The calling of the Varangian king Rurik year. How long did the Rurik dynasty last: a scheme with dates of reign

What do we know about him:

Since all the information about Rurik that historians have today is contained in several sources - "The Life of the Holy Prince Vladimir" (about 1070) and, in most detail, in the chronicle of the XII century "Tales of Bygone Years", install true story his existence is not possible.

According to The Tale of Bygone Years, 862 year, the Varangian Rurik with his brothers, at the invitation of such tribes as: Chud, Ilmen Slovenes, Krivichi, and the whole was called to reign in Novgorod. This event in historical science referred to as " The calling of the Varangians". The chronicler calls the reason for inviting the "Varangians" the civil strife that engulfed the Slavic tribes living in the Novgorod lands. Rurik came with his entire family, called Rus, whose ethnicity continues to be discussed.

Tale of Bygone Years:

And they came, and the eldest, Rurik, sat down in Novgorod, and the other, Sineus, on Beloozero, and the third, Truvor, in Izborsk. And from those Varangians the Russian land was nicknamed. Novgorodians are those people from the Varangian family, and before that they were Slovenes. Two years later, Sineus and his brother Truvor died. And one Rurik took all power, and began to distribute cities to his men - Polotsk to that, Rostov to that, Beloozero to another. Varangians in these cities are finders, and indigenous people in Novgorod - Slovenia, in Polotsk - Krivichi, in Rostov - Merya, in Beloozero - the whole, in Murom - Murom, and Rurik ruled over all of them.

Old Russian chronicles began to be compiled 150-200 years after the death of Rurik on the basis of oral traditions, Byzantine chronicles and the few existing documents. Therefore, in historiography, there are different points of view on the annalistic version of the calling of the Varangians. In the 18th - the first half of the 19th century, the opinion about the Scandinavian or Finnish origin of Prince Rurik prevailed, later a hypothesis was proposed about his Pomeranian origin.

There are several versions of the origin of Rurik, the main ones being Norman and West Slavic.

Supporters of the Norman theory speak of the German-Scandinavian origin of the name Rurik, citing as evidence a large number of similar-sounding names.

Also, according to one version, Rurik was the Viking Rorik of Jutland (or Friesland) from the Skjoldung dynasty, the brother (or nephew) of the exiled Danish king Harald Klak, who in 826 a year or so 837 of the year received from the emperor of the Franks Louis the Pious in fief possession on the coast of Frisia with a center in Dorestad, which was raided by the Vikings.

Another version of the Scandinavian origin of Rurik connects him with Eirik Emundarson, king of the Swedish Uppsala.

The West Slavic version of the origin of Rurik also has a number of assumptions.

So, some researchers said that Rurik came from among the West Slavic tribes of Obodrites, Ruyans and Pomeranians. The Tale of Bygone Years directly says that Rurik, being a Varangian, was neither a Norman, nor a Swede, nor an Englishman, nor a Gotlander.

The Austrian Sigismund von Herberstein, being an adviser to the ambassador in the Grand Duchy of Moscow in the first half of the 16th century, was the only one who got acquainted with the Russian chronicles and expressed his opinion about the origin of the Varangians and Rurik. Associating the name of the Varangians with the Slavic Baltic tribe of the Vagrs, Herberstein comes to the conclusion that: “the Russians called their princes rather from the Vagrs, or Varangians, than handed over power to foreigners who differed from them in faith, customs and language” 2 .

Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov deduced Rurik with the Varangians from the Prussians, relying on toponyms and later chronicles, which replaced the lexeme "Varangians" with the pseudo-ethnonym "Germans".

M.V. Lomonosov:

"... the Varangians and Rurik with their family, who came to Novgorod, were Slavic tribes, spoke the Slavic language, came from the ancient Russians and were by no means from Scandinavia, but lived on the eastern-southern shores of the Varangian Sea, between the rivers Vistula and Dvina ... named after Rus in Scandinavia and on the northern shores of the Varangian Sea, it is not heard anywhere ... Our chroniclers mention that Rurik and his Family came from the Germans, and in the Indian it is written that from Prussia ... Between the Vistula and Dvina rivers, the river flows into the Varangian Sea from the east-south side, which above, near the city of Grodno, is called Nemen, and Rusa is known to its mouth. Here it is clear that the Varangians-Rus lived in the east-south shore of the Varangian Sea, by the river Rusa ... And the very name of the Prussians or Porussians shows that the Prussians lived according to the Russians or near the Russians" 3 .

There is also a folk legend about Rurik and his brothers, published in the 30s of the 19th century by the French traveler and writer Xavier Marmier in the book Northern Letters. He wrote it down in Northern Germany, among the Mecklenburg peasants who lived on the former lands of the Bodrichi, who by that time were completely Germanized. The legend tells that in the 8th century the Obodrite tribe was ruled by a king named Godlav, the father of three young men, the first of whom was called Rurik the Peaceful, the second - Sivar the Victorious, the third - Truvar the Faithful.

The 19th-century historian Stepan Aleksandrovich Gedeonov suggested that Rurik was not given name, and the generic nickname Rerek, which was worn by all representatives of the ruling Obodrite dynasty. In confirmation, Gideonov refers to the Scandinavian saga of Snorri Sturluson about Hakon the Good from the Circle of the Earth cycle, where, in his opinion, the Wends are called falcons.

According to the Joachim Chronicle, Rurik was the son of an unknown Varangian prince in Finland from Umila, the middle daughter of the Slavic elder Gostomysl. The chronicle does not say what tribe the prince was in Finland, it only says that he was a Varangian. Before his death, Gostomysl, who reigned in the "Great City" and lost all his sons, gave the order to call the sons of Umila to reign, in accordance with the advice of the prophets.

However, we will not delve into the details of various hypotheses of the origin of Rurik, looking for confirmations and inconsistencies in some of them, leaving this occupation to professional researchers - historians and archaeologists. We will judge Rurik by his deeds, captured in the annals.

Mark on history:

As we know, in 862 Rurik arrived in Novgorod, Sineus on Beloozero in the region of the Finnish people Vesi, and Truvor in Izborsk, the city of Krivichi. These lands, united under the power of Rurik and his brothers, according to Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin, were first named Rus. AT 864, after the death of Sineus and Truvor, the elder brother, having annexed their regions to his Principality, founded Russian monarchy. Having accepted autocracy, Rurik gave Belaozero, Polotsk, Rostov and Mur, conquered by him or his brothers, to the famous odinozemtsy. Thus, together with the supreme princely power, the feudal (specific) system was established in Russia.

