Euphrosyne Yaroslavna (

fl. ''Floruit'' ( ; usually abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for 'flourished') denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indic ...

12th century) was the wife of

Igor Svyatoslavich Igor Svyatoslavich (3 April 1151 – ), nicknamed the Brave, was Prince of Novgorod-Seversk (1180–1198) and Prince of Chernigov (1198–1201/1202). Life The son of Sviatoslav Olgovich, prince of Chernigov, in 1169 Igor took part in the war agai ...

Prince of Novgorod-Seversk Prince of Novgorod-Seversk was the ''kniaz'' , the ruler or sub-ruler, of the Principality of Novgorod-Seversk. It may have been created in 1139, the date of one modern authority, and is most famous for Igor Sviatoslavich, hero of the Old East Sla ...

and daughter of the Galician prince

Yaroslav Osmomysl Yaroslav Osmomysl (, ''Osmomyslŭ Jaroslavŭ''; , ''Yaroslav Volodymyrovych Osmomysl'') ( – 1 October 1187) was a knyaz of Halych (now in western Ukraine). He is best-known for appearing in ''The Tale of Igor's Campaign''. His sobriquet, meani ...

. She is one of the central characters in ''The Lay of Igor's Campaign''. 'Yaroslavna's Lament' is considered one of the most poetic fragments of the ''Lay''.

Biography

The exact years of her life are unknown. Her name is not mentioned in the chronicles, but it is given in the 'Genealogy' of

Catherine the Great Catherine II. (born Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst; 2 May 172917 November 1796), most commonly known as Catherine the Great, was the reigning empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. She came to power after overthrowing her husband, Peter I ...

.Pedigree of the great and appanage princes of the Rurik family. - St. Petersburg. , 1793. - P. 105. According to Alexander Soloviev, the name Euphrosyne goes back to the ,''Alekseev SV'' Igor Svyatoslavich. — P. 218-219. though doubt remains if this person is the same as the wife of Igor Svyatoslavich. It is also possible, that the name Euphrosyne (the monsastic name of her mother) was mistakenly attributed to Yaroslavna. Euphrosyne Yaroslavna was the daughter of the Galician prince Yaroslav Vladimirovich Osmomysl from his marriage to the Suzdal princess Olga Yurievna, daughter of

Yuri Dolgorukiy Yuri I Vladimirovich (; ; c. 1099 – 15 May 1157), commonly known as Yuri Dolgorukiy (, ) or the Long Arm, was a Monomakhovichi prince of Rostov and Suzdal, acquiring the name ''Suzdalia'' during his reign. Noted for successfully curbing t ...

, Grand Prince of Kyiv. She and Igor Svyatoslavich were married around 1169. In some sources, she is said to be Igor's second wife, and the date of marriage is attributed to 1184.''Voytovych L. V.'
Olgovychi. Chernihiv and Siver princes
// Princely dynasties of Eastern Europe. According to modern researchers, this date arose as a result of an inaccurate reading of ''Russian History'' by

Vasily Tatishchev Vasily Nikitich Tatishchev (sometimes spelt Tatischev; , ; 19 April 1686 – 15 July 1750) was a statesman, historian, philosopher, and ethnographer in the Russian Empire. He is known as the author of a book on Russian history titled ''The His ...

. It is accepted that Yaroslavna was the mother of all Igor's children. Seeing as their eldest son, Vladimir, was born in 1171, the later marriage date would be impossible.

Legacy

'' The Lay of Igor's Campaign'' tells of the unsuccessful campaign of Igor Svyatoslavich against the Polovtsians. 'Yaroslavna's Lament' in the third act of the ''Lay'', is considered one of its most poetic fragments, which had a great influence on Russian culture and art. She is considered a symbol of a faithful wife who, thanks to her love, can save her husband on the battlefield. A large number of engraving, paintings, and drawings depict her. There is a ballet Yaroslavna'' (''The Eclipse'')', with music by

Boris Tishchenko Boris Ivanovich Tishchenko (Russian Бори́с Ива́нович Ти́щенко; 23 March 1939 – 9 December 2010) was a Russian and Soviet composer and pianist. Life Tishchenko was born in Leningrad. He studied at the Leningrad Music ...

.''Sokolova L.V.'
Yaroslavna’s Lament
// Encyclopedia “Tales of Igor’s Campaign”

Issue

Euphrosyne Yaroslavna and Igor Svyatoslavich (2 April 1151 - Spring 1201) married around 1169 and produced six children: * Vladimir Igorevich (8 October 1170 - after 1211), Prince of Putivl (1185-1198 and 1208–1210), Prince of Novgorod-Seversky (1198-1206), Prince of Galicia (1206-1208 and 1210–1211) * Oleg Igorevich (b. 1175) * Svyatoslav Igorevich (1176 - September 1211), Prince of Vladimir-Volynsky (1205-1206), Prince of Przemysl (1209 and 1210–1211) *

Roman Igorevich Roman II Igorevych (ukr. ''Роман Ігорович'', 1177/1179 – September 1211) was an Olgovichi prince. He was prince of Zvenyhorod (1206–1208, 1210–1211), and of Halych (1208, 1208–1209). He was son of Igor Svyatoslavich and Euphro ...

(d. September 1211), Prince of Zvenigorod (1206-1207 and 1210–1211), Prince of Galicia (1207-1209) * A daughter who in 1189, married David Olgovich, Prince of Starodubsky (d. 1195)

Reference section

{{reflist Princesses from Kievan Rus' The Tale of Igor's Campaign Rostislavichi family (Tmutarakan) People from Galicia–Volhynia 13th-century people from Kievan Rus'