Until his baptism, Vladimir I of Kiev (c.958–1015) was described by Thietmar of Merseburg as a great profligate (Latin: fornicator maximus). He had a few hundred of concubines in Kiev and in the country residence of Berestovo. He also had official pagan wives, the most famous being Rogneda of Polotsk. His other wives are mentioned in the Primary Chronicle, with various children assigned to various wives in the different versions of the document. Hence, speculations abound. Detail of the Millennium of Russia monument in Novgorod (1862) representing St Vladimir and his family. ... Events Kshemgupta, King of Kashmir dies and is succeeded by his young son Abhimanyu. ... Events August: Canute the Great invades England. ... Thietmar (Dietmar or Dithmar) of Merseburg (July 25, 975 - December 1, 1018), German chronicler, was a son of Siegfried, count of Walbeck, and was related to the family of the emperor Otto the Great. ... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... Vladimir and Rogneda (1770). ... The Russian Primary Chronicle (Russian: Повесть временных лет, Povest vremennykh let, which is often translated in English as Tale of Bygone Years), is a history of the early East Slavic state, Kievan Rus, from around 850 to 1110. ...

Greek wife

During his unruly youth, Vladimir begot his eldest son, Sviatopolk, relations with whom would cloud his declining years. His mother was a Greek nun captured by Svyatoslav I in Bulgaria and married to his lawful heir Yaropolk I. Tatischev, invariably erring in the matters of onomastics, gives her the fanciful Roman name of Julia. When Yaropolk was murdered by Vladimir's agents, the new sovereign raped his wife and she soon (some would say, too soon) gave birth to a child. Thus, Sviatopolk was probably the eldest of Vladimir's sons, although the issue of his parentage has been questioned and he has been known in the family as "the son of two fathers". Sviatopolk I Vladimirovich (Russian: ) (c. ... ... Prince Yaropolk I Sviatoslavich (alternative spelling Iaropolk) (? - 980) was a young and rather enigmatic ruler of Kiev between 972 and 980. ... Vasily Nikitich Tatishchev (1686-1750) was a prominent Russian statesman, historian and ethnographer. ...

Norse wife

Norse sagas mention that, while ruling in Novgorod in his early days, Vladimir had a Varangian wife named Olava or Allogia. This weird name is probably a feminine form of Olaf. According to Snorri Sturluson the runaway Olaf Tryggvason was sheltered by Allogia in her house; she also paid a large fine for him. The Norse sagas or Viking sagas (from Icelandic saga, plural sögur), are stories about ancient Scandinavian and Germanic history, about early Viking voyages, about migration to Iceland, and of feuds between Icelandic families. ... Velikiy Novgorod (Russian: ) is the foremost historic city of North-Western Russia, situated on the M10(E95) federal highway connecting Moscow and St. ... The Varangians (Russian: Variags, Варяги) were Scandinavians who travelled eastwards, mainly from Jutland and Sweden. ... The given name Olav (Olaf, Olof, Olaus), the name of Saint Olav, patron of Norway, has also been borne by a number of other Norwegian kings. ... Snorri Sturluson (1178 â€“ September 23, 1241) was an Icelandic historian, poet and politician. ... Olav Tryggvason (969 - September 9, 1000) was a great-grandson of Harald Hairfair He began his meteoric career in exile as his ancestors fled from the executions of the royal family by Eric Bloodaxe. ...

Several authorities, notably Rydzevskaya ("Ancient Rus and Scandinavia in 9-14 cent.", 1978), hold that later skalds confused Vladimir's wife Rogneda with his grandmother and tutor Olga, with Allogia being the distorted form of Olga's name. Others postulate Olava was a real person and the mother of Vysheslav, the first of Vladimir's sons to reign in Novgorod, as behooves the eldest son and heir. On the other hand, there is no evidence that the tradition of sending the eldest son of Kievan monarch to Novgorod existed at such an early date. The skald was a member of a group of courtly poets, whose poetry is associated with the courts of Scandinavian and Icelandic leaders during the Viking age, who composed and performed renditions of aspects of what we now characterise as Old Norse poetry. ... Baptism of Princess Olga. ...

