The formation of the nation, later called Russ, Rusichs, Russians, Russians, which became one of the strongest nations in the world, if not the strongest, began with the unification of the Slavs settled in the East European Plain. From where they came to these lands, when - it is not known for certain. History has not preserved any annalistic evidence of the Rus of the early centuries of the new era. Only from the second half of the 9th century - the time when the first prince appeared in Russia - can the process of nation formation be traced in more detail.

"Come reign and rule over us..."

Great waterway, which connected the entire East European Plain with numerous rivers and lakes, lived the tribes of the ancient Ilmen Slovenes, Polyans, Drevlyans, Krivichi, Polochan, Dregovichi, Severyans, Radimichi, Vyatichi, who received one common name for all - Slavs. Two large cities built by our ancient ancestors - Dnieper and Novgorod - already existed in those lands before the establishment of statehood, but did not have rulers. The names of the governors of the tribes appeared when the first princes in Russia were inscribed in the annals. The table with their names contains only a few lines, but these are the main lines in our story.

The procedure for calling the Varangians to control the Slavs is known to us from school. The ancestors of the tribes, tired of constant skirmishes and strife among themselves, elected envoys to the princes of the Rus tribe, who lived beyond the Baltic Sea, and obliged them to tell that “... Our whole land is great and plentiful, but there is no dress in it (i.e. . there is no peace and order). Come reign and rule over us." The brothers Rurik, Sineus and Truvor responded to the call. They came not alone, but with their retinue, and settled in Novgorod, Izborsk and Beloozero. It was in 862. And the people whom they began to rule began to be called the Rus - by the name of the tribe of the Varangian princes.

Refuting the initial conclusions of historians

There is another, less popular hypothesis regarding the arrival of the Baltic princes in our lands. According to the official version, there were three brothers, but it is likely that the old tomes were read (translated) incorrectly, and only one ruler arrived in the Slavic lands - Rurik. The first prince of ancient Russia came with his faithful warriors (team) - "tru-thief" in Old Norse, and his family (family, home) - "blue-hus". Hence the assumption that there were three brothers. For some unknown reason, historians conclude that two years after moving to the Slovenes, both Ruriks die like this (in other words, the words “tru-thief” and “blue-hus” are no longer mentioned in the annals). There are several other reasons for their disappearance. For example, that by that time the army, which the first prince gathered in Russia, began to be called not “tru-thief”, but “squad”, and the relatives who came with him - not “blue-hus”, but “genus”.

In addition, modern researchers of antiquity are increasingly inclined to the version that our Rurik is none other than the Danish king Rorik Friesland, famous in history, who became famous for his very successful raids on less weak neighbors. Perhaps that is why he was called to rule because he was strong, courageous and invincible.

Russia under Rurik

The founder of the state system in Russia, the founder of the princely dynasty, which later became royal, ruled the people entrusted to him for 17 years. He united into one power the Ilmen Slovenes, the Psov and Smolensk Krivichi, the whole and the Chud, the northerners and the Drevlyans, the Merya and the Radimichi. In the annexed lands, he approved his proteges as governors. By the end Ancient Russia covered a fairly wide area.

In addition to the founder of the new princely family, two of his relatives, Askold and Dir, entered history, who, at the call of the prince, established their power over Kiev, which at that time did not yet have a dominant role in the newly formed state. The first prince in Russia chose Novgorod as his residence, where he died in 879, leaving the principality to his young son Igor. The heir of Rurik himself could not rule. For many years, undivided power passed to Oleg, an associate and distant relative of the deceased prince.

The first truly Russian

Thanks to Oleg, nicknamed the Prophets by the people, Ancient Russia gained power that both Constantinople and Byzantium, the strongest states at that time, could envy. What the first Russian prince in Russia did in his time, the regent multiplied and enriched under the juvenile Igor. Having collected large army, Oleg went downstream the Dnieper and conquered Lyubech, Smolensk, Kyiv. The latter was taken by elimination, and the Drevlyans who inhabited these lands recognized Igor as their real ruler, and Oleg as a worthy regent until he grew up. From now on, the capital of Russia is Kyiv.

Prophetic Oleg's legacy

Many tribes were annexed to Russia during the years of his reign by Oleg, who by that time had declared himself the first truly Russian, and not a foreign prince. His campaign against Byzantium ended in an absolute victory and the privileges won for the Russians for free trade in Constantinople. A rich booty was brought by the squad from this campaign. The first princes in Russia, to whom Oleg rightfully belongs, truly cared for the glory of the state.

Many legends and amazing stories circulated among the people after the return of the troops from the campaign against Constantinople. To reach the gates of the city, Oleg ordered the ships to be put on wheels, and when a fair wind filled their sails, the ships “went” across the plain to Constantinople, terrifying the townspeople. The terrible Byzantine emperor Leo VI surrendered to the mercy of the winner, and Oleg, as a sign of stunning victory nailed his shield on the gates of Constantinople.

