The Old Russian annals of the XII century "The Tale of Bygone Years" says that exactly 1153 years ago such tribes as the Chud, the Ilmen Slovenes, the Krivichi and the whole called for the Varangian Rurik to reign in Novgorod.

The vocation of the Varangians is an event from which it is traditionally customary to count the beginning of the reign of the Rurik dynasty, which united Novogorod and Kievan Rus.

Varangians in power

The chronicler of the "Tale" calls the reason for inviting Rurik to the civil strife that engulfed the Slavic and Finno-Ugric tribes living in the Novgorod lands. The ancestor of the princely dynasty came with his people, called Rus. Historians to this day argue who Rurik was and where exactly he came from. Many associate its origin with Denmark and Sweden. Mikhail Lomonosov led him out of the Prussians with the Varangians. 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 chronicle authentic Russian prince.

Rurik (Miniature from the "Royal titular book". 17th century) Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

In 862, according to the chronicle, three brothers from the Varangians - Rurik, Sineus and Truvor - came to rule three urban areas. 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 put a single ruler over themselves who could fairly administer justice and protect the Slavs from raids.

Probably, in reality it was a little different. The Varangians, presumably, were invited to protect themselves from barbarian raids and to end civil strife. The invited military leaders could understand how rich the land where they came to serve, and they wanted more. It is possible that they remained in power against the will of the Slavs.

Execution of the Brave

Later, in the annals, evidence appears that the Novgorodians rebelled against the Varangian rulers. The leader of the uprising was a certain Vadim the Brave. Rurik and his brothers managed to suppress the rebellion, and executed the Brave. Sineus and Truvor apparently died in these battles. After that, 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 protect themselves from external enemies. There, the hired Varangians quickly turned from defenders into rulers. They were able to completely capture the Kyiv city region.

The merchant journey to Constantinople of Askold and Dir took place later, but turned into a conquering one. The Varangians gathered a large army and in 866 on 200 boats they moved to the Byzantine capital. They could not take it, because, according to the testimony of the chronicler, the Greek Patriarch Photius lowered the robe of the Mother of God into the water, which caused a storm. She sank some of the boats of the invaders, who were frightened by what had happened. They decided to apply to the Metropolis of Constantinople with a petition for holy baptism.

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

First of the dynasty

The Varangian, who initiated the countdown of the Rurik dynasty, died in 879. He left behind a close relative and friend Oleg as Novgorod prince.

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

Most of the Slavs were now united by common customs, language and faith. This contributed to the formation of a new political formation, when a sovereign ruler is at the head of the state. 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 Ruriks on the throne was Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich.

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

Rurik on the monument "1000th Anniversary of Russia" in Veliky Novgorod. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

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

Origin of Rurik

Name etymology

Rorik from Denmark

Eirik from Sweden

Rorik of Gautland

West Slavic version

Varangians from Wagris or Prussians

Mecklenburg genealogies

Vendian falcon

Joachim Chronicle

Rurik in historiography

Heirs

Rurik (d. 879) - the chronicle founder of the statehood of Russia, the Varangian, the Novgorod prince and the ancestor of the princely, which later became royal, Rurik dynasty.

According to one version, Rurik is identified with King Rorik (Hrorek) from Jutland Hedeby (Denmark) (d. before 882). According to another version, Rurik is a Slavic generic name associated with a falcon, which in Slavic languages ​​was also called a rarog. There are also attempts to prove the legendary Rurik.

Rurik in the annals

According to the Old Russian chronicle of the XII century "The Tale of Bygone Years", in 862 the Varangian Rurik with his brothers, at the invitation of the tribes of Chud, Slovene, Krivichi and all, was called to reign in Novgorod. This event, from which the beginning of the statehood of the Eastern Slavs is traditionally counted, in historiography received the conditional name of the Calling of the Varangians. The chronicler called the reason for the invitation the civil strife that engulfed the Slavic and Finno-Ugric tribes living in the Novgorod lands. Rurik came with all his family and the people of Rus, whose ethnicity continues to be debatable.

