And Ukraine is moving away from each other not only in politics, but also in interpretations general history. Back in the 80s we were taught that Kiev is the cradle of three fraternal peoples: Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian. But the new one feudal fragmentation”, which followed the collapse of the Soviet Union, is slowly migrating into the works of researchers and school textbooks.
In Ukraine, since the early 90s, the concept of the Chairman of the Central Rada, Mikhail Grushevsky, who at the beginning of the 20th century declared exclusively an “ancient Ukrainian state,” became official. Russia remained silent for a long time and finally struck back.
The familiar phrase “Kievan Rus” now quietly disappears from scientific works and school textbooks Russian Federation. It is replaced by the term “Old Russian State”, which has no geographical references to Kyiv, which found itself abroad. Politics is once again reshaping history for the masses.
In fairness, we note that Kievan Rus as the official name of the early medieval state Eastern Slavs never existed. The chronicles, on the basis of which modern historians build their schemes, called this power simply Russia, or Russian land. It is under this name that it appears in the “Tale of Bygone Years,” written by Vladimir Monomakh’s contemporary, the Kyiv monk Nestor, at the turn of the 11th–12th centuries.
But the same justice forces us to recall that the term “Kievan Rus” was coined not in Kyiv, but in... Moscow, in the 19th century. Some researchers attribute its authorship to Nikolai Karamzin, others to Mikhail Pogodin. But it came into wide scientific use thanks to Moscow University professor Sergei Solovyov (1820–1879), who widely used the expression “Kievan Rus” along with “Novgorod Rus”, “Vladimir Rus” and “Moscow Rus” in the famous “History of Russia from Ancient Times” " Soloviev adhered to the so-called “change of capitals” concept. The first capital of the ancient Slavic state, in his opinion, was, the second -, the third - Vladimir-on-Klyazma, the fourth - Moscow, which did not prevent Rus' from remaining one state.
The term “Kievan Rus” gained popularity thanks to the Moscow historian of the 19th century. Sergei Solovyov
After Solovyov "Kievan Rus" from scientific works penetrated into books for high school. For example, in the repeatedly reprinted “Textbook of Russian History” by M. Ostrogorsky (as of 1915, it went through 27 editions!) on page 25 you can read the chapter “The Decline of Kievan Rus.” But in pre-revolutionary Russia history remained an elitist science. Half the population remained illiterate. An insignificant percentage of the population studied in gymnasiums, seminaries and real schools. By and large, the phenomenon of mass historical consciousness did not yet exist - for the men who met 1917, everything that happened before their grandfathers happened “under Tsar Pea.”
There was no need for the concept of “the cradle of three fraternal peoples” by the tsarist government either. Great Russians, Little Russians and Belarusians before the Great October revolution officially considered three Russian nationalities. Consequently, they were still, figuratively speaking, lying in the same Russian cradle. No one was going to move it a thousand years ago - into the half-dugouts of the chronicle glades, Drevlyans and Krivichi, who from their 10th century also did not care what their descendants in the 20th century would call them - “Old Russian” or “Old Ukrainian” tribes. Or ancient Belarusian, as an option.
1. Formation of the Old Russian state - Kievan Rus
The state of Kievan Rus was created at the end of the 9th century.
The emergence of a state among the Eastern Slavs is reported in the chronicle “The Tale of Bygone Years” (XIIV.). It tells that the Slavs paid tribute to the Varangians. Then they drove the Varangians overseas and the question arose: who will rule in Novgorod? None of the tribes wanted to establish the power of a representative of a neighboring tribe. Then they decided to invite a stranger and turned to the Varangians. Three brothers responded to the invitation: Rurik, Truvor and Sineus. Rurik began to reign in Novgorod, Sineus in Beloozero, and Truvor in the city of Izborsk. Two years later, Sineus and Truvor died, and all power passed to Rurik. Two of Rurik’s squad, Askold and Dir, went south and began to reign in Kyiv. They killed the rulers there, Kiya, Shchek, Khoriv and their sister Lybid. In 879 Rurik died. His relative Oleg began to rule, since Rurik’s son Igor was still a minor. After 3 years (in 882), Oleg and his squad seized power in Kyiv. Thus, Kyiv and Novgorod united under the rule of one prince. This is what the chronicle says. Were there really two brothers - Sineus and Truvor? Today historians believe that there were none. “Rurik sine hus truvor” means, translated from ancient Swedish, “Rurik with house and squad.” The chronicler mistook the incomprehensible-sounding words for personal names, and wrote that Rurik arrived with two brothers.
