Summary of "Vladimir the Red Sun" by Boris Vasiliev

This 2007 historical novel recounts the life of Prince Vladimir from his youth to his acquisition of sole power. The author depicts the Christianization of the state as a purely pragmatic political calculation by a young ruler, devoid of divine miracles and sudden spiritual insights. This work belongs to the historical cycle "Ancient Rus’." The series consistently describes the deeds of rulers of the early Middle Ages. It includes such novels as "Oleg the Prophet," "Olga, Queen of the Rus’," and "Prince Svyatoslav." This book is the fourth part of the cycle.

Childhood and the path to power

Vladimir grows up at the court of his grandmother, Grand Duchess Olga. His faithful friend Vladimir is constantly by his side. The boys are surrounded by care. The young prince learns the difficult truth about his father early on. Svyatoslav despises the capital, Kyiv. He prefers military campaigns. The prince considers Vladimir himself an illegitimate son by his housekeeper, Malusha.

Soon, Svyatoslav divides the lands among the legitimate heirs. Vladimir’s father sends him to rule in Novgorod the Great. The route north follows the Dnieper River. Guards are provided by warriors led by his uncle Dobrynya and the voivode Yaromir. Near Smolensk, a blind sorcerer predicts the young man will become Grand Prince. The elder warns of the high price in blood for this future power.

In Novgorod, Vladimir asserts his authority through the might of his mighty fists. Soon, tragic news arrives. Princess Olga dies. Vladimir’s mother disappears without a trace. The young ruler goes abroad to recruit professional Varangians. He returns with an army of two thousand. Preparations for war for the Kyivan throne begin.

Civil wars

Vladimir proposes to the daughter of the Polotsk prince Rogvolod. The proud Rogneda refuses her concubine’s son. Novgorod troops storm Polotsk. Vladimir publicly seizes Rogneda by force before the eyes of her bound parents. The princely family is then executed. Dobrynya saves only Rogneda’s young brother, Rogdai. Later, a bogatyr outpost is formed. Ilya Muromets joins the squad.

In Kyiv, feuds flare up between Svyatoslav’s sons. Yaropolk defeats Oleg’s forces. The younger brother dies during the retreat. Vladimir uses his half-brother’s death as a pretext for a campaign against Kyiv. The cunning commander Blud betrays Yaropolk. The elder brother flees to the small fortress of Rodnya. Vladimir besieges the city. Blud tricks Yaropolk into entering the Novgorod prince’s tent. The Varangians kill the legitimate heir.

Vladimir is in no hurry to enter Kyiv. He allows mercenaries to plunder the city for two weeks. Then the prince appears as a savior. He drives out the Varangians. The most notorious plunderers are brutally executed. The people of Kiev welcome their new ruler with great joy.

Strengthening the state

The Grand Duke replaces local rulers with his loyal warriors. Voivode Alexander earns the nickname "Wolf’s Tail." He pacifies the Radimichi and Vyatichi tribes. Vladimir erects a colossal Perun, over three meters tall, in Kyiv. The ruler seeks to unite the tribes under a common pagan faith. The pagans sacrifice Christians — the old Varangian Feodor and his son John.

The Austrian king offers Vladimir his daughter in marriage. The lavish wedding completely depletes the state treasury. The warriors advise him to march on Volga Bulgaria in search of rich spoils. The Kievan infantry suffers a crushing defeat at the hands of the Bulgarian horsemen.

The treasury remains empty. The Grand Duke borrows gold from Novgorod. He begins a complex diplomatic game against Poland. In the Carpathian Mountains, Alexander defeats the Polish forces with a cunning maneuver. As a reward, Vladimir presents him with a gold grivna, which he wears around his neck. Alexander receives the name "Grivna of the Gold."

Searching for a New Faith

Alexander Zolotogrivenny is sent to pacify the Yatvingian tribe. The voivode discovers the reason for the emergence of female warriors. The people are suffering from an unknown disease that has wiped out almost all the men. The defense is held by women who believe in the transmigration of souls. Alexander makes peace with the high priest. The voivode marries the granddaughter of the Smolensk prince Preslav, the beautiful Svetla.

