Vladimir I of Kiev
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Detail of the Millennium of Russia monument in Novgorod (1862) representing St Vladimir and his family. |
For the 2006 Russian animated feature film, see Prince Vladimir (film).Saint
Vladimir Svyatoslavich the Great (c.
958–
1015) was the grand prince of
Kiev who converted to
Christianity in 988, and proceeded to
baptise the whole Kievan Rus.
According to the Primary Chronicle, the earliest chronicle of Kievan Rus, his real name was
Volodymer (
Ð'олодимеръ). Also, his name may be spelled in different ways: in modern
Ukrainian as
Volodymyr (
Ð'олодимир), in
Old Church Slavonic and modern
Russian as
Vladimir (
Ð'ладимир), in
Old Norse as
Valdamarr and the modern
Scandinavian languages as
Valdemar.
Vladimir was the youngest son of
Svyatoslav I by his housekeeper
Malusha, described in the
Norse sagas as a prophetess who lived to the age of 100 and was brought from her cave to the palace to predict the future. Malusha's brother
Dobrynya was Vladimir's tutor and most trusted advisor. Hagiographic tradition of dubious authenticity also connects his childhood with the name of his grandmother,
Olga Prekrasa, who was Christian and governed the capital during Svyatoslav's frequent military campaigns.
Transferring his capital to
Pereyaslavets in 969, Sviatoslav designated Vladimir ruler of
Novgorod the Great but gave Kiev to his legitimate son
Yaropolk. After Sviatoslav's death (972), a fratricidal war erupted (976) between Yaropolk and his younger brother Oleg, ruler of the
Drevlians. In
977 Vladimir fled to his kinsmen in
Scandinavia, collecting as many of the
Viking warriors as he could to assist him to recover Novgorod, and on his return the next year marched against Yaropolk.
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Vladimir and Rogneda (1770). |
On his way to Kiev he sent ambassadors to
Rogvolod (Norse: Ragnvald), prince of
Polotsk, to sue for the hand of his daughter
Rogneda (Norse: Ragnhild). The well-born princess refused to affiance herself to the son of a bondswoman, but Vladimir attacked Polotsk, slew Rogvolod, and took Ragnhild by force. Actually, Polotsk was a key fortress on the way to Kiev, and the capture of Polotsk and
Smolensk facilitated the taking of Kiev (980), where he slew Yaropolk by treachery, and was proclaimed
konung, or
kagan, of all
Kievan Rus.
In addition to his father's extensive domain, Vladimir continued to expand his territories. In
981 he conquered the Cherven cities, the modern
Halychyna; in
983 he subdued the
Yatvyags, whose territories lay between
Lithuania and
Poland; in
985 he led a fleet along the central rivers of Russia to conquer the
Bulgarians of the
Kama, planting numerous fortresses and colonies on his way.
Though
Christianity had won many converts since Olga's rule, Vladimir had remained thorough going pagan, taking eight hundred concubines (besides numerous wives) and erecting pagan statues and shrines to gods. It is argued that he attempted to reform Slavic
paganism by establishing thunder-god
Perun as a supreme deity. It is probable that he instituted the practice of human sacrifices as well.
In the year
987, as the result of a consultation with his
boyars, Vladimir sent envoys to study the religions of the various neighboring nations whose representatives had been urging him to embrace their respective faiths. The result is amusingly described by the
chronicler Nestor. Of the
Muslim Bulgarians of the Volga the envoys reported there is no gladness among them; only sorrow and a great stench, and that their religion was undesirable due to its
taboo against
alcoholic beverages and
pork. Russian sources also describe Vladimir consulting with
Jewish envoys (who may or may not have been
Khazars), and questioning them about their religion but ultimately rejecting it, saying that their loss of
Jerusalem was evidence of their having been abandoned by
God. Ultimately Vladimir settled on
Christianity. In the churches of the Germans his emissaries saw no beauty; but at
Constantinople, where the full festival ritual of the Byzantine Church was set in motion to impress them, they found their ideal:
"We no longer knew whether we were in heaven or on earth," they reported,
"nor such beauty, and we know not how to tell of it." If Vladimir was impressed by this account of his envoys, he was yet more so by political gains of the Byzantine alliance.
In
988, having taken the town of
Chersones in
Crimea, he negotiated for the hand of the emperor
Basil II's sister, Anna. Never had a Greek princess married a Barbarian before, as matrimonial offers of French kings and German emperors had been peremptorily rejected. In short, to marry the 27-year-old princess to a pagan Slav seemed impossible. Vladimir, however, was baptized at Chersones, taking the Christian name of Basil out of compliment to his imperial brother-in-law; the sacrament was followed by his marriage with the Roman princess. Returning to Kiev in triumph, he
destroyed pagan monuments and established many churches, starting with the splendid
Church of the Tithes (989) and monasteries on
Mt. Athos.
He now formed a great council out of his boyars, and set his
twelve sons over his subject principalities. With his neighbors he lived at peace, the incursions of the
Pechenegs alone disturbing his tranquillity. After Anna's death, he married again, most likely to a granddaughter of
Otto the Great.
He died at Berestovo, near Kiev, while on his way to chastise the insolence of his son, Prince
Yaroslav of Novgorod. The various parts of his dismembered body were distributed among his numerous sacred foundations and were venerated as
relics.
One of the largest Kievan cathedrals is dedicated to him. The
University of Kiev was named after the man who both civilized and Christianized Kievan Rus. There is the
Order of St. Vladimir in Russia. The
Roman Catholic and
Eastern Orthodox churches celebrate the feast day of St. Vladimir on
15 July.
His memory was also kept alive by innumerable folk ballads and legends, which refer to him as
Krasno Solnyshko, that is, the
Fair Sun. With him the
Varangian period of Eastern Slavic history ceases and the Christian period begins.
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Family life and children of Vladimir I
