Mstislav I of Kiev
| Mstislav I of Kiev | |
|---|---|
Grand Prince Mstislav I Vladimirovich built the Pyrohoshcha Church of the Mother of God in Kiev
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| Spouse(s) |
Christina Ingesdotter of Sweden |
| Noble family | Rurik |
| Father | Vladimir II Monomakh |
| Mother | Gytha of Wessex |
| Born |
1 June 1076 Turov |
| Died | 14 April 1132 (aged 55) Kiev |
Mstislav I Vladimirovich the Great (Russian: Мстислав Владимирович Великий, Ukrainian: Мстислав Володимирович Великий, Belarusian: Мсціслаў Уладзіміравіч Вялікі) (June 1, 1076, Turov – April 14, 1132, Kiev) was the Grand Prince of Kiev (1125–1132), the eldest son of Vladimir II Monomakh by Gytha of Wessex. He figures prominently in the Norse Sagas under the name Harald, taken to allude to his grandfather, Harold II of England. Mstislav's Christian name was Theodore.
As his father's future successor, Mstislav reigned in Novgorod the Great from 1088–93 and (after a brief stint at Rostov) from 1095–1117. Thereafter he was Monomakh's co-ruler in Belgorod Kievsky, and inherited the Kievan throne after his death. He built numerous churches in Novgorod, of which St. Nicholas Cathedral (1113) and the cathedral of St Anthony Cloister (1117) survive to the present day. Later, he would also erect important churches in Kiev, notably his family sepulchre at Berestovo and the church of Our Lady at Podil.
Mstislav's life was spent in constant warfare with Cumans (1093, 1107, 1111, 1129), Estonians (1111, 1113, 1116, 1130), Lithuanians (1131), and the princedom of Polotsk (1127, 1129). In 1096, he defeated his uncle Oleg of Chernigov on the Koloksha River, thereby laying foundation for the centuries of enmity between his and Oleg's descendants. Mstislav was the last ruler of united Rus, and upon his death, as the chronicler put it, "the land of Rus was torn apart".
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