Though Vladimir, Prince of Kiev, chose Christianity in the year 988 as a unifying tool for his state instead of Islam or Judaism, his decision ultimately lead to the rise of a powerful empire closely paralleled to the Byzantine Empire. Vladimir believed that a state housed under one religious faction reaped more rewards than a state which practiced various pagan beliefs. Eventually, Christian relations, the marriage of Rus princes to Byzantine and European royalty, and geographical advantages afforded Kievan ample opportunity for lucrative trade, which became the economic foundation of Kievan Rus. .
Such a lucrative trade launched the need for an abundance of craftsman including jewelry-makers and blacksmiths, which created more towns and bustling intercity trade that fueled the growth of Kievan. Furthermore, princes of the Rus territories built their empire with the extraction of tribute taxes from the common people. However, in exchange for the tax, the common people were protected from invaders by the states military force. From these taxes, fortresses were built and the ruling elite lived well and the church prospered. So what happened? How did Kievan Rus fall from grace?.
Fragmentation of Kievan Rus began as the lands were divided among the princes of the Riurkid clan. Instead of forming alliances, rulers of these new territories often fought among themselves and sought outside allies such as the Poles and the Hungarians. For example, Suzdalia in 1169, with the help of the Poles, laid siege on Kiev rendering it almost helpless and forty years later Smolensk and Chernigov attacked in a more vicious manner and then laid claim to the city. .
The history of Kievan might have played out differently had the principalities united peacefully and strategically, but constant power struggles among princes, the veche, and the boyars, which had long since been an issue, greatly weakened the stability of the state.
