The role of religion has played a major part in every aspect of our world's history. Every country, big or small, every person peasant or king, even every time historic or modern has been affected by religion in one way or another. Among all of the regions in the world the most popular is Christianity. And in early European history Christianity spread with an almost fire like pace across much of the continent. With only some resistance Christianity would grow to become the dominate ideology in Europe. But the spread of Christianity in each area or region has its own unique story. One of the most intriguing of those stories, being the spread of Christianity throughout much of what would be considered today as modern Russia. This due in large to the man known today as Saint Vladimir of Kiev. His personal acceptance of Christianity at the near turn of the first millennium is almost legend in Russia. For it was Vladimir's personal conversion that would lead to Kievan Rus's entire conversion around the same time. But why Christianity, what lead Vladimir to convert to Christianity after his years as a pagan ruler. Could it have been the ties to Christianity in his family, for his Grandmother Olga of Kiev who was believed to be the first ruler of Kiev to have been a converted Christian. Or maybe his father Svaitoslav, who under pagan rule expanded kiev's boarders wider than they had ever been. But was unsuccessful in uniting the people before his death. Could it have been the time he spent in exile of Kiev during his brother Yaropolk's rule in which he was believed to have lead a mercenary lifestyle that could have altered his choices later on in life? For the future saint it was a very interesting up-brining which could have lead him to so many of these choices, down so many different roads. But ultimately ending with the Christianisation of Kiev and its people. But what truly caused this and how did Vladimir go about converting his people? How could one man turn an entire Pagan culture towards enlightenment? Through explanation one could see how the conversion of one Saint Vladimir of Kiev contributed to the mass conversion of Kievan Rus.
