She Was A Ruthless Regent—And Soft-Hearted Saint
Olga of Kiev was the ruthless regent turned saint with a thirst for revenge that couldn’t be slaked. She buried and burned her enemies alive—then prayed for their salvation.
1. She Was Born…Sometime
Olga of Kiev was born…well, no one’s really certain when. Estimates range from 890 AD to 925 AD. But the ambiguity around her origins only adds an air of mystery to her already gripping story. However, what we do know paints an even more interesting image of her.
2. She Descended From Vikings
There’s a perfectly reasonable explanation for all of the ruthlessness that Olga would soon unleash on her enemies. According to the Russian Primary Chronicle, Olga had the blood of Vikings running through her veins, and the city of Pleskov was where she was born.
But she wouldn’t stay there for long.
3. Her Early Life Remains Shrouded
Even contemporary chroniclers weren’t able to capture many (or any) details about Olga’s life before she entered the political scene in Kiev. Even so, her rise from obscurity to one of the most formidable figures in Kievan Rus’ speaks volumes about her intelligence and determination. Or her bloodlust.
4. She Married As A Young Teen
Historians estimate that Olga was just 15 years old when she married Prince Igor I of Kiev, becoming a major player in Eastern Europe. In fact, her marriage put her in the middle of a burgeoning dynasty with big ambitions.
5. She Married Into A Dynasty Of Conquerors
Prince Igor, Olga’s husband, had a legendary father—none other than Rurik who started the Rurik dynasty. This lineage represented the roots of Kievan Rus’, an emerging empire that forged its power in blood, steel, and ruthlessness. If they could just stay alive.
6. She Became Queen Of Kievan Rus’
Olga’s father-in-law, Rurik, kicked the bucket a little earlier than expected, leaving Igor’s guardian, Oleg, to unite the tribal federation known as Kievan Rus’. The area spanned parts of modern-day Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus. It was not, however, one big happy family.
7. She Witnessed Rising Tensions With The Drevlians
Following her marriage to Igor, Olga moved into a rough neighborhood. The Drevlians, a neighboring tribe, maintained a precarious relationship with Kievan Rus’. While they had once been loyal to Olga’s new adoptive home, their loyalty faltered after Oleg, too, passed on.
Then they added insult to injury.
8. The Drevlians Challenged Authority
Following Oleg’s demise, the Drevlians stopped paying tribute to Kievan Rus’ and instead directed their payments to a local, yet dangerous, chieftain. This defiance marked the beginning of a rivalry that would shape Olga’s reign—and unleash her wrath.
9. Her Husband Confronted A Rebellious Tribe
In 945, Igor set out on an important mission. He made his way to the Drevlian capital, Iskorosten (modern-day Korosten)—hell-bent on making its people cough up the tribute they'd stopped paying. Faced with the formidable Kievan Rus’ army, the Drevlians buckled, handing over the payment to avert a larger conflict.
But pride got the better of Olga’s powerful husband.
10. Her Husband’s Greed Got Him In Danger
Igor was already on his way back home to Olga in Kiev—just two days’ ride from Iskorosten—when his greed got the better of him. He decided the Drevlians’ tribute was insufficient and turned back with only a small escort to demand more. His rash decision would have dire consequences.
11. Her Husband Met A Grisly End
When Igor returned to the Drevlian territory to demand additional tribute, his greed sealed his fate. The Drevlians, unwilling to endure further extortion, ambushed and brutally ended him. And by “brutally," we do mean absolute savagery.
12. Her Husband Was Split In Two
According to Byzantine chronicler Leo the Deacon, Igor’s execution was an act of shocking cruelty. The Drevlians tied him to two tree trunks bent to the ground, then released them, tearing his body in half. Although, it’s possible it didn’t exactly go down that way.
13. His Execution Seemed Kind Of Familiar
Some historians suggest that the Byzantine chronicler may have dramatized Igor’s execution, drawing from ancient myths. The account resembles the tale of Sinis, a scoundrel from Greek mythology who was slain by Theseus using a similarly gruesome method.
Regardless, for Olga, the results were the same.
14. She Took Power As Regent
Igor’s unceremonious execution in 945 landed Olga in a position she had not prepared herself for: that of regent for her three-year-old son, Sviatoslav. In fact, the stunning turn of events shifted the balance of power in all of Eastern Europe in unpredictable ways—and all eyes were on Olga.
