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- Probably of Slavic descent, St. Olga was considered a peasant when she married Igor, the Grand Duke of Kiev, Russia. During a campaign against the Drevlianians in the year 945, Igor was assassinated. Since the couple's son, Svyatoslav, was too young to rule, Olga served as regent and eventually effected revenge against the Drevlianians for her husband's death. The details of this effort are described in the Chronicle of Nestor.
Olga is given high praise for her courage and ability as a ruler, and for instituting administrative and fiscal reforms throughout the realm. She additionally hastened her country's recovery from the destructive wars that had devastated the land during her husband's reign. She was the first of Russian ruler to be baptized a Christian, in 957.
Upon Olga's death in 969, her pagan son honored her request and gave her a Christian burial. She was soon regarded as a saint and is honored in the Russian and Ukranian Churches, her saint-day is the 11th of July. Because her conversion took place before the schism, she is also regarded as a saint of the universal Catholic Church.
Olga did not live to see the conversion of Russia, but has the distinction of being the grandmother of St. Vladimir, who effected the Christianization of his people.
This database researched and compiled by Norman Lee Madsen, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 21 July 2015.
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892 - 969 (~ 77 år)
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