Rurik Dynasty

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The Rurik Dynasty or Rurikids (Rurikid Dynasty) were the ruling dynasty of Kievan Rus' (after 862), the successor principalities of Galicia-Volhynia (after 1199), Chernigov, Vladimir-Suzdal, and the Grand Duchy of Moscow, as well as the early Tsardom of Russia (after 1168).

According to the Primary Chronicle, the dynasty was established in 862 by Rurik, the legendary great ruler of Novgorod. The exact origin of his tribe, the Varangians called Rus', is disputed and his ethnicity remains unclear, although Scandinavian and Slavic influences, as well as Finno-Ugric more distantly, are cited (see "Rurikid Dynasty DNA Project", below). He and his brothers founded a state that later historians called Kievan Rus'. By the middle of the twelfth century, Kievan Rus' had dissolved into independent principalities (Russian, or Rus' principalities), each ruled by different branches of the Rurik dynasty.

In the west, Galicia-Volhynia continued to be ruled by the Rurikids until 1323. The last ones were two brothers Andrew and Lev II, who ruled jointly and were slain trying to repel Mongol incursions on behalf of the rest of Europe. Polish king Władysław I the Elbow-high in his letter to the Pope wrote with regret: "The two last Ruthenian kings, that had been firm shields for Poland from the Tatars, left this world and after their death Poland is directly under Tatar threat." Losing their leadership role, Rurikids, however, continued to play a vital role in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the later Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Most notably, the Ostrogski family held the title of Grand Hetman of Lithuania and strove to preserve the Old Ukrainian language and Eastern Orthodoxy in this part of Europe.

In the north-east, the principality of Moscow won a struggle for supremacy among medieval Rus states by the end of the fifteenth century. Beginning with the reign of Ivan the Terrible, the Muscovite branch of the Rurik dynasty used the title "Tsar of All Russia" and ruled over the Tsardom of Russia. The death in 1598 of Tsar Feodor I ended the rule of the Rurik dynasty. The unstable period known as the Time of Troubles succeeded Feodor's death and lasted until 1613. In that year, Mikhail I ascended the throne, founding the Romanov dynasty that would rule until 1762 and as Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov until the revolutions of 1917. One descendant of the Rurik Grand Prince of Tver was Catherine the Great, who married Peter III of the Romanov dynasty. Historian Vasily Tatishchev and filmmaker Jacques Tati were descended from Rurik.

Among Rurik descendants are the Volkonsky, Obolensky, Shuyski, Dolgorukov, Khilkoff, Repnin, Gorchakov, Gagarin, Wassilchikov, and Putyatin families, as well as the Ruthenian families of Ostrogski, Wareg-Massalski, and Czetwertyński families, among others.

List of rulers of the Rurik Dynasty

The following image shows the descent of the so-called central branch of the Rurikids, descendants of Vladimir II Monomakh through his sixth son Yuri Dolgorukiy:

Princely families of Rurik stock

from princes of

• Starodub: Gagarin , Golibesovsky, Gundorov, Kovrov, Krivoborsky, Lyalovsky, Nebogaty, Neuchkin, Ossipovsky, Paletsky, Pozharsky, Romodanovsky, Ryapolovsky, Tatev, Tulupov and Khilkoff.
• Polotsk: Vitebsky, Izyaslavsky, Drutsky, Minsky and Polotsky.
• Peremyshl: Galitsky and Peremyshlsky.
• Chernigov: Baryatinsky , Belevsky , Volkonsky , Vorotynsky , Gorensky , Gorchakov , Dolgorukov , Yeletsky , Zvenigorodsky-Ryumin , Zvenigorodsky-Barashev , Zvenigorodsky-Spyachy , Zvenigorodsky-Shestov , Zvenigorodsky-Zventsov , Zvenigorodsky-Tokmakov , Zvenigorodsky-Nozdrevaty , Karachevsky, Kashin , Klubkov-Massalski, Kozelsky, Koltsov-Massalski , Koninsky, Kurlyatev , Litvinv-Massalski , Lykov , Massalski, Massalsky ,Machevsky, Mezetsky, Obolensky, Nogtev-Obolensky, Strigin-Obolensky, Yaroslavov-Obolensky, Nagiye-Obolensky, Telepnev-Obolensky, Ovchinin-Telepnev-Obolensky, Obolensky-Cherny, Obolensky-Bely, Obolensky-Zoloty, Obolensky-Serebryany, Odoevsky, Ogiński, Ossovitsky, Peremyshlsky (Peremyshl of Kaluga), Peninsky, Puzyny, Repnin, Repnin-Volkonsky , Svyatopolk-Chetvertinsky , Spashsky, Torussky, Trostensky , Turenin, Tufyakin , Khotetovsky , Shchepin-Obolensky and Shcherbatov .
• Ryazan: Muromsky and Pronsky.
• Galich (Southern Galich): Babichev , Bakrinovsky, Volynsky, Drutsky, Drutsky-Ozeretsky, Drutsky-Sokolinsky, Drutsky-Gorsky, Drutsky-Lyubetsky , Drutsky-Podberezhsky, Zaslavsky, Lutsky, Ostrogski, Skajnowski and Putyatin.
• Smolensk: Vyazemsky, Berezuisky, Dashkov, Zhizhemsky, Kozlovsky, Korkodinov, Kropotkin, Porkhovsky, Rzhevsky, Selekhovsky, Solomeretsky and Fominsky.
• Yaroslavl: Alabyshev, Alenkin, Belsky, Velikogagin, Golygin, Dulov, Deyev, Zhirovy-Zasekin, Zaozersky, Zasekin, Zubaty, Kubensky, Kurbsky, L'vov, Molozhsky, Mortkin, Okhlyabinin, Penkov, Prozorovsky, Sandyrevsky, Siseev, Sitsky, Sontsov, Sontsov-Zasekin, Sudsky, Temnosiny, Troekurov, Ukhorsky, Ushaty,Skulimowski, Khvorostinin, Yukhotsky, Shamin, Shastunov, Shakhovskoy, Shekhonsky, Shumorovsky and Shchetinin.
• Rostov: Bakhteyarov-Rostovsky, Brity-Rostovsky, Buinosov-Rostovsky, Bychkov-Rostovsky, Gvozdev-Rostovsky, Golenitsin-Rostovsky, Goluby-Rostovsky, Kasatkin-Rostovsky, Katyrev-Rostovsky, Lastkin-Rostovsky, Lobanov-Rostovsky, Priimkov-Rostovsky, Puzhbolsky-Rostovsky, Temkin-Rostovsky, Khokholkov-Rostovsky, Shchepin-Rostovsky and Yanov-Rostovsky.
• Beloozero: Andomsky, Beloselsky, Vadbolsky, Dyabrinsky, Kargolomsky, Kemsky, Sugorsky, Ukhtomsky and Sheleshpansky.
• Suzdal: Barbashin, Brukhaty-Shuisky, Glazaty-Shuisky, Gorbaty-Shuisky, Kirdyapin-Shuisky, Nizhegorodsky, Nogtev-Suzdalsky, Skopin-Shuisky and Shuisky.
• Moscow: Borovsky, Vereisky, Volotsky, Galitsky (Galich of Merya), Mozhaisky, Uglitsky and Shemyakin.
• Tver: Dorogobuzhsky, Kashinsky, Mikulinsky, Telyatevsky , Kholmsky and Chernyatinsky.

Noble families of Rurik stock

who do not use or lost their princely titles, from princes of

• Chernigov: Satin.
• Smolensk: Aladyin, Bezsonov, Bokeev, Burukhin, Vnukov, Vsevolozhsky, Gubastov, Danilov, Dmitriev, Dmitriev-Mamonov, Dobrynsky, Yeropkin, Zabolotsky, Ivanov, Karpov-Dalmatov, Kisleevsky, Knutov, Korobyin, Molody, Monastyrev, Mussorgsky, Netshin, Polev, Rezanov, Rzhevsky, Rozhestvensky, Sapogov, Solomin, Sudakov, Tatishchev, Tolbuzin, Travin, Tsyplyatev and Shukalovsky.
• Galich (Galich of Merya): Berezin, Ivin, Ilyin, Lyapunov, Ossinin.
• Belozersk: Kurtsov, Funikov.
• Ryazan: Ovtsyn, Lykov, Zhulyebin, Bulgakov, Denysyev, Nazarov, Izmailov, Zamyatin, Zlobin, Velyaminov, Fedorov.
• Rostov: Krasnov.
• Tver: Agryenev.

Rurikid Dynasty DNA Project

The Rurikid Dynasty DNA Project seeks to study the male-line Y-chromosomal DNA of modern princely descendants of Rurik, as well as of the Lithuanian ruler Gediminas (Gedymin), in order to establish the ethnic origins of both men, as well as determining the extent to which they may have been related to each other. In addition to modern princely descendants, the project also accepts participation from any men who think they may possibly be descended from either Rurik or Gediminas. The ideal situation would be for the actual bones of these dynasty-founders to be discovered, and to extract their Y-DNA for study. Unfortunately with Gediminas, his body was burned after his death, thereby destroying his DNA; however, it is unknown if Rurik was burned, but there is a burial mound near Novgorod with the name "Shum Gora" (Russian for "Noise Mountain") that is alleged to be Rurik's tomb. Seismic readings of the mound have revealed buried stone structures and artificial cavities. However, the mound has not yet been excavated, due to a lack of funds. Thus, the Rurikid Dynasty DNA Project is doing what is possible under the current situation, until such time as actual bodily remains of Rurik may be found and analyzed. Here is the state of the project, as of March 15, 2010, in the words of the project administrator, Dr. Andrzej Bajor: