The formation of Kievan Rus, the first Russian princes. Old Russian state of Kievan Rus. Prerequisites for the emergence of statehood

Kievan Rus or ancient Russian state - a medieval state in Eastern Europe, which arose in the 9th century as a result of the unification of the East Slavic tribes under the rule of the princes of the Rurik dynasty.

In the period of its highest prosperity, it occupied the territory from the Taman Peninsula in the south, the Dniester and the upper reaches of the Vistula in the west to the upper reaches of the Northern Dvina in the north.

By the middle of the XII century, it entered a state of fragmentation and actually broke up into a dozen and a half separate principalities, ruled by different branches of the Rurikovich. Political ties were maintained between the principalities, Kyiv continued to formally remain the main table of Rus', and the Kiev principality was considered as the collective possession of all the Rurikids. The end of Kievan Rus is considered the Mongol invasion (1237-1240), after which the Russian lands ceased to form a single political entity, and Kyiv fell into decay for a long time and finally lost its nominal capital functions.

In chronicle sources, the state is called "Rus" or "Russian land", in Byzantine sources - "Rosia".

Term

The definition of "Old Russian" is not connected with the division of antiquity and the Middle Ages generally accepted in historiography in Europe in the middle of the 1st millennium AD. e. In relation to Rus', it is usually used to refer to the so-called. "pre-Mongolian" period of the IX - the middle of the XIII centuries, in order to distinguish this era from the following periods of Russian history.

The term "Kievan Rus" originated in late XVIII century. In modern historiography, it is used both to refer to a single state that existed until the middle of the 12th century, and for a wider period of the middle of the 12th - the middle of the 13th centuries, when Kyiv remained the center of the country and Russia was ruled by a single princely family on the principles of "collective suzerainty".

Pre-revolutionary historians, starting with N. M. Karamzin, adhered to the idea of ​​transferring the political center of Rus' in 1169 from Kyiv to Vladimir, dating back to the works of Moscow scribes, or to Vladimir and Galich. However, in modern historiography, these points of view are not popular, as they are not confirmed in the sources.

The problem of the emergence of statehood

There are two main hypotheses for the formation of the Old Russian state. According to the Norman theory, based on the Tale of Bygone Years of the XII century and numerous Western European and Byzantine sources, statehood was introduced to Rus' from outside by the Varangians - the brothers Rurik, Sineus and Truvor in 862. The founders of the Norman theory are German historians Bayer, Miller, Schlozer, who worked at the Russian Academy of Sciences. The point of view about the external origin of the Russian monarchy was generally held by Nikolai Karamzin, who followed the versions of The Tale of Bygone Years.

The anti-Norman theory is based on the concept of the impossibility of introducing statehood from outside, on the idea of ​​the emergence of the state as a stage in the internal development of society. Mikhail Lomonosov was considered the founder of this theory in Russian historiography. In addition, there are different points of view on the origin of the Varangians themselves. Scientists classified as Normanists considered them Scandinavians (usually Swedes), some anti-Normanists, starting with Lomonosov, suggest their origin from the West Slavic lands. There are also intermediate versions of localization - in Finland, Prussia, another part of the Baltic States. The problem of the ethnicity of the Varangians is independent of the question of the emergence of statehood.

In modern science, the point of view prevails, according to which the rigid opposition of "Normanism" and "anti-Normanism" is largely politicized. The prerequisites for the original statehood of Eastern Slavs were not seriously denied by either Miller, or Schlözer, or Karamzin, and the external (Scandinavian or otherwise) origin of the ruling dynasty is a fairly common phenomenon in the Middle Ages, which in no way proves the inability of the people to create a state or, more specifically, the institution of a monarchy. Questions about whether Rurik was a real historical person, what is the origin of the chronicle Varangians, whether the ethnonym (and then the name of the state) is associated with them Rus, continue to be debatable in modern Russian historical science. Western historians generally follow the concept of Normanism.

Story

Education of Kievan Rus

Kievan Rus arose on the trade route "from the Varangians to the Greeks" on the lands of the East Slavic tribes - the Ilmen Slovenes, Krivichi, Polyans, then embracing the Drevlyans, Dregovichi, Polochans, Radimichi, Severyans, Vyatichi.

According to the chronicle legend, the founders of Kyiv are the rulers of the Polyan tribe - the brothers Kyi, Shchek and Khoriv. According to archaeological excavations conducted in Kyiv in the 19th-20th centuries, already in the middle of the 1st millennium AD. e. there was a settlement on the site of Kyiv. Arab writers of the 10th century (al-Istarkhi, Ibn Khordadbeh, Ibn-Khaukal) later speak of Kuyab as a large city. Ibn Haukal wrote: “The king lives in a city called Kuyaba, which is larger than Bolgar ... Russ constantly trade with Khazar and Rum (Byzantium)”

The first information about the state of the Rus dates back to the first third of the 9th century: in 839, the ambassadors of the kagan of the Ros people are mentioned, who first arrived in Constantinople, and from there to the court of the Frankish emperor Louis the Pious. Since that time, the ethnonym "Rus" has also become famous. The term "Kievan Rus" appears for the first time in historical studies of the 18th-19th centuries.

In 860 (The Tale of Bygone Years erroneously refers it to 866) Rus' makes the first campaign against Constantinople. Greek sources associate it with the so-called first baptism of Rus', after which a diocese may have arisen in Rus', and the ruling elite (possibly led by Askold) adopted Christianity.

In 862, according to the Tale of Bygone Years, the Slavic and Finno-Ugric tribes called for the reign of the Varangians.

“In the year 6370 (862). They expelled the Varangians across the sea, and did not give them tribute, and began to rule themselves, and there was no truth among them, and clan stood against clan, and they had strife, and began to fight with each other. And they said to themselves: "Let's look for a prince who would rule over us and judge by right." And they went across the sea to the Varangians, to Rus'. Those Varangians were called Rus, as others are called Swedes, and others are Normans and Angles, and still others are Gotlanders, and so are these. The Russians said Chud, Slovenes, Krivichi and all: “Our land is great and plentiful, but there is no order in it. Come reign and rule over us." And three brothers with their clans were elected, and they took all of Rus' with them, and they came, and the eldest, Rurik, sat in Novgorod, and the other, Sineus, on Beloozero, and the third, Truvor, in Izborsk. And from those Varangians the Russian land was nicknamed. Novgorodians are those people from the Varangian family, and before they were Slovenes.

In 862 (the date is approximate, like the entire early chronology of the Chronicle), the Varangians, Rurik's combatants Askold and Dir, sailing to Constantinople, seeking to establish full control over the most important trade route "from the Varangians to the Greeks", establish their power over Kyiv.

Rurik died in 879 in Novgorod. The reign was transferred to Oleg, the regent under the young son of Rurik Igor.

The reign of Oleg the Prophet

In 882, according to chronicle chronology, Prince Oleg, a relative of Rurik, set off on a campaign from Novgorod to the south. On the way, they captured Smolensk and Lyubech, established their power there and put their people on the reign. Further, Oleg, with a Novgorodian army and a mercenary Varangian squad, under the guise of merchants, captured Kyiv, killed Askold and Dir, who ruled there, and declared Kyiv the capital of his state (“And Oleg, the prince, sat in Kyiv, and Oleg said: “May this be the mother of Russian cities “.”); the dominant religion was paganism, although Kyiv also had a Christian minority.

Oleg conquered the Drevlyans, Northerners and Radimichis, the last two unions before that paid tribute to the Khazars.

As a result of the victorious campaign against Byzantium, the first written agreements were concluded in 907 and 911, which provided for preferential terms of trade for Russian merchants (trade duties were canceled, ships were repaired, accommodation was provided), and legal and military issues were resolved. The tribes of Radimichi, Severyans, Drevlyans, Krivichi were taxed. According to the chronicle version, Oleg, who bore the title of Grand Duke, ruled for more than 30 years. Rurik's own son Igor took the throne after the death of Oleg around 912 and ruled until 945.

Igor Rurikovich

Igor made two military campaigns against Byzantium. The first, in 941, ended unsuccessfully. It was also preceded by an unsuccessful military campaign against Khazaria, during which Rus', acting at the request of Byzantium, attacked the Khazar city of Samkerts on the Taman Peninsula, but was defeated by the Khazar commander Pesach, and then turned its weapons against Byzantium. The second campaign against Byzantium took place in 944. It ended with an agreement that confirmed many of the provisions of the previous agreements of 907 and 911, but abolished duty-free trade. In 943 or 944, a campaign was made against Berdaa. In 945, Igor was killed while collecting tribute from the Drevlyans. After Igor's death, due to the infancy of his son Svyatoslav, real power was in the hands of Igor's widow, Princess Olga. She became the first ruler of the Old Russian state who officially adopted Christianity of the Byzantine rite (according to the most reasoned version, in 957, although other dates are also proposed). However, around 959 Olga invited the German bishop Adalbert and priests of the Latin rite to Rus' (after the failure of their mission, they were forced to leave Kyiv).

Svyatoslav Igorevich

Around 962, the matured Svyatoslav took power into his own hands. His first action was the subjugation of the Vyatichi (964), who were the last of all East Slavic tribes to pay tribute to the Khazars. In 965, Svyatoslav made a campaign against the Khazar Khaganate, taking by storm its main cities: Sarkel, Semender and the capital Itil. On the site of the city of Sarkel, he built the Belaya Vezha fortress. Svyatoslav also carried out two trips to Bulgaria, where he intended to create his own state with its capital in the Danube region. He was killed in battle with the Pechenegs while returning to Kyiv from an unsuccessful campaign in 972.