Those scholars who believe that this early Norse wife was not fictitious, suppose that Vladimir could have married her during his famous exile in Scandinavia in the late 970s. They usually refer to the Ingvars saga's evidence of Eric VI of Sweden marrying his daughter to a 'konung of fjord lying to the East from Holmgard'. This prince could (or could not) have been Vladimir the Great. Scandinavia is a region in Northern Europe named after the Scandinavian Peninsula. ... Eric the Victorious (VI), Old Norse: Eiríkr inn sigrsæli, Modern Swedish: Erik Segersäll, (970?- 995), was king of the Swedes during the second half of the 10th century. ... The Germanic king originally had three main functions. ... Sognefjorden, Norway A fjord (or fiord) is a narrow inlet of the sea between cliffs or steep slopes, which results from marine inundation of a glaciated valley. ... For other cities named Novgorod see Novgorod (disambiguation). ...

Polotsk wife

Main article: Rogneda of Polotsk

Rogneda of Polotsk is the best known of Vladimir's pagan wives, although her ancestry has fuelled the drollest speculations. See this article for extensive but tenuous arguments for her Yngling royal descent. Vladimir and Rogneda (1770). ... Vladimir and Rogneda (1770). ... For other uses, see Yngling (disambiguation). ...

The Primary Chronicle mentions three of Rogneda's sons - Izyaslav of Polotsk (+1001), Vsevolod of Volhynia (+ca 995), and Yaroslav the Wise. Following an old Yngling tradition, Izyaslav inherited the lands of his maternal grandfather, i.e., Polotsk. According to the Kievan succession law, his progeny forfeited their rights to the Kievan throne, because their forefather had never ruled in Kiev supreme. They, however, retained the principality of Polotsk and formed a dynasty of local rulers, of which Vseslav the Sorcerer was the most notable. The Russian Primary Chronicle (Russian: Повесть временных лет, Povest vremennykh let, which is often translated in English as Tale of Bygone Years), is a history of the early East Slavic state, Kievan Rus, from around 850 to 1110. ... Pochayiv Lavra, the spiritual heart of Volhynia Volhynia (Ukrainian: , Polish: , Russian: ; also called Volynia) comprises the historic region in western Ukraine located between the rivers Pripyat and Western Bug -- to the north of Galicia and of Podolia. ... Yaroslav I the Wise (978?-1054) (Christian name: Yury, or George) was thrice prince of Novgorod and Kiev, uniting the two principalities for a time under his rule. ... Polatsk (Belarusian: По́лацак, По́лацк; Polish: Połock, also spelt as Polacak; Russian: По́лоцк, also transliterated as Polotsk, Polotzk, Polock) is the most historic city in Belarus, situated on the Dvina river. ... Motto: Oblast Municipality Municipal government City council (Київська Міська рада) Mayor Oleksandr Omelchenko Mayor-elect Leonid Chernovetsky Area 800 km² Population  - city  - urban  - density 2,660,401 100% 3,299/km² Founded City rights around 5th century 1487 Latitude Longitude Area code +380 44 Car plates AA (before 2004: КА,КВ,КЕ,КН,КІ) Sister cities Athens, Brussels... Motto: Oblast Municipality Municipal government City council (Київська Міська рада) Mayor Oleksandr Omelchenko Mayor-elect Leonid Chernovetsky Area 800 km² Population  - city  - urban  - density 2,660,401 100% 3,299/km² Founded City rights around 5th century 1487 Latitude Longitude Area code +380 44 Car plates AA (before 2004: КА,КВ,КЕ,КН,КІ) Sister cities Athens, Brussels... Motto: Oblast Municipality Municipal government City council (Київська Міська рада) Mayor Oleksandr Omelchenko Mayor-elect Leonid Chernovetsky Area 800 km² Population  - city  - urban  - density 2,660,401 100% 3,299/km² Founded City rights around 5th century 1487 Latitude Longitude Area code +380 44 Car plates AA (before 2004: КА,КВ,КЕ,КН,КІ) Sister cities Athens, Brussels... Vseslav of Polotsk (Vseslav Bryachislavich, UsiasÅ‚aÅ­ ÄŒaradziej, Belarusian language: Усяслаў Брачыславіч, Усяслаў Чарадзей; Russian language: Всеслав Полоцкий; Ukrainian language: Всеслав Полоцький; also known as Vseslav the Sorcerer), ca. ...