In the annals of 911, Oleg is already referred to as the first Grand Duke all Russia. In 912 he dies, according to legend, from a snake bite. His more than 30-year reign did not end heroically.

Among the strong

With the death of Oleg, he took control of the vast possessions of the principality, although in fact he was the ruler of the lands from 879. Naturally, he wanted to be worthy of the deeds of his great predecessors. He also fought (in his reign, Russia was subjected to the first attacks of the Pechenegs), conquered several neighboring tribes, forcing them to pay tribute. Igor did everything that the first prince in Russia did, but he did not succeed immediately in realizing his main dream - to conquer Constantinople. And in their own possessions, not everything went smoothly.

After the strong Rurik and Oleg, Igor's rule turned out to be much weaker, and the obstinate Drevlyans felt this, refusing to pay tribute. The first princes of Kyiv knew how to keep the recalcitrant tribe under control. Igor also pacified this rebellion for a while, but the revenge of the Drevlyans overtook the prince a few years later.

The deceit of the Khazars, the betrayal of the Drevlyans

Relations between the crown prince and the Khazars were unsuccessful. Trying to reach the Caspian Sea, Igor concluded an agreement with them that they would let the squad go to the sea, and he, returning, would give them half of the rich booty. The prince fulfilled his promises, but this was not enough for the Khazars. Seeing that the superiority in strength was on their side, in a fierce battle they killed almost the entire Russian army.

Igor experienced a shameful defeat and after his first campaign against Constantinople in 941, the Byzantines destroyed almost his entire squad. Three years later, wanting to wash away the shame, the prince, having united all the Russians, Khazars and even Pechenegs into one army, again moved to Constantinople. Having learned from the Bulgarians that a formidable force was coming at him, the emperor offered Igor peace on very favorable terms for that, and the prince accepted it. But a year after such a stunning victory, Igor was killed. Refusing to pay a second tribute, the Koresten Drevlyans destroyed the few consolation of tax collectors, among whom was the prince himself.

Princess, the first in everything

Igor's wife, the Pskovite Olga, who was chosen as his wife by Oleg the Prophet in 903, cruelly took revenge on the traitors. The Drevlyans were destroyed without any losses for the Rus, thanks to Olga's cunning, but also merciless strategy - to be sure, the first princes in Russia knew how to fight. The hereditary title of ruler of the state after the death of Igor was taken by Svyatoslav, the son of a princely couple, but due to the latter's infancy, for the next twelve years, Russia was led by his mother.

Olga was distinguished by a rare intelligence, courage and the ability to wisely manage the state. After the capture of Korosten, the main city of the Drevlyans, the princess went to Constantinople and received holy baptism there. The Orthodox Church was also in Kyiv under Igor, but the Russian people worshiped Perun and Veles, and did not soon turn from paganism to Christianity. But the fact that Olga, who took the name Elena at baptism, paved the way for a new faith in Russia and did not betray her until the end of her days (the princess died in 969), elevated her to the rank of saints.

Warrior from infancy

N. M. Karamzin, the compiler of the Russian State, called Svyatoslav the Russian Alexander of Macedon. The first princes in Russia were distinguished by amazing courage and courage. The table, in which the dates of their reign are dryly given, is fraught with many glorious victories and deeds for the good of the Fatherland, which stand behind every name in it.

Having inherited the title of Grand Duke at the age of three (after the death of Igor), Svyatoslav became the actual ruler of Russia only in 962. Two years later, he freed the Khazars from submission and annexed the Vyatichi to Russia, and in the next two years, a number of Slavic tribes living along the Oka, in the Volga region, in the Caucasus and the Balkans. The Khazars were defeated, their capital Itil was abandoned. From the North Caucasus, Svyatoslav brought Yasses (Ossetians) and Kasogs (Circassians) to his lands and settled them in the newly formed cities of Belaya Vezha and Tmutarakan. Like the first prince of all Russia, Svyatoslav understood the importance of constantly expanding his possessions.

Worthy of the great glory of the ancestors

In 968, having conquered Bulgaria (the cities of Pereyaslavets and Dorostol), Svyatoslav, not without reason, began to consider these lands his own and firmly settled in Pereyaslavets - he did not like the peaceful life of Kyiv, and his mother was well managed in the capital. But a year later she was gone, and the prince of the Bulgarians, united with the Byzantine emperor, declared war. Going to her, Svyatoslav left the great Russian cities to his sons to manage: Yaropolka - Kyiv, Oleg - Korosten, Vladimir - Novgorod.

That war was difficult and ambiguous - both sides celebrated victories with varying degrees of success. The confrontation ended with a peace treaty, according to which Svyatoslav left Bulgaria (it was annexed to his possessions by the Byzantine emperor John Tzimiskes), and Byzantium paid the established tribute to the Russian prince for these lands.

