The name of Rurik was the first famous history Russian prince. Biographical information about him in the chronicles is rather scarce.
The oldest chronicles (Lavrentievskaya and Ipatievskaya) first mention Rurik in the story for 862 about the uprising of the northern tribes, conquered by the Varangians and subjected to tribute, against their enslavers - an uprising that ended in the expulsion of the Varangians. The liberated tribes began to govern themselves, but "there was no truth in them," "kind to clan stood up, and there was strife in them." Then they decided to look for a prince for themselves - and “went across the sea to the Varangians-Rus; for those Varangians were called Rus, as others are called Swedes (Swedes), Urmans (Normans), Angles (Englishmen), Goths. The Russians said Chud, Slavs (Ilmen) and krivichi and all: our land is great and plentiful, but there is no order in it; Come 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 an indefinite addition that these events occurred during the reign in Kiev Kiya, Cheek and Khoriva. The Novgorod First Chronicle also lacks an explanation of the tribal name of the Varangians - Rus.
Overseas guests (Varangians). Artist Nicholas Roerich, 1901
In response to the offer of an embassy sent to the Varangians (calling the Varangians), three brothers from the Varangian tribe Rus - Rurik, Sineus and Truvor - set off with their relatives. Chronicles speak differently about the place where these Varangian princes arrived, and about where Rurik, the eldest of them, stopped. The Ipatiev Chronicle and some lists of the Lavrentiev 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-Rus received the name Russian land." However, according to the Trinity List of the Laurentian Chronicle, Rurik sat down to reign in Novgorod. The Novgorod First Chronicle tells that all three brothers first came to Novgorod with a strong retinue. Those vaults that believe that Rurik first settled in Ladoga tell: two years later, both of his brothers died, and he, going to Lake Ilmen, cut down a city over the Volkhov River, calling it Novgorod.
Early records give very little information about later 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 Kiev, and from there to Tsargrad (Constantinople). Rurik had a son, Igor, who was still very small in the year of his death (879). For this reason, Rurik instructed to conduct princely affairs, before Igor grows up, to his relative (nephew?) Oleg.
Arrival of Rurik in Ladoga. Artist V. Vasnetsov
These meager data about Rurik are supplemented by later chronicles with new details. According to the Gustynskaya and Resurrection chronicles, the advice to send for a wise husband to the Prussian land was given to the Novgorodians by the elder Gostomysl. They went to the Prussian land, found there Prince Rurik, who allegedly descended from the family of the Roman emperor Augustus, and begged him to go reign to them. The origin of Rurik from Octavian Augustus is 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 elect him from among their own or to call him from the Khazars, glades, from the Danube. When the messengers came to the Varangians, at first they did not want to go to reign to them, “being afraid of their bestial custom and disposition,” but then Rurik and his two brothers nevertheless agreed to this. Two years after Rurik sat down in Novgorod (6372 according to the old calendar, 864 according to the new), the Novgorodians who called him rebelled and, having suffered a lot from him, began to say that they did not want to continue to be slaves of the Varangians. Rurik, according to the same Nikon chronicle, brutally cracked down on the disaffected, killing their leader Vadim and many of his supporters. Tranquility did not return even after the death of the childless Sineus and Truvor. According to the Nikon chronicle, in 867 many Novgorodians fled from Rurik to Kiev.
Prince Rurik at the Millennium of Russia monument in Veliky Novgorod
Some later chronicles (for example, Voskresensky) say that Rurik was not peaceful towards his neighbors either. 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 (Yermolinsky) dates his death ten years earlier.
The legend of the chronicle about the first Russian princes and about Rurik gave rise in Russian historical science to the so-called "Varangian" question. 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 so far completely prevailed over the others.
The Eastern Slavs lived "each in their own way", gathering from time to time for a joint veche. Already in the 6th century, they had intertribal unions, headed by elders or leaders. The Slavs led a settled way of life. In the struggle for new lands, they pressed the Finno-Ugric and Baltic ethnic groups. The northern tribes often endured the raids of the Scandinavians. some of them, not having the strength to repel predatory invasions, became tributaries of the Varangians.
The abundance of waterways led to the strengthening of cultural and commercial ties between the Slavic tribes and their neighbors. Pereyaslavl, Chernigov, Smolensk, Lyubech, Novgorod, Rostov, Polotsk arose on the places of barter. Urban areas began to form around them, in which representatives of not one, but different tribes lived. The formation of the Old Russian state in the 9th century began in two places: the Middle Dnieper region (Kiev) in the south and Novgorod land (Novgorod) in the north.
CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS
862 Annalistic report about the refusal of the Ilmen Slovenes, Chud, Mary, Vesi and Krivichi to pay tribute to the Varangians and the expulsion of the Scandinavians " overseas". The beginning of tribal strife. Calling by the union of Slavic and Finno-Ugric tribes of the Varangian dynasty - Rurik, Sineus and Truvor. The beginning of the reign of Rurik in Ladoga, Sineus - in Beloozero, and Truvor - in Izborsk.
862-882 Legendary dates of reign in Kiev Askold and Dir.
863 The creation of the Slavic alphabet by the brothers Cyril and Methodius.
864 Death of Sineus and Truvor. Chronicle indicates that " Rurik alone took over all power, and began to distribute cities to his husbands". Rurik settled in the settlement at the source of the Volkhov (the so-called Rurik's Settlement).
Later 864 The marriage of Rurik to the Urman princess Efanda. Return of Rurik to Europe. The uprising in Novgorod led by Vadim the Brave against the autocracy of Rurik. Return of Rurik to Novgorod. The murder of Vadim the Brave by Rurik and the suppression of the uprising. The flight of many Novgorod husbands» to Kiev in order to avoid reprisals. Departure from Novgorod Askold and Dir. The beginning of their reign in Kiev. Birth of Rurik's son Igor.
865 Military campaign of the Kiev prince Askold against Polotsk.
Later 865 The wars of the Kiev prince Askold with the Drevlyans and the streets.
866 The legendary campaign of the Kiev princes Askold and Dir to Tsargrad (Constantinople).
867 The arrival of a Byzantine bishop in Kiev and the mass baptism of the Rus. Patriarch Photius' "Circumferential Message" to the Byzantine Bishops, where he reports on the baptism of the Rus.
867 The reign of the Byzantine emperor Basil I the Macedonian (867-886), the founder of the Macedonian dynasty, began. He successfully fought against the Arabs in the east of the empire and in Italy.
867 Patriarch Photius (in Constantinople) established the first diocese for the Slavs and Varangians who converted to Christianity.
869 Campaign of princes Askold and Dir against the Krivichi.
874 Campaign of the Kiev prince Askold to Byzantium. Conclusion of a peace treaty between him and Emperor Basil I the Macedonian. Baptism of a part of the Rus squad in Constantinople.
Late 870s The campaign of the Rus to the Caspian Sea and the attack on the city of Abaskun (Abesgun).
879 Death of Rurik, Prince of Novgorod.
ADDITIONALLY
The Emergence of the Feast of the Deposition of the Robe
The legendary date of the formation of the Russian state
Rurik settlement
The Old Russian annals of the XII century "The Tale of Bygone Years" says that exactly 1153 years ago such tribes as the Chud, the Ilmen Slovenes, the Krivichi and the whole called for the Varangian Rurik to reign in Novgorod.
The vocation of the Varangians is an event from which it is traditionally customary to count the beginning of the reign of the Rurik dynasty, which united Novogorod and Kievan Rus.
Varangians in power
The chronicler of the "Tale" calls the reason for inviting Rurik to the civil strife that engulfed the Slavic and Finno-Ugric tribes living in the Novgorod lands. The ancestor of the princely dynasty came with his people, called Rus. Historians to this day argue who Rurik was and where exactly he came from. Many associate its origin with Denmark and Sweden. Mikhail Lomonosov led him out of the Prussians with the Vikings. He relied on toponyms and later chronicles. The Russian scientist also accepted the Slavic origin of Rurik as an indisputable fact. One way or another, he became the first chronicle authentic Russian prince.
Rurik (Miniature from the "Royal titular book". 17th century) Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org
In 862, according to the chronicle, three brothers from the Varangians - Rurik, Sineus and Truvor - came to rule three urban areas. Sineus settled in Beloozero, Truvor - in Izborsk, but Rurik, according to some sources, settled in Ladoga, according to others - in Novgorod.
At the same time, the legend about the calling of the Varangians can be nothing more than a legal justification new form board. Legitimate power must always be approved by the public, and according to some reports, the elders at a general meeting decided to abandon popular rule and put a single ruler over themselves who could fairly administer justice and protect the Slavs from raids.
