Many historians attribute the formation of Kievan Rus as a state to the years of the reign of Prince Oleg - from 882 to 912, but this is not so. Before him, the great princes ruled, who began the Rurik dynasty, which received its name from Rurik, Prince of Novgorod, whom the people of Kyiv called to rule them. He died in 879, and only 3 years later the throne passed to Prophetic Oleg, who raised Rurik's son Igor as his own. It is Igor Rurikovich who is considered the founder of the dynastic family.

This princely family ruled for more than 700 years, distributing Russian cities and small lands among their sons. Some of them built cities, such as Yuri Dolgoruky, who founded Moscow, which still stands as a reminder of the era of Kievan Rus, or Kiy, who gave his name to the future capital of the Rus.

Origins of Kievan Rus

The unification of the lands of the Slavic tribes under the unified rule of Kyiv was not an easy task, since it did not make sense to conquer them, because the great city needed allies, not captives. That is why Rurik and his descendants exempted their neighbors from paying tribute to the Pechenegs, but collected it themselves.

It is interesting that for a very long time the great princes of Kyiv were elected to the throne by the people and their rule had to justify his trust. This did not prevent representatives of the prolific Rurik family tree from constantly fighting for the throne.

After the death of Prince Oleg, his stepson Igor continued to unite the Slavic tribes under the protection of Kyiv, but the exorbitant tribute that they had to pay eventually led to an uprising of the Drevlyans, who killed the prince. Although his widow Olga avenged her husband, being a fair woman and the first to receive Orthodox baptism, she set the amount of tribute that could not be violated.

As a rule, the formation of any state is a matter based on wars and treacherous murders. The Slavic peoples did not pass such acts. The Grand Dukes of Rurikovich were constantly either on campaigns against the Pechenegs or Byzantium, or staged civil strife and killed each other.

The most famous princes of Kievan Rus were either those who committed fratricide for the sake of the throne, or those under whom the state grew stronger and flourished.

Prince Vladimir the Holy

Ancient Russia was often shaken by strife, so the first long peaceful time, when one prince ruled Kyiv, and his sons revered and lived each in his own lot, entered the annals. These were the times of Prince Vladimir, called the Holy people.

Vladimir Svyatoslavovich was the grandson of Igor Rurikovich. From his father, he received Novgorod, which was considered the most unprestigious inheritance, to rule. Yaropolk got Kyiv, and Oleg - all the Drevlyane lands. After the death of Svyatopolk and Oleg, who was forced to flee from the betrayal of his elder brother, Yaropolk annexed the Drevlyansky lands to Kyiv and began to rule alone.

Prince Vladimir, having found out about this, went to war with him, but his elder brother died not from his hand, but from the hand of a servant who betrayed him. Prince Vladimir sat on the throne and even adopted the son of Yaropolk Svyatopolk.

Far from all the great princes of the Rurik family were so concerned for the people as St. Vladimir. Under him, not only schools were built for the children of commoners and a special council was created, which included wise boyars, but fair laws were established, and Orthodoxy was adopted. The baptism of Russia by Vladimir is a significant event, when people came to God not one by one, but by a whole people. The first baptism took place in the waters of the Dnieper and entered the annals along with other good deeds of the Grand Duke of Kyiv.

Prince Svyatopolk

Vladimir the Red Sun had 12 sons and a nephew Svyatopolk. His eldest son Boris was to become his beloved son and heir to the throne, but when the old prince died, he returned from a campaign against the Pechenegs, and Svyatopolk seized power.

In the memory of the people and in the annals of Kyiv, he remained as Svyatopolk I Yaropolchich the Accursed. The prince received such a nickname for the murder of his cousins ​​​​Boris, Gleb and Svyatoslav. He also made an attempt on the life of Yaroslav.

Wanting to personally rule Ancient Russia, Svyatopolk the Accursed committed many betrayals and betrayals, so that when Yaroslav gathered an army and went to Kyiv (for the second time), he had to flee. From fear, his mind was clouded, and he ended his days in the Bohemian wastelands, forever remaining in the memory of his descendants as a cursed prince who killed his brothers.

Prince Yaroslav

Yaroslav the Wise was one of the most illustrious sons of Vladimir "Red Sun", who received a high people's appreciation and universal love. He was born approximately between 978 and 987. and at first he was the prince of Rostov, then Novgorod, until in 1019 he took the throne of Kyiv. Disputes about the date of birth of Yaroslav are still ongoing. Since he was the third son of Vladimir the Holy from his marriage to Ragneda, which took place in 976, he could not have been born in 978, as it is customary to indicate in history books. Examination of the prince's remains indicated that at the time of his death he was between 60 and 70 years old, and not 76 years old.