Returning from this campaign, controversial in its importance, Svyatoslav stopped for a while in Beloberezhye, on the Dnieper. There, in the spring of 972, the Pechenegs attacked his weakened army. The Grand Duke was killed in battle. Historians explain the glory of a born warrior attached to him by the fact that Svyatoslav was incredibly hardy in campaigns, could sleep on damp ground with a saddle under his head, as he was unpretentious in everyday life, not like a prince, and was also picky about food. His message "I'm coming at you", with which he warned future enemies before the attack, went down in history as Oleg's shield on the gates of Constantinople.

Description of history in textbooks and multi-million copies works of art in recent decades has been, to put it mildly, questioned. Great value in the study of ancient times have the rulers of Russia in chronological order. People who are interested in their native history begin to understand that, in fact, its real, written on paper, does not exist, there are versions from which everyone chooses his own, corresponding to his ideas. History from textbooks is suitable only for the role of a starting point.

Rulers of Russia during the period of the highest rise of the Ancient State

Much of what is known about the history of Russia - Russia, is gleaned from the "lists" of chronicles, the originals of which have not been preserved. In addition, even copies often contradict themselves and the elementary logic of events. Often historians are forced to accept only their own opinion and claim it is the only true one.

The first legendary rulers of Russia, who date back to 2.5 thousand years BC, were brothers Sloven and Rus. They lead their family from the son of Noah Japhet (hence Vandal, Encourage, etc.). The people of Rus are Rusichs, Russ, the people of Slovenia are Slovenes, Slavs. On the lake The Ilmen brothers built the cities of Slovensk and Rusa (nowadays Staraya Rusa). Veliky Novgorod was later built on the site of the burned-out Slovensk.

Known descendants of Slovenia - Burivoi and Gostomysl- the son of Burivogo, either a posadnik, or a foreman of Novgorod, who, having lost all his sons in battles, called his grandson Rurik to Russia from a kindred tribe of Russia (specifically from the island of Rugen).

Next come the versions written by the German "historiographers" (Bayer, Miller, Schletzer) in the Russian service. In the German historiography of Russia, it is striking that it was written by people who did not know the Russian language, traditions and beliefs. Who collected and rewrote the annals, not preserving, but often deliberately destroying, adjusting the facts to some kind of ready-made version. Interestingly, for several hundred years, Russian historiographers, instead of refuting the German version of history, did their best to fit new facts and research into it.

The rulers of Russia according to historical tradition:

1. Rurik (862 - 879)- called by his grandfather to restore order and stop civil strife between the Slavic and Finno-Ugric tribes in the territory of modern Leningrad and Novgorod regions. He founded or restored the city of Ladoga (Staraya Ladoga). Ruled in Novgorod. After the Novgorod uprising in 864, under the leadership of the governor Vadim the Brave, he united northwestern Russia under his command.

According to legend, he sent (or they themselves left) the combatants Askold and Dir by water to fight in Constantinople. They captured Kyiv along the way.

How the ancestor of the Rurik dynasty died is not exactly known.

2. Oleg the Prophet (879 - 912)- a relative or successor of Rurik, who remained at the head of the Novgorod state, either as the guardian of Rurik's son - Igor, or as a competent prince.

In 882 he goes to Kyiv. On the way, he peacefully joins the principality with many tribal Slavic lands along the Dnieper, including the lands of the Smolensk Krivichi. In Kyiv he kills Askold and Dir, makes Kyiv the capital.

In 907 he holds victorious war with Byzantium - a trade agreement beneficial for Russia was signed. Nails his shield to the gates of Constantinople. He makes many successful and not very military campaigns (including defending the interests of the Khazar Khaganate), becoming the creator of the state of Kievan Rus. According to legend, he dies from a snake bite.

3. Igor (912 - 945)- fights for the unity of the state, constantly pacifying and annexing the surrounding Kiev lands, Slavic tribes. He has been fighting since 920 with the Pechenegs. He makes two trips to Constantinople: in 941 - unsuccessful, in 944 - with the conclusion of an agreement on more favorable terms for Russia than Oleg's. Dies at the hands of the Drevlyans, having gone for a second tribute.

4. Olga (945 - after 959)- Regent for the three-year-old Svyatoslav. The date of birth and origin have not been precisely established - either an obscure Varangian, or Oleg's daughter. She cruelly and subtly took revenge on the Drevlyans for the murder of her husband. Clearly set the size of the tribute. She divided Russia into parts controlled by the Tiuns. Introduced a system of churchyards - places of trade and exchange. She built fortresses and cities. In 955 she was baptized in Constantinople.

The time of her reign is characterized by peace with the surrounding countries and the development of the state in all respects. The first Russian saint. She died in 969.

5. Svyatoslav Igorevich (959 - March 972)- the date of the beginning of the reign is relative - the country was ruled by the mother until her death, while Svyatoslav himself preferred to fight and rarely visited Kyiv and not for long. Even the first raid of the Pechenegs and the siege of Kyiv was met by Olga.