Bohemian wife

Vladimir apparently had a Czech wife, whose name is given by Vasily Tatishchev as Malfrida. Historians have gone to extremes in order to provide a political rationale behind such an alliance, as the Czech princes are assumed to have backed up Vladimir's brother Yaropolk rather than Vladimir. His children by these marriage were probably Svyatoslav of Smolensk, killed during the 1015 internecine war, and Mstislav of Chernigov. Some chronicles, however, report that Rogneda was Mstislav's mother. Vasily Nikitich Tatishchev (1686-1750) was a prominent Russian statesman, historian and ethnographer. ... Kniaz Yaropolk I Sviatoslavich (alternative spelling Iaropolk) (? - 980) was a young and rather enigmatic ruler of Kiev between 972 and 980. ... Events August: Canute the Great invades England. ... Mstislav of Chernigov, or Mstislav the Bold (Russian: Мстислав Владимирович Храбрый), was the earliest attested ruler of Chernigov (Chernihiv). ...

Bulgarian wife

Another wife was a Bulgarian lady, whose name is given by Tatishchev as Adela. Historians have disagreed as to whether she came from Volga Bulgaria or from Bulgaria on the Danube. According to the Primary Chronicle, both Boris and Gleb were her children. This tradition, however, is viewed by most scholars as a product of later hagiographical tendency to merge the identity of both saints. Actually, they were of different age and their names point to different cultural traditions. Judging by his Oriental name, Boris could have been Adela's only offspring. Volga Bulgaria or Volga-Kama Bolghar, is a historic state that existed between the 7th and 13th centuries around the confluence of the Volga and Kama rivers in what is now the Russian Federation. ... The Danube bend at Visegrád is a popular destination of tourists The Danube (ancient Danuvius) is Europes second-longest river (after the Volga). ... The Russian Primary Chronicle (Russian: Повесть временных лет, Povest vremennykh let, which is often translated in English as Tale of Bygone Years), is a history of the early East Slavic state, Kievan Rus, from around 850 to 1110. ... A medieval Russian icon of Boris and Gleb Boris and Gleb, Christian names Roman and David, were the first Russian saints. ...

Anna Porphyrogeneta

Anna Porphyrogeneta was the only princess of the greatest of Byzantine dynasties, the Makedonioi, to have been married to a foreigner. The Byzantine emperors regarded the Franks and Russians as barbarians, refusing Hugues Capet's proposals to marry Anna to his son Robert I, so the Baptism of Kievan Rus was a prerequisite for this marriage. Following the wedding, Vladimir is said to have divorced all his pagan wives, although this claim is disputed. Regarded by later Russians as a saint, Anna was interred with her husband in the Church of the Tithes. Basil I the Macedonian (Βασίλειος Α) (811 - 886, ruled 867 - 886) - married Michael IIIs widow; died in hunting accident Leo VI the Wise (Λέων ΣΤ ο Σοφός) (866 - 912, ruled 886 - 912) – likely either son of Basil I or Michael III; Alexander III (Αλέξανδρος Γ του Βυζαντίου) (870 - 913, ruled 912 - 913) – son of Basil I, regent for nephew... Hugh Capet (French: Hugues Capet) (938 – October 24, 996) was King of France from 987 to 996. ... Robert I (c. ... Clandestine Christian communities existed in Kiev for decades before the official baptism. ... The ruined Church of the Tithes in the 1650s, drawn by Abraham van Westerfeld. ...

