The formation of the nation, later called Russ, Rusichs, Russians, Russians, which became one of the strongest nations in the world, if not the strongest, began with the unification of the Slavs settled in the East European Plain. From where they came to these lands, when is not known for certain. History has not preserved any annalistic evidence of the Rus of the early centuries of the new era. Only from the second half of the 9th century - the time when the first prince appeared in Russia - can the process of the formation of the nation be traced in more detail.
Come reign and rule over us…
Along the great waterway, which connected the entire East European Plain with numerous rivers and lakes, lived the tribes of the ancient Ilmen Slovenes, Polyans, Drevlyans, Krivichi, Polochans, Dregovichi, Severyans, Radimichi, Vyatichi, who received one common for all the name is Slavs. Two large cities built by our ancient ancestors - Dnepr and Novgorod - to the establishment of statehood in thoselands already existed, but had no rulers. The names of the governors of the tribes appeared when the first princes in Russia were inscribed in the annals. The table with their names contains only a few lines, but these are the main lines in our story.
| Name | Years of government |
| Rurik | 862-879 |
| Oleg (Prophetic) | 879-912 |
| Igor | 912-945 |
| Svyatoslav | 962-972 |
The procedure for calling the Vikings to control the Slavs is known to us from school. The ancestors of the tribes, tired of constant skirmishes and strife among themselves, elected envoys to the princes of the Rus tribe, who lived beyond the B altic Sea, and obliged them to tell that “… Our whole land is great and plentiful, but there is no dress in it (i.e., no peace and order). Come reign and rule over us. The brothers Rurik, Sineus and Truvor responded to the call. They came not alone, but with their retinue, and settled in Novgorod, Izborsk and Beloozero. It was in 862. And the people whom they began to rule began to be called the Rus - by the name of the tribe of the Varangian princes.
Refuting the initial conclusions of historians
There is another, less popular hypothesis regarding the arrival of the B altic princes in our lands. According to the official version, there were three brothers, but it is likely that the old tomes were read (translated) incorrectly, and only one ruler arrived in the Slavic lands - Rurik. The first prince of ancient Russia came with his faithful warriors (squad) - "tru-thief" in Old Norse, and with his family (family, home) - "blue-hus". Hence the assumption that there were three brothers. For some unknown reason, historians conclude that two years after moving to the Slovenes, both so-called brothers of Rurik die (in other words, the words “tru-thief” and “blue-hus” are no longer mentioned in the annals). There are several other reasons for their disappearance. For example, that by that time the army, which the first prince in Russia gathered, began to be called not “tru-thief”, but “squad”, and the relatives who came with him - not “blue-hus”, but “kind”.
Besides, modern researchers of antiquity are increasingly inclined to the version that our Rurik is none other than the Danish king Rorik Friesland, famous in history, who became famous for his very successful raids on less weak neighbors. Perhaps that is why he was called to rule because he was strong, brave and invincible.
Rus under Rurik
The founder of the state system in Russia, the founder of the princely dynasty, which later became royal, ruled the people entrusted to him for 17 years. He united into one power the Ilmen Slovenes, the Psov and Smolensk Krivichi, the whole and the Chud, the northerners and the Drevlyans, the Merya and the Radimichi. In the annexed lands, he approved his proteges as governors. By the end of Rurik's reign, Ancient Russia occupied a rather vast territory.
In addition to the founder of the new princely family, two of his relatives, Askold and Dir, who established their power over Kyiv at the call of the prince, thennot yet having a dominant role in the newly formed state. The first prince in Russia chose Novgorod as his residence, where he died in 879, leaving the principality to his young son Igor. The heir of Rurik himself could not rule. For many years, undivided power passed to Oleg, an associate and distant relative of the deceased prince.
The first truly Russian
Thanks to Oleg, nicknamed the Prophetic by the people, Ancient Russia gained power that both Constantinople and Byzantium, the strongest states at that time, could envy. What the first Russian prince in Russia did in his time, the regent multiplied and enriched under the juvenile Igor. Gathering a large army, Oleg went down the Dnieper and conquered Lyubech, Smolensk, Kyiv. The latter was taken by eliminating Askold and Dir, and the Drevlyans who inhabited these lands recognized Igor as their real ruler, and Oleg as a worthy regent until he grew up. From now on, the capital of Russia is Kyiv.
Prophetic Oleg's legacy
Many tribes were annexed to Russia during the years of his reign by Oleg, who by that time had declared himself the first truly Russian, and not a foreign prince. His campaign against Byzantium ended in an absolute victory and the privileges won for the Russians for free trade in Constantinople. A rich booty was brought by the squad from this campaign. The first princes in Russia, to which Oleg rightfully belongs, truly cared for the glory of the state.
Many legends and amazing stories circulated among the people after the return of the troops from the campaign onConstantinople. To reach the gates of the city, Oleg ordered the ships to be put on wheels, and when a fair wind filled their sails, the ships "went" across the plain to Constantinople, terrifying the townspeople. The formidable Byzantine emperor Leo VI surrendered to the mercy of the victor, and Oleg nailed his shield on the gates of Constantinople as a sign of a stunning victory.
In the annals of 911, Oleg is already referred to as the first Grand Duke of All Russia. In 912 he dies, according to legend, from a snake bite. His more than 30-year reign did not end heroically.