An incident in the town of Izyaslav changes Vladimir’s attitude toward his loved ones. Rogneda attempts to assassinate the Grand Duke during the night. Her young son Izyaslav rises to his mother’s defense with a training sword. Shocked by the boy’s courage, the prince forgives Rogneda. He grants the mother and son a separate city. Young Rogdai performs a heroic deed at Ilya Muromets’s outpost, earning the respect of the warriors.

Vladimir often ponders a unified religion. Conversations with a wise Yatvingian priest and the military commander Alexander convince the prince to accept Christianity. The proud ruler refuses to plead with Byzantium. He decides to capture the Byzantine city of Chersonesos.

Siege of Chersonesos and baptism

The march to the Black Sea is accompanied by a violent storm. Huge waves smash the heavy barges carrying siege weapons. The Kievans build an earthen rampart around Chersonesus. The besieged carry away earth at night through secret underground passages. The traitor Anastas sends a message indicating the location of the water pipes. The Kievans cut off the water, forcing Chersonesus to surrender.

Vladimir demands that the Byzantine emperors send priests. He desires Princess Anna as his wife. The threat of further aggression forces Byzantium to agree. The Grand Prince is baptized. He marries Anna. The prince returns to Kyiv.

The forced conversion of pagans begins. Oaken Perun is thrown into the Dnieper. Heralds drive Kyivans to the river. Metropolitan Michael performs the ritual. Many women desperately resist, preferring death to the alien faith.

A rebellion breaks out in Novgorod the Great. The sorcerer Bogomil Solovey and the tysyatsky Ugony call the people to arms. The crowd burns down Christian homes. Dobrynya and the voivode Putyata suppress the uprising. Putyata fights his way through with swords. Dobrynya sets fire to the outskirts of the city. The saying goes: "Putyata baptized with the sword, but Dobrynya with fire." The Novgorodians are driven into the Volkhov River and baptized by force.

The last years of reign

Prince Vladimir builds new defensive lines against the Pechenegs. Workers erect fortified towns. Craftsmen mint their own silver and gold coins. Catholic Bishop Bruno arrives with a papal bull. The missionary manages to negotiate peace between the Pecheneg Khan and Kiev. The parties exchange hostages.

Grand Duchess Anna dies. She asks her husband to pass the throne to Svyatopolk. Vladimir distributes his sons among various cities. Yaroslav sets off to rule Novgorod. Svyatopolk takes up residence in Turov.

The warriors grow old and retreat into the shadows. Dobrynya settles down on his estate. Ilya Muromets takes monastic vows. Border protection falls entirely to the young commanders. Varyazhko dies heroically, shielding the Grand Duke from an enemy arrow. His sons Boris and Gleb lead the new Kievan squads.

The Rise of Yaroslav

Yaroslav gathers the Novgorod nobility around him. He refuses to pay the annual tribute to Kyiv. Enlisting the support of merchants and boyars, the prince hires Varangian troops. Vladimir orders bridges repaired for a punitive expedition. The Grand Duke dies suddenly, before he can punish his rebellious son.

Svyatopolk seizes power in Kyiv. He murders Vladimir’s legitimate sons, Boris and Gleb. Yaroslav uses this atrocity as a pretext for war. The Novgorod army marches south. The troops stand on opposite banks of the river for several weeks. Yaroslav launches a surprise attack, putting Svyatopolk’s troops to flight.

Svyatopolk receives the support of his father-in-law, the Polish King Bolesław. The Polish cavalry defeats the Novgorodians. Yaroslav flees to Novgorod. He attempts to sail to Sweden. Posadnik Konstantin cuts down the prince’s boats. Yaroslav is forced to continue the struggle. Yaroslav’s Varangians decisively defeat the Pechenegs and Poles. Svyatopolk flees.

Yaroslav takes revenge on those who witnessed his weakness. Posadnik Konstantin is drowned in the Oka River. Mstislav of Tmutarakan defeats the Caucasian tribes. He defeats his brother’s Kievan army. The brothers divide the lands along the Dnieper River. Soon after, Mstislav dies of a cold.

Yaroslav becomes sole ruler. Workers build stone churches. St. Sophia Cathedral is erected. The borders are fortified with the Golden Gate. The prince marries his sister and daughters to European kings. Yaroslav establishes the first code of laws, strictly establishing monetary fines for various crimes in accordance with German law.