No matter how much Yaroslav the Wise actually lived, he remained in the memory of the people as a fair, intelligent and brave ruler, although his path to the throne was not easy and bloody. The long reign of Prince Yaroslav in Kyiv until his death erased the memories of civil strife between the numerous sons of St. Vladimir, as well as constant military campaigns. His reign was marked by the introduction of a code of laws into state administration, the construction of two great cities - Yaroslavl and Yuryev, and the strengthening of the influence of Kievan Rus in the European political arena. It was he who began to use dynastic marriages as a fastening of military and friendly alliances between powers.

Prince Yaroslav Vladimirovich was buried in St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv.

Prince Izyaslav

The eldest son of Yaroslav the Wise took the throne of Kyiv in 1054, after the death of his father. This is the only Rurik prince who ruled Russia ineptly, spending his efforts not on strengthening the borders and increasing the welfare of the people, as his father did, but on feuds with his younger brothers Svyatoslav and Vsevolod.

Izyaslav I Yaroslavich was overthrown by a people's council and an uprising twice, which in itself speaks of the quality of his government. Each time he returned the throne of Kyiv with the support of the Polish troops. Neither his brothers nor sons made Russia stronger, preferring defense to attack. Until 1113, unrest and the pulling of the throne from one prince to another reigned in the country.

Vladimir Monomakh

The most famous and significant figure on the Kiev throne was Prince Vladimir, who received the nickname Monomakh among the people. At one time, he ceded the Kyiv throne to his cousin Svyatopolk Izyaslavich, but after the death of the latter, at the request of the people, he took it.

Vladimir Monomakh can be compared with the legendary King Arthur. He was so loved and revered by the people for his courage, justice and generosity that songs and epics were composed in his honor long after his death.

During the reign of Vladimir, Kievan Rus became a truly powerful and strong power, with which all neighbors reckoned. He conquered the Principality of Minsk, and the Polovtsy moved away from the borders of Russia for a long time. Vladimir Vsevolodovich not only issued laws that make life easier for ordinary people and reduce taxes from them, but also continued the publication of The Tale of Bygone Years. It is in his interpretation that she has survived to this day. In addition, he himself wrote several works, including an autobiography, a set of laws and teachings from Vladimir Monomakh.

Rurik, son of Prince Rostislav

If in the days of Kievan Rus there was a book where various kinds of records would be entered, then Rurik Rostislavich would definitely be there. The following factors distinguished him from other princes of Kyiv:

• Neither the date of his birth nor the name of his mother is known, which is considered nonsense for the ruling dynasties. It is known for certain that his father was Prince Rostislav Mstislavich of Smolensk.
• He occupied the princely throne in Kyiv 8 times, which in itself speaks either of his stubbornness, or that the people, disliking the prince, overthrew him from the throne every 2-3 years.
• He managed to visit not only the ruler of Russia, but also a monk, which had not happened before him with the princes of Kyiv.
• His reign brought ruin to the capital city as strong as the subsequent attacks of the Mongol army.
• The name of Rurik is associated with both the birth of a dynasty on the throne of Kiev and the fall of a great power.

Rurik Rostislavich remained in the memory of people and chroniclers as a man who ruined Kyiv Orthodox churches worse than barbarians.

Romanov dynasty

If we turn to the history of Kievan Rus, and then the Russian state, one can notice one oddity: members of the ruling families did not have surnames. The Grand Dukes of the Romanov dynasty began to be so called only from 1917, and until that time all the kings, and later the emperors, were called exclusively by their first name and patronymic.

The Romanov dynasty began in 1613, when the first representative of the boyar family, who had this surname for more than 100 years, ascended the Russian throne. Pyotr Alekseevich Romanov, known in history as Peter I, was the last Russian tsar, becoming the first emperor of Russia.

The direct branch of this family ended with his daughter Elizabeth Petrovna, who did not marry and remained childless, being the sovereign empress of the country. The throne passed to the son of her older sister Anna, forming a completely new dynastic surname of Holstein-Gottorp-Romanovsky.

Thus, Pyotr Alekseevich Romanov was the last direct representative of the male line of this surname. Despite this, Russian emperors around the world were perceived as the Romanovs, and after the revolution, the children from the marriages of the descendants of the great royal dynasty left it behind them along with the titles that their ancestors had. She was already called the Grand Dukes by right of birth.

"Kievan Rus" is a concept that is subject to numerous speculations today. Historians argue not only whether there was a state with that name, but also who inhabited it.

Where did Kievan Rus come from?

If today in Russia the phrase "Kievan Rus" is gradually leaving scientific use, being replaced by the concept of "Old Russian state", then Ukrainian historians use it everywhere, and in the context of "Kievan Rus - Ukraine", emphasizing the historical continuity of the two states.

However, until the beginning of the 19th century, the term "Kyiv Rus" did not exist, the ancient inhabitants of the Kyiv lands did not even suspect that they lived in a state with such a name. The first to use the phrase "Kievan Rus" was the historian Mikhail Maksimovich in his work "Where does the Russian land come from", which was completed in the year of Pushkin's death.

