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Regent Queen of Revenge: Saint Olga of Kiev
How far would you go to get revenge? This is the legend of Saint Olga of Kiev, regent queen of Kievan Rus, and her relentless, thorough, and devastating campaign against her husband's killers. |
A Terrible Tribute
A descendant of Norse people who had relocated to the area that now encompasses Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus, Olga was the wife of Igor, son of Rurik and ruler of Kievan Rus. While her precise birthdate is unknown, she was likely born in the late 800s or early 900s AD. In 914, Igor took control of the land previously held by his father and ruled for some time, collecting tribute from the tribes he had conquered. But some tribes did not easily submit to his demands. One such tribe, the Drevlians, acted on their ill will and murdered Igor by tying his feet to bent birch trees and then releasing the trees, violently ripping the man apart. With Igor out of the way, the Drevlians saw a new path to power. Drevlian Prince Mal sent a marriage proposal to the newly single Olga, who ruled as regent queen in place of her three-year-old son. With a marriage like that, the Drevlians would almost effortlessly become the legitimate rulers of Kievan Rus. Understandably, Olga refused. |
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Buried, Burned, and Brutally Slaughtered
So Prince Mal sent 20 of his best men to Olga, hoping they could change her mind. She had them buried alive the morning after their arrival. Before word of their deaths could reach the Drevlians, Olga again wrote the prince, saying she would accept the proposal, but only if he sent his most distinguished chieftains to accompany her on her route to the Drevlian capital, Iskorosten. Prince Mal obliged and sent his men to her. She gave them a warm welcome, meaning she locked them in her bathhouse and set the building on fire, burning them alive. This was all part of Olga's plan to eliminate anyone who could stand in the way of her ultimate revenge. She made her way to the Drevlian capital and requested that a funeral feast be held in honor of her late husband. Yet unaware of Olga's prior cruelties, the people obliged. Once the feasting was underway, Olga's men easily slaughtered all the drunken Drevlian soldiers and held the city under siege. |
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The Final Vengeance
Now terrified for their lives, the people of the city offered her their riches. Olga refused their offerings, saying she did not want to charge them a high tribute akin to what her husband had asked of them. Instead, she simply requested three pigeons and three sparrows from each house. Relieved, the Drevlian people accepted these demands. Olga then had her soldiers attach cloth-wrapped sulfur to each bird. At night, the birds flew back to their coops. The packages they carried then caused each and every house to simultaneously light up in flames. Olga and her soldiers captured, killed, and enslaved the panicked, fire-fleeing Drevlians. Anyone left alive was only allowed to live so that they could later pay her tribute. |
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Mother, Queen, and Saint
Her vengeance complete, Olga then ruled on behalf of her young son Svyatoslav with the full support of her people, evading further marriage proposals and defending the throne until her son came of age. Even when her son was old enough to rule, she was left in charge of Kievan Rus in his stead, ruling and defending when he was away on constant military campaigns. So how does a woman so vengeful and violent achieve saint status? It's all because she was the first ruler of Kievan Rus to adopt Christianity and made substantial efforts to convert the rest of her people, though the entire country would not be converted until the rule of her grandson. |
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