The chronicle tells how, after the death of the brothers, power was concentrated in the hands of the eldest of them, Rurik:

According to the annals, one can notice the expansion of the lands subject to Rurik. His power soon after coming to reign in Novgorod extended already to the Western Dvina Krivichi (the city of Polotsk) in the west, the Finno-Ugric tribes of Meri (the city of Rostov) and Murom (the city of Murom) in the east. In the late Nikon chronicle (1st half of the 16th century) it is reported about the turmoil in Novgorod, the inhabitants of which were dissatisfied with the rule of Rurik. The event is attributed to the year 864, that is, when, according to the Ipatiev list of PVL, Rurik founded Novgorod. To suppress the turmoil, Rurik killed a certain Vadim the Brave, about whom only what is said in the Nikon chronicle is known:

Historians connect the message of the Nikon Chronicle about the uprising of the Novgorodians with the later events of the 11th century under Yaroslav the Wise. Earlier than Nikonovskaya, the chronicles do not say anything about Vadim the Brave and the turmoil of the Novgorodians against Rurik, especially since Novgorod itself was built, according to archaeological dating, after the death of Rurik near his fortified residence (fortified settlement).

In 879, according to the PVL chronicle, Rurik dies, leaving his young son Igor under the care of his commander and, possibly, a relative of Oleg.

Ancient Russian chronicles began to be compiled 150-200 years after the death of Rurik on the basis of some 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 - first half of the 19th century, the theory of the Scandinavian or Finnish origin of Prince Rurik (see Normanism) prevailed, later the hypothesis of his West Slavic (Pomeranian) origin developed.

Origin of Rurik

Around the ancestor of the first princely dynasty of Russia, there are many versions, up to attempts to prove his legendary. The legend of Rurik is generated by the lack of information about his origin: where he came from to reign and to which people-tribe he belonged. The theme of Rurik's homeland is closely related to the etymology of the word Rus or Rus (see the article Rus).

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

Norman (Scandinavian) theory

Based on the fact that in the Russian chronicles Rurik is called the Varangian, and the Varangians-Rus, according to various sources, are associated with the Normans or Swedes, supporters of the Norman concept consider Rurik, like his entire squad, Vikings-Varangians originating from Scandinavia.

Name etymology

The Old Norse name Hrorekr is derived from the forms of Old Scandinavian. "*HrooiR" ("glory") and "-rikR" ("noble", also interpreted as a modified borrowing from Latin - rex, ruler). Derived meanings were used in the legends and myths of different peoples:

• Hrodric - Old Germanic
• Hreric and Hroiricus - Old English
• Rorik - Eastern Old Norman, Old Swedish, Old Danish
• Hrirekr - Western Old Norman
• rorikR, ruRikr, hruRikR - from runic inscriptions

The following carriers of the name Rorik (Hrrekr) are known from the Scandinavian epic and chronicles:

• Hreiric - the son of the Danish king of the 5th century in the epic "Beowulf"
• Rorik - Danish king of the 7th century, grandfather of the famous Prince Hamlet, whose story is described by Saxo Grammatik and later served as the basis for Shakespeare's play
• Rudereiks (Ruderic) - king of the Visigoths in Spain in 710-711.
• Rorik of Jutland - Danish Viking of the 9th century, often mentioned in chronicles
• Hrerek, son of Hring - Norwegian king, blinded at the beginning of the 11th century by king Olaf the Holy. Known for the saga "The Strand of Eimund Hringsson"

According to the generally accepted statements of Germanic philologists, the modern names Roderich, Roderick, Rodrigo have a common origin with the name Rorik (Rurik). The Rurik name is currently in circulation in Finland, Denmark, Sweden and Iceland.

Rorik from Denmark

According to one version, Rurik was the Viking Rorik of Jutland (or Friesland) from the Skjöldung dynasty, the brother (or nephew) of the exiled Danish king Harald Klak, who in 826 received from Louis the Pious a fief of possession on the coast of Frisia with a center in Dorestad. The first time Rorik's name appears in the Xanten annals in 845 in connection with a raid on the lands of Frisia. In 850, Rorik fights in Denmark against the Danish king Horik I, and then plunders Frisia and other places along the Rhine. King Lothair I was forced to cede Dorestad and most of Frisia to Rorik, having him baptized in return.

In 855, Rorik with his nephew Gottfried (son of Harald Klak) once again tried to regain royal power in Denmark, when the throne was vacated after the death of Horik I. In 873, Rorik, “the bile of Christianity,” according to the Xanten chronicler, takes an oath of allegiance to Louis the German. In 882, Emperor Charles the Fat handed over Frisia to Gottfried, Rorik's nephew, apparently in connection with the death of the latter.

Although there is no, even indirect, information about the campaign of Rorik of Jutland in the lands of the Eastern Slavs, the version of his involvement in the "calling of the Varangians" is supported by some linguistic coincidences. In Frisia (now the northeastern part of the Netherlands and part of Germany) there was a coastal region of Wieringen in the 9th century. In modern pronunciation, the name sounds something like Vierega, which is close to the ancient Russian Varangians. According to archaeological finds in the area, assumptions are made about the existence of Rorik's base here.