Probably, in reality it was a little different. The Varangians, presumably, were invited to protect themselves from barbarian raids and to end civil strife. The invited military leaders could understand how rich the land where they came to serve, and they wanted more. It is possible that they remained in power against the will of the Slavs.
Execution of the Brave
Later, in the annals, evidence appears that the Novgorodians rebelled against the Varangian rulers. The leader of the uprising was a certain Vadim the Brave. Rurik and his brothers managed to suppress the rebellion, and executed the Brave. Sineus and Truvor apparently died in these battles. After that, Rurik annexed their lands to the Novgorod region.
Two Varangians from Rurik's squad, Dir and Askold, went to Constantinople. On their way south, they ended up in Kiev, where they were hired to protect themselves from external enemies. There, the hired Varangians quickly turned from defenders into rulers. They were able to completely capture the Kiev city region.
The merchant journey to Constantinople of Askold and Dir took place later, but turned into a conquering one. The Varangians gathered a large army and in 866 on 200 boats they moved to the Byzantine capital. They could not take it, because, according to the testimony of the chronicler, the Greek Patriarch Photius lowered the riza into the water Mother of God that caused a storm. She sank some of the boats of the invaders, who were frightened by what had happened. They decided to apply to the Metropolis of Constantinople with a petition for holy baptism.
Already closer to 870, the Russian lands had the Northern Union - with its center in Novgorod, as well as the Southern Union - with the capital in Kiev. The first was ruled by Rurik, and in the second, power belonged to Dir and Askold.
First of the dynasty
The Varangian, who initiated the countdown of the Rurik dynasty, died in 879. He left behind a close relative and friend Oleg as Novgorod prince.
Rurik, during his reign, managed to annex Finnish lands to the Russian territories, as well as territories that were occupied by scattered tribes of the Eastern Slavs.
Most of the Slavs were now united by common customs, language and faith. This contributed to the formation of a new political formation, when a sovereign ruler is at the head of the state. Rurik did not become one, but was the founder of the dynasty that ruled until late XVI century. The last of the Ruriks on the throne was Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich.
In September 2015, a monument to Rurik and Prophetic Oleg was erected on the central square of Staraya Ladoga, on the banks of the Volkhov. Many researchers are inclined to believe that it was from here that the unification of the Slavic tribes began and the history of Russia began.
Rurik on the monument "1000th Anniversary of Russia" in Veliky Novgorod. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
This monument was the first sculpture that immortalized the founder of Russian statehood. Previously, Rurik, among other statesmen, was depicted only on the monument "Millennium of Russia".
What do we know about him:
Since all the information about Rurik, which historians have today, is contained in several sources - "The Life of the Holy Prince Vladimir" (about 1070) and, in most detail, in the chronicle of the XII century "Tales of Bygone Years", it is not possible to establish the true history of his existence.
According to The Tale of Bygone Years, 862 year, the Varangian Rurik with his brothers, at the invitation of such tribes as: Chud, Ilmen Slovenes, Krivichi, and the whole was called to reign in Novgorod. This event in historical science referred to as " The calling of the Varangians". The chronicler calls the reason for inviting the "Varangians" the civil strife that engulfed the Slavic tribes living in the Novgorod lands. Rurik came with his entire family, called Rus, whose ethnicity continues to be discussed.
Tale of Bygone Years:
And they came, and the eldest, Rurik, sat down in Novgorod, and the other, Sineus, on Beloozero, and the third, Truvor, in Izborsk. And from those Varangians the Russian land was nicknamed. Novgorodians are those people from the Varangian family, and before that they were Slovenes. Two years later, Sineus and his brother Truvor died. And one Rurik took all power, and began to distribute cities to his men - Polotsk to that, Rostov to that, Beloozero to another. The Varangians in these cities are nakhodniki, and the indigenous population in Novgorod is Slovene, in Polotsk - Krivichi, in Rostov - Merya, in Beloozero - all, in Murom - Murom, and Rurik 1 ruled over all of them.
Old Russian chronicles began to be compiled 150-200 years after the death of Rurik on the basis of oral traditions, Byzantine chronicles and the few existing documents. Therefore, in historiography, there are different points of view on the annalistic version of the calling of the Varangians. In the 18th - the first half of the 19th century, the opinion about the Scandinavian or Finnish origin of Prince Rurik prevailed, later a hypothesis was proposed about his Pomeranian origin.
There are several versions of the origin of Rurik, the main ones being Norman and West Slavic.