Exists two theories of the origin of the ancient Russian state: Norman and anti-Norman. Both of these theories appeared in the XYIII century, 900 years after the formation of Kievan Rus. The fact is that Peter I - from the Romanov dynasty, was very interested in where the previous dynasty - the Rurikovichs - came from, who created the state of Kievan Rus and where this name came from. Peter I signed a decree on the creation of the Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg. German scientists were invited to work at the Academy of Sciences.
Norman theory . Its founders are the German scientists Bayer, Miller, Schletser, who were invited back under Peter I to work at the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences. They confirmed the calling of the Varangians and made the assumption that the name Russian Empire of Scandinavian origin, and that the state of Kievan Rus itself was created by the Varangians. “Rus” is translated from ancient Swedish as the verb “to row”; the Rus are rowers. Perhaps “Rus” is the name of the Varangian tribe from which Rurik came. At first, the Varangian warriors were called Rus, and then this word gradually passed on to the Slavs.
The calling of the Varangians was confirmed at a later time by data from archaeological excavations of mounds near Yaroslavl, near Smolensk. Scandinavian burials in a boat were discovered there. Many Scandinavian objects were clearly made by local – Slavic craftsmen. This means that the Varangians lived among the local residents.
But German scientists exaggerated the role of the Varangians in the formation of the ancient Russian state. As a result, these scientists agreed to such an extent that supposedly the Varangians were immigrants from the West, which means that it was they - the Germans - who created the state of Kievan Rus.
Anti-Norman theory. It also appeared in the 18th century, under the daughter of Peter I, Elizaveta Petrovna. She did not like the statement of German scientists that the Russian state was created by Westerners. In addition, during her reign there was a 7-year war with Prussia. She asked Lomonosov to look into this issue. Lomonosov M.V. did not deny the fact of the existence of Rurik, but began to deny his Scandinavian origin.
The anti-Norman theory intensified in the 30s of the twentieth century. When the Nazis came to power in Germany in 1933, they tried to prove the inferiority of the Eastern Slavs (Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians, Poles, Czechs, Slovaks), that they were not able to create states, that the Varangians were Germans. Stalin gave the task to refute Norman theory. This is how a theory emerged according to which the Ros (Ross) tribe lived south of Kyiv on the Ros River. The Ros River flows into the Dnieper and this is where the name of Rus' comes from, since the Russians supposedly occupied a leading place among the Slavic tribes. The possibility of a Scandinavian origin for the name of Rus' was completely rejected. The anti-Norman theory tries to prove that the state of Kievan Rus was created by the Slavs themselves. This theory penetrated into textbooks on the history of the USSR, and was prevalent there until the end of “perestroika.”
The state appears there and then when opposing interests and classes appear in society, hostile to each other. The state regulates relations between people, relying on armed force. The Varangians were invited to reign, therefore, this form of power (princeship) was already known to the Slavs. It was not the Varangians who brought property inequality and the division of society into classes to Rus'. The ancient Russian state - Kievan Rus - arose as a result of the long, independent development of Slavic society, not thanks to the Varangians, but with their active participation. The Varangians themselves quickly became glorified and did not impose their language. The son of Igor, the grandson of Rurik, already bore the Slavic name - Svyatoslav. Today, some historians believe that the name of the Russian Empire is of Scandinavian origin and the princely dynasty begins with Rurik, and was called the Rurikovichs.
The ancient Russian state was called Kievan Rus.
2 . Socio-economic and political system of Kievan Rus
Kievan Rus was an early feudal state. It existed from the end of the 9th to the beginning of the 12th century (approximately 250 years).
The head of state was the Grand Duke. He was the highest military leader, judge, legislator, and recipient of tribute. He led foreign policy, declared war, made peace. Appointed officials. The power of the Grand Duke was limited:
Council under the prince, which included military nobility, city elders, clergy (since 988)
Veche - a national assembly in which all free people could take part. The veche could discuss and resolve any issue that interested it.
