Volodymyr, son of Algirdas

Volodymyr, son of Algirdas (Volodymyr Olhierdovych), b ?, d 1394. Prince of the Gediminas dynasty, the son of grand duke Algirdas of Lithuania. He ruled from 1362 as the first Lithuanian prince of Kyiv. During his reign he was compelled to recognize the suzerainty of the Tatar khan, and his coins bore a Tatar seal. When Kyiv was taken by Vytautas the Great, Volodymyr was replaced by Skirgaila, and fled to Moscow. He returned to Lithuania ca 1398, went into Vytautas's service, and was granted a small holding in Belarus.

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