The first queen Anna of Europe: How the ancient Russian princess crossed all boundaries in politics and love

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

The story of Anna Yaroslavna is often presented as a fairy tale. The Russian beauty took and married the French king, left for distant lands, charmed everyone and … as if she sank into the water. No one knows where or how she died. But in fact, of course, Anna's life was more complicated, and her influence on the history of Europe turned out to be more noticeable than simple "charm".

Clever, beautiful, hunter

By the age of forty, King Henry I of France still did not have an heir. Given how much the king enjoyed participating in military campaigns - which, no doubt, could seriously and suddenly cut his life - the situation looked alarming. The problem was that it was not easy for Henry to find a bride. All the girls of the right age and background living nearby were either relatives or daughters of enemies. So Henry had to look farther and send matchmakers east, to Kiev.

Do not think that Anna's case was exceptional. Russia was not stewed in its own juice, it was in constant contact with Europe in one way or another. Suffice it to say that Anna's mother was a Swedish princess, and her father's sister married a Hungarian prince. Yaroslav did nothing fundamentally new, giving his daughters in marriage to the kings of Europe.

Henry's ambassadors said that the king of France had heard of the wonderful beauty of Anne. She was really beautiful. But she was also remarkably educated: her father himself was an enlightened ruler, he gave the children as good an education as possible.

Henry was simply amazed to meet his bride. She was distinguished not only by her beauty, intelligence, upbringing, but also by firmness of character: she insisted that she would take the oath on her coronation (and she was also the first crowned wife of the king) with the Orthodox Gospel taken with her instead of the local Bible in Latin. Heinrich Anna also amazed, but in a completely opposite sense. Old, fat, rude and illiterate; Paris, moreover, in those days was a complete wilderness. Anna wrote plaintive letters home; Heinrich tried in every possible way to please his young wife. He agreed to name the firstborn by a completely wild name for a European of that era - Philip, signed documents with his wife (this was not expected, despite the coronation), arranged various amusements.

The young queen was especially fond of hunting. Henry's courtiers were amazed at how dexterous and graceful she was in the saddle of even the hottest horse, how tireless she was on trips. In the skill of hunting, she surpassed not only the loose court ladies, but also the knights accustomed to the saddle. Knowing perfectly Greek and Latin, Anna easily learned French and had easy, cheerful conversations during the hunt. The men were crazy about her, but the queen behaved strictly, so that Henry, if he was jealous, had no reason to do it openly.

As befits a queen, Anna built monasteries and showed mercy to those in need. The Pope in a letter to Anna mentioned that he had heard many laudatory reviews for her virtues, and he was not cunning. They talked a lot about Anna in Europe, and she had enough virtue.

Anna's true love

It is known that the Russian queen did not love her husband, although she regularly performed marital duties in every sense, from alcove to state. She gave birth to Heinrich three sons - one died in childhood, but the other two went down in history. Anna loved a completely different man, and probably fell in love with him during the king's life, only she did not give herself up.

Count Raoul de Crepy, a relative of the king and an influential courtier, was married. But, as soon as Anna became a widow, under the pretext of suspicion of treason, he drove out his poor lawful wife. The church did not give him a divorce, finding a far-fetched pretext, and then Raoul and Anna simply fled from Paris, having played a wedding as if they were both free. Surprisingly, Raoul did not pursue any self-interest. He did not try to use the dowager queen for political games, and this was impossible: she immediately renounced her crown. Raoul just loved. Anna just loved. And all these passions despite the fact that both were, by the standards of their time, not young.

An incredible scandal broke out: after all, they both left their families. Raoul was now considered a bigamist, which means that Anna was not a wife, but a mistress (a shame in those days). Anna abandoned her children for Raoul, including seven-year-old Hugo. Young King Philip defended his mother as best he could. The Pope excommunicated the Comte de Crepy from the church. The lovers were all over the place. They were willing to pay this price. Anna knew how to cross not only the borders of the kingdoms, but in general any.

Only when Raoul's wife, Alienora, died, did Anna's marriage begin to be considered real. But soon Raoul himself died. While the count's relatives were dividing the inheritance, Anna quietly returned back to the royal palace. She did not need anything from de Crepy's inheritance. Philip was glad to see her. Anna again began to play some role at court, but now she signed not as "Anna Queen", but as "Anna, mother of the king" - that is, the title was not returned to her. Yes, she herself was unlikely to strive for this.

Anna's trail

For the French, the Russian princess is still a legendary queen, it’s probably difficult to find someone who does not know her name. With her light hand, Philip is now a common European name, and many princes and kings bore it, including the wife of the current British queen.

Anna influenced the fashion of her time. European ladies of tall houses began to massively wear wide tiaras. And before that, the diadem came to Russia from Byzantium.

And before Anna, hunting was the favorite pastime of the nobility, but after Anna the ability to ride a horse for a long time and hunt down the beast became a special valor of princesses, queens, countesses and duchesses. Under the influence of Anna, they also looked at the issue of the education of noble girls. What can we say about the influence of the queen on the manners in high society. The matter, of course, did not come to Byzantine refinement, but the queen was willingly imitated, and the rudeness of medieval French ladies and gentlemen noticeably softened.

Thanks to Anna, who gave birth to Henry's sons, the newly emerging Capetian dynasty existed and ruled in France until 1328. The Valois dynasty, which replaced the Capetian, also descended directly from Anna Yaroslavna, moreover, through the male line. Her great-grandson became a Catholic saint. Anna's granddaughter became the ancestor of all the kings of Scotland, and in general, many royal houses of Europe trace their genealogies to Anna. The very name "Anna" became popular among European princesses and ducal daughters only after the daughter of Yaroslav the Wise.

And after Anna Yaroslavna there were titled Russian brides who became rulers abroad … But Anna from Kiev became, perhaps, the only legendary of them.