After the death of Svyatoslav, civil strife broke out for the right to the throne (972-978 or 980). The eldest son Yaropolk became the great prince of Kyiv, Oleg received the Drevlyansk lands, Vladimir - Novgorod. In 977, Yaropolk defeated Oleg's squad, Oleg died. Vladimir fled "over the sea", but returned after 2 years with the Varangian squad. During the civil strife, Svyatoslav's son Vladimir Svyatoslavich (r. 980-1015) defended his rights to the throne. Under him, the formation of the state territory was completed Ancient Rus', Cherven cities and Carpathian Rus were annexed.

Characteristics of the state in the IX-X centuries.

Kievan Rus united vast territories inhabited by East Slavic, Finno-Ugric and Baltic tribes under its rule. In the annals, the state was called Rus; the word "Russian" in combination with other words was found in various spellings: both with one "s" and with a double one; both with "b" and without it. In a narrow sense, "Rus" meant the territory of Kyiv (with the exception of the Drevlyansk and Dregovichi lands), Chernigov-Seversk (with the exception of the Radimich and Vyatichi lands) and Pereyaslav lands; it is in this sense that the term "Rus" was used, for example, in Novgorod sources until the 13th century.

The head of state bore the title of Grand Duke, Prince of Russia. Unofficially, other prestigious titles could sometimes be attached to it, including the Turkic kagan and the Byzantine king. Princely power was hereditary. In addition to the princes, the grand ducal boyars and "husbands" participated in the administration of the territories. These were combatants appointed by the prince. The boyars commanded special squads, territorial garrisons (for example, Pretich commanded the Chernihiv squad), which, if necessary, united into a single army. Under the prince, one of the boyar governors also stood out, who often performed the functions of real government, such governors under the juvenile princes were Oleg under Igor, Sveneld under Olga, Svyatoslav and Yaropolk, Dobrynya under Vladimir. At the local level, princely power dealt with tribal self-government in the form of a veche and "city elders".

Druzhina

Druzhina in the period of IX-X centuries. was hired. A significant part of it was the newcomers Varangians. It was also replenished by people from the Baltic lands and local tribes. The size of the annual payment of a mercenary is estimated by historians in different ways. Wages were paid in silver, gold and furs. Usually, a warrior received about 8-9 Kyiv hryvnias (more than 200 silver dirhams) per year, but by the beginning of the 11th century, the pay for an ordinary soldier was 1 northern hryvnia, which is much less. Helmsmen on ships, elders and townspeople received more (10 hryvnias). In addition, the squad was fed at the expense of the prince. Initially, this was expressed in the form of dining, and then turned into one of the forms of taxes in kind, "feeding", the maintenance of the squad by the tax-paying population during polyudya. Among the squads subordinate to the Grand Duke, his personal “small”, or junior, squad, which included 400 soldiers, stands out. The Old Russian army also included a tribal militia, which could reach several thousand in each tribe. The total number of the Old Russian army reached from 30 to 80 thousand people.

Taxes (tribute)

The form of taxes in Ancient Rus' was tribute, which was paid by subject tribes. Most often, the unit of taxation was "smoke", that is, a house, or a family hearth. The size of the tax has traditionally been one skin from the smoke. In some cases, from the Vyatichi tribe, a coin was taken from a ral (plow). The form of tribute collection was polyudye, when the prince with his retinue traveled around his subjects from November to April. Rus' was divided into several taxable districts, polyudye in the Kiev district passed through the lands of the Drevlyans, Dregovichi, Krivichi, Radimichi and Northerners. A special district was Novgorod, paying about 3,000 hryvnias. Maximum size tribute according to the late Hungarian legend in the 10th century was 10 thousand marks (30 or more thousand hryvnias). The collection of tribute was carried out by squads of several hundred soldiers. The dominant ethno-class group of the population, which was called "Rus" paid the prince a tenth of their annual income.

In 946, after the suppression of the uprising of the Drevlyans, Princess Olga carried out a tax reform, streamlining the collection of tribute. She established "lessons", that is, the amount of tribute, and created "graveyards", fortresses on the path of polyudia, in which princely administrators lived and where tribute was brought. This form of tribute collection and the tribute itself was called "cart". When paying the tax, subjects received clay seals with a princely sign, which insured them from re-collection. The reform contributed to the centralization of grand ducal power and the weakening of the power of tribal princes.

Right

In the 10th century, customary law operated in Rus', which is called the “Russian Law” in the sources. Its norms are reflected in the treaties of Rus' and Byzantium, in the Scandinavian sagas and in Yaroslav's Pravda. They concerned the relationship between equal people, Russia, one of the institutions was "vira" - a fine for murder. Laws guaranteed property relations, including ownership of slaves (“servants”).

The principle of inheritance of power in IX-X centuries unknown. The heirs were often underage (Igor Rurikovich, Svyatoslav Igorevich). In the XI century, princely power in Rus' was transferred along the "ladder", that is, not necessarily the son, but the eldest in the family (the uncle had an advantage over the nephews). At the turn of the XI-XII centuries, two principles clashed, and a struggle broke out between the direct heirs and the side lines.

monetary system

In the X century, a more or less unified monetary system developed, focused on the Byzantine liter and the Arab dirham. The main monetary units were the hryvnia (monetary and weight unit of ancient Rus'), kuna, nogata and rezana. They had a silver and fur expression.

State type

Historians assess the nature of the state of this period in different ways: “barbarian state”, “military democracy”, “druzhina period”, “Norman period”, “military-commercial state”, “folding of the early feudal monarchy”.

Baptism of Rus' and its heyday

Under Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich in 988, Christianity became the official religion of Rus'. Having become the prince of Kyiv, Vladimir faced the increased Pecheneg threat. To protect against nomads, he builds a line of fortresses on the border. It was during the time of Vladimir that the action of many Russian epics telling about the exploits of heroes takes place.

Crafts and trade. Monuments of writing (“The Tale of Bygone Years”, the Novgorod Codex, the Ostromir Gospel, Lives) and architecture (the Church of the Tithes, St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv and the cathedrals of the same name in Novgorod and Polotsk) were created. The high level of literacy of the inhabitants of Rus' is evidenced by numerous birch bark letters that have come down to our time). Rus' traded with the southern and western Slavs, Scandinavia, Byzantium, Western Europe, the peoples of the Caucasus and Central Asia.

After the death of Vladimir in Rus', a new civil strife takes place. Svyatopolk the Accursed in 1015 kills his brothers Boris (according to another version, Boris was killed by Yaroslav's Scandinavian mercenaries), Gleb and Svyatoslav. Boris and Gleb in 1071 were canonized as saints. Svyatopolk himself is defeated by Yaroslav and dies in exile.

The reign of Yaroslav the Wise (1019 - 1054) was at times the highest flowering of the state. Public relations were regulated by the collection of laws "Russian Truth" and princely charters. Yaroslav the Wise held an active foreign policy. He intermarried with many ruling dynasties of Europe, which testified to the wide international recognition of Rus' in the European Christian world. Intensive stone construction is unfolding. In 1036, Yaroslav defeats the Pechenegs near Kyiv and their raids on Rus' stop.

Changes in public administration at the end of the 10th - beginning of the 12th centuries.

During the baptism of Rus' in all its lands, the power of the sons of Vladimir I and the power of Orthodox bishops, who were subordinate to the Kyiv Metropolitan, were established. Now all the princes who acted as vassals of the Kyiv Grand Duke were only from the Rurik family. The Scandinavian sagas mention fief possessions of the Vikings, but they were located on the outskirts of Rus' and on the newly annexed lands, so at the time of writing The Tale of Bygone Years, they already seemed like a relic. The Rurik princes waged a fierce struggle with the remaining tribal princes (Vladimir Monomakh mentions the Vyatichi prince Khodota and his son). This contributed to the centralization of power.

The power of the Grand Duke reached its highest level under Vladimir, Yaroslav the Wise, and later under Vladimir Monomakh. Attempts to strengthen it, but less successfully, were also made by Izyaslav Yaroslavich. The position of the dynasty was strengthened by numerous international dynastic marriages: Anna Yaroslavna and the French king, Vsevolod Yaroslavich and the Byzantine princess, etc.

From the time of Vladimir or, according to some reports, Yaropolk Svyatoslavich, instead of a monetary salary, the prince began to distribute land to combatants. If initially these were cities for feeding, then in the 11th century the combatants received villages. Together with the villages, which became estates, the boyar title was also granted. The boyars began to make up the senior squad, which by type was a feudal militia. The younger squad (“youths”, “children”, “gridi”), who was with the prince, lived off feeding from the princely villages and the war. To protect the southern borders, a resettlement policy was carried out " best husbands"northern tribes to the south, and agreements were also concluded with allied nomads," black hoods "(torks, berendeys and pechenegs). The services of the hired Varangian squad were basically abandoned during the reign of Yaroslav the Wise.

After Yaroslav the Wise, the "ladder" principle of land inheritance in the Rurik dynasty was finally established. The eldest in the family (not by age, but by line of kinship), received Kyiv and became the Grand Duke, all other lands were divided among members of the family and distributed according to seniority. Power passed from brother to brother, from uncle to nephew. The second place in the hierarchy of tables was occupied by Chernihiv. At the death of one of the members of the family, all the younger Ruriks moved to the lands corresponding to their seniority. When new members of the clan appeared, they were assigned a lot - a city with land (volost). In 1097, the principle of mandatory allocation of inheritance to the princes was enshrined.