It is important to note that Maksimovich used this expression not in the sense of the state, but in a number of other names of Russia - Chervonnaya, White, Suzdal, that is, in the sense of geographical location. Historians Sergei Solovyov and Nikolai Kostomarov used it in the same sense.

Some authors of the beginning of the 20th century, including Sergei Platonov and Alexander Presnyakov, began to use the term "Kievan Rus" already in the sovereign-political sense, as the name of the state of the Eastern Slavs with a single political center in Kyiv.

However, Kievan Rus became a full-fledged state in the Stalin era. There is a curious story about how Academician Boris Grekov, while working on the books "Kyiv Rus" and "Culture of Kievan Rus", asked his colleague: "You are a party member, advise, you should know what concept He (Stalin) will like."

Using the term “Kievan Rus”, Grekov considered it necessary to explain its meaning: “In my work, I deal with Kievan Rus not in the narrow territorial sense of this term (Ukraine), but precisely in that broad sense of the “Rurik Empire”, corresponding to the Western European empire Charlemagne - which includes a vast territory, on which several independent state units were subsequently formed.

State before Rurik

The official domestic historiography says that statehood in Russia arose in 862 after the Rurik dynasty came to power. However, for example, political scientist Sergei Chernyakhovsky argues that the beginning of Russian statehood should be pushed back at least 200 years into history.

He draws attention to the fact that in the Byzantine sources, when describing the life of the Rus, obvious signs of their state structure were reflected: the presence of writing, the hierarchy of the nobility, the administrative division of lands, petty princes are also mentioned, over whom the "kings" stood.

And yet, despite the fact that Kievan Rus united vast territories inhabited by East Slavic, Finno-Ugric and Baltic tribes under its rule, many historians are inclined to believe that in the pre-Christian period it cannot be called a full-fledged state, since there were no class structures there. and there was no centralized authority. On the other hand, it was not a monarchy, not a despotism, not a republic, most of all, according to historians, it looked like some kind of corporate governance.

It is known that the ancient Russians lived in tribal settlements, were engaged in crafts, hunting, fishing, trade, agriculture, and cattle breeding. The Arab traveler Ibn Fadlan in 928 described that the Russians built large houses in which 30-50 people lived.

“Archaeological monuments of the Eastern Slavs recreate a society without any clear traces of property stratification. In the most diverse regions of the forest-steppe belt, it is not possible to indicate those that, in terms of their architectural appearance and the content of the household and household equipment found in them, would be distinguished by wealth, ”stressed the historian Ivan Lyapushkin.

Russian archaeologist Valentin Sedov notes that the emergence of economic inequality on the basis of existing archaeological data cannot yet be established. “It seems that there are no distinct traces of the property differentiation of the Slavic society in the grave monuments of the 6th-8th centuries,” the scientist concludes.

Historians conclude that the accumulation of wealth and their transmission by inheritance in ancient Russian society was not an end in itself, it apparently was neither a moral value nor a vital necessity. Moreover, hoarding was clearly not welcomed and even condemned.

For example, in one of the treaties between the Russians and the Byzantine emperor there is a fragment of the oath of the Kyiv prince Svyatoslav, telling about what will happen in case of violation of obligations: “let us be golden, like this gold” (meaning the golden plate-stand of the Byzantine scribe) . This once again shows the despicable attitude of the Rus to the golden calf.

A more correct definition of the political structure of pre-dynastic Kievan Rus is a veche society, where the prince was completely dependent on the people's assembly. Veche could approve the transfer of power of the prince by inheritance, or could re-elect him. The historian Igor Froyanov noted that “an ancient Russian prince is not an emperor or even a monarch, because a veche, or a people’s assembly, to which he was accountable, stood above him.”

The first Kyiv princes

The Tale of Bygone Years tells how Kiy, who lived on the Dnieper "mountains", together with the brothers Shchek, Khoriv and sister Lybid, built a city on the right bank of the Dnieper, later named Kyiv in honor of the founder. Kiy, according to the annals, he was the first prince of Kyiv. However, modern authors are more inclined to believe that the story of the founding of the city is an etymological myth designed to explain the names of Kievan areas.

Thus, the hypothesis of the American-Ukrainian orientalist Omelyan Pritsak, who believed that the emergence of Kyiv is associated with the Khazars, and Kiy as a person is identical to the hypothetical Khazar vizier Kuya, became widely known.

At the end of the 9th century, no less legendary princes, Askold and Dir, appeared on the historical stage of Kyiv. It is believed that they were members of the Varangian squad of Rurik, who later became the rulers of the capital city, converted to Christianity and laid the foundations of ancient Russian statehood. But even here there are many questions.

In the Ustyug annals it is said that Askold and Dir were "neither the tribe of the prince, nor the boyars, and Rurik will not give them either a city or a village." Historians believe that their desire to go to Kyiv was stimulated by the desire to obtain land and a princely title. According to the historian Yuri Begunov, Askold and Dir, having betrayed Rurik, turned into Khazar vassals.