According to the Nestor chronicle, at that time two of Rurik's united earthmen, Askold and Dir, possibly dissatisfied with the prince, set off with their comrades from Novgorod to Constantinople. On the way they saw on the high bank of the Dnieper small town which was Kyiv. Askold and Dir took possession of it, annexed many Varangians from Novgorod, began to rule in Kyiv under the name of Russians. Feeling their strength, the new princes of Kyiv decided to undertake a campaign against Constantinople, which, however, although it greatly shocked the Greeks, however, ended in failure.

Thus, the Varangians founded two autocratic regions in Russia: Rurik in the North, Askold and Dir in the South. Unfortunately, nothing is known about Rurik's further actions in Novgorod. However, it seems unlikely that Rurik spent the rest of his life inactive. Surrounded from the West, North and East by the Finnish peoples, could he leave them alone? It is likely that the environs of Lake Peipsi and Lake Ladoga were also witnesses to his courageous deeds, indescribable and forgotten. He reigned unanimously, after the death of Sineus and Truvor, for 15 years in Novgorod and died in 879, having handed over the reign and his young son, Igor, to his relative Oleg.

Although Rurik was not the first ruler of the East Slavic tribes, his memory, as the first ruler of the Russian state, remained immortal in our history. Now from Rurik we begin the countdown of the glorious history of our Fatherland.

Notes:

1. "The Tale of Bygone Years" translated by D.S. Likhachev;

2. Rydzevskaya E.A. To the question of oral traditions in the composition of the most ancient Russian chronicle;

3. Lomonosov M.V. "Objections to Miller's Dissertation".

Rurik (862 - 879) - the first great Russian prince, one of the legendary figures in European history, the founder of the ancient Russian state. According to the chronicles, called from the Varangians by the Slavs, Krivichi, Chud and the whole in 862, Rurik first occupied Ladoga, and then moved to Novgorod. Ruled in Novgorod under an agreement concluded with the local nobility, who approved the right to collect income. Founder of the Rurik dynasty.

1148 years ago, according to the testimony of the chronicler Nestor in The Tale of Bygone Years, the head of the Varangian military detachment Rurik, who arrived along with the brothers Sineus and Truvor, was called to "rule and reign over the Eastern Slavs" on September 8, 862.

The chronicle tradition connects the beginning of Russia with the calling of the Varangians. So "The Tale of Bygone Years" tells that in 862 three Varangian brothers with their clans came to rule the Slavs, laying the city of Ladoga. But where did they come from and who were these Varangians by origin, who gave rise to Russian statehood? Indeed, in historiography they managed to visit both the Swedes, and the Danes, and the Scandinavians in general; some authors considered the Varangians to be Normans, others, on the contrary, to be Slavs. Again and again, inattention to the problem posed in the very historical source, was the reason for contradictory statements For the ancient chronicler, the origin of the Varangians was obvious. He placed their lands on the south-Baltic coast up to "the land of Aglian", i.e. to the Angeln area in Holstein.

Today it is the North German state of Mecklenburg, whose population was not German in antiquity. What it was like - the names that have survived to this day speak about it. settlements Varin, Russov, Rerik and many others. However, despite all the clarity of the chronicle evidence, the question of the origin of the Varangians (and, therefore, the roots of Russian statehood) became debatable for posterity. The confusion was introduced by the version that appeared in political circles at the court of the Swedish king about the origin of Rurik from Sweden, which was subsequently picked up by some German historians. Objectively speaking, this version did not have the slightest historical basis, but it was completely politically conditioned. Back in the years Livonian War between Ivan the Terrible and the Swedish king Johan III, a sharp controversy erupted over the issue of titles. The Russian tsar considered the Swedish ruler to come from a "male family", to which he replied that the ancestors of the Russian dynasty itself allegedly came from Sweden. This idea finally took shape as a political concept on the eve of the Time of Troubles at the beginning of the 17th century, when the Swedes claimed the Novgorod lands, trying to justify their territorial claims with some kind of chronicle "calling". It was assumed that the Novgorodians were to send an embassy to the Swedish king and invite him to rule, as they had once allegedly called on the "Swedish" prince Rurik. The conclusion about the "Swedish" origin of the Varangians at that time was based only on the fact that they came to Russia "from across the sea", which means, most likely, from Sweden.

Subsequently, in the first half of the 18th century, German scientists from the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences turned to the Varangian theme, who, according to the same logic, sought to justify the German domination in Russia during the time of Biron's regency. They also formulated the so-called. "Norman theory", according to which the Varangians, the founders of the ancient Russian state, were recognized as immigrants from Sweden (that is, "Germans", as all foreigners were then called). Since then, this theory, dressed in a kind of scientific character, has become entrenched in Russian historiography. At the same time, many prominent historians, starting with M.V. Lomonosov, pointed out that the "Norman theory" does not correspond real facts. For example, the Swedes could not create a state in Russia in the 9th century, if only because they themselves did not have statehood at that time. In the Russian language and in Russian culture, it was not possible to find Scandinavian borrowings. Finally, a careful reading of the chronicle itself does not allow us to confirm the fabrications of the Normanists. The chronicler distinguished the Varangians from the Swedes and other Scandinavian peoples, writing that "those Varangians were called - Rus, as others are called Swedes, others are Normans, Angles, other Goths." Therefore, when concluding peace treaties with Byzantium, the pagan warriors of princes Oleg and Igor (the very Varangians whom the Normans consider Swedish Vikings) took an oath in the names of Perun and Veles, and not Odin or Thor at all. A.G. Kuzmin noted that this fact alone could refute the entire "Norman theory". It is clear that in this form the "Norman theory" could not be viable in academic science. But she was again and again turned to when it was necessary to strike a blow at the idea of ​​Russian statehood. Today this destructive theory has acquired new form, and modern Normanists, fed by grants from numerous foreign foundations, talk not so much about the "Scandinavian origin of the Varangians", but about a kind of division of "spheres of influence" in the ancient Russian state.