Supporters of the Norman theory speak of the German-Scandinavian origin of the name Rurik, citing as evidence a large number of similar-sounding names.
Also, according to one version, Rurik was the Viking Rorik of Jutland (or Friesland) from the Skjoldung dynasty, the brother (or nephew) of the exiled Danish king Harald Klak, who in 826 a year or so 837 of the year received from the emperor of the Franks Louis the Pious in fief possession on the coast of Frisia with a center in Dorestad, which was raided by the Vikings.
Another version of the Scandinavian origin of Rurik connects him with Eirik Emundarson, king of the Swedish Uppsala.
The West Slavic version of the origin of Rurik also has a number of assumptions.
So, some researchers said that Rurik came from among the West Slavic tribes of Obodrites, Ruyans and Pomeranians. The Tale of Bygone Years directly says that Rurik, being a Varangian, was neither a Norman, nor a Swede, nor an Englishman, nor a Gotlander.
The Austrian Sigismund von Herberstein, being an adviser to the ambassador in the Grand Duchy of Moscow in the first half of the 16th century, was the only one who got acquainted with the Russian chronicles and expressed his opinion about the origin of the Varangians and Rurik. Associating the name of the Varangians with the Slavic Baltic tribe of the Vagrs, Herberstein comes to the conclusion that: “the Russians called their princes rather from the Vagrs, or Varangians, than handed over power to foreigners who differed from them in faith, customs and language” 2 .
Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov deduced Rurik with the Varangians from the Prussians, relying on toponyms and later chronicles, which replaced the lexeme "Varangians" with the pseudo-ethnonym "Germans".
M.V. Lomonosov:
"... the Varangians and Rurik with their family, who came to Novgorod, were Slavic tribes, spoke the Slavic language, came from the ancient Russians and were by no means from Scandinavia, but lived on the eastern-southern shores of the Varangian Sea, between the rivers Vistula and Dvina ... named after Rus in Scandinavia and on the northern shores of the Varangian Sea, it is not heard anywhere ... Our chroniclers mention that Rurik and his Family came from the Germans, and in the Indian it is written that from Prussia ... Between the Vistula and Dvina rivers, the river flows into the Varangian Sea from the east-south side, which above, near the city of Grodno, is called Nemen, and Rusa is known to its mouth. Here it is clear that the Varangians-Rus lived in the east-south shore of the Varangian Sea, by the river Rusa ... And the very name of the Prussians or Porussians shows that the Prussians lived according to the Russians or near the Russians" 3 .
There is also folk tradition about Rurik and his brothers, published in the 30s years XIX century by the French traveler and writer Xavier Marmier in the book Northern Letters. He wrote it down in Northern Germany, among the Mecklenburg peasants who lived on the former lands of the Bodrichi, who by that time were completely Germanized. The legend tells that in the 8th century the Obodrite tribe was ruled by a king named Godlav, father three boys, the first of which was called Rurik the Peaceful, the second - Sivar the Victorious, the third - Truvar the Faithful.
The 19th-century historian Stepan Alexandrovich Gedeonov suggested that Rurik was not a proper name, but a generic nickname Rerek, which was worn by all representatives of the ruling Obodrite dynasty. In confirmation, Gideonov refers to the Scandinavian saga of Snorri Sturluson about Hakon the Good from the Circle of the Earth cycle, where, in his opinion, the Wends are called falcons.
According to the Joachim Chronicle, Rurik was the son of an unknown Varangian prince in Finland from Umila, the middle daughter of the Slavic elder Gostomysl. The chronicle does not say what tribe the prince was in Finland, it only says that he was a Varangian. Before his death, Gostomysl, who reigned in the "Great City" and lost all his sons, gave the order to call the sons of Umila to reign, in accordance with the advice of the prophets.
However, we will not delve into the details of various hypotheses of the origin of Rurik, looking for confirmation and inconsistencies in some of them, leaving this occupation to professional researchers - historians and archaeologists. We will judge Rurik by his deeds, captured in the annals.
Mark on history:
As we know, in 862 Rurik arrived in Novgorod, Sineus on Beloozero in the region of the Finnish people Vesi, and Truvor in Izborsk, the city of Krivichi. These lands, united under the power of Rurik and his brothers, according to Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin, were first named Rus. V 864, after the death of Sineus and Truvor, the elder brother, having annexed their regions to his Principality, founded the Russian monarchy. Having accepted autocracy, Rurik gave Belaozero, Polotsk, Rostov and Mur, conquered by him or his brothers, to the famous odinozemtsy. Thus, together with the supreme princely power, the feudal (specific) system was established in Russia.