The chronicler Nestor writes that the troops of Askold and Dir in 866 made a campaign against Byzantium and plundered the environs of Constantinople. However, Academician Aleksey Shakhmatov argued that in the older chronicles telling about the campaign against Constantinople there is no mention of Askold and Dir, nothing is said about them either in Byzantine or Arabic sources. “Their names were inserted later,” the scientist believed.

Some researchers suggest that Askold and Dir ruled in Kyiv at different times. Others put forward the version that Askold and Dir are one and the same person. According to this assumption, in the Old Norse spelling of the name "Haskuldr", the last two letters "d" and "r" could be separated into a separate word, and eventually become an independent person.

If you look at the Byzantine sources, you can see that during the siege of Constantinople, the chronicler speaks of only one commander, though without naming him.
Historian Boris Rybakov explained: “The personality of Prince Dir is not clear to us. It is felt that his name is artificially attached to Askold, because when describing their joint actions, the grammatical form gives us a single, not a double number, as it should be when describing the joint actions of two persons.

Kievan Rus and Khazaria

The Khazar Khaganate is considered a powerful state, under whose control the most important trade routes from Europe to Asia turned out to be. + During its heyday (at the beginning of the 8th century), the territory of the Khazar Khaganate extended from the Black Sea to the Caspian Sea, including the lower Dnieper region.

The Khazars made regular raids on the Slavic lands, plundering them. According to the testimony of the medieval traveler Ibrahim ibn Yakub, they mined not only wax, furs and horses, but mainly prisoners of war for sale into slavery, as well as young men, girls and children. In other words, the lands of Southern Russia actually fell into the Khazar bondage.

Maybe the state of the Khazars was looking in the wrong place? Publicist Alexander Polyukh is trying to sort out this issue. In his research, he focuses on genetics, in particular, on the position according to which the blood type corresponds to the way of life of the people and determines the ethnos.

He notes that according to genetic data, Russians and Belarusians, like most Europeans, have more than 90% of blood type I (O), and ethnic Ukrainians are 40% carriers of group III (B). This is a sign of peoples who led a nomadic lifestyle (here he also includes the Khazars), whose blood group III (B) approaches 100% of the population.

These conclusions are largely supported by the archaeological finds of Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Valentin Yanin, who confirmed that Kyiv at the time of its capture by the Novgorodians (IX century) was not a Slavic city, this is also evidenced by "birch bark letters".
According to Polyukh, the conquest of Kyiv by the Novgorodians and the revenge on the Khazars, carried out by Prophetic Oleg, suspiciously coincide in time. Perhaps it was the same event? Here he makes a loud conclusion: "Kyiv is a possible capital of the Khazar Khaganate, and ethnic Ukrainians are the direct descendants of the Khazars."

Despite all the paradoxical conclusions, perhaps they are not so divorced from reality. Indeed, in a number of sources of the 9th century, the ruler of the Rus was called not a prince, but a kagan (khakan). The earliest message about this refers to the year 839, when, according to the ancient Russian chronicles, Rurik's warriors had not yet arrived in Kyiv.

Prince Rurik. (dates of reign 862-879). The chronicle founder of the statehood of Russia, the Varangian, the Novgorod prince and the ancestor of the princely, which later became royal, Rurik dynasty.

Rurik is sometimes identified with King Rorik from Jutland Hedeby (Denmark). According to another version, Rurik is a representative of the princely family of Obodrites, and his name is a Slavic generic nickname associated with a falcon, which in Slavic languages ​​was also called a rarog. There are also attempts to prove the legendary Rurik.

It was under this prince that the entry of tribal formations into the composition of Ancient Russia took place. The Slovenes of Ilmen, the Krivichi of Pskov, the Chud and the whole preserved relations under an agreement with Rurik. Smolensk Krivichi and Merya were annexed by Rurik, who approved his "husbands" - governors - in their lands. The chronicle reports the annexation of the tribes of the northerners who previously paid tribute to the Khazars in 884, the Radimichi in 885 and the subjugation of the Drevlyans in 883. In the campaign against Byzantium in 906, Croats, Dulebs (Buzhans) and Tivertsy participated, probably as allies.

At the same time - in 862 (the date is approximate, according to the early chronology of the Chronicle), the Varangians, Rurik's warriors Askold and Dir, sailing to Constantinople, trying to establish full control over the most important trade route "from the Varangians to the Greeks", establish their power over Kyiv. In the future, the center of the future Kievan Rus was formed.

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

Oleg (Prophetic Oleg) (reigned: 879-912) - Prince of Novgorod (from 879) and Grand Duke of Kyiv (from 882). Often regarded as the founder of the Old Russian state. The annals give his nickname Prophetic, that is, he who knows the future, foresaw the future.