By new version Normanism, the power of the Vikings allegedly extended to the northern regions of Russia, and the Khazars to the southern ones (there was supposedly an agreement between them). Russians are not supposed to play any significant role in their own early history. However, the very development of the Russian state completely refutes all the conjectures of Russia's political enemies. Could ancient Russia have become a mighty Russian empire without the outstanding historical mission of the Russian people? great story took place together with the great people, descended from the Varangian beginning. It is unfortunate that today more and more replicas are heard that the ancestors of the Russians were non-Russians. This is not true. Our ancestors were the Varangians, who were also Russians. The only thing to be clarified is that it is Russia that is our original family name, and the ancient Russian navigators were called the Varangians. Ambassador Sigismund Herberstein, who visited Moscow at the beginning of the 16th century, wrote that the homeland of the Varangians - Vagria - was located on the south Baltic coast and from them the Baltic was called the Varangian Sea. He expressed the broad opinion that prevailed in the enlightened circles of Europe at that time. With the development of scientific genealogy, works began to appear on the connections of the Russian royal dynasty with the ancient royal families of Mecklenburg. In North German Pomorye, the Varangians and their historical ties with Russia were remembered until the 19th century. To this day, many traces of the presence of the pre-German population remain in the Mecklenburg region. It is obvious that it became "German" only after the Varangians and their descendants were forced out to the east or Germanized by Catholic orders. The French traveler C. Marmier once recorded in Mecklenburg folk legend about Rurik and his brothers. In the VIII century, the Varangians were ruled by King Godlav, who had three sons - Rurik, Sivar and Truvor. Once they set off from the southern Baltic to the east and founded an ancient Russian principality with centers in Novgorod and Pskov.

After some time, Rurik became the head of the dynasty, which reigned until 1598. This legend from Northern Germany is completely consonant with the Tale of the calling of the Varangians from the annals. However, a careful analysis of the facts allows, to some extent, to correct the chronicle chronology, according to which Rurik and his brothers began to rule in Russia from 862. A. Kunik generally considered this date to be erroneous, leaving the inaccuracy on the conscience of the later scribes of the chronicle. It is obvious that the events briefly reported in the Russian chronicles receive historical content from German sources. The Germans themselves refuted the Norman fictions. The Mecklenburg jurist Johann Friedrich von Chemnitz referred to a legend according to which Rurik and his brothers were the sons of Prince Godlav, who died in 808 in a battle with the Danes. Given that the eldest of the sons was Rurik, it can be assumed that he was born no later than 806 (after him, before the death of his father in 808, two younger brothers who were not the same age should have been born). Of course, Rurik could have been born earlier, but we do not yet have reliable information about this. According to German sources, Rurik and his brothers were "summoned" around 840, which seems very plausible. Thus, the Varangian princes could appear in Russia at a mature and capable age, which looks completely logical. Indeed, according to the latest archaeological finds, it was possible to establish that the Rurik settlement near modern Novgorod, which is the ancient Rurik Novgorod, existed earlier than 862. On the other hand, while making a mistake in chronology, the chronicle points more precisely to the place of "calling". Most likely it was not Novgorod (as according to German data), but Ladoga, which was founded by the Varangians in the middle of the VIII century. And Novgorod (Rurik's settlement) Prince Rurik "cut down" later, uniting the lands of the brothers after their death, as evidenced by the name of the city.

The family tree of Rurik from the ancient Varangian kings was recognized by connoisseurs and researchers of genealogy. Mecklenburg historians wrote that his grandfather was King Wittslav, who was an equal ally of the Frankish king Charlemagne and participated in his campaigns against the Saxons. During one of these campaigns, Witslav was killed in an ambush while crossing a river. Some authors directly called him "the king of the Russians." The North German genealogies also indicate the relationship of Rurik with Gostomysl, who acts in the annalistic legend about the calling of the Varangians. But if the stingy lines of the chronicle tell almost nothing about him, then in the Frankish chronicles he is mentioned as an opponent of Emperor Louis the German. Why did Rurik and his brothers set off from the South Baltic coast to the East? The fact is that the Varangian kings had a "next" system of inheritance, according to which the senior representative always received power ruling family. Later, such a system of inheritance of princely power became traditional in Russia. At the same time, the sons of the ruler who did not have time to take the royal throne did not receive any rights to the throne and remained outside the main "queue". Godlove was killed before his older brother and never became king during his lifetime. For this reason, Rurik and his brothers were forced to go to the peripheral Ladoga, where from that time began glorious history Russian state. Prince Rurik was a full-fledged ruler of Russia and a native of the "Russian family", and not at all a foreign ruler, as those who wish to imagine the entire Russian history only under foreign domination.

When Rurik died, his son Igor was still small, and Igor's uncle, Oleg (Prophetic Oleg, that is, knowing the future, died in 912), became the prince, who moved the capital to the city of Kyiv. It is Prophetic Oleg who is credited with the formation of the Old Russian state - Kievan Rus, with its center in Kyiv. Oleg's nickname - "prophetic" - referred exclusively to his penchant for sorcery. In other words, Prince Oleg, as the supreme ruler and leader of the squad, also simultaneously performed the functions of a priest, sorcerer, sorcerer, sorcerer. According to legend, Prophetic Oleg died from a snake bite; this fact formed the basis of a number of songs, legends and traditions. Oleg became famous for his victory over Byzantium, as a sign of which he nailed his shield on the main gates (gates) of Constantinople. So the Russians called the capital of Byzantium - Constantinople. Byzantium was then the most powerful state in the world.

In 2009, the celebration of the 1150th anniversary of Veliky Novgorod took place. I would like to believe that this most important date in our history will become the starting point for a new study of the ancient Russian past. New facts and discoveries constantly enrich historical science and our knowledge. There is more and more evidence that Russian history began not with a myth invented by medieval politicians and scribes, but with the real Grand Duke Rurik, who was born in royal dynasty in the Russian Baltic region one thousand two hundred years ago. God grant that the names of our ancestors and grandparents are not forgotten.

Prince Rurik (? 830 - 879 years) - one of the most mysterious figures ancient Russian history, the legendary Norman (Varangian) king (leader of the squad), according to legend, called to Russia by the ancient Slavic (Novgorod Slovenes) and Finno-Ugric tribes (Krivichi, Chud and all). He is the founder of the Rurik dynasty, which ruled Russia, and later Russia from the end of the 12th to the end of the 16th century. (the last of the dynasty - Tsar Fedor Ivanovich).

