Dobrodeia of Kiev

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Dobrodeia of Kiev
Basilissa
Dobrodeia-Eupraxia on a 2016 Ukrainian stamp
Empress of the Byzantine Empire
Tenure	c. 1122–1131

Born	c. 1108 Kiev, Kievan Rus'
Died	16 November 1131
Spouse	Alexios Komnenos
House	Monomakhovichi
Father	Mstislav I of Kiev
Mother	Christina Ingesdotter of Sweden

Dobrodeia Mstislavna of Kiev (Cyrillic: Добродея Мстиславна; baptized Eupraxia [Εὐπραξία] or Irene [Εἰρήνη]; died 16 November 1131) was a Byzantine empress by marriage to co-emperor Alexios Komnenos. She was also an author on medicine.^[1]

Life

[edit]

Born in Kiev in the early years of the 12th century, Dobrodeia was the daughter of Mstislav I of Kiev and Christina Ingesdotter of Sweden.^[2] In or shortly after 1122, she married Alexios Komnenos, the eldest son and co-emperor of Byzantine emperor John II Komnenos (r. 1118–1143). She received the title of empress (basilissa), and the Christian name "Irene", after her mother-in-law, Empress Irene of Hungary (other sources give her Christian name as "Eupraxia").^[3] She and Alexios had one daughter, Maria, who was born c. 1125.^[4]

In the imperial court of Constantinople, she became a part of a circle of women intellectuals, notably Alexios' aunt Anna Comnena, and the noblewoman Irene, known as a patron of astrologers and scholars.^[2] She was encouraged to find her own scholarly interest, studied extensively and was described by contemporaries: "She was not born in Athens, but she learned all the wisdom of the Greeks".^[2] The writer Theodore Balsamon noted that she "displayed a fascination with healing methods" and that she formulated medical salves and described their efficiency in a treatise on entitled "Ointments" (Greek "Alimma"), which is regarded as the first treatise on medicine written by a woman. Fragments of this work are kept in the Medici Library in Florence.^[2] She studied the ancient physician Galen, and translated some of his works into Old East Slavic.^[2]^{[failed verification]}

She died, of unknown causes, on 16 November 1131.^[4] Following her death, Alexios Komnenos is believed to have married his next spouse Kata of Georgia.^[5]

References

[edit]

^ "Dobrotvora (Dobrodeia Eupraxia Mstyslavivna, the granddaughter of Volodymyr Monomakh. Doctor of the 12th century)". UU Archive.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Pushkareva 1997, p. 16.
^ Varzos 1984, pp. 343–344.
^ ^a ^b Varzos 1984, p. 344.
^ Varzos 1984, pp. 344–345.

Sources

[edit]

Pushkareva, Natalia (1997). Women in Russian History: From the Tenth to the Twentieth Century. Translated by Eve Levin. New York and London: M.E. Sharpe. ISBN 1-56324-797-6.
Varzos, Konstantinos (1984). Η Γενεαλογία των Κομνηνών [The Genealogy of the Komnenoi] (PDF) (in Greek). Vol. A. Thessaloniki: Centre for Byzantine Studies, University of Thessaloniki. OCLC 834784634.

Roman and Byzantine empresses

Principate
27 BC – AD 235

Crisis
235–285

Dominate
284–610

Western Empire 395–480	Maria Thermantia Galla Placidia Licinia Eudoxia Marcia Euphemia Placidia Julius Nepos's wife
Eastern Empire 395–610	Aelia Eudoxia Aelia Eudocia Pulcheria Verina Ariadne Zenonis Euphemia Theodora Sophia Ino Anastasia Constantina Leontia

Eastern/
Byzantine Empire
610–1453

Fabia Eudokia
Martina
Gregoria
Fausta
Anastasia
Eudokia
Theodora of Khazaria
Maria
Tzitzak
Maria
Eudokia
Anna
Irene of Athens
Maria of Amnia
Theodote
Theophano of Athens
Prokopia
Theodosia
Thekla
Euphrosyne
Theodora
Eudokia Dekapolitissa
Eudokia Ingerina
Theophano Martinakia
Zoe Zaoutzaina
Eudokia Baïana
Zoe Karbonopsina
Helena Lekapene
Theodora
Theophano
Theodora
Helena
Zoë
Theodora
Catherine of Bulgaria
Eudokia Makrembolitissa
Maria of Alania
Irene Doukaina
Irene of Hungary (w. Dobrodeia of Kiev)
Bertha of Sulzbach
Maria of Antioch
Agnes of France
Margaret of Hungary
Euphrosyne Doukaina Kamatera
Eudokia Angelina
Anna Komnene Angelina
Philippa of Armenia
Maria of Courtenay
Irene Laskarina
Anna of Hohenstaufen
Elena Asenina of Bulgaria
Theodora Palaiologina (w. Anna of Hungary)
Irene of Montferrat
Rita of Armenia
Irene of Brunswick
Anna of Savoy
Helena Kantakouzene
Irene Asanina (w. Irene Palaiologina)
Keratsa of Bulgaria
Irene Gattilusio
Helena Dragaš (w. Anna of Moscow)
Sophia of Montferrat
Maria of Trebizond

Life

See also

References

Sources