He had three sons who fought for the crown. In 980, Vladimir, a great name in Russian history, the youngest of the brothers, gained the sole dominion. He made Russia Christian; he undertook a careful investigation of all known religions, he conferred with learned men and received those doctors of divinity who had made theology a profession; he consulted Monks, Buddhists, Brahmins and expounders of various other doctrines, taking ample time and no end of trouble in the enquiry.
He finally accepted Christianity and forthwith abolished paganism and ordered his people to the rivers to be baptized and, according to the stories which have come down to us, he caused his words to be obeyed and his subjects proceeded by thousands to carry out the order. It is said that thirty thousand were baptized into the Greek church upon the same day as their sovereign, who received, when he was christened, the name Basilius.
Out of compliment to the young sovereign, who had thus embraced the true faith, the Greek emperor gave his daughter Anne in marriage to his brother of Russia, and henceforth the country belonged to the patriarchate of Constantinople, and Kief became the cathedral city of the Russian empire.
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From General Nelson A. Miles
Thrilling Stories of The Russian-Japanese War, 1904
