Shvarn - Biography

Biography

One of the sons of king Daniel I of Galicia of the house of Romanovich, Shvarn inherited the north-western parts of the Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia, his fathers' domain. This land included the town of Halicz itself, as well as the land across the Bug River, that is Red Ruthenia with the towns of Bełz, Czerwieńa, Mielnik, Drohiczyn and eventually also Kholm (since 1264). His brother Lev I inherited the southern part of the land, with the cities of Lvov and Przemyśl, while Roman became the heir of duchies of Lutsk and Terebovl.

During the times of king Daniel's reign, the Galician lords were allied with their Polish neighbours against a common threat, the Lithuanian tribes that often raided the neighbouring lands for loot and plunder. However, in 1255 (or the previous year) Shvarn married an unnamed daughter of Mindaugas, since 1253 the first (and only) king of Lithuania. This allied him to Lithuania and together the two rulers undertook numerous military campaigns against the Kingdom of Poland. Already in 1255 they raided Lublin, in 1262 a major campaign against Masovia was started. Shvarn and Treniota captured the city of Płock and besieged Shvarn's brother-in-law, Siemowit I of Masovia in Jazdów (modern Warsaw). In the end Siemowit was killed by Shvarn's troops and his son Konrad II was taken prisoner. The Polish relief force did not arrive in time and was later defeated in a battle at Długosiodło on August 5, 1262.

In 1264 king Daniel of Galicia died and Shvarn received nominal overlordship over all of Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia as its' duke. Immediately he mounted a major campaign against Poland, this time aiming for Lesser Poland. However, although joint armies managed to plunder Skaryszew, Tarczek and Wiślica, this time the campaign was less successful and the allied Ruthenian and Lithuanian armies were repelled. The Yotvingian auxiliaries were defeated by Bolesław V the Chaste at the Battle of Brańsk. The following year Bolesław mounted a counter-offensive against Shvarn and his uncle Vasilko Romanovich, and defeated the earlier on June 19, 1266 at Wrota. This weakened Shvarn's position in his own domain.

In the meantime in 1263 Mindaugas of Lithuania was murdered. In the chaos that followed Mindaugas' assassination, the lands of the Grand Duchy were in disarray, with both local and foreign rulers struggling for power. Shvarn gave his support to Vaišvilkas, one of Mindaugas' sons and his brother-in-law. Together they managed to depose Treniota and expel Dovmont all the way to Pskov. After Vaišvilkas returned to monastic life in 1267, Shvarn became the new Grand Duke. No details are known about Shvarno's rule over Lithuania and he probably did not gain a strong foothold in that country. However, he was apparently fairly successful in expanding his borders. Following successful military campaigns, in 1267 he defeated his brother Mstislav in the battle of the Yaselda River and captured Turov and Pinsk. He then campaigned against the Volga Tatars and defeated khan Balaklay in the battle of Kojdanow (modern Dzyarzhynsk, Belarus), which allowed Shvarn to capture the towns of Mozyr, Chernigov, Karachev and Starodub. The struggle for power within Lithuania however continued. Before a clear winner could emerge, Shvarm died in Kholm some time between 1269 and 1271. He was buried in an Orthodox Cathedral that once stood on a place now occupied by the Basilica of the Birth of the Virgin Mary. After his death most of his lands reverted to Lithuania and came under control of Traidenis, a previously less-known noble from Lithuanian Highlands.