Lev II of Galicia
Encyclopedia
Lev Yurevich or Lev II of Galicia (unknown – 1323) was the last Rurikid
Rurik Dynasty
The Rurik dynasty or Rurikids was a dynasty founded by the Varangian prince Rurik, who established himself in Novgorod around the year 862 AD...

 king of Galicia-Volhynia in 1308–1323 (according to other sources since 1315). He was the son of Yuri I of Galicia (1252–1308) whom he succeeded on the royal throne of Galicia. After the death of his father, he ruled the kingdom together with his brother Andrey. His mother was Euphemia of Kuyavia
Euphemia of Kuyavia
Euphemia of Kuyavia was a Kuyavian princess, she was Queen consort of Galicia-Volhynia.She was the daughter of Casimir I of Kuyavia by his third wife Euphrosyne, daughter of Casimir I of Opole...

. Though the kingdom was one being managed together, there are sources informing that Andrew was seated in Vladimir-in-Volhynia
Volodymyr-Volynskyi
Volodymyr-Volynsky is a city located in Volyn Oblast, in north-western Ukraine. Serving as the administrative centre of the Volodymyr-Volynsky District, the city itself is also designated as a separate raion within the oblast...

 and Lev II in Galicia.

Fighting Lithuania and Tatars

The first common Letter of Lev II and Andrey dates to August 9, 1316, where they renew the union with Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...

n crusaders, whom they promise to defend from the Tatars
Tatars
Tatars are a Turkic speaking ethnic group , numbering roughly 7 million.The majority of Tatars live in the Russian Federation, with a population of around 5.5 million, about 2 million of which in the republic of Tatarstan.Significant minority populations are found in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan,...

 and "any hostile invader". Under the last, one should understand Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...

, that ever more threatened not only the unity but the existence of Galician state.

It is known that in the second decade of 14th century, Lithuanians
Lithuanians
Lithuanians are the Baltic ethnic group native to Lithuania, where they number around 2,765,600 people. Another million or more make up the Lithuanian diaspora, largely found in countries such as the United States, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Russia, United Kingdom and Ireland. Their native language...

 strengthened their pressure upon Galicia-Volhynia taking Dorohychyn
Drohiczyn
Drohiczyn is a small historic town in Siemiatycze County, Podlaskie Voivodeship, Poland. The town with population 2,110 is situated on a bank of the Bug River.- History :...

 and Berestia
Berestia
Berestia , or Land of Berestia is the part of Belarusian and Polish ethnic territory, bounded by the Bug River, Pripyat River, Yaselda River, and Narew River.-Cities:...

 lands away. The years of rule of brothers were in constant fight with Gediminas of Lithuania.

Lev II and Andrew established firm relations with Polish king Władysław I the Elbow-high and the Teutonic Order and attempted to weaken dependence on the Golden Horde
Golden Horde
The Golden Horde was a Mongol and later Turkicized khanate that formed the north-western sector of the Mongol Empire...

. For some time they had been fighting the Mongol-Tatars and Lithuania.

They were also in union with the allies of Władysław I the Elbow-high - Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...

n and Pomorian kings against the Margraves of Brandenburg (1315).

Death

According to some historians he died together with his brother Andrew battling the Mongol-Tatars or Lithuanians defending Pidliashia.

Both king Andrew and his brother Lev II were much respected on the west. In May 1323, Polish king Władysław I the Elbow-high in his letter to the Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...

 was writing with regret: "Two last Ruthenian
Ruthenians
The name Ruthenian |Rus']]) is a culturally loaded term and has different meanings according to the context in which it is used. Initially, it was the ethnonym used for the East Slavic peoples who lived in Rus'. Later it was used predominantly for Ukrainians...

 (Ukrainian) kings, that had been firm shields for Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

 from Tatars
Tatars
Tatars are a Turkic speaking ethnic group , numbering roughly 7 million.The majority of Tatars live in the Russian Federation, with a population of around 5.5 million, about 2 million of which in the republic of Tatarstan.Significant minority populations are found in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan,...

, left this world and after their death Poland is directly under Tatar threat.

After their death the line of direct descendants of Roman Mstislavich broke and Galician state remained without dynasty. Galician boyars (nobility) attempted to rule the state themselves. That perhaps was the reason that that they went to get care of tatars, what Władysław I the Elbow-high became afraid of. But soon more conservative elements took among the boyars over and the Galician throne was given to Mazovian duke Boleslaw Trojdenowicz (related to the deceased royal brothers through marriage of his father Trojden I of Masovia to their sister Maria.

See also



External links

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