. The trident (
tryzub) is considered as symbol of Rus and was adopted by independent Ukraine in the 20th century as a Ukrainian coat of arms. Rurik and his brothers founded a state that later historians called
Kievan Rus′. By the middle of the twelfth century, Kievan Rus′ had dissolved into independent
principalities, each ruled by a different branch of the Rurikid house. The dynasty followed
agnatic seniority and the
izgoi principle. The house underwent a major schism after the death of
Yaroslav the Wise in 1054, dividing into three branches on the basis of descent from three successive ruling
Grand Princes:
Iziaslav (1024–1078),
Sviatoslav (1027–1076), and
Vsevolod (1030–1093). In addition, a line of Polotsk princes assimilated themselves with the princes of
Lithuania. In the 10th century the
Council of Liubech made some amendments to a succession rule and divided
Ruthenia into several autonomous principalities that had equal rights to obtain the Kievan throne. Vsevolod's line eventually became better known as the
Monomakhovichi and was the predominant one. The line of Sviatoslav later became known as Olegovychi and often laid claim to the lands of
Chernihiv and
Severia. The Izyaslavychi who ruled
Turov and
Volhynia were eventually replaced by a Monomakhovychi branch. According to
Jaroslaw Pelenski, This caused the Rurikid house to effectively dissolve into several sub-dynasties ruling smaller states in the 10th and 11th centuries. These were the
Olgoviches of
Severia who ruled in
Chernigov,
Yuryeviches who controlled
Vladimir-Suzdal, and
Romanoviches in
Galicia-Volhynia.
Descendants of Sviatoslav II of Kiev The
Olgovichi descended from
Oleg I of Chernigov, a son of
Sviatoslav II of Kiev and grandson of Yaroslav the Wise. They continued to rule until the early 14th century when they were torn apart by the emerging
Grand Duchy of Lithuania and
Grand Duchy of Moscow. The line continued through Oleg's son
Vsevolod II of Kiev, grandson
Sviatoslav III of Kiev, great-grandson
Vsevolod IV of Kiev and great-great-grandson
Michael of Chernigov, from whose sons the extant lines of the Olegoviches are descended, including the Massalsky, Gorchakov, Baryatinsky, Volkonsky and Obolensky, including Repnin.
Descendants of Vsevolod I of Kiev Vsevolod I of Kiev was the father of
Vladimir II Monomakh, giving rise to the name
Monomakh for his progeny. Two of Vladimir II's sons were
Mstislav I of Kiev and
Yuri Dolgorukiy. The
Romanovichi (Izyaslavichi of Volhynia) were the line of
Roman the Great, descended from Mstislav I of Kiev through his son
Iziaslav II of Kiev and his grandson
Mstislav II of Kiev, father of Roman the Great. The older Monomakhovychi line that ruled the
Principality of Volhynia were eventually crowned kings of Galicia and Volhynia and ruled until 1323. The Romanovychi displaced the older line of Izyaslavychi from Turov and Volhynia as well as Rostyslavychi from Galicia. The last were two brothers of Romanovychi,
Andrew and
Lev II, who ruled jointly and were slain trying to repel
Mongol incursions. The Polish king,
Władysław I the Elbow-high, in his letter to the Pope wrote with regret: "The two last
Ruthenian kings, that had been firm shields for Poland from the Tatars, left this world and after their death Poland is directly under Tatar threat." Losing their leadership role, the Rurikids, however, continued to play a vital role in the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the later
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Most notably, the
Ostrogski family held the title of
Grand Hetman of Lithuania and strove to preserve the
Ruthenian language and
Eastern Orthodoxy in this part of Europe. It is thought that the Drutsk and related princely families may also descend from Roman the Great. The
Rostislavichi were the line of
Rostislav I of Kiev, another son of Mstislav I of Kiev, who was
Prince of Smolensk and a progenitor of the lines descending from the princes of Smolensk and Yaroslavl. The
Shakhovskoys were founded by Konstantin "Shakh" Glebovich, Prince of
Yaroslavl, and traces its lineage to
Rostislav I of Kiev through his son
Davyd Rostislavich. This branch also descends
cognatically of
Ivan I of Moscow, through the latter's daughter Evdokia Ivanovna Moskovskaya (1314–1342), who married , Prince of
Yaroslavl (died 1345). They were the great-grandparents of Andrey and Yuriy, the first Shakhovskoy princes. This is possibly the most senior extant branch of the Rurikids, with many Shakhovskoys living outside of Russia after having fled during the
Russian Revolution. The
Yurievichi were founded by
Yuriy Dolgorukiy, the founder of Moscow and spread vastly in the north-east. Yuri's son
Vsevolod the Big Nest was Prince of
Vladimir-Suzdal, a precursor state to the
Grand Principality of Moscow and thus of the
Russian Empire. Vsevolod's son
Konstantin of Rostov was Prince of Rostov and the progenitor of various Rostov princely lines. Another son, Ivan Vsevolodich, was Prince of
Starodub and progenitor of a number of extant lines, most notably the
Gagarin line. Vsevolod's son
Yaroslav II of Vladimir was the father of
Alexander Nevsky, whose son
Daniel of Moscow sired the ruling house of Moscow until the end of the 16th century; the princes of Moscow are often referred to as the
Daniilovichi. Beginning with the reign of
Ivan the Terrible, the Muscovite branch used the title "Tsar of All Russia" and ruled over the
Tsardom of Russia. The death in 1598 of Tsar Feodor I ended the rule of the Rurik dynasty. The dynasty was briefly revived in the person of
Vasili IV of Russia, a descendant of Shuyskiy line of the Rurik dynasty, but he died without issue. The unstable period known as the
Time of Troubles followed Feodor's death and lasted until 1613. In that year,
Mikhail I ascended the throne, founding the
Romanov dynasty that would rule until 1762 and as
Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov until the
revolutions of 1917. Tsar Mikhail's father
Patriarch Filaret of Moscow was descended from the Rurik dynasty through the female line. His mother, Evdokiya Gorbataya-Shuyskaya, was a Rurikid princess from the
Shuysky branch, daughter of
Alexander Gorbatyi-Shuisky. Tsar Mikhail's first wife
Maria Dolgorukova was of Rurikid stock but their marriage produced no children. == Branches ==