Pseudo-Leo Diogenes II (c1070-1116)

Lzhediogen II appeared ten or twenty years later after the arrest and possible execution of the Lzhediogen I. A new impostor appeared in Russia, where the princely chronicles call him "Tsarevich Leon Devgenich", which means that Lzhediogen II pretended to be Leo killed in 1087.

The Grand Duke Vladimir Monomakh, who occupied the throne of Kiev, recognized the impostor as the real son of Roman Diogenes, married his own daughter Maria (Maritza) and, moreover, decided to support his claims if not by the Byzantine throne, then to a number of Byzantine cities on the Danube, where he intended to create a dependent from Kiev, state education under the nominal superiority of the Lediogen II.

According to the chronicles, “Devgenich” and Maria had a son Vasilko Leonovich (or Vasilko Marichinich / Marichich - in the annals is called after his father’s name), who died in one of the strife near Pereyaslavl. However, there is an unconfirmed hypothesis that the true Leo married to Monomakh’s daughter, who somehow managed to survive and rebelled against the new emperor. In this case, its authors have to assume that the impostor visited Russia in 1089, when the daughters of Monomakh were still small.

According to one version, the Grand Duke singled out the Pereyaslav city of Warriors for his daughter and her husband. During the excavations at the site of this city, a breast cross was found with an inscription in Greek: "Lord, help your servant Leon." It is assumed that he could belong to the Lzhediogen.

In 1116, Vladimir Monomakh, under the pretext of returning the throne to the "legitimate" Tsarevich, was undertaking a campaign against Byzantium. With the support of Monomakh, Lzhediogen II managed to seize many Danube cities, including Dorostol, who apparently became the temporary residence of the impostor. However, the "prince" did not succeed in establishing himself on the Danube: on August 15 of the same year, 1116, the Pseudo-gen II was killed in Dorostol by two hired assassins sent to him by the emperor Alexey I. According to the testimony of the chronicle:

"	Leon Divgenievich, son-in-law of Volodymyr, the idea of ​​Caesar Alexy, and give him a few Danube cities. And in Derester, the city of Dunaystem, with the flattery of Ubis and two Sorochinin, sent by the czar of the month of August on day 15 .}} .	" After the death of the impostor, Vladimir Monomakh did not stop the war on the Danube, now acting in the interests of the son of Lzhediogen II, the “prince” Vasily. In the same year of 1116, he sent his governors to the Danube, whom he put in cities conquered by an impostor. The emperor Alexey, however, managed to squeeze out the Russian troops from the Danube and win Dorostol. Peace with Byzantium was established only after the death of Emperor Alexei and the accession to the throne of his son John Comnenus.