Uliana of Tver

Life

She was born around 1325. After her father and eldest brother were murdered by Öz Beg Khan in 1339, Uliana was placed in care of Simeon of Moscow, who married Uliana's elder sister Maria in 1347.

In 1349, Algirdas, the grand duke of Lithuania, sent an embassy to the Golden Horde, proposing to the khan, Jani Beg, to form an alliance against Simeon of Moscow; this proposal was not accepted and the envoys, including Algirdas' brother Karijotas, were imprisoned and held for ransom. Algirdas then concluded peace with Simeon and married Simeon's sister-in-law Uliana. She was the second Russian princess to marry Algirdas. Simeon first asked for the opinion of Metropolitan Theognostus whether a Christian lady could be married off to a pagan ruler. The same year, Algirdas' brother Liubartas married Olga, daughter of Konstantin Vasilyevich of Rostov and niece of Simeon.

Uliana rarely left home, devoting herself entirely to her children and to needlework. She also wielded considerable influence over her husband. In 1370, her brother Mikhail asked Algirdas to help him gain the Grand Principality of Vladimir from Dmitry of Moscow, and after he refused, Mikhail appealed to Uliana directly, prompting Algirdas to change his position and provide military assistance. Uliana is also said to have persuaded Algirdas to be baptized and take the Great Schema before his death. However, other Russian chronicles indicate that Algirdas remained pagan until his death.

After Algirdas's death in 1377, in accordance with his will, Uliana inherited the Principality of Vitebsk.

Death and burial

There are conflicting claims about Uliana's last years and her burial place. One account claims that Uliana became a nun under the name Marina in the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Vitebsk and was buried there. Another claim, based on a silver plaque discovered during an 1810 construction, has it that she was buried in the Cathedral of the Theotokos in Vilnius. The Nikon Chronicle recorded that she was a nun at the Kiev Pechersk Lavra and was buried there. The latest discovery was made during a restoration of the Transfiguration Church in Polotsk in March 2012. An inscription was found that recorded Uliana's death on the feast of Saint Alexius, which is March 17 in Eastern Orthodoxy. On 5 December 2018, Uliania of Tver was canonized by the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church.

Issue

According to the research of Polish historian Jan Tęgowski, Uliana was frequently pregnant during her union with Algirdas, giving birth to eight sons and seven daughters in about 24 years, though some details, like birth order, are disputed:

Kenna (baptized Joan; c. 1351 – 27 April 1367), wife of Casimir IV, Duke of Pomerania;

Euphrosyne (c. 1352 – 1405/1406), wife of Oleg Ivanovich of Ryazan;

Skirgaila (baptized Ivan; c. 1354 – 11 January 1397 in Kiev), duke of Trakai (1382–1395), Kiev (1395–1397), regent of Lithuania;

Kaributas (baptized Dmitry; c. 1355 – after 1404), prince of Novgorod-Seversk (1386–1392/1393);

Lengvenis (baptised Simon; c. 1356 – after 19 June 1431), prince of Mstislavl, regent of the Novgorod Republic;

Helen (c. 1357 – 15 September 1437/1438), wife of Vladimir the Bold;

Jogaila (baptized Władysław; c. 1362 – 1 June 1434), grand duke of Lithuania (1377–1381, 1382–1392), king of Poland (1386–1434);

Maria (c. 1363 – after 1382), wife of Vaidila and David of Gorodets;

Karigaila (baptized Casimir; c. 1364/1367 – 1390), prince of Mstislavl;

Minigailo (c. 1365/1368 – by 1382);

Alexandra (c. 1368/1370 – 19 June 1434), wife of Siemowit IV, Duke of Masovia;

Wilheida (baptized Catherine; c. 1369/1374 – after 4 April 1422), wife of John II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Stargard;