The marriage of Ingegerd Olofsdotter of Sweden to Yaroslav the Wise, Grand Prince of Kyiv, as well as the marriages of their children, show that the Kyivan Rus was becoming its own powerful state and that connections were forming between the Rurik dynasty and the royal families to the west. Early Years Ingegerd was born [read more]
Saint Olga was the first Christian ruler of the Kyivan Rus. She could therefore be considered the first Christian Princess of Kyiv. But when she converted, she was already the mother of the reigning Prince, no longer a consort. Also, the Rus remained mostly pagan for the rest of her life. Therefore, the first Christian [read more]
Most of the Grand Princess consorts of Kyiv have had very little about them written down. One of them who we have more biographical details about is Rogneda of Polotsk, the main pagan wife of Vladimir the Great. Early Life and Background Rogneda was probably born in the early 960s. Her father was Rogvolod, the [read more]
The medieval kingdom of Sicily comprised not only the island of Sicily but also the south of mainland Italy. However, when Sicily and southern Italy were conquered by the Normans in the eleventh century, Sicily at first was a county. The first Count of Sicily to combine all of the Norman territories in southern Italy [read more]
In the mid-eleventh century, many Norman mercenaries arrived in southern Italy and began to take it from Byzantine control. Among them were the Hauteville family. Although minor nobles back in Normandy, they would soon rule over all of southern Italy. The Hautevilles continued to intermarry with other Normans who accompanied them. One of these first [read more]
Read part two here. Margaret’s Later Regency Margaret’s power did not outlast Stephen’s departure for very long. Soon afterwards, ten men of her court, including Henry, Bishop Gentile, Matthew of Aiello, and Caid Richard formed a regency council. One of the council’s first acts was to expel Margaret’s cousin, Gilbert, from the kingdom, despite her [read more]
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