Over time, the church (“monastic estates”) began to possess a significant part of the land. Since 996, the population has paid tithes to the church. The number of dioceses, starting from 4, grew. The chair of the metropolitan, appointed by the patriarch of Constantinople, began to be located in Kyiv, and under Yaroslav the Wise, the metropolitan was first elected from among Russian priests, in 1051 he became close to Vladimir and his son Hilarion. The monasteries and their elected heads, abbots, began to have great influence. The Kiev-Pechersk Monastery becomes the center of Orthodoxy.

The boyars and the retinue formed special councils under the prince. The prince also consulted with the metropolitan, bishops and abbots, who made up the church council. With the complication of the princely hierarchy, by the end of the 11th century, princely congresses (“snems”) began to gather. There were vechas in the cities, on which the boyars often relied to support their own political demands (the uprisings in Kyiv in 1068 and 1113).

In the 11th - early 12th centuries, the first written code of laws was formed - "Russian Pravda", which was consistently replenished with articles "Pravda Yaroslav" (c. 1015-1016), "Pravda Yaroslavichi" (c. 1072) and "Charter of Vladimir Vsevolodovich" (c. 1113). Russkaya Pravda reflected the growing differentiation of the population (now the size of the vira depended on the social status of the murdered), regulated the position of such categories of the population as servants, serfs, smerds, purchases and ryadovichi.

"Pravda Yaroslava" equalized the rights of "Rusyns" and "Slovenes". This, along with Christianization and other factors, contributed to the formation of a new ethnic community, which was aware of its unity and historical origin.
Since the end of the 10th century, Rus' has known its own coin production - silver and gold coins of Vladimir I, Svyatopolk, Yaroslav the Wise and other princes.

Decay

The Principality of Polotsk separated from Kyiv for the first time at the beginning of the 11th century. Having concentrated all the other Russian lands under his rule only 21 years after the death of his father, Yaroslav the Wise, dying in 1054, divided them among his five surviving sons. After the death of the two younger of them, all the lands were concentrated in the hands of the three elders: Izyaslav of Kyiv, Svyatoslav of Chernigov and Vsevolod Pereyaslavsky (“the triumvirate of Yaroslavichs”). After the death of Svyatoslav in 1076, the Kyiv princes attempted to deprive his sons of the Chernigov inheritance, and they resorted to the help of the Polovtsy, whose raids began as early as 1061 (immediately after the defeat of the Torques by the Russian princes in the steppes), although for the first time the Polovtsy were used in strife by Vladimir Monomakh (against Vseslav Polotsky). In this struggle, Izyaslav of Kyiv (1078) and the son of Vladimir Monomakh Izyaslav (1096) died. At the Lyubech Congress (1097), called to stop civil strife and unite the princes to protect themselves from the Polovtsians, the principle was proclaimed: "Let everyone keep his fatherland." Thus, while maintaining the right of the ladder, in the event of the death of one of the princes, the movement of heirs was limited to their patrimony. This made it possible to stop the strife and join forces to fight the Polovtsy, which was moved deep into the steppes. However, this also opened the way to political fragmentation, as a separate dynasty was established in each land, and the Grand Duke of Kyiv became the first among equals, losing the role of overlord.

In the second quarter of the 12th century, Kievan Rus actually broke up into independent principalities. The modern historiographic tradition considers the chronological beginning of the period of fragmentation to be 1132, when, after the death of Mstislav the Great, the son of Vladimir Monomakh, Polotsk (1132) and Novgorod (1136) ceased to recognize the power of the Kyiv prince, and the title itself became an object of struggle between various dynastic and territorial associations of the Rurikovichs. The chronicler under 1134, in connection with the split among the Monomakhoviches, wrote down "the whole Russian land was torn apart."

In 1169, the grandson of Vladimir Monomakh, Andrei Bogolyubsky, having captured Kyiv, for the first time in the practice of inter-princely strife, did not reign in it, but gave it to inheritance. From that moment on, Kyiv began to gradually lose the political, and then the cultural attributes of the all-Russian center. The political center under Andrei Bogolyubsky and Vsevolod the Big Nest moved to Vladimir, whose prince also began to bear the title of great.

Kyiv, unlike other principalities, did not become the property of any one dynasty, but served as a constant bone of contention for all strong princes. In 1203, it was again plundered by the Smolensk prince Rurik Rostislavich, who fought against the Galician-Volyn prince Roman Mstislavich. In the battle on the Kalka River (1223), in which almost all South Russian princes took part, the first clash of Rus' with the Mongols took place. The weakening of the southern Russian principalities increased the onslaught from the Hungarian and Lithuanian feudal lords, but at the same time contributed to the strengthening of the influence of the Vladimir princes in Chernigov (1226), Novgorod (1231), Kyiv (in 1236 Yaroslav Vsevolodovich occupied Kyiv for two years, while his older brother Yuri remained reign in Vladimir) and Smolensk (1236-1239). During the Mongol invasion of Rus', which began in 1237, in December 1240, Kyiv was turned into ruins. It was received by Vladimir princes Yaroslav Vsevolodovich, recognized by the Mongols as the oldest in Rus', and later by his son Alexander Nevsky. However, they did not move to Kyiv, remaining in their ancestral Vladimir. In 1299, the Metropolitan of Kyiv moved his residence there. In some church and literary sources, for example, in the statements of the Patriarch of Constantinople and Vytautas at the end of the 14th century, Kyiv continued to be considered the capital at a later time, but by that time it was already a provincial city of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The title of "great princes of all Rus'" from the beginning of the 14th century began to be worn by the princes of Vladimir.

The nature of the statehood of Russian lands

IN early XIII century, on the eve of the Mongol invasion in Rus', there were about 15 relatively territorially stable principalities (in turn divided into appanages), three of which: Kiev, Novgorod and Galicia were objects of the all-Russian struggle, and the rest were controlled by their own branches of the Rurikovich. The most powerful princely dynasties were Chernigov Olgovichi, Smolensk Rostislavichi, Volyn Izyaslavichi and Suzdal Yurievichi. After the invasion, almost all Russian lands entered a new round of fragmentation, and in the 14th century the number of great and specific principalities reached approximately 250.

The only all-Russian political body remained the congress of princes, which mainly decided the issues of the struggle against the Polovtsy. The Church also maintained its relative unity (excluding the emergence of local cults of saints and the veneration of the cult of local relics) headed by the metropolitan and fought against all sorts of regional "heresies" by convening councils. However, the position of the church was weakened by the strengthening of tribal pagan beliefs in the XII-XIII centuries. Religious authority and "zabozhny" (repression) were weakened. The candidacy of the archbishop of Veliky Novgorod was proposed by the Novgorod veche, there are also known cases of the expulsion of the lord (archbishop) ..

During the period of fragmentation of Kievan Rus political power from the hands of the prince and the younger squad passed to the intensified boyars. If earlier the boyars had business, political and economic relations with the whole family of Rurikoviches headed by the Grand Duke, now they have with individual families of specific princes.

In the Principality of Kiev, the boyars, in order to reduce the intensity of the struggle between the princely dynasties, in a number of cases supported the duumvirate (coordination) of the princes and even resorted to the physical elimination of the alien princes (Yuri Dolgoruky was poisoned). The Kiev boyars sympathized with the authorities of the senior branch of the descendants of Mstislav the Great, but external pressure was too strong for the position of the local nobility to become decisive in the choice of princes. In the Novgorod land, which, like Kyiv, did not become the patrimony of the specific princely branch of the Rurik family, retaining its all-Russian significance, and during the anti-princely uprising a republican system was established - from now on the prince was invited and expelled by the veche. In the Vladimir-Suzdal land, the princely power was traditionally strong and sometimes even prone to despotism. There is a known case when the boyars (Kuchkovichi) and the younger squad physically eliminated the prince of the “autocratic” Andrei Bogolyubsky. In the southern Russian lands, city vechas played a huge role in the political struggle, there were also vechas in the Vladimir-Suzdal land (there are references to them up to the 14th century). In the Galician land, there was a unique case of the election of a prince from among the boyars.

The main type of troops was the feudal militia, the senior squad received personal inheritable land rights. For the defense of the city, urban district and settlements, the city militia was used. In Veliky Novgorod, the princely squad was actually hired in relation to the republican authorities, the lord had a special regiment, the townspeople made up a “thousand” (a militia led by a thousand), there was also a boyar militia formed from the inhabitants of the “pyatins” (five dependent on the Novgorod boyar families of regions of the Novgorod land). The army of a separate principality did not exceed the size of 8,000 people. The total number of squads and city militia by 1237, according to historians, was about 100 thousand people.

During the period of fragmentation, several monetary systems developed: there are Novgorod, Kyiv and "Chernihiv" hryvnias. They were silver bars. different size and weight. The northern (Novgorod) hryvnia was oriented towards the northern mark, and the southern - towards the Byzantine liter. Kuna had a silver and fur expression, the former related to the latter as one to four. Old skins, fastened with a princely seal (the so-called "leather money"), were also used as a monetary unit.

The name Rus remained during this period behind the lands in the Middle Dnieper. Residents of different lands usually called themselves after the capital cities of specific principalities: Novgorodians, Suzdalians, Kuryans, etc. Up to the 13th century, according to archeology, tribal differences in material culture persisted, and the spoken Old Russian language was also not unified, preserving the regional- tribal dialects.