In 882, according to chronicle chronology, Prince Oleg, a relative of Rurik, set off on a campaign from Novgorod to the south. Actually, the beginning of the formation of a single state for all the Eastern Slavs was the unification by Prince Oleg in 882 of two centers of the emerging statehood - northern and southern, with a common center of state power in Kyiv, the capture of Smolensk and Lyubech. It was not in vain that the Old Russian chronicler described Prince Oleg as “prophetic”. He united in his hands the priestly functions of the most revered pagan cults of the Ilmen Slovenes and the Dnieper Rus. The names of Perun and Veles were sworn by the ambassadors of Oleg at the conclusion of an agreement with the Greeks in 911. Having seized power in Kyiv, Oleg declared himself a prince from the Russian family, thereby confirming his succession from the previous government and affirming the legitimacy of his reign as a Russian, and not a foreign prince .

Another important political step of Oleg is a campaign against Constantinople. According to an annalistic source, in 907, having equipped 2000 boats of 40 soldiers each, Oleg set out on a campaign against Constantinople. The Byzantine emperor Leo VI the Philosopher ordered the gates of the city to be closed and the harbor to be blocked with chains, thus giving the Varangians the opportunity to plunder and ravage the suburbs of Constantinople. However, Oleg went on an unusual assault: “And Oleg ordered his soldiers to make wheels and put ships on wheels. And when a favorable wind blew, they raised sails in the field and went to the city. The frightened Greeks offered Oleg peace and tribute. According to the agreement, Oleg received 12 hryvnias for each oarlock, and Byzantium promised to pay tribute to Russian cities. As a sign of victory, Oleg nailed his shield to the gates of Constantinople. The main result of the campaign was a trade agreement on duty-free trade of Russia in Byzantium.

In 911, Oleg sent an embassy to Constantinople, which confirmed the "long-term" peace and concluded a new treaty. Compared with the "treaty" of 907, the mention of duty-free trade disappears from it. Oleg is referred to in the contract as the "Grand Duke of Russia".

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 (according to legend, Oleg died from a snakebite) around 912 and ruled until 945.

More than 200 years have passed since the moment when Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin taught us to start the history of the Russian state from 862. He wrote about this with the conviction that Nestor’s chronicle “we can neither refute nor correct, nor can we replace it with another the most faithful." N.M. Karamzin presented the era of the birth of Russian statehood so colorfully that even today, in various variations, that ancient time is drawn in many historical publications in his words.

In support of his conclusions, N.M. Karamzin took the "latest chronicles" of the 16th century. - Power book, Trinity and Radzivilov chronicles and many others. As well as Icelandic stories, the story of Tacitus, who lived in the first century AD, Greek writings, and so on.

The “Chronicle of Nestor” is the initial part of the Laurentian Chronicle, which has come down to us in the edition of 1377. Today it is one of the oldest written sources, which describes in detail where the Russian land came from. This chronicle is pointed out when someone has doubts about the authenticity of oral legends and tales that have existed since ancient times. This chronicle is always referred to with one phrase: “so it is written in the chronicle”, if someone tries to object to the veracity of individual phrases, to call for a reasonable reading with a more critical look of the article with obvious reservations, with a patriotic attitude where the Russian chronicler speaks of greatness of Russia.

It cannot be said that little has been written about the chronicle. On the contrary, many research papers, monographs, abstracts, and literary works are devoted to it. Only here in them all the messages of the annals are perceived as an established historical fact, for something indisputable, immutable. And the cry "so it is written in the annals!" becomes louder when it comes to the so-called Norman theory of the origin of the Russian state. That is, any discussion is allowed only within the framework of recognizing the Varangians as the conquerors of Russia in the middle of the 9th century, and the Varangian Rurik as the founder of the first Russian ruling dynasty. To see this, just look at the site of the all-knowing Wikipedia. There are plenty of materials on this topic in printed publications - and all with one goal, so that no one would have any doubts about the authenticity of what was written in the annals. However, the more you read them, the more suspicions arise in the sincerity of their authors, in the premeditation and far-fetchedness of what was said. There is always a residue of some predestination. It feels like they want to convince you before you start to doubt. It disgusts you and offends your dignity, but they inspire you: no, there is nothing shameful in that. There is a deep feeling that something is wrong here.

Interest in the Laurentian Chronicle and the Varangian theme is also growing today because of the well-known events in Ukraine. The ideological fuss around the concept of "Kievan Rus" for Ukrainian nationalists is of particular importance. In one mouth, Kyiv and Rus are already two different states. In others, Kievan Rus is the real Slavic Rus, while Novgorod and then Moscow are a mixture of Slavs, Varangians and Finno-Ugric peoples. According to them, there is no Russian blood left among the “Muscovites”. Turning to the Laurentian Chronicle, whether we like it or not, this wormhole gets stuck somewhere in the brain and we want to understand where the truth is buried.

Before turning directly to the annals, it is necessary to make small digressions. To say a little about the Laurentian Chronicle itself and recall the version of the Varangian coming to Russia as presented by N.M. Karamzin. Let's start with the last one.

