OLGA YURIEVNA (in monasticism Euphrosynia) (the year of birth is unknown, † July 4, 1182 in Vladimir-on-Klyazma), the Princess of Halych, since 1150 was the wife of Yaroslav Vladimirovich Osmomysl, the Prince of Halych

• Yuri Vladimirovich Dolgoruky, the Prince of Rostov-Suzdal (1096-1149), the Grand Prince of Kiev (1149-1151)

• Daughter of the Cuman Khan Aepa / or Elena, the Byzantine princess [5, p. 404]

Olga Yurievna was one of the daughters of Yuri Dolgoruky. The exact date of her birth is unknown; the filiation of the mother is also impossible to establish. It is known that Yuri Dolgoruky had two marriages: the first was concluded at the insistence of Vladimir Monomakh with the daughter of the Cuman Khan Aepa, in order to consolidate peace with the Cumans. About the second wife of the prince is reliably known only that she died in Byzantium, which allowed some researchers to draw a conclusion about her Byzantine origin [3, p. 185-186; 6, p. 73]. The name "Elena" found in the annals is attributed by some historians to Olga's mother [5, p. 404], others - to Olga herself, but the last version was refuted [4, p. 148].

In 1150 or about this time Olga Yurievna was married to Yaroslav Vladimirovich of Halych, and her sister, unknown by name, was married to Oleg Svyatoslavich, the son of the Chernigov prince [II, 185; III, p. 275; 1, p. 719; 6, p. 78-79]. The political calculation of these marriages is very obvious: Vladimir Volodarevich, Prince of Halych, supported Yuri Dolgoruky in his struggle with Izyaslav Mstislavich for the Kiev throne [5, p. 404]. In the marriage of Olga and Yaroslav four children were born: three daughters, including Euphrosynia, the future wife of Igor Svyatoslavich, so vividly and emotionally described in The Tail of Igor's Compaign, and son Vladimir, the only legitimate heir of Yaroslav. Here it is important to emphasize the status of "legitimate son", as Osmomysl had another son, Oleg, born from his mistress Nastasya. Apparently, from some time it was with Nastasya that the prince lived openly as with his lawful wife, as well as openly recognized the bastard Oleg "Nastasich" as his heir, bypassing the elder Vladimir. The complicated situation in the family of Yaroslav Osmomysl was superimposed on a complex political confrontation both within the principality and beyond. For some time Yaroslav Vladimirovich continued his father's policy and was at enmity with the prince of Kiev Izyaslav Mstislavich, however, after the death of the latter, he approached his son Mstislav, who reigned at that time in Vladimir Volynsky. In the flared up conflict between Mstislav and his uncle Rostislav Mstislavich with Yuri Dolgoruky Yaroslav Osmomysl supported the Volyn and Chernigov princes and went on a campaign against his father-in-law [II, p. 335–336; 5, p. 406]. The Halych prince was probably pushed to it by the decision of Izyaslav Davydovich not to extradite Ivan Berladnik, Yaroslav's cousin, who had claimed the throne even during the reign of Vladimir Volodarevich. Olga Yurievna remained connected with her father's family and in the political conflict between her husband and father and probably took the side of her father [5, p. 412]. The flourishing of the Halych principality is associated precisely with the reign of Yaroslav Osmomysl, who paid much attention to the development of external contacts. According to the enthusiastic lines of the author of "The Tail of Igor's Campaign" [IV, p. 41], he controled trade throughout the Danube, develops relations with Byzantium bypassing Kiev, leads active urban planning [8, p. 103]. At the same time, the confrontation between the prince and the local boyars was growing. The boyars, who back in 1159 were on the side of Berladnik, still saw Osmomysl as an enemy and did not want to obey. B.A. Rybakov, following the record of the chronicle, sees the roots of this reluctance in the initial distrust of the prince, who in his youth diplomatically recognized the supremacy of the Kiev prince [II, p. 342; 7, p. 510]. P.P. Tolochko notes the steep disposition of Osmomysl [9, p. 144]. A new round of aggravation of relations in the family, with the boyars and with Kiev will occur in 1170/71. At this time, Olga's brother, Gleb Yurievich, wouldl briefly become the Grand Prince of Kiev. Yaroslav Osmomysl would provide military assistance to the expelled from Kiev Mstislav Izyaslavich [II, cl. 372-373, 374-376] and openly declared Oleg Nastasych's heir. At the beginning of 1171 Olga and her son Vladimir fled to Poland [I, p. 305; 2, p. 188]. The question of who exactly supported her in Poland remains open. D. Dombrovsky believes that Olga could well have found refuge with her own sister Evdokia and her husband Meszko III [1, p. 723] *. L.E. Morozova believes that Olga fled to her daughter, who was at that time married to Odon, the son of Meszko III from the first marriage [5, p. 412]. In any case, the fugitives spend about 8 months in Poland, than Vladimir exchanges Buzhsk and three other towns from Svyatoslav Mstislavich for permission to arrange a temporary residence in Cherven, convenient for further contact with the Halych [III, cl. 564]. A real tragedy was unfolding in Halych at this time. The boyars, dissatisfied with Osmomysl, use the situation in his family as an excuse to oppose the prince. Yaroslav Vladimirovich, together with his son Oleg, were taken into custody, his supporters were killed, and the unrecognized wife Nastasya was burned alive at the stake [III, cl. 564, 657]. After that, they took a promise from the prince that he will stay with his lawful wife. However, peace in the princely family was never restored. A year later, Vladimir was forced to flee his father's wrath, first to Volhyn, then to Porosye, then to his sister in Putivl [7, p. 145]. Yaroslav, as he intended, handed over the Halych throne to Oleg, however, he failed to retain power and after the death of Osmomysl in 1187 was expelled by the boyars [III, cl. 657]. As for Olga Yuryevna, she found refuge with her brother Mikhalko Yuryevich. In 1178 she became the godmother of her niece Pelageya-Zbyslava, the daughter of her other brother, Vsevolod the Big Nest [III, cl. 613; 4, p. 261]. Before her death, Olga took the schema under the name Euphrosynia [II, cl. 389]. She died in 1182 and was buried in the Mother of God Church in the city of Vladimir [ibid.]/

