Prophetic Oleg (i.e. one who knows the future) (died in 912), - the great prince who came to power immediately after the legendary Rurik - the first ruler of Russia. It is the Prophetic Oleg who is credited with the formation of the state - Kievan Rus, with its center in Kiev. Oleg's nickname - "prophetic" - referred exclusively to his penchant for sorcery. In other words, Prince Oleg, as the supreme ruler and leader of the squad, simultaneously performed the functions of a priest, sorcerer, sorcerer, sorcerer. According to legend, Prophetic Oleg died from a snakebite; this fact formed the basis for a number of songs, legends and traditions.
In the ancient Russian annals it is said that, dying, the first ruler of Russia, Rurik, transferred power to his relative Oleg, since the son of Rurik, Igor, had been small for years. This guardian Igor soon became famous for his courage, victories, prudence and love of his subjects. He successfully ruled for 33 years. During this time, he reigned in Novgorod, occupied Lyubech and Smolensk, made Kiev the capital of his state, conquered and imposed tribute on a number of East Slavic tribes, made a successful campaign against Byzantium and concluded profitable trade agreements with it.
The exploits of Prophetic Oleg began with the fact that in 882 he made a trip to the land of the Krivichi and captured their center Smolensk. Then, going down the Dnieper, he took Lyubech, deceiving and killing the Varangian princes Askold and Dir who ruled in Kiev. Oleg captured the city, where he established himself, becoming the Prince of Novgorod and Kiev. This event, attributed by the chronicle to 882, is traditionally considered the date of the formation of the Old Russian state - Kievan Rus, with its center in Kiev.
In 907. Prince Oleg of Kiev led (by sea and coast) to the capital of Byzantium a large army, which, in addition to the Kiev squad, included detachments of soldiers from the Slavic unions of tribal principalities dependent on Kiev and mercenaries - the Varangians. As a result of the campaign, the environs of Constantinople were devastated and in 911 a peace treaty that was beneficial for Russia was concluded. According to the treaty, Russians who came to Byzantium for commercial purposes had a privileged position.
In the famous treaty of Oleg with the Greeks in 912, concluded after the brilliant siege of Constantinople and the surrender of the Byzantines, there is not a word about Prince Igor (877-945), the nominal ruler of Kievan Rus, whose guardian was Oleg. The fact that Oleg the Prophet was the first true builder of the Russian state was well understood at all times. He expanded its limits, approved the power of a new dynasty in Kiev, defended the legitimacy of Rurik's heir to the throne, dealt the first fatal blow to the omnipotence of the Khazar Kaganate. Before Oleg and his retinue appeared on the banks of the Dnieper, the "unreasonable Khazars" collected tribute from neighboring Slavic tribes with impunity. For several centuries they sucked Russian blood, and in the end they even tried to impose an ideology completely alien to the Russian people - Judaism professed by the Khazars.
One of the biggest gaps in The Tale of Bygone Years falls on the years of Oleg's reign. Of the 33 years of his reign, the later editors completely deleted from the annals entries relating to 21 (!) Years. As if nothing happened during those years. It happened - and how! Only here Oleg's heirs to the throne did not like something in his deeds or genealogy. From 885 (the conquest of the Radimichi and the beginning of the campaign against the Khazars, about which the original text was not preserved) and to 907 (the first campaign to Constantinople), only three events related to the history of Russia were recorded in the annals.
What are the purely Russian realities left in the chronicle? The first is the passage of migrating Ugrians (Hungarians) past Kiev in 898. The second is Igor's acquaintance with his future wife, Olga. According to Nestor, this happened in 903. The name of the future saint Prekrasa. But Oleg, for some unclear reason until the end, renamed her and named her in accordance with his own name - Olga (in the "Tale of Bygone Years" she is also named Volga). Such a name change was most likely due to the fact that the future Princess Olga was the daughter of Oleg the Prophet and he did not want this fact to be widely publicized. It is also known that Olga is the granddaughter of Gostomysl (the one who invited Rurik to rule Russia) and was born from his eldest daughter somewhere near Izborsk.
Oleg, to whom Rurik before his death handed over and entrusted the upbringing of the young heir Igor, was a relative ("of his own kind") of the founder of the dynasty. You can also be a relative through your wife. Thus, the line of the Novgorod elder Gostomysl - the main initiator of the invitation to the rulers of Rurik - was not interrupted.
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In this case, the question arises again about the degree of kinship and the rights of inheritance of power between Gostomysl and Oleg, one of the most prominent figures in early Russian history. If Olga is Gostomyslova's granddaughter from his eldest daughter, then it inevitably turns out: the husband of this daughter is Prophetic Oleg, whose figure is comparable to any of the princes of Rurikovich. Hence, his legal rights to reign. It was this fact that was carefully removed from the chronicles by subsequent censors, so that the Novgorodians would not be tempted to declare their rights to priority in the supreme power.
Finally, the third event, truly epochal, is the emergence of writing in Russia. The names of the Solunsky brothers - Cyril and Methodius, the creators of Slavic writing, appear in the "Tale of Bygone Years" also under the year 898. We owe Prince Oleg not only the assertion of the authority of the state, but also the greatest deed, the significance of which is comparable only to the adoption of Christianity that took place 90 years later. This act is the establishment of literacy in Russia, the reform of writing, the adoption of the alphabet based on the Cyrillic alphabet, which we use to this day.
The very creation of Slavic writing coincided with the appearance on Ladoga and Novgorod of Rurik and his brothers. The difference is not in time, but in space: the Varangians appeared in the northwest, and the Byzantine Greek Cyril (in the world of Constantine) began his missionary activity in the south. Roughly in 860-861, he went to preach in the Khazar Kaganate, under whose rule most of the Russian tribes were at that time, and at the end of the mission he retired to the Asia Minor monastery, where he developed the Slavic alphabet. This happened, most likely, in the same year 862, when the notorious calling of princes was recorded in the Russian chronicle. The year 862 cannot be questioned, for it was then that Cyril and Methodius set off for Moravia, already having a developed alphabet in their hands.
Subsequently, Slavic writing spread to Bulgaria, Serbia and Russia. It took almost a quarter of a century. In what ways and pace this happened in Russia - we can only guess. But for the widespread approval of the new writing, one "drift", of course, was not enough. A government decision and the will of an authoritative ruler were required. Fortunately, such a ruler in Russia by that time already existed, and he had no will. Therefore, we will give due to Prince Oleg for his truly prophetic decision.
A stern and unyielding sorcerer, invested with power, he, it must be believed, was very intolerant of Christian missionaries. Oleg took the alphabet from them, but did not accept the teachings. The general attitude of the pagan Slavs to Christian preachers in those days is well known from the Western European chronicles. The Baltic Slavs, before their conversion to Christianity, dealt with Catholic missionaries in the most cruel way. There is no doubt that the struggle for life and death also took place on the territory of Russia. Perhaps not the last role was played by the prince-priest Oleg.
After his death, the process of further formation of the Rurik state became irreversible. His merits in this matter are undeniable. It seems that Karamzin said the best about them: “With the wisdom of the Ruler, educated states flourish; but only the strong hand of the Hero founds great Empires and provides them with reliable support in their dangerous news. Ancient Rus is famous for more than one Hero: none of them could equal Oleg in the conquests that confirmed her mighty existence."
V. Gorobinsky