What Really Happened To Basil's Departure?

Basil used the promised troops that Vladimir sent to him to end the civil war in his favour. The scholars still debate what happened next, it can be stated that Vladimir did attack the Byzantine city of Cherson in the Crimea. It was from here that Vladimir demanded that Basil send him his promised bride. It is a questionable matter as the matter took place after the agreements, Vladimir may have even attempted to force Basil to keep his word, but the evidence is inconclusive. Indeed, Basil was no longer weak thanks to the help of Vladimir so his promise made to the man of his sisters’ hand in marriage didn’t seem like one that was hard to upkeep. Convince by a demonstration of military muscle, Basil sent his sister Anna to Vladimir with an
entourage of churchmen with the idea of conversion of Rus. According to the source documents Vladimir was publicly baptised between 988 and 989, and the debate is not over the time but more over the place that it took place, whether it be Cherson, or Kiev. The Provost reports that Vladimir suffered aliments of the eyes, and on the arrival of Anna there was news that stated if he were to convert to Christianity than his aliments would be cured. Although, it should be taken into consideration that the earlier decision to convert contradicted the original tale, and this story should be seen more as a part of the legend that grew around Vladimir as an attempt to portray him as the new Constantine of Rus. In the apocryphal legend, it was said that Constantine I was suffering leprosy, but Pope Sylvester promised him health in exchange for his baptism. Vladimir issued coinage in imitation of the Byzantine style, and the imitation would not end here as his son and successor Yaroslav the Wise (1019 – 1054) would later build a church in the heart of Kiev that was a direct imitation of the architecture found in Constantinople. Upon his return to Kiev, Vladimir dismantled his former pantheon, before throwing away the idol of the god Perun.
The next day, Vladimir organised a mass baptism in the Dnieper for his followers, and ordered that a church would be built on the hill where his pantheon had once stood. The conversion of Vladimir to Christianity should be seen more as a political event than a religious expedition for change and prosperity. Christianity, although, well-known in the lands of Rus prior to the conversion was not the only opinion for the civilians of the capital, but it does appear to be the means that Vladimir secured his legitimacy of the throne. A revision of the broader world would provide some context to the evaluation as the rulers of Poland, Hungary, and the Danes all converted to Christianity from the 960s and the 970s. Perhaps this is the reason behind Vladimir and his inspiration to find legitimacy in a religious state. Ultimately, Vladimir wasn’t faced with much opposition in the imposition of Christianity in Rus. Vladimir secured his position through the legitimacy of Christianity, and his marriage to the sister of the Byzantine emperor, which brought him great prestige. Although, the people of the state and Vladimir himself was aware of the sway that Constantinople might come to exercise over their state, but the Rus were always careful to remind the Byzantines of their effective
independence.