And Life, and Tears, and Love in the House of Rurik

In the Middle Ages, the marital relationships of princes were not so much those of a groom and bride, that is, young people, but primarily those of matchmakers, that is, parents. Marriages were often concluded based on the political needs,... benefits, and demands of the older generation, rather than the young. A woman of princely lineage in Ancient Rus was assigned a more than modest place. Her function was limited to continuing the lineage and linking one dynastic branch to another. Often, a woman in the medieval world, torn by internal strife, found herself between two hearths: on one side - her father's family and brothers, on the other - her husband and his relatives. Marriages often cemented and confirmed military-political alliances, but the names of princesses were not mentioned in the chronicles. It was women who served as a connecting link between different traditions: they could marry outside the country and brought their orders, customs, and names to foreign lands.
This and much more is told in the next book of the series.