According to the Nestor chronicle, at that time two of Rurik's united earthmen, Askold and Dir, possibly dissatisfied with the prince, set off with their comrades from Novgorod to Constantinople. On the way they saw on the high bank of the Dnieper a small town, which was Kiev. Askold and Dir took possession of it, annexed many Varangians from Novgorod, began to rule in Kiev under the name of Russians. Feeling their strength, the new princes of Kiev decided to undertake a campaign against Constantinople, which, however, although it greatly shocked the Greeks, however, ended in failure.
Thus, the Varangians founded two autocratic regions in Russia: Rurik in the North, Askold and Dir in the South. Unfortunately, nothing is known about Rurik's further actions in Novgorod. However, it seems unlikely that Rurik spent the rest of his life inactive. Surrounded from the West, North and East by the Finnish peoples, could he leave them alone? It is likely that the environs of Lake Peipsi and Lake Ladoga were also witnesses to his courageous deeds, indescribable and forgotten. He reigned unanimously, after the death of Sineus and Truvor, for 15 years in Novgorod and died in 879, having handed over the reign and his young son, Igor, to his relative Oleg.
Although Rurik was not the first ruler of the East Slavic tribes, his memory, as the first ruler of the Russian state, remained immortal in our history. Now we start counting from Rurik glorious history our patronymic.
Notes:
1. "The Tale of Bygone Years" translated by D.S. Likhachev;
2. Rydzevskaya E.A. To the question of oral traditions in the composition of the most ancient Russian chronicle;
3. Lomonosov M.V. "Objections to Miller's Dissertation".
The Norman or Varangian theory, which reveals aspects of the formation of statehood in Russia, is based on one simple thesis - the calling of the Varangian prince Rurik by the Novgorodians to manage and protect the large territory of the tribal union of the Slovenes of Ilmen. Thus, the answer to the question of what event the emergence of the dynasty is associated with is quite understandable.
This thesis is present in the ancient one written by Nestor. At the moment it is controversial, but one fact is still undeniable - Rurik became the founder of the whole dynasty of sovereigns who ruled not only in Kiev, but also in other cities of the Russian land, including Moscow, and that is why the dynasty of the rulers of Russia was called the Rurikovichi.
In contact with
History of the dynasty: the beginning
The pedigree is quite complex, it is not so easy to understand it, but it is very easy to trace the beginning of the Rurik dynasty.
Rurik
Rurik became the first prince in his dynasty. Its origin is a highly controversial issue. Some historians suggest that he was from a noble Varangian-Scandinavian family.
Rurik's ancestors came from the merchant Hedeby (Scandinavia) and were related to Ragnar Lodbrok himself. Other historians, distinguishing between the concepts of "Norman" and "Varangian", believe that Rurik was of a Slavic family, perhaps he was related to the Novgorod prince Gostomysl (it is believed that Gostomysl was his grandfather), and for a long time lived with his family on the island of Rügen.
Most likely, he was a jarl, that is, he had a military squad and kept boats, engaging in trade and sea robbery. But with his calling first to Staraya Ladoga, and then to Novgorod, the beginning of the dynasty is connected.
Rurik was called to Novgorod in 862 (when he began to rule is, of course, unknown, historians rely on data from the PVL). The chronicler claims that he came not alone, but with two brothers - Sinius and Truvor (traditional Varangian names or nicknames). Rurik settled in Staraya Ladoga, Sinius on Beloozero, and Truvor in Izborsk. It's interesting that any other mention there are no brothers in PVL. The beginning of the dynasty is not connected with them.
Oleg and Igor
Rurik died in 879, leaving young son Igor(or Ingvar, according to the Scandinavian tradition). A combatant, and possibly a relative of Rurik, Oleg (Helg) was supposed to rule on behalf of his son until he came of age.
Attention! There is a version that Oleg ruled not just as a relative or confidant, but as an elected jarl, that is, he had all the political rights to power according to Scandinavian and Varangian laws. The fact that he transferred power to Igor could really mean that he was his close relative, possibly a nephew, the son of a sister (according to the Scandinavian tradition, an uncle is closer than a father; boys in Scandinavian families were given to be raised by their maternal uncle).
