Roman the Great

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Roman the Great or Roman Mstislavich (c. 1150-1205) was the Prince of Novgorod, Volhynia, and Halych.

Roman was the son of Mstislav II of Kiev. During 1168-1170 he reigned in the Great Novgorod. From 1170 to 1199 he ruled in Volodymyr-Volynsky, which he inherited from his father. In 1187, he made an unsuccessful attempt to wrestle from the boyars the principality of Halych. In 1197 he married Anna, by whom he had four children, including Danylo of Halych.

Roman Mstislavich gained nation-wide fame by his victorious campaign against Polovtsi in 1197-1198, 1201, and 1204. In 1199, he became Prince of Halych, uniting Halichina and Volhynia lands in the mighty principality of Halych-Volhynia. In 1202, he also captured Kiev, uniting all South-west Ruthenia under his rule. Prominent as a warlord, Roman the Great was also generally considered a wise politician. He lived mostly in peace with Hungary and Poland, but had uneasy relationships with several other neighbouring states. He perished near the Polish city Zawichost during a march against Prince Leszek the White of Lesser Poland.