Halych-Volhynia

The Halych-Volhynian Kingdom (Ruthenian: Галицко-Волинскоє Королѣвство, Ukrainian: Галицько-Волинське Королівство, Polish: Królestwo Halicko-Wołyńska, Latin: Regnum Galiciæ et Lodomeriæ, Austro-Bavarian: Königreich Galizien und Lodomerien, Alemannic: Kenigriich Galizien und Lodomerien), or Halych-Volodymyr, was a large state in Ruthenia (Rus' ) which existed in the 13th and 14th centuries. It extended between the rivers San and Wieprz in what is now south-eastern Poland in the west, and the Pripet Marshes (now in Belarus) and upper Southern Bug in modern-day Ukraine in the east.

During its time, the kingdom was bordered by Black Ruthenia, The Principality of Turaw-Pinsk, The Principality of Kiev, Golden Horde, The Kingdom of Hungary, The Kingdom of Poland, and The Monastic State of the Teutonic Knights.

It was the major Eastern Slavic power after the collapse of Kievan Rus'.

History

Tribal area

In pre-Roman times the region was populated by various tribes, including the Lugiis, Goths and Vandals (the Przeworsk and Puchov cultures). After the fall of the Roman Empire, of which most of sountern-eastern Poland and western Ukraina was part of (all territories below the San, Bug, Dniester and Ztir), the area was invaded by West Slavs and Hungarians. Around 833 the West Slavs became part of the Great Moravian state.

Upon the invasion of the Hungarian tribes into the heart of the Great Moravian Empire around 899, the Lendians of the area found themseves under influence of Hungarian Empire. In 955 their area seems to constitute part of Bohemian State. Around 970 included in the forming Polish state. This area was mentioned in 981 (by Nestor) , when Volodymyr the Great of Kievan Rus took the area over on the way into Poland. The area was returned to Poland in 1018, and in 1031 was retaken by Kievan Rus'.

The territory was settled by the East Slavs from the early middle ages and in the 12th century a Rurikid Principality of Halych (Galich) was formed there, merged in the end of the century with the neighboring Volhynia into the Principality of Halych Volhynia that existed for a century and a half. It was conquered by Casimir III of Poland in 1349. Since 1352, when the principality was partitioned between the Polish Kingdom and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, most of Galicia belonged to the Polish Crown where it also remained also after the 1569 union between Poland and Lithuania. Upon the partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1772, the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, or simply Galicia, became the largest, most populous and northernmost province of Austria where it remained until the dissolution of Austria-Hungary at the end of World War I.

History of Halych-Volhynia

Halych-Volhynia was created by Prince Roman the Great of Volodymyr-Volyns'kyi after he conquered the Principality of Halych and united both lands into one state at the end of the 12th century. Its principal cities were Halych and Volodymyr-Volyns'kyi. With the help of wealthy burghers, some loyal boyars and Polish princes, he created a relatively strong power (on one occasion even subjecting Kiev to his domination), and increased Ruthenian influence in Lithuania. He also signed a peace treaty with Hungary and developed diplomatic relations with the Byzantine Empire.

Before his triumph, Volhynia and Halych had been two separate Rurikid principalities, assigned circling first as appanages to younger members of the Kievan dynasty but soon established to certain branches as family possession. The line preceding Roman had held principality of Volhynia whereas another line, that of Yaroslav Osmomysl held Halych. Roman's successors used mostly Halych (Galicia) as the designation of their combined kingdom.

In 1205 Roman turned against his Polish allies which led to a conflict with Leszek the White and Konrad of Masovia. Roman was subsequently killed in the Battle of Zawichost (1205) and his dominion broke up into a number of independent principalities. The weakened Halych-Volhynia became an arena of rivalry between Poland and Hungary. King Andrew II of Hungary styled himself rex Galiciæ et Lodomeriæ, Latin for "king of Halych and Volodymyr". In a compromise agreement made in 1214 between Hungary and Poland, the throne of Halych-Volhynia was given to Andrew's son, Coloman of Lodomeria who had married Leszek the White's daughter, Salomea.

