Rusian genealogy


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Predslava Sviatopolkovna

b. unknown – d. 1116 [1]

Father

Sviatopolk Iziaslavich Michael [2]

Mother

unknown [3]

Marriages

Very little is known of Peredslava Svjatopolkovna, though she shares with only a few Rusian women the distinction of having her name written in the PVL. Peredslava was the daughter of Svjatopolk Izjaslavič and became part of his dynastic marriage plan when she was sent to Hungary in 1104 to marry a Hungarian prince. [5] The identity of the Hungarian prince is unknown, but theories have been advanced. The editor of the PSRL volume of the Hypatian chronicle lists Peredslava in the index as the wife of King Ladislaus. [6] This is implausible, as of the two king Ladislauses in this period one died before her recorded marriage date and one was born after. [7] The more plausible identity for the husband is Almos, son to King Géza and brother to King Koloman. [8] He is known to have had interaction with Rus´ in this period, as he was feuding with his brother Koloman over a share of the kingdom, and he is one of the very few eligible Hungarian princes that is known at this time.

The purpose behind this marriage is unclear. Ladislaus and Svjatopolk had a relationship because of the marriage of Ladislaus’s daughter to Jaroslav, Svjatopolk’s son. This relationship was strong enough to allow Svjatopolk, via Jaroslav, to call on Hungarian assistance against Volodar′ and Vasil′ko Rostislavič even after Ladislaus’s death. [9] However, Jaroslav’s wife may have died by this time, as he soon after married a Polish princess. Thus there may have been a need for another bond between the Svjatopolčiči and the Árpáds. In one scenario, Koloman and Svjatopolk may have arranged the marriage jointly. Theoretically this would have been a peaceful time between the brothers, and thus Almos might have been trusted. [10] But such trust is rare in dynastic marriages in which inheritance is on the line. Brothers are more often rivals, and enriching their political connections is not a smart or safe thing to do. Another scenario would posit that there was a falling out of some sort between Koloman and Svjatopolk, perhaps after the devastating defeat of the Hungarians in 1097 when they answered Svjatopolk’s call. [11] Almos may then have played on that disaffection to create a tie with Svjatopolk, perhaps in an attempt to unseat Koloman. [12] This idea is buttressed by the later marriage of Koloman with a daughter of Volodimer Monomax, a clear rival of Svjatopolk, while Svjatopolk still ruled in Kyiv. [13] However, again complicating the picture is the marriage in the same year between Jaroslav Svjatopolčič and a daughter of M′stislav Volodimerič, a granddaughter of Monomax. [14] This would seem to indicate a rapprochement between the two sides. Though each of these scenarios is interesting, neither is entirely convincing, as there are too many complicating factors and too little solid information. Suffice it to say that Peredslava Svjatopolkovna married a Hungarian prince, probably Almos, in 1104, and this created, at the least, a relationship between that prince and the Svjatopolčiči, at least for the duration of the marriage.

Footnotes

  1. Birth/Death: Hypatian Chronicle s.a. 1116. She is listed here as "Sviatoslavna" but she is most likely Sviatopolkovna.[↑]
  2. Father: Laurentian Chronicle s.a. 1104.[↑]
  3. Mother: Conjectural based upon Sviatopolk's marriage information.[↑]
  4. Marriage to Almos of Hungary: Laurentian s.a. 1104.; Hypatian Chronicle s.a. 1104.[↑]
  5. PVL, s.a. 1104. The word for prince used is “korolevič,” a rare use of the word in the Rusian chronicles.[↑]
  6. Hypatian Chronicle, XXV.[↑]
  7. See Wertner, Az Árpádok családi története, for information on both of these individuals, as well as the other, later, rulers named Ladislaus (László).[↑]
  8. Ibid., 251.[↑]
  9. For more information about this episode, see the entry for Jaroslav Sviatopolčič.[↑]
  10. Chronica de gestis Hungarorum, 132.[↑]
  11. For a Hungarian record of the defeat see Ibid., 132. For Rusian accounts, see PVL, s.a. 1097.[↑]
  12. Almos would make many such attempts over the years, enlisting aid in Poland and Germany as well. Chronica de gestis Hungarorum, 132.[↑]
  13. Hypatian Chronicle, s.a. 1112.[↑]
  14. Ibid. See also the section in this volume on Jaroslav Sviatopolčič.[↑]