Vladimir of Novgorod

Vladimir is buried in this cathedral he built in Novgorod.

Vladimir of Novgorod
Prince of Novgorod
Reign	1036–1052
Born	1020
Died	October 4, 1052 [aged ~32] Novgorod
Burial	St Sophia Cathedral, Novgorod
Spouse	Anna
Issue	Rostislav Vladimirovich, Yaropolk
Full name Vladimir Yaroslavovich
House	Riurik Dynasty
Father	Yaroslav the Wise
Mother	Ingegard Anna

Vladimir Yaroslavich (Russian: Владимир Ярославич) (1020 – October 4, 1052) reigned as prince of Novgorod from 1036 until his death. He was the eldest son of Yaroslav I the Wise of Kiev by Ingigerd, daughter of king Olof Skötkonung of Sweden.^[1]

In the state affairs he was assisted by the voivode Vyshata and the bishop Luka Zhidiata. In 1042, Vladimir may have been in conflict with Finns, according to some interpretations even making a military campaign in Finland.^[2] In the next year he led the Russian armies together with Harald III of Norway against the Byzantine emperor Constantine IX. He predeceased his father by two years and was buried by him in St Sophia Cathedral he had built in Novgorod. His sarcophagus is in a niche on the south side of the main body of the cathedral overlooking the Martirievskii Porch. He is depicted in an early twentieth-century fresco above the sarcophagus and on a new ephigial icon on top of the sarcophagus.^[3] The details of his death is unknown, however his son Rostislav and his descendants were in unfriendly relationship with the descendants of the Yaroslaviches triumvirate (Iziaslav, Sviatoslav, and Vsevolod). Three of Vladimir's younger brothers Izyaslav I, Svyatoslav II and Vsevolod I all reigned in Kiev, while other two (Igor and Vyacheslav) died in their early twenties after which their lands were split between the Yaroslaviches triumvirate. Coincidentally, the Vyshata of Novgorod pledged his support to Rostislav in the struggle against the triumvirate.

Vladimir's only son, Rostislav Vladimirovich, was a landless prince who usurped power in Tmutarakan. His descendants^[4] were dispossessed by their uncles and were proclaimed as izgoi (outcast), but gradually managed to establish themselves in Halychyna, ruling the land until 1199, when their line became extinct. In order to downplay their claims to Kiev, the records of Vladimir's military campaigns seem to have been obliterated from Kievan chronicles. As a result, medieval historians often confuse him with two more famous namesakes — Vladimir the Great and Vladimir Monomakh. The name of Vladimir's consort is uncertain either. According to Nikolai Baumgarten, Vladimir was married to the daughter of count Leopold of Staden, Ode. Others (Aleksandr Nazarenko) disregard that assumption or claim a different person.

Vladimir's memory was better preserved in foreign sources. In Norse sagas he frequently figures as Valdemar Holti (that is, "the Nimble"). George Cedrenus noticed Vladimir's arrogance in dealing with the Byzantines.

Ancestry

Ancestors of Vladimir of Novgorod

16. Igor of Kiev               8. Sviatoslav I of Kiev                       17. Olga of Kiev               4. Vladimir the Great                             9. Malusha                       2. Yaroslav I the Wise                                   10. Rogvolod                       5. Rogneda of Polotsk                             1. Vladimir of Novgorod                                         12. Eric the Victorious                       6. Olof Skötkonung                             3. Ingegerd Olofsdotter of Sweden                                   7. Estrid of the Obotrites

Further reading

• Volkoff, Vladimir. Vladimir, the Russian Viking. Overlook Press, 1985.

References

1. Traditionally, Ingegerd is associated with Anna of Novgorod, who is buried in the cathedral in another niche near Vladimir. However, Soviet archaeologists who opened her sarcophagus found the remains to be that of a woman in her 30s, whereas Ingegard is said to have lived into her fifties. Thus it is thought that Vladimir's mother, Anna, was Yaroslav's first wife and is not the same person as Ingegerd.
2. The first indisputable Novgorodian expedition to Finland was done in 1191. Suomen varhaiskeskiajan lähteitä. Gummerus Kirjapaino Oy, 1989. ISBN 951-96006-1-2. See also "online description of the conflict". Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. from Laurentian Codex as hosted by the National Archive of Finland. In Swedish.
3. T. N. Tsarevskaia, Sofiiskii Sobor v Novgorode.
4. Marek, Miroslav. "His descendants". Genealogy.EU. External link in |publisher= (help)