Volodymyrko Volodarovych

Volodymyrko Volodarovych (Volodymyr Volodarovych), b 1104, d February 1153. Kyivan Rus’ prince; son of Volodar Rostyslavych and father of Yaroslav Osmomysl. He became prince of Zvenyhorod (see Zvenyhorod principality) and Belz in 1124 and then began a campaign to bring all the lands in Galicia under his control. He attempted to wrest Peremyshl from his brother, Rostyslav Volodarovych, in 1125–6 but did not succeed. In 1141, after his cousin, Ihor (Ivan) Vasylkovych, died, Volodymyrko Volodarovych established princely Halych as the capital of his principality, but he faced incursions by Poles (1142) and Bulgars (1144) as well as an uprising of his subjects (1144). He captured Pryluk in 1146 and successfully defended it and Zvenyhorod against Vsevolod Olhovych. Looking to expand his holdings further, in 1149 he sided with Yurii Dolgorukii of Suzdal against Iziaslav Mstyslavych of Kyiv. The alliance resulted in attacks on Galicia by Iziaslav Mstyslavych's ally, King Géza II of Hungary, which lasted until 1152, when Volodymyrko Volodarovych managed to establish peace with the king through diplomacy and bribes.

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