Russian princes and their politics. Rulers of Russia in chronological order from Rurik to the decline of the Grand Duchy of Kyiv

“Kievan Rus” is a concept that is subject to much speculation today. Historians argue not only about whether there was a state with that name, but also about who inhabited it.

Where did “Kievan Rus” come from?

If today in Russia the phrase “Kievan Rus” is gradually leaving scientific usage, being replaced by the concept “Old Russian state,” then Ukrainian historians use it everywhere, and in the context of “Kievan Rus - Ukraine,” emphasizing the historical continuity of the two states.

However, until the beginning of the 19th century, the term “Kievan Rus” did not exist; the ancient inhabitants of the Kyiv lands did not even suspect that they lived in a state with such a name. The first to use the phrase “Kievan Rus” was the historian Mikhail Maksimovich in his work “Where does the Russian Land Come From,” which was completed in the year of Pushkin’s death.

It is important to note that Maksimovich used this expression not in the sense of the state, but in a number of other names of Rus' - Chervonnaya, Belaya, Suzdal, that is, in the sense of geographical location. The historians Sergei Solovyov and Nikolai Kostomarov used it in the same meaning.

Some authors of the early 20th century, including Sergei Platonov and Alexander Presnyakov, began to use the term “Kievan Rus” in the sovereign-political sense, as the name of the state of the Eastern Slavs with a single political center in Kiev.

However, Kievan Rus became a full-fledged state during the Stalin era. There is an interesting story about how academician Boris Grekov, while working on the books “Kievan Rus” and “Culture of Kievan Rus,” asked his colleague: “You are a party member, please advise, you should know what concept He (Stalin) will like.”

Having used the term “Kievan Rus”, Grekov considered it necessary to explain its meaning: “In my work, I deal with Kievan Rus not in the narrow territorial sense of this term (Ukraine), but precisely in the broad sense of the “Rurikovich empire”, corresponding to the Western European empire Charlemagne, which includes a vast territory on which several independent state units were subsequently formed.”

State before Rurik

Official domestic historiography says that statehood in Rus' arose in 862 after the Rurik dynasty came to power. However, for example, political scientist Sergei Chernyakhovsky argues that the beginning of Russian statehood should be pushed back at least 200 years into history.

He draws attention to the fact that in Byzantine sources, when describing the life of the Rus, obvious signs of their state structure were reflected: the presence of writing, the hierarchy of the nobility, the administrative division of lands, small princes, over whom stood “kings,” are also mentioned.

And yet, despite the fact that Kievan Rus united under its rule vast territories inhabited by East Slavic, Finno-Ugric and Baltic tribes, many historians are inclined to believe that in the pre-Christian period it could not be called a full-fledged state, since there were no class structures there and there was no centralized authority. On the other hand, it was not a monarchy, not a despotism, not a republic; most of all, according to historians, it was like some kind of corporate governance.

It is known that the ancient Russians lived in tribal settlements, were engaged in crafts, hunting, fishing, trade, agriculture, and cattle breeding. The Arab traveler Ibn Fadlan described in 928 that the Russians built large houses in which 30-50 people lived.

“The archaeological monuments of the Eastern Slavs recreate a society without any clear traces of property stratification. In the most diverse regions of the forest-steppe zone, it is not possible to indicate those that, in their architectural appearance and in the content of the household and household equipment found in them, would stand out for their wealth,” emphasized historian Ivan Lyapushkin.

Russian archaeologist Valentin Sedov notes that the emergence of economic inequality is not yet possible to establish based on existing archaeological data. “It seems that there are no clear traces of property differentiation of Slavic society in the grave monuments of the 6th-8th centuries,” the scientist concludes.

Historians conclude that the accumulation of wealth and its transfer by inheritance in ancient Russian society was not an end in itself; it apparently was neither a moral value nor a vital necessity. Moreover, hoarding was clearly not welcomed and even condemned.

For example, in one of the agreements between the Rus and the Byzantine emperor there is a fragment of the oath of the Kiev prince Svyatoslav, telling what will happen in case of violation of obligations: “may we be golden, like this gold” (meaning the golden tablet-stand of the Byzantine scribe) . This once again shows the despicable attitude of the Rus towards the golden calf.

A more correct definition of the political structure of pre-dynastic Kievan Rus is a veche society, where the prince was completely dependent on the people's assembly. The veche could approve the transfer of power to the prince by inheritance, or it could re-elect him. The historian Igor Froyanov noted that “the ancient Russian prince was not an emperor or even a monarch, for above him stood a veche, or people’s assembly, to which he was accountable.”

The first Kyiv princes

The Tale of Bygone Years tells how Kiy, who lived on the Dnieper “mountains,” together with his brothers Shchek, Khoriv and sister Lybid, built a city on the right bank of the Dnieper, which was later named Kiev in honor of the founder. Kiy, according to the chronicle, he was the first prince of Kyiv. However, modern authors are more inclined to believe that the story of the founding of the city is an etymological myth designed to explain the names of Kyiv localities.

