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For six years after Henry's death in 1060 , she served as regent for Philip, who was only seven at the time. She was the first queen of France to serve as regent. Her co-regent was Count Baldwin V Of Flanders . Anne was a literate woman, rare for the time, but there was some opposition to her as regent on the grounds that her mastery of French was less than fluent.

A year after the king's death, Anne, acting as regent, took a passionate fancy for Count Ralph III Of Valois , a man whose political ambition encouraged him to repudiate his wife to marry Anne in 1062 . Accused of adultery, Ralph's wife appealed to Pope Alexander II , who excommunicated the couple. The young king Philip forgave his mother, which was just as well, since he was to find himself in a very similar predicament in the 1090s . Ralph died in September 1074 , at which time Anne returned to the French court. She died in 1075 , was buried at Villiers Abbey , La-Ferte-Alais , Essonne and her obits were celebrated on September 5 .


SOURCES

Bauthier, Robert-Henri. ''Anne de Kiev reine de France et la politique royale au Xe siècle, revue des Etudes Slaves, Vol. 57'', 1985