In what century did Rurik come? The reign of Rurik - the main events of the prince’s foreign and domestic policies

Chronicle information about the reign of Rurik is extremely scarce, but an analysis of archaeological finds made in the Ladoga region and the use of data from Western European and Arab sources allows us to shed light on the activities of the Novgorod prince.
As archaeologists have established, the Normans appeared within the Eastern Slavs in the 7th century. Aldeiguborg (Ladoga), mentioned in the Scandinavian sagas, arose at the confluence of the Ladozhka and Volkhov rivers, not far from its confluence with Lake Ladoga. In these places, originally inhabited by Finnish tribes, the Vikings invaded from the Baltic Sea, across the Neva and Lake Ladoga, and founded a settlement.

The calling of the prince. Meeting of the prince with his squad, elders and people of the Slavic city. HELL. Kivshenko. 1880

Ancestors of Rurik. From here, bypassing Lake Ladoga, along the Svir River, the Scandinavians went to Lake Onega and further to the White Sea. Along the Volkhov it was possible to reach the sources of the Dnieper and Volga, which led them to the rich south and east. Since the 9th century, representatives of Slavic and Finnish tribes began to appear in Ladoga, but until the 10th century the Scandinavian population constituted the majority here. The sagas speak of Aldeiguborg as one of the kingdoms where the kings ruled. It was there, according to the Scandinavian sagas, that the grandfather and father of Rurik of Jutland, Eystein and Halfdan, found life partners. Although there is no, even indirect, information about the campaign of Rurik of Jutland to the lands of the Eastern Slavs, the version about the existence of his transshipment base in Ladoga, where his ancestors were kings, may have grounds. Some historians admit that Rurik could have walked with Frisian merchants to the east, protecting them from robbers, could have spent some time in Ladoga, and then returned to Jutland.
Scandinavian settlement in Ladoga. Wherever the Scandinavians settled, they built “long” houses, where all representatives of the same clan settled. The wooden building, often up to 100 meters long, consisted of a vestibule and a windowless room with a door facing south. In the center of the house there was a fireplace, and above it there was a hole in the roof for the smoke to escape. Benches and shelves for dishes were attached along the perimeter of the walls. The outside walls and roof of the house were covered with turf for warmth. In the settlements of the Varangians there were craft workshops. In Ladoga, archaeologists discovered a forge with a variety of tools, which belonged to immigrants from the Swedish island of Gotland. In the middle of the 9th century, the Varangian-Slavic-Finnish nobility held power in Ladoga. A number of scientists believe that even before being called to Rus', while fighting for his lands in Friesland, Rurik did not lose sight of Ladoga as a convenient refuge on the Great Volga Route.
Reign in Ladoga. In 862, according to the "Joachim Chronicle", Rurik " with the brethren and their houses"arrived in Ladoga and spent about two years there. He rebuilt the city and strengthened the port. Having entered into an agreement with the elders of the Slavic and Finno-Ugric tribes, he pledged to protect his subjects from attacks by other Scandinavians, ensure the normal functioning of trade in the region, and regulate "in truth" relations between the tribes, to defend their common interests. In return, he received food for himself and his squad and payment in silver, as was customary everywhere. Chronicles report that one of Rurik’s brothers, Sineus, was sent by him “to Beloozero.” The entire territory of the tribe played an important role in the extraction of furs, which explains Rurik’s desire to put it under his control. Another brother, Truvor, began to reign in Izborsk, in the tribal center of the Krivichi, the prince distributed the rest of the cities to the governors from the squad.

Distribution of land to "finders". In 864, Sineus and Truvor died. " And Rurik alone took over all power,- says the chronicle. - And he began to distribute volosts and cities to his husbands - to this Polotsk, to this Rostov, to another Beloozero. The Varangians in these cities are the Nakhodniki, and the indigenous people in Novgorod are the Slavs, in Polotsk the Krivichi, in Rostov the Merya, in Beloozero the whole, in Murom the Muroma, and Rurik ruled over them all". Rurik himself moved to the settlement at the source of the Volkhov. Now it became a fortress, trade, craft and military-administrative center of Northern Rus'. There was the court of the prince, and his squad was stationed. It is believed that the Rurik settlement was the original Novgorod - a new city in relation to old Ladoga.

