The history of Rurik, Prince of Rus'. Prince Rurik, biography, reign and politics. Brief biography and characteristics of the reign of Prince Rurik

During this period, Metropolitan Spiridon, who was appointed to the Kyiv Metropolis in 1476, acted as a kind of biographer of Rurik. Written by him at the age of 90, “The Epistle on the Crown of Monomakh” sets out the genealogy of the Russian and Moscow princes in a global context and presents Rurik himself as a descendant of the Roman Emperor Augustus. This is how Spiridon describes Rurik’s calling to Rus':

“August began a series of blessings on the universe. Make your brother Patricius king of Egypt; and make Agustalia your brother ruler of Alexandria; and place Cyrene in Syria as ruler; and Herod Antipatrov from the Amanites, for many gifts and respect, installed the king of the Jews in Jerusalem; and entrust everything to Asia to Evlagerd, his relative; and put Ilirik, your brother, in charge of Istra; and place Peony in Zatotsekh Zlatykh, who is now named Ugrove; and Prusa in the birches of the Vistula River in the city called Morborok, and Torun, and Khvoinitsa, and the famous Gdanesk, and many other cities along the river called Nemon, which fell into the sea. And that Prus lived for many seasons, and lived until the fourth generation of his tribe; and to this day the land of Prussia is called by his name. And sia about these.

And at that time, a certain governor of Novgorod, named Gostomysl, passed away and called the owner of Novgorod with him, and said: “I give you advice, send a wise man to the Prussian land and call a prince from the existing families of the Roman king Augustus.” They went to the Prussian land and found there a certain prince named Rurik, descended from the family of the Roman king Augustus, and prayed to him with the envoys of all Novgorodians. Prince Rurik came to them in Novgorod and had two brothers with him; The name of one is Truvor, the other is Sineus, and the third is named Oleg. And from there it was called Novgorod the Great; and the great prince Rurik reigns in it.

And from the Grand Duke Rurik, the fourth generation is the Great Prince Volodymer, who crossed the Russian land with holy baptism, and was named Vasily in holy baptism. And from him the fourth generation is the great prince Vladimir Vsevolodich.”

In this story of the disgraced Kiev Metropolitan, everything is fantastic - Augustus is called the brother of Julius Caesar, inheritance (distribution of lands) follows a horizontal tradition (from older brother to younger), the heirs themselves are entirely fictional characters, except for Herod, a contemporary of Augustus. According to Spiridon, Rurik comes from the family of Prus, and Prus was one of Augustus’s relatives, who received land from his hands. Prus here, of course, is a German, educated from Prussia. We have already said above that the Varangians had different origins and could be Prussians, Angles, and Swedes.

Modern historians have put forward the hypothesis that medieval scribes and, in particular, Spiridon were “flattered” by the consonance of the names “Rus” and “Prussia” and concluded that Rus' originated from Pruss. In addition, Prussia is ideally located in the north of the European Plain, and the Varangians - Normans - Vikings came from the north.

Historians believe that Spiridon’s work served as a source for “The Tale of the Princes of Vladimir,” written in the first third of the 16th century. The legend about Rurik’s calling to the kingdom and his genealogy in the “Tale...” are identical to the “Message...” of Metropolitan Spiridon. In the era of Ivan the Terrible, this version of the origin of the Rurikovichs becomes canonical and the only true one. The example of the Grand Dukes was followed by aristocrats who began to trace their families from foreign ancestors who came to Rus', like the Varangians once did. The most interesting genealogical stories are recorded in the “Velvet Book” of the Russian nobility. It is, of course, not possible to separate truth from fiction in them due to the absence of any written evidence.

In further chronicles, in particular in the Resurrection Chronicle, Prus becomes not just a relative, but the brother of Augustus, and Rurik is his direct descendant in the 14th generation.

Rurik Varangsky
Founder of the Russian State. Prince of Novgorod.
Years of life: about 817-879
Reign: 862-879

Suggested from Old Icelandic Hroerikr (Hroðrekr), literally "glorious in power". According to another version, Rurik is a generic Slavic name meaning “falcon,” which the Slavs also called rarog.

About the origin Prince Rurik There are many versions, the main ones being Norman and West Slavic.

