PEREJASLAVA DANILOVNA OF HALYCH (Polish Perejesławą) (was born before 1233/1236 or 1238-1241 [2, p. 695; 8, s.139-147] - † April 12, 1283), princess of Masovia, since 1248 the wife of Siemowit I of Masovia, Prince of Poland

Father

  • Daniil Romanovich of Halych, Grand Prince of Kiev, Prince of Halych and Volyn

Mother

Biography

In the Halych-Volyn Chronicle, which tells about the reign of Daniil Romanovich, all information about the daughters born to him is reduced to the statement of the fact that they were "born to him" [I, cl. 732]. The names and dates of birth of girls are absent in the annals. Nevertheless, on the basis of indirect data, researchers believe that the wife of the prince of PolandSiemovit of Masovia was precisely the daughter of Daniil Romanovich and his first wife, Anna Mstislavna. This filiation was proposed by O. Balzer [6, s. 546–556] and supported by N. Baumgarten, J. Grabowski and others [2, p. 681, n. 3038; 9, s. 270]. Nevertheless, despite the established point of view, a number of researchers did not accept the concept of O. Balzer, noting the lack of reliable information available. In particular, M. Kotlyar recognizes Siemovit's wife as a distant relative of the Romanovichs, but does not offer more specific filiation due to the lack of data in the sources [3, p. 109; 4, p. 90; 5, p. 126]. M. Hrushevsky considered Pereyaslava Danilovna to be the wife not of the Polish prince Siemovit, but of Andrei Yaroslavich [1, p. 569-570]. D. Dombrowski also refuted the concept of O. Balzer [8, s. 139-147]. Subsequently, recognizing that the origin of Pereyaslava from the marriage of Daniil and Anna is highly likely [2, p. 682], the scientist noted that her origin from other Rurikovichs - Vsevolodovich or Rostislavichi is also possible [ibid, p. 694].

What facts indicate in favor of the filiation of the wife of Siemovit as the daughter of Daniil of Halych? First of all, these are close ties between the Masovian and Halych princes, in particular, the long alliance between Siemovit and the Romanovichs [10, s. 268; 11, s. 171-190]. The difficulty is that the existence of such long-term allied relations can be interpreted both in favor and against the version of O. Balzer. How profitable the marriage of the daughter of Daniil of Halych and the Masovian prince could be, if by the time of his conclusion there were already marriages of Vasilko Romanovich with Dobrava Konradovna and Boleslav Konradovich with Anastasia of Belz, remains open to question.

Pereyaslava, most likely, suited the Polish prince in age, which was of high importance at the time. She was probably born before 1233/1236 or in 1238-1241 [2, p. 695; 8, s. 139-147].

However, O. Balzer's hypothetical assumptions are based only on indirect data from Polish sources. Available information about the princess, including the mention of Jan Dlugosz [II, p. 97, 136, 225], the Wielkopolska Chronicle and Annales Posnanienses [IV, s. 35; V, s. 102, 117 etc.], as well as inscriptions and obituaries [III, s. 612; VI, p. 177], unfortunately, is not enough for an unambiguous filiation. Nevertheless, O. Balzer managed to establish the name of the princess (despite the mistake in her name by J. Dlugosz), the approximate date of the wedding and death of the princess [6, s. 546-556]. Taking into account the genealogical ties between the princes of Masovia and the Romanovichs, confirmed by both Polish and Rus sources, the researcher concluded that the relationship of Siemovit Konradovich with the Halych princes mentioned in the chronicles was possible only if there was a marriage with the daughter of Daniil Romanovich. At the same time, D. Dombrowski proposes a different genealogical scheme that casts doubt on the analysis of O. Balzer [2, p. 685-686].

The marriage of Pereyaslava and Siemovit was concluded approximately in 1248 or after 1247. Since the information on the basis of which a conclusion can be drawn about the dating is indirect, there has long been a discussion in the literature about the date of the marriage [see: 8, s. 143-145]. The couple's firstborn, the future Prince of Masovia Konrad II, appeared with the couple in the early 1250s, which also indirectly confirms the proposed dating of the wedding. In total, three children were born in the marriage: sons Konrad and Boleslaw and daughter Salome. After the assassination of Siemovit in Yazdov on June 23, 1263, the princess became the guardian of her young children. Pereyaslava Danilovna died, according to J. Dlugosz, on April 12, 1283 [6, s. 556].

Children

  • Konrad II (c. 1250–23 June / 21 October 1294), Prince of Mazovia
  • Boleslaw II (after 1251–20 April 1313), Prince of Mazovia
  • Salome († 1301), nun

Sources

I. Polnoe sobranie russkikh letopisei. T. II. Ipat'evskaia letopis'. M., 2001.

II. Ioannis Dlugossii Annales seu Cronicae incliti Regni Poloniae. Varsaviae, 1973. Lib.VII.

III. Liber Mortuorum Monasterii Lubinensis Ordinis Sancti Benedicti/ wid. W. Kętrzyński // Monumenta Poloniae historica. T. V. Lwów, 1888

IV. Monumenta Poloniae historica. T. VI. Lwów, 1888.

V. Monumenta Poloniae historica. T. VIII. Lwów, 1888.

VI. Nekrolog dominikanow krakowskich // Zeissberg H., von. Kleinere Geschichtaquellen Pollens. Wien, 1877.

Bibliography

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2. 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.

3. Kotliar M. Istoriia diplomatiї Pivdenno-zakhidnoї Rusi. Kiїv, 2002. 

4. Kotliar M. Gal'ts'ko-Volynskii litopis XIII st. Kiїv, 1993.

5. Kotliar M. Danilo Galits'kii. Kiїv, 2001.Balzer O. Genealogia Piastów, wyd. II.  Kraków, 2005. 

6. Baumgarten N., de. Généalogies et mariages occidentaux des Ruricides Russes. Du X au XIII siècle. Roma, 1927.

7. Dąbrowski D. Rodowód Romanowiczów książąt halicko-wołynskich Poznań; Wrocław. 2002.

8. Grabowski J. Dynastia Piastów mazowieckich. Studia nad dziejami Mazowsza, intytulacją i genealogią książąt, Kraków 2012.

9. Wilamowski B. Siemowit I // Piastowie. Leksykon biograficzny. Kraków, 1999.

10. Włodarski B. Polska i Ruś. 1194–1340. Warszawa, 1966.