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Leo I of Galicia

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Leo I
King of Ruthenia
Reign1269–1301
PredecessorDaniel
SuccessorYuri I
Grand Prince of Kiev
Reign1271–1301
PredecessorYaroslav of Tver
SuccessorIvan-Volodymyr
Bornc. 1228
Diedc. 1301 (aged c. 73)
SpouseConstance of Hungary
IssueYuri I of Galicia
Svyatoslava of Halych
Anastasia of Galicia
HouseRomanovichi
FatherDaniel of Galicia
MotherAnna Mstyslavna Smolenska
The Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia (1245–1349).

Leo I of Galicia (Ukrainian: Лев Дани́лович, romanizedLev Danýlovych; c. 1228 – c. 1301) was King of Ruthenia, Prince of Belz (1245–1264), Peremyshl, Galicia (1264–1269), and Kiev (1271–1301).

He was a son of King Daniel of Galicia and his first wife, Anna Mstislavna Smolenskaia (daughter of Mstislav Mstislavich the Bold). As his father, Lev was a member of the senior branch of Vladimir II Monomakh descendants.[citation needed]

Reign

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Leo (also known as Lev) moved his father's capital from Halych to the newly founded city of Lviv. This city was named after him by its founder, Lev's father, King Daniel of Galicia. In 1247, Leo married Constance, the daughter of Béla IV of Hungary. Unlike his father, who pursued a western political course, Leo worked closely with the Mongols and together with them invaded Poland. However, although his troops plundered territory as far west as Racibórz in Silesia, sending many captives and much booty back to Galicia, Leo did not ultimately gain much territory from Poland. He cultivated a particularly close alliance with the Tatar Nogai Khan. He also attempted, unsuccessfully, to establish his family's rule over Lithuania. Soon after his younger brother Shvarn ascended to the Lithuanian throne in 1267, Leo organized the murder of Grand Duke of Lithuania Vaišvilkas. Following Shvarn's loss of the throne in 1269, Leo entered into conflict with Lithuania. In 1274–1276, he fought a war with the new Lithuanian ruler —Traidenis — but was defeated. Lithuania annexed the territory of Black Ruthenia with its city of Navahrudak.

In 1279, Leo allied himself with King Wenceslaus II of Bohemia and invaded Poland. His attempt to capture Kraków in 1280 ended in failure. That same year, however, Leo defeated the Kingdom of Hungary and temporarily annexed part of Carpathian Ruthenia, including the town of Mukachevo. At the time of Leo's death in 1301, the state of Galicia-Volhynia was at the height of its power.

Marriage and children

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Lev I married Constance of Hungary, daughter of Béla IV of Hungary and Maria Laskarina. They had three children:

See also

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  • Marek, Miroslav. "Genealogy of Danylo's family". Genealogy.EU.
  • Lev Danylovych at the Encyclopedia of Ukraine, vol. 3 (1993).
Leo I of Galicia
Born: c. 1228 Died: c. 1301
Regnal titles
Preceded by Grand Prince of Kiev
1271–1301
Succeeded by
Ivan of Siveria
Preceded by King of Galicia and Volhynia
1269–1301
Succeeded by
Preceded by
Vsevolod III of Belz
Prince of Belz
1245–1269
Preceded by Prince of Halych and Peremyshl
1264–1301