Saint Yuri II of Vladimir

Yuri II (Russian: Ю́рий–II, also transcribed as Iuri), also known as George II of Vladimir, or Georgy II Vsevolodovich (26 November 1188 – 4 March 1238), was the fourth Grand Prince of Vladimir (1212–1216, 1218–1238) who presided over the Principality of Vladimir-Suzdal at the time of the Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus'. The third son of Vsevolod III and Maria Shvarnovna, Yuri II was the founder of Nizhny Novgorod and is venerated as a saint in the Russian Orthodox Church. Yuri was born in Suzdal on 26 November 1188. On 28 July 1192, he undertook the knightly tonsure in Suzdal, a rite of passage that marked him as a warrior, and was placed on a horse for the first time. He first distinguished himself in battles against the Principality of Ryazan in 1207. In the winter of 1208–1209, he campaigned against Torzhok alongside his brother Konstantin, and in early 1209 he fought against Ryazan forces that had attacked the outskirts of Moscow. In 1211, Yuri married Agafia, daughter of Vsevolod Svyatoslavich Chermny, Prince of Chernigov. The wedding took place in Vladimir's Cathedral of the Dormition. In 1211, Yuri's father Vsevolod the Big Nest chose him to inherit the throne of Vladimir, bypassing the traditional rights of his eldest son, Konstantin. Vsevolod convened a council of boyars and clergy to legitimize his decision. After Vsevolod's death in 1212, the Vladimir-Suzdal war of succession (1212–1216) broke out between the brothers. Konstantin allied himself with Mstislav the Bold of Novgorod, while Yuri was supported by his brother Yaroslav. In a decisive battle on the Lipitsa River in April 1216, Konstantin and his allies defeated the forces of Yuri and Yaroslav. Having lost Vladimir, Yuri was sent to rule the provincial town of Gorodets Radilov on the Volga. However, two years later, Konstantin died, and Yuri was allowed to return to Vladimir as Grand Prince, having been designated by Konstantin as his successor.