In Russian chronicles, the name Rurik sounds like it sounded in Celtic Gaul. This name probably goes back to the name of one of the tribes of the Celts - "ruriks", "rauriks", and the tribal name is possibly associated with the Rur River.

This tribe, even at the borders of our era, left the troops invading Gaul, and it could only leave to the east. In later times, people from the banks of the Ruhr River also received the names (or nicknames) Rurik. The names of the Rurik brothers also find an explanation in the Celtic languages. The name Sineus, most likely, is formed from the Celtic word "sinu" - "senior." The name Truvor is also explained from the Celtic language, in which the name Trevor means "third born".

Rurik is the founder of the Rurik dynasty - the dynasty of Russian princes, and later the kings, who ruled for 736 years, from the end of the 9th to the 16th centuries. Rurik, leader of the Varangian tribe "Ros" or "Rus". During the reign of Rurik, the lands of the Merya tribes, the whole and Murom were attached to the lands of the Slavs. According to the chronicle, Rurik was married to Princess Efanda of Urmansk, he had a son, Igor. According to unverified data from the end of the 16th - beginning of the 17th century, Rurik died in Korel in 879, having given control of the state and his young son distant relative Oleg.

There are numerous versions of the origin of Rurik.

According to one version, he was a representative of a noble Danish family Skioldungov, who owned the city of Doresnad in Friesland in 837-850. In Danish sources, his name is mentioned as "Rorik". With his retinue, Rerik raided Germany, France, England and Sweden until 860, when he was “called from across the sea by the Germans” (as the chronicle says) and settled in the “city of the Slavs” - Ladoga, from where he then came to Novgorod.

According to another version, Rurik was the son of the Bodrich prince Godoslav (d. 808) and Umila, the daughter of the Novgorod elder Gostomysl. According to the Ipatiev Chronicle and according to V. Klyuchevsky, Rurik lived from the beginning in Ladoga, from where he was called by the Slavs to Novgorod. In this case, there was no “calling of the Varangians from across the sea”, because the Slav Rurik was the leader of the hired Varangian squad in Ladoga.

Invited by the Novgorod elders to end intercity strife, together with the brothers Sineus and Truvor, he married in Novgorod a noble Novgorod woman, Efanda (Edvinda), from whom he had a son, Igor, and two daughters. Rurik's brothers - Sineus and Truvor - arrived in the city with him, and after their death, Rurik annexed to Novgorod the patrimony of Sineus Beloozero (inhabited by miracles and all) and the patrimony of Truvor Izborsk (the city of Krivichi), after which he declared Novgorod the capital of the entire Russian land in 864 year.

Some of the historians trace the origin of Rurik from Prus, the brother of Emperor Augustus.

There is another version. According to which, the brothers Rurik Sineus and Truvor did not exist at all, the Russian chroniclers simply could not understand and distorted the foreign text in translation, which told about the arrival of Rurik in Russia with his house (sine-hus'om) and faithful squad (true-thief ). The researchers who adhere to this point of view believe that there was no invitation from the Novgorod Slavs, but on the contrary, the king who ruled in Ladoga took advantage of the internal strife in the city and himself arrived in Novgorod.

And in one of the chronicles, in connection with this, an uprising of dissatisfied Rurik in the city, led by Vadim the Brave, was suppressed. Vadim was killed, his supporters fled south to Kyiv. According to this chronicle story, Rurik's combatants named Askold and Dir also went there, who were able to seize power in Kyiv around 866. According to this version, initially two states arose: northern and southern Russia, and both were led by the Vikings.

Be that as it may, but ruling Novgorod, Rurik extended his influence to the north and east of the city, was able to annex the lands of the Merya tribes, the whole, Murom, and thereby expanded the Novgorod principality from the Volkhov to the mouth of the Oka.

Formation of the Old Russian state. Rurik, Truvor and Sineus

The Normans forced the Novgorodians and another Slavic tribe, and three Finnish tribes to pay tribute to them. But the Slavs and Finns coped, kicked out the uninvited guests. But they didn't live that way for long. There were many riots, but the truth was not respected. There will be a dispute among people from different clans, foremen will gather to judge them, each stands up for his own family. And the clans began to fight with each other. And then there was a custom, if there was some important matter, then the foremen of the whole tribe or even from several tribes, who lived together in harmony, gathered in one place. Here the foremen of the tribes, who drove out the Varangians, gathered and began to think how they could stop the unrest. How to do it?

The trouble came from the fact that there was no truthful judge. If such a judge, then the Slavs would live peacefully among themselves. But where can you get it? You cannot choose such a judge from the Slavs or Finns: injustice will again come. We need a judge from among strangers - he will judge more accurately. And yet such a judge is needed so that he has strength, so that if the defendant is stubborn, he would force him to obey. And the Slavs decided to look for judges in a foreign land, namely among the Varangians. They heard that in one kind of Varangian, which was called Rus, there are three princes who judge fairly, and good warriors, so that they can force their subjects to obey, and they will not be allowed to offend anyone.

These brothers were called: Rurik, Sineus and Truvor. So the Slavs sent ambassadors to them. The ambassadors came, bowed to these princes and said: “Our land is great and plentiful, but we have no order, come to reign and rule over us.” These princes agreed to their request, and came to them with all their family and retinue.

Those who followed some prince or chief military leader went to war were called the squad. They were not related to him, and therefore they served, because they hoped to get more booty with him, and for sure, the good prince loved his squad very much and took care of it.

Rurik and his brothers arrived in the Slavic lands and brought with them their entire Russian family, which is why the land where they began to reign was called Rus. It happened in 862 from the Nativity of Christ. So now more than 1000 years, as it happened, then it began Russian state. Rurik, Sineus and Truvor began to judge the Slavs and Finns who called them up, defended them from enemies, and they paid tribute to them for this. They paid tribute as much as the prince appointed. He used to visit her every year.

Sineus began to reign in the city of Beloozero, Truvor - in Izborsk, and Rurik - first in Ladoga, then in Novgorod. His brothers died, and he began to rule all of Russia. She just wasn't big. Today we have such provinces that are larger than all of Russia at that time. However, the Norman princes immediately began to increase their lands, conquered the cities: Polotsk, Murom, Rostov. It became better for the Slavs under the rule of the princes, the mess ended. The princes began to judge by the truth, and if someone did not obey, they were punished. Novgorodians decided to be self-willed, but Rurik pacified them. And none of the neighbors began to offend them.