Appanage princes - local tribal nobility.
The first rulers of Kievan Rus were: Oleg (882-912), Igor (913-945), Olga - Igor’s wife (945-964).
The unification of all East Slavic and part of the Finnish tribes under the rule of the Grand Duke of Kyiv.
Acquisition of overseas markets for Russian trade and protection of trade routes that led to these markets.
Protection of the borders of the Russian land from attacks by steppe nomads (Khazars, Pechenegs, Polovtsians).
The most important source of income for the prince and his squad was the tribute paid by the conquered tribes. Olga organized the collection of tribute and established its size.
The son of Igor and Olga, Prince Svyatoslav (964-972), made campaigns against Danube Bulgaria and Byzantium, and also defeated the Khazar Kaganate.
Under Svyatoslav’s son, Vladimir the Holy (980-1015), Christianity was adopted in Rus' in 988.
Socio-economic system:
The main branch of the economy is arable farming and cattle breeding. Additional industries: fishing, hunting. Rus' was a country of cities (more than 300) - in the 12th century.
Kievan Rus reached its peak under Yaroslav the Wise (1019-1054). He became related and became friends with the most prominent states of Europe. In 1036, he defeated the Pechenegs near Kiev and ensured the security of the eastern and southern borders of the state for a long time. In the Baltic states, he founded the city of Yuryev (Tartu) and established the position of Rus' there. Under him, writing and literacy spread in Rus', schools were opened for the children of the boyars. The higher school was located in the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery. The largest library was in St. Sophia Cathedral, also built under Yaroslav the Wise.
Under Yaroslav the Wise appeared the first set of laws in Rus' - “Russian Truth”, which operated throughout the XI-XIII centuries. There are 3 known editions of “Russian Truth”:
1. Brief truth of Yaroslav the Wise
2. Extensive (grandchildren of Yar. the Wise - Vl. Monomakh)
3. Abbreviated
“Russian Truth” consolidated the feudal property that was emerging in Rus', established harsh punishments for attempts to encroach on it, and defended the lives and privileges of members of the ruling class. According to “Russian Truth” one can trace the contradictions in society and the class struggle. “Russian Truth” of Yaroslav the Wise allowed blood feud, but the article on blood feud was limited to defining the exact circle of close relatives who have the right to take revenge: father, son, brother, cousin, nephew. This put an end to the endless chain of murders exterminating entire families.
In the Pravda of the Yaroslavichs (under the children of Yar. the Wise), blood feud is already prohibited, and instead a fine for murder has been introduced, depending on the social status of the person killed, from 5 to 80 hryvnia.
Kievan Rus
The first settlements on the territory of modern Kyiv arose from 1500 to 2000 years ago. According to legend, at the end of the 5th - beginning of the 6th century. AD, the brothers Kiy, Shchek and Khoriv and their sister Lybid chose a place on the slopes of the Dnieper and founded a city on the steep right bank and named it, in honor of their elder brother, Kiev.
The location for the city was chosen well - the high slopes of the Dnieper served as good protection from raids by nomadic tribes. The Kyiv princes, for greater security, built their palaces and churches on the high Starokievskaya Mountain. Merchants and artisans lived near the Dnieper, where present-day Podil is located.
At the end of the 9th century. n. e., when the Kyiv princes finally managed to unite the scattered and disparate tribes under their rule, Kyiv became political and cultural center Eastern Slavs, the capital of Kievan Rus - an ancient Slavic feudal state. Due to its location on the trade routes "from the Varangians to the Greeks", Kyiv for a long time maintained strong political and economic ties with the countries of Central and Western Europe.
Kyiv begins to develop especially rapidly during the reign of Vladimir the Great (980 - 1015). In order to strengthen the unity of Kievan Rus and increase its influence in the international arena, Prince Vladimir baptized Rus' in 988. Christianity brought significant political benefits to Kievan Rus and served as an impetus for the further development of writing and culture. Under Vladimir the Great, the first stone church was built in Kyiv - the Church of the Tithes.
