Vasylko Romanovych

Vasylko Romanovych [Vasyl’ko Romanovyč], b 1199, d 1271. Rus’ prince; son of Roman Mstyslavych. After the death of his father (1205) he and his mother and brother, Danylo Romanovych, were exiled to Poland. Taking advantage of the power struggles involving Galician boyars, Hungarians, and Poles, the brothers undertook the process of reclaiming the Principality of Galicia-Volhynia. In 1227 Vasylko was granted rule over Lutsk, Peresopnytsia, and Berestia by Danylo Romanovych, and in 1238 he received western Volhynia as his realm, including the capital, Volodymyr-Volynskyi. He was forced to acknowledge Tatar suzerainty after the Tatars' invasion of Kyivan Rus’, although he continued to rule largely unimpeded. In 1259 he was ordered to burn all his fortifications except Kholm. After Danylo's death in 1264 Vasylko became the eldest representative of the Romanovych dynasty and the de facto ruler of all Galicia-Volhynia.

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