How many years reigned Oleg? He successfully ruled the young state until 912. It was he who had the merit of completely conquering the path “from the Varangians to the Greeks” and capturing Kiev, then his place was taken by Igor (already as the ruler of Kiev), by that time married to a girl from Polotsk (according to one of the versions) - Olga.
Olga and Svyatoslav
Igor's reign can't be called successful.. He was killed by the Drevlyans in 945 during an attempt to take a double tribute from their capital, Iskorosten. Since Igor's only son, Svyatoslav, was still small, the throne in Kiev, by common decision of the boyars and squads, was taken by his widow Olga.
Svyatoslav ascended the throne of Kiev in 957. He was a warrior prince and never stayed long in his capital. rapidly growing state. Even during his lifetime, he divided the lands of Russia between his three sons: Vladimir, Yaropolk and Oleg. Vladimir (illegitimate son) he gave Novgorod the Great as inheritance. He imprisoned Oleg (the younger) in Iskorosten, and left the elder Yaropolk in Kiev.
Attention! Historians know the name of Vladimir's mother, it is also known that she was a whitewashed servant, that is, she could not become the wife of the ruler. Perhaps Vladimir was the eldest son of Svyatoslav, his firstborn. That is why he was recognized as a father. Yaropolk and Oleg were born from the legal wife of Svyatoslav, possibly a Bulgarian princess, but they were younger than Vladimir in age. All this, subsequently, influenced the relationship of the brothers and led to the first princely civil strife in Russia.
Yaropolk and Vladimir
Svyatoslav died in 972 on the island of Khortytsya(Dnieper rapids). After his death, Yaropolk occupied the throne of Kiev for several years. A war for power in the state began between him and his brother Vladimir, which ended with the murder of Yaropolk and the victory of Vladimir, who eventually became another prince of Kiev. Vladimir ruled from 980 to 1015. His main merit is Baptism of Russia and the Russian people into the Orthodox faith.
Yaroslav and his sons
Between the sons of Vladimir, immediately after his death, an internecine war broke out, as a result of which the throne was taken by one of the eldest sons of Vladimir from the Polotsk princess Ragneda - Yaroslav.
Important! In 1015, the Kiev throne was occupied by Svyatopolk (later nicknamed the Accursed). He was not Vladimir's own son. His father was Yaropolk, after whose death Vladimir took his wife as his wife, and recognized the born child as his firstborn.
Yaroslav reigned until 1054. After his death, ladder law came into force - the transfer of the Kiev throne and the "younger" in seniority in the Rurik family.
The Kiev throne was occupied by the eldest son of Yaroslav - Izyaslav, Chernigov (the next in "seniority" throne) - Oleg, Pereyaslavsky - the youngest son of Yaroslav Vsevolod.
For a long time, the sons of Yaroslav lived peacefully, observing the precepts of their father, but, in the end, the struggle for power moved into an active phase and Russia entered the era of feudal fragmentation.
Pedigree of Rurikovich. The first Kiev princes (table or Rurik dynasty scheme with dates, by generation)
| Generation | Prince's name | Years of government |
| 1st generation | Rurik | 862-879 (Novgorod reign) |
| Oleg (Prophetic) | 879 - 912 (Novgorod and Kiev reign) | |
| II | Igor Rurikovich | 912-945 (Kiev reign) |
| Olga | 945-957 | |
| III | Svyatoslav Igorevich | 957-972 |
| IV | Yaropolk Svyatoslavich | 972-980 |
| Oleg Svyatoslavich | Prince-viceroy in Iskorosten, died in 977 | |
| Vladimir Svyatoslavich (Saint) | 980-1015 | |
| V | Svyatopolk Yaropolkovich (stepson of Vladimir) Cursed | 1015-1019 |
| Yaroslav Vladimirovich (Wise) | 1019-1054 | |
| VI | Izyaslav Yaroslavovich | 1054-1073; 1076-1078 (Kiev reign) |
| Svyatoslav Yaroslavovich (Chernigov) | 1073-1076 (Kiev reign) | |
| Vsevolod Yaroslavovich (Pereyaslavsky) | 1078-1093 (Kiev reign) |
Pedigree of the Rurikovichs of the period of Feudal fragmentation
It is incredibly difficult to trace the dynastic line of the Rurik dynasty during the period of feudal fragmentation, since the ruling princely the family has grown to its maximum. The main branches of the clan at the first stage of feudal fragmentation can be considered the Chernihiv and Pereyaslav lines, as well as the Galician line, which must be discussed separately. The Galician princely house originates from the eldest son of Yaroslav the Wise, Vladimir, who died during the life of his father, and whose heirs received Galich as inheritance.
