Prince Oleg the Prophet (869-912) is known as the founder of Kievan Rus. But his biography is far from as clear as it might seem at first glance. This is due to the limited number of sources that tell about the life of this prince, and the significant differences between the opinions of modern historians.
Prophetic Oleg in tradition
According to the annalistic legend, Oleg’s appearance on Slavic lands is connected with the “calling of the Varangians”. In one of the annals he is called the prince of Urman (Norman). In the legend, Oleg the Prophet is called either the brother-in-law of Prince Igor, or the nephew of Rurik. Chronicles say that dying, Rurik made Oleg regent with his son Igor.
Oleg began his reign in Novgorod. Chronicles narrate that he was engaged in urban planning and conquered neighboring peoples. In Novgorod Oleg reigned from 869 to 872, after which he began to move south. First he conquered Smolensk, and then Lubech. In these cities, Oleg planted governors. The prince himself moved further south until he reached Kiev, where Askold and Deer ruled at that time . According to the annals, Oleg lured them out of the city and killed them. After that, he turned Kiev into the capital (882), dubbing it “the mother of Russian cities”.
Oleg began the reign in Kiev by strengthening the southeastern border, where he built a number of towns and prison camps. Then he began the conquest of lands east and west of the Dnieper. Having conquered the drevlyans, radimichi, northerners, dulebs, Croats and tiverts, Oleg significantly expanded the borders of Kievan Rus. And in 907, he went camping in Constantinople. The annalistic story of this campaign exalts the courage and cunning of the prince.
Frightened Greeks concluded a peace agreement with Oleg. The prince who defeated the Greeks was called Prophetic (wise, knowledgeable). In 911, Oleg sent an embassy to Byzantium, which concluded a new treaty. According to legend, the prince dies in 912 from a bite of a
poisonous snake.Prophetic Oleg in historiography
Some modern historians believe that Prophetic Oleg was Norwegian, and some even identify him with Odd from the Norwegian sagas. In particular, there is an opinion that the name Oleg is a transcription of the word "Helgi", denoting a native of Helgaland (Norway). Other scholars believe that Helgi is translated as “holy” or “prophetic”. Historians have not agreed on who Oleg the Prophet was. The biography calls him either the prince, the boyar, or the usual Varangian retinue.
Even more controversy is the sudden death of Oleg. So, some researchers, based on a Khazar document of the 10th century, believe that the Khazars defeated the Kiev prince and forced him to make another attack on Constantinople. But the campaign was unsuccessful, and Oleg fled to Persia, where he was soon killed. Scientists are sure that the Russian chroniclers did not know what happened to the prince, therefore, they placed in their chronicles the poetic story of Oleg's death, connected with his beloved horse and snake. As for the opinions of individual historians, the Polish Slavic G. Lovmyansky believed that Oleg’s initial rule in Novgorod was doubtful, and the Ukrainian historian N. Kostomarov argued that this prince was a “fairy-tale person” and not a historical person.