Andrey II of Vladimir



Andrey II Yaroslavich (Андрей Ярославич; c. 1222 – 1264) was the third son of Yaroslav II who succeeded his uncle Sviatoslav III as Grand Prince of Vladimir in 1249. Three years later, he challenged the Mongols and was ousted by them.

The house of Nizhny Novgorod-Suzdal, which has been known since the 14th century as the House of Shuysky, descends from Andrey II.

Life
In 1240, the Novgorodians expelled his brother, Alexander Nevsky, from the city and asked Yaroslav II to send them another commander. Andrey was sent to the wayward republic instead, only to leave it several months later. When the city was attacked by Teutonic Knights, Yaroslav again sent Andrey with several units to help. In 1242, Andrey joined his Suzdalian forces with Alexander's and saw action in the Battle on the Ice.

In 1247, when their father died, Andrey and Alexander went to Karakorum in Mongolia, where Andrey was appointed the next grand prince of Vladimir by jarlig of the great khan Güyük. On their return to Vladimir two years later, they found that the capital had been seized by their young brother Mikhail Khorobrit. The latter, however, was killed in battle with Lithuanians several months later.

Upon taking the throne of Vladimir, Andrey resolved to assert some independence from the Golden Horde. In 1251, he married a daughter of Danylo of Halych, who had submitted to Batu Khan in 1245 and was well-received in Sarai, but by 1251 appears to have attempted forming an anti-Mongol coalition. Aside from his marriage alliance with Andrey of Vladimir, the recently-widowed Danylo himself married the niece of Lithuanian king Mindaugas in the same year. However, when great khan Güyuk also died in 1251, and Andrey was expected to go back to Sarai and receive a renewal of his jarlig as grand prince of Vladimir from Batu in the name the new great khan Möngke, Andrey defiantly refused (even though his brother Alexander Nevsky complied). The Golden Horde interpreted his refusal as a challenge to Mongol authority, and Batu Khan's son Sartak ordered a punitive expedition against Vladimir, while another punitive campaign was sent against Danylo of Halych–Volyn. Andrey was defeated in battle (near Pereslavl') and fled via Novgorod to Sweden. Novgorod didn't want to give him shelter, either, so that Andrey had to escape to Kolyvan and then to Sweden.

A year later, his uncle Sviatoslav, offended by his ousting from Vladimir, went to the Horde to secure the throne for himself; how his trip ended is unknown, but he died in February 1253 without becoming prince of Vladimir. He was followed by Alexander Nevsky, who blamed Andrey for appropriating a portion of tribute due to the Horde. Alexander Nevsky received the throne of Vladimir from the Mongols.

In 1256, Andrey travelled to Sarai to ask pardon for his former infidelity. On his return to Vladimir, he received from Alexander the easternmost lands of Vladimir, including the towns of Nizhny Novgorod and Gorodets on the Volga. After Alexander died in 1263, Andrey aspired to add Vladimir to his possessions, but was thwarted in his designs by his younger brother Yaroslav of Tver.

Family
He married in 1250/51 to Ustynia, daughter of Daniel of Galicia and had issue:
 * Vasily
 * Konstantin
 * Dmitri of Suzdal. His descendant of 8th generation was Tsar Vasily IV of Russia.