Yaroslav the Wise

Yaroslav I Vladimirovich, known as the Wise (c. 978–1054), was a son of Vladimir the Great who ruled Novgorod and withheld tribute from Kiev in 1014. From 1015 he warred with his brother Sviatopolk and took the Kievan throne in 1019.

Defeated by his brother Mstislav in 1024, he divided the land until 1036, when he began ruling alone. In 1030 he captured Tartu, and the next year he recovered the Cherven towns from Poland. He crushed the Pechenegs near Kiev in 1036, built Saint Sophia Cathedral, and issued the law code Russkaya Pravda.

He married Ingegerd of Sweden, and their daughters became queens of France, Norway and Hungary. He died in February 1054.