Anna Porphyrogenita

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Anna Porphyrogenita
Grand Princess consort of Kiev
Tenure989 – c. 1011
Born13 March 963
Constantinople, Purple chamber of Palace, Byzantine Empire
(modern-day Istanbul, Turkey)
Diedc. 1011 (aged approx. 48)
Kiev, Grand Principality of Kiev
(modern-day Ukraine)
SpouseVladimir I of Kiev
IssueYaroslav the Wise and Theofana
HouseMacedon
FatherRomanos II
MotherTheophano

Anna Porphyrogenita (Medieval Greek: Ἄννα Πορφυρογεννήτη, romanizedAnna Porphyrogennētē, Russian: Анна Византийская, Ukrainian: Анна Порфірогенета; 13 March 963 – 1011)[1] was a Grand Princess consort of Kiev; she was married to Grand Prince Vladimir the Great.[2]

Anna was the daughter of Byzantine Emperor Romanos II and the Empress Theophano. She was also the sister of Emperors Basil II and Constantine VIII. Anna was a Porphyrogenita, a legitimate daughter born in the special purple chamber of the Byzantine Emperor's Palace. Anna's hand was considered such a prize that some theorize that Vladimir became Christian just to marry her.[3]

Anna did not wish to marry Vladimir and expressed deep distress on her way to her wedding. Vladimir was impressed by Byzantine religious practices; this factor, along with his marriage to Anna, led to his decision to convert to Eastern Christianity. Due to these two factors, he also began Christianizing his kingdom. By marriage to Grand Prince Vladimir, Anna became Grand Princess of Kiev, but in practice, she was referred to as Queen or Czarina, probably as a sign of her membership of the Imperial Byzantine House. Anna participated actively in the Christianization of Rus: she acted as the religious adviser of Vladimir and founded a few convents and churches herself. It is not known whether she was the biological mother of any of Vladimir's children, although some scholars have pointed to evidence that she and Vladimir may have had as many as three children together.[4] French historian, Jean-Pierre Arrignon argues that Yaroslav the Wise was in fact Anna's son, as this would explain his interference in Byzantine affairs in 1043.[5] This view is corroborated by the study of Yaroslav's remains carried out in 1939–1940, which would place him amongst Vladimir's youngest children (with 986 as his estimated date of birth).[6] Furthermore, Yaroslav's maternity by Rogneda of Polotsk has been questioned since Mykola Kostomarov in the 19th century.[7][8][9]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Lilie, Ralph-Johannes; Ludwig, Claudia; Zielke, Beate; Pratsch, Thomas, eds. (2013). "Anna (#20436)". Prosopographie der mittelbyzantinischen Zeit (in German). De Gruyter.
  2. ^ Reuter, Timothy; McKitterick, Rosamond (1995). The New Cambridge Medieval History: c. 900-c. 1024. Cambridge University Press. p. 597. ISBN 9780521364478.
  3. ^ Skylitzes, John; Wortley, John (2010). A Synopsis of Byzantine History, 811-1057. Cambridge University Press. p. 319 (footnote). ISBN 9780521767057.
  4. ^ Shepherd, Jonathan (2003). "Marriages Towards the Millennium". In Magdalino, Paul (ed.). Byzantium in the Year 1000. BRILL. pp. 25–26. ISBN 9789004120976. Retrieved January 27, 2013.
  5. ^ Arrignon, Jean Pierre (1983). Les relations diplomatiques entre Bizance et la Russie de 860 à 1043. Revue des études slaves 55. pp. 133-135.
  6. ^ Валерий Борисович Перхавко (2006). Воители Руси: IX-XIII [Warriors of Russia IX-XIII centuries]. - M .: Veche, 2006. p. 64. - ISBN 5-9533-1256-3.
  7. ^ Kuzmin A. G (1977). Initial stages of the Old Russian annals. - M .: Press of Moscow State University. pp. 275-276. Archived March 4, 2016 at the Wayback Machine.
  8. ^ Kostomarov, Mykola (1991). Russian history in the biographies of its main figures. - M. .-- S. 8.
  9. ^ Kuzmin A. G. (1996). Yaroslav the Wise // Great statesmen of Russia. - M..-- S. 26.[full citation needed]
Russian royalty
Vacant
Title last held by
Unconfirmed
Last known consort: Malfrida
Grand Princess consort of Kiev
988–1011
Vacant
Title next held by
Unconfirmed
Next known: Ingegerd Olofsdotter