Exhibit 6
The Period of the Rus Kingdom
The Kingdom of Rus was a state that existed in the Eastern Europe for almost a century and a half, from 1199 till 1349.
The exhibit is inspired by this glorious period in the history of L’viv and the rise of the Kingdom of Rus. For almost two centuries the Rus Kingdom was both withstanding and resisting attempts of its neighbors to take over its lands. Here you can see the figures of some important people of the time.
Prince Lev Danylovych, the son of King Danylo Romanovych, the sovereign of Rus, a brave warrior and commander, who managed to keep whole its kingdom, as well as annex the land of Lublin and a part of Transcarpathian area. His reign was marked with the continued growth of cities, construction of stone buildings, and development of trades and arts.
Constance, the wife of Prince Lev, a Hungarian princess, the daughter of King Bela IV. She became a devoted friend to her husband, performed diplomatic missions, and used her family connections to influence European royalty in favor of the Rus Kingdom.
In the early 14th century the Principality of Halycia and Volhynia began to break free from the dependence on the Golden Horde. Yuri, the son of Prince Lev and the Hungarian princess Constance, became the leader of the country.
Prince Yuri, like his famous grandfather Danylo, was crowned King of Rus and Prince of Volodymyr. After the death of his father he became the ruler of all lands of the Rus Kingdom. The capital was moved from L’viv to Volodymyr, and in 1303 the country liberated itself from the dependency on the Mongols.
Under the reign of King Yuri I the Constantinople Patriarchate granted permission to establish an independent Halycian Metropole, that became the symbol of the sovereignty of his Princedom and helped to strengthen the independence of the country. The Kyiv Metropole was then moved from Kyiv to Volodymyr on Kliazma, which at the time was under the rule of the Golden Horde.
Yuri I pursued the policy of independence in its relationships with foreign countries, supported close links with Poland, Hungary, German principalities as well as with Lithuania and the Teutonic Order.
The 13th and 14th centuries were the time of the rapid development of trades and arts in L’viv. There were numerous groups of craftsmen of different occupations — from tailors, metalworkers and sword-makers to blacksmiths, saddle-makers and many more. Later they began to create guilds and corporations. Craftsmen made a significant part of the L’viv population, some of them even belonged to the city patriciate, where principal places were usually occupied by rich merchants.
The largest communities in L’viv in that time were the Rus, German, Armenian, Tartar, and Saracen (later replaced by the Jewish community).
The city top official was the Advocatus (Vogt), the head of the Magistrate. The first L’viv Advocatus was the German Bertold Stecher, while the first Advocatus of the Rus (Ukrainian) descent was Mykolai Rusyn.