As a result of two campaigns, Svyatoslav defeated the Khazar Khaganate, to which Russia paid tribute for a long time with its soldiers. Conquered and imposed tribute Volga Bulgaria. Supporting ancient traditions and in agreement with the squad, he despised Christians, Muslims and Jews. He conquered Tmutarakan and made the Vyatichi tributaries. In the period from 967 to 969 he successfully fought in Bulgaria under an agreement with the Byzantine Empire. In 969, he distributed Russia between his sons into destinies: Yaropolk - Kyiv, Oleg - the Drevlyansk lands, Vladimir (the bastard son from the housekeeper) - Novgorod. He himself went to the new capital of his state - Pereyaslavets on the Danube. In 970 - 971 he fought with the Byzantine Empire with varying success. He was killed by the Pechenegs, bribed by Constantinople, on the way to Kyiv, as he became too strong an opponent for Byzantium.

6. Yaropolk Svyatoslavich (972 - 11.06.978)- tried to establish a relationship with the Holy Roman Empire and the Pope. Supported Christians in Kyiv. He minted his own coin.

In 978 he defeated the Pechenegs. Since 977, at the instigation of the boyars, he began an internecine war with his brothers. Oleg died trampled by horses during the siege of the fortress, Vladimir fled "over the sea" and returned with a mercenary army. As a result of the war, Yaropolk, invited to the negotiations, was killed, and Vladimir took the place of grand duke.

7. Vladimir Svyatoslavich (06/11/978 - 07/15/1015)- made attempts to reform the Slavic Vedic cult, using human sacrifices. He conquered Cherven Rus and Przemysl from the Poles. He conquered the Yotvingians, which opened the way for Russia to the Baltic Sea. He overlaid tribute to the Vyatichi and Rodimichi, while uniting the Novgorod and Kiev lands. He concluded a favorable peace with the Volga Bulgaria.

In 988, he captured Korsun in the Crimea and threatened to go to Constantinople if he did not get the sister of the emperor of Byzantium as his wife. Having received a wife, he was baptized there in Korsun and began to plant Christianity in Russia with “fire and sword”. During the forced Christianization, the country became depopulated - out of 12 million, only 3 remained. Only Rostov-Suzdal land was able to avoid forced Christianization.

He paid much attention to the recognition of Kievan Rus in the West. He built several fortresses to defend the principality from the Polovtsians. With military campaigns he reached the North Caucasus.

8. Svyatopolk Vladimirovich (1015 - 1016, 1018 - 1019)- using the support of the people and the boyars, he took the throne of Kyiv. Soon three brothers die - Boris, Gleb, Svyatoslav. An open struggle for the throne of the grand duke begins to lead native brother Prince Yaroslav of Novgorod After being defeated by Yaroslav, Svyatopolk runs to his father-in-law, King Boleslav I of Poland the Brave. In 1018, with the Polish troops, he defeats Yaroslav. The Poles, who began to plunder Kyiv, cause popular indignation, and Svyatopolk is forced to disperse them, left without troops.

Returning with new troops, Yaroslav easily takes Kyiv. Svyatopolk, with the help of the Pechenegs, is trying to regain power, but to no avail. Dies, deciding to go to the Pechenegs.

For the murders of the brothers attributed to him, he was nicknamed the Accursed.

9. Yaroslav the Wise (1016 - 1018, 1019 - 20.02.1054)- first settled in Kyiv during the war with his brother Svyatopolk. He received support from the Novgorodians, and besides them he had a mercenary army.

The beginning of the second period of reign was marked by princely strife with his brother Mstislav, who defeated Yaroslav's troops and captured the left bank of the Dnieper with Chernigov. Peace was concluded between the brothers, they went on joint campaigns against the Yasses and the Poles, but the Grand Duke Yaroslav, until the death of his brother, stayed in Novgorod, and not in capital Kyiv.

In 1030 he defeated the Chud and founded the city of Yuryev. Immediately after the death of Mstislav, fearing competition, he imprisons his last brother Sudislav and moved to Kyiv.

In 1036 he defeated the Pechenegs, freeing Russia from raids. In subsequent years, he made trips to the Yotvingians, Lithuania and Mazovia. In 1043 - 1046 he fought with the Byzantine Empire because of the murder of a noble Russian in Constantinople. He breaks the alliance with Poland and gives his daughter Anna to the French king.

Founds monasteries and builds temples, incl. Sophia Cathedral, erects stone walls to Kiev. By order of Yaroslav, many books are translated and rewritten. Opens the first school for the children of priests and village elders in Novgorod. Under him, the first metropolitan of Russian origin appears - Hilarion.

Publishes the Church Charter and the first known code of laws of Russia "Russian Truth".

10. Izyaslav Yaroslavich (02/20/1054 - 09/14/1068, 05/2/1069 - March 1073, 06/15/1077 - 10/3/1078)- not beloved by the people of Kiev, the prince, who was forced to periodically hide outside the principality. Together with the brothers, he creates a set of laws "The Truth of the Yaroslavichs". The first board is characterized by joint decision-making by all brothers Yaroslaviches - Triumvirate.

In 1055, the brothers defeated the Torks near Pereyaslavl and established borders with the Polovtsian Land. Izyaslav assists Byzantium in Armenia, seizes the lands of the Baltic people - golyad. In 1067, as a result of the war with the Principality of Polotsk, he captured Prince Vseslav Charodey by deceit.