However, he himself judged only in Novgorod, and in other cities he planted boyars, who began to judge instead of the prince, which is why they were called governors. These boyars were from the princely squad. It has seniors important people were called boyars, and the smaller ones - Gridny and howls. The prince's servants were called lads. Everyone could ask for a princely squad and, perhaps, rise to the rank of boyar in it. The most glorious boyars also had their squads. And when the war began, then from every family the older people armed themselves and came to the prince, while the younger ones remained at home. The governors had great benefits.

From Rurik's squad there were two warriors, Askold and Dir, who also wanted to be governors, but he did not give them cities. They asked him to go to Tsargrad, to serve the Greek emperor. Rurik let them go. So they sailed along the Dnieper with their family and saw Kyiv. They asked whose city it was, they learned that it pays tribute to the Khazars. They stopped here. Quite a few Varangians gathered around them, who still continued to go this way to Tsargrad to serve. The Kievans began to pay tribute to them instead of the Khazars; they defeated the neighboring Slavs and began to reign in Kyiv.

When Askold and Dir strengthened there, they decided to go to Tsargrad no longer to serve, but to fight, and sailed there on 200 ships. And the Greek army at that time fought in another place. The Russians began to plunder the environs of Tsargrad, terrified the city itself. There was a Blachernae church in it, where the robe of the Mother of God was kept. The main Greek bishop, who was called the patriarch, performed a prayer service and carried this robe around the walls of the city. A storm arose, the Russian boats were wrecked, they themselves barely escaped to the shore and began to ask for peace, and when they found out everything that had happened, they wanted to become Christians.

The Greeks were very happy about this, baptized Askold and Dir and the rest of their squad, gave them gold, silver, silk fabrics, and they returned to Kyiv. With Rurik, they did not live in harmony, they attacked him southern lands, accepted those who left Novgorod for them. But Rurik soon died; his son Igor was only two years old. The baby, of course, could not rule the state. And therefore Rurik transferred power to Oleg, apparently, to his associate.

Oleg and Igor

Later, versions arose connecting Oleg with the Rurik family. According to them, Oleg is the brother of Rurik's wife, that is, Igor's maternal uncle. It should be noted that the importance of the maternal line of kinship was important at that time, and a maternal uncle could be considered as a closer relative than paternal relatives, and could even raise a nephew. Oleg became a kind of "breadwinner" for Igor, regent during his early childhood. However, even later, when Igor grew up, Oleg did not let go of princely power. This guardian Igorev soon became famous for his great courage, victories, prudence, and love of his subjects.

Oleg was a cunning person. At first he took the cities of Smolensk and Lyubech, which stood on the road from Novgorod to Kyiv; then he gathered a large army from all the peoples subject to him and went to Kyiv in boats. Only most left the boats behind, and hid the rest of the soldiers, sailed to Kyiv and sent to tell Askold and Dir that the Varangian merchants had arrived, but they were not well, that's why they ask the princes to come to their ships. The princes believed, took a few people with them, came to the ships to Oleg, and he came out to them with a young Igor in his arms and said:

"You are not princes, but the son of Rurik." And at the same moment his soldiers came out from under the decks of the ships, rushed to Askold and Dir and killed them. He liked Kyiv very much: in Kyiv it is warmer, and everything will be born well, and the land is rich. Oleg said: "Let Kyiv be the mother of Russian cities," and began to live in it, and left the governor in Novgorod. But between Novgorod and Kyiv there were still Slavic tribes that were not yet subject to Oleg. He conquered all of them, although of them the Drevlyans and northerners fought very bravely with him.

Oleg, both before the campaign and after the campaign, tried a lot about how to arrange the Russian land, traveled around it, did justice and reprisals, and established tribute. All the people loved him very much. Here is what is said about his death. There were then many magicians, or sorcerers, that is, sorcerers. Oleg asked one of them what he would die of? And the sorcerer answered: "From your beloved horse." Oleg stopped riding this horse, ordered him to rest and groom.

Returning from the Constantinople campaign, he asked where his horse was? They tell him that the horse is dead. And the prince felt sorry for the horse, he wanted to see its bones, came to where they lay, stepped on the skull and said: “Why did I listen to this magician? He kept telling lies: he said that I would die from a horse, but the horse is dead, but I am alive and well. When the prince said this, a snake crawled out of the horse's skull, wrapped itself around the prince's leg and stung him. Oleg died from this. Igor assumed power over Russia after the death of Oleg.

Igor Rurikovich - Grand Duke Kyiv, The only son Rurik, born in 877, killed in 945. Quite little information is reported about the life of Igor before the reign of the chronicle: in 903, when Igor was still under the care of Oleg, a wife was brought to him from Pskov, named Olga; in 907, Oleg, setting out on a campaign against Byzantium, left Igor in Kyiv, as if his governor. In 912, Oleg died, and the first thing Igor, who reigned in Kyiv, was to pacify the rebellious Drevlyans, whom he punished with an increase in tribute (914).

At the same time, the Uglich tribe, who lived next door to the Tivertsy, was subjugated or returned to obedience; Igor imposed tribute on the Uglichs, which he gave to his beloved governor, Sveneld; he also gave the Drevlyansk tribute, which aroused a murmur in his squad. In 915, the Pechenegs came to the Russian land for the first time and the Kyiv prince made peace with them; however, already in 920, Igor had a chance to wage war with these steppe dwellers; her circumstances are unknown.

935 - ships and troops of Igor went with the Greek fleet to Italy; but in 941 their peaceful relations were broken and Igor with a large flotilla - according to the annals consisting of 10,000 ships - went to Constantinople. The emperor was informed of the arrival of the Russ by the Bulgarians; but Igor managed to make a landing and devastate the vicinity of the Bosphorus; The Russian flotilla anchored near Far.

When the Greek fleet came out against her, Igor was so sure of victory that he gave the order to his soldiers to spare the enemy and take them prisoner alive; but in the ensuing battle, the Greek fire, which the Russians saw here for the first time, brought such horror to Igor and his soldiers that they in a hurry retired to the shores of Asia Minor. There they tried to land in Bithynia, but Patricius Bardas and Domesticus John forced them to retire to the ships; the Russians off the coast of Thrace again fought the Greeks at sea and with great loss went home. However, Igor began to gather a large army again: the Varangians were called in from across the sea and the Pechenegs were hired, from whom hostages were taken.