Thus, the hypothesis of the American-Ukrainian orientalist Omelyan Pritsak, who believed that the emergence of Kyiv is connected with the Khazars, and Kiy as a person is identical to the hypothetical Khazar vizier Kuya, became widely known.

At the end of the 9th century, no less legendary princes appeared on the historical stage of Kyiv - Askold and Dir. It is believed that they were members of the Varangian squad of Rurik, who later became the rulers of the capital city, adopted Christianity and laid the foundations of ancient Russian statehood. But here too there are many questions.

The Ustyug Chronicle says that Askold and Dir were “neither the tribe of a prince nor a boyar, and Rurik would not give them a city or a village.” Historians believe that their desire to go to Kyiv was stimulated by the desire to obtain lands and a princely title. According to historian Yuri Begunov, Askold and Dir, having betrayed Rurik, turned into Khazar vassals.

The chronicler Nestor writes that the troops of Askold and Dir in 866 made a campaign against Byzantium and plundered the outskirts of Constantinople. However, academician Alexei Shakhmatov argued that in the more ancient chronicles telling about the campaign against Constantinople there is no mention of Askold and Dir, nothing is said about them in either Byzantine or Arab sources. “Their names were inserted later,” the scientist believed.

Some researchers suggest that Askold and Dir ruled in Kyiv at different times. Others put forward the version that Askold and Dir are one and the same person. According to this assumption, in the Old Norse spelling of the name "Haskuldr", the last two letters "d" and "r" could be isolated into a separate word, and over time turn into an independent person.

If you look at Byzantine sources, you can see that during the siege of Constantinople, the chronicler speaks of only one military leader, although without naming his name.
Historian Boris Rybakov explained: “The personality of Prince Dir is not clear to us. It is felt that his name is artificially attached to Askold, because when describing their joint actions, the grammatical form gives us a single, and not a double, number, as it should be when describing the joint actions of two persons.”

Kievan Rus and Khazaria

The Khazar Kaganate is considered a powerful state, under whose control were the most important trade routes from Europe to Asia. +In its heyday (at the beginning of the 8th century), the territory of the Khazar Kaganate extended from the Black Sea to the Caspian Sea, including the lower Dnieper region.

The Khazars carried out regular raids on the Slavic lands, subjecting them to plunder. According to the testimony of the medieval traveler Ibrahim ibn Yaqub, they mined not only wax, furs and horses, but mainly prisoners of war for sale into slavery, as well as young men, girls and children. In other words, the lands of Southern Rus' actually fell into Khazar bondage.

Maybe they were looking for the Khazar state in the wrong place? Publicist Alexander Polyukh is trying to understand this issue. In his research, he focuses on genetics, in particular, on the position according to which the blood type corresponds to the way of life of the people and determines the ethnic group.

He notes that according to genetic data, Russians and Belarusians, like most Europeans, have more than 90% blood group I (O), and ethnic Ukrainians are 40% carriers of group III (B). This serves as a sign of peoples who led a nomadic lifestyle (he includes the Khazars here), in whom blood group III (B) approaches 100% of the population.

These conclusions are largely supported by the archaeological finds of Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Valentin Yanin, who confirmed that Kiev at the time of its capture by the Novgorodians (IX century) was not a Slavic city, this is also evidenced by “birch bark letters”.
According to Polyukh, the conquest of Kyiv by the Novgorodians and the revenge on the Khazars carried out by the Prophetic Oleg suspiciously coincide in terms of timing. Perhaps it was the same event? Here he makes a resounding conclusion: “Kyiv is the possible capital of the Khazar Kaganate, and ethnic Ukrainians are the direct descendants of the Khazars.”

Despite the paradoxical nature of the conclusions, perhaps they are not so divorced from reality. Indeed, in a number of sources of the 9th century, the ruler of the Rus was called not a prince, but a kagan (khakan). The earliest report of this dates back to 839, when, according to ancient Russian chronicles, Rurik’s warriors had not yet arrived in Kyiv.

The article briefly talks about the great princes of Russian Rus' - a topic studied in 10th grade history. What were they famous for? What were their deeds and role in history?

Summoned Varangians

In 862, the northwestern tribes of the Eastern Slavs decided to stop fighting among themselves and invite an independent ruler to rule over them fairly. The Slav Gostomysl from the Ilmen tribe led the campaign to the Varangians and returned from there with Rurik and his squad. Together with Rurik, his two brothers came - Sienus and Truvor. Rurik sat down to reign in Ladoga, and two years later, according to the Ipatiev Chronicle, he built Novgorod. Rurik had a son, Igor, who was to become a prince after his death. Hereditary rule became the basis of the ruling dynasty.