In 1068, Izyaslav refuses to arm the people of Kiev against the Polovtsy, for which he was expelled from Kyiv. Returns with Polish troops.

In 1073, as a result of a conspiracy drawn up younger brothers, leaves Kyiv and wanders around Europe for a long time in search of allies. The throne returns after Svyatoslav Yaroslavovich dies.

He died in a battle with his nephews near Chernigov.

11. Vseslav Bryachislavich (09/14/1068 - April 1069)- Polotsk prince, released from arrest by the people of Kiev, who rebelled against Izyaslav and elevated to the throne of the Grand Duke. He left Kyiv when Izyaslav was approaching with the Poles. He reigned in Polotsk for more than 30 years, without stopping the fight against the Yaroslavichs.

12.Svyatoslav Yaroslavich (22.03.1073 - 27.12.1076)- came to power in Kyiv as a result of a conspiracy against his older brother, with the support of the people of Kiev. He devoted much attention and funds to the maintenance of the clergy and the church. Died as a result of surgery.

13.Vsevolod Yaroslavich (01/01/1077 - July 1077, October 1078 - 04/13/1093)- the first period ended with a voluntary transfer of power to his brother Izyaslav. The second time he took the grand duke's place after the death of the latter in an internecine war.

Almost the entire period of reign was marked by a fierce internecine struggle, especially with the Polotsk principality. Vladimir Monomakh, the son of Vsevolod, distinguished himself in this civil strife, who, with the help of the Polovtsy, carried out several devastating campaigns against the Polotsk lands.

Vsevolod and Monomakh carried out campaigns against the Vyatichi and Polovtsy.

Vsevolod gave his daughter Eupraxia to the Emperor of the Roman Empire. The marriage, consecrated by the church, ended in scandal and the accusation of the emperor of conducting satanic rituals.

14. Svyatopolk Izyaslavich (24.04.1093 - 16.04.1113)- first of all, having ascended the throne, he arrested the Polovtsian ambassadors, unleashing a war. As a result, together with V. Monomakh, he was defeated by the Polovtsy at Stugna and Zhelan, Torchesk was burned, and three main Kiev monasteries were plundered.

Princely civil strife was not stopped by the congress of princes held in 1097 in Lyubech, which secured possessions for offshoots of princely dynasties. Svyatopolk Izyaslavich remained the Grand Duke and ruler of Kyiv and Turov. Immediately after the congress, he slandered V. Monomakh and other princes. They responded with a siege of Kyiv, which ended in a truce.

In 1100, at the congress of princes in Uvetchitsy, Svyatopolk received Volhynia.

In 1104, Svyatopolk organized a campaign against the Minsk prince Gleb.

In 1103 - 1111, a coalition of princes led by Svyatopolk and Vladimir Monomakh successfully waged a war against the Polovtsians.

The death of Svyatopolk was accompanied by an uprising in Kyiv against the boyars and usurers closest to him.

15. Vladimir Monomakh (20.04.1113 - 19.05.1125)- invited to reign during the uprising in Kyiv against the administration of Svyatopolk. He created the “Charter on Cuts”, which was included in the Russkaya Pravda, which facilitated the position of debtors while fully preserving feudal relations.

The beginning of the reign was not without civil strife: Yaroslav Svyatopolchich, who claimed the throne of Kyiv, had to be expelled from Volhynia. The period of Monomakh's reign was the last period of strengthening of the grand duke's power in Kyiv. Together with his sons, the Grand Duke owned 75% of the territory of chronicle Russia.

To strengthen the state, Monomakh often used dynastic marriages and his authority as a military leader - the winner of the Polovtsy. During his reign, the sons defeated the Chud, defeated the Volga Bulgars.

In 1116 - 1119 Vladimir Vsevolodovich successfully fought with Byzantium. As a result of the war, as a ransom, he received from the emperor the title "Tsar of All Russia", a scepter, orb, royal crown (Monomakh's hat). As a result of the negotiations, Monomakh married his granddaughter to the emperor.

16. Mstislav the Great (05/20/1125 - 04/15/1132)- originally owned only the Kiev land, but was recognized as the eldest among the princes. Gradually began to control the cities of Novgorod, Chernigov, Kursk, Murom, Ryazan, Smolensk and Turov through dynastic marriages and sons.

In 1129 he plundered the Polotsk lands. In 1131, he deprived and expelled the princes of Polotsk, headed by the son of Vseslav Charodey - Davyd.

In the period from 1130 to 1132 he made several campaigns with varying success against the Baltic tribes, including the Chud and Lithuania.

The state of Mstislav is the last informal association of the principalities of Kievan Rus. He controlled everything big cities, all the way "from the Varangians to the Greeks", the accumulated military force gave him the right to be called the Great in the annals.