In the 11th century, under the rule of Yaroslav the Wise, Kyiv became one of the largest centers of civilization in the Christian world. St. Sophia Cathedral and the first library in Rus' were built. In addition, at that time the city had about 400 churches, 8 markets and more than 50,000 inhabitants. (For comparison: at the same time, Novgorod, the second largest city in Rus', had 30,000 inhabitants; London, Hamburg and Gdansk - 20,000 each). Kyiv was one of the most prosperous craft and trade centers in Europe.
However, after the death of Prince Vladimir Monomakh (1125), the process of fragmentation of the more or less unified Kyiv state began. By the middle of the 12th century. Kievan Rus splits into many independent principalities. External enemies were quick to take advantage of the situation. In the autumn of 1240, countless hordes of Batu, the grandson of Genghis Khan, appeared under the Kyiv walls. The Mongol-Tatars managed to take the city after a protracted and bloody battle. Thousands of Kiev residents were killed, most of the city was razed to the ground. A long and dark period of decline began in the history of Kyiv. For almost a hundred years, the Mongol-Tatars dominated the Ukrainian lands. And yet, Kyiv managed to preserve its ancient craft, merchant and cultural traditions and remain an important political, commercial and economic center. In the 14th century, the Kiev region became a stronghold of the nascent Ukrainian nation.
In the 15th century Kyiv was granted Magdeburg law, which ensured much greater independence of the city in matters international trade and significantly expanded the rights of the urban classes - artisans, merchants and townspeople. In 1569, after the signing of the Union of Lublin, Poland and Lithuania united into one state, known in history as the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and gradually established their dominance in Ukraine. The cruelty and arbitrariness of foreigners led to numerous uprisings of the Ukrainian people.
Royal Russia
In 1648, the inhabitants of Ukraine began an armed struggle against their enslavers. The head of the uprising was the hetman of the Ukrainian Cossacks Bogdan Khmelnytsky. Soon most of Ukraine and Kyiv were liberated. However, faced with the need to fight on several fronts - with the Polish and Lithuanian knights in the west, the Crimean Khan and the Turkish Sultan in the south - Khmelnitsky was forced to turn to the Russian Tsar for military help. Formally, the union of Ukraine with Russia was concluded in 1654 in Pereyaslav (Pereyaslav Rada). After the defeat and death of Ivan Mazepa, who was trying to find an ally in the fight against tsarism in Sweden, Ukraine fell under the rule of the Russian Empire for a long time. But despite the merciless royal oppression, in the 17th -18th centuries. in Kyiv there still remained strongholds of the political, economic, cultural and religious development of the nation. Ukrainian culture concentrated around institutions such as the Kiev-Mohyla Academy. Some Ukrainian scientists and educators have won wide recognition and authority throughout Europe. Still, significant concessions could not be achieved.
After the social reforms of 1861 and the abolition of serfdom, some changes for the better took place in the cultural and economic life of Kyiv. The number of hospitals, almshouses, educational institutions. After construction in the 1860s. Odessa-Kursk railway line, with shipping along the Dnieper developed by that time, Kyiv became a major transport and shopping center. Trading on the Kyiv grain and sugar exchanges determined world prices for these products. The first electric tram in Russia (and the second in Europe) was launched in Kyiv in 1892 along a route connecting Podol and the Upper Town and passing along the current Vladimirsky Descent. Domestic and foreign industrialists invested significant funds in the city. Kyiv's infrastructure was developing rapidly.
The Kiev-Mohyla Academy, founded in the 17th century by Peter Mohyla, became the first university in Eastern Europe. During that period, Ukrainians were the most educated in the world, and almost all were literate. Books were printed, philosophy was studied, music, literature and painting flourished. The first Constitution appeared in Ukraine during the Cossack period (1711).
