Maria of Vitebsk
| Maria of Vitebsk | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1300 Vitebsk, Principality of Vitebsk |
| Died | c. 1348 Vilnius, Grand Duchy of Lithuania |
| Spouse | Algirdas |
| House | Izyaslavichi of Polotsk (branch of the Rurikids) |
| Father | Yaroslav Vasilievich (Jaroslavas Vasiljevičius) |
| Religion | Eastern Orthodoxy |
Maria of Vitebsk (Russian: Мария Ярославна Витебская, romanized: Marija Jaroslavna; Lithuanian: Marija Vitebskietė; c. 1300 – c. 1346) was the first wife of Algirdas, future Grand Duke of Lithuania (marriage took place c. 1318).
Life
Very little is known about her life. The only child of a Russian prince Yaroslav,[1] Maria was the only heir to the Principality of Vitebsk.[2] After her father's death in c. 1345, Vitebsk fell permanently under control of Algirdas and other Gediminids.[3]
Maria gave birth to five sons, all of whom grew up while Algirdas was still only a regional duke in Christianized lands of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.[4] All five sons were baptized in Orthodox rite and ruled Russian lands giving rise to prominent clans of Russian dukes (Trubetskoy family from Demetrius I Starshy, Czartoryski family from Constantine, Sanguszko family from Fiodor, Belsky and Olelkovich families from Vladimir).[4]
After Maria's death, Algirdas married another Russian princess, Uliana of Tver.[5] After Algirdas' death, the eldest sons of Maria and Uliana battled over succession rights.
Issue
- Andrei of Polotsk (1325 – 12 August 1399 in the Battle of the Vorskla River), Prince of Polotsk (1342–1387), Pskov (1342–1348)
- Demetrius I Starszy (1327 – 12 August 1399 in the Battle of the Vorskla River), Duke of Bryansk (1356–1379 and 1388–1399)
- Constantine (died before 30 October 1390), Prince of Chortoryisk. According to J. Tęgowski, he may be son of Karijotas.[6]
- Vladimir Olgerdovich (died after October 1398), Grand Prince of Kiev (1362–1394), Kapyl, Slutsk. Ancestor of Olelkovich and Belsky families.
- Fedor (Theodore; died in 1399), Prince of Rylsk (1370–1399), Ratnie (1387–1394), Bryansk (1393)
- Theodora, wife of Sviatoslav Titovich of Karachev
- Agrypina (baptized Mary; died in 1393), wife of Boris of Suzdal
References
- ^ Shatskikh, Aleksandra Semenovna; Katherine Foshko Tsan (2007). Vitebsk: the Life of Art. Yale University Press. p. 2. ISBN 978-0-300-10108-9.
- ^ (in Lithuanian) Ivinskis, Zenonas (1978). Lietuvos istorija iki Vytauto Didžiojo mirties. Rome: Lietuvių katalikų mokslo akademija. p. 239. LCCN 79346776.
- ^ Rowell, S. C. (1994). Lithuania Ascending: A Pagan Empire Within East-Central Europe, 1295–1345. Cambridge Studies in Medieval Life and Thought: Fourth Series. Cambridge University Press. p. 84. ISBN 978-0-521-45011-9.
- ^ a b (in Lithuanian) Ivinskis, Zenonas (1978). Lietuvos istorija iki Vytauto Didžiojo mirties. Rome: Lietuvių katalikų mokslo akademija. p. 259. LCCN 79346776.
- ^ Meyendorff, John (24 June 2010). Byzantium and the Rise of Russia: A Study of Byzantino-Russian Relations in the Fourteenth Century. Cambridge University Press. p. 145. ISBN 978-0-521-13533-7.
- ^ Tęgowski J. Który Konstanty – Olgierdowic czy Koriatowic – był przodkiem kniaziów Czartoryskich? // Europa Orientalis. – Toruń, 1996. – S. 53-59.