Belz on the Solokiya was the share of Roman's brother Vsevolod after 1170.
Vsevolod died in 1195 or 1196 and his son Alexander holds it, a young prince under his uncle Roman's hand. Belz sits between Roman's Vladimir and his new Galician lands, on the road from Vladimir to Zvenigorod and Galich, so it matters to Roman that it is held by kin he controls. Old Cherven, the former centre of the Cherven towns, lies just to the west; whether it belonged to Belz or to Vladimir in 1200 is not pinned.
Who he is
- Name
- Alexander Vsevolodovich
- Title
- Prince of Belz
- Since
- 1195 or 1196, on the death of his father (not pinned to the year)
- Born
- not pinned (young in 1200)
- Family
- Son of Vsevolod Mstislavich, Roman's brother, prince of Belz 1170-1196 (en.wikipedia, Belz); nephew of Roman. His marriage and children belong to later years.
- Confidence
- medium
en.wikipedia (Belz) lists Vsevolod 1170-1196, then Vasilko Romanovich 1207-1211 and Alexander 1212-1234, leaving 1196-1207 blank; the usual account gives Belz to Alexander on his father's death, under Roman's protection. After Roman's death Alexander holds Vladimir-Volynsky for a time (1207-1210s).
Overlord
Roman Mstislavich, his uncle (seniority and guardianship, not a formal fief).
What it holds
How it was acquired
Inherited from his father Vsevolod Mstislavich (died 1195 or 1196).
Allies and rivals
Bound to Roman; later (after 1205) a rival of Roman's widow and sons for Vladimir.
How things stand that morning
Holds Belz as Roman's junior kinsman; serves Roman (allegiance galicia).
Wealth
A small appanage of farmland on the black earth of the Bug and the Solokiya.
Military
His own small retinue; the fort at Belz.
Threats
- Roman's power, which leaves him little room
- Raids on the Bug crossings
Where the sources disagree
- en.wikipedia (Belz) lists Alexander only from 1212; the years 1196-1207 are blank there. The usual account (and his later career) makes him prince of Belz from his father's death.
Evidence: No source names Belz's prince in 1199-1200; Alexander's tenure is inferred from his father's death and his later career.
On the map: The Belz appanage's bounds are not recorded for 1200; drawn round the later Belz land's core.
Primary sources for The Volhynian princes apart from Roman
Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.
- The Hypatian Chronicle (the Kievan Chronicle compiled about 1200 at the Vydubichi monastery; the Galician-Volhynian Chronicle in the 13th century). The southern record. Read online
- Chronicle of the Poles, by Master Vincent (Wincenty Kadłubek), Wincenty Kadłubek (about 1190 to 1208). Book 4 is a contemporary's account of the fight for the senior throne of Kraków. Read online
- The Tale of Igor's Campaign (about 1187 to 1200 (disputed)). A poem on Igor Sviatoslavich's defeat by the Polovtsians in 1185 that addresses the princes of the day by name: Vsevolod of Vladimir, Rurik and David Rostislavich, Yaroslav of Galich, Roman of Volhynia and the Olgovichi of Chernigov, of whom Igor himself was prince from 1198. Read online
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.