Born presumably in 817 (according to other sources in 806-807), in the family of Halfdan, a representative of the Danish royal family of Skjoldungs ​​(prince of the Rarog Slavs) and the middle daughter of the Novgorod elder Gostomysl Umila.

Before the birth of Rurik, Halfdan was expelled from Jutland and found shelter with Emperor Charlemagne. Charles' heir, Emperor Louis I the Pious, became Rurik's godfather in 826 and gave him a province in the Netherlands (land in Friesland).
The matured Rurik avenged his father. He conquered almost all of Denmark and conquered Jutland, but after the death of Louis I lost his rights to Friesland. From that moment on, he and his squad and other Norman tribes began to raid many European states. His talent as a commander made him the uncrowned king of the Normans.

Until now, the image of Prince Rurik serves as a source of inspiration for writers and artists

At the time of the beginning of Russian Statehood in Rus', two tribal unions stood out among the Slavic tribes: led by Novgorod - Northern, and led by Kyiv - Southern. The Slavs lived in tribes and communities according to the laws of popular government. They did not have a ruler and were ruled by elders, which led to disagreements and frequent wars. The two alliances, which were divided by trade interests, had to compete with each other. This weakened the Slavs and they had no strength left to fight external enemies. The enemies took advantage of this. In 859, “some brave conquerors who came from across the Baltic Sea” imposed tribute on the Slavs. Two years later, the Slavs expelled the Varangians, but could not live in peace among themselves. Disagreements, strife and wars began again.

Rurik's calling

The Slavs thought for a long time about how to save the Fatherland from destruction and, on the advice of the Novgorod elder Gostomysl, decided to abandon popular rule and appoint a single prince over themselves, a reliable guardian of their borders, who administered justice and reprisals to the fullest extent. And so that there would be discipline and there would be no offense, they began to look for the prince in foreign lands. And the Slavs went overseas to the Varangians and said: “Our land is great and abundant, but there is no order in it. Come reign and rule over us."

In 862, the brothers Rurik, Sineus and Truvor agreed to become the first Rulers in the Ancient Fatherland. The country in which they settled began to be called Rus' and from that time Russian Statehood began. The brothers and their retinue settled: Sineus - between Chud and Vse on Beloozero; Truvor - among the Krivichi in Izborsk; Rurik among the Ilmen Slavs. Although historians do not agree regarding the specific city of the settlement of Rurik. Some claim in Ladoga, others in Novgorod. This is how it began reign of the Ruriks in Rus'.

Soon the Slavs regretted the “entry” of the Varangians into the Slavic world, and a certain Vadim “The Brave” raised his fellow tribesmen against the alien rulers. There is a version that Rurik’s brothers died in this battle, but he managed to execute Vadim and suppress the rebellion. He annexed the lands belonging to his brothers to his own and established autocracy. Some Finnish tribes also joined the Slavic people, adopting their language, faith and customs.

Rurik also had Askold and Dir dissatisfied in his circle. Dissatisfied with the prince, in search of happiness they went from Novgorod to Constantinople and founded their own autocratic region in Rus'. Askold and Dir in the south, Rurik in the north.

Having gathered a large squad, Askold and Dir decided to attack Byzantium. The Greek emperor was in Asia with his army; the attack was unexpected. According to the Byzantines, horror gripped everyone; no one had ever seen anything like this. There was no mercy for anyone - neither old nor young. Constantinople was in a critical situation, but the Greeks were saved by a miracle: “the robe of the Mother of God, lowered into the water by Patriarch Photius, caused a storm, scattering the Russian boats." Those remaining from the squad with their princes returned to Kyiv. Russian pagans, frightened by Heavenly wrath, turned to the clergy of Constantinople for holy baptism. According to historians, cases of adoption of Christianity were known even before the attack of Askold and Dir.

According to the customs of the pagans, who Rurik was, he could have several wives and concubines. According to legend, one of his wives Efanda gave birth to a son Igor, but it is also known that Rurik had a daughter and stepson Askold.

Rule of Rurik

According to the chronicle “The Tale of Bygone Years,” after the death of his brothers in Novgorod, Rurik reigned for another 15 years and died in 879, leaving the reign and son Igor to his relative Oleg.

