Religion

Abstract

The origins of Christianity in Russia date back to the ninth century. In 944 Russian Christians signed a Byzantine-Russian treaty and c. 955 Princess Olga, regent of Kiev, was baptised. However, subsequent rulers, Svyatoslav (942–72) and Vladimir (died 1015), preferred paganism. Vladimir, however, realised that since Kiev was surrounded by powerful countries, each of which had accepted either Islam, Judaism or Christianity, it was necessary for the security of Kiev to accept one of these faiths. He chose Byzantine Christianity, was baptised in 988, and married the emperor of Constantinople’s sister in 989. Personal conversion was judged necessary only for the upper echelons of society, who enforced Christianity on the masses.