What contemporary fugure would you compare King Vladimir of early Russia to and why?

Question

What would be their similarities and differences?

Answer 1

Vladimir, 980-1015 CE, had his choice of four religions for his people. He received emissaries from Volga Bulgars who were Muslim, Jewish Khazars, German Catholics, and Byzantine Eastern Orthodox Christians. He chose the last after visiting Byzantium and seeing their wealth and power. It was a pragmatic choice which had little to do with faith. To choose a similar contemporary, you would need to find a nearly absolute ruler who had the power to decide the faith of an entire people. The closest I can come is Henry VIII of England in the early 1530s when he needed a divorce so he could marry Anne Boleyn. The Roman Catholic church would not grant the annulment (since his wife Catherine of Aragon had born half a dozen children and because the pope was under the control of Charles V who was Catherine's nephew), so Henry decided that his people would all be Protestant members of the Church of England. Henry is not really contemporary, but he is at least early modern. Maybe you or another answerer can think of a more modern leader who has decided the religion of all his people so neatly.

Answer 2

The early history of Russia, like those of many countries, is one of migrating peoples and ancient kingdoms. In fact, early Russia was not exactly "Russia," but a collection of cities that gradually coalesced into an empire. I n the early part of the ninth century, as part of the same great movement that brough the Danes to England and the Norsemen to Western Europe, a Scandanavian people known as the Varangians crossed the Baltic Sea and landed in Eastern Europe. The leader of the Varangians was the semilegendary warrior Rurik, who led his people in 862 to the city of Novgorod on the Volkhov River. Whether Rurik took the city by force or was invited to rule there, he certainly invested the city. From Novgorod, Rurik's successor Oleg extended the power of the city southward. In 882, he gained control of Kiev, a Slavic city that had arisen along the Dnepr River around the 5th century. Oleg's attainment of rule over Kiev marked the first establishment of a unified, dynastic state in the region. Kiev became the center of a trade route between Scandinavia and Constantinople, and Kievan Rus', as the empire came to be known, flourished for the next three hundred years.

By 989, Oleg's great-grandson Vladimir I was ruler of a kingdom that extended to as far south as the Black Sea, the Caucasus Mountains, and the lower reaches of the Volga River. Having decided to establish a state religion, Vladimir carefully considered a number of available faiths and decided upon Greek Orthodoxy, thus allying himself with Constantinople and the West. It is said that Vladimir decided against Islam partly because of his belief that his people could not live under a religion that prohibits hard liquor. Vladimir was succeeded by Yaroslav the Wise, whose reign marked the apogee of Kievan Rus'. Yaroslav codified laws, made shrewd alliances with other states, encouraged the arts, and all the other sorts of things that wise kings do. Unfortunately, he decided in the end to act like Lear, dividing his kingdom among his children and bidding them to cooperate and flourish. Of course, they did nothing of the sort.

In reference to the comment about King Henry the VIII, his wife Catherine did not have 6 children, the only child she had was Mary (aka Bloody Mary). Contrary to the opinion of some the reason he divorced her was because she did not produce a male heir to the throne of England.

It's hard to decide which contemporary figure to compare with King Vladimar but the closest I can come up with would be the president of Israel. Although Israel was created as Jewish state, all religions are welcome and there is no discrimination.

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