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MSTISLAV II IZYASLAVICH (? - 1170)

 
   
 

He was the son of Izyaslav II Mstislavich, prince of Kyiv and his first wife, whose name is not known. Mstislav married about 1149 to Yudifa or Agnes, daughter of Bolyeslav III Kraivoysti, King of Poland. Their sons were Vladimir, prince of Brest; Vsyevolod, prince of Belz; Roman, prince of Novgorod then of Vladimir-in-Volynia; and Svyatoslav, prince of Brest. Mstislav was appanage prince of Kursk in 1146 and appanage prince of Peryeaslavl (1146-1149) and appanage prince of Dorogobuzh in 1150. Then he ruled Peryeaslavl again from 1151 to 1154, and Lutsk in 1155. He shifted to be appanage prince of Vladimir-in-Volynia in 1157 and finally became prince of Kyiv in 1167-69 before returning once more to Vladimir-in-Volynia. The family is shown on this chart.
As the eldest son of Vladimir Monomakh's grandson, Izyaslav II Mstislavich, his early assignments reflect his being a major assistant to his father in the multi-sided clan wars. Once he gained control of Vladimir-in-Volynia he was in a good position to influence affairs in Kyiv. When Izyaslav Mstislavich died, Mstislav Izyaslavich then supported his uncle, Rostislav Mstislavich until the latter's death in 1167-8.
Chronology:
1147 AD - Mstislav first appears as the assistant aiding his father in taking Kyiv after Vsyevolod's death. At this time he moved from Kursk to the more important capital, Peryeaslavl to control that principality against Yuri Dolgoruki.
1149 AD - Yuri Dolgoruki marched south and ousted Mstislav from Peryeaslavl and placed his own son, Gleb Yur'yevich, on that throne, forcing Mstislav to flee to Vladimir-in-Volynia.
1150 AD - Mstislav defeated Gleb Yur'yevich and regained Peryeaslavl. During this time he also went to Dorogobuzh to fight Vladimirko Vladimirovich Rostislavich.
1151 AD - Mstislav helped push Yuri Dolgoruki out of Kyiv during that year's episode in the ongoing struggle.
1151 AD - Mstislav also assisted his father to bring Magyar forces into Volynia. It was in this year that Izyaslav arranged for Mstislav to marry Yudifya in order to create dynastic ties to her father, Boleslav III. Izyaslav arranged for Mstislav's sister, Yeofrosina, to marry Miezko III of Poland at that time.
1152 AD - Mstislav obtained more Magyar troops to fight against Vladimirko and tried to keep King Geza II from being lenient with Vladimirko.
1152-3 AD - Mstislav led the Pereyaslavl army against Yuri Dolgoruki's allies, the Polovtsi and defeated them. When Vladimirko Vladimirovich died in 1152-3, Mstislav then attacked Vladimirko's son, Yaroslav Vladimirovich Osmomysl, the new prince of Galich in a drawn battle on the Seret River.
1154 AD - Mstislav went to Georgia to bring a new wife, Princess Rusandar the sister of King George III, for his father, Izyaslav.
1154 AD - Mstislav's great uncle, Vyacheslav, tried to put Rostislav Mstislavich of Smolensk on the Kyivan throne. Yuri Dolgoruki with his Polovtsi allies again took the city. Mstislav had to abandon Pereyaslavl again to Gleb Yur'yevich and retreat again to Vladimir-in-Volynia.
1156 AD - Mstislav put his brother, Yaroslav Izyaslavich, at Lutsk and drove Vladimir from Vladimir-in-Volynia. He obtained Polish assistance to defend against Yuri Dolgoruki, Vladimir and Yaroslav.
1157 AD - Mstislav joined with Rostislav Mstislavich of Smolensk and Izyaslav Daniilyevich of Chernigiv to push Yuri Dolgoruki out of Kyiv again. Mstislav supported Izyaslav Davidovich for Kyiv but then forced him out.
1159 AD - He installed Rostislav Mstislavich at Kyiv and took some of the border towns for himself.
1159-67 (or 1161-67)AD - Rostislav Mstislavich ruled Kyiv jointly with Vyacheslav Vladimirovich.
1167 AD - Mstislav joined the allied Rus army campaign to try to open a route to the Black Sea (that is fight the Polovtsi).
1167 AD - When Rostislav Mstislavich died, Mstislav led his brothers and Rostislav's sons (from Smolensk) and the sons of Yaroslav of Galich against Vladimir.
1167 AD - Mstislav became prince of Kyiv and sent his son, Roman Mstislavich to rule Novgorod. He prepared another campaign to the Black Sea.
1169 AD - Meanwhile Yuri Dolgoruki's sons, Andrei Yur'yevich Bogolubski, and Gleb Yur'yevich at Pereyaslavl, together with the Smolensk and Chernigiv princes drove Mstislav back out of Kyiv and installed Gleb Yur'yevich who married a daughter of the Svyatoslavichi(Chernigiv) prince, Izyaslav III Davidovich. Then Andrei Bogolubski forced Roman out of Novgorod as well. Mstislav returned again to Vladimir-in-Volynia.
1170 AD - Mstislav died leaving his brother, Yaroslav, at Lutsk, and sons - Roman at Vladimir-in-Volynia, Svyatoslav at Brest, Vsyevolod at Belz. Roman was able to unite Vladimir and Galich temporarily before dying in yet another battle, this time in Poland, in 1205. He left two sons under age 5 with his widow. But they regained everything and more. Daniil became King of Galicia.

 
     

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