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Map of Eastern Europe AD 1054-1132 |
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The death of Yaroslav 'the Wise' in 1054 saw the end of the descent of Rurikid power via agnatic seniority. His division of the succession weakened Kyiv by creating what soon turned out to be rival principalities for each of his sons. Kyiv was still able to exert a degree of control over these principalities, but only for a while. A protracted battle for the succession soon embroiled and, ultimately, partitioned Kievan Rus. Vseslav the Sorcerer, the pagan prince of Polotsk, seized and burned Novgorod and, after Yaroslav's three sons were defeated in battle by the Turkic Cumans in 1068, he seized Kyiv itself, briefly claiming kingship of Rus. Kievan Rus would again achieve some semblance of unity under Vladimir II Monomakh (1113-1125) and his son, Mstislav the Great (1125-1132) but, by then, other factors were precipitating its decline. A clickable version of this map is available for desktop displays. To select a kingdom, state, or tribe for further information, click on its name or within its borders.
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Original text and maps copyright © P L Kessler and the History Files. An original feature for the History Files. Go back or return home. |