944 - Igor set out on a new campaign against Greece with a fleet and cavalry. The Korsunians and Bulgarians again let the emperor know about the arrival of the Russians, and he immediately sent ambassadors to Igor, who met the prince near the Danube mouth, offered him a tribute that Oleg had once taken, even more if he agreed to peace. Having reached the Danube, Igor, after consulting with the squad, took gifts from the Greeks for all his soldiers and, having ordered the hired Pechenegs to devastate Bulgaria, returned to Kyiv. On the next year the emperor sent ambassadors to Igor, and the latter sent his ambassadors to Constantinople, where a peace treaty was concluded, “for all the years, while the sun shines and peace stands,” but on terms less favorable for Russia than under Oleg.

The emperor approved the agreement with an oath and again sent his ambassadors to Kyiv, before whom Igor, on a hill at the foot of Perun, solemnly swore to maintain friendship with the empire; his soldiers, as a sign of an oath, laid weapons, shields and gold at the foot of the idol, and those of them who were Christians swore allegiance in the church of St. Elijah. Igor released the Greek ambassadors, giving them precious furs, wax and captives. Igor's retinue envied the youths of Sveneld that they were rich in weapons and all kinds of clothing, while they, the prince's retinues, were barefoot and naked. The combatants therefore demanded that Igor go with them to collect taxes from the subject tribes and to share with them.

With the onset of autumn in 945, Igor went with his retinue to the Drevlyansk land and collected tribute from it; then, leaving a small part of the squad with him, and letting the rest go home, the prince still wanted to take tribute from the Drevlyane land. But this angered the Drevlyans: it is necessary to kill predatory wolf they decided, otherwise he will destroy everything that has become; they armed themselves under the command of the local prince Mal, left Korosten, killed Igor and buried him not far from their city, having killed his squad. According to Byzantine news, the Drevlyans tied Igor to two trees bent to the ground and, releasing the trees, tore him in two.

The story of the Arab writer Abulfed refers to the reign of Igor that in 944 the Russians took the capital of Arran Barda and returned to their land of the river. Kur and the Caspian Sea. Another Eastern historian, Abulfarag, attributes this attack to the Alans, Lezgins and Slavs. As for the establishment under Igor of Russian dominance on the banks of the Cimmerian Bosporus and the more decisive subordination of the black Bulgarians to the Russian princes, this issue still requires more detailed research.

Thus, he was the first prince of Rurikovich, on the throne of Kiev. Igor's reign was marked by several major military campaigns, not only in the south, but also in the east. In addition to Byzantium, the Rus were attracted by the shores of the Caspian Sea, which beckoned with its riches, because the famous trade route, which connected Russia with the countries of the Arab East. On the coast of the Caspian sprawled rich lands and cities, immersed in luxury and prosperity.

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Historians say that our ancestors in ancient times lived in wildness in the forests, in the fields. It is sad to hear this, but what to do if Nestor the chronicler said, and Karamzin conveyed this to the general public? Apparently, our ancestors could not organize themselves without the leading assistance of the West ...

The Varangian or Norman theory, which was followed by such prominent historians of the 19th century as Nikolai Karamzin and Sergei Solovyov, arose on the basis of chronicle sources. It has always been popular in the West and was happily picked up by many "Normanists from politics", including Hitler and Himmler. In the Soviet Union, by the end of the 1980s, most historians recognized it as completely untenable.

Chronicles lie?

So why, after 30 years, all the most interesting studies are forgotten, and Karamzin is again being reinterpreted for us? Probably, Westerners, in principle, are unpleasant at the very idea that our ancestors created their own state long before Rurik and had a peculiar culture. Among the same Scandinavians, our country was called Gardarika - “country of cities”.

Agree strange name for the wild land where the natives sit in the trees. The Varangian theory also suited the house of the Romanovs, who by the time Karamzin's writings appeared were purebred Germans. The last Russian on the throne was Empress Elizabeth, the daughter of Peter I.

I will try to state what has long been known, but for some reason forgotten by many Westerners.

So, in 862, another strife happened in the Novgorod land, and in order to restore order, the Novgorodians decided to invite a prince from the Varangians. We went across the sea and, by some strangeness, dragged three princes with them at once: Rurik and his brothers Sineus and Truvor. In 864, Rurik's brothers die for some reason, and Rurik himself hardly suppresses the uprising of the Novgorodians under the leadership of Vadim the Brave.

The discrepancies of the chronicle are felt from the very beginning. History knows a lot of examples of inviting foreign princes to the throne, but there were names of rulers whose generosity was not in doubt. The chronicle is silent about the generosity of Rurik, about his overseas possessions, or at least about his glorious father. One of the explanations for the absurdities was given by Academician B.D. Grekov in the book "Kievan Rus".

He says that Rurik was invited not to reign, but as a mercenary. The fact that the dashing seeker of fortune with his gang would quickly assess the situation and seize power, having killed both warring parties, the narrow-minded Novgorodians did not think.

The annalistic brothers of Rurik, who are still taken seriously by many, are also admired. They have interesting names, made up of the Scandinavian words "sine hyus", which means "one's own house" or "one's kind", and "tru waring" - "faithful squad". Obviously, the brothers of Rurik in our chronicle appeared as a result of a translation error of some Scandinavian source. In fact, Rurik came to Novgorod with his relatives and faithful squad.

There are hypotheses, not related to the chronicle, about the origin of Rurik from the Baltic Slavs. But if desired, such a hypothesis can also be used as a justification for the influence of the West. Many famous Prussian nobles, such as Moltke, Bülow and others, did not hide their Slavic origin.

So, Rurik seized power, and the chronicle speaks of an invitation. Moreover, the chronicle hushed up the existence of legitimate princes, as if there was a vacuum of power. And historians talk about vast empty spaces, where there was enough space for everyone, and there was nothing to conquer.

Actually, there was a war. In the Russian chronicles of the 10th century, 22 cities are mentioned, in reality there were many more. There were several princely dynasties. And the Russian land may have at times resembled a federation of Greek city-states. To repel enemy invasions from the steppe, serious defensive structures were built by joint efforts.

They received the name of the Serpent Shafts. According to legend, the fabulous hero harnessed the snake and plowed a giant furrow on it. Remains of these structures can still be found today. For many years, the Kyiv historian Arkady Silvestrovich Bugai was engaged in the study of the Serpentine Ramparts.

