Saint Olga of Kiev: An Unlikely Saint

Saint Olga of Kiev
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On paper, Russia seems to support gender equality. The Constitution of Russia guarantees equal rights to men and women, women have paid maternity leave, and there are even female politicians. However, domestic abuse is a rampant problem, with more than 600 women a month killed by their husbands in their own homes (Stallard). Nevertheless, Russia has put powerful women in charge of their country throughout the years, including Anna of Russia, Elizabeth of Russia, and Catherine the Great. Saint Olga of Kiev was one of these women. She was ruthless and vengeful, but well-known in Russia for being the first ruler to convert to Christianity.

Not much is known about Olga’s early life besides that she was born around 890 in Pskov, Russia. Much of her recorded history takes place after she marries the Prince of Kiev, Igor. Igor was the ruler of Rus, which is the land that now makes up Belarus, Ukraine, and Russia (Paul). Rus was locked into a battle with the Drevlians, a neighboring tribe. Olga’s story begins after her husband was brutally murdered by the Drevlians and she took his place on the throne.   

Olga immediately wanted vengeance for her husband’s murder. The Drevlians, thinking they had control over Rus now that the prince was dead and a simple woman was ruling, sent twenty men to Kiev to arrange for Olga to marry their Prince, Mal. However, Olga had a plan of her own, agreeing to marry the Prince while secretly digging a ditch. Olga pretended to worship the Drevlians, stating that they shouldn’t have to walk all the way to her castle when her men could carry them. When Olga’s troops carried the Drevlians up the hill, they dropped the men into the ditch and buried them alive.

Saint Olga burning the Drevlian chieftains in her bathhouse.
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The Saint didn’t stop there. Olga sent a message to Prince Mal that she would marry him, but only if he sent some of the nobility to come fetch her from Kiev. The Prince agreed, sending several of his best chieftains. Similar to her last plan, Olga pretended to be gracious for their arrival, allowing them to use her bathhouse. However, when the chieftains entered the bathhouse, Olga locked the doors behind them and burned them alive.  

Afterwards, Olga formed a plan to siege Iskorosten, the Drevlians main city, and put an end to the long-lasting battle with the tribe. Olga held a funeral feast for her late husband at the city and invited the Drevlians. When the members of the tribe were inebriated, Olga’s troops slaughtered them. According to legend, Olga, again using her cunningness, set fire to the city by tying sulfur to birds and setting them free. When the birds went to their nests, the whole city went up in flames. The Salem Press Biographical Encyclopedia compares Olga’s siege to the likes of Genghis Khan, Hardraada, and Robert Guiscard, who are all well-known male warriors (Paul).

Saint Olga burning Iskorosten to
the ground.
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As James Hoare states in his article Olga of Kiev: One saint you do not want to mess with, “Olga of Kiev seems as unsaintly as one woman could possibly be.” I agree, I expected a Saint to practice Christian values, which typically don't include burning a city to the ground for revenge. Olga is known as a Saint because after her great siege, she was baptized and converted to Christianity. According to legend, Olga's baptism story is very interesting. Before her baptism, the Emperor of Constantinople asked her to marry him. Olga, up to her usual trickery, replied that she couldn't marry him unless she was baptized. During the baptism, she asked the Emperor to be her Godfather, to which he agreed. After the baptism, Olga told the Emperor she couldn't marry him because he was now her father through Holy Baptism ("Saints and Feasts"). Olga converting religions was extremely unusual, as the Rus was a pagan society. She attempted to convert the Rus as well, however she was unable to convert the whole nation, including her own son. She was the first ruler of Rus to convert to Christianity and led the way for future rulers. Olga’s grandson, Vladimir the Great, would become the Rus ruler who succeeded in converting the whole nation to Christianity.  

Olga taking her husband’s place as ruler was unusual for this time period. Typically, a male heir would take his father’s place on the throne. However, Olga’s son was only three years old at the time of Igor’s death, so Igor’s wife had to take his place. Olga was only supposed to rule until her son came of age, however, her son spent most of his time abroad on military pursuits as an adult and left her in charge. Thus, Olga remained in power until her death in 969. Olga was able to rule because of the support from the Rus troops. The troops liked Olga and supported her pursuit of revenge on the Drevlians.

While Saint Olga may have been one of the first female rulers of Russia, she certainly wasn’t the last. Olga was able to pave the way for women after her. I found this fact surprising, as I always thought Russia was a very conservative country that wouldn’t have female leaders. Clearly, this isn't the case as Saint Olga of Kiev held a position of power and led thousands of men. She’s a role model for Russian women, and women of other cultures, because she demonstrates how women can be ruthless, cunning, and maintain power. 

Works Cited

Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. "Saints and Feasts." Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, www.goarch.org/chapel/saints?contentid=121. 

Hoare, James. “Olga of Kiev: One saint you do not want to mess with.” History Answers, 6 Jan. 2015, www.historyanswers.co.uk/medieval-renaissance/olga-of-kiev-one-saint-you-do-not-want-to-mess-with/. 

Paul, Michael. “Saint Olga.” Salem Press Biographical Encyclopedia, 2013. Research Starters. 

Stallard, Jenny. “The dark reality of Russia’s domestic violence laws.” BBC, 7 Mar. 2018, www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/article/0dd0ab91-145a-4137-bf87-28d0498c8d56.