Princes and rulers
Princess Olha
? – 969
- Regent of Kyiv
The first woman to rule Rus’: after her husband Ihor was killed, she governed from Kyiv for her young son Sviatoslav and was the first of the dynasty to be baptized. Her statue stands on Mykhailivska Square.
I am a pagan; if you wish to baptize me, then baptize me yourself.
Biography
Very little is known about Olha’s early life. Her year of birth is unknown: the chronicle’s date for her marriage to Prince Ihor (903) is doubtful, and modern historians suggest she was born around 910–920. The Primary Chronicle names her homeland as Pleskov, usually understood as Pskov.
In 945 the Drevlians killed Ihor as he tried to collect tribute from them a second time. Olha remained in Kyiv with her small son Sviatoslav and took power herself. The chronicle tells at length — and with a good dose of legend — of her revenge on the Drevlians, ending with the burning of their town of Iskorosten. More important for the state were her reforms: she fixed tribute quotas and set up pohosty, local centres of princely authority, replacing arbitrary tribute raids with orderly collection.
In the 950s she travelled to Constantinople and, the chronicle says, was baptized there with the name Olena (Helen); the chronicle gives 955, while many historians prefer 957. In 959 she sent envoys to the German king Otto I. Her son never accepted Christianity, but according to the chronicle Olha kept a priest with her and was buried with Christian rites.
The chronicle also gives a glimpse of Kyiv at the time: the princely court stood “in the town” on the hill, with a stone palace, the “terem court”, outside it. The remains of a 10th-century palace building on Starokyivska Hill (2 Volodymyrska St) are traditionally called Princess Olha’s palace. In 968, while Sviatoslav was campaigning on the Danube, the Pechenegs besieged Kyiv, and Olha and her grandsons held out inside the city. She died the following year, 969; her remains were later moved to the Church of the Tithes, built by her grandson Volodymyr.
Her monument on Mykhailivska Square was unveiled in 1911 (sculptors Ivan Kavaleridze and Petro Snitkin, architect Valerian Rykov): the princess is flanked by St Andrew the Apostle and Saints Cyril and Methodius. The Soviet authorities destroyed it; it was recreated on the same spot in 1996.
Life timeline
- 945 Ihor killed The Drevlians kill Prince Ihor; Olha rules for the young Sviatoslav.
- 946 Revenge According to the chronicle, Olha takes and burns Iskorosten.
- 947 Reforms She sets up local centres (pohosty) and fixed tribute.
- 955/957 Baptism She is baptized in Constantinople as Olena (Helen).
- 959 Embassy to the West She sends envoys to King Otto I.
- 968 Siege of Kyiv With her grandsons she withstands the Pecheneg siege of Kyiv.
- 969 Death She dies in Kyiv and is buried with Christian rites.
- 1911 / 1996 Monument The Mykhailivska Square monument is unveiled, and later recreated.
Key achievements
- First woman ruler Effectively governed the Kyivan state for nearly two decades.
- Tribute reform Replaced tribute raids with an orderly system of collection points and quotas.
- Baptism The first member of Kyiv’s ruling dynasty to become a Christian.
- Diplomacy Negotiated with Byzantium and the German kingdom.
Kyiv in their life
- Monument to Princess Olha (Mykhailivska Square) — from 1911, recreated in 1996, opposite St Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery.
- Remains of the so-called Palace of Princess Olha (2 Volodymyrska St, Starokyivska Hill) — foundations of a 10th-century palace building.
- Church of the Tithes (Starokyivska Hill) — where her grandson Volodymyr reburied her; only foundations survive.
Gallery
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