Rice. 1. Map of Kievan Rus in the 10th century.

In 879, Rurik died, and Igor was still too young. Oleg acted as regent - either Rurik's brother-in-law, or his governor. Already in 882, he captured Kyiv, where he moved the capital of Ancient Rus' from Novgorod. Having captured Kyiv, Oleg established complete control over the trade route “From the Varangians to the Greeks.” Oleg managed to conclude a profitable agreement with Byzantium on duty-free trade, which is a great achievement for the Russian economy of that time.

In 912, Oleg died and Igor became the Prince of Kyiv. In 914, Igor re-conquered the Drevlyans, imposing a tribute greater than Oleg's. In 945, Igor, while collecting tribute from the Drevlyans, felt that he had not collected enough. Returning with a small detachment to reassemble, he was killed in the city of Iskorosten for his greed.

And Rurik, and Oleg, and Igor reduced their internal political activities to the subjugation of the Slavic tribes surrounding Rus' and the imposition of tribute on them. Their activities were largely aimed at conducting military campaigns to gain authority within Rus' and in the international arena.

Reign of Olga and Svyatoslav

In 945, Olga suppressed the rebellion of the Drevlyans and avenged Igor by destroying Iskorosten. Olga left foreign affairs and began to engage in domestic politics. She carried out the first reform in Rus', creating a system of lessons and graveyards - the amount of tribute and the places and times of its collection. In 955, Olga went to Constantinople and converted to Christianity.

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Rice. 2. Burning of Iskorostnya.

It is not known exactly when Svyatoslav came to power. The Tale of Bygone Years speaks of his first military campaign in 964. Svyatoslav was a big fan of war and battles, so he continued the policies of his father and grandfather and spent his whole life in battles, and Olga, on his behalf, continued to rule Russia until her death. Having conquered Bulgaria, he moved the capital to Pereyaslavets-on-Danube and planned to rule the young state from there. But these lands were in the sphere of interests of Byzantium, which within a year forced Svyatoslav to return to Rus'.

Rice. 3. Svyatoslav and John Tzimiskes.

Svyatoslav did not survive his mother for long. He died near the Dnieper rapids from the scimitar of the Pechenegs, who ambushed him when he was returning from Bulgaria to Kyiv in 972.

Foreign policy of Rus' in the 9th-10th centuries

Byzantium remained the main direction of campaigns of the first Russian princes, although military campaigns were periodically carried out in other countries. To illuminate this issue, we will compile a table of the First Russian princes and their activities in foreign policy.

It should be noted that the first Russian princes were also engaged in the defense of the southern borders from the constant raids of the nomadic tribes of the Khazars and Pechenegs.

What have we learned?

In general, the foreign policy of the first Russian princes dominated the domestic one. This was due to the desire to unite all the East Slavic tribes under one authority and protect them from external military aggression.

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The first prince of Kievan Rus - who is he?

The ancient tribes, who were located along the great waterway that connected the entire East European Plain, were united into one ethnic group called the Slavs. Tribes such as the Polyans, Drevlyans, Krivichi, Ilmen Slovenes, Northerners, Polochans, Vyatichi, Radimichi and Dregovichi were considered Slavs. Our ancestors built two greatest cities - the Dnieper and Novgorod - which at the time of the establishment of the state already existed, but did not have any ruler. The ancestors of the tribes constantly quarreled and fought with each other, without any opportunity to find a “common language” and come to a common decision. It was decided to call upon the Baltic princes, brothers named Rurik, Sineus and Truvor, to reign over their lands and people. These were the first names of the princes who were included in the chronicle. In 862, the prince brothers settled in three large cities - Beloozero, Novgorod and Izborsk. The people from the Slavs turned into Russians, since the name of the tribe of the Varangian princes (and the brothers were Varangians) was called Rus.

The story of Prince Rurik - another version of events

Few people know, but there is another old legend about the emergence of Kievan Rus and the appearance of its first princes. Some historians suggest that the chronicle was incorrectly translated in some places, and if you look at a different translation, it turns out that only Prince Rurik sailed to the Slavs. “Sine-hus” in Old Norse means “clan”, “house”, and “tru-thief” means “squad”. The chronicle says that the brothers Sineus and Truvor allegedly died due to unclear circumstances, since mention of them in the chronicles disappears. Perhaps it’s just that now “tru-vor” was indicated as a “squad”, and “sine-hus” was already mentioned as a “clan”. This is how the non-existent brothers died in the chronicle and a squad with the family of Rurik appeared.

By the way, some scientists claim that Prince Rurik was none other than the Danish king Rurik of Friesland himself, who carried out a huge number of successful raids on his warlike neighbors. It was for this reason that the Slavic tribes called on him to rule their people, because Rorik was brave, strong, fearless and smart.

