Oleg the Wise

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/oleg-the-wise

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the period of rule?Traditionally dated to the late 9th and early 10th centuries
2. What is the primary source?The Primary Chronicle (also known as the Tale of Bygone Years)
3. Who was Oleg the Wise?Oleg was a smart prince who became the ruler of Kiev and helped build a big kingdom in Eastern Europe. He was a Varangian, meaning he came from Norse lands.
4. How did Oleg make Kiev a big city?He brought many different tribes together and set up a new government in Kiev, making it the center of his new state. He also built roads and organized tribute so everyone worked together.

Varangian: Norse explorers, traders, and warriors who played a significant role in early East Slavic history.
Kievan Rus': A powerful medieval East Slavic state that existed from the late 9th to the mid-13th century.
Primary Chronicle: An early medieval historical work considered the main source for the history of Kievan Rus'.
Byzantine Empire: The eastern continuation of the Roman Empire, a major political and cultural power in the medieval period.