Kievan Rus'

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Coat of arms

Kievan Rus' (Old East Slavic Рѹ́сь IPA: [rusĭ], Greek: Ρωσία, Latin: Russia, Ruthenia, Belarusian: Кіеўская Русь, Russian: Ки́евская Русь, romanised: Kievskaya Rus’, IPA: [rusʲ], Ukrainian: Ки́ївська Русь), usually written simply Kievan Rus and sometimes Kyivan Rus', was a medieval state which existed from approximately 880 to the middle of the 13th century, the Mongol invasion of 1240.

Originally founded by the Scandinavian traders (Varangians) called "Rus'" and centered in Novgorod, the state later included territories stretching south to the Black Sea, east to Volga, and west to the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. In the ninth century the capital of the Rus became Kiev, a Slavic settlement that in early 9th century was paying tribute to Khazars but captured by the Varangians in 864.[1] Although being culturally and ethnically diverse, including Slavic,Finno-Ugric, Tatar, and other minorities, Rus' polity is widely considered an early predecessor of three modern East Slavic nations: Belarusians, Russians and Ukrainians.[2][3] The attempts to nationalize the medieval state's history are common among historians from the modern three countries.[3]

The reigns of Vladimir the Great (980–1015) and his son Yaroslav I the Wise (1019–1054) constitute the Golden Age of Kiev, which saw the acceptance of Christianity and the creation of the first East Slavic written legal code, the Russkaya Pravda (Old East Slavic for The Russian Truth). The early leaders of Rus' were most likely a Scandinavian warrior-elite that ruled a majority of Slavic subjects.[4] Scandinavians gradually intermarried and merged with the Slavic population — the third known ruler of Rus', Sviatoslav I, Rurik's grandson, already has a Slavic name. Michael Psellus asserts that Scandinavians continued to remain in control until at least the mid-11th century.[5] The state's power gradually fell due to the decline of Constantinople, the drying up of trade routes and the subsequent Mongol invasion of Rus'.

Early history

First records

In the early 9th century, the northern tribes of Rus' people became loosely organised under the Rus' Khaganate according to several non-Russian historians and may be regarded as a predecessor state to the Kievan Rus'.[6] Modern surveys of Rus’ history narrate that the ruler of the Rhos/Rus (people of Swedish origin) was called chaganus, the title of Khazar origin (Latin form of the Turk word khaqan), at least in 839.[7][8][9]

According to the Russian Primary Chronicle, the earliest chronicle of Kievan Rus′, the territory of the future Kievan state was divided between some Varaigian state and Khazaria. Laurentian Codex clearly states that since 859 Chud, Slovene, Merya, and Krivichi were giving tribute to Varangians, while Khazars were taxing Polians, Sieverians, and Vyatichs. In 862 there was a great revolt when Chud, Ilmen Slavs, Merya, and Krivichi sent the Varangians beyond the sea without given them tribute. After that they started to go at each other. Some of the tribes (unknown who exactly) decided to invite the Rus Varaigians to rule over them. Then the three Varangian (Viking) brothers named Rurik (the oldest), Sineus, and Truvor established themselves in Novgorod, Beloozero and Izborsk, repectively. After two years two of Riurik's brothers died leaving Riurik the sole ruler. He in turn installed his nakhodniks to assist him govern over the land. The principals cities became Novgorod (capital) ruling over Ilmen Slavs, Polotsk - Krivichi, Rostov - Merya, Beloozero - Veps, and Murom - Muroma. The chronicle cites him as the progenitor of the Rurik Dynasty. The Primary Chronicle says:

In the year 6367 (859): Varangians from over the sea had tribute paid from Chuds, Slavs, Merias, Veses, Krivichs...

In the year 6370 (862): [They] [d]rove the Varangians back beyond the sea, refused to pay them tribute, and set out to govern themselves. But there was no law among them, and a tribe rose against a tribe. Discord thus ensued among them, and they began to war one against the other. They said to themselves, "Let us seek a prince who may rule over us, and judge us according to custom." Thus they went overseas to the Varangians, to the Rus. These particular Varangians were called Rus, just as some are called Swedes, and others Normans and Angles, and still others Goths [Gotlanders], for they were thus named. The Chuds, the Slavs, the Krivichs and the Ves then said to the Rus, "Our land is great and rich, but there is no order in it. Come reign as princes, rule over us". Three brothers, with their kinfolk, volunteered. They took with them all the Rus and came.

Map showing the major Rus' trade routes, the Volga trade route (red) and the Trade Route from the Varangians to the Greeks (purple). Other trade routes of the 8th–11th centuries shown in orange

Map of Kievan Rus' just before Sviatoslav's campaigns, mid-10th century

Map of Kievan Rus' in the mid-11th century

Couple of Riurik's boyars, Haskold and Dyr who were not blood-related to Riurik, asked him to go with their families to Tsargrad. Going down the Dnieper River they noticed settlement named Kiev which they liberated out of the Khazars' tribute and settled there later conquering the rest land of Polians.

Establishment of Rus

The so-called Kievan Rus was officially founded by Prince Oleg (Helgu in Khazarian records) about 880. The territory of his state was much smaller, compared to the state of Yaroslav the Wise. During the next 35 years, Oleg and his warriors subdued the various Eastern Slavic (Smolensk and Liubech) and Finnic tribes. In 882, Oleg deposed Haskold and Dyr subordinating Kiev directly to himself and choosing it as the principal city. In 883, Oleg conquered Drevlians imposing on them a tribute by furs. By 884 he managed to subordinate to himself Polians, Drevlians, Severians, Vyatichs, and Radimichs while being in war with Tivertsi and Ulichs. The last ones were located in the area known among the Greek historians as the Great Scythia (lands of lower Dniester and Dnieper rivers). In 907, Oleg led an attack against Constantinople with 80,000 warriors transported by 2,000 ships, leaving Igor in Kiev. Oleg managed to impose a tribute upon Greeks of no less than one million grivna. In 912, he signed a commercial treaty with the Byzantine Empire as an equal partner. After the death of Oleg later in 912, Drevlians managed to breakaway, but were conquered again by Igor. In 914, Igor concluded a peace treaty with the Pechenegs, a nomadic tribe that was passing through Rus' towards the Danube River so as to attack the Byzantine Empire.