Olga was a great Russian princess, a wife to Prince Igor. The first thing she did after coming to power was to avenge the death of her husband on the Drevlians. She burned down their capital town, killing most of the population, while on the rest of them a huge tribute was imposed.
Olga is referenced in the chronicles rather often, but the records are heavily obfuscated with legends, so that the historians are hardly able to tell the truth from the fiction. Olga was considered a wise ruler. She personally travelled all over Rus, divided the lands into townships, and established a certain amount of taxes for each town. She visited Byzantium several times, maintaining diplomatic relations with the empire.
The Grand Princess adopted Christianity in Constantinople, she was the first Christian in the princely family. Olga also tried to persuade her son Sviatoslav into becoming a Christian, but he refused and continued to live in Paganism. Olga’s will was not to arrange her funeral feast following the Pagan rite, and after her death in 969, her priest read the burial service.
The Orthodox Church beatified Princess Olga, making her the first saint in the princely kindred.
Святослав Sviatoslav 954(960)-972
Святослав воспитывался под надзором воеводы, он с детства мечтал о ратных подвигах. Возмужав, стал самостоятельно командовать дружиной, стремился сравняться боевыми заслугами со своим великим дедом, Вещим Олегом. До Святослава только одно славянское племя не было подчинено княжеству — вятичи. С них князь и начал свои походы.
В 967 году, стремясь получить контроль над придунайскими государствами, Святослав выступил союзником Византии против Болгарии. Поход принес победу, и Святослав сел княжить в болгарском Переяславце. А Киев остался без князя, с пожилой уже Ольгой и ее малолетними внуками. В 968 году печенеги воспользовались ситуацией и напали на город. С трудом киевляне отправили гонца к Святославу. Получив весть, князь вернулся, разбил неприятеля и восстановил мир в отечестве.
После смерти матери Святослав разделил княжение между сыновьями, а сам навсегда вернулся в Болгарию.
Хотел Святослав покорить и мощную Византию, но это предприятие не удалось, его дружина была разбита. Когда остатки ослабевшего войска возвращались из похода, на них напали печенеги. Как свидетельствует летописец, в схватке кочевники убили Святослава, и их предводитель велел сделать из черепа князя чашу.
Sviatoslav was brought up under the supervision of a warlord; his dream since the childhood was the feats of arms. On maturing, he became a war commander on his own, and sought to grade up to his glorious grandfather, Oleg the Seer, as of his military merits. Before the reign of Sviatoslav, Vyatichi was the only Slavonic tribe that was not the subject of the principality. The prince began his military campaigns with conquering them.
In 967, seeking to gain control over the countries of Danubian vicinity, Sviatoslav acted as an ally of Byzantium against Bulgaria. This campaign was successful, and Sviatoslav established his reign in a Bulgarian town Pereyaslavets, which meant that Kiev was left without a ruler, except for ageing Olga and her little grandchildren. In 968, the Pecheneg tribe took advantage of the situation and attacked the city. With great difficulty, the people of Kiev managed to send a messenger to Sviatoslav. The message made the prince return, he defeated the enemy and restored the peace in the homeland.
On the death of his mother, Sviatoslav divided the reign among his sons, and came back to Bulgaria for ever.
Sviatoslav wished to conquer the powerful Byzantine Empire, too, but this venture failed, his troops were defeated. When the remnant of the exhausted troops was on its way home from the war, they were attacked by the Pechenegs. As the chronicler quoted, Sviatoslav was killed by the nomads in this battle, and their chieftain ordered to make a drinking cup from the prince’s skull.
Владимир Vladimir 972-1015
Владимир — сын Святослава, не совсем равноправный брат старших Ярополка и Олега, так как был сыном ключницы Малуши, рабыни.
Владимир княжил в Новгороде до 977 года, когда между братьями разгорелась междоусобная война. Брат Олег в бою погиб, а Ярополк напал на Новгород и вынудил Владимира бежать из страны. В ответ Владимир в Швеции собрал варяжское войско и вернулся с ним на Русь. На этот раз удача оказалась на его стороне — Владимир захватил киевский престол и насильно женился на беременной вдове старшего брата. Были у него и другие жены и наложницы — современник писал, что Владимир являлся вторым Соломоном в женолюбии.
В 988 году князь принял крещение, освободил от супружеских обязанностей своих языческих жен, женился на византийской царевне Анне, стал строить церкви и распространять христианство и православную культуру по всей Руси, и с тех пор славился благочестием.
Князь, прозванный в народе «Красным Солнышком», не успел сделать распоряжений по передаче княжения, а сыновей он имел одиннадцать, поэтому после его смерти между детьми завязалась жестокая борьба за власть.
Vladimir was a son to Sviatoslav, but not quite at the equal terms with his older brothers Yaropolk and Oleg, as bom by housekeeper Malusha, a bondswoman.
Vladimir reigned in Novgorod until 977, when the war broke out among the brothers. Oleg was slain in the battle, while Yaropolk attacked Novgorod and forced Vladimir to flee from the country. In response, Vladimir recruited Varangian troops in Sweden and returned to Rus. This time, the luck was on his side, Vladimir seized the throne of Kiev, and compelled the pregnant widow of his killed brother into marriage with himself. He had also other wives and many concubines — a contemporary called him a second Solomon as of his lust after women.
In 988, the prince was baptized, freed his pagan wives from conjugal duties, and married a Byzantine princess Anna. He began to build churches and spread Christianity and Orthodox culture on the whole Rus, and was renowned for his piety ever since.