Vasylko Romanovych
Vasylko Romanovych, also known as Василко Романович, was a 13th‑century prince who ruled parts of what is now Ukraine and western Belarus: Belz, Berestia, and Volhynia, from about 1207 until his death. He was the son of Roman the Great and Anna-Euphrosyne, and the younger brother of Daniel of Galicia.
After their father’s death in 1205, Galician nobles forced Vasylko, his mother, and his brother to leave the region and they were exiled to Poland. They later returned to Volhynia, first living in Belz, then Berestia, and by 1213 settling in Kamianets on the Horyn under the protection of Leszek the White. As conflicts among Galician boyars, Hungarians, and Poles grew, Vasylko and Daniel worked to reclaim Galicia-Volhynia. In 1227 Daniel named Vasylko ruler of Lutsk, Peresopnytsia, and Berestia, and by 1238 his domain extended to western Volhynia, including Volodymyr.
After the Mongol invasion, Vasylko acknowledged Mongol suzerainty but remained a ruler. In 1259 he was ordered to burn most of his fortifications except for Kholm. He participated in Burundai’s campaigns against Lithuania (1258) and Poland (1259). After Daniel’s death, Vasylko became the eldest member of the Romanovichi and effectively ruled Galicia-Volhynia until his death around 1269–1271.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 15:05 (CET).