It was during his father Oleg's conflicts with the Eastern Roman Empire that Igor was presented with Olga whom he took to wed. Oleg rounded up groups of Varangians, Slavs, Chuds, Krivichians, Merians, Polyanians, Severians, Drevlians, Radimichians, Croats, Dulebians, and Tivercians. All of these, the Byzantines collectively reffered to as the "Great Scythians". At this point in time, in the early 10th century, Christianity had not come to Rus'. Rus' found itself under Pagan rulership and with Pagan allies fighting against the Christian Empire of the East. Olga would become central in changing the course of history for the Russians.
When the Roman Emperors Leo and Alexander made peace with Oleg, they made an oath kissing their crosses but Oleg swore by his weapons making an oath to the god Perun and by Volos, the god of cattle. But finally, the Byzantines experienced a peace with Rus'. While Oleg would reign in peace with the Emperor Leo and the other nations throughout his life, his son Igor would earn the ire of the Drevlians. In the year of 914, Igor attacked the Drevlians, conquered them, and imposed higher tributes on them than before when they were aligned with Oleg. When Romanus was made the Emperor of the Greeks, the Pechengs came through Tsar'grad and it was in this scenario that the Bulgarians and their allies, the Pechengs, would begin to come to blows with the Greeks. This political turmoil led to peace between Rus' and Constantinople being broken off subsequently.
This conflict became similar to the alliances made by his father. Igor attacked the Byzantines once more in 944 with the Varangians, the Russes, the Slavs, the Polyanians, the Krivichians, the Tivercians, and the Pechengs. Once more, in 945, another effort was made to establish peace between the King Igor and the Emperors Romanus and Constantine. In establishing peace with the Greeks once again, Igor's mind would return to the Drevlians yet again and he pursued a still larger tribute. He would collect the tribute even if it meant violence. The Drevlians heard he would come to them and so they discussed that they should kill him so that he does not kill them first. Igor came to the Drevlians and the Drevlians slew him. They sent word to Olga who was in Kyiv that she should marry their prince Mal as they had killed Igor. But Olga wasn't about to fall for a trap.
Olga reasoned that if they truly wanted her, the Drevlians should send their top-most dignities to her immediately. They agreed. She then insisted they bathe before seeing her and as they were in the bathhouse, she ordered her soldiers to heat it, lock it, and then set it on fire. The men perished. She then sent note to the Drevlians: "I am now coming to you, so prepare great quantities of mead in the city where you killed my husband, that I may weep over his grave and hold a funeral feast for him." (Primary Chronicle) When Olga came to the Drevlians, she insisted to them that she had no desire to impose a tribute as her husband had. She told the truth in all of her deception to the Drevlians for the Drevlians, being the wicked Pagans they were, had used this St. Olga as his minister of divine retribution on these Scythians and they were blinded to what was behind Olga's intentions. She requested they give her three pigeons and three sparrows. She took the pigeons and sparrows to her soldiers and ordered them to tie a piece of sulphur bound with cloth to each of the pigeons and sparrows. Then she ordered they be released. They returned to their nests in their homes during the night and the Drevlians tasted the fires of Hell for their barbarous attitudes toward the Greeks and for their treachorous murder of Igor of Kyiv.
"The people fled from the city, and Olga ordered her soldiers to catch them. Thus she took the city and burned it, and captured the elders of the city. Some of the other captives she killed, while she gave others as slaves to her followers. The remnant she left to pay (60) tribute." (Primary Chronicle)
Olga would go to Greece and there would meet the Emperor Constantine. The Emperor was greatly impressed with her intellect and possibly even desired her for a wife for it is stated in the Primary Chronicle that he thought it would be fitting for her to reign with him. It was in Greece that Olga formally embraced Christianity but only on the condition that the Emperor Constantine baptize her which he did with the help of the Patriarch. According to the same Primary Chronicle,
"When Olga was enlightened, she rejoiced in soul and body. The Patriarch, who instructed her in the faith, said to her, “Blessed art thou among the women of Rus’, for thou hast loved the light, and quit the darkness. The sons of Rus’ shall bless thee to the last generation of thy descendants.” He taught her the doctrine of the Church, and instructed her in prayer and fasting, in almsgiving, and in the mainte¬ nance of chastity. She bowed her head, and like a sponge absorbing water, she eagerly drank in his teachings. The Princess bowed before the Patriarch, saying, “Through thy prayers, Holy Father, may I be preserved from the crafts and assaults of the devil!” At her baptism she was christened Helena, after the ancient Empress, mother of Con¬ stantine the Great. The Patriarch then blessed her and dismissed her."
It was after her baptism that the Emperor Constantine revealed that he wished her to become his wife. But St. Olga pointed out to him that at her baptism, the Emperor had called her his daughter and pointed out that it is unlawful for such a marriage to occur in the Christian religion for St. Olga was now his goddaughter. The Emperor replied, "Olga, you have outwitted me!" Olga, upon returning home, would urge her son to be baptized and convert to the Christian religion and tried to show to him the numerous blessings that would come from knowing the one true God but her son, Svyatoslav refused. It would not be until St. Vladimir the Great, her grandson, that Rus' would finally have a Christian sovereign.
Divine providence was yet at play again for as God had used the then Pagan Olga to deliver up his vengeance against the barbarous activities of the Pagan Drevlians, so now also he used Svyatoslav's slackness toward the homeland to turn the people of Rus' to favor St. Olga as their intercessor. Indeed, she offered prayers for them from Kyiv and interceded on their behalf while with her grandsons, Yaropolk, Oleg, and Vladimir. This, even as the Pechengs turned against the Russians and began to surround the city of Kyiv. The people of Rus' complained about their regnant, favoring the Queen regent instead.
"Oh Prince, you visit and frequent foreign lands. But while you neglect your own coun¬ try, the Pechenegs have all but taken us captive, along with your mother and your children as well. Unless you return to protect us, they will attack us again, if you have no pity on your native land, on your mother in her old age, and on your children." (Primary Chronicle)
Olga ordered no funeral feast to be carried out for her as she had a priest to provide her Christian burial. Svyatoslav was called back to care for his mother one last time. In spite of their religious differences, St. Olga loved her son nevertheless. She became the first of the Russians to enter into the glorious Kingdom of Heaven. She would not be the last. Due to the absence of their father during the times he visited foreign lands, St. Vladimir became fond of the faith of his grandmother. He would eventually adopt the Christian religion for her sake. St. Olga continues to intercede for the Russians and has patronage over all converts. Living in a family of heathens and heretics myself, I find in St. Olga a patron who shares my sufferings. But like St. Olga, I have powerful intercessors helping me. For her, it was a Roman Emperor. For me, it is the Crazy Church Lady. St. Olga, pray for me, a convert!
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