Ruins of the Church of the Annunciation of the 12th century. Rurik settlement. Contemporary photography

When was Novgorod founded?"The Tale of Bygone Years" reports two mutually exclusive versions of the emergence of Novgorod. According to one of them, Novgorod was “cut down” by Rurik. According to another, it was founded by the Slavs, who came to the north in the process of resettlement from the Dnieper region and then invited Rurik to become a prince. Archaeological research on the territory of Novgorod Detinets showed that there was a temple and a cemetery there before the appearance of the original fortress. This indicates the existence of an ancient intertribal center in Novgorod. In pagan times, the cemetery served as a place of veche gatherings, a place of court, and a place of cult festivities and games. Scientists believe that Novgorod was the center of the federation of Slovenes, Meri, Chud and Krivichi, and it arose in the 8th century before the appearance of Rurik in it.
The uprising of Vadim the Brave. Having accepted “all power alone,” Rurik, apparently, did not renew the previous “row” (agreement) with the elders. He relied on a strong Varangian squad, with whom he held council. From a serving mercenary, he turned into an autocratic ruler, which did not suit the tribal nobility. In 864, in the absence of Rurik, an uprising broke out in Novgorod, led by Vadim the Brave. According to V.N. Tatishchev, he was a Slovenian prince and raised the people to fight for the return of lost freedom. The Nikon Chronicle says that the Novgorodians " suffered in every possible way from Rurik and his family“and no longer wanted to live “like slaves.” Returning from the campaign, Rurik killed Vadim and severely punished the participants in the rebellion. Fearing reprisals, many “noble men” then fled to Kyiv, where the Varangians Askold and Dir established themselves as rulers. Rurik quickly expanded his borders Novgorod land. Krivichi Polotsk, Meryansky Rostov and Murom were under his control. N.M. Karamzin wrote: The memory of Rurik, as the first Russian autocrat, remained immortal in our history; the main effect of his reign was the firm annexation of some Finnish tribes to the Slavic people".
Participation of the Varangians in the life of Northern Rus'. Immigrants from Scandinavia surprisingly easily integrated into the life of the Slavic and Finno-Ugric tribes. They willingly settled in cities, traded, built ships and forged weapons, and were engaged in jewelry craft. Rurik and his governors strengthened the principality, erected powerful border fortresses, and created an organized squad that ensured law and order. In place of the warring tribal regions, a single economic and social space arose. The actions of the ruler of Northern Rus' contributed to the preservation of peace within the Novgorod borders and the dynamic development of the economy and culture.

The ancient Russian chronicle of the 12th century “The Tale of Bygone Years” says that exactly 1153 years ago such tribes as the Chud, Ilmen Slovenes, Krivichi and all called the Varangian Rurik to reign in Novgorod.

The calling of the Varangians is an event from which it is traditional to count the beginning of the reign of the Rurik dynasty, which united Novgorod and Kievan Rus.

Varangians in power

The chronicler of the Tale calls the reason for Rurik’s invitation the civil strife that engulfed the Slavic and Finno-Ugric tribes living on the Novgorod lands. The founder of the princely dynasty came with his people, called Rus. Historians to this day argue about who Rurik was and where exactly he came from. Many associate its origins with Denmark and Sweden. Mikhail Lomonosov led him and the Varangians out of the Prussians. He relied on toponyms and later chronicles. The Russian scientist also accepted the Slavic origin of Rurik as an indisputable fact. One way or another, he became the first chronically reliable Russian prince.

Rurik (Miniature from the “Royal Titular Book”. 17th century) Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

In 862, according to the chronicle, three Varangian brothers - Rurik, Sineus and Truvor - came to rule three city regions. Sineus settled in Beloozero, Truvor - in Izborsk, but Rurik, according to some sources, settled in Ladoga, according to others - in Novgorod.

At the same time, the legend about the calling of the Varangians can be nothing more than a legal justification for a new form of government. Legitimate power must always be approved by the public, and according to some reports, the elders at a general meeting decided to abandon popular rule and install over themselves a single ruler who could administer justice fairly and protect the Slavs from raids.