15. She Was Kievan Rus’s First Female Ruler
Olga’s ascension following her husband’s grizzly demise gave her the precarious distinction of becoming the first woman to rule Kievan Rus’. But, if anyone imagined that she would be weak because she was a woman, they sorely underestimated her.
16. She Governed With Ruthless Efficiency
Though the details of her rule are sparse, the Primary Chronicle provides glimpses into Olga’s leadership. History remembers her reign primarily for her unflinching ruthlessness in response to the Drevlians. “Unflinching ruthlessness” is putting it mildly.
17. Her Enemies Underestimated Her—At Their Peril
Just as Olga’s husband had underestimated the Drevlians, so too were the Drevlians about to underestimate Olga—with even more grizzly consequences. They believed they could manipulate her into submission, sending a delegation to Kiev to propose a union between Olga and their prince, Mal.
Olga had other ideas.
18. She Received A Marriage Proposal
Twenty Drevlian emissaries traveled to Olga’s court with their prince’s message, confident in their demands. Their mission was twofold: to boast about their ambush against her husband and to secure Olga’s agreement to marry Prince Mal.
Surprisingly, Olga tempered her rage.
19. She Was Offered An Ultimatum
Standing before Olga in her court in Kiev, the Drevlians declared their intentions. They announced Igor’s demise and presented their offer: Olga should marry their Prince Mal, aligning her kingdom with theirs and accepting their dominance.
20. She Gave A Chillingly Polite Response
To the Drevlian envoys, Olga’s reaction seemed agreeable. “Your proposal is pleasing to me,” she said, “indeed, my husband cannot rise again from the dead". Her calm demeanor belied the vengeful fury she was about to unleash.
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21. She Appeared To Welcome Their Proposal
Olga continued her serene response, saying, “But I desire to honor you tomorrow in the presence of my people. Return now to your boat and remain there with an aspect of arrogance”. However, her poise and peaceful tone masked her intentions.
22. She Carefully Orchestrated Her Scheme
As part of her elaborate deception, Olga provided the Drevlians with clear instructions. She told them to declare, “We will not ride on horses nor go on foot; carry us in our boat,” when her people arrived the next day. She assured them her people would fulfill this demand with all due respect.
23. She Fulfilled Her Promise
The next day, the envoys arrived at Olga’s court, expecting the honors she had pledged. When they repeated her rehearsed words, the people of Kiev, following her orders, hoisted the Drevlians in their boat all the way to her court, where, secretly, her pièce de résistance awaited.
24. They Misinterpreted The Gesture
Just as she had suspected, the Drevlians mistook the act of being carried in their boat for a profound honor, akin to a regal procession. They had no inkling of the sinister fate awaiting them as they basked in what they believed was Olga’s goodwill.
25. She Revealed Her Ruthless Plan
All according to Olga’s master plan, the people of Kiev brought the Drevlians and their boat into the court. Then Olga revealed her trap. Overnight, she had instructed her people to dig a deep trench—only it was no trench at all. It was a mass grave.
26. She Buried Her Enemies Alive
Just when they thought they had won, Olga instructed her people to throw the Drevlian envoy and their boat into the trench. As their shouts of triumph turned to shrieks of terror, Olga commanded her people to bury the Drevlians alive, along with their boat.
And she wasn’t done doling out justice (or revenge) quite yet.
27. She Mocked The Drevlian Envoy In Their Final Moments
As the dirt piled up around the Drevlians, Olga leaned down to observe their suffering. Coldly, she asked, “Do you find this honor to your taste?” Given what happened next, this was just the appetizer to her three-course revenge repast.
28. She Summoned Another Delegation
Not yet satisfied that she had avenged her husband’s unceremonious execution, Olga sent word to the Drevlians. She requested that they send “their distinguished men to her in Kiev, so that she might go to their prince with due honor”. Her scheme was far from over.
29. She Had Even Bigger Plans For The Other Drevlians
Just as Olga had requested, the Drevlians assembled another group to send to Kiev. This time, they sent their most esteemed leaders, men who “governed the land of Dereva," confident that Olga would accept their terms. Of course, they had no idea what Olga had done to their first envoy—or what more she would do to the second.
30. She Set Another, Worse Trap
When the envoys arrived in Kiev, Olga extended a warm welcome just as she had with the first envoy. She instructed her people to draw the men a bath so that they could greet her properly after their travels. Funny enough, they would need a bath to escape the bath she had planned for them.
