Vladimir I, Prince of Kiev
Vladimir (in
Ukrainian,
Volodymyr)
I, Prince of Kiev, in German Valdimar, in Russian known as
Saint Vladimir or as
Vladimis the Great, (c.
958-
1015) in
Old Ruthenian, Volodymer, was the illegitimate son of
Sviatoslav I and the grandson of
Olga of Kiev.
Varangian ruler of
Kiev from 980, he converted to
Christianity in 988, reversing Sviatoslav's adherence to the pagan tradition (which was probably a mix of
Norse and
Slavic elements).
Transferring his capital to Pereyaslavets in 969, Sviatoslav designated Vladimir ruler of
Novgorod but gave Kiev to his legitimate son
Yaropolk. After Sviatoslav's death (972), civil war erupted (976) between Yaropolk and his younger brother Oleg, ruler of Dereva. As he belonged to the
Norse elite, Vladimir fled (977) to his kinsmen in
Scandinavia, and Novgorod fell to Yaropolk.
Returning in 978 with a large force of
Viking warriors (see
leidang), Vladimir recaptured Novgorod the following year. He slew the
Varangian prince Ragnvald of
Polotsk and married his daughter
Ragnhild, who was engaged to Yaropolk. Yaropolk fled as Vladimir besieged Kiev, but was killed (980) after surrendering to Vladimir, who now ruled all his father's domains.
Though Christianity had won many converts since Olga's rule, Vladimir had remained pagan, taking several wives and erecting pagan statues and shrines to gods, such as
Thor and
Odin. He continued his efforts to extend his territories, fighting in
Galicia in 981, against the Yatvingians on the
Baltic coast in 983, against the
Bulgars in 985 and against the
Byzantine Empire successfully in the
Crimea in 987.
In 988 he negotiated for the hand of the Byzantine emperor
Basil II's sister, Anna. At Basil's insistence, Vladimir was baptized at Kherson, married Anna and gave up his other wives. Handing over Kherson to the Greeks, he destroyed pagan monuments and established many churches. Later, Vladimir sent ambassadors to Rome and other Christian capitals in the 11th centurya. Later he helped to found Ruthenian monasteries on Mt. Athos.
Yaroslav, Vladimir's son by an earlier marriage, rebelled against him and refused to render him service or tribute for Novgorod. Vladimir prepared to take Novgorod by force, but died before the attack could begin.
Eastern Catholic/Eastern
Orthodox churches celebrate the feast day of the canonised Vladimir on 15 July.
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