The rulers of the Old Russian state during the period of fragmentation and decline of Kyiv

The princes on the throne of Kiev during this period are replaced often and do not rule for long, for the most part they do not show themselves anything remarkable:

1. Yaropolk Vladimirovich (04/17/1132 - 02/18/1139)- the prince of Pereyaslavl was called to rule the people of Kiev, but his very first decision to transfer Pereyaslavl to Izyaslav Mstislavich, who had previously ruled in Polotsk, caused outrage among the people of Kiev and the expulsion of Yaropolk. In the same year, the people of Kiev called Yaropolk again, but Polotsk, to which the dynasty of Vseslav the Enchanter returned, was separated from Kievan Rus.

In the internecine struggle that began between the various branches of the Rurikovich, the Grand Duke could not show firmness and by the time of his death had lost control, except for Polotsk, over Novgorod and Chernigov. Nominally, only Rostov - Suzdal land was subordinate to him.

2. Vyacheslav Vladimirovich (22.02 - 04.03.1139, April 1151 - 02.06.1154)- the first, one and a half week period of reign ended with the overthrow from the throne by Vsevolod Olgovich, the Chernigov prince.

In the second period, it was only an official sign, real power belonged to Izyaslav Mstislavich.

3. Vsevolod Olgovich (5.03.1139 - 1.08.1146)– Prince of Chernigov, forcefully removed Vyacheslav Vladimirovich from the throne, interrupting the reign of the Monomashichs in Kyiv. Was not loved by the people of Kiev. The entire period of his reign skillfully maneuvered between the Mstislavovichs and the Monomashichs. Constantly fought with the latter, tried not to allow his own relatives to the grand ducal power.

4. Igor Olgovich (1 - 13.08.1146)- Kyiv received according to the will of his brother, which outraged the inhabitants of the city. The townspeople called Izyaslav Mstislavich to the throne from Pereslavl. After the battle between the applicants, Igor was planted in a cut, where he fell seriously ill. Released from there, he was tonsured a monk, but in 1147, on suspicion of plotting against Izyaslav, he was executed by the vengeful people of Kiev only because Olgovich.

5. Izyaslav Mstislavich (08/13/1146 - 08/23/1149, 1151 - 11/13/1154)- in the first period, directly except for Kyiv, he ruled Pereyaslavl, Turov, Volyn. In the internecine struggle with Yuri Dolgoruky and his allies, he enjoyed the support of the people of Novgorod, Smolensk and Ryazan. He often attracted allied Polovtsians, Hungarians, Czechs, and Poles into his ranks.

For attempting to elect a Russian metropolitan without the approval of the patriarch from Constantinople, he was excommunicated from the church.

He had the support of the people of Kiev in the fight against the Suzdal princes.

6. Yuri Dolgoruky (08/28/1149 - summer 1150, summer 1150 - early 1151, 03/20/1155 - 05/15/1157)– Suzdal prince, son of V. Monomakh. He sat on the throne three times. The first two times he was expelled from Kyiv by Izyaslav and the people of Kiev. In his struggle for the rights of the Monomashichs, he relied on the support of Novgorod - the Seversky prince Svyatoslav (brother of Igor executed in Kyiv), Galicians and Polovtsians. The battle on the Ruta in 1151 became decisive in the fight against Izyaslav. Having lost which, Yuri, one by one, lost all his allies in the south.

The third time he subjugated Kyiv after Izyaslav and his co-ruler Vyacheslav died. In 1157 he made an unsuccessful campaign against Volyn, where the sons of Izyaslav settled.

Presumably poisoned by the people of Kiev.

In the south, only one son of Yuri Dolgoruky, Gleb, was able to gain a foothold in the Pereyaslavl principality, which was isolated from Kyiv.

7. Rostislav Mstislavich (1154 - 1155, 04/12/1159 - 02/08/1161, March 1161 - 03/14/1167)- for 40 years, the Smolensk prince. Founded the Grand Duchy of Smolensk. The first time he took the Kyiv throne at the invitation of Vyacheslav Vladimirovich, who called him to co-rulers, but soon died. Rostislav Mstislavich was forced to meet Yuri Dolgoruky. Having met with his uncle, the Smolensk prince ceded Kyiv to an older relative.

The second and third terms of reign in Kyiv were divided by the attack of Izyaslav Davydovich with the Polovtsy, which forced Rostislav Mstislavovich to hide in Belgorod, waiting for the allies.

The board was distinguished by calmness, insignificance of civil strife and peaceful resolution of conflicts. In every possible way, attempts by the Polovtsy to disturb the peace in Russia were suppressed.

With the help of a dynastic marriage, he annexed Vitebsk to the Smolensk principality.

8. Izyaslav Davydovich (winter 1155, 05/19/1157 - December 1158, 02.12 - 03/06/1161)- the first time he became the Grand Duke, defeating the troops of Rostislav Mstislavich, but was forced to cede the throne to Yuri Dolgoruky.

The second time he took the throne after the death of Dolgoruky, but was defeated near Kiev by the Volyn and Galich princes for refusing to extradite the pretender to the Galician throne.