The reign of the descendants of the Novgorod prince Rurik continued in Rus' for more than 600 years. The last representative of the dynasty became the first Russian Tsar.

To this day, little is known about the life of Rurik, but the memory of the founding ruler of the great Rurik dynasty, which raised the dignity and authority of sovereign Russia, has remained immortal.
And it’s not for nothing that the Gallery of bas-reliefs of great Russians, on the monument “Millennium of Russia” in Veliky Novgorod, is opened by the figure of Prince Rurik, “from whom the Great Rus' came”

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Brief biography and characteristics of the reign of Prince Rurik

Rurik's reign, just like its existence, it is still questioned by historians. At the same time, even those who consider the reign of this man to be reliable constantly argue about his origin. Thus, Normanists claim that Rurik and his small retinue were Scandinavian Vikings by origin. In their defense, they cite the similarity of the name of the first Russian prince with the Latin term, which literally meant “king” (meaning the word “rex”).

Opponents of the Normanists, anti-Normanists, in turn, believe that Rurik was from the tribe of falcons ("Reregs"), who are known today under the general name of the Obodrits.

The reign of Rurik - legend or historical fact?

As legends and later chronicle texts say, Rurik was called to reign by the tribes of the Ilmen Slovenes, Chuds and Krivichs, who could not agree among themselves who should rule the united lands. Thus, the very fact of calling the first prince was intended to end the discord within the nobility of the Slavic tribes.

"The Tale of Bygone Years" indicates the year 862 as the date of the arrival of Rurik. The prince came to Rus' (to Novgorod) not on his own, but with Truvor and Seneus. However, there is a lot of controversy about this. Certain historians claim that prince Rurik settled in Staraya Ladoga, and not in Novgorod, which was built by the same prince, but two years after the start of his reign. This is confirmed by some archaeological finds.

According to legend, both Rurik brothers also received lands to rule. Sineus began to rule in Beloozero, and Truvor ruled the Krivichi. But very soon Rurik became the sole ruler of the Slavic lands, since his brothers died. However, there is also a version according to which the first prince came to Rus' not with his brothers, but with a faithful squad (truvor) and his clan (sineus).

Historians have very little reliable information about the period of Rurik’s reign. There are only short mentions in the chronicles from which it becomes clear to us that the prince’s internal policy was able to lead to the strengthening of Russian borders, as well as the construction of new cities.

In addition, there is information according to which the Novgorod rebellion of Vadim the Brave was suppressed by Rurik’s squad. Scientists argue that it was the reign of the first prince Rurik that was able to centralize power in Rus'.

After the death of Rurik around 879, the Slavic territories were inherited by his son, who would later become the prince of Kyiv.

Who was Rurik? Having answered this question, we will answer the question “where did the Russian land come from?” Historians have been breaking their spears over this issue for centuries, presenting various arguments in favor of one theory or another.

Dane

According to the first version, “our” Rurik is Rorik of Jutland, a Danish king from the Skjoldung dynasty, which traces its ancestry back to Odin himself. Mentions of Rorik are found in Frankish chronicles, where he is called the ruler of Dorestad and several Frisian lands in the years 841-873. In the Xanten Annals it is also called the “plague of Christianity.”

The first version of the identity of “our” Rurik and the Danish Rurik was expressed by Pastor H. Hallman in his work “Rustringia, the original fatherland of the first Russian Grand Duke Rurik and his brothers. Historical experience", published in 1816. 20 years later, Professor of the University of Dorpat Friedrich Kruse also identified Rurik with Rorik of Jutland.

Of the Russian scientists, Nikolai Timofeevich Belyaev was the first to write about the identity of these historical figures in his work “Rorik of Jutland and Rurik of the Initial Chronicle,” published in Prague in 1929. As evidence of the correctness of the theory, the scientist cites temporary gaps in the Frisian chronicles (863-870) and corresponding mentions of Rurik of Novgorod in Russian chronicles.

Also, as an argument, a close correspondence of the archaeological layers of the Jutlandic city of Ribe and Ladoga of Rurik’s time is given.
Among modern Russian scientists, the Danish version of the origin of Rurik was supported by Boris Rybakov, Gleb Lebedev, Dmitry Machinsky and others.