It is important to note that all representatives of the clan sought to occupy the Kiev throne, since in this case they were considered the rulers of the entire state.
Galician heirs
Chernihiv house
Pereyaslav house
With the Pereyaslav house, which was nominally considered the youngest, everything is much more complicated. It was the descendants of Vsevolod Yaroslavovich who gave rise to the Vladimir-Suzdal and Moscow Rurikoviches. Principal Representatives of this house were:
- Vladimir Vsevolodovich (Monomakh) - was the Kiev prince in 1113-1125 (VII generation);
- Mstislav (Great) - the eldest son of Monomakh, was the Kiev prince in 1125-1132 (VIII generation);
- Yuri (Dolgoruky) - the youngest son of Monomakh, became the ruler of Kiev several times, the last in 1155-1157 (VIII generation).
Mstislav Vladimirovich gave rise to the Volyn House of Rurikovich, and Yuri Vladimirovich - to Vladimir-Suzdal.
Volyn house
Pedigree of Rurikovich: Vladimir-Suzdal house
The Vladimir-Suzdal house became the main house in Russia after the death of Mstislav the Great. The princes who made their capital first Suzdal, and then Vladimir-on-Klyazma, played a key role in the political history of the period of the Horde invasion.
Important! Daniil of Galitsky and Alexander Nevsky are known not only as contemporaries, but also as rivals for the grand ducal label, and they also had a fundamentally different approach to faith - Alexander adhered to Orthodoxy, and Daniil converted to Catholicism in exchange for the opportunity to receive the title of King of Kiev.
Pedigree of Rurikovich: Moscow House
In the final period of feudal fragmentation, the House of Rurikovich had more than 2,000 members (princes and junior princely families). Gradually, the leading positions were taken by the Moscow House, which traces its pedigree from the youngest son of Alexander Nevsky, Daniil Alexandrovich.
Gradually, the Moscow House grand-ducal was transformed into a royal. Why did this happen? Including thanks to dynastic marriages, as well as the successful domestic and foreign policies of individual representatives of the House. The Moscow Rurikovichs did a gigantic job of "collecting" the lands around Moscow and overthrowing the Tatar-Mongol Yoke.
Moscow Ruriks (chart with dates of reign)
| Generation (from Rurik in a direct male line) | Prince's name | Years of government | Significant marriages |
| XI generation | Alexander Yaroslavovich (Nevsky) | Prince of Novgorod Grand Duke according to the Horde label from 1246 to 1263 | _____ |
| XII | Daniil Alexandrovich Moskovsky | 1276-1303 (Moscow reign) | _____ |
| XIII | Yuri Daniilovich | 1317-1322 (Moscow reign) | |
| Ivan I Daniilovich (Kalita) | 1328-1340 (Great Vladimir and Moscow reign) | _____ | |
| XIV | Semyon Ivanovich (Proud) | 1340-1353 (Moscow and Great Vladimir reign) | |
| Ivan II Ivanovich (Red) | 1353-1359 (Moscow and Great Vladimir reign) | ||
| XV | Dmitry Ivanovich (Donskoy) | 1359-1389 (Moscow reign, and from 1363 to 1389 - the Great Vladimir reign) | Evdokia Dmitrievna, the only daughter of Dmitry Konstantinovich (Rurikovich), the Suzdal-Nizhny Novgorod prince; accession to the Moscow principality of all territories of the principality of Suzdal-Nizhny Novgorod |
| XVI | Vasily I Dmitrievich | 1389-1425 | Sofya Vitovtovna, Daughter of the Grand Duke of Lithuania Vitovt (full reconciliation of the princes of Lithuania with the ruling Moscow house) |
| XVII | Vasily II Vasilyevich (Dark) | 1425-1462 | _____ |
| XVIII | Ivan III Vasilievich | 1462 - 1505 | In the second marriage with Sophia Paleolog (niece of the last Byzantine emperor); nominal right: to be considered the successor of the imperial Byzantine crown and Caesar (king) |
| XIX | Vasily III Vasilyevich | 1505-1533 | In the second marriage with Elena Glinskaya, a representative of a wealthy Lithuanian family, leading its origin from the Serbian rulers and Mamai (according to legend) |
| XX |
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