After the revolution in St. Petersburg, power in the city changed several times. Between 1917 and 1921 in Kyiv, three governments replaced each other, independent, but torn apart civil war, Ukrainian state. On January 22, 1918, the Ukrainian Central Rada, headed by historian Mykhailo Grushevsky, declared the independence of Ukraine. Grushevsky himself was elected the first president of the Ukrainian Republic. However, this decision was an attempt by a drowning man to grasp at straws. Ukrainian politicians did not have enough political, economic and military power to defend the independence of the Ukrainian state. Soon, units of the Red Army led by Antonov-Ovseenko attacked Ukraine. In January 1919, in an atmosphere of great solemnity, the Ukrainian People's Republic, led by Symon Petliura, formally united with the Western Ukrainian People's Republic. (The latter, which had Lviv as its capital, arose on lands that were previously part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire). However, this union of Ukrainian lands turned out to be very short-lived, since the regiments of the Western Ukrainian People's Republic were soon defeated by the Polish invaders who invaded Galicia, and the troops Soviet Russia drove parts of Petliura out of Kyiv.
In 1922, the Soviet Union was created, which included the Ukrainian Socialist Soviet Republic. Formally, as a sovereign power within a federation, in fact, all power was transferred to the center, and the USSR became a totalitarian country.
Under Stalin best shots Ukrainian science and culture, numerous representatives of the technical, creative and military intelligentsia fell under the millstones of the Gulag and ended their lives in Siberian logging fields and in the icy wastelands of Magadan.
During World War II, Kyiv was almost completely destroyed. lasted 72 days heroic defense Kyiv from the fascist occupiers, but the enemy was stronger. On September 19, 1941, Nazi German troops entered the city. The tragedy of Babyn Yar, a Kyiv tract that the Nazis turned into a place of mass executions, is widely known. In addition, the Nazis built two more concentration camps in the vicinity of the city. During the war years, a total of more than 200,000 people were tortured there - Soviet prisoners of war and civilians. More than 100,000 people were sent from Kyiv to forced labor in Germany. The city was liberated on November 6, 1943 at the cost of heavy losses and human lives.
In the post-war years, Kyiv was rapidly rebuilt. The political situation, however, remained the same - denunciations, purges, show trials, executions in NKVD prisons, exile to the Gulag without trial. After Stalin's death, the regime in the country softened somewhat.
The Chernobyl disaster on April 26, 1986 made the whole world shudder. From now on, the life of every Kiev resident was split into two parts: before the reactor explosion and after. Chernobyl has already brought tens of thousands of deaths to Ukraine, ruined the health of hundreds of thousands of people, and caused enormous environmental and economic damage.
Independent Ukraine
At the end of the 80s, the hopelessness of the socialist path of development became more and more noticeable. The promised communism never materialized, and people were increasingly dissatisfied with “developed socialism.” The new leader, the first (and last) president of the USSR Mikhail Gorbachev, is heading for the so-called “perestroika”, which was accompanied by “glasnost”, queues in stores and high inflation. One after another, Hungary, Poland, the GDR, the Czech Republic, and Romania are leaving the socialist camp. The "iron system" is bursting at the seams.
July 6, 1990 Parliament of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic proclaims the sovereignty of Ukraine. The disturbing three days of the failed Kremlin coup in August 1991 became a turning point in the history of Ukraine. August 24, 1991 The Supreme Council Ukraine proclaims the Declaration of Independence. On December 1, 1991, the country's population voted in favor of independence in a national referendum with an overwhelming majority of votes - 93%. Leonid Makarovich Kravchuk, a former communist ideologist, becomes the first democratically elected President of independent Ukraine. On July 10, 1994, in the second round of the presidential election, Leonid Kravchuk lost to Leonid Kuchma, who was re-elected to a second term in 1999.
70 years of totalitarianism are behind us. Ukrainian politicians see Ukraine as a democratic country with a market, socially oriented economy.
Everyone is primarily interested in the question, where did this beautiful and powerful power called Kievan Rus come from? Where did the Russians come from? Who are they and whose descendants are we? There are many theories on this topic, some popular and some not so popular. After all, the name "" appears in foreign chronicles only in the 8th century. This is why the question arises about the origin of the name of the state... The first theory is called Varangian. She tells us that Rus' came from a tribe of Norman conquerors who incredibly often attacked European countries, traveling inland thanks to boats and the presence of rivers. They were extremely cruel and this cruelty was in their souls, they were real Viking warriors...
Researchers believe that the name “Rus” came from then. This theory was put forward by German scientists Bayer and Miller, who really believed that Kievan Rus was founded by the Normans (immigrants from Sweden). They refer to the fact that it was the Norman princes who helped the Russian people master the art of war. No matter what anyone says, the Normans played incredible role in the creation of the state and gave rise to the Rurik dynasty.