As all the Makedonioi princesses, Anna is not known to have had any children. Either her barenness or the Byzantine house rule could account for this. If she had any progeny, the prestigious and much sought for imperial parentage would have certainly been advertised by her descendants. The hagiographic sources, contrary to the Primary Chronicle, posit Boris and Gleb as her offspring, on understanding that holy brothers should have had a holy mother. The Russian Primary Chronicle (Russian: Повесть временных лет, Povest vremennykh let, which is often translated in English as Tale of Bygone Years), is a history of the early East Slavic state, Kievan Rus, from around 850 to 1110. ... A medieval Russian icon of Boris and Gleb Boris and Gleb, Christian names Roman and David, were the first Russian saints. ...

Yaroslav's parentage

There is also a case for Yaroslav the Wise's descent from Anna. According to this theory, implausible as it is, Nestor the Chronicler deliberately represented Yaroslav as Rogneda's son, because he systematically removed all information concerning Kievan ties with Byzantium, spawning pro-Varangian bias (see Normanist theory for details). The enthusiasts allege that Yaroslav's true age was falsified by Nestor, who attempted to represent him as 10 years older than he actually had been, in order to justify Yaroslav's seizure of the throne at the expense of his older brothers. Yaroslav I the Wise (978?-1054) (Christian name: Yury, or George) was thrice prince of Novgorod and Kiev, uniting the two principalities for a time under his rule. ... Nestor (c. ... Byzantium was an ancient Greek city-state, founded by Greek colonists from Megara in 667 BC and named after their king Byzas or Byzantas (Βύζας or Βύζαντας in Greek). ... The origins of the Rus (or Rus , Русь) are controversial. ...

The Primary Chronicle, for instance, says that Yaroslav died in 1054 at the age of 76, thus putting his birth at 978, whereas Vladimir's encounter and marriage to Yaroslav's purported mother Rogneda is dated to 980. Elsewhere, speaking about Yaroslav's rule in Novgorod (1016), Nestor says that Yaroslav was 28, thus putting his birth at 988. The forensic analysis of Yaroslav's skeleton seems to have confirmed these suspicions, estimating Yaroslav's birth at ca. 988-990, i.e., after the Baptism of Kievan Rus and Vladimir's divorce with Rogneda. Consequently, it is assumed that either Yaroslav was Vladimir's natural son born after the latter's baptism, or he was his son by Anna. The Russian Primary Chronicle (Russian: Повесть временных лет, Povest vremennykh let, which is often translated in English as Tale of Bygone Years), is a history of the early East Slavic state, Kievan Rus, from around 850 to 1110. ... Events Cardinal Humbertus, a representative of Pope Leo IX, and Michael Cerularius, Patriarch of Constantinople, decree each others excommunication. ... Events Badìa Fiorentina, an abbey in Italy, is founded by Willa, Margravine of Tuscany. ... Events Births Emperor Ichijo of Japan Humbert I of Savoy Avicenna Godiva, Countess of Mercia Deaths Categories: 980 ... Events Vladimir I, Prince of Kiev marries Anna, sister of Byzantine emperor Basil II and converts to Christianity. ... Clandestine Christian communities existed in Kiev for decades before the official baptism. ...

Of course, if Yaroslav really had an imperial Byzantine descent, he wouldn't have missed the chance to publicize it. Some have seen the willingness of European kings to marry Yaroslav's daughters as an indication of this. Subsequent Polish chroniclers and historians, in particular, were eager to view Yaroslav as Anna's son. Recent enthusiasts envoke onomastic arguments, which have often proved decisive in the matters of medieval prosopography. It is curious that Yaroslav named his elder son Vladimir (after his own father) and his eldest daughter - Anna (as if after his own mother). Also, there is a certain pattern in his sons having Slavic names (as Vladimir), and his daughters having Greek names only (as Anna). In the absence of better sources, Anna's maternity remains a pure speculation, however. Prosopography is an important methodological tool within historical research, its goal being the collection of all known information about individuals within a given period, often in the form of a register or database (frequently also known as a Prosopography, e. ... Vladimir is buried in this cathedral he built in Novgorod. ...

