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Andrei Bogolubski was born about 1111 to YuriI
Vladimirovich Dolgoruki, prince of Suzdal and his first wife, Anna, daughter of
Aepi, Polovetsi Khan. He married after 1147 with Ulita, daughter of the boyar
Stepan Ivanovich Kuchka. Their sons were Gleb,
prince of Vladimir; Izyaslav, and
Mstislav, princes of Suzdal; and Yuri, prince of Novgorod.
He was prince of Vishgorod (1149-51, 1155), then prince of Turov and Proch, and
then grand prince of Vladimir-Suzdal (1157-74). The family is shown on this
chart.
The Kievans disliked Prince Andrei's father and on his death on May 12th, 1157,
he would not seek that the throne be restored to him, he wanted to conduct
things differently and rule over Kiev not sitting on its throne but from
Suzdal. He wanted to give Suzdal the importance of Kiev, and so he did and was
later named Bogoliubskii. The fortress-palace of Bogolyubov was founded by
Andrei, while his father Yuri was living and his influence and purpose was
continued. Archeological digs provide a picture of ancient Bogoliubov and a
part of his palace with church still stands. As was the practice of using
wooden fortifications in the first half of the 12th century, the fortress walls
of Bogoliubov are built of white stone. Behind the walls, in the fortress, was
a lavish palace of the prince. Excavations have shown that the palace was built
of white stone too. There were no other materials used which follows that the
edifice was unencumbered and the stone was so clean that it shone with luster.
The source for this information is N.N. Voronin, Pamyatniki
vladimiro-suzdalskogo zodchestva XI-XIII vekov, N.-L., 1945.
He also built the Cathedral of the Dormition and the Golden Gate in Vladimir,
and reconstructed the Cathedral in Rostov. His most famous building standing
now is the Church of the Intercession on the Nerl River, built to commemorate
the Bolgar campaign.
Chronology:
1146 - Andrei participated in campaign against Riazan as part of his father,
Yuri's, campaign against the Ol'govichi of Chernigiv to capture the Kyivan
throne.
1149 - Andrei accompanied his father to Kyiv in campaign against
Izyaslav Mstislavich.
1151-2 Andrei besieged Chernigiv but he and his father were driven off by
Izyaslav who then died in 1154.
1155 - During another of Yuri's campaigns to Kyiv, Andrei removed the famous
icon of the Vladimir Mother of God (shown in his hands in the above picture)
and took it to Vladimir.
1157 - On the death of his father, Andrei became prince of Rostov-Suzdal.
1162 - Andrei expelled three brothers, two nephews and some of his father's
boyars.
1164 - Andrei campaigned against the Volga Bolgars.
1167 - Rostislav, prince of Kyiv, died but Mstislav Isyaslavich took the Kyivan
throne and sent his son, Roman Mstislavich, to
Novgorod, prompting Andrei to combine his forces with those of Smolensk and
Polotsk in an unsuccessful campaign trying to oust Roman.
1169 - Andrei sent his son, Mstislav, with large
combined army against Kyiv. When they took the city, Andrei declined the throne
and instructed Mstislav to give the throne to Gleb Yur'yevich and then to Roman
Rostislavich of Smolensk.
1170 - Andrei organized a major but unsuccessful campaign against Novgorod, but
the following year he was able to put his agent on the Novgorod throne.
1172 - Andrei prepared a new campaign against the Volga Bolgars, but called it
off for lack of troops.
1173 - He ordered the Rostislavichi out of Kyiv and back to Smolensk. Andrei
sent a large force but failed to achieve his goals in Kyiv.
1174 - Andrei was murdered by some of his closest boyars and this led to
general rioting and looting.
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