Second version: Rurik was a Swede. This hypothesis has no more evidence than the previous one. According to it, Rurik is the Swedish king Eirik Emundarson. It is mentioned by the Icelandic skald Snorri Sturluson in The Circle of the Earth.

Skald describes the Thing (national gathering) in 1018, held in Uppsalla. One of its participants remembers King Eirik, saying that every summer he went on campaigns and conquered different lands: Finland, Kirjalaland, Eistlaind, Kurland and many lands in Australland.

In the sagas, Finland was called Finland, Kirjalaland was Karelia, Eistland was Estonia, Kurland was Courland, Austrweg was the Eastern Route (“from the Varangians to the Greeks”), and Austrland was the name of the lands that later became Russian.

However, according to Russian chronicles, Rurik was called to rule, and did not come on a campaign of conquest. Secondly, in The Tale of Bygone Years the Swedes are not considered Varangians. “Varyazi” and “Svei” are considered different peoples: “Afetovo and that tribe: Varyazi, Svei, Urman, Gote, Rus'...”.

Thirdly, Eirik and Rurik are still different names. They are translated differently. Eirik (Eric, Erik) means, translated from ancient German, “rich in honor”, ​​Rurik (Ro/rik) - “glorious in nobility”.

Slav

According to the anti-Norman theory, Rurik is “from ours, from the Slavs.” There are two versions of the Slavic origin of the founder of Russian statehood.

According to the first version, Rurik was the leader of the Obodrit Slavs (Polabian Slavs), the son of Gotleib, the Obodrit prince who died in 808. This hypothesis explains the origin of the coat of arms of Rurik - the ancestral tamga with a diving falcon, since the tribal symbol of the Obodrite Slavs was precisely the falcon (in Western Slavic - “rereg/rarog”).

According to the genealogy of Friedrich Chemnitz (XVII century), Rurik and his brothers were also considered the sons of the already mentioned Gotleib. Sivar and Troir are named there as Rurik's brothers. What is significant is that the memory of Rurik, the son of Gotleib, was preserved in those places (northeast Germany) for a long time. The Frenchman Xavier Marmier, traveling in those places in the mid-19th century, wrote about Prince Rurik.

The second Slavic version speaks of the origin of Rurik from the Baltic island of Ruyan, which today is called Rugen. The origin of Rurik from here can be explained by the name “Rus” itself (the version with obodrites does not explain this). In the same Mercator’s “Cosmography” the island of Ruyan is called “Russia”.

Historian Nikolai Trukhachev also noted that in Western sources the inhabitants of Ruyan are repeatedly called Ruthenians or Ruthenians.
Also typical of Ruyan Island was the cult of the white horse; traces of it are preserved in Russian folklore, as well as in the tradition of installing “horses” on the roofs of huts.

In 2007, the newspaper “Chechen Society” was published under the authorship of historian Murtazaliev. It tells that the Anglo-Saxons, Goths, Normans and Rus' are one people.

“The Rus were not just anyone, but Chechens. It turns out that Rurik and his squad, if they really are from the Varangian tribe of Rus, then they are purebred Chechens, moreover, from the royal family and speaking their native Chechen language.”

Murtazaliev ends the article like this: “But still, I would like Chechen scientists not to stop there, but to develop in this direction, given that many want to “warm their hands” on Chechen history against logic, ignoring all moral barriers. All this throws our people back year after year, decades, and maybe hundreds of years ago.”

The first Russian prince known to history bore the name of Rurik. Biographical information about him in the chronicles is rather scarce.

The oldest chronicles (Lavrentievskaya and Ipatievskaya) first mention Rurik in a story in 862 about the uprising of the northern tribes, conquered by the Varangians and subject to tribute, against their enslavers - an uprising that ended in the expulsion of the Varangians. The liberated tribes began to govern independently, but “there was no truth in them,” “generation after generation rose up, and there was strife among them.” Then they decided to look for a prince for themselves - and “went overseas to the Varangians of Rus'; for those Varangians were called Rus, just as others are called Svei (Swedes), Urmans (Normans), Angles (English), Goths. They said to the Russians, "Chud" Slavs (Ilmen) And Krivichi and all: our land is great and abundant, but there is no order in it; come to reign and rule over us.” The Novgorod Chronicle gives a story about the expulsion of the Varangians and the embassy to them along with other news of 854, with a vague addition that these events occurred during the reign of Kyiv Kiya, Cheek and Horeb. The explanation for the tribal name of the Varangians – Rus – is also missing from the First Novgorod Chronicle.