Also connected with Frisia is the remark of the 12th-century chronicler Helmold about "the Frisians, who are called rusters." The seaside province of Rustringen is marked on 17th-century maps in eastern Friesland, on the border of modern Germany with the Netherlands.

Eirik from Sweden

Another version of the Scandinavian origin of Rurik connects him with Eirik Emundarson, king of the Swedish Uppsala. In the work of the Icelandic skald of the beginning of the 13th century, Snorri Sturluson, “The Circle of the Earth”, it is told about the national gathering (ting) in 1018 in Uppsala. One of the attendees stated: Thorgnir, my paternal grandfather, remembered Eirik Emundarson, king of Uppsala, and said of him that while he could, every summer he undertook a campaign from his country and went to various countries and conquered Finland and Kirjalaland, Eistland and Kurland and many lands in Austrland […] And if you want to return under your rule those states in Austrweg that your relatives and ancestors owned there, then we all want to follow you in this". Rus was called Austrland (Eastern Land) and Austrwegi (Eastern Ways) in the sagas.

According to the calculations of the famous Swedish archaeologist Birger Nerman, King Eirik of Uppsala (Old Scand. Eiríkr), the son of Emund, died in 882, and “ conquest of the Eastern lands" refers to the beginning of his reign - 850-860 years, which almost coincides with the dates of Rurik's reign. Nerman's method for such an accurate calculation of dates is unknown. For more on the Swedish raids on the Baltic in the middle of the 9th century, see Rimbert's "Life of Ansgar" and Grobin's article.

In the time of Eirik Emundarson, the Norwegian king Harald Fairhair had a son named Hrorek (Snorri Sturluson's saga about Harald Fairhair). King Harald died in the province of Rugaland (Rygjafylke), transferring power to his son Eirik the Bloody Axe, and the saga does not report anything about the fate of King Hrörek.

Rorik of Gautland

According to the Swedish "Saga of Rorik and his descendants", published only in the retelling of D. M. Mikhailovich, King Rorik was the son of King Arnvid from the Skilving clan, who owned the Novgorod lands:

• Jarl Gautaland brought up Rorik from the clan of the Skilvings, the kings of the Eastern Way. His father, Arnvid the Illegitimate, was killed in Gardarik by people sent by the Swedish king ... Arnvid rightfully owned Aldeiguborg and collected tribute from Holmgrad, Bjarmia and other lands of the Eastern Way. The Swedish king sent ships with a large army, his soldiers fought with the people of Arnvid, and many fell on both sides in this battle. King Aldeiguborg was slain, and almost all of his warriors perished with him. But less than half of the people of the Swedish king remained. And then the inhabitants of Gardariki, called Slovenians, united with the Bjarms and other tribes, defeated them and drove them across the sea ... Then they had to remember that an enemy of the Swedish king was being brought up in Gautaland. They sent their man and he secretly met with Rorik ... The ambassador from Gardariki named Lut told Rorik: “We promise to give you Aldeygyuborg again if you manage to protect us from the people of the king”

The retelling of the saga in Russian was published in the popular edition of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences and is not used in academic research; scientific publications on this saga in English are also not known. The problem arises when identifying the city of Aldegyuborg. D. M. Mikhailovich identifies it with Ladoga, other authors point out that this name is a copy of Stargrad, the city of Vagry on the Baltic coast.

Data from genetic studies

The results of the study of the DNA of the descendants of the Rurik family, belonging to the Monomashich branch, were published and collected in the Internet project. Presumably, the descendants of Rurik from Russian princely families have a different genotype, indicating different ancestors in the male line. The genetic set of the studied individuals itself belongs to the one common in Eastern Europe (haplogroup R1a) and in northern Europe (haplogroup N1c1a). Since the opinion about the origin of Rurik from Scandinavia is accepted, the authors of the project selected the result with the haplogroup N1c1a and, based on the results of genetic studies (in SNP markers) of European residents, concluded that the origin of Rurik's roots was in Ruslagen, north of Stockholm. In scientific publications, the results of the search for the roots of Rurik are not published. A similar haplogroup was identified by the same researchers mainly in persons originating from Finland (90%), but also found in natives of Sweden (10%). Comparison with the haplotypes of the inhabitants of Northwestern Russia was not carried out.

