 Source of image: www.nbrb.by
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| PRINCE RAGVALOD AND PRINCESS RAGNEDA OF POLATSK Ragvalod (? — 980) was the first prince of Polatsk whose name was mentioned in the historical sources. The chronicle's entry dated to c. 970 has it: "At the time of Svyataslau Igaravich — the father of the Grand Prince Uladzimir - one prince, by the name of Ragvalod, arrived from overseas and established himself in Polatsk, reigning as prince".
Under his rule, the Principality of Polatsk extended almost as far as present-day borders of Belarus — the Dzvina basin, the lands from the Dnieper to the upper reaches of the Nyoman, whereas a prince dependent on Polatsk was enthroned in Palesse. Ragvalod turned his principality into a powerful and entirely independent state. As a result, Prince Yarapolk of Kiev and his brother Uladzimir of Novgarad, who was vying with his sibling for the supreme authority over Rus, began to seek an alliance with it. The sovereign of Polatsk favored the former and went to war with the latter but suffered a defeat. The city was stormed, Ragvalod and his sons were taken prisoner and maliciously assassinated in 980. Uladzimir raped and forcibly married Ragneda, the only surviving member of the Ragvalod's family, ordering her to assume the name of Garyslava, and took her to Kiev which he seized from his brother. However, the role of an obedient slave was rejected by a proud citizen of Polatsk. In 985, she made an unsuccessful attempt on her husband's life who indulged in vice. Nevertheless, on the boyars' advice, Uladzimir not only spared Ragneda's life but also resumed her and Izyaslau's, their firstborn child, reign over the Polatsk Principality.
As a precaution, both of them were sent to take up residence in the fortified town of Izyaslau (present-day Zaslaue) — purposefully built closer to Kiev — rather than in Polatsk proper. Because of her son's young age, Ragneda ruled her father's "ancestral lands" until 989, when she took a monastic vow under the name of Anastasiya. In 1000, Ragneda went the way of all flesh, and a short time later the citizens of the Polatsk land began to venerate her as a saint. They placed the sacred relics of the princess and nun at the Church of the Holy Virgin in 1007. The descendants of Ragneda and Izyaslau, who consolidated their positions in the land of Polatsk, proudly called themselves "Ragvalod's grandchildren". G.V. Laskavy
Chief Research Assistant,
Institute of History of the Belarusian National Academy of Sciences
Text from the official flyer “Prince Ragvalod and Princess Ragneda of Polatsk” of the National Bank of the Republic of Belarus
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| Date : 09.11.2006 |
| Metal : Ag 925 |
| Diameter, mm : 38.61 |
| Weight, g : 31.10 |
| Mintage, St. : 5000 |
Minted by :
CJSC "Lithuanian Mint", Vilnius, Lithuania |
Design :
S.Zaskevich |
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Ebay-Statistic
(Prices in Euro):
| Year |
Count |
Ave
rage |
Min. |
Max. |
| 2006 |
6 |
32,09 |
29,02 |
36,98 |
| 2007 |
13 |
33,03 |
21,50 |
59,62 |
| 2008 |
7 |
32,47 |
20,52 |
42,01 |
| 2009 |
7 |
34,57 |
23,00 |
42,00 |
| 2010 |
7 |
33,76 |
23,00 |
46,30 |
| 2011 |
1 |
32,93 |
32,93 |
32,93 |
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