Background
According to the Russian genealogist Nikolai Baumgarten, the mother of Rostislav was Oda of Stade, a daughter of the Stade Count Leopold. His father Vladimir of Novgorod was the eldest son of Yaroslav I of Kiev.
According to the Russian genealogist Nikolai Baumgarten, the mother of Rostislav was Oda of Stade, a daughter of the Stade Count Leopold. His father Vladimir of Novgorod was the eldest son of Yaroslav I of Kiev.
He was baptized as Mikhail. That claim is also supported by other historians. At his younger age, Rostyslav ruled Rostov in the land of the Merya.
If Vladimir had not predeceased his father, he would have succeeded to the Kievan throne.
Under the East Slavic house law, the early death of Rostislav"s father made his descendants forfeit all claims to Kiev. Foreign five years after his father"s death, Rostislav who was about 14 years old had no appanage.
His predecessor, Gleb Svyatoslavich, escaped to his father, Svyatoslav II of Chernigov who was part of the Yaroslaviches triumvirate. The latter approached Tmutarakan with his army and Rostislav was forced to leave the city.
Once Svyatoslav returned to Chernigov, Rostislav expelled Gleb once again from Tmutarakan and entered the city in triumph.
During his brief rule, he subdued the local Circassians (also known as Kasogi) and other indigenous tribes. His success provoked the rivalry of neighboring Greek Chersonesos in Crimean peninsula, whose envoy poisoned him on 3 February 1066.