An ethnos marker is a certain proportion of haplogroups, since usually peoples have several haplogroups in a population, often with a predominant haplogroup. The haplogroup N1c (former designation: N3) has approximately 16% of the inhabitants of the central regions of Russia (see the Gene pool of the Slavs), it is most common among the descendants of the Finno-Ugric tribes and is often found, along with R1a, in the north of Russia. The Scandinavian marker, which is sometimes called the Viking haplogroup in popular literature, is haplogroup I1a. Among the descendants of Rurik, this haplogroup was not found.

West Slavic version

An alternative to the "Norman theory" is the version about the origin of Rurik from among the Pomeranian Western Slavs. 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.

Varangians from Wagris or Prussians

The Austrian Herberstein, being an adviser to the ambassador in the Moscow state in the 1st half of the 16th century, was one of the first Europeans to get 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 people of the Vagrs, Herberstein comes to the conclusion that: “ the Russians summoned their princes more likely from the Vagrians, or Varangians, than handed over power to foreigners who differed from them in faith, customs and language". The Scandinavians and Germans called the Wagrs and all the Pomeranian Slavs Wends. In synchronous sources, there is no information about the connection of the Pomeranian Slavs with the Varangians, although in the 2nd half of the 10th century, sea campaigns of the Vends against their neighbors were noted.

M.V. Lomonosov deduced Rurik with the Varangians from the Prussian lands, relying on toponyms and later chronicles, which replaced the lexeme "Varangians" with the pseudo-ethnonym "Germans". The Slavic origin of Rurik Lomonosov a priori accepted as an indisputable fact:

... 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 Rus in Scandinavia and on the northern shores of the Varangian Sea have never been heard of ... Our chroniclers mention that Rurik and his Family came from the Germans, and in the Indian it is written that from Prussia ... Between the rivers Vistula and Dvina flows into the Varangian Sea from the east-south side of the river, which above, near the city of Grodno, it is called Nemen, and Rusa is reputed to its mouth. Here it is clear that the Varangians-Rus lived in the east-south shore of the Varangian Sea, near the river Rusa ... And the very name of the Prussians or Poruss shows that the Prussians lived along the Russ or near the Russ. M. V. Lomonosov. "Objections to Miller's Dissertation"

Mecklenburg genealogies

There is a folk legend about Rurik and his brothers, published in the 30s of the XIX century by the French traveler and writer Xavier Marmier in the book Northern Letters. He recorded it in Northern Germany, among the Mecklenburg peasants, former Bodrichi, by that time almost 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 Mirny, second - Sivar the Victorious, the third - Truvar Faithful. The brothers decided to go in search of glory in the lands to the east. After many deeds and terrible battles, the brothers came to Russia, whose people suffered under the burden of a long tyranny, but did not dare to rebel. The Obodrite brothers awakened lulled courage in the local people, led the army and overthrew the power of the oppressors. Having restored peace and order in the country, the brothers decided to return to their old father, but the grateful people begged them not to leave and take the place of the former kings. So Rurik received the principality of Novgorod (Nowoghorod), Sivar - Pskov (Pleskow), Truvar - Belozersk (Bile-Jezoro). Since after a while the younger brothers died, leaving no legitimate heirs, Rurik annexed their principalities to his own, becoming the founder of the ruling dynasty. It should be noted that this is the only mention of Rurik in Western folklore, although the date of the origin of the legend cannot be established. The legend was written down a century after the publication of the Mecklenburg genealogy of Rurik (see below).

At the beginning of the 18th century, a number of genealogical works appeared on the dynasties of the North German land of Mecklenburg, the former area of ​​\u200b\u200bsettlement of the Slavic tribes of the Obodrites or Bodrichs. In 1716, Friedrich Thomas, vice-rector of the gymnasium, published a work for the wedding of the Duke of Mecklenburg Karl Leopold and the Russian princess Catherine, daughter of Tsar Ivan V. Thomas used a 1687 manuscript written by the notary of the Mecklenburg court court, Johann Friedrich von Chemnitz, who, in turn, referred to some it is a manuscript of 1418.

According to the German version, the king of Obodrites, Wittslav, an ally of Charlemagne, was killed by the Saxons in 795. His eldest son Traskon (Drazhko, Dragovit) inherited the crown, and another son, Godlib (or Godelive, or Godslav), died in 808 during the assault on Rerik by the Danish king Gottfried. All these data are taken from the Annals of the Kingdom of the Franks. Johann Huebner, who published his genealogical tables in 1708, reports new information that Godlib's sons Rurik, Sivar (Sineus in Russian chronicles) and Truvor went to Novgorod (Nowoghorod) in 840.

