Kievan Rus converts
Vladimir chooses Orthodox Christianity, and eastern Europe's religious map is set.
- When
- Known to
- ± 2 years
- Era
- Post-Classical, Holocene
The Rus polity centred on Kiev, founded by Norse traders among Slavic populations, converts under Vladimir in 988. The Primary Chronicle's story of envoys sent to compare religions — rejecting Islam because it forbade alcohol and choosing Byzantine Christianity because the liturgy in Hagia Sophia was so beautiful they did not know if they were in heaven — is legend, but the choice aligned Russia, Ukraine and Belarus with Constantinople rather than Rome.