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The purpose of this study is to attempt a reconstruction of the biography of Prince Hlib Yuriiovych, the fourth son of Yurii Volodymyrovych (Dolgorukii). Over the course of his princely career, he occupied the thrones of Kursk, Kaniv, Peresopnytsia, Dorohobuzh, and Horodets Osterskyi. He spent the longest period of his rule in Pereiaslav (1151, 1154–1169). During the final two years of his life, he held the title of Grand Prince of Kyiv. The second half of the 1140s and the 1150s in the history of Kyivan Rus’ was characterized by a struggle between Iziaslav Mstyslavych and Yurii Volodymyrovych for supremacy within Rus’. From 1147 onward, Hlib Yuriiovych became actively involved in military and political activities in support of his father. In 1155, when Yurii Dolgorukii once again assumed the Kyivan throne, he installed Hlib in Pereiaslav, where the latter remained until the capture of Kyiv in March 1169. Following this event, Andrey Bogolyubsky elevated his compliant and even-tempered brother Hlib to the Kyivan throne. Hlib Yuriiovych’s tenure as Grand Prince lasted only two years. Allied relations with the Cumans, traditional for Yurii Volodymyrovych and his sons, played a significant role in Hlib’s political career. On several occasions, acting on his father’s instructions, Hlib brought Cuman forces to participate in princely internecine conflicts. As Prince of Pereiaslav, he was required not only to maintain allied relations with the Cumans but also to defend the Pereiaslav region from steppe incursions. Hlib Yuriiovych likewise participated in all-Rus’ campaigns against the nomadic populations of the steppe. Hlib occupied the Pereiaslav throne twice. He demonstrated a persistent desire to secure Pereiaslav, considering its sacral status as the final stage preceding accession to the Kyivan grand princely throne. However, all three of his attempts to seize Pereiaslav independently were unsuccessful; his appointments were ultimately determined by other political actors. Hlib Yuriiovych’s accession to the Kyivan throne appears to have been facilitated by his conciliatory character, as his candidacy was acceptable to Andrii Yuriiovych. The chronicle accounts provide sufficient evidence to trace the principal stages of Hlib Yuriiovych life and political career and to assess him both as a historical figure and as an individual personality.
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