c. 910–969
Princess Olha
First woman ruler of Kyivan Rus’
The chronicle remembers her revenge on the Derevlianians, but her biggest achievement was putting the state in order. Princess Olha ruled Rus’ for her young son, replaced the dangerous tribute rounds with local centers and was the first ruler of Rus’ to become a Christian.
Key accomplishments
- Ruled Rus’ from 945, as regent for the young Sviatoslav and later during his campaigns
- Abolished the Derevlianian tribal principality (945–946)
- Reorganized tribute collection by founding princely pohosty and stations, administrative centers across the country
- The first ruler of Rus’ to accept Christianity; established peaceful relations with Byzantium
- Around 959 sent an embassy to the German king Otto I
More than revenge
In the autumn of 944 the Derevlianians killed Prince Ihor of Kyiv when he tried to collect tribute from them a second time. His widow, Olha, took the throne of Kyiv and ruled in place of their young son, Sviatoslav. In 945–946 she crushed the Derevlianians and abolished their tribal principality. The chronicle tells of her revenge in several vivid stories, among them the burning of Iskorosten with the help of birds.
But Olha’s most important work came afterwards. Instead of poliuddia, the dangerous tribute rounds on one of which Ihor had been killed, she set up princely pohosty and stations across the country. Through these centers Kyiv collected taxes, held courts and governed its lands.
Little is known about Olha herself. According to the Tale of Bygone Years she came from Pleskov, but historians offer other versions too. She probably married Ihor around 930.
Peace instead of war
With Byzantium, Olha negotiated rather than fought. She visited Constantinople and made peace with Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus. According to the Encyclopedia of the History of Ukraine, she was baptized there, in the Cathedral of Hagia Sophia, and took the name Olena (Helena). The date of the visit and the place of her baptism are still debated: 946, 955 or 957 are suggested, and some historians believe Olha was baptized earlier, in Kyiv. Around 959 she sent an embassy to the German king Otto I.
Olha could not make Christianity the state religion: she was opposed by the pagan nobility led by Sviatoslav. In 964 she handed power to her son but went on governing during his campaigns. Olha died in 969 and was buried according to Christian custom.
Why it matters today
Olha is the first known woman ruler of Rus’. Her reforms strengthened the state, and her baptism paved the way for her grandson Volodymyr, who baptized Rus’ in 988. The Church venerates her as a saint equal to the apostles, and the Order of Princess Olha, founded in Ukraine in 1997, bears her name.