The reign of Prince Rurik in Rus' (862 – 879)

The first prince of Kievan Rus, Rurik, was not just an intelligent ruler for 17 years, but the founder of the princely dynasty (which became the royal dynasty years later) and the founder of the political system, thanks to which Kievan Rus became a great and powerful state despite the fact that it was not founded at all recently. Since the newly formed state had not yet been fully formed, Rurik devoted most of his reign to the seizure of lands by uniting all the Slavic tribes: the Northerners, the Drevlyans, the Smolensk Krivichi, the Chud and Ves tribe, the Psovsky Krivichi, the Merya tribe and the Radimichi. One of his greatest achievements, thanks to which Rurik strengthened his authority in Rus', was the suppression of the uprising of Vadim the Brave, which took place in Novgorod.

In addition to Prince Rurik, there were two more brothers, relatives of the prince, who ruled in Kyiv. The brothers' names were Askold and Dir, but if you believe the legends, Kyiv existed long before their reign and was founded by three brothers Kiy Shchek and Khoriv, ​​as well as their sister Lybid. At that time, Kyiv did not yet have a dominant significance in Rus', and Novgorod was the residence of the prince.

Princes of Kyiv – Askold and Dir (864 – 882)

The first Kyiv princes entered history only partially, since very little was written about them in the Tale of Past Years. It is known that they were warriors of Prince Rurik, but then they left him down the Dnieper to Constantinople, but, having captured Kiev along the way, they decided to stay here to reign. Details of their reign are not known, but there are records of their deaths. Prince Rurik left the reign to his young son Igor, and until he grew up, Oleg was the prince. Having received power into their own hands, Oleg and Igor went to Kyiv and in a conspiracy killed the Kyiv princes, justifying themselves by the fact that they did not belong to the princely family and did not have the right to reign. They ruled from 866 to 882. Such were the first Kyiv princes - Askold and Dir.

Prince of Ancient Rus' – reign of Prince Oleg the Prophet (879 – 912)

After the death of Rurik, power passed to his warrior Oleg, who was soon nicknamed the Prophetic. Oleg the Prophet ruled Russia until Rurik's son, Igor, came of age and could become a prince. It was during the reign of Prince Oleg that Rus' gained such power that such great states as Byzantium and even Constantinople could envy it. The regent of Prince Igor multiplied all the achievements that Prince Rurik achieved and enriched Rus' even more. Gathering a huge army under his command, he went down the Dnieper River and conquered Smolensk, Lyubech and Kyiv.

After the murder of Askold and Dir, the Drevlyans who inhabited Kyiv recognized Igor as their legitimate ruler, and Kyiv became the capital of Kievan Rus. Oleg recognized himself as a Russian, and not a foreign ruler, thus becoming the first truly Russian prince. Prophetic Oleg's campaign against Byzantium ended in his victory, thanks to which the Rus received favorable benefits for trade with Constantinople.

During his campaign against Constantinople, Oleg showed unprecedented “Russian ingenuity” by ordering the warriors to nail wheels to the ships, due to which they were able to “ride” across the plain with the help of the wind right to the gate. The formidable and powerful ruler of Byzantium, named Leo VI, surrendered, and Oleg, as a sign of his impeccable victory, nailed his shield to the very gates of Constantinople. This was a very inspiring symbol of victory for the entire squad, after which his army followed their leader with even greater devotion.

Prophecy of the death of Oleg the Prophet

Oleg the Prophet died in 912, having ruled the country for 30 years. There are very interesting legends about his death, and even ballads were written. Before his campaign with his squad against the Khazars, Oleg met a magician on the road who prophesied the prince’s death from his own horse. The Magi were held in high esteem in Rus', and their words were considered the true truth. Prince Oleg the Prophet was no exception, and after such a prophecy he ordered a new horse to be brought to him. But he loved his old “comrade in arms”, who had gone through more than one battle with him, and could not easily forget about him.

Many years later, Oleg learns that his horse has long gone into oblivion, and the prince decides to go to his bones to make sure that the prophecy did not come true. Stepping on the bones, Prince Oleg says goodbye to his “lonely friend,” and almost convinced that death has passed, he does not notice how a poisonous snake crawls out of his skull and bites him. This is how Oleg the Prophet met his death.

Reign of Prince Igor (912 – 945)

After the death of Prince Oleg, Igor Rurikovich took over the rule of Russia, although in fact he was considered the ruler since 879. Remembering the enormous achievements of the first princes, Prince Igor did not want to lag behind them, and therefore also often went on campaigns. During his reign, Rus' was subjected to many attacks by the Pechenegs, so the prince decided to conquer neighboring tribes and force them to pay tribute. He dealt with this problem quite well, but he was never able to fulfill his old dream and complete the conquest of Constantinople, since everything inside the state gradually plunged into chaos. The powerful princely hand weakened in comparison with Oleg and Rurik, and many obstinate tribes noticed this. For example, the Drevlyans refused to pay tribute to the prince, after which a riot arose, which had to be pacified with blood and sword. It would seem that everything had already been decided, but the Drevlyans spent a long time building a plan for revenge on Prince Igor, and a few years later it overtook him. We'll talk about this a little later.

