Carnet d'Ukraine : Anna Yaroslavna commemoration and Kyiv celebrates its 1541 under Russians shakheds (anglais)

The whole May 2023 the Russians attack Kyiv, every sleepless night with the air alert sirens, worries, fear for the children’s lives. And the enormous recognition for our Ukrainian Anti-Aircraft Forces, their surveillance, their guard of our sleep, of our capital and of our country. People are already used to the conditions of war in the city, they go down in the subway or in the caves if they have them nearby, but when the attacks are at night, of course people and children sleep in their beds and every time going to bed and waking up they pray to God and pray to our Air Force thanking them for another safe morning.

The worst is for loved ones who are far away and who follow the news and every evening and every morning exchange little messages – How are you? – Are you ok? The worst is the waiting time for the response from mom or husband or children. At this moment, the time is dead and lasts so long and the emotions are over the top. Then you get the OK, it’s the most important message we have ever got since 24 of February.

We fight, we resist, we live, we work, we help, we hope, our ZSU Ukrainian Armed Forces, we are grateful for the support, we continue to approach our mutual Victory and we remember our history and our origin.

19 of May, every year Ukrainians commemorate our Kyïv princess who became the queen of France and changed the history. In 1051 in Reims the coronation of the queen Anna took place on that day.

Anna Yaroslavna (Anne of Kyïv) serves as a reminder of the importance of cross-cultural communication and cooperation in shaping the course of history.        Daughter of Grand Prince Yaroslav the Wise, was the Queen of France after marrying King Henry I. Her diplomatic efforts promoted cultural and political ties between France and Kyïv Rus', leading to the future alliances and the trade agreements. Anna is celebrated as a symbol of the cultural heritage shared between Ukraine and Europe.

Yaroslav the Wise, the famous and powerful king of Kyiv Rus’, had three daughters: Elizabeth, Anastasia, and Anna. All three girls were destined to become queens: they married kings and ascended to the thrones of different European countries.

Kyiv gave 158 kings and queens to Europe. This historical drawing, which is up to a thousand years old (pictured), is immortalized in Sofia Cathedral of Kyiv.

It has four glorious queens. France - Anna, Hungary - Anastasia, Norway, and then Denmark - Elizabeth, England - Agatha.

All of them are daughters of Yaroslav the Wise, Grand Duke of Kyïv Rus’.

One of them was Anna Yaroslavna – the beautiful and intelligent wife of French king Henry I, the queen of France, who introduced many positive changes into the life and culture of French people.

Anna Yaroslavna was the youngest daughter of Yaroslav and his wife Ingegerd. According to different historic sources, she was born in 1032 or 1036. Anna was also known under the names Anne of Kyiv, Anna of Rus, and Agnes de Russia (in France).

Anna spent her childhood in the atmosphere of cultural flowering in Kyiv Rus’. She studied in the king’s court, where she learned reading, writing, history, mathematics, and arts. Anna was fluent in several languages including Old Slavonic, Greek, and Latin; she could write in Cyrillic and Glagolitic scripts.  In the middle of the XI century, Henry I, the king of France, became a widower for the second time. The ruler was already not a young person and it was hard for him to hold the reins of power over the country. Henry wanted to strengthen the prestige of France through matrimonial linkage with a mighty state. The king was aware of the power of Kyiv Rus’, so he was hoping that its military and financial resources could help him to fight against enemies and to unite his country, which in that period was separated into many fiefdoms. Besides, Henry, I heard numerous stories about the beauty, wisdom, and intelligence of the young Kyiv princess. The king decided that marrying Anna Yaroslavna would be the best choice, especially considering that all the princesses in the neighboring countries were in a blood relation with the king, and the Church was against incestuous marriages.

But it turned out that it was not so easy for the French king to marry young Anna. The first marriage proposal of Henry I to the Kyiv princess was declined. The king did not want to give up, so he proposed to Anna again, and in 1048 finally received a positive response from Yaroslav the Wise. Anna came to France, and Henry I met her with honors in the French city of Reims. The wedding ceremony took place in Reims cathedral in 1051. On the day of marriage, Anna expressed her strong will and principles: she insisted that she was ready to swear allegiance to France only on Slavic Gospel that she brought to France from Kyiv. This book had been left in the cathedral, and with time it became known as the famous Reims Gospel, used by all French kings during their oath of allegiance ceremonies. 