Among the strong
With the death of Oleg, Igor Rurikovich took control of the vast possessions of the principality, although in fact he was the ruler of the lands from 879. Naturally, he wanted to be worthy of the deeds of his great predecessors. He also fought (in his reign, Russia was subjected to the first attacks of the Pechenegs), conquered several neighboring tribes, forcing them to pay tribute. Igor did everything that the first prince in Russia did, but he did not succeed immediately in realizing his main dream - to conquer Constantinople. Yes, and in their own possessions, not everything went smoothly.
After the strong Rurik and Oleg, Igor's rule turned out to be much weaker, and the obstinate Drevlyans felt it, refusing to pay tribute. The first princes of Kyiv knew how to keep the recalcitrant tribe under control. Igor also pacified this rebellion for a while, but the revenge of the Drevlyans overtook the prince a few years later.
The deceit of the Khazars, the betrayal of the Drevlyans
Unsuccessfully developed relations between the crown prince and the Khazars. Trying to reach the Caspian Sea, Igor concluded an agreement with them that they would let the squad go to the sea, and he, returning, would give them half of the rich booty. The prince fulfilled his promises, but this was not enough for the Khazars. Seeing that the superiority in strength was on their side, in a fierce battle they killed almost the entire Russian army.
Igor experienced a shameful defeat even after his first campaign against Constantinople in 941 - almost all of his squad was destroyed by the Byzantines. Three years later, wanting to wash away the shame, the prince, having united all the Russians, Khazars and even Pechenegs into one army, again moved to Constantinople. Having learned from the Bulgarians that a formidable force was coming at him, the emperor offered Igor peace on very favorable terms for that, and the prince accepted it. But a year after such a stunning victory, Igor was killed. Refusing to pay a second tribute, the Koresten Drevlyans destroyed the few consolations of tax collectors, among whom was the prince himself.
Princess, the first in everything
Igor's wife, the Pskovite Olga, who was chosen as his wife by Prophetic Oleg in 903, cruelly took revenge on the traitors. The Drevlyans were destroyed without any losses for the Rus, thanks to Olga's cunning, but also merciless strategy - to be sure, the first princes in Russia knew how to fight. The hereditary title of ruler of the state after the death of Igor was taken by Svyatoslav, the son of a princely couple, but because of the young age of the latter, his mother ruled Russia for him for the next twelve years.
Olgadistinguished by a rare mind, courage and ability to wisely manage the state. After the capture of Korosten, the main city of the Drevlyans, the princess went to Constantinople and received holy baptism there. The Orthodox Church was also in Kyiv under Igor, but the Russian people worshiped Perun and Veles, and did not soon turn from paganism to Christianity. But the fact that Olga, who took the name Elena at baptism, paved the way for a new faith in Russia and did not betray her until the end of her days (the princess died in 969), elevated her to the rank of saints.
A warrior from infancy
Russian Alexander of Macedon called Svyatoslav NM Karamzin, compiler of the Russian State. The first princes in Russia were distinguished by amazing courage and courage. The table, in which the dates of their reign are dryly given, is fraught with many glorious victories and deeds for the good of the Fatherland, which stand behind every name in it.
Having inherited the title of Grand Duke at the age of three (after the death of Igor), Svyatoslav became the actual ruler of Russia only in 962. Two years later, he freed the Khazars from submission and annexed the Vyatichi to Russia, and in the next two years, a number of Slavic tribes living along the Oka, in the Volga region, in the Caucasus and the Balkans. The Khazars were defeated, their capital Itil was abandoned. From the North Caucasus, Svyatoslav brought Yasses (Ossetians) and Kasogs (Circassians) to his lands and settled them in the newly formed cities of Belaya Vezha and Tmutarakan. Like the first prince of all Russia, Svyatoslav understood the importance of constantly expanding his possessions.
Worthy of great gloryancestors
In 968, having conquered Bulgaria (the cities of Pereyaslavets and Dorostol), Svyatoslav, not without reason, began to consider these lands his own and firmly settled in Pereyaslavets - he did not like the peaceful life of Kyiv, and his mother, Princess Olga, was perfectly managed in capital. But a year later she was gone, and the prince of the Bulgarians, united with the Byzantine emperor, declared war. Going to her, Svyatoslav left the great Russian cities to his sons to manage: Yaropolka - Kyiv, Oleg - Korosten, Vladimir - Novgorod.
That war was difficult and ambiguous - both sides celebrated victories with varying degrees of success. The confrontation ended with a peace treaty, according to which Svyatoslav left Bulgaria (it was annexed to his possessions by the Byzantine emperor John Tzimiskes), and Byzantium paid the established tribute to the Russian prince for these lands.
Returning from this campaign, controversial in its importance, Svyatoslav stopped for a while in Beloberezhye, on the Dnieper. There, in the spring of 972, the Pechenegs attacked his weakened army. The Grand Duke was killed in battle. Historians explain the glory of a born warrior assigned to him by the fact that Svyatoslav was incredibly hardy on campaigns, could sleep on damp ground with a saddle under his head, as he was unpretentious in everyday life, not like a prince, and was also picky about food. His message "I'm coming at you", with which he warned future enemies before the attack, went down in history as Oleg's shield on the gates of Constantinople.
