Yuri Dolgoruky founded Yuryev 'in the field' (Polsky) in 1152 on the Koloksha, in the open farmland between Vladimir and Pereyaslavl, and built a white-stone church of St George there.
The decisive battle of 1177, in which Vsevolod captured Gleb of Ryazan and his nephew Mstislav, was fought on the Koloksha, Yuryev's river (the exact battlefield is not pinned). In 1200 Yuryev is Vsevolod's fort town; the carved cathedral of St George that makes it famous is Sviatoslav's of 1230-1234 (later).
Who holds it
- Name
- Grand Prince Vsevolod III, through his governor (posadnik), not named for 1200
- Title
- lord of the town
- Since
- 1176
- Born
- not applicable
- Family
- not applicable
- Confidence
- medium
Laurentian Chronicle as summarised in the standard accounts; en.wikipedia
Lord in 1200
Grand Prince Vsevolod III, through his man (not named). Vladimir Vsevolodovich receives it in 1212 and Sviatoslav later (later).
How things stand that morning
Vsevolod's town.
Charter
None: Rus' towns had no charters. Custom and the prince's word governed.
Council
None recorded.
Communities
No foreign community recorded.
Fairs and markets
Not recorded.
Militia
Men of the district.
Walls and castle
Earth ramparts with wooden walls; Yuri's white-stone church of St George (1152).
Trade and crafts
Farming of the Opolye.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Foundation recorded; little else before 1212.
Primary sources for Vladimir-Suzdal
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 Chronicle of Novgorod (kept year by year; the Synodal manuscript written in the 13th and 14th centuries). Novgorod's own record, kept at St Sophia. Read online
- 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
- The Laurentian Chronicle (the Suzdal continuation kept in the late 12th and 13th centuries; manuscript 1377). The court record of Vsevolod III of Vladimir. Read online
- The birch-bark letters (11th to 15th centuries). Excavated letters and notes on birch bark, dated by the layer they lie in. 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
- The Laurentian (Suzdal) Chronicle, PSRL vol. 1, entries for 1176-1212, cited from the researcher's knowledge of the standard accounts (not fetched in this run: ru.wikipedia, fmg.ac and the archive.org texts would not load)
- S. Franklin and J. Shepard, The Emergence of Rus 750-1200 (1996); J. Martin, Medieval Russia 980-1584 (2007); J. Fennell, The Crisis of Medieval Russia 1200-1304 (1983): standard accounts, cited from the researcher's knowledge
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.