Olha of Kyiv, Grand Princess & Saint of Ukraine

Olha was the wife of Ihor, the Grand Prince of the Kyivan Rus’, a federation of people whose capital was the city of Kyiv, now the capital of modern-day Ukraine. When her husband was brutally murdered by a subsidiary tribe, Olha went on a legendary campaign of cunning and ruthless revenge. Once in control of her husband’s kingdom, she was an efficient and effective leader. She converted to Christianity in order to get out of an unwanted marriage proposal. She is credited with introducing Christianity to the Rus' people. After her death, Olga was canonised as a saint and is regarded as “Equal to the Apostles” within the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.