According to N.M. Karamzin, the chronicler truthfully retells ancient legends. From them we learn about the life of our ancestors, their traditions, beliefs, trade relations with neighbors. The greatness of the happiness of the introduction of monarchical power, writes N.M. Karamzin, we owe to the Varangians - the Normans from Scandinavia. They were more educated than the Slavs, while the latter, imprisoned in the wild confines of the north, lived in barbarism: they had cruel customs, worshiped idols, sacrificed people to pagan gods. If St. Columban, writes N.M. Karamzin, in 613 converted many German pagans to the true Christian faith, he returned from the Slavic lands without success, frightened by their savagery. Weak and divided into small regions, the Slavs could not unite our fatherland. Nestor's Vikings lived in the Kingdom of Sweden. The Finns called them Rosses, Rots, Routs. These brave and brave conquerors in 859 imposed a tribute on the Chud, Slovenian Ilmen, Krivichi, Merya. And two years later, the Slovene boyars angered the frivolous people, armed and expelled the Normans. But strife turned freedom into misfortune, plunged the fatherland into the abyss of civil strife. And only, having established a friendly relationship, the Slovenes of Novgorod and the Krivichi with the Finnish tribes were able to agree with all the wonders. They sent an embassy overseas to the Varangians-Rus. And they said to them: "Our land is great and plentiful, but there is no order in it: come reign and rule over us." And three brothers were elected, surrounded by a large Scandinavian retinue, ready to assert the rights of the elected sovereigns with the sword - Rurik, Sineus and Truvor. So in 862 these ambitious brothers left their fatherland forever and arrived in Novgorod. Some legends say that the Varangians oppressed the Slavs and soon they became indignant at slavery, accustomed to freedom from anarchy. But these ancient tales of Nestor seem to be one conjecture and fiction. Soon Truvor and Sineus died and Rurik began to rule alone. And he had two united earthmen named Askold and Dir. They asked to go to Constantinople to seek their fortune. On the way we saw a small town. This city was Kyiv. And Askold and Dir took possession of Kyiv, called on many Varangians and began to rule. So the Varangians founded two autocratic regions in Russia: Rurik in the north, Askol and Dir in the south. And only after the death of Rurik in 879, his relative, and therefore the Varangian, Oleg was able to unite these two regions of ancient Russia. It happened in 882. Then Kyiv was declared the mother of Russian cities. That kinsman Oleg began to rule in childhood Igor, the son of the Varangian Rurik, for, as it is said in the annals of Nestorova, Igor was still very small that year. But Oleg ruled for a long time: as much as 33 years. Oleg, power-hungry, surrounded by the brilliance of victories, stained with the blood of the innocent princes of the Varangian Askold and Dir, taught Igor to obey. So he did not dare to demand his heritage. In 903 he chose for him a wife, glorious for her feminine charms and good manners, Olga. As stated in the latest (!) Historical books of a simple Varangian family from Pskov. Oleg the Prophet died according to legend from his horse in 912.

This is, in general terms, the concept of the formation of a monarchical system in ancient Russia. And the merit in this belongs to the Varangians and Rurik personally, concludes N.M. Karamzin. In 1862, the millennium of Russia was solemnly celebrated in Novgorod, and a monument dedicated to this historical event was erected. In the foreground of one of the plots of the monument, Rurik holds a shield with engraved letters STO, indicating 6730 from the creation of the world or 862 from the Nativity of Christ. This is how the Varangians are officially established in Russian history.

Now let's read the currently known information about the Laurentian Chronicle. First, along with Lavrentievskaya, two more similar lists of chronicles are named - Radzivilovskaya and Moscow-Academic and less similar, that is, with a large tolerance for inaccuracies and discrepancies, the Ipatievskaya and Khlebnikovsky lists. Second, the Laurentian Chronicle was rewritten by two scribes with little participation from a third. In the end, based on the news about the Vladimir-Suzdal land, it is concluded that the chronicle was rewritten in Suzdal or Nizhny Novgorod. Levrenty conscientiously rewrote what was written before him by hegumen Sylvester up to 96 sheets. Thirdly, philologists, in turn, declare that the linguistic personality of the author is difficult to grasp, since the chronicles that have come down to us have been preserved in the edition of the 14th-15th centuries. They contain lexical and semantic changes, a mixture of Church Slavonic (or, according to A.A. Shakhmatov, Old Bulgarian) and Old Russian languages. This explains the inconsistency in the use of grammatical systems in the construction of sentences, for example: sitse bosya call ty Varazians Rus, as all friends are called Svei. But at the same time, their conclusions easily fit into the same Varangian scheme - they do not retreat and do not consider the authenticity of writing the legend itself.