Trade

The most important trade routes of Ancient Rus' were:

• the path “from the Varangians to the Greeks”, starting from the Varangian Sea, along Lake Nevo, along the Volkhov and Dnieper rivers, leading to the Black Sea, Balkan Bulgaria and Byzantium (the same way, entering from the Black Sea to the Danube, one could get to Great Moravia) ;
• The Volga trade route (“the path from the Varangians to the Persians”), which went from the city of Ladoga to the Caspian Sea and further to Khorezm and Central Asia, Persia and Transcaucasia;
• a land route that began in Prague and through Kyiv went to the Volga and further to Asia.

Kievan Rus

Kievan Rus (Old Russian state, Kiev state, Russian state)- the name of the early feudal ancient Russian state with a center in Kyiv, which arose at the turn of the 7th-9th centuries. as a result of a long process of economic, political and cultural consolidation of East Slavic tribal unions and in various forms existed until the middle of the 13th century.

1. Kievan Rus. general characteristics . During the reign of Vladimir the Great (980-1015), the formation of the territory of Kievan Rus was completed. It occupied the territory from Lake Peipsi, Ladoga and Onega in the north to the rivers Don, Ros, Sula, Southern Bug in the south, from the Dniester, Carpathians, Neman, Western Dvina in the west to the interfluve of the Volga and Oka in the east; its area was about 800 thousand km2.

In the history of Kievan Rus, one can distinguish three consecutive periods:

The period of emergence, and formation, and evolution of state structures, chronologically covers the end of the 9th - the end of the 10th century;

The period of the greatest rise and development of Kievan Rus (late X - mid-XI century)

The period of political fragmentation of Kievan Rus (the end of the 11th - the middle of the 13th century).

2 The origin of the names "Kievan Rus" and "Rus-Ukraine". The state of the Eastern Slavs was called "Kievan Rus", or "Rus-Ukraine". Researchers do not have a common opinion about the origin and definition of the name "Rus". There are several versions:

The tribes of the Normans (Varangians) were called Rus - they founded the state of the Slavs and the name "Russian Land" came from them; This theory originated in the 18th century. in Germany and was called "Norman", its authors - historians G. Bayer and G. Miller, their followers and like-minded people are called Normanists;

Russ - Slavic tribes who lived in the middle reaches of the Dnieper;

Rus is an ancient Slavic deity, from which the name of the state came;

Rusa - in the Proto-Slavic language "river" (hence the name "channel").

Ukrainian historians generally adhere to anti-Norman views, although they do not deny the significant contribution of the Varangian princes and troops to the formation of the state system of Kievan Rus.

Rus', Russian land in their opinion:

The name of the territory of the Kiev region, Chernihiv region, Pereyaslav region (lands of glades, northerners, drevlyans);

The name of the tribes that lived on the banks of the rivers Ros, Rosava, Rostavitsa, Roska and others;

The name of the Kievan state since the IX century.

The name "Ukraine" (land, region) means the territory that was the basis of Kievan Rus in the 11th-12th centuries. For the first time this term is used in the Kyiv Chronicle in 1187 in relation to the lands of the Southern Kiev region and Pereyaslav region.

3. The emergence of Kievan Rus. Before the formation of the state on the territory of the future Kievan Rus lived:

a) East Slavic tribes- ancestors of Ukrainians- Drevlyans, glades, northerners, Volhynians (dulibs), Tivertsy, white Croats;

b) East Slavic tribes - ancestors of Belarusians- Dregovichi, Polotsk;

c) East Slavic tribes - Russian ancestors - Krivichi, Radimichi, Slovenian, Vyatichi.

Basic prerequisites formation of East Slavic statehood:

At the beginning of the VIII century. in general, the process of the settlement of the Slavs and the creation of territorially defined large and small unions of tribes was completed;

The presence in the East Slavic unions of tribes of certain local differences in culture and life;

The gradual development of tribal unions into tribal principalities - pre-state associations of a higher level that preceded the emergence of the East Slavic state;

Formation at the turn of the VIII-IX centuries. around Kyiv, the first East Slavic state, which experts conditionally call the Kyiv Principality of Askold.

The following can be distinguished milestones the process of unification of the Eastern Slavs into one state:

a) the creation of a principality (state) with its capital in Kyiv; the structure of this state included glades, Russ, northerners, Dregovichi, Polochans;

b) the seizure of power in Kyiv by the Novgorod prince Oleg (882), under whose authority a part of the Slavic tribes had previously been under his rule;

c) the unification of almost all East Slavic tribes into a single state of Kievan Rus.

The first Slavic princes:

- prince Kiy (semi-legendary) - the leader of the union of tribes of the glades, the founder of the city of Kyiv (according to legend, together with the brothers Shchek, Khoriv and sister Lybid in the 5th-6th centuries);

Prince Rurik - an annalistic mention of him in the Tale of Bygone Years, it says that in 862 the Novgorodians called the "Varangians" Rurik with an army ; .

The princes Askold and Dir conquered Kyiv in the second half of the 9th century, according to the chronicles Askold and Dir were the boyars of Prince Rurik;

After the death of the Novgorod prince Rurik (879), until the age of his son Igor, Oleg became the de facto ruler of the Novgorod land;

In 882, Oleg captured Kyiv, on his orders the Kyiv brothers Askold and Dir were killed; the beginning of the rule in Kyiv of the Rurik dynasty; Many researchers consider Prince Oleg the direct founder of Kievan Rus.

4. Economic development Kievan Rus. The leading place in the economy of the Kievan state was occupied by Agriculture which has developed in line with natural conditions. In the forest-steppe zone of Kievan Rus, a fire-slashing system of tillage was used, and in the steppe, a shifting system was used. Farmers used perfect tools: a plow, harrows, shovels, scythes, sickles, they sowed cereals and industrial crops. Cattle breeding has reached significant development. Hunting, fishing, beekeeping retained their importance.

Initially, landownership of free community members prevailed in the Old Russian state, and from the 11th century. gradually formed and intensified feudal tenure - patrimony, which was inherited. Handicraft occupied an important place in the economy of Kievan Rus. Since that time, more than 60 types of handicraft specialties have been known. Trade routes ran through the Old Russian state: for example, “from the Varangians to the Greeks”, connecting Rus' with Scandinavia and the countries of the Black Sea basin. In Kievan Rus, the minting of coins - silversmiths and goldsmiths - began. In the Russian state, the number of cities grew - from 20 (IX-X centuries), 32 (XI century) to 300 (XIII century).

5. The political and administrative system of Kievan Rus. The political and administrative system of Kievan Rus was based on a princely-druzhina structure for the long-term preservation of self-government bodies of urban and rural communities. Communities united in volosts - administrative-territorial units, which included cities and rural districts. Groups of volosts united into lands. Kievan Rus was formed as a sole monarchy. At the head of the state was the Grand Duke of Kyiv, who concentrated in his hands all the fullness of legislative, executive, judicial and military power. The prince's advisers were "princely men" from the top of his retinue, who received the title governors, and from the 11th century they were called boyars. Over time, dynasties of boyars arose, occupying important government positions.

The internal administration of the state was carried out by numerous princely rulers (posadniki, thousand, butlers, tiuns, etc.). The princely power relied on a permanent military organization - the squad. Vigilantes-posadniks were entrusted with the management of individual volosts, cities and lands. The people's militia was formed according to the decimal principle. Separate subdivisions were headed by a foreman, a sotsky, a thousand. "Thousand" was a military-administrative unit. In the XII-XIII centuries. the form of the state has changed. Relations between individual principalities developed on the principles of federation or confederation.

6. social structure Kievan Rus. The social structure of Kievan Rus corresponded to its economic system. The dominant position was occupied by governors (boyars), thousand, sotsky, tiuns, firemen, village elders, and the city elite. The free category of rural producers was called smerds, the feudally dependent population in Kievan Rus were ryadovichi, purchases and outcasts. Serfs and servants were in the position of slaves.

7. Political fragmentation of Kievan Rus and its consequences. Kievan Rus was one of the most powerful states of its time, which significantly influenced the development of European civilization, but after the death of Vladimir Monomakh's son Mstislav Vladimirovich (1132), it began to lose its political unity and was divided into 15 principalities and lands. Among them, Kiev, Chernigov, Vladimir-Suzdal, Novgorod, Smolensk, Polotsk and Galician principalities were large and influential.

The political prerequisites for fragmentation were as follows:

The succession to the throne among the princes of Kievan Rus was different: in some lands, power was transferred from father to son, in others - from older brother to younger;

Political ties between individual feudal estates and individual lands were weakened, the development of individual lands led to the emergence of local separatism;

In some lands, the local boyars demanded the strong power of the prince to ensure the protection of their rights; on the other hand, the real power of the specific princes and boyars increased, the power of the Kyiv prince was weakened, many boyars put local interests above national ones;

The Kiev principality did not create its own dynasty, since representatives of all princely families fought for the possession of Kyiv;

The expansion of nomads to Russian lands intensified.

Socio-economic prerequisites for fragmentation:

The natural nature of the economy of the Kievan state led to a weakening of economic and trade ties between individual lands;

Cities developed rapidly, becoming the political, economic and cultural centers of the principalities;

The transformation of the conditional landownership of the specific boyars into hereditary significantly increased the economic role of the local nobility, who did not want to share their power;

A change in the trading environment, as a result of which Kyiv lost its role as a center of trade, and Western Europe began to trade directly with a close gathering.

