MARIA DOBRONIEGA (was born before 1015 in Kiev – † 1087 in Poland), the Duchess of Poland, in 1038–1043 was the wife of the Duke of Poland, Casimir the Restorer of the Piast dynasty

Father

  • Vladimir I Svyatoslavich the Great (956/958 – July15, 1015), the Prince of Novgorod, the Grand Prince of Kiev (978–1015) / or Yaroslav Vladimirovich the Wise, the Prince of Rostov (987–1010), the Prince of Novgorod (1010–1034), the Grand Prince of Kiev (1016–1018, 1019–1054)

Mother

  • Anna Porphyrogeneta, the second wife of Vladimir Svyatoslavich / or the german countess, the daughter of Count Kuno von Oenningen

Biography

Most of the information about Dobroniega – Maria (in some Polish sources, Dobrogneva) [I, p. 345, n. 4] has been preserved in Polish sources. Based on the reports of Titmar of Merseburg about the Kiev campaign of Boleslaw I, the researchers believe that Dobroniega, along with her sisters and stepmother, was taken to Poland, where she lived for some time as a captive [VII, p. 81]. There is practically no information about Dobroniega in the Rus chronicles, there is only a short piece of news about her marriage to Casimir I the Restorer [IV, cl. 154-155; V, cl. 142-143]. The exact date of her birth is unknown. In historiography, there is no consensus about who her parents were. The data of the Polish chroniclers that Dobroniega was the daughter of Vladimir I and Princess Anna [VIII, p. 253] is highly questioned by researchers. E.V. Pchelov, following N. Baumgarten, suggested that Dobroniega's mother was a German princess, daughter of Kuno von Oenningen [5, p. 31-33; 7, p. 165–168], but A. V. Nazarenko criticized this assumption [I, p. 190, n. 8; 3, p. 38–39], recognizing in general the version of the secondary marriage of Prince Vladimir [III, p. 142, 191-193]. In Polish historiography, there is an opinion that Dobroniega was not a sister, but a daughter of Yaroslav the Wise [8, s. 133-139; 9, p. 398], but this hypothesis was also questioned by researchers [II, p. 173, n. 29]. There is no unequivocal opinion about the date of the wedding of Dobroniega and Casimir I the Restorer. Gallus Anonymous mentions only that Casimir married a “noble maiden from Rus” [II, p. 173]. Rus chronicles contain news of 1043 about the wedding of the sister of Yaroslav the Wise and Casimir [IV, cl. 154-155; V, cl. 142-143], while the "Saxon Annalist" refers this event to 1039 [VI, p. 229], and Jan Dlugosh - to 1041 [VIII, p. 253] Some researchers prefer the dating of the "Saxon Annalist", or even the earlier one [2, p. 177; 4, p. 27], some are inclined to 1041 [8, s. 133-139]. The year 1041 is preferable as the marriage of Vladimirovna and Casimir was supposed to seal the Rus-Polish alliance, which was necessary for the Polish king to return Mazovia [II, p. 173, n. 29]. Yaroslav's first campaign in Mazovia took place in 1041 [1, p. 247].

The consolidation of the Rus-Polish alliance by marriage led to the captives captured during the Kiev campaign of Boleslaw I being returned to Rus. Dobroniega herself, of course, remained in Poland, but in a qualitatively different status.

In later sources, Dobroniega appears already under the name Maria, so it can be concluded that she was baptized into Catholicism [II, p. 173, n. 29].

Married to Casimir Dobroniega-Maria gave birth to four sons [II, p. 173], the eldest of whom, the future Boleslaw II the Brave, after the death of Casimir in 1058, became the king of Poland. Judging by the news of the Polish chroniclers, Dobroniega actively helped her son in governing the state, especially in the first years of his reign. They also note her active religious activity [IX, p. 37, 105, 380; 4, p. 27; 6, p. 117-122]. Dobroniega received at her court the escaped Hungarian king Geza I with his family and provided everything necessary for them. In 1069, the queen's nephew Izyaslav Yaroslavich and Boleslaw's aunt Gertrude found refuge at her court as well. With military assistance of Boleslaw Izyaslav managed to return the Kiev throne for a short time. However, after the second flight from Kiev, Izyaslav was not accepted in Poland [2, p. 179].

Dobroniega died in 1087 [I, p. 345].

