Yaroslav I Vladimirovich of Kiev Grand Duke of Kiev ²

  General Notes:

Also known as Yaroslav I Vladimirovich "the Wise" of Kiev; Jaroslaus of Kiev

A son of the grand prince Vladimir, he was vice-regent of Novgorod at the time of his father's death in 1015. Then his eldest surviving brother, Svyatopolk the Accursed, killed three of his other brothers and seized power in Kiev. Yaroslav, with the active support of the Novgorodians and the help of Varangian (Viking) mercenaries, defeated Svyatopolk and became the grand prince of Kiev in 1019.

Yaroslav began consolidating the Kievan state through both cultural and administrative improvements and through military campaigns. He promoted the spread of Christianity in the Kievan state, gathered a large collection of books, and employed many scribes to translate Greek religious texts into the Slavic language. He founded churches and monasteries and issued statutes regulating the legal position of the Christian Church and the rights of the clergy. With the help of Byzantine architects and craftsmen, Yaroslav fortified and beautified Kiev along Byzantine lines. He built the majestic Cathedral of St. Sophia and the famous Golden Gate of the Kievan fortress. Under Yaroslav the codification of legal customs and princely enactments was begun, and this work served as the basis for a law code called the Russkaya Pravda ("Russian Justice").

Yaroslav pursued an active foreign policy, and his forces won several notable military victories. He regained Galicia from the Poles, decisively defeated the nomadic Pechenegs on the Kievan state's southern frontier, and expanded Kievan possessions in the Baltic region, suppressing the Lithuanians, Estonians, and Finnish tribes. His military campaign against Constantinople in 1043 was a failure, however.

Trade with the East and West played an important role in Kievan Rus in the 11th century, and Yaroslav maintained diplomatic relations with the European states. His daughters Elizabeth, Anna, and Anastasia were married respectively to Harald III of Norway, Henry I of France, and Andrew I of Hungary.

In his testament, Yaroslav sought to prevent a power struggle among his five sons by dividing his empire among them and enjoining the younger four sons to obey the eldest, Izyaslav, who was to succeed his father as grand prince of Kiev. This advice had no lasting effect, and civil war ensued after Yaroslav's death.
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Yaroslav married Anna, Ingigerd Olofsdotter, daughter of king Olaf Skötkonung of Sweden and later to widowed Astrid Olofsdotter of Sweden, another daughter of Olof Skötkonung.

He had three daughters and seven sons, only Anastasia being Astrid's daughter:

Anna Yaroslavna,also known as Anne of Kiev, was married to Henry I of France.
Elizabeth was married to Harald III of Norway and became known as Ellisif of Gårdarike.
Anastasia was married to Andrew I of Hungary.

Sons:
Vsevolod I, Prince of Kiev (1030-1093)
Vladimir II, Prince of Novgorod (1020-1052)
Iziaslav of Kiev (1024-1078)
Sviatoslav II of Kiev (1027-1076)
Ilya, Prince of Novgorod (?-1020)
Igor, Prince of Vladimir, Volin' and Smolensk (1036-1060)
Vyacheslav, Prince of Smolensk (1036-1057)

Yaroslav's granddaughter, his son Vsevolod's daughter named Eupraxia, was married to Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor.

His date of birth is also recorded as ca 988.

He was a Prince of Novgorod from circa 1010 to 1019.
Acceded: Grand Prince of Kiev, 1019.

[source: Ketil Ken Nygaard's Genealogy, http://nygaard.howards.net/]

Yaroslav married Ingegjerd Olavsdatter, daughter of Olof Skötkonung Eriksson, in 1019.¹ (Ingegjerd Olavsdatter was born about 1001 in Sigtuna, Sweden,¹ died on 10 Feb 1049-1050 in Vyšhorod near Kiev ¹ and was buried in St Sophia Cathedral, Kiev ¹.)