31. She Gave Her Guests A Bath—In Fire
As the second Drevlian delegation entered the bathhouse, anticipating Olga’s hospitality, her men sealed the doors behind them—and promptly set the place on fire. Trapped inside, the Drevlians perished in a fiery inferno, falling victim to Olga’s fiery vengeance.
Somehow, she still wasn’t satisfied.
32. She Demanded A Funeral Feast
Not yet satisfied, Olga turned her vengeance on the Drevlians for a third time. She had a special instruction for them—to prepare “great quantities of mead” in Isokrosten, where they executed her husband. She claimed she wished to mourn the late Igor and hold a proper funeral feast in his honor.
Of course, knowing Olga, she had something else in mind.
33. She Wept Tears Of Retribution
Olga traveled to the site of her dearly departed’s tomb with a small retinue. Once there, she finally showed a sign of vulnerability and wept as she conducted a somber ritual. However, her emotional display was nothing more than a calculated move to set the stage for her next act of retribution.
34. She Plied Her Enemies With Mead
Following her display, Olga and her small retinue along with the Drevlians sat down to enjoy their feast, with the Drevlians imbibing on the mead Olga had arranged. As they grew increasingly worse for drink, Olga gave her retinue a signal. What followed made the “Red Wedding” look positively civil.
35. She Turned The Feast Into A Bloodbath
On her command, the members of Olga’s retinue rose up and exacted more vengeance. Without mercy, they slaughtered the unsuspecting Drevlian revelers, while Olga herself moved through the chaos, urging her people to ensure no Drevlian survived. The carnage was unspeakable.
36. She Wiped Out Thousands In One Night
According to the Primary Chronicle, Olga’s revenge claimed the lives of 5,000 Drevlians during the feast. But even that wasn’t enough to slake her thirst for bloody retribution. Her rage followed her back to Kiev to muster an army. She was intent on eradicating the remaining Drevlian resistance.
37. She Crushed The Drevlian Army
With her disdain for the Drevlians now apparent, Olga’s forces engaged the Drevlians in open battle, decisively defeating them. She forced the survivors to find refuge in their fortified cities. But it would soon become apparent that no fortification could withhold the siege of her fury.
38. She Laid Siege To Iskorosten
Following Olga's lead, her army set off to Iskorosten and began a prolonged siege. Much to their credit, for an entire year, the Drevlians resisted her attacks and kept her armies from declaring a total victory. However, inside their walls, supplies dwindled and their hope faded. Meanwhile, Olga had lots of time to create another master plan of malevolence.
39. She Taunted Her Prey
Frustrated by the stalemate, Olga sent a message to the besieged Drevlians, questioning their stubbornness. “Why do you persist in holding out?” she wrote, "All your cities have surrendered to me and submitted to tribute, so that the inhabitants now cultivate their fields and their lands in peace. But you had rather die of hunger, without submitting to tribute".
40. She Pretended To Show Mercy
The Drevlians, encouraged by Olga’s message and desperate to end the siege, offered to surrender and pay tribute. However, they feared Olga’s wrath and believed she still sought vengeance. In response, Olga reassured them, claiming her earlier acts of retribution had been sufficient.
If that sounded uncharacteristically forgiving, it’s because it was.
41. She Promised Peace—But Had More Plans
Olga assured the Drevlians that she no longer harbored ill will towards them. She expressed her desire to move forward and end hostilities, promising them peace. In fact, she even came up with a reasonable, if somewhat strange, demand for tribute.
42. She Demanded An Unusual Tribute
To secure peace, Olga sent a final request to the Drevlians: “Give me three pigeons... and three sparrows from each house”. The Drevlians, desperate for an end to their plight (and Olga’s wrath), couldn't believe their luck. This was such an easy request to satisfy, and so they eagerly complied.
But this turned out to be a huge mistake.
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43. She Devised Trojan Birds
Once the Drevlians handed over the birds, Olga instructed her fighters to attach pieces of sulfur wrapped in cloth to their legs. The simple yet ingenious plan transformed the birds into an incendiary Trojan Horse for her ultimate act of vengeance.
44. She Let The Birds Loose—With A Surprise
As night fell, Olga ordered her fighters to light the sulfur and release the birds. Instinctively, the panicked birds flew back to their nests within the Drevlian city, unwittingly carrying fire to every rooftop.
45. She Watched The City Go Up In Flames
As the birds returned to their homes, the city erupted in multiple fiery blazes and chaos spread just as quickly as the fires. The Primary Chronicle recounts: “There was not a house that was not consumed, and it was impossible to extinguish the flames, because all the houses caught fire at once”.
