[November 22] St. Mikhail, grand prince of Vladimir

Local Name: Михаил Ярославич
Sobriquet: "The Saint"
Parents: Yaroslav III, grand prince of Vladimir, and Xenia of Tarusa
Born: 1271
House: Rurik
Spouse(s): St. Anna, daughter of Dimitry, prince of Rostov
Predecessor: Andrey

Reign: 1304 – 1318
Brief: Mikhail was the second son of his father, and succeeded his brother to the principality of Tver in 1285. Two decades later, in 1304, he succeeded his cousin to Vladimir, which Khan Tokhta of the Golden Horde confirmed. Unfortunately, Mikhail was never strongly secured in his post despite his legitimacy. He had to fight to confirm his titles to Novgorod and vied for influence with Prince Yury of Moscow. Yury eventually gained patent to Novgorod and married the khan's sister, thereby solidifying the patronage of the khans for Moscow at Vladimir's expense. The khan sent troops to Yury to help in the family feud, but Mikhail prevailed, capturing the prince's wife at Bortenevo. While in custody, though, the Mongol wife died, which the khan blamed Mikhail for. Mikhail was summoned to the capital of the Horde and was executed. Although the Orthodox church did not favor Mikhail during his lifetime, he was later proclaimed a martyr and a saint for his execution.

Date of Death: 22 November 1318
Successor: Yury

Other Monarchs Who Died Today:

• Felix II, antipope of Rome (365)
• Lothair II, king of Italy (950)
• Eric V, king of Denmark (1286)
• Ahmed I, sultan of the Ottoman Empire (1617)

[February 2] Konstantin, grand prince of Vladimir

Helmet found from the Battle of Lipitsa, 1216.

True Name: Konstantin Vsevolodovich (Константи́н Все́володович)

Parents: Vsevolod, grand prince of Vovgorod, and Maria Shvarnovna
Date of Birth: 18 May 1186

Royal House: Rurik

Spouse: (Unknown), daughter of Mstislav III, duke of Smolensk

Reign: 1216 – 1218

Predecessor: Yuri II

Summary: Little is known about Konstantin as he ruled during a troublesome time in the history of the Kievan Rus'. Konstantine was a prince of Novgorod from 1206 to 1207, but in that role he served little real purpose as Novgorod was a republic that elected a prince as their figurehead, much like Venice. In 1207, he was sent to rule the small towns of Rostov and Yaroslavl, but he was an ineffective ruler. His father disinherited him from the line of succession to the grand principality of Vladimir, preferring instead his younger son, Yuri. Yuri took the throne of Vladimir and Kiev in 1212. 

At the Battle of Lipitsa in 1216, Konstantin successfully wrestled control of Vladimir away from his brother with the help of the prince of Novgorod. He remained in possession of Vladimir for two years until his death in 1218, when the principality returned to Yuri. This battle was one of the worst examples of internal strife that was destroying the Kievan Rus' in the years immediately before the Mongol invasion. Little can be said of Konstantin's short reign. He and his wife produced many children that would later rule parts of Russia during the Mongol occupation, but none of them would rule Vladimir or Kiev again.

Date of Death: 2 February 1218

Successor: Yuri II


Other Monarchs Who Died Today:

• Borivoj II, duke of Bohemia (1124)
• Eric XI, king of Sweden (1250)
• Louis II, duke of Bavaria (1294)
• Oljeitu Temur, khagan of the Great Khanate and emperor of China (1307)
• Clement XIII, pope of Rome (1769)