Predslava Grand Duchess. Country: Russia

Content:

1. The Grand Princess of Rus'
2. Marriage to Yaropolk
3. Marriage to Vladimir
4. Later Life and Legacy
5. The Unresolved Mystery

The Grand Princess of Rus'

Early Life and Conversion

The woman who would become the Grand Princess of Rus' was initially a Greek nun. After being captured by Kievan Rus', she became a concubine to Grand Prince Sviatoslav I Igorovich. When Sviatoslav arranged her marriage to his son Yaropolk I Sviatoslavich, he renamed her Predslava.

Marriage to Yaropolk

Predslava married Yaropolk I and became the Grand Princess of Rus'. However, their reign was short-lived as Yaropolk was assassinated by his brother Vladimir.

Marriage to Vladimir

As a pregnant widow, Predslava was taken as a concubine by Vladimir, who became the next Grand Prince of Rus'. She gave birth to their son, Sviatopolk, who was thus considered to have two fathers.

Later Life and Legacy

Predslava is believed to have had three other sons: Sviatoslav, Prince of the Drevlians; Mstislav, Prince of Tmutarakan; and Stanislav, Prince of Smolensk. She died in 1034.

The Unresolved Mystery

While it is known that Yaropolk I's wife was taken in as a concubine by Vladimir, it remains uncertain whether this took place before or after his death. The chronicles state that Sviatopolk was considered the son of both Yaropolk and Vladimir, but the exact circumstances surrounding his birth are still debated by historians.

Russia

Joseph Stalin	Vladimir I	Sergey Kruglov
Mikhail Shvydkoy	Mstislav I	Olga