Anna Porphyrogenita

Anna Porphyrogenita ( Greek: Άννα Πορφυρογέννητη) (13 March 963 – 1011) was the grand princess consort of Kiev during her marriage to Vladimir the Great.

Life

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.

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 realm. By marriage to Grand Prince Vladimir, Anna became the grand princess of Kiev, but in practice, she was referred to as queen or tsarina, probably as a sign of her membership of the imperial Byzantine dynasty. Anna participated actively in the Christianization of Rus': she acted as the religious adviser of Vladimir and founded a few convents and churches herself.

She likely lived in the halls built on the Starokievskaia Hill, thus enjoying the feasts held there every Sunday, presumably after religious service in the nearby church of the Mother of God.

After her death, she was put to rest in a marble sarcophagus next to Vladimir's own sarcophagus, a sign of different status and conjugal relationship.Jonathan Shepard, "The Origins of Rus' (c. 900–1015)," in ''The Cambridge History of Russia'', vol. 1, ed. Maureen Perrie (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006), 67.

Progeny

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, possibly Gleb-David, Boris-Romanos, and Theophana. Polish medievalist, Andrzej Poppe proposes that the last two were named after Anna's parents. Furthermore, French historian, Jean-Pierre Arrignon argues that Yaroslav the Wise was indeed Anna's son, as this would explain his interference in Byzantine affairs in 1043. William Humphreys also favors a reconstruction making Yaroslav the son, rather than the step-son, of Anna, by invoking onomastic arguments. It is curious that Yaroslav named his elder son Vladimir (after his own father) and one of his daughters Anna (as if after his own mother). There is a certain pattern in his sons having Slavic names, and his daughters having Greek names only. This view is corroborated by the study of Yaroslav's remains carried out in 1939–1940, as well as his age given in the '' Primary Chronicle'', which would place him amongst Vladimir's youngest children (with 988–990 as his estimated date of birth). In fact, Yaroslav's maternity by Rogneda of Polotsk has been questioned since Mykola Kostomarov in the 19th century.Kuzmin A. G. (1996). ''Yaroslav the Wise // Great statesmen of Russia''. - M..-- S. 26.

Notes

See also

* Family of Vladimir the Great

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anna Porphyrogenita
963 births
1011 deaths
Princesses consort of Kiev (before 1019)
11th-century Byzantine women
11th-century Byzantine people
Daughters of Byzantine emperors
Macedonian dynasty
Porphyrogennetoi
Burials at the Church of the Tithes
Wives of Vladimir the Great