Probably, in reality everything was somewhat different. The Varangians were presumably invited for the purpose of protection from barbarian raids and to stop civil strife. The invited military leaders could understand how rich the land where they came to serve was, and they wanted more. It is possible that against the will of the Slavs they remained in power.

Execution of Brave

Later, evidence appears in the chronicles that the Novgorodians rebelled against the Varangian rulers. The leader of the uprising was a certain Vadim Brave. Rurik and his brothers managed to suppress the rebellion, and executed Brave. Sineus and Truvor apparently died in these battles. After this, Rurik annexed their lands to the Novgorod region.

Two Varangians from Rurik’s squad, Dir and Askold, went to Constantinople. On their way south, they ended up in Kyiv, where they were hired to defend against external enemies. There, the mercenary Varangians quickly turned from defenders into rulers. They were able to completely capture the Kyiv city region.

The merchant trip to Constantinople of Askold and Dir took place later, but turned into a conquest. The Varangians gathered a large army and in 866 they moved to the Byzantine capital on 200 boats. They could not take it, because, according to the chronicler’s testimony, the Greek Patriarch Photius dropped the robe of the Mother of God into the water, which caused a storm. She sank some of the invaders' boats, which were frightened by what had happened. They decided to contact the Metropolitanate of Constantinople with a request for holy baptism.

Already closer to 870, there was a Northern Union on Russian lands - with its center in Novgorod, as well as a Southern Union - with its capital in Kyiv. The first was ruled by Rurik, and in the second the power belonged to Dir and Askold.

First of the dynasty

The Varangian, who marked the beginning of the Rurik dynasty, died in 879. He left behind a close relative and friend Oleg as the Prince of Novgorod.

During his reign, Rurik managed to annex Finnish lands to Russian territories, as well as territories occupied by scattered tribes of the Eastern Slavs.

Most Slavs were now united by common customs, language and faith. This contributed to the formation of a new political formation, when the head of the state is an autocratic ruler. Rurik did not become one, but was the founder of a dynasty that ruled until the end of the 16th century. The last of the Rurikovichs on the throne was Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich.

In September 2015, a monument to Rurik and Oleg the Prophet was erected on the central square of Staraya Ladoga, on the banks of the Volkhov. Many researchers are inclined to believe that this is where the unification of the Slavic tribes came from and the history of Russia began.

Rurik at the monument “1000th Anniversary of Russia” in Veliky Novgorod. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

This monument became the first sculpture that immortalized the founder of Russian statehood. Previously, Rurik, among other statesmen, was depicted only on the “Millennium of Russia” monument.

The Rurikovichs are the descendants of Rurik, who became the first known chronicle prince of ancient Rus'. Over time, the Rurik family split into several branches.

The birth of a dynasty

The Tale of Bygone Years, written by the monk Nestor, tells the story of the calling of Rurik and his brothers to Rus'. The sons of the Novgorod prince Gostomysl died in the wars, and he married one of his daughters to a Varangian-Russian, who gave birth to three sons - Sineus, Rurik and Truvor. They were called by Gostomysl to reign in Rus'. It was with them that the Rurik dynasty began in 862, which reigned in Rus' until 1598.

The first princes

In 879, the summoned prince Rurik died, leaving a young son Igor. While he was growing up, the principality was ruled by Oleg, a relative of the prince through his wife. He conquered the entire Principality of Kiev, and also built diplomatic relations with Byzantium. After Oleg's death in 912, Igor began to reign until he died in 945, leaving two heirs - Gleb and Svyatoslav. However, the eldest (Svyatoslav) was a three-year-old child, and therefore his mother, Princess Olga, took the reign into her own hands.

Having become a ruler, Svyatoslav was more interested in military campaigns and in one of them he was killed in 972. Svyatoslav left three sons: Yaropolk, Oleg and Vladimir. Yaropolk killed Oleg for the sake of autocracy, while Vladimir first fled to Europe, but later returned, killed Yaropolk and became ruler. It was he who baptized the people of Kiev in 988 and built many cathedrals. He reigned until 1015 and left behind 11 sons. After Vladimir, Yaropolk began to reign, who killed his brothers, and after him Yaroslav the Wise.

