Regents of Ukraine

Ukraine is the cradle of Russia and until 1169 were the grand princes of Kiev supreme rulers over all Russia. But that the princes of Kiev lost their power to the princes of Vladimir-Suzdal and in 1240 was the city itself destroyed by the Mongols. During the following centuries were Ukraine and the rest of Russia to walk on separate paths when the Ukrainians came under Polish rule. Successful Cossack leaders created in the 17^th century an autonomous Ukrainian state that although short-lived would lead to the development of a separate Ukrainian nationality. The Russian tsars reunited Ukraine, piece by piece, with Russia in 1667, 1795 and 1939. They tried to suppress this development and instead emphasise Ukraine's close ties to Russia. But after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 is Ukraine an independent state and the question of Ukraine's identity is under intensive debate. The eastern half of the country are pro-Russian while the Western half cultivate a separate Ukrainian identity and seek closer relations with the western countries.

Principality of Kiev

c. 860-882	Askold and Dir
House of Rurik (grand princes over all Russia until 1169)
c. 882-912 c. 912-945 c. 945-972 c. 972-980 c. 980-1015 1015-1019 1019-1054 1054-1073 1068-1069 1073-1076 1076-1078 1078-1093 1093-1113 1113-1125 1125-1132 1132-1139 1139 1139-1146 1146 1146-1149 1150 1150 1150-1151 1150-1154 1150-1154 1154-1155 1155-1157 1157 1157-1158 1158-1167 1167-1169 1169	Oleg (Helge the Wise) Igor (Ingvar) Svyatoslav Yaropolk I Vladimir I Svatoy (the Holy) Svyatopolk I Yaroslav I Izyaslav I Vseslav Svyatoslav II Izyaslav I (restored) Vsevolod I Svyatopolk II Vladimir II Monomach Mstislav I Yaropolk II Vyacheslav Vsevolod II Igor II Izyaslav II Yuri Dolgoruky Izyaslav II (restored) Yuri Dolgoruky (restored) Vyacheslav (restored) Izyaslav II (re-restored) Rostislav I Yuri Dolgoruky (Vladimir-Suzdal) Izyaslav III Mstislav III Rostislav I (restored) Mstislav III (restored) Gleb
1170 1170-1171 1171 1171 1171-1173 1173	Mstislav III (re-restored) Gleb (restored) Vladimir III Mikhal Yuryevich Roman Rostislavich Vsevolod Yuryevich	= 1177-1212
1173 1174 1174-1175 1175-1177 1177-1180 1180 1180-1182 1182-1194 1194-1202 1202 1203-1205	Rurik Rostislavich Svjatoslav Vsevolodovich Jaroslav Izyaslavich Roman Rostislavich (restored) Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich (restored) Jaroslav Izyaslavich (restored) Rurik Rostislavich (restored) Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich (re-restored) Rurik Rostislavich (re-restored) Ingvar Yaroslavich Rurik Rostislavich (re-re-restored)
1203-1205	Roman Mstislavich
1204-1206 1206 1206-1207 1207-1210 1210-1214 1214	Rostislav Rurikovich Rurik Rostislavich (re-re-re-restored) Vsevolod Svyatoslavich Rurik Rostislavich (re-re-re-re-restored) Vsevolod Svyatoslavich (restored Ingvar Jaroslavitj (restored)
1214-1223	Mstislav Romanovich
1223-1235 1235-1236	Vladimir Rurikovich Izyaslav Vladimirovich
1236-1238	Jaroslav Vsevolodovich	= 1238-1246
1238-1239	Mikhail Vsevolodovich
1239	Rostislav Mikhailovich
1239-1240	Danylo Romanovich
1240-1362 1362-1569 1569-1667	Part of the Golden Horde (the Mongols) Part of Lithuania Part of Poland

Kiev was destroyed by the Mongols in 1240 and ceased to by a residence for Russian princes. With the Union of Lublin 1569 became Ukraine a part of Poland. But a Cossack rebellion against the Polish king 1648 resulted in the creation of an autonomous Ukrainian state led by a hetman elected by the Cossacks themselves. This state would however soon suffer from civil war between those who supported a union with Russia and those who wanted to remain Polish. The civil war resulted in division of the Hetmanate into a Polish and a Russian part, each ruled by a separate hetman. The division was confirmed with the peace of Andrusovo 1667 in which Poland ceded the Eastern half of Ukraine to Russia. The civil war would however continue until the accession of Mazepa as hetman in the Russian part. But his rebellion against Russia and alliance with Sweden in 1708 became the beginning of the end of the Hetmanate which would not regain its previous autonomous status.

The Cossack Hetmanate

The Hetmanate is dissolved 1780 and incorporated with the rest of Russia

Eastern Ukraine with the city of Kiev became Russian 1667. The western part of Ukraine remained Polish until Poland's second and third partitions 1793 and 1795 when the area was divided between Russia and Austria. After the First World War were two Ukrainian republics created on Austrian and Russian territories respectively. None of these would however control much of Ukraine and it was instead the Soviet republic created by the communist in Kiev who managed to impose its authority over most of Ukraine. This socialist Soviet Republic (SSR) joined the newly created Soviet Union in 1922. The remaining part of Ukraine had come under Polish control but was 1939 united with the Ukrainian SSR. When the Soviet Union was dissolved in 1991 became Ukraine an independent republic.

Ukraine