The third time he captured Kyiv, but was defeated by the allies of Rostislav Mstislavich.

9. Mstislav Izyaslavich (12/22/1158 - spring 1159, 05/19/1167 - 03/12/1169, February - 04/13/1170)- the first time he became the prince of Kiev, having expelled Izyaslav Davydovich, but ceded the great reign to Rostislav Mstislavich, as the eldest in the family.

The second time he was called to rule by the people of Kiev after the death of Rostislav Mstislavich. Could not keep the reign against the army of Andrei Bogolyubsky.

The third time he settled in Kyiv without a fight, using the love of the people of Kiev and expelling Gleb Yurievich, who was imprisoned in Kyiv by Andrei Bogolyubsky. However, abandoned by the allies, he was forced to return to Volhynia.

He became famous for his victory over the Polovtsy at the head of the coalition troops in 1168.

It is considered the last great Kiev prince who had real power over Russia.

With the rise of the Vladimir-Suzdal Principality, Kyiv is increasingly becoming an ordinary appanage, although it retains the name "great". Problems, most likely, should be looked for in what and how the rulers of Russia did, in the chronological order of their succession to power. Decades of civil strife bore fruit - the principality weakened and lost its significance for Russia. Reigning in Kyiv than chief. Often the princes of Kiev were appointed or changed by the Grand Duke from Vladimir.

"Kievan Rus" is a concept that is subject to numerous speculations today. Historians argue not only whether there was a state with that name, but also who inhabited it.

Where did Kievan Rus come from?

If today in Russia the phrase “Kievan Rus” is gradually leaving scientific use, being replaced by the concept of “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, up to early XIX century the term "Kievan Rus" did not exist, the ancient inhabitants of the Kiev lands did not even suspect that they live 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 Russia - Chervonnaya, White, Suzdal, that is, in the sense of geographical location. Historians Sergei Solovyov and Nikolai Kostomarov used it in the same sense.

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

However, Kievan Rus became a full-fledged state in Stalin era. There is a curious story about how Academician Boris Grekov, while working on the books "Kyiv Rus" and "Culture of Kievan Rus", asked his colleague: "You are a party member, advise, you should know what concept He (Stalin) will like."

Using 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 that 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

The official domestic historiography says that statehood in Russia 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 the 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, and petty princes are also mentioned, over which "kings" stood.

And yet, despite the fact that Kievan Rus united vast territories inhabited by East Slavic, Finno-Ugric and Baltic tribes under its rule, many historians are inclined to believe that in the pre-Christian period it cannot 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 looked 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 in 928 described that the Russians built large houses in which 30-50 people lived.

“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 belt, it is not possible to indicate those that, in terms of their architectural appearance and the content of the household and household equipment found in them, would be distinguished by wealth, ”stressed the historian Ivan Lyapushkin.

Russian archaeologist Valentin Sedov notes that the emergence of economic inequality on the basis of existing archaeological data cannot yet be established. “It seems that there are no distinct traces of the property differentiation of the Slavic society in the grave monuments of the 6th-8th centuries,” the scientist concludes.

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

For example, in one of the treaties between the Russians 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: “let us be golden, like this gold” (meaning the golden plate-stand of the Byzantine scribe) . This once again shows the despicable attitude of the Rus to 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. Veche could approve the transfer of power of the prince by inheritance, or could re-elect him. The historian Igor Froyanov noted that “an ancient Russian prince is not an emperor or even a monarch, because a veche, or a people’s assembly, to which he was accountable, stood above him.”

The first Kiev princes

The Tale of Bygone Years tells how Kiy, who lived on the Dnieper "mountains", together with the brothers Shchek, Khoriv and sister Lybid, built a city on the right bank of the Dnieper, later named Kiev in honor of the founder. Kiy, according to the annals, he was the first prince of Kiev. 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 Kievan areas.

Thus, the hypothesis of the American-Ukrainian orientalist Omelyan Pritsak, who believed that the emergence of Kyiv is associated 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, Askold and Dir, appeared on the historical stage of Kyiv. It is believed that they were members of the Varangian squad of Rurik, who later became the rulers of the capital city, converted to Christianity and laid the foundations of ancient Russian statehood. But even here there are many questions.

in Ustyug chronicle it is said that Askold and Dir were "neither the tribe of the prince, nor the boyars, and Rurik will not give them either a city or a village." Historians believe that their desire to go to Kyiv was stimulated by the desire to obtain land and a princely title. According to the 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 environs of Constantinople. However, Academician Aleksey Shakhmatov argued that in the older chronicles telling about the campaign against Constantinople there is no mention of Askold and Dir, nothing is said about them either in Byzantine or Arabic 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 separated into a separate word, and eventually become an independent person.

If you look at the Byzantine sources, you can see that during the siege of Constantinople, the chronicler speaks of only one commander, though without naming him.
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, not a double number, as it should be when describing the joint actions of two persons.

Kievan Rus and Khazaria

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

The Khazars made regular raids on the Slavic lands, plundering them. According to the testimony of the medieval traveler Ibrahim ibn Yakub, 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 Russia actually fell into the Khazar bondage.