Prince Igor was unable to keep his neighbors under control, with whom he signed a peace agreement. Having agreed with the Khazars that on the way to the Caspian Sea they would allow his army to go to the sea, and in return he would give up half of the booty received, the prince and his squad were practically destroyed on the way home. The Khazars realized that they outnumbered the army of the Russian prince, and staged a brutal massacre, after which only Igor and several dozen of his warriors managed to escape.

Victory over Constantinople

This was not his last shameful defeat. He felt another thing in the battle with Constantinople, which also destroyed almost the entire princely squad in battle. Prince Igor was so angry that in order to wash away the shame of his name, he gathered his entire squad, the Khazars and even the Pechenegs, under his command. In this formation they moved to Constantinople. The Byzantine emperor learned from the Bulgarians about the approaching disaster, and upon the arrival of the prince, he began to ask for mercy, offering very favorable conditions for cooperation.

Prince Igor did not enjoy his brilliant victory for long. The revenge of the Drevlyans overtook him. A year after the campaign against Constantinople, as part of a small detachment of tribute collectors, Igor went to the Drevlyans to collect tribute. But they again refused to pay and destroyed all the tax collectors, and with them the prince himself. Thus ended the reign of Prince Igor Rurikovich.

Reign of Princess Olga (945 – 957)

Princess Olga was the wife of Prince Igor, and for the betrayal and murder of the prince she cruelly took revenge on the Drevlyans. The Drevlyans were almost completely destroyed, without any damage to the Russians. Olga's ruthless strategy exceeded all expectations. Having gone on a campaign to Iskorosten (Korosten), the princess and her friend spent almost a year under siege near the city. Then the great ruler ordered a tribute to be collected from each household: three doves or sparrows. The Drevlyans were very happy with such a low tribute, and therefore almost immediately hastened to carry out the order, wanting to appease the princess. But the woman was distinguished by a very sharp mind, and therefore she ordered that smoldering tow be tied to the legs of the birds, and they were released into freedom. The birds, carrying fire with them, returned to their nests, and since houses had previously been built from straw and wood, the city quickly began to burn and was completely burned to the ground.

After her great victory, the princess went to Constantinople and received holy baptism there. Being pagans, the Rus could not accept such an outburst from their princess. But the fact remains a fact, and Princess Olga is considered the first who brought Christianity to Rus' and remained faithful to her faith until the end of her days. At baptism, the princess took the name Elena, and for such courage she was elevated to the rank of saints.

Such were the princes of ancient Rus'. Strong, brave, merciless and smart. They managed to unite eternally warring tribes into one people, form a powerful and rich state and glorify their names for centuries.

Reign of Oleg (reign: 882 -912). The formation of a single East Slavic state of Rus' is associated with the name of the Novgorod prince Oleg, a relative of the semi-legendary Rurik. In 882, he made a campaign into the lands of the Krivichi and captured Smolensk, then took Lyubech and Kyiv, which he made the capital of his state. Later he annexed the lands of the Drevlyans, Northerners, Radimichi, Vyatichi, Croats and Tivertsi. He imposed tribute on the conquered tribes. Successfully fought with the Khazars. In 907, he besieged the capital of Byzantium, Constantinople, and imposed an indemnity on the empire. In 911, Oleg concluded a profitable trade agreement with Byzantium. Thus, under Oleg, the territory of the early Russian state begins to form through the forcible annexation of tribal Slavic unions to Kyiv.

Reign of Igor (912-945). After the death of Oleg (according to legend, he died from a snake bite), Igor became the Grand Duke of Kyiv, ruling until 945. Prince Igor is considered the actual founder of the Rurik dynasty. Igor continued the activities of his predecessor. Oleg, subjugated the East Slavic tribal associations between the Dniester and the Danube. In 941 he made an unsuccessful campaign against Constantinople. The campaign of 944 was marked by success, Byzantium offered Igor a ransom, and an agreement was concluded between the Greeks and Russians. Igor was the first of the Russians to conclude an agreement between the Greeks and Russians. Igor was the first of the Russian princes to clash with the Pechenegs. He was killed by the Drevlyans while trying to collect tribute from them a second time.

Reign of Olga (945 – 964). After Igor's murder, his widow, Princess Olga, brutally suppressed the Drevlyan uprising. Then she undertook a tour of some lands, establishing a fixed amount of duties for the Drevlyans and Novgorodians, organizing special administrative centers for collecting tribute - camps and graveyards . Thus, a new form of receiving tribute was established - the so-called "cart" . By a certain date, tribute was delivered to camps or graveyards, and the peasant agricultural holding was defined as the unit of taxation (tribute from Rala) or a house with a hearth (tribute from smoke).

