II (Russian:Ю́рий–II, also transcribed asIuri[1]), also known asGeorge II of Vladimir or asGeorgy II Vsevolodovich (26 November 1188 – 4 March 1238), was the fourthGrand Prince ofVladimir (1212–1216, 1218–1238) who presided over the Principality ofVladimir-Suzdal at the time of theMongol invasion of Kievan Rus'.[citation needed]
He was the seventh child and the third and best-loved son of Vsevolod III (Vsevolod the Big Nest) and ofMaria Shvarnovna.[citation needed]
He first distinguished himself in the battles againstRyazan in 1208. His father wanted Yuri to inheritRostov and his elder brotherKonstantin to succeed him in Vladimir. The latter, however, declared that he would rule both towns or nothing at all.[citation needed] Thereupon Vsevolod disinherited Konstantin[citation needed] and passed the throne to Yuri, who received the largest portion of his possessions.[1]
Before his death, grand prince Vsevolod divided his territories between his sons; as soon as he died in 1212, theVladimir-Suzdal war of succession (1212–1216) broke out between them.[1] Konstantin allied himself withMstislav the Bold and defeated Yuri and his other brothers on theLipitsa River.[citation needed] Having gained Vladimir, Konstantin sent Yuri to rule Rostov andYaroslavl. Two years later Konstantin died, and Yuri was allowed to return to Vladimir.[citation needed]
During his reign in Vladimir, Yuri waged several wars againstVolga Bulgaria and founded the fortress ofNizhny Novgorod on theVolga River to secure the area from Bulgarian attacks. He installed his younger brotherYaroslav inNovgorod. When theMongols first approached Russia in 1223, he sent a small unit against them, but it arrived too late to take part in the disastrousBattle of the Kalka River in May 1223.[citation needed]
When the Mongols returned in 1237, Yuri treated their envoys with disdain. Likewise, he did not help Ryazan whenBatu Khan laid siege to that city in December 1237. His own capital, however, was the next in line. Yuri's sons were soundly defeated nearKolomna, and Yuri himself could barely escape to Yaroslavl. His wife Agatha (Mikhail of Kiev's sister) and all his family died in Vladimir when theAssumption Cathedral where they had sought refuge from the fire collapsed in February 1238.[citation needed] Russian historians (Vadim Kargalov [ru],Gelian Prokhorov [ru]) believe that this information was deliberately falsified. The purpose was to hide the fact that some members of the princely family were captured. The most likely was the capture of Agatha, her daughter Princess Theodora, or the young Princess Marina, the wife of Yuri's sonVsevolod Yur'evich [ru]. (Princess Marina was not canonized in the Cathedral of the Vladimir Saints together with the rest of theVladimir Martyrs [ru] who died in the Assumption Cathedral).[2]
Yuri himself was killed on 4 March 1238, in theBattle of the Sit River, when vast Mongol hordes defeated the army of Vladimir-Suzdal. Therelics of the prince are in theDormition Cathedral, Vladimir.[citation needed]
WhenVsevold died in 1212 he divided his territories among his sons, the largest portion going to the second oldest, Iuri. Immediately the sons began to war amongst themselves, each striving to achieve a more favorable position and lands which contributed to the decline of theSuzdal-Vladimir principality.
Yuri II of Vladimir Born: 1189 Died: 4 March 1238 | ||
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Grand Prince of Vladimir-Suzdal 1212–1216 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Grand Prince of Vladimir-Suzdal 1218–1238 | Succeeded by |
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