Now let's look at the history. Let's start with where did 862 come from in our historiography? It is not in the Nestor Chronicle! N.M. Karamzin refers to the "latest" chronicles, i.e. other lists from the Laurentian Chronicle. But can they be considered sources? Medieval scribes did exactly the same as subsequent ones, when they did not understand something, they tried to explain everything in their own way. On the last page of the Laurentian Chronicle, the scribe confesses: “Sorry, fathers and brothers, if somewhere I described or copied something wrong. Honor the corrections and do not curse, for those books are old, and the mind of the young did not reach everything. According to the same principle in the annals of the XVI century. missed 862 and fits in. But these are chronicles of the sixteenth century, not the twelfth. Consciously or not, the chronicler missed 862, but the fact remains that he is not there. In addition, the Latin S in the letter designation of years, which is engraved on the monument, is found in the annals only on folios 42-44. In all other cases, the Cyrillic capital G was used, mirroring the Latin letter. Maybe there was some meaning to it? Closeness to Western culture, for example? But even in this case, there is a distortion of the vision of our history.

And further. If the last chronicler calls himself “Mnich” Lawrence, who rewrote the chronicle at the behest of Prince Dmitry Konstantinovich of Suzdal and with the blessing of Dionysius, Bishop of Suzhdal, Novgorod and Gorodsky, then why does he not know the exact name of the neighboring city of Murom? He writes it either without the last letter, or with a soft sign - Muro (Murosky), Murom (Muromsky). Although he names his “native” cities incorrectly: Suzhdal, Novgorod, Gorodsk. The question arises: maybe the census taker is not local? Why does he miraculously start dropping letters from some words? From the word prince, the letter z (prince), from the word brother - t (bra). Even from such a word familiar to him as a cross, the letter c (cret). And this has nothing to do with the use of certain words as abbreviations without vowels. The thought creeps in: maybe the scribe is not Russian? And the names of Prince Oleg and Princess Olga are as soon as they are not written: through the Latin W, and through the Cyrillic B - Wlzya, Wlga, Volga, Volga; Wleg, Wlg, Wlgovi. And many more questions. Well, for example, why do all the great princes in the second half of the chronicle become Gyurgis? No matter how he calls them by their names, in the end they still have Gyurgis, Yurgis. Where did the Rurikovichs come from in 1086, although not a word was said about them before? And where do they disappear again for 100 years? Why does the chronicler in an unimaginable way connect the two dynastic branches with one awkward phrase: “Yurgi resurrects the son of his elder Vsevolod Volodimernaya Rurikovich”?

Of course, the most significant for us are the first pages of the chronicle, where the legend of the Varangians is given. And there are a lot of questions here. Why on sheets 11-19 the text is lined on 31 lines, and on sheets 1-10 on 32 lines. Where did the word which come from on sheet 4 in line 16? In all other cases, as a relative pronoun, it is used like, even, south. Why is the letter v, indicating the number of the notebook, affixed to the 10th sheet? The previous six sheets are believed to be lost. But why then is there no number letter a on the eighth sheet? Why are there three systems of morphological formation of verb forms “in a short distance” in four pages? For example, the verb to be in the past tense of the singular is sometimes written with the suffix x, sometimes with the suffix sh, and sometimes with the suffix st: “byahu men are wise”, “transportation byashe then”, “and he has two husbands”. Can this be explained only by a mixture of languages ​​or a linguistic replacement? Why only on these sheets there are large letters drawn with cinnabar, some symbols, marks, and so on. All this distinguishes the text of the first nine sheets, so to speak, according to formal features.

Now let's turn to the content side of the annals. Let's try to simulate the situation with the exclusion of the Vikings and Rurik from the text. (Let me remind you that the legend of the calling of the Varangians appears in the annals on page 7.) So, on the 6th reverse sheet, the chronology of the reign of Russian princes from the first to Yaroslav the Wise is given. We read: “In the year 6360 (852), indict 15, when Michael began to reign, the Russian land began to be nicknamed ... And from the first year of the reign of Michael to the first year of the reign of Oleg, the Russian prince, 29 years, and from the first year of the reign of Oleg, because he sat in Kyiv, before the first year of Igor's reign, 31 years, and from the first year of Igor's reign to the first year of Svyatoslav, 13 years ... ”, etc. It turns out that the next article should begin with 882, i.e. . from the legend about the formation of the city of Kyiv by the three brothers Kiy, Shchek and Khorev and the reign of Oleg in Kyiv.

What is interesting: with this approach, the very idea of ​​​​the beginning of Russia changes.

If, according to N.M. Karamzin, the main thing in the initial part of the chronicle is the establishment of a monarchy in the person of the Varangian Rurik, the foundation of the Rurik dynasty, then according to another version, one must think according to the plan of the monk Nestor, the main thing is the spiritual origins of Russia, the choice of the correct faith.