Modern research scientists prove that feudal fragmentation is natural stage in the development of medieval society. This is also evidenced by the fact that all the peoples and states of Europe survived it. Fragmentation was caused by the further feudalization of ancient Russian society, the spread of socio-economic development in the field. If earlier Kyiv was the center of the entire socio-economic, political, cultural and ideological life of the country, then from the middle of the XII century. other centers already competed with it: the old ones - Novgorod, Smolensk, Polotsk - and the new ones - Vladimir-on-Klyazma and Galich.

Rus' was torn apart by princely civil strife, large and small wars, constantly going on between the feudal lords. However, contrary to popular belief, the Old Russian State did not collapse. It only changed its form: in place of the one-man monarchy came federal Monarchy, in which Russia was jointly ruled by a group of the most influential and powerful princes. Historians call this form of government "collective sovereignty."

Fragmentation weakened the state politically, but contributed to the development of the local economy and culture. She, to a certain extent, laid the foundations of three East Slavic peoples: Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian. The last decades of the 15th century, when the Russian centralized state was formed, and the Ukrainian and Belarusian lands fell under the rule of Lithuania, Poland, Hungary and Moldova, are considered to be the period of ending fragmentation in the East Slavic lands.

8. The value of Kievan Rus.The meaning of Kievan Rus is as follows:

a) Kievan Rus became the first state of the Eastern Slavs, accelerated the development of the last stage of development of the primitive communal system into a more progressive feudal one; this process created favorable conditions for the development of the economy and culture; M. Grushevsky argued: "Kievan Rus is the first form of Ukrainian statehood";

b) the formation of Kievan Rus contributed to the strengthening of the defense capability of the East Slavic population, preventing its physical destruction by the nomads (Pechenegs, Polovtsy, etc.);

c) the ancient Russian nationality was formed on the basis of a common territory, language, culture, mental warehouse;

d) Kievan Rus raised the authority of the Eastern Slavs in Europe; The international significance of Kievan Rus lies in the fact that it influenced political events and international relationships in Europe and Asia, the Middle East; Russian princes maintained political, economic, dynastic ties with France, Sweden, England, Poland, Hungary, Norway, Byzantium;

e) Kievan Rus laid the foundation for the statehood of not only Slavic, but also non-Slavic peoples (the Finno-Ugric population of the North, etc...);

f) Kievan Rus acted as the eastern outpost of the European Christian world, it held back the advance of the hordes of steppe nomads, weakened their onslaught on Byzantium and the countries of Central Europe.

In the historical period of Kievan Rus, in the Dnieper region, in Galicia and Volhynia, in the Black Sea region and the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bAzov, traditions of independent statehood were laid on the territory of Ukraine. The historical center of the formation of the Ukrainian nationality was the territory of Kiev region, Pereyaslav region, Chernihiv-Siver region, Podolia, Galicia and Volhynia. From the 12th century the name is distributed in this area "Ukraine". In the process of fragmentation of the Kyiv state, the Ukrainian nationality became the ethnic basis of the lands-principalities of South-Western Rus' in the XII-XIV centuries: Kyiv, Pereyaslav, Chernigov, Seversky, Galician, Volyn. So, Kievan Rus was a form of socio-economic and state development of the Ukrainian ethnos. The Galicia-Volyn principality became the immediate successor of Kievan Rus.

At the end of the ninth century A.D. e. scattered tribes of the Eastern Slavs are united in a powerful union, which will later be called Kievan Rus. ancient state embraced vast territories of the central and southern parts of Europe, united peoples completely different culturally.

Name

The question of the history of the emergence of Russian statehood has been causing a lot of controversy among historians and archaeologists for decades. For a very long time, the manuscript "The Tale of Bygone Years", one of the main documented sources of information about this period, was considered a falsification, and therefore the data on when and how Kievan Rus appeared were called into question. The formation of a single center among the Eastern Slavs is presumably dated to the eleventh century.

The state of the Russians received the usual name for us only in the 20th century, when the textbook studies of Soviet scientists were published. They specified that this concept does not include a separate region of modern Ukraine, but the entire empire of the Rurikids, located on a vast territory. The Old Russian state is called conditionally, for a more convenient distinction between the periods before the Mongol invasion and after.

Prerequisites for the emergence of statehood

In the era of the early Middle Ages, almost throughout Europe, there was a tendency to unite disparate tribes and principalities. This was due to the aggressive campaigns of some king or knight, as well as the creation of alliances of wealthy families. The prerequisites for the formation of Kievan Rus were different and had their own specifics.

By the end of the IX, several large tribes, such as the Krivichi, Polyany, Drevlyans, Dregovichi, Vyatichi, Northerners, Radimichi, gradually united into one principality. The main reasons for this process were the following factors:

1. All unions rallied to confront common enemies - the steppe nomads, who often made devastating raids on cities and villages.
2. And also these tribes were united by a common geographical location, they all lived near the trade route "from the Varangians to the Greeks."
3. The first Kyiv princes known to us - Askold, Dir, and later Oleg, Vladimir and Yaroslav made aggressive campaigns in the North and South-East of Europe in order to establish their rule and impose tribute on the local population.

Thus, the formation of Kievan Rus gradually took place. It is difficult to talk briefly about this period, many events and bloody battles preceded the final consolidation of power in one center, under the leadership of the all-powerful prince. From the very beginning, the Russian state was formed as a multi-ethnic one, the peoples differed in terms of beliefs, way of life and culture.

"Norman" and "anti-Norman" theory

In historiography, the question of who and how created the state called Kievan Rus has not yet been finally resolved. For many decades, the formation of a single center among the Slavs was associated with the arrival of leaders from outside - the Varangians or Normans, whom the locals themselves called on these lands.

The theory has many shortcomings, the main reliable source of its confirmation is the mention of a certain legend of the chroniclers of the Tale of Bygone Years about the arrival of princes from the Varangians and the establishment of statehood by them, there is still no archaeological or historical evidence. This interpretation was adhered to by the German scientists G. Miller and I. Bayer.

The theory of the formation of Kievan Rus by foreign princes was disputed by M. Lomonosov, he and his followers believed that statehood in this territory arose through the gradual establishment of the power of one center over others, and was not introduced from outside. Until now, scientists have not come to a consensus, and this issue has long been politicized and is used as a lever of pressure on the perception of Russian history.

First princes

Whatever disagreements exist regarding the issue of the origin of statehood, official history speaks of the arrival of three brothers in the Slavic lands - Sinius, Truvor and Rurik. The first two soon died, and Rurik became the sole ruler of the then large cities of Ladoga, Izborsk and Beloozero. After his death, his son Igor, due to his infancy, could not take control, so Prince Oleg became regent under the heir.

It is with his name that the formation of the eastern state of Kievan Rus is associated, at the end of the ninth century he made a trip to the capital city and declared these lands "the cradle of the Russian land." Oleg showed himself not only as a strong leader and a great conqueror, but also as a good manager. In each city, he created a special system of subordination, legal proceedings and rules for collecting taxes.

Several destructive campaigns against the Greek lands, which were made by Oleg and his predecessor Igor, helped to strengthen the authority of Rus' as a strong and independent state, and also led to the establishment of a wider and more profitable trade with Byzantium.

Prince Vladimir

Igor's son Svyatoslav continued aggressive campaigns to remote territories, annexed the Crimea, the Taman Peninsula to his possessions, returned the cities previously conquered by the Khazars. However, the management of such economically and culturally diverse territories was very difficult to carry out from Kyiv. Therefore, Svyatoslav carried out an important administrative reform, placing his sons in charge of all major cities.

The formation and development of Kievan Rus was successfully continued by his illegitimate son Vladimir, this man became an outstanding figure in national history, it was during his reign that Russian statehood was finally formed, and a new religion was adopted - Christianity. He continued the consolidation of all the lands under his control, removing the sole rulers and appointing his sons as princes.

Rise of the State

Vladimir is often called the first Russian reformer; during his reign, he created a clear system administrative division and subordination, and also established a single rule for tax collection. In addition, he reorganized the judiciary, now the governors in each region made the law on his behalf. In the first period of his reign, Vladimir devoted much effort to fighting the raids of the steppe nomads and strengthening the country's borders.

It was during his reign that Kievan Rus was finally formed. The formation of a new state is impossible without the establishment of a single religion and worldview among the people, so Vladimir, being a smart strategist, decides to convert to Orthodoxy. Thanks to rapprochement with the strong and enlightened Byzantium, the state very soon becomes the cultural center of Europe. Thanks to the Christian faith, the authority of the head of the country is strengthened, as well as schools are opened, monasteries are built and books are printed.

internecine wars, disintegration

Initially, the system of government in Rus' was formed on the basis of tribal traditions of inheritance - from father to son. Under Vladimir, and then Yaroslav, such a custom played a key role in uniting disparate lands, the prince appointed his sons as governors in different cities, thereby maintaining a single government. But already in the 17th century, the grandchildren of Vladimir Monomakh were mired in internecine wars among themselves.

The centralized state, created with such zeal over the course of two hundred years, soon broke up into many specific principalities. The absence of a strong leader and harmony between the children of Mstislav Vladimirovich led to the fact that the once powerful country was completely unprotected against the forces of the devastating hordes of Batu.

Way of life

By the time of the invasion of the Mongol-Tatars in Rus', there were about three hundred cities, although the majority of the population lived in the countryside, where they were engaged in cultivating the land and raising livestock. The formation of the state of the Eastern Slavs of Kievan Rus contributed to the massive construction and strengthening of settlements, part of the taxes went both to create infrastructure and to build powerful defensive systems. To establish Christianity among the population, churches and monasteries were built in every city.