In such a way, Anna Yaroslavna has become the queen of France. The new queen quickly learned the French language and gained popularity among the French people. However, Anna was terrified by the traditions and regular life customs of her new homeland. The first thing that surprised the princess was the fact that during the wedding ceremony her husband Henry I just drew a cross on the documents instead of putting a signature. It turned out that the French king was illiterate! In that period of history, only religious clerics in France were educated and could read and write. Moreover, there was not a single literate woman in the whole of Paris! Then she taught her husband and the court.

There were even more horrible discoveries to find out. Anna Yaroslavna got to know that French people did not wash themselves or take a bath. They just washed their hands and face, while washing their whole body was considered a sin. Paris was a small dirty city without canalization and water installations. Citizens outpoured sewage right into the streets! Anna has made a revolution in the French court. In her homeland in Rus’, people regularly visited bathhouses, and the queen was sure that it was important to keep clean both soul and body. Anna taught French people to use bathhouses. She has also introduced using of a fork at the table – before Anna arrived in Paris, people there had eaten food using their hands even in the king’s court!

 Intelligent and well-educated Anna quickly became an important person in political games. Impressed by her wisdom, King Henry I made her his co-ruler. She signed important political documents together with her husband, which was a unique case for that time. Besides, Anna was the only woman in Europe, who had exchanged letters with Pope Nicholas II. For medieval France, this fact was a real sensation. 

Kyiv princess initiated the construction of many schools, libraries, and churches; she greatly contributed to the Christian education of French people.

Anna Yaroslavna gave birth to four children of King Henry I: three sons (Philip, Robert, and Hugh) and a daughter Emma, whom she raised alone while Henry I was on military campaigns and hunting. Suddenly widowed after 10 years of married life, the queen did not go to the monastery and did not close herself in the palace. On the contrary, she became regent under her 7-year-old son Philip I, taking over the decision of all state affairs.

Philip then became the next king of France in 1052. 

Then the fate decided to reward Anna with true love and at the same time throw her a new challenge. The love that broke out between her and the ardent enemy of her late husband, Count Raoul de Valois, forced her, contrary to all the norms of behavior of a decent widow at the time and even the will of the Pope, to leave state affairs, surrender to feelings and live for 10 years with her lover. Before his sudden death. After that, Anne surprised everyone again by returning to the royal palace to devote the rest of her life to supporting her son, the King of France, as well as to educational activities and church building. It is believed that in 1075 she retired from business and died soon after.

Every year on September 5 (the day that is considered the day of her death) in the monastery founded by her in the city of Sanlis - a resort town not far from Paris - events are held to honor the memory of Anna of Kyiv. There is her grave and a monument to the famous Kyiv woman, donated by Ukraine in 2005. By the way, there are also monuments to Anna in Kyiv, Toulouse (France), Krakow (Poland), Arlon (Belgium), Jakarta (Indonesia).

The last weekend of May in Ukraine we celebrate the anniversary of our Kyiv, our capital which celebrates its 1541 years this year.

That night we received "russian gifts", more than 50 Shahed-136/131.

In Kyiv airspace, the Air Defense Forces, according to the preliminary data, more than 40 unmanned aerial vehicles are destroyed.

As a result of falling debris, there are many casualties and destructions in different parts of Kyiv.

So, in the Goloseivsky district, the missiles debris fell into a 7-story non-residential building, one person died, one was hospitalized. It was a fire on the roof of one of the shopping centers. In the district of Pechersk, the roof of a house caught fire and in the district of Darnytsk, the windows were broken and the doors were damaged in one of the stores.

More than 40 enemy drones were shot down above Kyïv during the night.

The head of the national police of the Kiev region showed images of the consequences of the russian night attack.

An air alert was declared in the region from 00h31 to 05h00, the enemy attacked with the cruise missiles and drones. Almost all enemy targets were destroyed, there were no casualties.