In history, it looks like this: “Every nation has either a written law, or a custom, which people who do not know the law accept as the tradition of the fathers.” The meadows have such a law. The chronicler then consistently conveys with condemnation the customs of the tribes of other peoples and neighboring Slavic tribes, and each time repeats: “We, Christians of all countries where they believe in the Holy Trinity and in one baptism and profess one faith, have one law, since we were baptized in put on Christ and put on Christ. We, the Slavs, and one of their tribes, the meadows, living on the Dnieper mountains, a freedom-loving people, having ties with many neighboring countries, received the grace of God from St. Andrew. “And it happened that he came and stood under the mountains on the shore. And in the morning he got up and said to the disciples who were with him: “Do you see these mountains? On these mountains the grace of God will shine, there will be a great city, and God will build many churches.” And he ascended these mountains, blessed them, and put up a cross, and prayed to God, and descended from this mountain, where Kyiv later arose ... ”The glades were oppressed by the Bulgarians and Drevlyans, but by no one else. Once, the legend is given, the Khazars demanded tribute from them. The meadows offered them a sword. The Khazars looked and were upset: the clearing had a double-edged weapon, "they will someday collect tribute from us and from other lands." These lines are written in the annals on the 6th sheet. And already on the next sheet, the Slavs, for no apparent reason, turn out to be payers of tribute to both the Varangians and the Khazars. In addition, on these first sheets there is not a single hint of the savagery and barbarism of the Slavs, as N.M. Karamzin. Moreover, no strife, hostility, struggle for the princely table is described. The idea of ​​the chronicler on these first pages of the chronicle is to show the confession of a single faith, and not the coming of the Varangians. The fact that the land of Kyiv - the mother of Russia - is blessed, that the Apostle Andrew clothed the meadows in the true Christian faith with the correct laws.

What conclusions are being drawn? The Laurentian Chronicle provides two chronological schemes of reigning from the first prince to Yaroslav the Wise: from Oleg and from Rurik. The first lists all the princes with an exact indication of the years of reign in direct and reverse order. Rusich Oleg is called the first prince with a place of reign in Kyiv. Rurik is not on this list. According to the second, Rurik appears before Oleg and in Novgorod, displacing all other dates of reign proposed according to the first version. Adapting the legend to the text of the main chronicle, the scribes each time added their own understanding, their own explanation of certain versions of ancient legends. Moreover, while meticulously analyzing in one place something necessary to reinforce the Varangian legend, they did not pay attention to ridiculous inconsistencies elsewhere. So, based on the records according to the “latest” chronicles (the Laurentian Chronicle does not mention this), N.M. Karamzin marries Igor to Olga in 903. And in the article of 955, Olga goes to the Greeks. Meets Tsar Tzimiskes. He marvels at her beauty and intelligence. He says: "I want to give you to my wife." Legend legend. But the details are still embarrassing. If we add to this date 17 years from her marriage, it turns out that at that time she was already over 70 years old. Or take other "latest" chronicles, where Rurik suddenly has a wife named Efanda. Well, etc.

What can be said here? The chronology of the reign from Oleg, which is given on page 6, has an equal right to exist as the legend about the calling of the Varangians. But why is no one paying attention to her? It is not cited in any material of the Normanists. N.M. Karamzin is not considered at all. This suggests the idea of ​​a directed selectivity of supporters of Normanism on the topic of the Varangians for the sake of certain interests.

Meanwhile, it is she who is the key and, perhaps, really preserved from the first narrator, untouched by scribes. And here it depends on us which of them to recognize as correct. N.M. Karamzin proceeded from the idea of ​​preserving the unity of Russia by establishing a monarchy. But he contradicted himself. Exalting the Varangians, recognizing the legend of the Varangians, he created another legend - about the two centers of ancient Russia. And it is not only not historical, but also harmful no less than the first.

If we judge the editing of the Laurentian Chronicle for the Varangians, then already on the basis of the formal features mentioned above, we can conclude that the legend about the Varangians was inserted into the chronicle much later than the 12th century. Then it turned out to be profitable, it was artificially supported. There were motives for this. Still, they tried to interfere in our Russian history at all times. Entire institutes of foreign Sovietologists are still engaged in rewriting history textbooks. And the chronicle is by and large the same history textbook, only medieval. But this is a separate issue.

In conclusion, I would like to say: today a unique situation is emerging, when, on the wave of healthy patriotic sentiments, one can unbiasedly understand the origins of our initial Russia. But one must begin not with self-abasement, but with, as Lomonosov said, where other peoples seek honor and glory for themselves. Finally, with the restoration of historical truth.

Prophetic Oleg went down in history as the winner of Constantinople, who nailed his shield to one of the gates of the city.

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 Russia. 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 Russia. 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, she was the first of the Russian rulers to send 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 Russia. However, Svyatoslav and his entourage refused to Christianize and Olga was forced to transfer power to her son. In the last years of her life, she was actually removed from political activity. 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 Russia 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 Russia 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 Russia 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 Patriarchate.

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. Nickname received 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 Russia. 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. Encouraged the construction 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.