Vladimir Kiev
Vladimir I "the Great" Grand Duke of Kiev, Male 960 - 15 Jul 1015
Born, Kiev, Ukraine.
Died, Berestovo, Kiev, Ukraine.
Married to Rogneda Polotsk. Married to Anna Byzantium. Father of Daughter Kiev, Izyaslav Vladimirovich, Yaroslav Kiev, Premislava Kiev, Wsjewolod, Polotsk, Dobronegra Kiev and Arlogia Vladimirovna. Son of Malfreda Drevianes and Svatisalv Igorjewitsch.
1 BIRT 2 DATE ABT. 995 2 PLAC Russia
es: RC 143, 321, 361; Clarkson; A. Roots 241. 243; AF; Krae
ntzler 1162, 1170, 1171, 1172, 1233, 1603; Timetables of Hi
story; Through the Ages. Roots: St. Vladimir, Grand Princ
e of Kiev. Died 15 July 1015. Married after 1011, a daughte
r (died 14 Aug 1014) of Kuno, Count of Ohinigen, by Richild
e, dau. of Otto I, the Great. Married also Rogneide, dau. o
f Rognald of Polotzk. RC: "The Great" of Kiev, Ukraine, Rus
sia. Grand prince of Novgorod and Kiev. Baptized a Christia
n, 988. K: Wladimir I le Grand et le Saint. Grand Duke of N
ovogorod, Kiew. "Le Grand et le Saint." Grand Prince of Kie
v or Grand Duke of Kiev and Novgorod. Ruled 980-1015. "980
. St.Vladimir becomes Prince of Kiev." Clarkson: Vladimir s
ucceeded his father through the process of fratricidal war
s in which his brothers were slain. "He installed himself a
t Kiev (977), whence, by savage campaigns, he collected wiv
es and tribute from most of the Dnieper Basin. Vladimir's c
hief fame rests on his forced conversion of the Russian Sla
vs to Christianity...During his reign, Kiev was repeatedl
y harassed by the Pechenegs; to hold them off, Vladimir bui
lt a sort of fortified line of new towns along the steppe f
rontier. At his death (1015) he left seven sons--offour o
r five different mothers--each ruling as prince in a portio
n of the Russian land; one of them, Yaroslav of Novgorod, w
as in open rebvellion, having refused to pay tribute to hi
s father. Sviatopolk, who seized Kiev, promptly murdered th
ree of his brothers, but was defeated in a four-year strugg
le by Yaroslav, who succeeded to the title of grand prince
. Yaroslav, however, was forced to share the territory wit
h another brother, Mstislav, who took the opportunity to mo
ve his residence from outlying Tmutorakan, beyond the Sea o
f Azov, to Chernigov, near Kiev. Not until Mstislav's deat
h (1036) did Yaroslav "the Wise" venture to remove his sea
t from Novgorod to Kiev." "Vladimir...who had won the thron
e of Kiev by the murder of his older brother, was the las
t major European ruler to abandon paganism." He invited env
oys from the Khazars (Jews), the Volga Bulgars (Muslims), R
ome and Greece to "sell" their religious beliefs. But "Vlad
imir and his simple warriors (were) unable to make up thei
r minds in this war of words." Therefore, they visited th
e temples of the Bulgars, the Romans and the Greeks, not bo
thering with a visit to the Khazars. They found the mosque
s unclean and western Catholic worship tolerable, but the
y were entralled with the spendor and beauty of the Greek p
laces of worship. Hence, they embraced the Greek Orthodox r
eligion. Vladimir was promised the hand of Anne, sister o
f the Byzantine emperor, in return for military aid and, de
spite some foot dragging by the emperor after the aid was p
rovided, married the lady in 988. "In 990 Vladimir returne
d to Kieve with his imperial bride and a retinue of priests
. Throughout his dominions the population was compulsoril
y baptized wholesale..." RC says he had many pagan wives an
d concubines of whom these are known: (1) Adlaga; (2) Olava
; (3) Malfrida, a Bohemian, d. 1002; (5) a Greek, widow o
f his brother, Teropolk; (6) N.N.(27-36), a Bulgarian; md (
7) 989, Anna, daughter of the Eastern Emperor, the Basiliu
s Romanos, d. 10011; (8) N.N. (321-33), daughter of Kuno, C
ount of Ohningen. K. calls the latter Rogneda de Oehningen
. One AF record says born about 962. According to my record
s, St. Vladimir had three daughters with Vladimirovna as na
me or part of name--all via different wives. Maybe he jus
t liked the name. Maybe there are errors in the records.
Sources
- Ballard, Mark W..ged - provided by LifeTimes Research
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