An attempt to tie Rurik to Godlib leads to a discrepancy in Russian genealogy. Rurik was supposed to be born no later than 805. Then he becomes the father of Prince Igor at the age of 70 years (according to the chronology of the PVL), which is possible, but rather doubtful. However, it is known that the dating of the Old Russian chronicles in the period up to the middle of the 10th century is approximate, unless Byzantine sources were used.

Vendian falcon

The Slavic tribe Bodrichi, or encouraged, were also called reregami. Adam of Bremen testifies.

• There are many Slavic peoples. Among them are the most western Wagris living on the border with the Transalbings. Their city, lying by the sea Aldinburg. Then follow the obodrites, who are now called reregs, and their city is Magnopolis.

The 19th-century historian Gedeonov suggested that Rurik was not a proper name, but a generic nickname Rerek, which was worn by all representatives of the ruling Obodrite dynasty. The assumption was substantiated by reference to the Scandinavian sagas, where allegedly the skald Guthorm Sindri calls the Wendish Slavs falcons. The quoted place refers to the saga of Hakon the Good from the Circle of the Earth cycle by Snorri Sturluson. Guthorm Sindri there speaks of " falconry distances"In the context of the war in the 2nd half of the 10th century, King Hakon with the Vikings -" both Danes and Wends". In the Scandinavian sagas, the Wends (Pomeranian Slavs) began to engage in sea robbery from the 10th century; in earlier times, sources record only their land campaigns. Subsequently, the author of The Tale of Igor's Campaign calls the adult Rurikovichs falcons, and the princes - falconers, but such an epithet has been applied to people of noble birth since ancient times.

The coat of arms of the Rurikids is interpreted by some researchers (S. A. Gedeonov, O. M. Rapov) as a schematic representation of a diving falcon, although others saw in it an image of a scepter and even a pitchfork. The modern stylized version of this image is the coat of arms of Ukraine. Confirmation of the version about the origin of the name "Rurik" from the West Slavic designation of a falcon can be objects found by archaeologists from the era of the first Ruriks with the image of a falcon. However, in this case, the coat of arms of Rurikovich possibly indicates the Danish (or mixed Danish-Vendian) origin of Rurik, since a similar image of a falcon (or Odin's raven) was minted on the English coins of the Danish king Anlaf Gutfritsson (939-941). The falcon in the Scandinavian languages ​​was not called a word close to the name "Rurik", so the name could be borrowed.

The male name Rurik is still found among such West Slavic peoples as Poles, Czechs and Slovaks. The transition of the form "rereg" / "rarog" into "rerik" is characteristic of the Slavic dialects of the Bodrichi. In Drevani, woatrik is recorded instead of "lad" and rik instead of "horn".

Joachim Chronicle

The Joachim Chronicle is a chronicle text of unknown origin, preserved only in extracts made by V. N. Tatishchev. The chronicle is named after Joachim, the first Novgorod bishop, to whom Tatishchev attributed authorship, based on the content of the chronicle. Historians treat it with great distrust, but use it as auxiliary material.

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.

So Rurik appeared with two brothers in the "Great City", which corresponds to either Staraya Ladoga or the Bodrich city of Veligrad. In the 4th year of his reign, Rurik moved to the "Great New City" (one can mean Rurik's Settlement or Novgorod) to Ilmen. After the death of his father, Finnish lands passed to Rurik.

One of Rurik's wives was Efanda, daughter " Urmansky"(Norwegian) prince, who gave birth to Ingor (Igor Rurikovich). Efanda's brother, Urmanian» Prince Oleg began to reign after the death of Rurik.

The Scandinavian origin of Rurik is indirectly confirmed by one of the versions of the etymology of the word rus. According to her rus there is a Slavic pronunciation of Finnish Ruotsi, i.e. Swedes in modern Finnish. It is believed that in the 9th century, the Finns called so all the Vikings-Varangians, collecting tribute from the local population, as evidenced by the "Tale of Bygone Years": " Those Varangians were called Rus, as others are called Svei [Swedes], while others are called Urmans [Norwegians] and Englishmen, and other Goths [Gotlanders]." When the Prophetic Oleg went to Smolensk and Kyiv in 882, in listing the tribal composition of his troops, the Chud (the Old Russian collective name for the northwestern Finnish-speaking tribes) comes first after the Varangians and before the Slovenes.