Olga significantly expanded the land holdings of the Kyiv Grand Duke's House. She visited Constantinople, where she converted to Christianity. Olga ruled during the childhood of her son Svyatoslav Igorevich and later, during his campaigns.

Princess Olga's campaign against the Drevlyans and Novgorodians meant the beginning of the elimination of the autonomy of the unions of Slavic tribes that were part of the Russian early feudal state. This led to the merger of the military nobility of the tribal unions with the military nobility of the Kyiv prince. This is how the formation of the unification of the ancient Russian service army, headed by the Grand Duke of Kyiv, took place. Gradually he becomes the supreme owner of all lands of the Russian state.

Reign of Svyatoslav (964 - 972). In 964, Svyatoslav Igorevich, who had reached adulthood, took over the rule of Russia. Under him, until 969, the Kyiv state was largely ruled by his mother, Princess Olga, since Svyatoslav Igorevich spent almost his entire life on campaigns. Svyatoslav, first of all, was a warrior prince who sought to bring Rus' closer to the largest powers of the then world. Under him, the hundred-year period of distant campaigns of the princely squad, which enriched it, ended.

Svyatoslav dramatically changes state policy and begins systematically strengthening the borders of Rus'. In 964-966. Svyatoslav liberated the Vyatichi from the power of the Khazars and subjugated them to Kyiv. In the 60s of the 10th century. defeated the Khazar Kaganate and took the capital of the Kaganate, the city of Itil, fought with the Volga-Kama Bulgarians. In 967, using the proposal of Byzantium, which sought to weaken its neighbors, Rus' and Bulgaria, by pitting them against each other, Svyatoslav invaded Bulgaria and settled at the mouth of the Danube, in Peryaslavets. Around 971, in alliance with the Bulgarians and Hungarians, he began to fight with Byzantium, but unsuccessfully. The prince was forced to make peace with the Byzantine emperor. On the way back to Kyiv, Svyatoslav Igorevich died at the Dnieper rapids in a battle with the Pechenegs, who had been warned by the Byzantines about his return. The reign of Svyatoslav Igorevich was a time of widespread entry of the ancient Russian state into the international arena, a period of significant expansion of its territory.

ReignVladimirI. (980 – 1015). The formation of the Old Russian state as a political and cultural center was completed under Vladimir I. The son of Prince Svyatoslav Igorevich, Vladimir, with the help of his uncle Dobrynya, became a prince in Novgorod in 969. After the death of his father in 977, he took part in the strife and defeated his older brother Yaropolk. By campaigning against the Vyatichi, Lithuanians, Radimichi, and Bulgarians, Vladimir strengthened the possessions of Kievan Rus. To organize defense against the Pechenegs, Vladimir built several defensive lines with a system of fortresses. This was the first serif line in the history of Rus'. To protect the south of Rus', Vladimir managed to attract tribes from its northern part. The successful fight against the Pechenegs led to the idealization of the personality and reign of Vladimir Svyatoslavich. In folk legends he received the name Vladimir the Red Sun.

The question of who is the first prince of Ancient Rus' in history is still relevant. This is because historians have different attitudes to this topic. Some believe that the answers should be sought in the Tale of Bygone Years, which was written by a famous chronicler. Others say that the information described in this manuscript cannot be considered 100% reliable and needs to be double-checked and research should not be stopped. In this article we will present many different facts and assumptions regarding this issue.

Background

The first evidence about the country of the Rus appeared in the first third of the 9th century. For example, in the chronicles of 839 one can find information about the ambassadors of the Kagan of the people of Ros, who first arrived in Byzantium, the city of Constantinople, and from there went to the Frankish emperor Louis the Pious. It was this year that the ethnonym “Rus” appeared for the first time in historical writings. However, in the “Tale of Bygone Years” the first campaign of the Russians to the shores of the Bosphorus is dated 866, which, according to some scientists, is an erroneous date.

Civil strife

There is information that already in 862 the Slavic and Finno-Ugric tribes began to wage internecine wars among themselves. It is written about this in the “Tale”: “Generation after generation rose.” However, none of them could prevail over the others. But ordinary people suffered, innocent women and children died, and, naturally, the question arose of how to stop this senseless war. And it was then that the Slovenes, or Slavs, thought that only a foreign ruler could resolve this issue. They gathered an embassy and sent it to the Varangians, who lived on the shores of the Baltic Sea, which in those days was called the Varangian Sea. They came to these lands and addressed the local princes with the following speech: “Our land is huge and abundant, but there is no order in it. We ask you to come to our land, establish order and rule over us.” Three of the Varangians - the brothers Rurik, Sineus and Truvor, who were called Russians, or Rosas - took advantage of the invitation of the Slavic delegates and went to their land. Among them was the future first prince of Rus'. For about two years, the brothers tried to adapt to new conditions; they either had to fight, or be punished for disobedience, or sit at a friendly table and share bread. Rurik reigned in Novgorod, Sineus ruled Beloozero, and Truvor ruled in Izborsk. Some of the locals were happy about their arrival, while others were against it. Two years later, two of the brothers - Truvor and Sineus - died. Thus, the first Varangian prince in Rus' was Rurik. He began to reign alone over the entire vast land inhabited by Slavic tribes. And since he and his brothers were called Rus, the land soon began to be called Rus.