German wife

Anna is known to have predeceased Vladimir by four years. Thietmar of Merseburg, writing from contemporary accounts, mentions that Boleslaw I captured Vladimir's widow during his raid on Kiev in 1018. The historians long had no clue as to identity of this wife. The emigre historian Nicholas Baumgarten, however, pointed to the controversial record of the "Genealogia Welforum" and the "Historia Welforum Weingartensis" that one daughter of Count Kuno von Oenningen (future Duke Konrad of Swabia) by "filia Ottonis Magni imperatoris" (Otto the Great's daughter) married "rex Rugorum" (king of Russia). He interpreted this evidence as pertaining to Vladimir's last wife. Thietmar (Dietmar or Dithmar) of Merseburg (July 25, 975 - December 1, 1018), German chronicler, was a son of Siegfried, count of Walbeck, and was related to the family of the emperor Otto the Great. ... Reign From 992 until 1025 Coronation On April 18, 1025 in Gniezno Cathedral, Poland Royal House Piast Coat of Arms Orzeł Piastowski Parents Mieszko I Dubrawka Consorts Rikdaga Judith Enmilda Oda Children with Judith Bezprym with Enmilda Regelina Mieszko II Lambert Otton with Oda Matylda Date of Birth 966/967... Motto: Oblast Municipality Municipal government City council (Київська Міська рада) Mayor Oleksandr Omelchenko Mayor-elect Leonid Chernovetsky Area 800 km² Population  - city  - urban  - density 2,660,401 100% 3,299/km² Founded City rights around 5th century 1487 Latitude Longitude Area code +380 44 Car plates AA (before 2004: КА,КВ,КЕ,КН,КІ) Sister cities Athens, Brussels... // Team# 1018 Pike High School Robotics Team Team #1018 FIRST Logo Check Out Our FIRST WIKI Page Events Bulgaria becomes part of the Byzantine Empire. ... Otto I at his victory over Berengar of Friuli Grave of Otto I in Magdeburg Otto I the Great (November 23, 912 - May 7, 973), son of Henry I the Fowler, king of the Germans, and Matilda of Ringelheim, was Duke of Saxony, King of the Germans and arguably the...

It is believed that the only child of this alliance was Dobronega, or Maria, who married Casimir I of Poland between 1038 and 1042. As her father Vladimir died about 25 years before that marriage and she was still young enough to bear at least five children, including two future Polish kings (Boleslaw II and Wladyslaw Herman), it is thought probable that she was Vladimir's daughter by the last marriage. Casimir I on Jan Matejkos painting Casimir I, the Restorer (Polish: Kazimierz I Odnowiciel) (1015-1058), duke of Poland, was the son of Mieszko II of Poland and Rixa von Lothringen. ... Events Independent declaration of Western Xia. ... Events April 18/April 19 - Emperor Michael V of the Byzantine Empire attempts to remain sole Emperor by sending his adoptive mother and co-ruler Zoe of Byzantium to a monastery. ... Categories: Poland-related stubs | Polish monarchs | Dukes of Wroclaw ... ...

Obscure offspring

Vladimir had several children whose maternity cannot be established with certainty. These include two sons, Stanislav of Smolensk and Sudislav of Pskov, the latter outliving all of his siblings. There is also one daughter, named Predslava, who was captured by Boleslaw I in Kiev and taken with him to Poland as a concubine. Another daughter, Premyslava, is attested in numerous (though rather late) Hungarian sources as the wife of Duke Ladislaus, one of the early Arpadians. The Árpáds (Hungarian: Árpádok, Slovak: Arpádovci, Croatian: Arpadovići) were a dynasty ruling in historic Hungary from the late 9th century to 1301 (with some interruptions, e. ...