I’ve been doing research on the marriage alliances conducted by Yaroslav the Wise, focusing primarily on the motivations for each. I can understand how he would end up in contact with Hungary, Norway, and possibly England since princes from those kingdoms were either living as exiles in Kyiv, or dynastically tied with the Rurikids.

But how did Rus, a monarchy with seemingly no dynastic ties to France, end up in Henry’s radar? Most of the research I’ve done suggests Henry didn’t want to break any consanguinity laws- but did he really have to look as far a Rus just to avoid these?

I’ve also heard a theory that Casimir I of Poland, Yaroslav’s brother-in-law, spent some of his time in France and pitched the marriage as part of an alliance against the Holy Roman Empire. But did Henry even keep in touch with Casimir after he left?