Khazars and Varangians - enemies and rescuers

According to another version, the call of the Varangians to the land of the Eastern Slavs was not due to civil strife, but to the onslaught of the Khazars. Their raids became unbearable for the local residents, and they decided to find their salvation among the Varangians. Rurik, the first prince in Rus', arrived with his brothers, beat the Khazars, and began to reign. The capital of the newly formed state was the city of Novgorod. There is also a version that these three brothers are the younger sons of a noble family. According to European custom, only the eldest brother received the inheritance, and the rest were left with nothing. That is why Rurik and his brothers decided to take advantage of the invitation of the Slavs.

March on Constantinople

In the same 862, the Varangians who came with their brothers were eager to move to the Mediterranean Sea, and they were joined by the warriors of Rurik, who is the first Varangian prince in Rus'. Among them were Dir, as well as his friend and comrade-in-arms Askold. They decided to head to Constantinople and establish a trade route from the “Varangians to the Greeks.” For this, the prince subjugated Kyiv. This is what it says in the Tale. But according to the Nikon and Novgorod Chronicles, Askold and Dir had nothing to do with Rurik. There is even a version that these two warriors are descendants of Kiy, the legendary prince Dnieper glades. He is also the founder of Kyiv.

Igor and Oleg

In Novgorod, Prince Rurik had a son, Igor. When he passed away in 879, his boy was still just a child, and therefore the reign was transferred to Oleg, who also became Igor’s regent. Some historians believe that this issue was not so simple, and power in Novgorod was usurped by Oleg. Even when Igor grew up, he did not want to hand over the reins of power to him. In a word, when the first prince in Rus' Rurik died, Oleg took his place.

Pseudo-roots of Rurik

Some scientists believe that the Varangians are German, Danish, Swedish, Finnish or even Norwegian tribes. And the author of “The Tale of Bygone Years” meant that Rurik and his people lived on lands located in the south of the Varangian, that is, the Baltic Sea, in an area that is located closer to Angeln and Holstein. On the modern map, these lands are located in the northern part of Germany. Is it possible to conclude from this that the first prince in Rus', Rurik, is of German origin? We think not, and the peoples who lived here are much closer to the Russians than to the Germans. By the way, among them there are such names as Russes, or Varins, etc. Some European researchers believe that Rurik may have Swedish roots. However, Russian scientists see a political meaning behind this version and completely deny it. During the Livonian War between Sweden and Russia, Ivan the Terrible suggested that there was no blue blood flowing in the veins of the Swedish king Johan the Third, and he reminded the Russian Tsar that Rurik, the first Grand Duke of Rus', was a Varangian and had Swedish roots. But in the 1st half of the 18th century, St. Petersburg academicians with German roots spoke out for the version of the German origin of Rurik and his brothers. This theory began to be called Norman, but Lomonosov, having studied this issue, came to the conclusion that it does not correspond to the truth and has no historical realities. And according to the “Tale” it is clearly visible that the Varangians and the Swedes, the Varangians and the Normans are different tribes.

Oleg - the first Russian prince in Rus'

In 882, the Prophetic Oleg, well known to us from the poem, the regent of Prince Igor, the son of Rurik, gathered a squad and headed from Novgorod to the south. Along the way, he captured Lyubech and Smolensk and established his power in these cities. Oleg's squad consisted of Varangians and the Chud, Meri, Slovenian and Krivichi tribes. They headed towards Kyiv and captured it, killing Rurik's former warriors - Askold and Dir, who ruled this city. After this, Kyiv was declared the capital of Olegov’s state, and the tribes subject to the Novgorod land had to pay tribute to him. Oleg began building fortresses around his capital. There is a chronicler's testimony about this event, according to which Oleg, the first prince of Kievan Rus, spread his power through force and weapons in the lands of the northerners and Drevlyans, and the Radimichi tribe accepted his conditions without a fight, preferring to pay tribute to Oleg rather than to the Khazars. And they, in turn, began an economic blockade against them, blocking the path of Russian merchants through their lands.

