A duchess and the very first Polish writer. The daughter of Mieszko II and Rycheza, born around 1025. She was educated in one of the abbeys of Cologne province in Germany. In 1043 she was married to Kiev prince, Izasław. the son of Jarosław Mądry (Jaroslav the Wise). As a wedding gift she received The Psalter of archbishop Egbert from her mother which is dated on X-th century.

It is currently known as so called Codex Gertrudianus (The Gertrud’s Codex). Inside we can find 96 prayers written with beautiful Polish prose which makes her the first Polish writer in our history of literature. These prayers along with 5 miniatures created between 1078-87 after the death of her husband. She died in 1108. After that the Codex was brought to Poland by her granddaughter, Russian princess Zbysława, the wife of Bolesław III Wrymouth (Bolesław Krzywousty).

In the half of the XII-th century it was moved to the Zwiefalten abbey in Swabia (south-west Germany) and in XIII-th century to the Cividale del Friuri chapter house in Italy where it stays until now.