Sviatopolk I Vladimirovich (c. 980 - 1019) was the Kniaz' (Prince)of Turov (988 - 1015) and Velikii Kniaz (the Grand Prince) of Kiev (1015-1019) whose paternity and guilt in the murder of brothers are disputed. Events Births Emperor Ichijo of Japan Humbert I of Savoy Avicenna Godiva, Countess of Mercia Deaths Categories: 980 ... Events Toi invasion: Jurchen pirates invade Kyushu. ... Kniaz’ or knyaz (князь in Russian and Ukrainian; knez in Serbian; cneaz in Romanian fem. ... For other meanings, see Prince (disambiguation). ... Turaw (Belarusian Ту́раў, Russian Ту́ров, Polish Turów, also transliterated as Turov) is a town in Zhytkavichy district of Homel voblast of Belarus. ... Events Vladimir I, Prince of Kiev marries Anna, sister of Byzantine emperor Basil II and converts to Christianity. ... The title of Grand Duke (Latin, Magnus Dux; German, Großherzog, Russian, Великий князь) used in Slavic, Baltic, and Germanic countries, is ranked in honour below King but higher than a sovereign Duke (Herzog) or Prince (Fürst). ... The title Grand Prince ([Latin]], Magnus Princeps; German, Großfürst, Finnish Suuriruhtinas, Swedish Storfurste, Lithuanian Didysis kunigaikÅ¡tis, Russian Великий князь) ranks in honour below Emperor and Tsar but higher than a sovereign Prince (Fürst) or Royal Prince. ... Events August: Canute the Great invades England. ...

Reverse of Svyatopolk's coin contains a fork image, interpreted as a sign of his descendance from two fathers.

Sviatopolk's mother was a Greek nun captured by Svyatoslav I in Bulgaria and married to his lawful heir Yaropolk I. When Yaropolk was murdered by his brother Vladimir's agents, the new sovereign raped his wife and she soon (some would say, too soon) gave birth to a child. Thus, Sviatopolk was probably the eldest of Vladimir's sons, although the issue of his parentage has been questioned. A coin of Svyatopolk the Accursed File links The following pages link to this file: Sviatopolk I of Kiev Categories: Currency images ... A coin of Svyatopolk the Accursed File links The following pages link to this file: Sviatopolk I of Kiev Categories: Currency images ... ... Prince Yaropolk I Sviatoslavich (alternative spelling Iaropolk) (? - 980) was a young and rather enigmatic ruler of Kiev between 972 and 980. ... Detail of the Millenium of Russia monument in Novgorod (1862) representing St Vladimir and his family. ...

At the age of eight Vladimir put him in charge of Turov and later arranged his marriage with the daughter of the Polish king Boleslaus I. The young princess came to Turov together with Reinbern, the Bishop of Calabria, whose intentions are believed to have been to split the Russian Orthodox Church and the Greek Orthodox Church and subdue the former to the Roman Catholic Church. Dissatisfied with his father and instigated by his own wife and Reinbern, Sviatopolk began preparations for war against Vladimir, probably counting on support from his father-in-law. Vladimir soon found out about Sviatopolk's intentions and threw him, his wife and Reinbern in prison. Reign From 992 until 1025 Coronation On April 18, 1025 in Gniezno Cathedral, Poland Royal House Piast Coat of Arms Orzeł Piastowski Parents Mieszko I Dubrawka Consorts Rikdaga Judith Enmilda Oda Children with Judith Bezprym with Enmilda Regelina Mieszko II Lambert Otton with Oda Matylda Date of Birth 966/ 967... A bishop is an ordained member of the Christian clergy who, in certain Christian churches, holds a position of authority. ... Calabria, formerly Brutium, is a region in southern Italy which occupies the toe of the Italian peninsula south of Naples. ... Saint Basils Cathedral, a well-known Russian Orthodox church situated in Moscow The Russian Orthodox Church (Русская Православная церковь) is that body of Christians who are united under the Patriarch of Moscow, who in turn is in communion with the other patriarchs of the Eastern Orthodox Church. ... Greek Orthodox Church can refer to: the Orthodox Church of Constantinople, headed by the Patriarch of Constantinople, who is also the first among equals of the Eastern Orthodox Communion. ... The Roman Catholic Church is the largest Christian body with over 1. ...

Domestic sources

Not long before Vladimir's death, Sviatopolk was freed from prison and sent to govern the town of Vyshgorod several miles from Kiev. When Vladimir died in 1015, Sviatopolk's retinue concealed his death from him due to the fact that he, being Vladimir's oldest son, could claim the Kievan throne. It didn't take long for Sviatopolk to find out about his father's demise and he seized power in Kiev almost immediately. Events August: Canute the Great invades England. ...

Coins of Yaroslav and his descendants represent the trident, recently adopted as a state emblem of Ukraine.

The citizens of Kiev did not show much sympathy for Sviatopolk and, therefore, he decided to distribute presents in order to win them over. Then, he decided to rid himself of his brothers' claims for the Kievan throne. Boris was the one who presented most danger to him, because he had been in charge of Vladimir's druzhina (personal guards) and army and enjoyed the support of the citizens. Sviatopolk sent his men to assassinate Boris, then Gleb and Sviatoslav. A coin of Yaroslav the Wise File links The following pages link to this file: Sviatopolk I of Kiev Categories: Currency images ... A coin of Yaroslav the Wise File links The following pages link to this file: Sviatopolk I of Kiev Categories: Currency images ... Poseidon sculpture holding a trident A trident (from Latin tridens, tridentis, from tri, three, dens, tooth, dentes, teeth) is a three pronged staff. ... A medieval Russian icon of Boris and Gleb Boris and Gleb, Christian names Roman and David, were the first Russian saints. ... Housecarls were household troops, personal warriors and equivalent to a royal bodyguard to Scandinavian kings. ... A medieval Russian icon of Boris and Gleb Boris and Gleb, Christian names Roman and David, were the first Russian saints. ...