Olga’s total revenge was almost complete.
46. She Cemented Her Rule
The city became a burning trap, causing its inhabitants to flee for their lives. But Olga had no mercy, unleashing her fighters on them. Her army cut down most of them while others they enslaved, and the few who survived were left to pay tribute, ensuring their submission to her rule.
47. She Consolidated Power As Regent
Following her bloody campaign against the Drevlians, Olga buried the hatchet and continued as regent for her young son, Sviatoslav. With the army and her people behind her, she solidified her position as one of the most formidable rulers in Kievan Rus’ history.
In fact, she practically started Kievan Rus’ history.
48. She Reshaped The Kingdom
After subjugating the Drevlians, Olga traversed their lands with her retinue, establishing tribute laws and trade routes. Her reforms included creating administrative centers, hunting grounds, and boundary posts, centralizing state control and unifying the Rus’ people.
49. She Built An Enduring Legacy
Olga’s trade posts, known as pogosti, operated as hubs for commerce and governance. These innovations laid the groundwork for Kievan Rus’ national boundaries and fostered cultural cohesion across the empire, leaving a lasting impact on the region.
Her most drastic reform, however, would come as a surprise to her allies and enemies alike.
50. She Made A Surprising Visit To Constantinople
In the 950s, Olga made a shocking move when she journeyed to Constantinople to meet Emperor Constantine VII. Accounts of her visit vary, with sources like the Primary Chronicle and John Skylitzes offering conflicting reasons and descriptions of her interactions with the Byzantine court.
But the alleged results of the trip were nonetheless jaw-dropping.
51. She Left A Strong Impression On The Byzantines
The Byzantine records portrayed Olga positively, showcasing her intelligence and diplomacy. She arrived with a large group, including noble representatives, 43 merchants, and a priest. What she did on the trip, however, was what really surprised everyone.
52. She Converted To Christianity In Constantinople
During her visit to Constantinople, Olga did something that no Kievan Rus’ ruler had ever done (or dreamed of doing) before: She converted to Christianity. The Primary Chronicle describes her unlikely baptism and instruction in Christian practices, far removed from her recent history of seeking bloody revenge.
What motivated the sudden change of heart remains a mystery, though she was clearly a new woman.
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53. She Adopted The Name Helena
According to the Primary Chronicle states, Olga took the Christian name “Helena,” honoring Saint Helena—the mother of Constantine the Great. However, historian Jonathan Shepard suggests her baptismal name may instead have been inspired by the emperor’s wife, Empress Helena.
And there’s some drama behind that name-swap theory.
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54. She Captivated The Emperor’s Attention
One thing all of the records agree on is that Emperor Constatine VII’s admiration for Olga was intense. His declaration that she was “worthy to reign with him in his city” hinted that he had more than just a diplomatic interest in the Kievan Rus’ queen. He may have been contemplating a marriage proposal.
55. She Played Politics With Marriage
While the Primary Chronicle attributes Constantine VII’s interest in marrying Olga to her wisdom and beauty, the union would also have also solidified Byzantine influence over Kievan Rus’. Olga’s conversion to Christianity, however, had not stripped her of fierce sense of independence and she had no intention of surrendering her autonomy.
56. She Used Baptism As A Strategic Move
Olga shrewdly requested that Constantine VII sponsor her baptism. While the gesture likely reflected a genuinely close relationship between the two, it was also a masterstroke of cunning diplomacy. Olga knew that this act of spiritual kinship who make Constantine VII her godfather, thusly ineligible to be her husband.
57. She Turned Down An Emperor
Whatever the nature of her relationship with Constantine VII, Olga always put Kievan Rus’ first. So, when Constantine proposed after sponsoring her baptism, she calmly reminded him that such a union would violate the rules of the Church. Although, with Olga, it’s hard to know what is fact and what is fiction.
58. Her Proposal Rejection May Be a Legend
Historian Francis Butler has a different interpretation of Constantine VII’s supposed marriage proposal. To him, it was more of an elaborate tale concocted for the sake of a good story. After all, the emperor had no real need of an empress—he already had one—casting doubt on the story’s authenticity.
In fact, even her baptism may not have been what it seemed.
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59. She Was Already A Christian
Accounts of Olga’s conversion to Christianity vary. Church Slavonic sources state she was baptized in Constantinople in 957, while Byzantine records suggest she was already a Christian before her visit. The precise details remain a topic of scholarly debate.