Overseas guests (Varyags). Artist Nicholas Roerich, 1901

In response to the proposal of the embassy sent to the Varangians (the calling of the Varangians), three brothers from the Varangian tribe of Rus - Rurik, Sineus and Truvor - and their relatives set off on the journey. The chronicles speak differently about the place where these Varangian princes arrived and about where Rurik, the eldest of them, stayed. The Ipatiev Chronicle and some lists of the Laurentian Chronicle tell that Rurik founded the city of Ladoga and sat down to reign there, while Sineus established himself in Beloozero, and Truvor in Izborsk. “And from those Varangians-Russ it received the name Russian Land.” However, according to the Trinity List of the Laurentian Chronicle, Rurik sat down to reign in Novgorod. The first Novgorod chronicle tells that all three brothers first came to Novgorod with a strong squad. Those vaults that believe that Rurik first settled in Ladoga say: two years later both of his brothers died, and he, going to Lake Ilmen, cut down a city above the Volkhov River, calling it Novgorod.

Early chronicles provide very little information about the further life and activities of Rurik. It is only known that Rurik distributed volosts and cities (Polotsk, Rostov, Beloozero, Murom) to his warriors. Two of his “husbands” - Askold and Dir with their own detachments moved, with the consent of Rurik, to Kyiv, and from there to Constantinople (Constantinople). Rurik had a son, Igor, who was still very young in the year of his death (879). For this reason, Rurik entrusted the management of princely affairs, until Igor grew up, to his relative (nephew?) Oleg.

Arrival of Rurik in Ladoga. Artist V. Vasnetsov

The later chronicles supplement this meager data about Rurik with new details. According to the Gustyn and Resurrection Chronicles, elder Gostomysl gave advice to the Novgorodians to send for a wise husband to the Prussian land. They went to the Prussian land, found Prince Rurik there, who allegedly descended from the family of the Roman Emperor Augustus, and begged him to come to reign with them. The origin of Rurik from Octavian Augustus forms the basis of a number of ancient princely genealogies. According to the Nikon Chronicle, the Ilmen Slavs (Novgorodians), Merya and Krivichi did not immediately send for the prince to the Varangians. At first they thought to choose him from among their own or to call him from the Khazars, the Polans, from the Danube. When the messengers came to the Varangians, they at first did not want to go to reign with them, “fearing their bestial customs and disposition,” but then Rurik and his two brothers still agreed to this. Two years after Rurik sat in Novgorod (6372 according to the old calendar, 864 according to the new one), the Novgorodians who called him rebelled and, having suffered a lot from him, began to say that they did not want to continue being slaves of the Varangians. Rurik, according to the same Nikon Chronicle, brutally dealt with the dissatisfied, killing their leader Vadim and many of his supporters. Calm did not prevail even after the death of the childless Sineus and Truvor. According to the Nikon Chronicle, in 867 many Novgorodians fled from Rurik to Kyiv.

Prince Rurik at the monument "Millennium of Russia" in Veliky Novgorod

Some later chronicles (for example, Voskresensky) say that Rurik was not peaceful towards his neighbors. Having barely established himself in Novgorod, he “began to fight everywhere.” In one late chronicle collection there is a story about Rurik sending the governor Valet in 866 to conquer Karelia, and Rurik himself allegedly died 13 years later in this war. According to most chronicles, Rurik died in 879, but one of the lists (Ermolinsky) dates his death ten years earlier.

The story of the chronicle about the first Russian princes and about Rurik gave rise to the so-called “Varangian” question in Russian historical science. The controversy surrounding it continues to this day. There are many theories that explain the beginning of the “Russian Land” in different ways, but none of them has yet completely prevailed over the others.