Ukrainian Monarchs

A history of Ukrainian monarchs.

Note that Slavic individuals are often addressed with a patronymic name, which is essentailly the father's name with a suffix of ович (ovich) for a son or овна (ovna). This is separate from a family name but traditionally important for addressing an individual of higher social status.

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Kievan Rus'

The modern Ukrainian state is one of many that traces its roots to Kievan Rus'.

Kievan Rus' disintegrated following the establishment of the Golden Horde.

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Kingdom of Ruthenia

Roman the Great united the principalities of Halych and Volhynia and expelled Hungarian power over Galicia. Daniel (Данило, Danylo) was elavated to king, establishing the kingdom of Galicia-Volhynia, frequently referred to as then Kingdom of Ruthenia.

The Galicia-Volhynia Wars saw the kingdom partitioned between Poland and Lithuania.

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Cossack Hetmanate

Within the Commonwealth, Cossacks were a powerful nomadic and mercenary force. Following the Khmelnytsky Uprising in 1648, a Cossack hetmanate was established. This was effectively a military council dictatorship; the council of starshyna elected (and deposed) a hetman with supreme power. These elections were semi-hereditary.

The first hetman, Bohdan, pledged suzerainity to Alexis. The hetmanate would be warred over and partitioned between the Commonwealth and Russia for almost a century, until Catherine II abolished it in 1764.

The partitioning stuck along the Dnieper River, establishing Left-bank Ukraine and Right-bank Ukraine.

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Dynasties

Romanovich

Andrew (Андрій, Andrii) and Leo II (Лев, Lev) were co-monarchs, potentially holding separate courts in Volodymyr and Galicia respectively. They died warring against the Tatars, leaving the Polish Piasts to inherit.

Piast

Bolesław inherited the kingdom of Ruthenia as a grandson of Yuri I. He took the name Yuri II.

The local nobility assassinated him, handing power to and triggering the Galicia-Volhynia Wars.

Gediminid

Liubartas, a younger son of the Gediminas, had married a daughter of Andrew (Андрій, Andrii). The local nobility favored him over the Polish Bolesław. After his assassination, Liubartas was left the only available claimant. The Galicia-Volhynia Wars ensued.

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