The queen's way: reconstruction of the route from Kyiv to France of Anne of Rus
Abstract
In the article it has been reconstructed the way of the Kyiv princess Аnna, the daughter of Yaroslav the Wise, from Kyivan Rus to France. It is well-proven that this journey was related to that Аnna had to become the wife of French king Henry І, who became an ally of Yaroslav the Wise. The way of Radanite merchants passed through Kyivan Rus reached the European Atlantic. This way was not simple for Anna Yaroslavna as it was laid through the countries where the allies of Yaroslav the Wise governed, so by countries where his opponents rulled.
The publication, based on the chronicle of the monastery of St. Peter the Living, the glosses of the Odalric Psalter and the Vendome Annals, sets out the approximate date and time of the trip, as well as the accompaniment provided by people from the prince's court to be Jewish merchants, because the way ran from east to west, along the trade route of the Radanite Jews.
Writing sources, researched in the article, in detail tell about cities and countries through that a way passed by and about the relations hips of rulers of the states and separate territories with Rus.
The article considers various probable directions of Anna Yaroslavna's way, namely from Krakow to Prague, because from here that the so-called "amber road" ran in the southern direction. The Tale of Bygone Years mentions the subordination of Przemyśl and other cities by Prince Volodymyr, which played a significant role in trade relations between Kyiv and Prague. The way might have passed between the Danube basin and attention is drawn to the city of Esztergom, the capital of the Kingdom of Hungary of that time, where the queen was Anna's sister. On her way there were significant shopping centers, such as Presporok, Vienna, Linz, Regensburg and a number of important urban and commercial centers of Germany, Switzerland and France: Constance - Diocese, a city that played a significant role in religious and political life of the Holy Roman Empire; Schaffhausen, a trading town and a religious center (during Anna Yaroslavna being there the All Saints' Monastery might be being built); Basel, a transport hub in northern Switzerland and the center of the diocese; Strasbourg – the capital of Alsace and the diocesan center; Worm, a Christian center, where in the IV century, an eparchial center was established, an imperial city with a lively trade and which played a prominent role in the empire of Charlemagne, becoming one of the main political centers of Germany; Mainz, a trading center and the center of the diocese. Anna Yaroslavna moved to Trier, at that time a large trading city and religious and cultural center.
The way of Anna Yaroslavna was quite difficult and in this way, there were dangers for the future queen of France, because at that time in Europe there were feudal wars. The trip was aimed not only at a meeting in France with King Henry I, marriage in the Rhine Cathedral and coronation, but also a significant diplomatic mission: to establish religious, cultural, economic and political ties between Kiev and other European countries. She brought to France the Gospel, which eventually became known as the Rhine and was used in the coronation of French kings.