In 1221, Mstislav the Bold, son of Mstislav the Brave, liberated Halych-Volhynia from the Hungarians, but it was Danylo, son of Roman, who re-united all of south-western Ruthenia, including Volhynia, Halych and Kiev. Danylo defeated the Polish and Hungarian forces in the battle of Yaroslav (Jarosław) in 1245, but at the same time he was compelled to acknowledge, at least nominally, the supremacy of the Tatar Golden Horde. In 1245, Pope Innocent IV allowed Danylo to be crowned king, although his realm continued to be ecclesiastically independent from Rome. Thus, Danylo was the only member of the Rurik dynasty to have been crowned king. Danylo Halytsky, he was crowned by the papal archbishop in Dorohychyn 1253 as the first King of Halych-Volhynia (1253 1264)

Under Danylo's reign, Halych-Volhynia was a powerful and thriving state. Literature flourished, producing the Halych-Volhynian Chronicle. Demographic growth was enhanced by immigration from the west and the south, and commerce developed thanks to trade routes linking the Black Sea with Poland, Germany and the Baltic basin. Major cities, which served as important economic and cultural centers, were among others: L'viv (where the royal seat was moved), Volodymyr, Halych, Chełm, Przemyśl, Drohiczyn and Terebovlya. Halych-Volhynia was powerful enough that in Danylo was able to marry his son Roman to the heiress of the Austrian Duchy in the vain hope of securing it for his family. At the peak of its expansion, the Halych-Volhynian state contained not only all of south-western Ruthenia, including Red Ruthenia and Black Ruthenia, but also briefly controlled the Brodnici on the Black Sea.

After King Danylo's death in 1264, he was succeeded by his son Lev. Lev moved the capital to Lviv and maintained the strength of Halych-Volhynia. Unlike his father, who pursued a Western political course, Lev worked closely with the Mongols and together with them invaded Poland. However, although his troops plundered territory as far west as Racibórz, Lev did not ultimately extend the territory of his state.

After Lev's death in 1301, a period of decline ensued. Lev was succeeded by his son Yuri I who ruled for only seven years. From 1308 until 1323 Halych-Volhynia was jointly ruled by Yuri I's sons Andrew and Lev II, who proclaimed themselves to be the kings of Galicia and Volhynia. The brothers forged alliances with King Władysław of Poland and with the Teutonic Knights against the Lithuanians and the Mongols. They died together in 1323, in battle, fighting against the Mongols, and left no heirs.

After the extinction of Rurikid dynasty in Galicia-Volhynia in 1323, the boyars took control over the country. They invited the Polish prince Boleslaw, a grandson of Yuri I, to assume the Galician throne. Boleslaw converted to Orthodoxy and assumed the name Yuri II. Nevertheless, suspecting him of harboring Catholic feelings, the boyars poisoned him in 1340 and elected one of their own, Dmytro Dedko, to lead the Galician state. Dedko was able to defeat an attempted Polish invasion in 1341. After Dedko's death in 1349, the Poles mounted a successful invasion and Halych-Volhynia ceased to exist as an independent state.

Danylo's dynasty attempted to gain papal (Pope Benedict XII) and broader support in Europe for an alliance against the Mongols, but ultimately proved unable of competing with the rising powers of centralised Great Duchy of Lithuania and The Kingdom of Poland. After the disintegration of the Grand Duchy of Halych-Volhynia circa 1340, in the 1340s, the Rurikid dynasty died out, and the area passed to King Lubart.

End of Halych-Volhynia

The Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania divided up the region between them: King Kazimierz III Wielki took Western Volhynia, while the sister state of Eastern Volhynia together with Kyiv came under Litvins' control, 1352–1366.

Since 1352 when the kingdom was eventually divided-partitioned between The Kingdom of Poland and The Grand Duchy of Lithuania, most of Ruthenian Voivodeship belonged to The Crown of the Polish Kingdom where it remained also after The Union of Lublin between Poland and Lithuania. The present-day town of Halych is situated 5 km away from the ancient capital of Galicia, on the spot where the old town's riverport used to be located and where King Lubart of Halich-Volhynia constructed his wooden castle in 1367.

By the treaty of the Lublin Union of 1569, all of former Halych-Volhynia became part of Poland. In 1772, Empress Maria Theresa of Austria (who was also Queen of Hungary) recalled the old Hungarian claims to the Regnum Galiciæ et Lodomeriæ, and used them to justify Austria's participation in the partitions of Poland. Polish territories taken by Austria were, therefore, officially named Galicia and Lodomeria, even though they did not correspond exactly to the historical lands of Halych-Volhynia. Despite the fact that the title derived from the historical Hungarian crown, Galicia and Lodomeria was not officially assigned to Hungary, and after the Ausgleich of 1867, it found itself in Cisleithania, the Austrian part of Austria-Hungary.

See also

• Mongol invasion of Rus
• Halychyna
• Volhynia
• Lviv
• History of Ukraine
• List of early East Slavic states
• List of rulers of Halych and Volhynia

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