Fiodor of Kiev

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Fiodor of Kiev (14th century) was Duke of Kiev and brother of Gediminas, Grand Duke of Lithuania. Only a couple of short notes survive regarding Fiodor's life.

In early 1320's[1] Gediminas won the Battle on the Irpen' River against Stanislav of Kiev and captured the city.[2] The Tatars, who also claimed Kiev, retaliated in 1324–1325. Lithuanian Chronicles mention that Gediminas installed his deputy Algimantas, son of Mindaugas from Olshanski family. There were some attempts to claim that Algimantas was Fiodor's pagan name, but they are discharged by evidence that Algimantas was baptized as Mikhail.[3]

In 1331 Vasily Kalika, a newly consecrated Archbishop of Novgorod, was traveling from Volodymyr-Volynskyi to Veliky Novgorod.[4] On his way he was stopped by Fiodor, Duke of Kiev, a Tatar tax collector (basqaq), and fifty men.[5] The presence of a Tatar official led historians to believe that while Kiev was ruled by a Lithuanian, it had to pay a tribute to the Mongol Empire.[6] Lithuanians gained full control of the city after the victorious Battle of Blue Waters in 1362.[7] According to Gustynskaia Chronicle, after the battle Fiodor was replaced as Duke of Kiev by Vladimir, son of Algirdas.[5]

For a long time scholars assumed that Fiodor was of Rurikid origin because of his Christian name. However, in 1916 Russian historian Mikhail Dmitrievich Priselkov published a list of property belonging to Theognostus, a deceased Metropolitan of Moscow.[8] The list, compiled in 1331, listed two silver cups gifted to Theognostus by Fiodor, brother of Gediminas.[5] Modern historians agree that Fiodor from the list and Fiodor from Kiev was one and the same person. No other evidence survives regarding Fiodor's family.

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  1. ^ Historians disagree on exact dating: Maciej Stryjkowski provided 1320/21, Aleksandr Ivanovich Rogov argues for 1322, C. S. Rowell for 1323, Feliks Shabul'do for 1324, Romas Batūra for 1325.
  2. ^ Rowell, C. S. (1994). Lithuania Ascending: A Pagan Empire Within East-Central Europe, 1295-1345, Cambridge Studies in Medieval Life and Thought: Fourth Series. Cambridge University Press, 97. ISBN 9780521450119. 
  3. ^ Rowell, C. S. Lithuania Ascending, 104.
  4. ^ Rowell, C. S. Lithuania Ascending, 176–177.
  5. ^ a b c Rowell, C. S. Lithuania Ascending, 100.
  6. ^ "Theodore". Encyclopedia Lituanica V. (1970-1978). Ed. Simas Sužiedėlis. Boston, Massachusetts: Juozas Kapočius. 446–447. LCC 74-114275. 
  7. ^ (Lithuanian) Gudavičius, Edvardas (2004). "Teodoras". Lietuvos valdovai (XIII-XVIII a.): enciklopedinis žinynas. Ed. Vytautas Spečiūnas. Vilnius: Mokslo ir enciklopedijų leidybos institutas. 31. ISBN 5-420-01535-8. 
  8. ^ (Lithuanian) "Teodoras". Lietuvių enciklopedija 31. (1953–1966). Boston, Massachusetts: Lietuvių enciklopedijos leidykla. 49. LCC 55020366.