Rurik in historiography

For the first time, the name of Rurik is mentioned in the "Life of St. Prince Vladimir", written presumably around 1070 by the monk Jacob: "to the autocrat of all the Russian land Volodimer, to the grandson of Iolzhin (Princess Olga) and to the great-grandson of Ryurikov." The earliest chronicle that has come down to us, The Tale of Bygone Years, was written about 40 years later, and the history of the Varangian Rurik was detailed there. Historians are not aware of other independent sources on Prince Rurik, with the exception of attempts to connect him with the Viking Rorik of Jutland from Western Europe.

At various times, the chronology of Rurik's vocation, and the reality of the historical existence of Rurik and his brothers, and their origin, and, especially, the very political idea of ​​"calling the Varangians" - foreign rulers, were questioned at different times. In the historiography of the XIX-XX centuries. (especially in the Soviet era), this issue was overly ideologized. It was stated that the version about the foreign origin of the first princes was an “anti-scientific Norman theory”, allegedly proving that the Slavs could not create a state on their own.

According to the opinion prevailing in modern historiography, the legend of the calling of the Varangians in the form in which it appears in The Tale of Bygone Years is distorted. The vocation for the reign of the Varangians-Rus, whose raid had just been repelled (PVL: “In the summer of 6370, the Varangians were driven out across the sea and did not give them tribute and often did themselves a favor”), seems unlikely to some historians. So, the historian B. A. Rybakov believes that one of the raids was successful, and the leader of the Scandinavian squad seized power in Novgorod; the chronicler presented the matter in such a way that the Novgorodians themselves invited the Varangian authorities in order to rule them. In another opinion, I. Ya. Froyanov, in fact, there was an invitation to the Varangian king with a squad in order to provide military assistance. According to the historian, after the end of hostilities, the Varangian king Rurik overthrew the Slovenian prince Vadim the Brave and seized power.

Some historians suggest that Sineus and Truvor, identified in the annals as Rurik's brothers, did not really exist. So, Sineus could not have been a Beloozero prince from 862 to 864, since the existence of the city of Beloozero can be traced archaeologically only from the 10th century. B. A. Rybakov believes that the name "Sineus" is a distorted "one's kind" (Swedish sine hus), and "Truvor" is a "faithful squad" (Swedish thru varing). Thus, Rurik comes to reign not with his two brothers, but with his family (which includes, for example, Oleg) and a faithful squad. D.S. Likhachev suggested that Rurik, Sineus and Truvor were supposed to become the “mystical ancestors” of Novgorod, as the chronicler intended, like Kiy, Shchek and Khoriv for Kyiv.

Heirs

It is not known how many wives and children Rurik had. Chronicles report only one son - Igor. According to the Joachim Chronicle, Rurik had several wives, one of them and Igor's mother was the "Urman" (that is, Norwegian) princess Efanda.

In addition to Igor, Rurik may have other children, since the Russian-Byzantine treaty of 944 mentions Igor's nephews - Igor and Akun.

It was this man who was destined to initiate the construction of a new state, which over more than a thousand years of history has grown into the largest state in the world. Let's get acquainted briefly with who was the first prince of young Russia?

History of the Eastern Slavs before Rurik

The ancient Russian chronicle "The Tale of Bygone Years", answering the question: "Where did the Russian land come from," says that before the advent of the first prince of the Varangian Rurik, many scattered tribes lived on the territory of future Russia - Krivichi, Slovene and others. All these tribal unions had a common culture, language and religion. Each of them tried to unite the rest of the tribes under its command, but the balance of power and constant wars did not reveal the winner. It was then that the leaders of the tribes decided that none of them would get power and it was decided that the invited prince would rule all the tribes. At that time, the most formidable warriors who were respected among the Slavic tribes, with whom there were close trade and cultural ties, were the Varangians - the inhabitants of Scandinavia. They easily served both the Byzantine emperors and went to hired squads in the west, and were also free to accept local beliefs, which made the Slavic leader Gostomysl and his companions go to Scandinavia and invite the Rus tribe and their king, Rurik, to rule.

Rice. 1. Prince Rurik.

Biography of the first Russian prince

We know very little about Rurik's biography. The date and place of his birth are unknown, and the years of reign are considered 862-879.

Rurik did not come to Russia alone. He was accompanied by two brothers - Sineus and Truvor. Their squads landed in northeastern Russia and were invited to Novgorod. Often there are disputes in which city Rurik ruled. There is an opinion that this is Ladoga - the ancient capital of the northeastern Slavs. However, it was in Novgorod, having taken the reins of government, that Rurik went down in history as the first Russian prince.

