Vladimir the Great

Vladimir the Great was Grand Prince of Kiev and the ruler associated with the Christianisation of Kievan Rus. His agreement with Basil II supplied thousands of Rus and Scandinavian warriors who helped defeat Byzantine rebels and contributed to the Varangian Guard.

Vladimir consolidated control over Kievan Rus' after defeating rival members of his dynasty and initially supported traditional Slavic cults. His conversion to Christianity, conventionally dated to 988, was followed by the baptism of Kyiv and closer ties with Byzantium, including marriage to the imperial princess Anna. Later Orthodox tradition revered him as the ruler who established Christianity as the dominant religion of Rus'.

Rosemary Sutcliff’s Blood Feud brings its Viking protagonists to Kiev, where Prince Vladimir is gathering ships and thousands of Rus and Norse warriors to aid the Byzantine emperor Basil II. Vladimir personally halts the protagonists’ blood feud while they are in his service, and the novel also incorporates his conversion to Christianity, marriage to the Byzantine princess Anna and the expedition that helps create the future Varangian Guard.