March on Byzantium

At the beginning of the 10th century, Russian squads led by Prince Oleg made a victorious campaign against Byzantium. As a result of this, written agreements were concluded on preferential terms of trade for merchants from Kievan Rus. Historians believe that the success of Oleg’s army can be explained by the fact that he managed to rally the forces of all the tribes inhabiting the young Old Russian state, thereby strengthening its statehood. Oleg, who had the title of Grand Duke, ruled Russia for more than 30 years. After him, Rurik’s son, Prince Igor, ascended the throne. This happened in 912 (the year of Oleg's death). Historians argue which of them - Oleg or Igor - was the first Grand Duke of All Rus'. The first can be called such by merit, and the second by origin, since he is the son of the founder of the Russian state.

Prince Igor

Rurik's son, after leading the state, made 2 military campaigns against Byzantium. Initially, he launched a military campaign against Khazaria, where Byzantium involved him. However, he was defeated there, after which Igor’s army turned its arms against Byzantium. However, the Bulgarians managed to warn their Greek allies that the ten thousandth army of Prince Igor was approaching Constantinople. Nevertheless, the Russian fleet managed to plunder Bithynia, Heraclea, Paphlagonia, Nicomedia and Pontus, but was defeated. After this, the Grand Duke, abandoning those who survived in Thrace, fled to his capital with his entourage on several boats. Later, news reached him that the soldiers he had left in Thrace were taken to Constantinople and executed. From Kyiv, he sent his allies, the Varangians, an invitation to join him and make a new campaign against Byzantium, which he carried out in 944. Igor’s army included the Polyans, Krivichi, Slovenes, Tivertsy, Varangians and Pechenegs. They reached the Danube, and from here Igor sent envoys to Constantinople, who managed to conclude a treaty on duty-free trade. Rus' pledged to defend Byzantium's possessions in Crimea. In 943-944. The army of the Grand Duke made a campaign against Berdaa, and a year later Igor was killed by the Drevlyans, although there is a version that he was killed by his own governor Sveneld due to disagreements in the division of tribute.

Olga

The widow of Igor and the mother of the future Grand Duke Svyatoslav took the reins of government into her own hands after the death of her husband, and then the prince of the Drevlians Mal sent matchmakers to her. Olga considered this an insult and ordered the ambassadors to be executed. However, this did not seem enough to her, and she, having gathered an army, in 946 besieged the Drevlyan fortress Iskorosten, which was eventually burned, and the Drevlyans were conquered by the Kyivians. Olga imposed a terrible tribute on them. This was her revenge. She did not forgive them for the fact that her husband, the first Prince of All Rus', died at their hands. In 947, Olga went to Novgorod, where she introduced a system of tributes and quitrents, according to which local residents themselves had to take them and give them to tiuns (tax inspectors). It was thanks to her that from then on the policy of the first princes of Rus' was peaceful towards Byzantium. Olga was the first of the rulers of the Old Russian state to officially accept Christianity of the Byzantine rite in 957. He went to Constantinople. Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus called Olga the Archon of Rus'. The purpose of her trip was to achieve the baptism and recognition of Rus' by Byzantium as an equal Christian empire. After baptism she was given the Christian name Elena. Nevertheless, historians claim that she then failed to agree on an alliance, and then she sent ambassadors to Emperor Otto I in Germany with a request to establish a church in Rus'. After this, Constantinople made concessions, and the German embassy had to return. After this, the Russian army, sent by Olga-Elena, supported the Greeks in the war with the Arabs in Crete. Olga died in 969.

Princes of all Rus'

This was the name of the Russian rulers who had a claim to supreme power over all Russian lands, and the Kyiv princes were called by this title. However, at some period of time Kyiv was in decline, and then Vladimir became the main political and church center of Rus'. After this, the princes of Vladimir were called the princes of “all Rus'”. In the Moscow period, this title did not imply power over all the former lands of the Old Russian state, but only elevation over other princes.

First Moscow Prince of All Rus'

Daniil Alexandrovich is the ancestor of the Moscow princes belonging to the Rurik dynasty. He is the son of Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky. Daniil Alexandrovich inherited the princely title from his father in his early childhood. He ruled Muscovite Russia from 1263 to 1303. However, while he was too young to rule the state, his uncle Yaroslav Yaroslavovich did it for him. He also raised little Danila after the death of his heroic father. From the age of 15 he began to actively act within his principality. He was called a builder, and the fortifications he built greatly helped in the defense of Moscow.

Victory over the Golden Horde

Having matured a little, he began to pursue his own policy, the main focus of which was to expand the possessions of the principality. He actively took part in princely feuds, with his brothers Andrei and Dmitry for reigning over the Great Vladimir, and for Novgorod. In 1285, he, united with his uncle, defeated the Horde army, and this battle went down in history as the first victory of the Russian army over the Golden Horde. After 15 years, he managed to unite Kolomna, Lopasnya and other lands along the Moscow River to the Moscow principality, and when confronted with the Ryazan prince Konstantin Romanovich, he took him prisoner. But Pereslavl-Zalessky was bequeathed to him by the prince of those lands. The first prince of all Rus', Danila, son of the legendary Alexander Nevsky, died in 1303.