Yaroslavichy

Yaroslav the Wise reigned in total from 1015 to 1054 (including breaks). When he died, the unity of the principality was disrupted. His sons divided Kievan Rus into parts: Svyatoslav received Chernigov, Izyaslav - Kyiv and Novgorod, Vsevolod - Pereyaslavl and the Rostov-Suzdal land. The latter, and subsequently his son Vladimir Monomakh, significantly expanded the acquired lands. After the death of Vladimir Monomakh, the disintegration of the unity of the principality was finally established, each part of which was ruled by a separate dynasty.

Rus' is specific

Feudal fragmentation is growing due to the laddered right of succession to the throne, according to which power was transferred by seniority to the prince's brothers, while the younger ones were given to them in cities of lesser importance. After the death of the main prince, everyone moved according to seniority from city to city. This order led to internecine wars. The most powerful princes launched a war for Kyiv. The power of Vladimir Monomakh and his descendants turned out to be the most influential. Vladimir Monomakh leaves his possessions to three sons: Mstislav, Yaropolk and Yuri Dolgoruky. The latter is considered the founder of Moscow.

The fight between Moscow and Tver

One of the famous descendants of Yuri Dolgoruky was Alexander Nevsky, under whom an independent Moscow principality arose. In an effort to increase their influence, the descendants of Nevsky begin a fight with Tver. During the reign of the descendant of Alexander Nevsky, the Moscow Principality became one of the main centers of the unification of Rus', but the Tver Principality remained outside of its influence.

Creation of the Russian State

After the death of Dmitry Donskoy, power passes to his son Vasily I, who managed to preserve the greatness of the principality. After his death, a dynastic struggle for power begins. However, under the reign of Dmitry Donskoy's descendant Ivan III, the Horde yoke ends and the Principality of Moscow plays a decisive role in this. Under Ivan III, the process of forming a unified Russian state was completed. In 1478, he appropriated the title “Sovereign of All Rus'”.

The Last Rurikovichs

The last representatives of the Rurik dynasty in power were Ivan the Terrible and his son Fyodor Ivanovich. The latter was not a ruler by nature, and therefore, after the death of Ivan the Terrible, the state was essentially ruled by the Boyar Duma. In 1591, Dmitry, another son of Ivan the Terrible, dies. Dmitry was the last contender for the Russian throne, since Fyodor Ivanovich had no children. In 1598, Fyodor Ivanovich also died, with whom the dynasty of the first Russian rulers, who had been in power for 736 years, was interrupted.

The article mentions only the main and most prominent representatives of the dynasty, but in fact there were much more descendants of Rurik. The Rurikovichs made an invaluable contribution to the development of the Russian state.

Who was Rurik? Having answered this question, we will also answer the question “where did the Russian land come from?” Historians have been breaking their spears over this issue for centuries, presenting various arguments in favor of one theory or another.

Dane

According to the first version, “our” Rurik is Rorik of Jutland, a Danish king from the Skjoldung dynasty, which traces its ancestry back to Odin himself. Mentions of Rorik are found in Frankish chronicles, where he is called the ruler of Dorestad and several Frisian lands in the years 841-873. In the Xanten Annals it is also called the “plague of Christianity.”

The first version of the identity of “our” Rurik and the Danish Rurik was expressed by Pastor H. Hallman in his work “Rustringia, the original fatherland of the first Russian Grand Duke Rurik and his brothers. Historical experience", published in 1816. 20 years later, Professor of the University of Dorpat Friedrich Kruse also identified Rurik with Rorik of Jutland.

Of the Russian scientists, Nikolai Timofeevich Belyaev was the first to write about the identity of these historical figures in his work “Rorik of Jutland and Rurik of the Initial Chronicle,” published in Prague in 1929. As evidence of the correctness of the theory, the scientist cites temporary gaps in the Frisian chronicles (863-870) and corresponding mentions of Rurik of Novgorod in Russian chronicles.

