Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna ruled in Kievan Rus after the death of her husband Igor Rurikovich and until the age of majority of her son Svyatoslav. Adopted Christianity with the name Elena. History did not save information about the princess's date of birth, but the Degree Book reports that she died presumably at eighty. The impeccable and wise policy of Princess Olga made her a well-known historical figure practically throughout the world.
Life path
There is no reliable information about the place of her birth. Chroniclers and modern historians make various assumptions about this. As close as possible to the truth is the statement of Nestor the Chronicler in The Tale of Bygone Years that she comes from a simple family who lived in the small village of Vybuty, located on Pskov land. But wherever Olga is born and no matter what tribe she belongs to, the wisdom of her politics and deeds is an integral part of Slavic history.
Before Igor’s death, there was practically no information about the princess. The death of her husband put her in first place in the life of Kievan Rus, because Svyatoslav was three years old, and of course he was not suitable for princes. She took control of the state, which at that time was in an extremely difficult situation, and for 19 years completely coped with all the problems. Olga's foreign and domestic policies created a single power with international authority.
Revenge to the Drevlyans
The beginning of her reign can be considered revenge on the killers of Igor, which consisted of four parts. The princess's first revenge was the burial of Drevlyan ambassadors alive. The reason for this was their proposal to marry her for their prince Mala. After that, she burned alive in a bath of noble drevlyans who arrived after the first. The third time Olga drunk 5,000 of their fellow tribesmen on her husband’s fever, after which her small squad interrupted everyone. The final stage of revenge was the burning of the city of Iskorosten.
In these acts, in addition to cruel revenge, there is also a deep meaning. Olga had to show both well-wishers and foes that she was not a weak woman, but a strong ruler. “The hair is long, but the mind is short,” - so they said about women in those days. Therefore, she was forced to clearly demonstrate her wisdom and knowledge of military affairs in order to prevent the occurrence of any conspiracies behind her. The second time the princess did not want to get married, she preferred to remain a widow.
Thus, it became clear that Olga’s foreign and domestic policy would be wise and fair. In fact, this bloody revenge was aimed at abolishing the power of the Mala dynasty, subjugating the Drevlyans to Kiev and suppressing the nobility from neighboring principalities.
Reforms and the introduction of Christianity
After revenge on the Drevlyans, the princess established clear rules for collecting tribute. This helped prevent outbreaks of discontent, one of which killed her husband. Near the big cities, graveyards were introduced. It was in these administrative and economic cells that the authorities collected tribute.
Olga’s foreign and domestic policy has always been aimed at centralizing state administration, as well as uniting and strengthening Russian lands.
The name of Olga is associated with the construction of not only the Church of St. Nicholas, but also the St. Sophia Church in Kiev. Although she was the first to adopt Christianity, it was presumably not until the 13th century that she was venerated as a saint.
Olga’s foreign and domestic policy does not characterize her as a defenseless woman, but as a strong and reasonable ruler who firmly and confidently holds power over an entire country. She wisely defended her people from ill-wishers, for which people loved and respected her. In addition to the fact that the ruler possessed a large number of positive qualities already mentioned, she was still attentive and generous to poor people.
Domestic policy
While the sovereign was in power, peace and order reigned in Kievan Rus. The domestic policy of Princess Olga was closely intertwined with the dispensation of the spiritual and religious life of the Russian people.
One of its most important achievements was the introduction of organized tribute collection points, where later, after the adoption of Christianity by the ruler, the first churches and temples began to be erected in the places of graveyards. Since then, the development of stone construction began. The first such buildings were the suburban tower and the city palace, owned by the empress. The remains of their walls and foundations were excavated by archaeologists only in the early 70s of the XX century.
The domestic policy of Princess Olga is inextricably linked with the strengthening of the country's defense. Cities then literally overgrown with oak and stone walls.
Relations with neighboring principalities
Olga’s foreign policy deserves special attention. The table below contains the main acts of the princess.
When the ruler improved the situation inside Kievan Rus, she set about strengthening the international prestige of her country. The foreign policy of Princess Olga was diplomatic, unlike her husband.
At the beginning of her reign, she converted to Christianity, and the Byzantine emperor became her godfather. These events contributed to increasing the authority of Kievan Rus among the rulers of other countries, because it seemed unrealistic to get such a person into the godfathers.
Basically, the foreign policy of Princess Olga was aimed at improving relations with Byzantium. And she did it well. For the sake of what part of the Russian squad participated together with the Byzantine army in hostilities, while maintaining the independence of their state.
In 968, Kiev was attacked by the Pechenegs. The defense of the city was led by the princess herself, thanks to which he was spared the siege.
During the reign of Olga, conditions were created that created the advantage of pursuing a peaceful foreign policy over the military, if necessary.
Attempts to Establish Relations with the German Empire
Over time, friendly relations with Byzantium began to weaken, and Olga decided to find a strong ally. She opted for Germany.
In 959, the princess sent the Russian embassy to Otton I with a request to provide priests for the introduction of Christianity in Kiev lands, as well as with the offer of friendship and peace.
He responded to Olga's calls, and in 961 several clergymen led by Adalbert came to her. True, they did not succeed in expanding their activities on Kiev territory, since at the end of her life Olga no longer had the same influence as before.
In 964, power passed to Svyatoslav, who radically changed the tactics of state policy. Moreover, I must say, not for the better.