Vladimir the Red Sun. By Fire and Sword

Vladimir the Holy, Vladimir Red Sun… The whole of his life is a tangle of contradictions. He was the child of a slave-keykeeper, yet became the Grand Prince of Kyiv; he united Rus’, created the strongest state in Europe. He loved women—and made them unhappy. He wanted peace, waging cruel wars. He cared about spreading literacy, yet he himself was illiterate. He remained in people’s memory as the Red Sun (for his kindness and help to those in need)—and also as the owner of a vast harem, a corrupter of married men’s wives and maidens. He was a fierce pagan—yet became a devout Christian. He lived the life of a great sinner—and became a great saint. He shed rivers of blood—and gave Rus’ a new faith and a great future. He knew thousands of women, but truly loved only one. And this beloved wife—once taken by force, Princess Rogneda—bore him a son who would become one of the most glorious Russian princes: Yaroslav the Wise…