Evpraksiya German empress Country: Germany

Biography of Evpraksiya Vsevolodovna

Evpraksiya Vsevolodovna (1069-1109) was a German Empress and the daughter of Grand Prince Vsevolod Yaroslavich of Kiev. At a young age, she was betrothed to Margrave Heinrich the Long of Stade in Northern Saxony and arrived in Germany in 1083. She was educated in a monastery until 1086. Upon reaching marriageable age, she was married to the Margrave, but became a widow in 1088 and returned to the monastery.

In 1088, Emperor Heinrich IV became infatuated with the young widow and they married in 1089, with Evpraksiya becoming Empress Adelheid. This marriage served two purposes for Heinrich IV: to secure the support of the powerful Kiev Grand Prince and to reconcile with the Saxon Margraves. This marriage can also be linked to the organization of an embassy by Heinrich IV's supporter, antipope Clement, to Kiev regarding the unification of the churches.

However, Heinrich IV's calculations did not succeed, which led to his hatred towards Evpraksiya Vsevolodovna. She endured insults and humiliations from her husband and his courtiers. In 1093, she unintentionally caused a dispute between Heinrich and his son Konrad, who condemned his father's violence towards his stepmother.

Unable to withstand the atmosphere of the German court, Evpraksiya Vsevolodovna fled to Canossa to seek refuge with Pope Urban II at the end of the same year. Her case was brought before church councils in Constance and Piacenza. The councils condemned Heinrich IV's behavior, which hastened his defeat in his struggle against the Pope.

After being justified, Evpraksiya Vsevolodovna divorced her husband and traveled to Hungary in 1097, and from there, she returned to her homeland. In 1106, she took the veil in one of the monasteries in Kiev.