As a result of the attack, the residential buildings and the infrastructures were damaged in several districts of the region.

Unfortunately, there are victims...

“However! God and the Armed Forces, especially the Air Defense Forces, protect the Holy City!          Kyiv, like Ukraine, was, is and always will be!!!

This year, it dresses up with new floral panels, such as "Come back alive".

Good day, Saint Kyiv!”

The history of Kyiv officially begins with its founding year as 482, Kyiv was the historical capital of medieval Kuïv Rus’ from 879 to 1240, and is now the largest city and the capital of Ukraine.

The legend states that three brothers, Kyi, Shchek and Khoryv, and their sister Lybid, founded the city. Kyiv thus takes its name from Kyi, the eldest brother. The exact century of the city's foundation has not been determined. Kyi lived upon the hill where the Borychev trail now is, and Shchek dwelt upon the hill now named Shchekoyitsia, while on the third resided Khoryv, after whom this hill is named Khoryvytsia. They built a town and named it Kyiv after their oldest brother. Around the town the wood and a great pine forest lay where they used to catch wild beasts. These men were wise and prudent.

There is a monument to the founders of Kyiv – Kyi, Shchek, Khoryw, and their sister Princess Lybid in Kyiv. The monument serves as a symbol of Kyiv and Ukraine and depicts three brothers - founders at the backside of the boat, and Princes Lybid’ at the front. 

“Kyiv, you are unbreakable, eternal, historical, free, unbreakable, protective, chronicle, enterprising, productive, mathematically accurate, brave, literary, hardened, singing, armed, smiling, strong, kind, friendly, theatrical, industrious and wealthy, wise, industrial, courageous, healing, fighting, resilience, psychological, artistic, ancient, golden, temple, fearless, never conquered, metaphorical, colorful, philosophical, soul and spirit, cultural, austere, city of faith, dreamer, realist, photographic, unruly, physically determined and multi-elemental, legendary, academic, energetic, linguistic, economic and financial, proud, scientific, energetically, deep, exploratory, digital, photographic, transformative, performative, educational and enlightened, universal, free and willful, scientific, technical, dynamic, multidimensional, technological, innovative, Ukrainian polyglot, unforgettable, artistic, unfailingly beautiful, diplomatic, sacred to all friends, lethal to all enemies, the "Second Jerusalem", "Third Rome", the heart of independence, politically strategic, musical, the foundation of statehood and law, the embodiment of freedom, democracy and law, more than one and a half thousand years old Kyiv - the capital city, Hero city of Ukraine!”

       On its birthday, Kyiv is grateful to all the capitals of the countries that have opened their borders of hospitality and support to millions of Ukrainians who have found temporary protection from bombs, missiles and deadly destruction under the deceptive and false words of the ruscist regime.

Kyiv has forever documented and engraved in its brave heart for future generations of the Ukrainian people, the world and future courts the crimes of the kremlin in the sovereign, inviolable, independent territory of Ukraine, committed as an act of russian territorial aggression in violation of the UN Charter and genocide by the subdivisions subordinated to the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the russian federation, subdivisions and special formations subordinated to other law enforcement agencies of the russian federation, their advisers, instructors and irregular illegal armed formations, armed gangs and mercenary groups, private campaigns, private military supported and funded by the russian federation, all traitors and collaborators.

Kyiv is fighting for the right of Ukraine on the battlefields and diplomacy to continue to be an independent state and the right of the Ukrainian people to a dignified creative existence in the group of equal states in the Euro-Atlantic family.

       Kyiv is writing future sentences for the kremlin regime, which will be held accountable for all the pain, murder, rape, abuse, torture, suffering of innocent people, looting and destruction inflicted by the russian federation. Kyiv is effectively approaching Ukraine's Victory and creating conditions for the international criminal responsibility of russia's top military and political leadership and russian servicemen for horrific violations of international humanitarian law - the commission of war crimes. Not a single tear or drop of blood of Ukraine and Kyiv was shed in vain! The enemy will be punished as it has always done against all enemies for well over 1,500 years! Happy Birthday - Kyiv! Kyiv - you will definitely win!