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Vladimir The Great Statue. Photo by Alex Indigo .

Top 10 Astonishing Facts about Vladimir the Great

Vladimir the Great, whose real name was Vladimir Sviatoslavich was born in 958. He was a prince of Novgorod, grand prince of Kiev and from 980 to 1015 was the ruler of Kievan Rus鈥�.

He died on 15^th July, 1015 at the age of about 57. After talking power from his brother Yaropolk, he consolidated the Kievan realm from modern-day Ukraine to the Baltic Sea.

In 988 Vladimir converted to Christianity and championed the Christianization of his realm.  The top 10 astonishing facts about Vladimir the Great include the following.

1. Vladimir Deposed His Elder Brother from The Throne to Take Power

Yaropolk I . Photo by Unknown Author.

After the death of Vladimir鈥檚 father, Sviatoslav I Igorevich who was the Grand Prince of Kiev in 972, Vladimir was forced to flee after his elder brother conquered Rus鈥� after killing his other brother Oleg.

Vladimir鈥檚 father gave Yaropolk, his eldest son, Kyiv before leaving on a military campaign. However, soon after his death a civil war broke out between his sons over his succession.

The civil war resulted in the killing of one brother Oleg and the fleeing of Vladimir who was the other brother to Scandinavia.

With the help of the ruler of Norway, who was Vladimir鈥檚 relative, he assembled a Varangian army and recaptured Novgorod from his brother Yaropolk who was killed during the fighting.

2. Vladimir Ruled Over A Vast Kingdom

After deposing his elder brother Yaropolk with the help of an army of Varangian soldiers, Vladimir begun expanding his territory through conquest.  

Through conquest, he expanded his empire steadily and by AD 980 he had complete control of a single vast empire which extended from the Gulf of Finland to the Black Sea.

To ward of against Bulgarian and eastern Nomads, he fortified his borders and hence consolidated his vast kingdom.

3. Vladimir Converted to Christianity To Marry A Greek Wife

Otto III. Photo by Jean C. Pelletier 1736.

Vladimir obtained a Greek wife called Helena who had previously been betrothed to Holy Roman Emperor Otto the III but through cunning and fraud was denied her hand in marriage.

Her parents gave a condition that he had to convert to Christianity as a condition for her hand in marriage.

Helena encouraged Vladimir to convert to the Christianity which he eventually did.

4. Vladimir Became A Ruler While Still Young

The distinctly Slavic name 鈥淰ladimir鈥� which was given to him by his parents was derived from Vladi which meant to 鈥渢o rule鈥� and Meri which meant 鈥淕reat鈥�. Vladimir was therefore set to be a ruler from birth.

Vladimir was sent to govern Novgorod in his youth under Dobrynia; his mother鈥檚 tutelage. Unfortunately, when his father passed away he was forced to flee to Scandinavia by his elder brother.

However, with the help of his uncle, he returned with an army of Varangian soldiers and deposed his brother who was killed in the fighting which ensued. He thereafter assumed the reign of Kievan Rus鈥�

5. Vladimir Minted Coins Which Were Used as Tokens or Gifts of Friendship

Coins Of Vladimir. Photo by Unknown author.

Vladimir minted coins in his realm and a total of about 340 silver coins and about 11 gold coins were recorded. 

鈥淰ladimir on throne鈥� and 鈥淰ladimir and gold鈥� were the inscriptions printed on the gold coins. The coins were used throughout the kingdom as gifts of friendship and as tokens to people.

 The Falcon or trident which was depicted flying to the right of Vladimir was a significant stylish element printed on the coins.

6. Vladimir Converted to Christianity To Consolidate His Empire

Vladimir converted to Christianity in AD 987 in a bid to consolidate his empire.  Before converting to Christianity Vladimir had worked to uphold his father鈥檚 pagan institutions vigorously.

Vladimir was approached by the Byzantine Emperor to help in controlling insurrections and wars in his empire. Vladimir agreed on condition that he his given princess Helena as his wife who was betrothed to Holy Roman Emperor Otto III.

The price that Vladimir was required to pay was to convert to Christianity which he conceded to and was baptized and so were his people. 

By accepting to convert, Vladimir expanded his influence by a strong ally on his side.

7. Vladimir Oversaw Construction of One the First Churches in Kyiv

St. Sophia Church. Photo by Colin W.

One of the first churches to be constructed was the Desiatynna which was built in Kyiv about AD 996.  The church was designed by Byzantine architects and was dedicated around AD 996.

It was the first church used by the rulers of Kyiv to worship. However, it was superseded by St. Sophia church which was also built during the reign of Vladimir as the place of worship by the succeeding Rurik dynasty.

The Desiatynna now lies in ruins at the Centre of Kyiv after it was destroyed during the Mongol invasion.

8. Vladimir Sent Envoys to Study Major Religions 

Before converting to Christianity, Vladimir sent envoys to neighboring countries to study the major religions practiced at the time. He rejected Islam because it forbade partaking of pork and beverages which contained alcohol.

After consulting with Jewish envoys, he rejected Judaism noting that Jews had been abandoned by God and evidence was their loss of Jerusalem.

He eventually settled for Eastern Christianity after his emissaries told him about the colorfulness of rituals performed by Byzantine Churches as opposed to the lack of beauty in the Roman Catholic German churches.

9. Vladimir Destroyed Pagan Monuments and Built Many Churches

After negotiating the hand of emperor Basil II鈥檚 sister Anna or Helena in marriage, Vladimir accepted to be baptized as a condition to be allowed to marry the 27-year-old princess and took the Christian name Basil.

On returning to Kyiv, Vladimir established many churches starting with the splendid Church of the Tithes and Monasteries on Mt. Athos in 989.

He also destroyed pagan monuments which he had established.

10. Vladimir鈥檚 Memory Was Kept Alive by Legends and Innumerable Folk Ballads

Innumerable folk ballads and legends have kept the memory of Vladimir alive over the years.

What is known about Vladimir as argued by an article in the Christian Raffensperger was reflected in cultural schemata of the Norse Scaldic poems.

During the 10^th century the article in the Christian Raffensperger, noted that these poems flourished in the region.