The class division in Kievan Rus took shape over a long period of time. One of the first is a group of leaders, usually it consisted of representatives of a separate family, social inequality between the leaders and the rest of the population was striking. Gradually, the future feudal nobility is formed from the princely squad. Despite the active slave trade with Byzantium and other eastern countries, there were not so many slaves in Ancient Rus'. Among the subject people, historians single out smerds, who obey the will of the prince, and serfs, who have practically no rights.

Economy

The formation of the monetary system in Ancient Rus' takes place in the first half of the 9th century and is associated with the beginning of active trade with the major states of Europe and the East. For a long time, coins minted in the centers of the Caliphate or in Western Europe were used on the territory of the country; the Slavic princes had neither the experience nor the necessary raw materials to make their own banknotes.

The formation of the state of Kievan Rus became possible largely due to the establishment of economic ties with Germany, Byzantium, and Poland. Russian princes have always prioritized protecting the interests of merchants abroad. The traditional goods of trade in Rus' were furs, honey, wax, linen, silver, jewelry, locks, weapons and much more. The message took place along the famous route "from the Varangians to the Greeks", when the ships rose along the Dnieper River to the Black Sea, as well as along the Volga route through Ladoga to the Caspian Sea.

Meaning

The social and cultural processes that took place during the formation and flourishing of Kievan Rus became the basis for the formation of the Russian nationality. With the adoption of Christianity, the country changed its appearance forever, for the next centuries Orthodoxy will become a unifying factor for all peoples living in this territory, despite the fact that pagan customs and rituals of our ancestors still remain in the culture and way of life.

A huge influence on Russian literature and the worldview of people was exerted by folklore, for which Kievan Rus was famous. The formation of a single center contributed to the emergence of common legends and fairy tales glorifying the great princes and their exploits.

With the adoption of Christianity in Rus', the widespread construction of monumental stone structures begins. Some architectural monuments have survived to this day, for example, the Church of the Intercession on the Nerl, which dates back to the 19th century. Of no less historical value are examples of paintings by ancient masters, which remained in the form of frescoes and mosaics in Orthodox churches and churches.

The denial of the greatness of Russia is a terrible robbery of mankind.

Berdyaev Nikolai Alexandrovich

The origin of the ancient Russian state of Kievan Rus is one of the biggest mysteries in history. Of course, there is an official version that gives many answers, but it has one drawback - it completely sweeps aside everything that happened to the Slavs before 862. Is everything really as bad as it is written in Western books, when the Slavs are compared with half-wild people who are not able to govern themselves and for this were forced to turn to an outsider, the Varangian, to teach them the mind? Of course, this is an exaggeration, since such a people cannot take Byzantium by storm twice before this time, and our ancestors did it!

In this material, we will adhere to the main policy of our site - a statement of facts that are known for certain. Also on these pages we will point out the main points that historians manage under various pretexts, but in our opinion they can shed light on what happened on our lands at that distant time.

Formation of the state of Kievan Rus

Modern history puts forward two main versions, according to which the formation of the state of Kievan Rus took place:

1. Norman. This theory is based on a rather dubious historical document - The Tale of Bygone Years. Also, supporters of the Norman version talk about various records from European scientists. This version is basic and accepted by history. According to her, the ancient tribes of the eastern communities could not govern themselves and called on three Varangians - the brothers Rurik, Sineus and Truvor.
2. anti-Norman (Russian). The Norman theory, despite being generally accepted, looks rather controversial. After all, it does not answer even a simple question, who are the Vikings? For the first time, anti-Norman statements were formulated by the great scientist Mikhail Lomonosov. This man was distinguished by the fact that he actively defended the interests of his homeland and publicly declared that the history of the ancient Russian state was written by the Germans and has no logic behind it. The Germans in this case are not a nation, as such, but a collective image that was used to call all foreigners who did not speak Russian. They were called dumb, hence the Germans.

In fact, until the end of the 9th century, not a single mention of the Slavs remained in the annals. This is rather strange, since quite civilized people lived here. This issue is analyzed in great detail in the material about the Huns, who, according to numerous versions, were none other than Russians. Now I would like to note that when Rurik came to the ancient Russian state, there were cities, ships, their own culture, their own language, their own traditions and customs. And the cities were quite well fortified with military point vision. Somehow this is weakly connected with the generally accepted version that our ancestors at that time ran with a digging stick.

The ancient Russian state of Kievan Rus was formed in 862, when the Varangian Rurik came to rule in Novgorod. An interesting point is that this prince carried out his rule of the country from Ladoga. In 864, the companions of the Novgorod prince Askold and Dir went down the Dnieper and discovered the city of Kyiv, in which they began to rule. After the death of Rurik, Oleg took custody of his young son, who went on a campaign to Kyiv, killed Askold and Dir and took possession of the future capital of the country. It happened in 882. Therefore, the formation of Kievan Rus can be attributed to this date. During the reign of Oleg, the country's possessions expanded due to the conquest of new cities, and there was also a strengthening of international power, as a result of wars with external enemies, such as Byzantium. There were respectable relations between the princes of Novgorod and Kyiv, and their minor junctions did not lead to major wars. Reliable information on this subject has not been preserved, but many historians say that these people were brothers and only blood ties held back the bloodshed.

Formation of statehood

Kievan Russia was a truly powerful state, respected in other countries. Its political center was Kyiv. It was the capital, which, in its beauty and wealth, had no equal. The impregnable city-fortress Kyiv on the banks of the Dnieper was a stronghold of Rus' for a long time. This order was violated as a result of the first fragmentation, which damaged the power of the state. It all ended with the invasion of the Tatar-Mongolian troops, who literally razed the "mother of Russian cities" to the ground. According to the surviving records of contemporaries of that terrible event, Kyiv was destroyed to the ground and lost forever its beauty, significance and wealth. Since then, the status of the first city did not belong to him.

An interesting expression is “the mother of Russian cities”, which is still actively used by people from different countries. Here we are faced with another attempt to falsify history, since at the moment when Oleg captured Kyiv, Rus' already existed, and Novgorod was its capital. Yes, and the princes got to the capital city of Kyiv itself, having descended along the Dnieper from Novgorod.

Internecine wars and the causes of the collapse of the ancient Russian state

The internecine war is that terrible nightmare that tormented the Russian lands for many decades. The reason for these events was the lack of a coherent system of succession to the throne. In the ancient Russian state, a situation developed when, after one ruler, a huge number of contenders for the throne remained - sons, brothers, nephews, etc. And each of them sought to exercise their right to control Russia. This inevitably led to wars, when the supreme power was asserted by arms.

In the struggle for power, individual applicants did not shy away from anything, even fratricide. The story of Svyatopolk the Accursed, who killed his brothers, is widely known, for which he received this nickname. Despite the contradictions that reigned within the Rurikids, Kievan Rus was ruled by the Grand Duke.

In many ways, it was internecine wars that led the ancient Russian state to a state close to collapse. It happened in 1237, when the ancient Russian lands first heard about the Tatar-Mongols. They brought terrible misfortunes to our ancestors, but internal problems, disunity and unwillingness of the princes to defend the interests of other lands led to a great tragedy, and for a long 2 centuries Rus' became completely dependent on the Golden Horde.

All these events led to a completely predictable outcome - the ancient Russian lands began to disintegrate. The date of the beginning of this process is considered to be 1132, which was marked by the death of Prince Mstislav, nicknamed the Great by the people. This led to the fact that the two cities of Polotsk and Novgorod refused to recognize the authority of his successor.

All these events led to the disintegration of the state into small destinies, which were ruled by individual rulers. Of course, the leading role of the Grand Duke remained, but this title looked more like a crown, which was used only by the strongest as a result of regular civil strife.

Key events

Kievan Rus is the first form of Russian statehood, which had many great pages in its history. The following can be distinguished as the main events of the era of the Kievan rise:

• 862 - the arrival of the Varangian-Rurik to Novgorod to reign
• 882 - Prophetic Oleg captured Kyiv
• 907 - campaign against Constantinople
• 988 - Baptism of Rus'
• 1097 - Lubech Congress of Princes
• 1125-1132 - reign of Mstislav the Great

Question.

Story- one of the most important humanities in the program of higher education, the content of which is the study of the process of the emergence and development of human society throughout the earth. Mastering knowledge on the history of society forms ... feelings, enriches the student's intellect.

Story- the process of development of nature and society (on a large scale). Science assumes the reliability of the events described and the objectivity of the ist. personality. The founder is Herodotus, an ancient Greek philosopher (history as a science of discipline).

Fatherland Story:

Assimilation of the main laws of the logic and history of the development of Russia;

Understanding the origins of the originality of many processes and the multidimensionality of the development of events;

A holistic and balanced understanding of the historical path traversed by our country from the beginning of the formation of the ancient Russian state to the modern period of time.

Development periods:

Primitive

· ancient world

Middle Ages

New time

· recent history

East Sources:

Written (laws, treaties, annals, diaries, letters, etc.)

Oral (epics, fairy tales, sayings)

Material (tools, household items, remains of stone structures)

Linguistic (language)

Ethnographic (ceremonies, customs).

