St. Olga, Mikhail Vasilyevich Nesterov, 1892 CE, State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg.
Credit Alamy Photos
St. Olga of Kiev, d 969
Ancestral Roots Line 241:2
Daughter of Oleg, Danish Prince of Kiev, widow to Igor of Kiev, mother to three year old son Svyatoslav, regent of Kievan Rus for eighteen years. In 945, three years after the birth of their son, Igor was assassinated by the Drevlyans, a Slavic tribe, for exhorting huge sums from his subjects to pay for his campaigns against the Byzantines. The Drevlians proposed Olga’s marriage to their Prince Mal, uniting their kingdoms, but she was not interested, determined to remain in power and preserve it for her son. The Drevlians sent twenty of their best men to persuade her to marry their Prince and give up her rule of Kievan Rus, she had them buried alive. Sending word to Prince Mal that she accepted the proposal but required their most distinguished men to accompany her on the journey to persuade her people to accept the offer of marriage. The Drevlians sent their most noble men and after welcoming them she invited them to refresh in the bathhouse to which she had the doors locked and burned them alive.
With the best and wisest men out of the way Olga planned to destroy the remaining Drevlians by inviting them to a funeral feast to mourn over her husband’s grave. When her enemies became drunk she ordered them killed, annals report about 5,000 victims. Returning to Kiev to prepare the army to attack the survivors the Drevlians begged for mercy offering to pay for their freedom offering honey and furs. Instead Olga asked for three pigeons and three sparrows from each house, not wanting to burden the villagers any further, they happily complied. Olga gave each soldier a pigeon or a sparrow and ordered them to wrap a piece of sulfur with small pieces of cloth and attach with a thread to each bird. That night her soldiers were instructed to light the cloth and release the birds, enabling them to fly to their nests, setting all the houses on fire simultaneously. Olga caught the people fleeing the city, capturing the elders of the city, killing some, others to be slaves and the remainder left to pay tribute.
In 957, Olga was invited to visit Constantinople at the invitation of the Emperor Constantine VII. He saw that she was very fair of countenance and wise and upon her return trip about 960 to Constantinople remarked that she was worthy to reign with him in his city. When Olga heard his words she replied that she was still a pagan; if he desired to baptize her he should perform this function himself; otherwise, she was unwilling to accept baptism. The Emperor accordingly baptized her, “Helena” as her Christian in honor of the Byzantine empress. Constantine then again made known to her that he wished her to become his wife to which she replied, "How can you marry me, after yourself baptized me and called me your daughter? For among Christians that is unlawful, as you yourself must know" to which the Emperor said, "Olga, you have outwitted me.” He gave her many gifts and dismissed her still calling her his daughter.
Olga remained regent ruler changing the system of tribute gathering which is considered to be the first legal tax system in Eastern Europe and was the first to bring Christianity into the pagan society, grandson Vladimir the Great made Orthodox Christianity the official religion of Kievan Rus.
Ancestral Roots Line 241:2
Daughter of Oleg, Danish Prince of Kiev, widow to Igor of Kiev, mother to three year old son Svyatoslav, regent of Kievan Rus for eighteen years. In 945, three years after the birth of their son, Igor was assassinated by the Drevlyans, a Slavic tribe, for exhorting huge sums from his subjects to pay for his campaigns against the Byzantines. The Drevlians proposed Olga’s marriage to their Prince Mal, uniting their kingdoms, but she was not interested, determined to remain in power and preserve it for her son. The Drevlians sent twenty of their best men to persuade her to marry their Prince and give up her rule of Kievan Rus, she had them buried alive. Sending word to Prince Mal that she accepted the proposal but required their most distinguished men to accompany her on the journey to persuade her people to accept the offer of marriage. The Drevlians sent their most noble men and after welcoming them she invited them to refresh in the bathhouse to which she had the doors locked and burned them alive.
With the best and wisest men out of the way Olga planned to destroy the remaining Drevlians by inviting them to a funeral feast to mourn over her husband’s grave. When her enemies became drunk she ordered them killed, annals report about 5,000 victims. Returning to Kiev to prepare the army to attack the survivors the Drevlians begged for mercy offering to pay for their freedom offering honey and furs. Instead Olga asked for three pigeons and three sparrows from each house, not wanting to burden the villagers any further, they happily complied. Olga gave each soldier a pigeon or a sparrow and ordered them to wrap a piece of sulfur with small pieces of cloth and attach with a thread to each bird. That night her soldiers were instructed to light the cloth and release the birds, enabling them to fly to their nests, setting all the houses on fire simultaneously. Olga caught the people fleeing the city, capturing the elders of the city, killing some, others to be slaves and the remainder left to pay tribute.
In 957, Olga was invited to visit Constantinople at the invitation of the Emperor Constantine VII. He saw that she was very fair of countenance and wise and upon her return trip about 960 to Constantinople remarked that she was worthy to reign with him in his city. When Olga heard his words she replied that she was still a pagan; if he desired to baptize her he should perform this function himself; otherwise, she was unwilling to accept baptism. The Emperor accordingly baptized her, “Helena” as her Christian in honor of the Byzantine empress. Constantine then again made known to her that he wished her to become his wife to which she replied, "How can you marry me, after yourself baptized me and called me your daughter? For among Christians that is unlawful, as you yourself must know" to which the Emperor said, "Olga, you have outwitted me.” He gave her many gifts and dismissed her still calling her his daughter.
Olga remained regent ruler changing the system of tribute gathering which is considered to be the first legal tax system in Eastern Europe and was the first to bring Christianity into the pagan society, grandson Vladimir the Great made Orthodox Christianity the official religion of Kievan Rus.
References and Further Reading
- Connor, Carolyn L. Women of Byzantium. Yale University Press, 2004.
- Jackson-Laufer, Guida M. Women Who Ruled: A Biographical Encyclopedia. Barnes & Noble Books, 1998.
- “Olga.” Foundation for Medieval Genealogy. Russia, Rurikid, Introduction, Chapter 1 Origins, Grand Prices of Kiev, Origins [862]-1019, Sviatoslav.” Web. 23 October 2015. //fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/RUSSIA,% 20Rurik.htm.
- “Regent Dowager Grand Duchess Olga of Kiev and Novgorod (Russia). Worldwide Guide to Women in Leadership, Worldwide Guide to Women in Leadership, Italy . Web 06 December 2014. //www.guide2womenleaders.com/italy_substates.htm.