The second most important theory of the origin of the name of the state and the Russians themselves is a theory that claims that the name comes from a river, a tributary of the Dnieper, called Ros. The tributary of the Rosi is in turn called the Rosava. On the territory of Volyn in Ukraine there is a river Roska... Therefore, Rus' could actually be named after rivers, although some believe that these rivers are named after the state...
It is worth mentioning that there is another theory of the origin of the state. A scientist from the United States named Pritsak put forward the theory that Kievan Rus was founded by the Khazars. But why then was it necessary to separate from the Russians? After all, the Khazar state was as big as Rus'. Moreover, in my opinion, the traditions of the Khazars and Russians are very different to enable us to call them one people with common roots. So, it is extremely saturated even at the beginning, not to mention in its further development...
The history of Kievan Rus has many facts that simply forced the Russians to create their own state. First of all, historians believe that it was the emergence of feudal relations that contributed to the creation of the state, as in all other European states. Then it should be said that our ancestors needed to defend themselves from enemies, the main of which were Byzantium. Their common ethnic origin only united the Russians even more. The development of trade also forced the Russians to create a state. As for Kyiv, thanks to its economic and geographical location began to play a huge role in relations with other states.
Scientists say that Kievan Rus was formed around the 9th century AD. It was then that a state appeared with its center in Kyiv. The heyday of Rus' occurred in the period 978-1054, when Rus' significantly expanded its territories and achieved both political and cultural development. The third period is characterized by the disintegration of the state into separate principalities. We can say with all confidence that I would never have divided the land between my sons if I had known what it would lead to...
It is worth remembering that Rus' was also developed in a cultural sense. It’s no joke to say that the children of the Kyiv prince knew several languages and were extremely educated, which cannot be said about the dynasty of other European states.
Militarily, Kievan Rus was a huge force. The best of the best of Russian warriors served with the Byzantine legions thousands of miles away from their own. Just look at the well-known example of the defense of Sicily from the Arabs in 1038-1041. Thanks to the Russian corps, Byzantium was able to leave the island behind.
The authority of Kievan Rus in Europe was unconditional. Therefore, we can be truly proud of our ancestors, who even stopped the Mongol-Tatar invasion and saved all of Europe, weakened from ruin.
Denial of the greatness of Russia is a terrible robbery of humanity.
Berdyaev Nikolay Alexandrovich
The origin of the ancient Russian state of Kievan Rus is one of the biggest mysteries in history. Of course, there is an official version that gives many answers, but it has one drawback - it completely rejects everything that happened to the Slavs before 862. Are things really as bad as they write in Western books, when the Slavs are compared to semi-savage people who are not able to govern themselves and for this they were forced to turn to to a stranger, Varangian, so that he would teach them wisdom? Of course, this is an exaggeration, since such a people cannot take Byzantium by storm twice before this time, but our ancestors did it!
In this material we will adhere to the basic policy of our site - presentation of facts that are known for certain. Also on these pages we will point out the main points that historians use under various pretexts, but in our opinion they can shed light on what happened on our lands in that distant time.
Formation of the state of Kievan Rus
Modern history puts forward two main versions according to which the formation of the state of Kievan Rus took place:
- Norman. This theory is based on a rather dubious historical document - “The Tale of Bygone Years”. Also, supporters of the Norman version talk about various records from European scientists. This version is basic and accepted by history. According to it, the ancient tribes of the eastern communities could not govern themselves and called upon three Varangians - the brothers Rurik, Sineus and Truvor.
- anti-Norman (Russian). The Norman theory, despite its general acceptance, looks quite controversial. After all, it does not answer even a simple question: who are the Varangians? Anti-Norman statements were first formulated by the great scientist Mikhail Lomonosov. This man was distinguished by the fact that he actively defended the interests of his Motherland and publicly declared that the history of the ancient Russian state was written by the Germans and had no basis in logic. The Germans in this case are not a nation as such, but a collective image that was used to call all foreigners who did not speak Russian. They were called dumb, hence the Germans.