Remains of the Serpent Shafts (Ukraine)

He determined the age of the ramparts using radiocarbon analysis and found out that the Vito-Bobritskaya line, more than 8 kilometers long, was built in 370! Even now, the height of the shaft is 8-9 meters, and in front of it there was a deep ditch. To the south lies the Stugninskaya line of ramparts, it was built on in the 7th century against the Avars (according to the annals - Obrov).

Against whom was the rampart built in the 4th century? Against the Huns. The leader of the Huns, Attila, imposed tribute on Constantinople and Rome, conquered many Germanic tribes, defeated the Bosporus kingdom in the Crimea, and was a goth thug. But our ancestors fenced themselves off from misfortune with powerful fortifications.

Fathers and Sons

However, let's return to Rurik and his son Ingvar Khrerekson - Prince Igor. The name Ingvar is translated as "dedicated to the god Inga." In 882, Oleg, a kinsman of Rurik and regent for the young prince Igor, went south with his retinue, where he captured Kyiv and killed the supposedly self-proclaimed Varangian princes Askold and Dir, conquered neighboring lands by force, and proclaimed Kyiv the capital of the newly formed state.

The main lie of this chronicle tale is that the princes Askold and Dir are Varangians. In fact, they are legitimate Kievichi - the descendants of Prince Kiy Polyansky, the founder of Kyiv. Academician Rybakov wrote about this. So the Varangians destroyed another (there were their own princes in Novgorod) Russian princely dynasty.

And the time of wolf princes came in Russia. They did not hesitate to collude with the Pechenegs and Khazars. Russian blood was poured like a river. Oleg and Igor went on bloody campaigns against Byzantium, to which they were driven by the Khazars, who needed to inflict damage on their trade competitors - the Greeks. So the Khazars were paid a kind of tribute in blood.

The Normans did not care about the victims, their Varangian guard - Ruts (in the Slavic pronunciation of Russia) - was guarded by them. By the way, Westerners naturally choose the chronicle-Varangian from numerous versions of the origin of the name of the ethnos Rus, discarding the names of the Ros River and the names of tribes. They claim that Rurik brought Rus (Ruts), in the sense of a gang, with him, and this allegedly gave the name to our people.

The only force capable of resisting the Varangians in Russia remained the Drevlyans with their capital in the city of Iskorosten. Their princely dynasty had strong ties with the Czech Republic. There is a high probability that the first wife of Mal Drevlyansky was a Czech princess.

Impregnable Iskorosten

During Igor's second campaign against Byzantium in 944, the Drevlyans refused to give him troops. In 945, Igor went on a campaign against the Drevlyans. According to the chronicle, here he was killed by the greed of the warriors and his own stupidity. But the one who saw Korosten ( modern name) on granite hills (and the city still exists), will not believe in such frivolity.

Korosten was a completely impregnable fortress. Igor came to the Drevlyans with the whole army in order to destroy his last rivals, and the Drevlyans in advance pronounced a sentence on him as a wolf prince. The end of the battle is known: the Varangian guard - Ruts - died, and Igor was subjected to a shameful execution - tied to two trees that tore him apart.

According to the chronicle, Igor's wife - Princess Olga (Helga) - terribly took revenge on the Drevlyans. Even in the history textbook for the 7th grade, we read that Olga took tribute from the Drevlyans with pigeons and sparrows, and then ordered burning tinder to be tied to them, and so burned the hostile city.

Even Karamzin did not take this tale seriously. Nevertheless, Olga, through the hands of her governor Sveneld, managed to defeat the Drevlyans a year after Igor's crushing defeat.

But Iskorosten was not taken. And this allowed Prince Mal Drevlyansky to bargain with Olga for rather mild terms of surrender for his family and the Drevlyans as a whole. The prince himself later long years spent as a prisoner in the former Drevlyansk city of Lyubech. And his children - son Dobrynya and daughter Mala (in slavery Malusha) spent 10 years in slavery. This discovery was made by D.I. Prozorovsky back in 1864 and today is safely forgotten.

Having hardly defeated the Drevlyans, Olga realized that if the policy was not decisively changed, then the Varangian house would be completely swept away by the Russians who hated the newcomers. Perhaps that is why, even before the uprising of the Drevlyans, the cunning Olga gave the heir to the throne the Slavic name Svyatoslav. And after the death of Igor, she began to pursue a Slavic policy.

Malusha becomes the second wife of Svyatoslav approximately in 958-959, although according to the annals, of course, only a concubine. And her son, the future prince Vladimir, who was born around 960, is allegedly considered a bastard, “robichich” (son of a slave).

In fact, everything was exactly the opposite. By marrying her son Svyatoslav to the daughter of the Drevlyansk prince who was captured by her, Olga gave the rootless sea robbers - the Rurikoviches - legitimacy in the eyes of all Russia. In 965, Svyatoslav dealt a mortal blow to the main enemy of Russia at that time - the Khazar Khaganate.

War against the Drevlyans

In 970, Dobrynya receives power unprecedented for a former slave - she goes to rule Novgorod on behalf of her young nephew, Prince Vladimir, who also travels with him. The fact that Prince Svyatoslav, distributing inheritances, gives Vladimir Novgorod land - the possessions of his grandfather Rurik - says a lot. Obviously, neither he nor anyone else in Russia at that moment considered Vladimir a bastard. All these fakes appeared in subsequent annals.

The death of Svyatoslav in 972 leads to a new civil war in Russia. According to the chronicle, Svyatoslav was killed by the Pechenegs on the island of Khortitsa, according to Gumilev, this was done by the people of Kiev themselves. In any case, the death of Svyatoslav is the result of the betrayal of the governor Sveneld.

By the way, Sveneld is the only one of the Varangians who got into Russian epics in the form of the sinister Santal, with whom Volga the Bogatyr fights. The real Volga, Oleg Svyatoslavich, the new prince of the Drevlyansk, was much less fortunate. He died defending the city of Ovruch in 977.

Compliance of epic characters with real ones historical figures X-XI centuries, it was established by Academician B.A. Rybakov. There is no doubt that both the epic Dobrynya Nikitich (Niskinich) and the real Dobrynya Malovich had the highest authority in Russia at that time. Prince Niskinya was the father of Prince Mal and the grandfather of Dobrynya, therefore, Dobrynya can also be called Niskinich.

