Dobrodeia of Kiev

Dobrodeia of Kiev (died after 1122), was a Byzantine princess and author.

She was the daughter of Mstislav of Kiev and Christina Ingesdotter of Sweden. In 1122, she married the Byzantine prince Alexios Komnenos (co-emperor). The marriage was likely arranged as a part of the peace between Rus and Byzantium after the war of 1116. She is believed to have been the mother of Alexios daughter Maria, who was born in circa 1129.

However, there is controversy about the identity of her, her spouse, and the next wife of Alexios, Kata of Georgia. While Dobrodeia (as well as Kata married a member of the Byzantine imperial family, it has not been confirmed that Alexios was this member; and while Alexios is believed to have married twice, the identity of his wives have not been completely established. Alexios is however regarded to be the most likely candidate of the Byzantine prince married to Dobrodeia, and she is considered the likely candidate to his first consort.

In the imperial court of Constantinople, she became a part of a circle of women intellectuals, notably her sister-in-law Anna Comnena, and the noblewoman Irina, known as a patron of astrologers and scholars.

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". The writer Theodore Balsamon noted that she "displayed a fascination with healing methods" and that she formulated medical slaves and described their efficiency. She studied the ancient physician Galen, and translated his works to Russian.

The year of her death is unknown, but it must have been before 1136, when Alexios Komnenos is believed to have married his next spouse Kata of Georgia.

She summarized her medical knowledge and practical experience in the treatise Alimma ("Ointments"), which are regarded as the first of its kind by a woman.

...
Wikipedia