In fact, until the end of the 9th century, not a single mention of the Slavs remained in the chronicles. This is quite strange, since quite civilized people lived here. This question is discussed in great detail in the material about the Huns, who, according to numerous versions, were none other than Russians. Now I would like to note that when Rurik came to ancient Russian state, there were cities, ships, their own culture, their own language, their own traditions and customs. And the cities were quite well fortified from a military point of view. This somehow loosely connects with the generally accepted version that our ancestors at that time ran around with a digging stick.
The ancient Russian state of Kievan Rus was formed in 862, when the Varangian Rurik came to rule in Novgorod. Interesting point is that this prince carried out his rule of the country from Ladoga. In 864, the associates of the Novgorod prince Askold and Dir went down the Dnieper and discovered the city of Kyiv, in which they began to rule. After the death of Rurik, Oleg took custody of his young son, who went on a campaign against Kyiv, killed Askold and Dir and took possession of the future capital of the country. This happened in 882. Therefore, the formation of Kievan Rus can be attributed to this date. During Oleg's reign, the country's possessions expanded through the conquest of new cities, and international power also strengthened as a result of wars with external enemies, such as Byzantium. Between Novgorod and Kyiv princes there were respectable relations, and their minor junctions did not lead to major wars. Reliable information on this matter has not survived, but many historians say that these people were brothers and only blood ties restrained bloodshed.
Formation of statehood
Kievan Russia was a truly powerful state, respected in other countries. Its political center was Kyiv. It was a capital that had no equal in its beauty and wealth. The impregnable fortress city of Kyiv on the banks of the Dnieper has long been a stronghold of Rus'. This order was disrupted as a result of the first fragmentations, which damaged the power of the state. It all ended with the invasion of the Tatar-Mongol troops, who literally razed the “mother of Russian cities” to the ground. According to the surviving records of contemporaries of that terrible event, Kyiv was destroyed to the ground and lost forever its beauty, significance and wealth. Since then, the status of the first city did not belong to it.
An interesting expression is “mother of Russian cities”, which is still actively used by people from different countries. Here we are faced with another attempt to falsify history, since at the moment when Oleg captured Kyiv, Rus' already existed, and its capital was Novgorod. And the princes got to the capital city of Kyiv itself, descending along the Dnieper from Novgorod.
Internecine wars and the reasons for the collapse of the ancient Russian state
Internecine war is that terrible nightmare that tormented the Russian lands for many decades. The reason for these events was the lack of a clear system of succession to the throne. In the ancient Russian state, a situation arose when after one ruler there remained great amount contenders for the throne - sons, brothers, nephews, etc. And each of them sought to realize their right to rule Russia. This inevitably led to wars, when supreme power was asserted with weapons.
In the struggle for power, individual contenders did not shy away from anything, even fratricide. The story of Svyatopolk the Accursed, who killed his brothers, is widely known, for which he received this nickname. Despite the contradictions that reigned within the Rurikovichs, Kievan Rus was ruled by the Grand Duke.
In many ways, it was the internecine wars that led the ancient Russian state to a state close to collapse. This happened in 1237, when the ancient Russian lands first heard about the Tatar-Mongols. They brought terrible troubles to our ancestors, but internal problems, disunity and the unwillingness of princes to defend the interests of other lands led to a great tragedy, and for 2 long centuries Rus' became completely dependent on the Golden Horde.
All these events led to a completely predictable result - the ancient Russian lands began to disintegrate. The date of the beginning of this process is considered to be 1132, which was marked by the death of Prince Mstislav, popularly nicknamed the Great. This led to the fact that the two cities of Polotsk and Novgorod refused to recognize the authority of his successor.
All these events led to the collapse of the state into small fiefs, which were controlled by individual rulers. Of course, the leading role of the Grand Duke remained, but this title was more like a crown, which was used only by the strongest as a result of regular civil strife.
Key events
Kievan Rus is the first form of Russian statehood, which had many great pages in its history. The main events of the era of Kyiv's rise include the following:
- 862 - the arrival of the Varangian Rurik in Novgorod to reign
- 882 – Prophetic Oleg captured Kyiv
- 907 – campaign against Constantinople
- 988 – Baptism of Rus'
- 1097 – Lyubech Congress of Princes
- 1125-1132 - reign of Mstislav the Great