| Gytha of Wessex | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1053/1061 |
| Died | 1098 or 1107 |
| Spouse | Vladimir II Monomakh |
| Issue | Mstislav I of Kiev Izyaslav Vladimirovich Svyatoslav Vladimirovich Yaropolk II of Kiev Viacheslav I of Kiev Yuri Dolgorukiy (possibly) |
| House | Godwin (by birth) Rurik (by marriage) |
| Father | Harold Godwinson |
| Mother | Edith the Fair |
Gytha of Wessex (c. 1053/1061 – 1098 or 1107;[1]Old English:Gȳð) was one of several daughters ofHarold Godwinson, the lastAnglo-Saxonking of England, and his consort,Edith the Fair. Through marriage toVladimir II Monomakh, Gytha became the princess ofSmolensk around 1074 or 1075.[2]
Her paternal grandparents wereGodwin, Earl of Wessex andGytha Thorkelsdóttir.
According to the 13th-century chroniclerSaxo Grammaticus, after the death of their father King Harold at theBattle of Hastings in 1066, Gytha and two of her brothers (probablyMagnus and eitherGodwin orEdmund) escaped to the court of their first cousin once-removed, KingSweyn Estridsson ofDenmark.[3] The two brothers were treated by Sweyn with hospitality, Magnus entering into high-level service withBolesław II the Generous. This took place in 1069–1070, when Bolesław restoredIziaslav I of Kiev as grand prince, andGertruda (Bolesław's aunt) to power after they had been deposed.[citation needed]
Gytha was married toVladimir II Monomakh, the prince ofSmolensk, a city in what is now western Russia, around 1074 to 1075.[4] Gytha's role in Vladimir's rule is not documented. Vladimir explained in a book of 'Instructions' (Pouchenie) for his sons, written in the twelfth-century: "Love your wives, but grant them no power over you."[5][1] In his book, Vladimir also mentioned the recent death ofYuri's mother.
Gytha was the mother ofMstislav I, born inNovgorod in 1076 and the last ruler of the unitedKievan Rus'. In theNorse sagas, Mstislav is called Harald, after his grandfather.[2] Vladimir conqueredChernigov in 1078 and later moved to his father's city ofPereyaslavl, but the sources do not mention the relationship between Gytha and Vladimir at this point.[2]During her lifetime, Gytha, as Vladimir's spouse, was princess ofSmolensk; however, she died before her husband became thegrand prince of Kiev in 1113, so she never was grand princess of Kiev.[1]
With Vladimir, Gytha had several children, including:[2]
There is a problem with establishing Gytha's date of death. It is placed between 1098 and 1107.Thepatericon ofSt Pantaleon Cloister inCologne says that "Gytha the Queen" (Gida regina) died as a nun on 10 March.[6] The year is presumed to be 1098.[citation needed]
According to the "Testament of Vladimir Monomakh",Yuri Dolgorukiy's mother died on 7 May 1107. If Gytha died in 1098 then Yuri could have been a son of his father's second wife Yefimia (whom Vladimir Monomakh in this case supposedly marriedc. 1099). However, it means there are no mentions in Vladimir Monomakh's works of Gytha's death, despite her being his first wife. Yuri's birth then falls to c. 1099/1100. However, thePrimary Chronicle records the first marriage of Yuri - on 12 January 1108. It means that Yuri was born before c. 1099/1100 (as he could not have been 6–9 years old at the time of marriage). Then it means that Gytha could have been Yuri's mother and died in 1107.[1]
Through her sonMstislav the Great, she was an ancestor of bothPhilippa of Hainault and KingEdward III of England, hence of all subsequent English andBritish monarchs. Through Mstislav, she was also an ancestor ofAlexander Nevsky,[7] and subsequently ancestor of the firsttsar of Russia,Ivan IV the Terrible.[8]