Vladimir II Monomakh

Born 26 May 1053, he carried the Christian name Basil and the Byzantine surname Monomakh. For decades before taking Kiev's throne, he built a reputation in relentless warfare: 83 large-scale expeditions into Polovtsian territory, pushing the steppe nomads back and forcing their leaders to reckon with him. In 1113 he became Grand Prince of Kiev, a seat he held until his death on 19 May 1125. The Eastern Orthodox Church later canonized him, commemorating him on May 6 alongside 122 other saints of Ukraine and Russia and Saint Andrew — distinct from his earlier namesake, Vladimir the Great.