Auxiliary ist. Sources:

Genealogy()

Heraldry()

· Diplomacy (documents of diploma nature)

Metrology (magnetic measurement)

Onomastics ( geographical names)

Numismatics (money circulation)

paleography (handwriting)

Sphragistics ()

Chronology (time)

Etymology (origin)

Historiography - history in general. The totality of research th. Dedicated to the definition of th., East. Period using ist. sources and literature

Origin of the Eastern Slavs

The ancestors of the Slavs - the Proto-Slavs - belonged to the Indo-European family of peoples who inhabited the vast territories of the European continent, stretching from Europe to India, in the 4th-3rd millennia BC.
In the second half of the 1st millennium BC, the ancient Slavs settled the lands from the Elbe and Oder in the West to the Upper Dnieper and Middle Dnieper in the East. During the period of cohabitation, the Slavic tribes spoke the same Proto-Slavic language. However, as they settled, they began to move further and further away from each other, which was especially evident in language and culture.
Somewhat later, the Slavic family was divided into three branches, which served as the basis for three modern nations - Western Slavs (Poles, Czechs, Slovaks), Southern Slavs (Bulgarians, Croats, Serbs, Slovenes, Macedonians, Bosnians, Montenegrins), Eastern Slavs (Russians, Belarusians , Ukrainians).

The resettlement of the Eastern Slavs in antiquity

In the 6th-9th centuries, the Eastern Slavs settled in the territory stretching from east to west from the upper reaches of the Don and the Middle Oka to the Carpathians and from the south to the north from the Middle Dnieper to the Neva and Lake Ladoga. The main occupation of the East Slavic tribes was agriculture. The most influential, according to historians, was the union of the meadows that inhabited the territory of the middle reaches of the Dnieper. The land of glades, according to ancient chronicles, was called "Rus". It is considered to be the core of the ancient Russian state.
The process of gathering the Slavic lands into a single whole took place from north to south around two centers: in the northwest - Novgorod, in the south - Kyiv. As a result, Novgorod-Kievan Rus was formed. Conventionally, the date of this unification is considered to be the reign of Oleg - 882. The two-center system actually remained in the future, despite the fact that Kiev was named the capital.
Formation of the Old Russian state (Kievan Rus) was a natural completion of the process of decomposition of the primitive communal system in a dozen Slavic tribal unions. However, primitive communal traditions persisted for a long time in almost all spheres of life of the Eastern Slavs. According to one of the most famous - Norman - the first state of the Eastern Slavs was created under the influence of the Scandinavian ethnic group. This theory, which has been widely popular for a long time, is based on the presence of Varangian combatants in Rus' in the 9th-10th centuries and the Varangian origin of the Rurik dynasty.

Question

7th c. in the steppes between the Lower Volga, the Don and the North Caucasus, a strong Khazar state was formed. Slavic tribes in the areas of the Lower Don and Azov came under his dominion, retaining, however, a certain autonomy. The territory of the Khazar kingdom (kaganate) extended to the Dnieper and the Black Sea. At the beginning of the 8th c. the Arabs inflicted a crushing defeat on the Khazars and deeply invaded the north through the North Caucasus, reaching the Don. A large number of Slavs - allies of the Khazars - were taken prisoner. From the north, “Varangians” (Normans, Vikings) penetrate Russian lands. At the beginning of the 8th c. they settle around Yaroslavl, Rostov and Suzdal, establishing control over the territory from Novgorod to Smolensk. Part of the northern colonists penetrates into southern Russia, where they mix with the Rus, taking their name. In Tmutarakan (on the Taman Peninsula) the capital of the Russian-Varangian Khaganate was formed, which ousted the Khazar rulers. In their struggle, the opponents turned to the Emperor of Constantinople for an alliance. In such a difficult situation, the consolidation of the Slavic tribes into political unions took place, which became the embryo of the formation of a single East Slavic statehood. 882, the two largest political centers of the ancient Slavs, Kyiv and Novgorod, united under the rule of Kyiv, forming the Old Russian state. From the end of the 9th to the beginning of the 11th century. this state included the territories of other Slavic tribes - the Drevlyans, Severyans, Radimichi, Ulichs, Tivertsy, Vyatichi. In the center of the new state was a tribe of glades. The Old Russian state became a kind of federation of tribes, in its form it was an early feudal monarchy.

Question

First old Russian princes:

Rurik (? -879) - the ancestor of the Rurik dynasty, the first Russian prince. Chronicle sources claim that Rurik was called from the Varangian lands by Novgorod citizens to reign together with his brothers - Sineus and Truvor in 862. After the death of the brothers, he ruled all Novgorod lands. Before his death, he transferred power to his relative - Oleg.

Oleg(?-912) - the second ruler of Rus'. He reigned from 879 to 912, first in Novgorod, and then in Kyiv. He is the founder of a single ancient Russian state, created by him in 882 with the capture of Kyiv and the subjugation of Smolensk, Lyubech and other cities. After the transfer of the capital to Kyiv, he also subjugated the Drevlyans, Northerners, and Radimichi. One of the first Russian princes undertook a successful campaign against Constantinople and concluded the first trade agreement with Byzantium. He enjoyed great respect and authority among his subjects, who began to call him "prophetic", that is, wise.

Igor(? -945) - the third Russian prince (912-945), the son of Rurik. The main direction of his activity was to protect the country from the raids of the Pechenegs and preserve the unity of the state. Undertook numerous campaigns to expand the possessions of the Kievan state, in particular against the Uglichs. He continued his campaigns against Byzantium. During one of them (941) he failed, during the other (944) he received a ransom from Byzantium and concluded a peace treaty that secured the military-political victories of Rus'. Undertook the first successful campaigns of the Rus within the North Caucasus (Khazaria) and Transcaucasia. In 945, he tried twice to collect tribute from the Drevlyans (the procedure for collecting it was not legally fixed), for which he was killed by them.

Olga(c. 890-969) - the wife of Prince Igor, the first female ruler of the Russian state (regent for her son Svyatoslav). Installed in 945-946. the first legislative procedure for collecting tribute from the population of the Kievan state. In 955 (according to other sources, 957) she made a trip to Constantinople, where she secretly adopted Christianity under the name of Helen. In 959, the first of the Russian rulers sent an embassy to Western Europe, to Emperor Otto I. His answer was the direction in 961-962. with missionary purposes to Kyiv, Archbishop Adalbert, who tried to bring Western Christianity to Rus'. However, Svyatoslav and his entourage refused to Christianize and Olga was forced to transfer power to her son. IN last years life from political activity was actually removed. Nevertheless, she retained significant influence on her grandson - the future Prince Vladimir the Holy, whom she was able to convince of the need to adopt Christianity.

Svyatoslav(? -972) - the son of Prince Igor and Princess Olga. The ruler of the Old Russian state in 962-972. He had a militant character. He was the initiator and leader of many aggressive campaigns: against the Oksky Vyatichi (964-966), the Khazars (964-965), the North Caucasus (965), Danube Bulgaria (968, 969-971), Byzantium (971). He also fought against the Pechenegs (968-969, 972). Under him Rus' became the largest power in the Black Sea. Neither the Byzantine rulers nor the Pechenegs, who agreed on joint actions against Svyatoslav, could come to terms with this. During his return from Bulgaria in 972, his army, bloodless in the war with Byzantium, was attacked by the Pechenegs on the Dnieper. Svyatoslav was killed.

Vladimir I Saint(? -1015) - the youngest son of Svyatoslav, who defeated his brothers Yaropolk and Oleg in an internecine struggle after the death of his father. Prince of Novgorod (from 969) and Kyiv (from 980). He conquered the Vyatichi, Radimichi and Yotvingians. He continued his father's struggle with the Pechenegs. Volga Bulgaria, Poland, Byzantium. Under him, defensive lines were built along the rivers Desna, Osetr, Trubezh, Sula, and others. Kyiv was refortified and built up with stone buildings for the first time. In 988-990. introduced Eastern Christianity as the state religion. Under Vladimir I, the Old Russian state entered the period of its heyday and power. The international prestige of the new Christian power grew. Vladimir was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church and is referred to as Saint. In Russian folklore, he is called Vladimir the Red Sun. He was married to the Byzantine princess Anna.

Svyatoslav II Yaroslavich(1027-1076) - son of Yaroslav the Wise, Prince of Chernigov (since 1054), Grand Duke of Kyiv (since 1073). Together with his brother Vsevolod, he defended the southern borders of the country from the Polovtsians. In the year of his death, he adopted a new code of laws, the Izbornik.

Vsevolod I Yaroslavich(1030-1093) - Prince of Pereyaslavl (from 1054), Chernigov (from 1077), Grand Duke of Kyiv (from 1078). Together with the brothers Izyaslav and Svyatoslav, he fought against the Polovtsy, took part in the compilation of the Truth of the Yaroslavichs.

Svyatopolk II Izyaslavich(1050-1113) - grandson of Yaroslav the Wise. Prince of Polotsk (1069-1071), Novgorod (1078-1088), Turov (1088-1093), Grand Duke of Kyiv (1093-1113). He was distinguished by hypocrisy and cruelty both towards his subjects and his inner circle.

Vladimir II Vsevolodovich Monomakh(1053-1125) - Prince of Smolensk (from 1067), Chernigov (from 1078), Pereyaslavl (from 1093), Grand Duke of Kyiv (1113-1125). . Son of Vsevolod I and daughter of the Byzantine Emperor Constantine Monomakh. He was called to reign in Kyiv during the popular uprising of 1113, which followed the death of Svyatopolk P. He took measures to limit the arbitrariness of usurers and the administrative apparatus. He managed to achieve the relative unity of Rus' and the cessation of strife. He supplemented the codes of laws that existed before him with new articles. He left the "Instruction" to his children, in which he called for strengthening the unity of the Russian state, living in peace and harmony, and avoiding blood feuds

Mstislav I Vladimirovich(1076-1132) - son of Vladimir Monomakh. Grand Duke of Kyiv (1125-1132). From 1088 he ruled in Novgorod, Rostov, Smolensk, etc. Participated in the work of the Lyubech, Vitichev and Dolobsky congresses of Russian princes. He took part in campaigns against the Polovtsians. He led the defense of Rus' from its Western neighbors.