Rice. 2. The calling of the Varangians.

He sent his brothers to reign in other strategically important cities. Sienus assumed power in Beloozero, and Truvor began to reign in Izborsk.

The internal policy of the prince was aimed at strengthening the external borders of the state, as well as their expansion. During the period of his reign, Smolensk, Murom and Rostov became part of Russia. Rurik made attempts to move south, but things did not go beyond the robberies of local peoples. Rurik's squad advanced to the Kyiv lands. With the famous rulers of Kyiv, Askold and Dir, Rurik signs a peace treaty. And although Askold still tried to plunder the lands of Rurik, his squad was defeated.

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Rurik began the subjugation of the Finno-Ugric tribes. He was responsible for the preservation and patronage of the Baltic-Volga river route, paving the way "From the Varangians to the Khazars", establishing trade relations between Scandinavia and the Arabs who passed through his lands.

He died in 879 in the city of Ladoga, leaving behind on earth a little son, the future Prince Igor.

Rice. 3. Prince Igor.

Igor was still a child when Rurik died. Before he grew up, the country was ruled by one of Rurik's associates, Oleg. He annexed Kyiv to the young country, moved the capital there and was known for campaigns against Byzantium. Igor Rurikovich began his reign already in the role of the Kyiv prince.

Rurik laid the foundation for the Russian monarchy. We learn about his immediate descendants from the pedigree chart.

Table “Immediate descendants of Rurik”

Prince	Who is Rurik	Years of government
Igor Rurikovich
	daughter-in-law
Svyatoslav the Warrior
Yaropolk Svyatoslavich

Prince Rurik is one of the most mysterious figures in the history of Ancient Russia. Until now, his personality raises many questions, and his existence has been called into question more than once.

So who was Rurik? Biography, interesting facts and various versions of his origin are presented in this article.

Name etymology

In Russian chronicles, "Rurik" is pronounced the same way as in Celtic Galiya. If you stick to this version, then this name goes back to the name of the Rurik tribe and is associated with the Rur River. The names of the brothers of the legendary prince can also be explained based on the Celtic languages. In particular, the name Sineus was probably formed from the word sinu, which means "senior", and Truvor or Trevor is translated as "third born".

At the same time, supporters of the “Varangian” origin of the prince point to words similar in pronunciation in the Old Norse language, denoting the concepts of “glory” and “king”.

In subsequent centuries, this name was used extremely rarely. For example, in the field of oncology, the famous doctor Rurik Melnikov is known, whose biography is an example of devotion to the Hippocratic Oath. Another famous person with that name is Rurik Ivnev, a popular Russian writer and poet. He worked at the beginning of the 20th century and was influenced by Andrei Bely.

Origin of Rurik: version one

There are several opinions about who the ancestors of the legendary prince were. According to one of them, Rurik, whose biography contains many white spots, was from a well-born Danish family of Skioldungs. In the years 837-850, its representatives owned the city of Doresnad in Friesland. According to Danish sources, until 860, a prince named Rerik with his retinue raided the lands of France, Germany, England and Sweden. Then, according to an old chronicle, he was “called from across the sea by the Germans” and settled in Ladoga (“the city of the Slavs”), from where he came to Novgorod.

Version two

Another version says that Rurik (the biography of the prince was practically collected bit by bit) was the son of the daughter of the Novgorod elder Gostomysl Umila from the Bodrich prince Godoslav. In 808, the Danish king Godfrid seizes his estate and executes the father of the future ruler of Russia. Umila and Rurik have to flee. Perhaps they find refuge in the lands of the franc, where they live until the fugitive prince comes of age. By 860, the Novgorod prince Gostomysl, being at his death and having no heir in the male line, called his grandson from his middle daughter - Rurik, who by that time was already an experienced military leader.

In Russian sources, in particular, in the Ipatiev Chronicle and in the writings of V. Klyuchevsky, it is indicated that Rurik lived in Ladoga from the beginning, from where he was called by the Slavs to Novgorod. This version contradicts the generally accepted one, about “calling the Varangians from across the sea”, since according to it Rurik is a Slav who lives in Ladoga and commanded a mercenary Varangian squad.

Rurik: biography after moving to Novgorod

Be that as it may, it is known for certain that the founder of the first Russian royal dynasty was invited to this city by its elders. They hoped that Rurik and his brothers Sineus and Truvor would help end the civil strife, and peace would reign in Novgorod.

