Vladimir and Rogneda (1770).
Large-prince de Kiev (v. 955-1015). Vladimir I known as also Vladimir the Saint, or Vladimir the Large one. Vladimir I Sviatoslavitch during centuries was venerated like a saint by the Russian people. It is under its reign (980-1015) that the conversion of the Russians to Christianity started; for this reason, it can be regarded as the founder of Holy Russia. The prince of Kiev
Vladimir I er belongs to the dynasty varègue, of Scandinavian origin, which reigned during three centuries on the Slavic Eastern ones. Son junior, it had received from his Sviatoslav father the prerogative of Novgorod into 970. The unit of the State was then founded on the subordination of the juniors to elder and Vladimir should not have reigned. But, with the death of Sviatoslav in 972, the two oldest sons, Iaropolk and Oleg, dispute the heritage; Iaropolk, winner, settle in Kiev.
Vladimir benefits from the fight: supported by brought back reinforcements of Scandinavia, it eliminates Iaropolk and takes its place into 980. Only with the power, he undertakes to reinforce Kiévie: he kills the chief varègue Polotsk, fact of the conquests in Poland and in White Russia (981-983), supports one moment the Bulgarian ones against the Byzantine Empire (985-986). In 988, he marries Anne, sister of Basile II, emperor of the East.
Conversion with Christianity
The marriage with Anne constitutes a turning in her reign. Vladimir converts indeed with Christianity.
The saint
At this point in time this cruel prince, violent one, change life and of character: it gives up persecutions against the early Christians, rejects polygamy (it had several women) and becomes so good that the people call it “the Beautiful Sun”. It creates an assistance system with the poor and with the patients, justice reorganizes, abolishes a time the capital punishment, devotes the tenth of its incomes to the cathedral which it makes build in Kiev. Political reasons, more than personal, are at the origin of this conversion.
The conversion of the Russians
To the IX E century, a minority of Russians were already Christian. The princes and their entourage were divided between the two influences, pagan and Christian. It seems that some of them saw in Christianity the means of creating an organized State and more centralized. Vladimir imposes Christianity, ties bonds with Rome and Constantinople, opens Kiev with the foreign commercial colonies. However, he wants a clergy subjected and refuses the supervision of the patriarchate of Constantinople to prefer that of the Bulgarian patriarchate of Okhrida (today Ohrid, in Yugoslav Macedonia). To evangelize the people, it earlier chooses the holy books translated into Slavic old man one century by the bishops Cyrille and Method. Vladimir thus creates a national religion. He dies on on July 15th, 1015. Not very front, it had shared its State between his/her sons, but those will clash in new fights.