Vsevolod P Olgovich(? -1146) - Prince of Chernigov (1127-1139). Grand Duke of Kyiv (1139-1146).

Izyaslav II Mstislavich(c. 1097-1154) - Prince of Vladimir-Volynsk (from 1134), Pereyaslavl (from 1143), Grand Duke of Kyiv (from 1146). Grandson of Vladimir Monomakh. Member of feudal strife. A supporter of the independence of the Russian Orthodox Church from the Byzantine Patriarchy.

Yuri Vladimirovich Dolgoruky (90s of the XI century - 1157) - Prince of Suzdal and Grand Duke of Kyiv. Son of Vladimir Monomakh. In 1125 he transferred the capital of the Rostov-Suzdal Principality from Rostov to Suzdal. From the beginning of the 30s. fought for southern Pereyaslavl and Kyiv. Considered the founder of Moscow (1147). In 1155 recaptured Kyiv. Poisoned by Kievan boyars.

Andrey Yurievich Bogolyubsky (c. 1111-1174) - son of Yuri Dolgoruky. Prince Vladimir-Suzdal (since 1157). Moved the capital of the principality to Vladimir. In 1169 he conquered Kyiv. Killed by the boyars in his residence in the village of Bogolyubovo.

Vsevolod III Yurievich Big Nest(1154-1212) - son of Yuri Dolgoruky. Grand Duke of Vladimir (since 1176). Severely suppressed the boyar opposition, which participated in the conspiracy against Andrei Bogolyubsky. Subdued Kyiv, Chernigov, Ryazan, Novgorod. During his reign, Vladimir-Suzdal Rus reached its peak. Named for a large number of children (12 people).

Roman Mstislavich(? -1205) - Prince of Novgorod (1168-1169), Vladimir-Volyn (from 1170), Galician (from 1199). Son of Mstislav Izyaslavich. He strengthened princely power in Galich and Volhynia, was considered the most powerful ruler of Rus'. Killed in the war with Poland.

Yuri Vsevolodovich(1188-1238) - Grand Duke of Vladimir (1212-1216 and 1218-1238). In the course of the internecine struggle for the throne of Vladimir, he was defeated in the Battle of Lipitsa in 1216. and ceded the great reign to his brother Constantine. In 1221 he founded the city of Nizhny Novgorod. He died during the battle with the Mongol-Tatars on the river. City in 1238

Daniel Romanovich(1201-1264) - Prince of Galicia (1211-1212 and from 1238) and Volyn (from 1221), son of Roman Mstislavich. He united the Galician and Volyn lands. Encouragedconstruction of cities (Kholm, Lvov, etc.), crafts and trade. In 1254 he received the title of king from the Pope.

Yaroslav III Vsevolodovich(1191-1246) - son of Vsevolod the Big Nest. He reigned in Pereyaslavl, Galich, Ryazan, Novgorod. In 1236-1238. reigned in Kyiv. From 1238 - Grand Duke of Vladimir Twice traveled to the Golden Horde and Mongolia.

Baptism of Rus' or the adoption by Russia (the Russian people) of the Christian religion of the Greek sense occurred during the reign of Kievan Rus, Grand Duke Vladimir I Svyatoslavich (Vladimir the Red Sun, Vladimir the Holy, Vladimir the Great, Vladimir the Baptist) (960-1015, reigning in Kyiv since 978)

After the death of Olga, Svyatoslav planted his eldest son, Yaropolk, in Kyiv and the second, Oleg, among the Drevlyans, the youngest, Vladimir, remained without appointment. Once Novgorod people came to Kyiv to ask for a prince and directly declared to Svyatoslav: "If none of you come to us, we will find a prince on the side." Yaropolk and Oleg did not want to go to Novgorod. Then Dobrynya taught the Novgorodians: "Ask for Vladimir." Dobrynya was Vladimir's uncle, the brother of his mother, Malusha. She served as a housekeeper for the late Princess Olga. Novgorodians said to the prince: "Give us Vladimir." Svyatoslav agreed. So there were three princes in Rus', and Svyatoslav went to the Danube Bulgaria, where he died in battle with the Pechenegs. (Karamzin. History of the Russian State)

Reasons for the baptism of Rus'

The desire of Kievan princes to be equal to European monarchs

Striving to strengthen the state: one monarch - one faith

Many noble people of Kiev were already Christians in the Byzantine way

Archeological data confirm the beginning of the spread of Christianity before the official act of the baptism of Rus'. From the middle of the 10th century, the first pectoral crosses were found in the burials of the nobility. Princes Askold and Dir, with the boyars and a certain number of people, were baptized, because during the campaign against Constantinople they were frightened by the power of the Patriarch of Constantinople, who, according to legend, lowered the holy relics into the water, and most of the fleet immediately sank during the storm that rose in the same second

The desire of Vladimir to marry Princess Anna, the sister of the Emperors of Byzantium, Basil and Constantine

Vladimir was captivated by the beauty of Byzantine temples and rituals

· Vladimir was a Varangian. He cared little for the beliefs of the Russian people

Until the middle of the 10th century, paganism dominated Rus'. It was based on the idea of ​​equivalence and eternity of opposite principles (“good” and “evil”). And the world was perceived by them on the basis of these paired concepts. The circle was considered a symbol of protection from evil forces. Hence the appearance of such ornaments as wreaths, chains, rings

Short story baptism of Rus'

882 - Varangian Oleg becomes prince of Kyiv. Takes the title "Great", unites the Slavic lands as part of the state of Kievan Rus

912-945 - reign of Igor, son of Rurik

· 945-969 - reign of Olga, Igor's widow. Strengthening the state, Accepted Christianity under the name of Elena

964-972 - The reign of Svyatoslav, the son of Igor and Olga, the continuation of the construction of the state of Kievan Rus

980-1015 - Reign of Vladimir the Red Sun

980 - Religious reform, the creation of a pantheon of the gods of Slavic paganism (Perun, Khors, Dazhdbog, Stribog, Semargl and Mokosh)

987 - Boyar Council, convened by Vladimir to discuss the adoption of a new faith

987 - Rebellion of Vardas Phokas the Younger against Emperor Basil II of Byzantium

988 - Vladimir's campaign in the Crimea, the siege of Korsun (Chersonese)

988 - Agreement between Vladimir and Vasily II on providing assistance in suppressing the uprising of Varda Foki and the marriage of Vladimir to Princess Anna

988 - Marriage of Vladimir, baptism of Vladimir, squad and people (some historians indicate the year of baptism 987)

· 989 - The Russian detachment defeated the army of Varda Foki. Capture and annexation of Chersonese (Korsun) to Rus'

The baptism of Rus' was not always voluntary and the process of Christianization of the country dragged on for a long time. Many annals have preserved meager information about the forced baptism of Rus'. Novgorod actively resisted the introduction of Christianity: he was baptized in 990. In Rostov and Murom, resistance to the introduction of Christianity continued until the 12th century. Polotsk was baptized around 1000

The consequences of the baptism of Rus'

The Baptism of Rus' had a significant impact on the fate of Christianity: its split into Orthodoxy and Catholicism

Baptism contributed to the acceptance of Russians into the family of European peoples, the flourishing of culture in Kievan Rus

Kievan Rus became a fully centralized state

Rus', and then Russia, turned into one of the religious centers of the world along with Rome

The Orthodox Church has become a pillar of power

The Orthodox Church performed functions that united the people during the period of unrest, fragmentation, the Mongol-Tatar yoke

The Orthodox Church has become a symbol of the Russian people, its cementing force.

Kievan Rus 9th-12th centuries The first Russian princes

The formation of the state among the Eastern Slavs was a natural result of the decomposition of the primitive system and the emergence of new feudal relations. The ubiquitous distribution of the territorial community, the presence of private property and individual labor based on it, the separation of the property elite from the community, the concentration of power in the hands of the tribal nobility - these are the main prerequisites for the formation of the early feudal state and the emergence of classes.
Apparently, the role of the catalyst that contributed to the creation public education on the territory of Rus', people from Scandinavia played - the Varangians (Normans). Having appeared in Novgorod initially as a mercenary squad of the local prince, they were then able to seize power. Norman theory. It was formed by the German scientists Schlozer, Bayer, Miller, invited by the government of Anna Ioannovna in the 18th century.
According to them, at the end of the 9th c. The Varangian princes Rurik, Sineus and Truvor were invited to the throne of Kyiv. Schiller wrote that before their coming, the Slavs did not know any arts, but lived like birds and animals that filled their forests.
During that period, the Slavs were subjected to constant raids by nomads. Prince Oleg conquered Kyiv, having killed Rurik, expanded the Russian borders, conquering the Drevlyans, Northerners, Radimichi.
Prince Igor conquered Kyiv and became famous for his campaigns in Byzantium. Killed by the Drevlyans while collecting tribute. After him, his wife Olga ruled, who cruelly avenged her husband's death.
Then the throne of Kyiv was occupied by Svyatoslav, who devoted his whole life to campaigns. (I'm going to you).
Prince Yaropolk was conquered by Vladimir (Saint). He converted to Christianity and baptized Rus' in 988.
Prince Yaroslav the Wise expelled Yaropolk the Accursed, fought with his brother Mstislav, established family ties with many European countries.
Further famous Vladimir Monomakh, Yuri Dolgoruky.