c. 1053/1061 - 1098 or 1107
House: Godwin, Rurik
Titles: Princess of Smolensk
Gytha of Wessex was born around 1053/1061 to Harold Godwinson, the last Anglo-Saxon king of England, and Edith the Fair. After her father's death at the Battle of Hastings in 1066, she fled with her brothers to Denmark, seeking refuge with King Sweyn Estridsson. In 1074 or 1075, Gytha married Vladimir II Monomakh, becoming the princess of Smolensk.
Her marriage to Vladimir II Monomakh linked her to the Rurik dynasty, and she bore several children, including Mstislav I of Kiev. Mstislav, known as Harald in Norse sagas, was born in 1076 and became the last ruler of the united Kievan Rus'. Gytha's role in Vladimir's rule is not well-documented, but her lineage continued through her descendants.
Gytha of Wessex died between 1098 and 1107, with some records suggesting she passed away as a nun. She did not live to see her husband become the grand prince of Kiev in 1113.
Death: Died between 1098 and 1107; possibly as a nun, burial place unknown.
Children: Mstislav I of Kiev, Izyaslav Vladimirovich, Svyatoslav Vladimirovich, Yaropolk II of Kiev, Viacheslav I of Kiev, Yuri Dolgorukiy (possibly)
Marriages: Vladimir II Monomakh
Parents: Harold Godwinson, Edith the Fair