Leo the Deacon
Igor was killed while collecting tribute from the Drevlians in 945. The Byzantine historian and chronicler Leo the Deacon (born ca 950) describes how Igor met his death: "They had bent down two birch trees to the prince's feet and tied them to his legs; then they let the trees straighten again, thus tearing the prince's body apart." Igor's widow, Olga of Kiev, avenged his death by punishing the Drevlians. The "Primary Chronicle" blames his death on his own excessive greed, indicating that he tried to collect tribute for a second time in a month. As a result, Olga changed the system of tribute gathering ("poliudie") in what may be regarded as the first legal reform recorded in Eastern Europe.