Stairs. Entry group. Materials. Doors. Locks. Design

The formation of the nation, later called Russ, Rusichs, Russians, Russians, which became one of the strongest nations in the world, if not the strongest, began with the unification of the Slavs settled in the East European Plain. From where they came to these lands, when - it is not known for certain. History of no chronicle evidence for the Rus of the early centuries new era did not save. Only from the second half of the 9th century - the time when the first prince appeared in Russia - can the process of nation formation be traced in more detail.

"Come reign and rule over us..."

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

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

Refuting the initial conclusions of historians

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

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

Russia under Rurik

Founder political system in Russia, the ancestor of the princely dynasty, which later became royal, ruled over the people entrusted to him for 17 years. He united into one power the Ilmen Slovenes, the Psov and Smolensk Krivichi, the whole and the Chud, the northerners and the Drevlyans, the Merya and the Radimichi. In the annexed lands, he approved his proteges as governors. By the end, Ancient Russia occupied a rather vast territory.

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

The first truly Russian

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

Prophetic Oleg's legacy

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

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

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

Among the strong

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

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

The deceit of the Khazars, the betrayal of the Drevlyans

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

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

Princess, the first in everything

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

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

Warrior from infancy

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

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

Worthy of the great glory of the ancestors

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

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

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

According to the preamble to the chronicle, he reigned for 37 years (PSRL, vol. I, st. 18). According to all the annals, he entered Kyiv in 6488 (980) (PSRL, vol. I, st. 77), according to “Memory and praise to the Russian prince Vladimir” - June 11th 6486 (978 ) year (Literature Library Ancient Russia. T.1. P.326). The dating of 978 was especially actively defended by A. A. Shakhmatov, but there is still no consensus in science. He died on July 15, 6523 (1015) (PSRL, vol. I, st. 130).

THE FIRST PRINCES OF KIEVAN RUS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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