The chronicle depicts the civil war, which lasted almost a decade, as a family showdown between the sons of Svyatoslav. In fact, this is still the same struggle between the Varangians and the Drevlyans. And formally, at the first stage, the war looked like a strife between two half-brothers Yaro-regiment and Oleg.

Yaropolk, led by Sveneld and supported by the Polyansky boyars, became the banner of the Varangian party. Sveneld in the campaigns of Svyatoslav retained his Varangian squad and gathered troops in other lands. The Drevlyan party had only the Drevlyansk and Novgorod militia at its disposal. Professional troops perished in the campaigns of Svyatoslav.

According to Byzantine sources, Russia lost about 60 thousand soldiers in the Bulgarian wars. By the end of 977, the victory of the Varangian party seemed complete. Prince Oleg died. The Drevlyansk principality and Novgorod were captured. Dobrynya with Prince Vladimir and his retinue flee to Scandinavia, where they live for three years. At the same time, the Dobrynya fleet, with the help of the Scandinavians, smashes the pirate nest of the Vikings in the Baltic and thus deprives Sveneld of the Varangian replenishment.

"Dobrynya Nikitich with his younger sister Malusha". Andrei Ryabushkin. 1895

But soon everything changes: in 980, Dobrynya lands in Novgorod, quickly captures Polotsk and Kyiv. Yaropolk flees to the Pechenegs, but on the border he is captured and executed. Prince Vladimir becomes head Kievan Rus, and epic times are coming - the era of Vladimir the Red Sun.

The main god of the Varangians and the glades was Perun. Perun (Perkunas) was also known in the Baltic. The Vikings brought him with them to the Kievan land, or he was there before them, is unknown. But there is no doubt that it was the most bloodthirsty deity. The human sacrifices practiced by the Varangians were offered to him.

The overthrow of the Varangian yoke is marked by the establishment of the hexatheism. Near Perun in Kyiv, statues of the gods of the victorious lands are erected: Khors of Novgorod, Dazhdbog of Drevlyansky, Stribog of Polotsk, Simargl of Dregovichsky, Mokosha of Smolensk. In 985, Perun, as the god of the Varangians, a traitor and traitor, was condemned and cast into the Dnieper.

Vladimir sent a special team that did not allow the evil idol to moor to the shore to the very Dnieper rapids. Pentatheism is established in Kyiv as a symbol of the federation of Russian lands and Russian gods.

It remains to be understood: why do the Russian chronicles give such a false picture? But because in the second half of the 11th century, the Varangian party, headed by Prince Iz-yaslav, again came to power in Kyiv. It is engaged in the systematic destruction and alteration of chronicles. For some time, supporters of the Varangians ruled in Novgorod, and also destroyed or corrected the Novgorod chronicles.

As a result, it can be said that information war the Vikings won. It is interesting that Izyaslav was the grandson of Vladimir, but betrayed his grandfather's cause, since the worldview of the prince is largely shaped by his environment.

Vasily KOLVIN

Novgorod principality

Rurik's history is full of contradictions and inaccuracies. This is mainly due to the fact that there are practically no reliable written sources testifying to what Russia actually was before Prince Rurik. The main source of such knowledge can only be considered not numerous chronicles. The main chronicler, Nester, wrote that the beginning of the reign of the first prince dates back to 862. It was in this year that Prince Rurik (Varangian) occupied the princely throne in Novgorod. Total time his reigns are from 862 to 879. It should be noted that initially the reign was conducted not from Novgorod, but from Ladoga, it was in this city that Prince Rurik stopped, and it was from there that he ruled Novgorod. This fact did not overshadow the beginning of the reign, because the nominal city of Ladoga was a kind of gate in the famous sea ​​route from the Varangians to the Greeks. Together with the first Varangian, his brothers also ruled: Sinius occupied the city of Beloozero, Trovor occupied the city of Izvorsk. After the death of Sinius and Trovor in 864, the ruler of Novgorod annexed their lands to his possession. It was from this time, according to the chronicler, that the Russian monarchy originated.

Country governance

Rurik's foreign policy at the time of his coming to power comes down to strengthening statehood, seizing new territories and fighting internal enemies. So, the first two years, from 862 to 864, he annexed the cities of Murom, Rostov and Smolensk to his lands. Such a successful foreign policy was accompanied by growing discontent in Novgorod itself. The main culprit of these events was Vadim the Brave. The successful beginning of the reign of the Varangian did not give him rest. It was Vadim the Brave in 864, with the support of the Novgorod boyars, merchants and sorcerers, who raised a rebellion, which was brutally suppressed by Rurik. This is evidenced by Nester (chronicler) in his writings. Since 864, the foreign policy of Russia has not changed. This time, he moved south to the Dnieper steppes, where he plundered the local tribes. Thus, it was possible to reach Kyiv itself, in which Askold and Dir ruled.

Rurik's foreign policy

Foreign policy at that time demanded to secure its southern borders, in connection with which a peace treaty was concluded between Novgorod, ruled by Prince Rurik, and Kyiv, ruled by Askold and Dir. But this world was not destined to last long. Already in 866, Askold began a campaign to the north, to the lands that were part of the possession of Novgorod. This campaign continued until 870, but in the end, Prince Rurik defeated Askold's army. At the same time, in the development of events after this victory there are a number of oddities, as in other matters and in all the years of the reign of the first Varangian, the victorious army did not capture Kyiv. Rurik was limited only to ransom. What is the reason for such generosity of the prince, who never shunned the expansion of his possessions, is almost impossible to explain. The only reasonable explanation for this fact can be considered only that at the same time the Novgorod squad fought with the Khazars and constantly expected aggression from the Baltic. The reasonableness of this argument is confirmed by the fact that further rule was aimed at capturing Kyiv after all. Starting from 873 and up to its death, the main efforts of Novgorod were aimed at concluding an alliance with Western countries against Kyiv. But these plans were not destined to come true. The history of Rurik ended in 879. The further implementation of these plans was taken up by Prince Oleg, who was nicknamed the Prophet by the people.

Prince Rurik and his life is a success story. The story of how a simple man managed not only to seize power, but also to keep it and successfully rule his state. Of course, Russia existed until 862, but it was Prince Rurik who laid the foundation for that great camp, which Russia is to this day.