Vikings / Famous Vikings / Vladimir the Great
Vladimir the Great
Grand Prince of Kiev; saint
- In Old Norse
- Valdamarr
- Lived
- c. 958 – 1015
- Role
- Grand Prince of Kiev; saint
Vladimir, a younger son of Sviatoslav, fled to Scandinavia during a succession war and returned with Varangian troops to take Kiev about 978–980. In 988 he accepted Byzantine Christianity, married Anna, sister of Emperor Basil II, and had the people of Kiev baptised in the Dnieper, making Orthodoxy the religion of Rus'. The Varangians he sent to Basil became the core of the Varangian Guard. He built churches, fortified the steppe frontier and is venerated as a saint.
Known for
- Christianisation of Kievan Rus', 988
- Married the Byzantine princess Anna
- Sent the troops that became the Varangian Guard
In the story
On the timeline
Events that name Vladimir the Great
6 events. Each opens in the timeline.
- c. 977 CE War Between Sviatoslav's Sons The Primary Chronicle relates that Yaropolk of Kiev attacks his brother Oleg, prince of the Drevlians, who is crushed to death in… Date or details approximate
- c. 980 CE Vladimir Seizes Kiev with Varangians Vladimir, prince of Novgorod, returns from Scandinavia with hired Varangian warriors, captures Polotsk and takes Kiev, where his… Date or details approximate
- c. 986 CE Vladimir's Testing of the Faiths The Primary Chronicle tells how envoys of the Muslim Volga Bulgars, Latin Christians from Germany, Jewish Khazars and a Greek… Legend, not record
- 988 CE Baptism of Vladimir and of Rus' Vladimir of Kiev accepts baptism from Byzantine clergy and marries Anna, sister of Emperor Basil II, a match linked in the… Date or details approximate
- 988 CE Varangian Guard Founded As part of the alliance sealed by the imperial marriage, Vladimir sends some 6,000 Varangian warriors to Emperor Basil II, who is…
- 15 July 1015 Vladimir Dies; Boris and Gleb Murdered Vladimir the Great dies at Berestove near Kiev on 15 July 1015 while preparing to march against his rebellious son Yaroslav of…
Sources
Wikipedia — Vladimir the Great Wikipedia — Varangian Guard Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Vladimir IPicture: Vladimir_I_of_Kiev, Anonymous (Tsarsky titulyarnik, 1672) · Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.