| Dobrodeia of Kiev | |
|---|---|
| Basilissa | |
 Dobrodeia-Eupraxia on a 2016Ukrainian stamp | |
| Empress of the Byzantine Empire | |
| Tenure | c. 1122–1131 |
| Born | c. 1108 Kiev,Kievan Rus' |
| Died | 16 November 1131 |
| Spouse | Alexios Komnenos |
| House | Monomakhovichi |
| Father | Mstislav I of Kiev |
| Mother | Christina Ingesdotter of Sweden |
Dobrodeia Mstislavna of Kiev (Cyrillic: Добродея Мстиславна; baptizedEupraxia [Εὐπραξία] orIrene [Εἰρήνη]; died 16 November 1131) was aByzantine empress by marriage to co-emperorAlexios Komnenos. She was also an author on medicine.[1]
Born inKiev in the early years of the 12th century, Dobrodeia was the daughter ofMstislav I of Kiev andChristina Ingesdotter of Sweden.[2] In or shortly after 1122, she marriedAlexios Komnenos, the eldest son and co-emperor ofByzantine emperorJohn II Komnenos (r. 1118–1143). She received the title of empress (basilissa), and the Christian name "Irene", after her mother-in-law, EmpressIrene of Hungary (other sources give her Christian name as "Eupraxia").[3] She and Alexios had one daughter, Maria, who was bornc. 1125.[4]
In the imperial court of Constantinople, she became a part of a circle of women intellectuals, notably Alexios' auntAnna Comnena, and the noblewoman Irene, known as a patron of astrologers and scholars.[2] She was encouraged to find her own scholarly interest, studied extensively and was described by contemporaries: "She was not born in Athens, but she learned all the wisdom of the Greeks".[2] The writerTheodore Balsamon noted that she "displayed a fascination with healing methods" and that she formulated medical salves and described their efficiency in a treatise on entitled "Ointments" (Greek "Alimma"), which is regarded as the first treatise on medicine written by a woman. Fragments of this work are kept in theMedici Library inFlorence.[2] She studied the ancient physicianGalen, and translated some of his works intoOld East Slavic.[2][failed verification]
She died, of unknown causes, on 16 November 1131.[4] Following her death, Alexios Komnenos is believed to have married his next spouseKata of Georgia.[5]