Volodymyr Vasylkovych

Volodymyr Vasylkovych [Vasyl’kovyč], b ?, d 10 October 1289 in Luboml. Kyivan Rus’ prince; son of Vasylko Romanovych. He was prince of Volhynia from 1270 or 1272, described in the Galician-Volhynian Chronicle as a ‘great bibliophile and philosopher’ who built towns, castles, and churches, promoted ecclesiastical art and literature, and compiled a large library. During his rule Volhynia enjoyed a period of prosperity and expansion into Belarusian territories, as well as the acquisition of Mazovia. Volodymyr refrained from the political intrigues undertaken by his cousin, the Galician prince Lev Danylovych, although he was forced to repulse several incursions by Lithuanian princes in the 1270s and to provide auxiliary support for Tatar incursions into Poland in 1280, 1283, and 1287. In 1288 he turned over his authority to his cousin, Mstyslav Danylovych. The Galician-Volhynian Chronicle ends with Volodymyr's death.

[This article originally appeared in the Encyclopedia of Ukraine, vol. 5 (1993).]