Aleksandras Olelka was the ancestor of the family. He was a son of
Vladimir, the
prince of Kiev, and grandson of
Algirdas, the grand duke of Lithuania. Alexander inherited his father's domains in the
Principality of Slutsk–
Kapyl, and in 1440, restored the family's dynastic interest in the
Principality of Kiev, which was confiscated from Vladimir in 1395 after a power struggle with Grand Duke
Vytautas and given to
Skirgaila. Alexander married Anastasia, daughter of
Sophia of Lithuania and
Vasily I of Moscow, and had two sons:
Simeon (died 1470) and
Mikhailo (died 1481). Simeon married Maria, a daughter of
Jonas Goštautas. In the mid-1450s, Goštautas planned to depose Grand Duke
Casimir IV Jagiellon and to install his son-in-law Simeon Olelkovich. Simeon inherited the Principality of Kiev, but after his death it was converted into the
Kiev Voivodeship. His descendants continued to claim the rights to the region, but the voivodeship was ruled by appointed officials (voivodes) from other noble families. The loss of Kiev could be attributed to Olelkovich's faith (Eastern Orthodoxy rather than Catholicism) and their close kinship with the
grand princes of Moscow, who threatened Lithuania's eastern borders. However, the Principality of Slutsk–Kapyl was not converted into a
powiat and remained in the family's hands. Disappointed by prevailing politics, Mikhailo Olelkovich organized opposition to Casimir IV and even attempted a coup in 1481. The plot was uncovered, possibly by the voivode of Kiev,
Ivan Chodkiewicz, and Mikhailo was executed. In 1471, Mikhailo had also been involved in a brief alliance when
Novgorod Republic invited him to become its ruler in a bid to break away from Moscow's influence. However, the attempt ended in a decisive defeat at the
Battle of Shelon. After Mikhailo's death, the Olelkovichs did not occupy any state offices. They submitted bids for the throne of the Grand Duke in 1492 and 1572, but gained little support.
Simeon moved his court from Kapyl to Slutsk, thus establishing the so-called Slutsk line. His descendants are often known as Slutsky. During the
Muscovite–Lithuanian Wars, Simeon also won a battle near
Babruysk in September 1502 against the
Crimean Khanate.
Yuri also had possessions in
Veisiejai, where he funded the building of a Catholic church, and
Liškiava. ==Family tree==