To strengthen his position, some time after arriving in the city, the newcomer Varangian prince married a girl from a local noble family, Efanda. She gave birth to Rurik's son Igor and 2 daughters. Some scholars deny the Novgorodian origin of Efanda, pointing out that the mother of the prince's heir was an Urman (i.e., Scandinavian) princess. If this version is correct, that Igor Rurikovich was a full-blooded Varangian.

Features of the board

Rurik, whose biography is known only in general terms, planted his governors-boyars in the cities of Russia, leaving himself only Novgorod. The latter belonged to the upper stratum of the princely squad and commanded grids and howls. In addition, the prince had servants-youths. Each citizen could turn to Rurik with a request to accept him into the princely squad. Its members had every opportunity to rise to the rank of boyar. Thus, Rurik established a rather democratic order at his court, where, first of all, the personal qualities of warriors were valued.

Brothers

There is a version that the princes Sineus and Truvor did not actually exist. Some researchers believe that the Old Russian chroniclers could not understand the translation of a foreign text, which told that Rurik arrived in Russia with a retinue (tru-thief) and with his “home” (sine-khus’om).

As for the classical version, according to it, Rurik gave his elder brother Sineus Beloozero, where the Chud tribes lived and the whole, Truvor - the city of the Krivichi Izborsk. After they died without heirs, Rurik annexed their estates to Novgorod and in 864 declared it the capital of all Russia.

Igor, son of Rurik: biography

At the time of the death of the first Novgorod prince in 879, his son was about two years old. He was too small to rule, so Oleg was placed as his guardian. Some ancient sources indicate that he was Efanda's brother and Igor's uncle. Rurik and Oleg, whose brief biography can fit in a couple of lines, arrived at one time in Russia together and the prince completely trusted his faithful warrior.

Under the young Igor, the regent turned out to be not only a brave warrior, but also a wise politician with cunning and a flexible mind.

It was the latter qualities that helped him conquer Kyiv, where the Varangians Askold and Dir ruled, since he lured them out of the city and, pointing to little Igor, said that the son of Rurik should rule the city, and not simple warriors who do not belong to the princely family.

Then Oleg conquered all the Slavic tribes that were between Novgorod and Kyiv. In 912 the regent died. According to legend, this happened as a result of a snake bite that crawled out of the skull of the deceased prince, about which the Magi warned him at one time.

After the death of Oleg, Igor sat on the throne of Novgorod, whose father was Rurik (the biography is presented above). At the age of 25, he married Olga, who bore him a son, Svyatoslav, the father of St. Vladimir, the Baptist of Russia.

Igor was a brave warrior, but distinguished by greed and insatiability. He imposed a huge tribute on the peoples subject to him, and during one of the campaigns he was captured by the Drevlyans, who were indignant at his exactions. They tied him to the tops of the trees and tore him apart.

genetic research

A few years ago, the DNA of 191 descendants of Rurik was examined. The results confirmed the version of the Scandinavian origin of the first ruler of Russia. The Rurik N1c1 haplotypes are among those found in Sweden, Finland and Norway.

Now you know who Rurik the Varangian was (the biography of the prince is presented above), and what role did he play in the history of Ancient Russia? Thanks to him, the foundation of Kievan Rus was laid, the saker falcon became a symbol of the dynasty, and its representatives did a lot of great things to ensure that our country took its rightful place on the map of Medieval Europe.

Prince Rurik (? 830 - 879 years) - one of the most mysterious figures of 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 to his distant relative Oleg.

There are numerous versions of the origin of Rurik.

According to one version, he was a representative of the noble Danish family of Skioldungs, 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, two states originally arose: northern and southern Russia, and both were headed by the Varangians.

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 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 the Russian state began. 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. In it, the older, most important people were called boyars, and the smaller ones were called grids 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, attacked his 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. He only left most of the boats behind, and hid on the rest of the soldiers, sailed to Kyiv and sent to tell Askold and Dir that the Varangian merchants had arrived, but they were unwell, that’s why they ask the princes to come to them on 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 - the Grand Duke of Kyiv, the only son of Rurik, was born in 877, killed in 945. Quite little information is reported about Igor's life before the enthronement of the chronicle: in 903, when Igor was still under Oleg's tutelage, his 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. The following 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 is shining and peace is standing,” but on terms less favorable to 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 was necessary to kill the predatory wolf - they decided, otherwise it would destroy everything; 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 passed through the Volga along the sea, 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.