Yaroslav the Wise’s Contested Legacy, A Visual Timeline

Ukraine is searching for the bones of the 11th-century prince; his legacy underpins Russia and Ukraine’s current tensions Brett Forrest Jan. 1, 2022 Tap story

978: Yaroslav, a son of Rurikid Prince Vladimir the Great, is born near present-day Kyiv. A bust of Yaroslav the Wise at St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv. Brendan Hoffman for WSJ

1019: Yaroslav the Wise prevails in a war, merging cities between the Baltic and Black Seas into a unified political state, later known as Kievan Rus. Yaroslav the Legislator 1019-1054, by Boris Artemyevich Chorikov, 1836. Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images

1054: Yaroslav the Wise dies and is entombed in St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv. Brendan Hoffman for WSJ { "selector": ".wsj--ani-media-pan", "duration": "10s", "easing": "ease-out", "fill": "forwards", "keyframes": [ {"transform": "translateX(-15px) scale(1.1)"}, {"transform": "translateX(15px) scale(1.1) "} ] }

1240 onward: Kyiv falls in the Mongol invasion. Kievan Rus disintegrates, Moscow emerges. A wall fresco in St. Sophia Cathedral depicting the family of Vladimir, including Yaroslav, second from left. Brendan Hoffman for WSJ

1917: Ukraine declares independence at the outset of the Russian revolution. 1922: The Soviet Union absorbs Ukraine as a constituent republic.

1939: Soviet officials open the sarcophagus of Yaroslav the Wise and transport its contents, two skeletons, to Leningrad for study, later returning them to St. Sophia. Irina Trush, Research of the Contents of the Sarcophagus of Yaroslav the Wise 2009-2010, published by National Reserve "Sophia of Kyiv" { "selector": ".wsj--ani-media-pan", "duration": "10s", "easing": "ease-out", "fill": "forwards", "keyframes": [ {"transform": "translateX(-15px) scale(1.1)"}, {"transform": "translateX(15px) scale(1.1) "} ] }

1941-1943: Nazi forces occupy Kyiv and then are pushed back by the Soviet army; St. Sophia’s head flees. Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini in the region of Uman in Ukraine in 1941. Heinrich Hoffmann/Ullstein Bild/Getty Images

1954: An article appears in a Ukrainian-language newsletter in Canada, claiming that the bones of Yaroslav are in New York City. 1967: An article in a Ukrainian-American periodical identifies the alleged keeper of the bones in New York.

1991: Ukraine declares independence as the Soviet Union collapses. Ukrainians celebrate in Kyiv on Aug. 25, 1991. Anatoly Sapronenkov/AFP/Getty Images { "selector": ".wsj--ani-media-pan", "duration": "10s", "easing": "ease-out", "fill": "forwards", "keyframes": [ {"transform": "translateX(-15px) scale(1.1)"}, {"transform": "translateX(15px) scale(1.1) "} ] }

2009: A team of scientists opens Yaroslav's sarcophagus and finds only a skeleton belonging to a female, igniting an international search for his remains. Irina Trush, Research of the Contents of the Sarcophagus of Yaroslav the Wise 2009-2010, published by National Reserve "Sophia of Kyiv"

2014: Protests in favor of European integration and against Ukraine’s pro-Russian president descend into violence. Russia annexes Crimea and foments rebellion in Ukraine’s east. Protesters in Kyiv on Jan. 24, 2014. Efrem Lukatsky/Associated Press

2016: The new Ukrainian presidential administration requests assistance from the Department of Justice to locate and repatriate the bones of Yaroslav.

2017: Department of Homeland Security agents search Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Church in Brooklyn’s East New York section. The search is inconclusive. A holographic reconstruction of the face of of Yaroslav at St. Sophia Cathedral. Brendan Hoffman for WSJ

Cover photo: Brendan Hoffman for WSJ Produced by Ariel Zambelich