Also, as an argument, a close correspondence of the archaeological layers of the Jutlandic city of Ribe and Ladoga of Rurik’s time is given.
Among modern Russian scientists, the Danish version of the origin of Rurik was supported by Boris Rybakov, Gleb Lebedev, Dmitry Machinsky and others.

Second version: Rurik was a Swede. This hypothesis has no more evidence than the previous one. According to it, Rurik is the Swedish king Eirik Emundarson. It is mentioned by the Icelandic skald Snorri Sturluson in The Circle of the Earth.

Skald describes the Thing (national gathering) in 1018, held in Uppsalla. One of its participants recalls King Eirik, saying that every summer he went on campaigns and conquered different lands: Finland, Kirjalaland, Eistlaind, Kurland and many lands in Australland.

In the sagas, Finland was called Finland, Kirjalaland was Karelia, Eistland was Estonia, Kurland was Courland, Austrweg was the Eastern Route (“from the Varangians to the Greeks”), and Austrland was the name of the lands that later became Russian.

However, according to Russian chronicles, Rurik was called to rule, and did not come on a campaign of conquest. Secondly, in The Tale of Bygone Years the Swedes are not considered Varangians. “Varyazi” and “Svei” are considered different peoples: “Afetovo and that tribe: Varyazi, Svei, Urman, Gote, Rus...”.

Thirdly, Eirik and Rurik are still different names. They are translated differently. Eirik (Eric, Erik) means, translated from ancient German, “rich in honor”, ​​Rurik (Ro/rik) - “glorious in nobility”.

Slav

According to the anti-Norman theory, Rurik is “from ours, from the Slavs.” There are two versions of the Slavic origin of the founder of Russian statehood.

According to the first version, Rurik was the leader of the Obodrit Slavs (Polabian Slavs), the son of Gotleib, the Obodrit prince who died in 808. This hypothesis explains the origin of the coat of arms of Rurik - the ancestral tamga with a diving falcon, since the tribal symbol of the Obodrite Slavs was precisely the falcon (in Western Slavic - “rereg/rarog”).

According to the genealogy of Friedrich Chemnitz (XVII century), Rurik and his brothers were also considered the sons of the already mentioned Gotleib. Sivar and Troir are named there as Rurik's brothers. What is significant is that the memory of Rurik, the son of Gotleib, was preserved in those places (northeast Germany) for a long time. The Frenchman Xavier Marmier, traveling in those places in the mid-19th century, wrote about Prince Rurik.

The second Slavic version speaks of the origin of Rurik from the Baltic island of Ruyan, which today is called Rugen. The origin of Rurik from here can be explained by the name “Rus” itself (the version with obodrites does not explain this). In the same Mercator’s “Cosmography” the island of Ruyan is called “Russia”.

Historian Nikolai Trukhachev also noted that in Western sources the inhabitants of Ruyan are repeatedly called Ruthenians or Ruthenians.
Also typical of Ruyan Island was the cult of the white horse; traces of it are preserved in Russian folklore, as well as in the tradition of installing “horses” on the roofs of huts.

In 2007, the newspaper “Chechen Society” was published under the authorship of historian Murtazaliev. It tells that the Anglo-Saxons, Goths, Normans and Rus' are one people.

“The Rus were not just anyone, but Chechens. It turns out that Rurik and his squad, if they really are from the Varangian tribe of Rus, then they are purebred Chechens, moreover, from the royal family and speaking their native Chechen language.”

Murtazaliev ends the article like this: “But still, I would like Chechen scientists not to stop there, but to develop in this direction, given that many want to “warm their hands” on Chechen history against logic, ignoring all moral barriers. All this throws our people back year after year, decades, and maybe hundreds of years ago.”

Mikhail Lomonosov then sharply criticized this theory. In 1761, he wrote a note to the Presidium of the Academy of Sciences, where he wrote that there was no evidence that Rurik and his retinue came from Scandinavia, and not from other regions close to Novgorod.

The people-tribe of Rus', according to Lomonosov, could not have originated from Scandinavia under the influence of the expansion of the Norman Vikings. First of all, Lomonosov opposed the thesis about the backwardness of the Slavs and their inability to independently form a state.