Maybe the state of the Khazars was looking in the wrong place? Publicist Alexander Polyukh is trying to sort out 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% of blood type I (O), and ethnic Ukrainians are 40% carriers of group III (B). This is a sign of peoples who led a nomadic lifestyle (here he also includes the Khazars), whose blood group III (B) approaches 100% of the population.

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

Despite all the paradoxical 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 message about this refers to the year 839, when, according to the ancient Russian chronicles, Rurik's warriors had not yet arrived in Kyiv.

THE FIRST PRINCES OF KIEVAN RUS

The Old Russian state was formed in Eastern Europe in the last decades of the 9th century as a result of the unification under the rule of the princes of the Rurik dynasty of the two main centers of the Eastern Slavs - Kyiv and Novgorod, as well as lands located along the waterway "from the Varangians to the Greeks." Already in the 830s, Kyiv was an independent city and claimed the title of the main city of the Eastern Slavs.

Rurik, as the chronicle tells, when dying, transferred power to his brother-in-law Oleg (879-912). Prince Oleg remained in Novgorod for three years. Then, recruiting an army and moving in 882 from Ilmen to the Dnieper, he conquered Smolensk, Lyubech and, having settled in Kyiv to live, made it the capital of his principality, saying that Kyiv would be "the mother of Russian cities." Oleg managed to unite everything in his hands major cities along the great waterway "from the Varangians to the Greeks". This was his first target. From Kyiv, he continued his unifying activity: he went to the Drevlyans, then to the northerners and subjugated them, then subjugated the Radimichi. Thus, all the main tribes of the Russian Slavs, except for the outlying ones, and all the most important Russian cities gathered under his hand. Kyiv became the center of a large state (Kievan Rus) and freed the Russian tribes from Khazar dependence. Throwing off the Khazar yoke, Oleg tried to strengthen his country with fortresses from the eastern nomads (both Khazars and Pechenegs) and built cities along the border of the steppe.

After the death of Oleg, his son Igor (912–945) came to power, apparently having no talent for either a warrior or a ruler. Igor died in the country of the Drevlyans, from whom he wanted to collect a double tribute. His death, the courtship of the Drevlyan prince Mal, who wanted to take Igor's widow Olga for himself, and Olga's revenge on the Drevlyans for the death of her husband are the subject of poetic tradition, described in detail in the annals.

Olga remained after Igor with her young son Svyatoslav and took over the reign of the Kiev principality (945–957). According to the ancient Slavic custom, widows enjoyed civil independence and full rights, and in general, the position of a woman among the Slavs was better than among other European peoples.

Her main concern was to take Christian faith and a pious journey in 957 to Tsargrad. According to the story of the chronicle, Olga was baptized "by the tsar with the patriarch" in Constantinople, although it is more likely that she was baptized at home in Russia, before her trip to Greece. With the triumph of Christianity in Russia, the memory of Princess Olga, in holy baptism Elena, began to be revered, and the Russian Orthodox Church, Equal-to-the-Apostles Olga was canonized as a saint.

Olga's son Svyatoslav (957-972) already bore a Slavic name, but his temper was still a typical Varangian warrior, combatant. As soon as he had time to mature, he made himself a large and brave squad, and with it began to seek glory and prey for himself. He got out of his mother's influence early and "was angry with his mother" when she urged him to be baptized.

How can I change my faith alone? The squad will start laughing at me,” he said.

With the retinue, he got along well, led a harsh camp life with her.

After the death of Svyatoslav in one of the military campaigns between his sons (Yaropolk, Oleg and Vladimir), an internecine war took place, in which Yaropolk and Oleg died, and Vladimir remained the sovereign ruler of Kievan Rus.

Vladimir waged many wars with various neighbors for border volosts, he also fought with the Kama Bulgarians. He was also drawn into the war with the Greeks, as a result of which he adopted Christianity according to the Greek rite. This major event the first period of power of the Varangian Rurik dynasty in Russia ended.

This is how it was formed and strengthened Kiev principality, politically uniting most of the tribes of Russian Slavs.

Another even more powerful unification factor for Russia was Christianity. The baptism of the prince was immediately followed by the adoption of Christianity in 988 by all of Russia and the solemn abolition of the pagan cult.

Returning from the Korsun campaign to Kyiv with the Greek clergy, Vladimir began to convert the people of Kiev and all of Russia to the new faith. He baptized people in Kyiv on the banks of the Dnieper and its tributary Pochaina. The idols of the old gods were thrown to the ground and thrown into the river. Churches were built in their place. So it was in other cities where Christianity was established by princely governors.

Even during his lifetime, Vladimir distributed the administration of individual lands to his numerous sons.

Kievan Rus became the cradle of the Russian land, and historians call the son of Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duke Vladimir - Grand Duke of Kiev Yuri Dolgoruky, who was also the prince of Rostov, Suzdal and Pereyaslavsky, the first ruler of Russia.