* The kinship between Evdokia and Olga is hypothetical. See the biography of Evdokia

• Vladimir Yaroslavich, the Prince of Halych (1187-1188, 1189-1199), the only legitimate son of Yaroslav Osmomysl.
• Euphrosynia Yaroslavna, the wife of Igor Svyatoslavich Seversky
• N Yaroslavna, the wife of King István III of Hungary
• Vysheslava Yaroslavna, the wife of Odon, the eldest son of the prince of Poland Mieszko the Old

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III. PSRL. T. II. Ipat'evskaia letopis'. M., 2001.

IV. Slovo o polku Igoreve / Vstupit. st., podgot. teksta i prim. D.S. Likhacheva. L., 1953.

1.      Dombrovskii D. Genealogiia Mstislavichei. Pervye pokoleniia (do nachala XIV v.) / Per. s pol'skogo i vstup. slovo k rus. izd. K.Iu. Erusalimskogo, O.A. Ostapchuk. SPb., 2015.

2.      Berezhkov N.G. Khronologiia russkogo letopisaniia. M., 1963. 

3.      Karamzin N.M. Istoriia gosudarstva Rossiiskogo. T. 2–3. M., 1991. 

4.      Litvina A.F., Uspenskii F.B. Vybor imeni u russkikh kniazei v X–XVI vv. Dinasticheskaia istoriia skvoz' prizmu antroponimiki. M., 2006.

5.      Morozova L.E. Velikie i neizvestnye zhenshchiny Drevnei Rusi. M., 2009.

6.      Pchelov  E.V. Genealogiia sem'i Iuriia Dolgorukogo // Ruthenica. T. III. 2004. S. 68–79.

7.      Rybakov B.A. Kievskaia Rus' i russkie kniazhestva KhII–KhIII vv. M., 1982.

8.      Tatishchev V.N. Istoriia Rossiiskaia. T. 3. M.; L., 1964. 

9.        Tolochko P.P. Drevniaia Rus'. Ocherki sotsial'no-politicheskoi istorii. Kiev, 1987.

Internet Resources 

1.      Rybakov B.A. Kievskaia Rus' i russkie kniazhestva KhII–KhIII vv. 

2.      Tolochko P.P. Drevniaia Rus'. Ocherki sotsial'no-politicheskoi istorii