Even though family feud wasn't something unusual back then, Sviatopolk's cold-blooded reprisal earned him the nickname of the Accursed. The news of this triple murder reached Sviatopolk's younger brother Yaroslav, Prince of Novgorod, who decided to go to war against Sviatopolk with the support from the citizens of Novgorod and the varangians. The battle took place not far from Lubech. Sviatopolk was defeated and fled to Poland. Yaroslav I the Wise (978?-1054) (Russian: Ярослав, Christian name: Yury, or George) was thrice prince of Novgorod and Kiev, uniting the two principalities for a time under his rule. ... Velikiy Novgorod (Но́вгород) is the foremost historic city of North-Western Russia, situated on the highway (and railway) connecting Moscow and St Petersburg. ... The Varangians or Variags were Scandinavians who travelled eastwards, mainly from Sweden. ...

Later, he returned to Rus, defeated Yaroslav with the help from his father-in-law and seized Kiev in 1017. Boleslaus I and his army remained in Rus for several months, but later had to retreat to Poland due to the increasing number attacks on the part of the Russians. On his way to Poland, Svyatopolk seized some of the Cherven towns. The word Rus or Rus (Русь in Cyrillic Alphabet) may refer to: the Rus (people) of disputed origin who were at the roots of the statehood of Eastern Slavic peoples; the territories they ruled, also known by the Latinized name, Ruthenia; Kievan Rus, the most powerful of early Ruthenian (Eastern... Events Canute the Great is acclaimed king of England. ... Galicia (Ukrainian: Галичина (Halychyna), Polish: Galicja, German: Galizien, Slovak: Halič, Romanian: Galiţia, Hungarian: Gácsország) is the name of a region of Central Europe. ...

Meanwhile, the citizens of Novgorod persuaded Yaroslav to go to war against Kiev once again. Sviatopolk was defeated and fled to the steppes. Soon he returned with the Pecheneg army and attacked Yaroslav on the Alta River, but was once again defeated and fled to Poland, eventually dying on his way there. A steppe in Western Kazakhstan in early spring In physical geography, steppe (from Russian step) is a plain without trees (apart from those near rivers and lakes); it is similar to a prairie, although a prairie is generally reckoned as being dominated by tall grasses, while short grasses are said... Pechenegs or Patzinaks (in Hungarian: Besenyők), were a semi-nomadic steppes people of Central Asia that spoke a Turkic language. ...

Foreign sources

During the last century, the traditional account of Svyatopolk's career has been somewhat modified. It has been argued that it was Boris who succeeded Vladimir in Kiev, while Svyatopolk was still in prison. One Norse saga called Eymund's saga (a part of Yngvars saga víðförla), with remarkable details, puts on Yaroslav the blame of his brother Burizlaf's murder. This Burizlaf, however, may be Svyatopolk (whose troops were commanded by the Polish king Boleslaus I; the latter name is also rendered as Burizlaf in some sagas) as well as Boris. The Norse sagas or Viking sagas (Icelandic: sögur), are stories about ancient Scandinavian and Germanic history, about early Viking voyages, about migration to Iceland, and of feuds between Icelandic families. ... The runestone Sö279. ... Ingvar the Far-Travelled was the leader of the Swedish Ingvar expedition, which was an unsuccessful Swedish Viking attack against Persia, in 1036-1041. ... Reign From 992 until 1025 Coronation On April 18, 1025 in Gniezno Cathedral, Poland Royal House Piast Coat of Arms Orzeł Piastowski Parents Mieszko I Dubrawka Consorts Rikdaga Judith Enmilda Oda Children with Judith Bezprym with Enmilda Regelina Mieszko II Lambert Otton with Oda Matylda Date of Birth 966/ 967...

Therefore it has been suggested that Svyatopolk ascended the throne after Boris's assassination and tried to fence off Yaroslav's attacks as well as to punish his agents guilty of Boris's murder.

The chronicle of Thietmar who died in 1018 could be regarded as the only contemporary and unbiased account of events, if not for the fact that Thietmar's data could have been supplied by Svyatopolk himself during his brief stay at the Polish court. Unfortunately it can be interpreted ambiguously as far as the question of Svyatopolk's guilt is concerned. One place in his chronicle can be understood (although this is not necessary) as telling that Svyatopolk escaped from Kiev to Poland immediately after his father's death. But Thietmar states that Boleslaus I of Poland firstly supported his son-in-law against Yaroslav in 1017, which is the date, according to the Russian Primary Chronicle, of Svyatopolk's first defeat by Yaroslav. Preparing a campaign against Kiev, Boleslaus abruptly stopped a successful war against the German Emperor Henry II. So, it is unlikely that Svyatopolk had been present at his court since 1015, which is often supposed by the historians that consider Yaroslav guilty of Boris and Gleb's murders. Thietmar (modern spelling Dietmar), ( 969- December 1, 1019) was bishop of Merseburg and a chronologist. ... Events Bulgaria becomes part of the Byzantine Empire. ... Events Canute the Great is acclaimed king of England. ... Henry II of Germany (972 - 13 July 1024), was the fifth and last Holy Roman Emperor of the Saxon or Ottonian dynasty. ...