Oleg died in 912 A.D., having reigned thirty-three years, during which time he had greatly enlarged and consolidated the government. At his death his kinsman, Igor, who seems to have simply looked on up to that point, succeeded to the crown. He was nearly forty years of age at the time he came to his father's throne. He appears to have been a well-meaning man, but as might have been expected from the fact that allowed Oleg to hold the government so long, he proved to be an inefficient sovereign.
Fortunately, he was married and his wife, Olga, was a woman of more than ordinary ability. She was likewise ambitious, and poor Igor seems to have been little else than her husband. What was done for Russia during this reign she seems to have been responsible for, and at Igor's death, in 945, she became regent. Their young son and heir, not being yet fitted for the responsibilities of government, Olga took charge of the public affairs with the dignity and title of Queen.
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From General Nelson A. Miles
Thrilling Stories of The Russian-Japanese War, 1904