Regardless, she emerged from Constantinople with precisely what she wanted.
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60. She Returned To Rus’ With The Patriarch’s Blessing
After her baptism, the Patriarch gave Olga his blessing and she returned to Kievan Rus’ with the authority of God behind her. However, not everyone recognized this new, devout Olga. Her son, Sviastoslav, resisted her repeated attempts at conversion.
Turns out Christianity wasn’t a good fit for a brutal, ruthless king of the Kievan Rus’.
61. Her Son Resisted Christianity
The Primary Chronicle recounts Sviatoslav’s blunt response to Olga’s efforts to bring him to the cross. He expressed how he felt that his supporters would "laugh" at him if he made such a radical choice, reflecting the stigma of Christianity in Eastern Europe that still persisted. Olga, however, was not deterred.
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62. She Ended The Persecution Of Christians By Her Example
Even though Sviatoslav wouldn’t convert, his mother’s devotion to Christ softened his hardened heart and he agreed to end the persecution of Christians in Kievan Rus’. Of course, Olga was never satisfied with small victories and, though she faced pushback, began comissioning the construction of churches in several regions.
Unfortunately, some people confused her faith for foolishness.
63. Her Enemies Descended On Her
Olga’s son, Sviatoslav, frequently went on campaigns that took him away from Kiev leaving her in charge. However, by 968, she was an elderly woman and not quite up to her old ruthless ways when the Pechenegs—a semi-nomadic tribe from Central Asia—attacked the Kievan Rus’.
64. She Suffered Through A Siege
Laying siege to Kiev, while Sviatoslav was away, the Pechenges trapped Olga and her young grandsons inside the city walls. And her situation grew dire quickly. The city's inhabitants began to suffer from hunger.
It looked like they would suffer a similarly grizzly fate to her Drevlian enemies from decades ago.
65. She Devised A Plan To Save The City
Desperate, Olga came up with one last master plan. She briefly contemplated surrender if a small, elite force of Rus’, encamped on the other side of the Dnieper River, did not intervene. But, in her despair, a boy who could speak the Pecheneg language became her stroke of luck.
66. She Had A Little Helper
This boy bravely offered to deliver a message to the awaiting forces. Disguised as a Pecheneg looking for a lost horse, he slipped through the enemy camp, narrowly avoiding capture as he swam across the Dnieper.
67. They Celebrated Her
Olga’s drastic and heroic measures managed to rouse the awaiting forces who feinted the larger Pecheneg army into retreat. With the siege lifted, the people of Kiev celebrated Olga—but she had less kind things to say to her son.
68. She Rebuked Her Son
In a scathing letter to Sviatoslav, Olga reproached him for abandoning his family and capital. But her scolding tactic worked. Her sharp words galvanized Sviatoslav, who rushed back to Kiev and handily defeated the Pechenegs who lingered near the city.
Sadly, he wouldn't be able to save his mother.
69. She Kept Her Son By Her Side Until The End
In 969, shortly after the siege, Olga fell terribly ill. Sviatoslav decided to hold off on his plans to transfer the throne to the Danube region, after his mother asked him to stay by her side. “You behold me in my weakness,” she pleaded with him. “Why do you desire to depart from me?” Sadly, they would be parting sooner than either of them knew.
Three days later, Olga succumbed to her illness, leaving Kievan Rus’ in mourning. And deeply divided on one issue: her faith.
70. Her Son Granted Her A Christian Funeral
Despite his opposition to Christianity, Sviatoslav made a touching concession to his mother: He agreed to honor her final request. He allowed her priest, Gregory, to lead a Christian funeral, as opposed to the customary pagan rituals typical of her time. In the end, all of Kievan Rus’ would follow in her example—even if she never lived to see it.
71. She Paved The Way For Rus’ Christianization
Although Olga’s endeavors to convert Kievan Rus’ to Christianity seemed to crash and burn during her lifetime, she had, as usual, been planting the seeds of a master plan all along. Olga had raised her grandson, Vladimir the Great, in her Christian tradition and teachings.
When he ascended to the throne after his father, he fulfilled Olga’s grand strategy and ultimate revenge: He made Christianity the official religion of Kievan Rus’ in 988.
72. She Became A Saint
Olga of Kiev's life seemed divided into two opposing sides. She was both a ruthless ruler out for revenge and a Christian convert. Almost six centuries after he passing, the Russian Orthodox Church gave her an unbelievable title. They made her a saint in 1547, and was even bestowed the special title, "Equal to the Apostles".