Children

  • Bolesław (1042–1081), the Duke of Poland (1058–1076), later the King of Poland (1076–1079) [II, p. 173; VIII, p. 254]
  • Władysław I Herman (1043–1102), the Duke of Poland (1080–1102 гг.) [ibid.]
  • Mieszko (16.04.1045– 06.12.1065), probably was the Duke of Kuyavia since 1058 [ibid.]
  • Otto (1047–1048)
  • Svyatoslava (1044–1126), since 1062/1063 the Duchess of Bohemia, later the Queen of Bohemia, the wife of the King of Bohemia Vratislaus II [VIII, p. 256]

Sources

I. Annaly krakovskogo kapitula // Drevniaia Rus' v svete zarubezhnykh istochnikov: Khrestomatiia / Pod red. T.N. Dzhakson, I.G. Konovalovoi, A.V. Podosinova. T. 4. Zapadnoevropeiskie istochniki / Sost., per. i komment. A.V. Nazarenko. M., 2010. C. 344–348.

II. Gall Anonim. Khronika i deianiia pol'skikh kniazei (1107–1113) // Drevniaia Rus' v svete zarubezhnykh istochnikov: Khrestomatiia / Pod red. T.N. Dzhakson, I.G. Konovalovoi, A.V. Podosinova. T. 4. Zapadnoevropeiskie istochniki / Sost., per. i komment. A.V. Nazarenko. M., 2010. C. 166–180

III. Nazarenko A. V. Nemetskie latinoiazychnye istochniki IX–XI vv. Teksty, perevod, kommentarii. M., 1993. 

IV. Polnoe sobranie russkikh letopisei (PSRL). T. 1. Lavrent'evskaia letopis'. M., 2001.

V. PSRL. T. II. Ipat'evskaia letopis'. M., 2001.

VI. Saksonskii annalist // Drevniaia Rus' v svete zarubezhnykh istochnikov: Khrestomatiia / Pod red. T.N. Dzhakson, I.G. Konovalovoi, A.V. Podosinova. T. 4. Zapadnoevropeiskie istochniki / Sost., per. i komment. A.V. Nazarenko. M., 2010. S. 225–237

VII. Titmar Merzeburgskii. Khronika (1012–1018  gg.) // Drevniaia Rus' v svete zarubezhnykh istochnikov: Khrestomatiia / Pod red. T.N. Dzhakson, I.G. Konovalovoi, A.V. Podosinova. T. 4. Zapadnoevropeiskie istochniki / Sost., per. i komment. A.V. Nazarenko. M., 2010. S. 64–83. 

VIII. Shchaveleva N.I. Drevniaia Rus' v Pol'skoi istorii Iana Dlugosha (Knigi I–VI). Tekst, perevod, kommentarii / Pod red. i s dopolneniiami A.V. Nazarenko. M., 2004.

IX. Dlugoss J. Annales seu cronicae in cliti regni Poloniae. T. III. Varsoviac, 1970.

Bibliography

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6.      Shchaveleva N.I. Russkie kniagini v Pol'she // Vneshniaia politika Drevnei Rusi. Iubileinye chteniia, posviashchennye 70-letiiu so dnia rozhdeniia V.T. Pashuto. Moskva, 19–22 apr. 1988 g. Tezisy  dokladov / Otv. red. A.P. Novosel'tsev. M., 1988. S. 117–122.Baumgarten N. Le dernier mariage de St. Vladimir // Orientalia Christiana. Roma 1930. Vol. 17/2. № 61. P. 165–168.

7.      Jasiński K. Rodowod pierwszych Piastow. Warszawa; Wrocław, 1992.

8.      Kowalenko W. Kazimierz Odnowiciel. // Slownik Starozytnosci Slowianskich. Т. 2. 1964. 

 

Internet Resources 

1. Shchaveleva N.I. Drevniaia Rus' v Pol'skoi istorii Iana Dlugosha (Knigi I–VI). Tekst, perevod, kommentarii / Pod red. i s dopolneniiami A.V. Nazarenko M., 2004.

2. Karpov A.Iu. Iaroslav Mudryi M., 2001.

3. Istoriia Pol'shi / Pod red.  V.D. Koroliuka, I.S. Millera, P. N. Tret'iakova. T. I. M. 1954.