Malusha in the context of "Sviatoslav I of Kiev"

Sviatoslav I or Svyatoslav I Igorevich (Old East Slavic: Свѧтославъ Игорєвичь, romanized: Svętoslavŭ Igorevičǐ; Old Norse: Sveinald; c. 943 – 972) was Prince of Kiev from 945 until his death in 972. He is known for his persistent campaigns in the east and south, which precipitated the collapse of two great powers in Eastern Europe, Khazaria and the First Bulgarian Empire. He conquered numerous East Slavic tribes, defeated the Alans and attacked the Volga Bulgars, and at times was allied with the Pechenegs and Magyars (Hungarians).

Following the death of his father Igor in 945, Sviatoslav's mother Olga reigned as regent in Kiev until 962. His decade-long reign over the Kievan Rus' was marked by rapid expansion into the Volga River valley, the Pontic steppe, and the Balkans, leading him to carve out for himself the largest state in Europe. In 969, he moved his seat to Pereyaslavets on the Danube. In 970, he appointed his sons Yaropolk and Oleg as subordinate princes of Kiev and Drelinia, while he appointed Vladimir, his son by his housekeeper and servant Malusha, as the prince of Novgorod.

Yaropolk I Sviatoslavich (also translitered as Iaropolk Svyatoslavich; Old East Slavic: Ꙗрополкъ Свѧтославичъ; 958 – 11 June 978) was Prince of Kiev from 972 to 978. He was the oldest son of Sviatoslav I. Some modern sources suggest that his mother was Malusha, who was a steward in the household of his grandmother, Olga of Kiev. However, primary chronicles such as the Primary Chronicle do not name his mother, and this identification remains unconfirmed by early sources.