Rurikovichi, whose genealogical tree includes almost twenty tribes of the rulers of Russia, are descended from Rurik. This historical character was born presumably between 806 and 808 in the city of Rerik (Rarog). In 808, when Rurik was 1-2 years old, the possessions of his father, Godolub, were captured by the Danish king Gottfried, and the future Russian prince became half an orphan. Together with his mother Umila, he ended up in a foreign land. And his childhood years are not mentioned anywhere. It is assumed that he spent them in the Slavic lands. There is information that in 826 he arrived at the court of the Frankish king, where he received an allotment of land "beyond the Elbe", in fact the land of his murdered father, but as a vassal of the Frankish ruler. In the same period, Rurik, it is believed, was baptized. Later, after the deprivation of these allotments, Rurik entered the Varangian squad and fought in Europe, by no means as an exemplary Christian.
Prince Gostomysl saw the future dynasty in a dream
Rurikovichi, whose genealogical tree was seen, as the legend says, in a dream by Rurik's grandfather (Umila's father), made a decisive contribution to the development of Russia and the Russian state, as they ruled from 862 to 1598. The prophetic dream of old Gostomysl, the ruler of Novgorod, showed just that from "the womb of his daughter a wonderful tree will sprout, which will saturate the people in his lands." This was another "plus" in favor of inviting Rurik with his strong retinue at a time when civil strife was observed in the Novgorod lands, and the people were suffering from attacks by third-party tribes.
Foreign origin of Rurik can be disputed
Thus, it can be argued that the family tree of the Rurik dynasty did not begin with foreigners, but with a person who belonged to the Novgorod nobility by blood, who fought in other countries for many years, had his own squad and the age allowed to lead the people. At the time of Rurik's invitation to Novgorod in 862, he was about 50 years old - a respectable age at that time.
The tree was based on family ties with Norway?
How did the genealogical tree of the Rurikoviches form further? A complete picture of this is given in the image given in the review. After the death of the first ruler of Russia from this dynasty (the “Book of Veles” testifies that there were rulers in the Russian lands before him), power passed tohis son Igor. However, due to the young age of the new ruler, Oleg ("Prophetic"), who was the brother of Rurik's wife, Efanda, acted as his guardian, which is allowed. The latter was related to the kings of Norway.
Princess Olga was co-ruler of Russia with her son Svyatoslav
The only son of Rurik, Igor, born in 877 and killed by the Drevlyans in 945, is known for pacifying the tribes subordinate to him, went on a campaign to Italy (together with the Greek fleet), tried to take a flotilla of ten thousand ships Constantinople, was the first commander of Russia, who faced Greek fire in battle and fled in horror. His wife, Princess Olga, who married Igor from Pskov (or Pleskov, which may indicate the Bulgarian city of Pliskuvot), cruelly took revenge on the Drevlyan tribes that killed her husband, and became the ruler of Russia while Igor's son Svyatoslav was growing up. However, after the age of her offspring, Olga also remained the ruler, since Svyatoslav was mainly engaged in military campaigns and remained in history as a great commander and conqueror.
The family tree of the Rurik dynasty, in addition to the main ruling line, consisted of many branches that became famous for unseemly deeds. For example, the son of Svyatoslav, Yaropolk, fought against his brother Oleg, who was killed in battle. His own son from a Byzantine princess, Svyatopolk the Accursed, was something likebiblical Cain, as he killed the sons of Vladimir (another son of Svyatoslav) - Boris and Gleb, who were his brothers by adoptive father. Another son of Vladimir, Yaroslav the Wise, de alt with Svyatopolk himself and became the prince of Kyiv.
Bloody civil strife and marriages with all of Europe
One can safely say that the family tree of Rurikovich is partially “saturated” with bloody events. The scheme shows that the reigning Yaroslav the Wise from, presumably, a second marriage with Ingigerda (daughter of the Swedish king) had many children, including six sons who were rulers of various Russian destinies and married foreign princesses (Greek, Polish). And three daughters who became queens of Hungary, Sweden and France also by marriage. In addition, Yaroslav is credited with the presence of the seventh son from his first wife, who was taken into Polish captivity from Kyiv (Anna, son of Ilya), as well as the daughter of Agatha, who, presumably, could be the wife of the heir to the throne of England, Edward (the Exile).
Perhaps the distance of the sisters and interstate marriages somewhat reduced the struggle for power in this generation of Rurikovich, since most of the reign of Yaroslav's son Izyaslav in Kyiv was accompanied by a peaceful division of his power with the brothers Vsevolod and Svyatoslav (the triumvirate of Yaroslavovich). However, this ruler of Russia also died in battle against his own nephews. And the father of the next famous ruler of the Russian state, Vladimir Monomakh, was Vsevolod, married todaughter of the Byzantine Emperor Constantine Monomakh the 9th.
There were rulers with fourteen children in the Rurik family
The family tree of Rurikovich with dates shows us that this outstanding dynasty was continued for many years to come by the descendants of Vladimir Monomakh, while the genealogies of the other grandchildren of Yaroslav the Wise ceased in the next hundred to one hundred and fifty years. Prince Vladimir, historians believe, had twelve children by two wives, the first of whom was an English princess in exile, and the second, presumably, a Greek woman. Of this numerous offspring, reigning in Kyiv were: Mstislav (until 1125), Yaropolk, Vyacheslav and Yuri Vladimirovich (Dolgoruky). The latter was also distinguished by fertility and gave birth to fourteen children from two wives, including Vsevolod the Third (Big Nest), nicknamed so, again, for the large number of offspring - eight sons and four daughters.
What outstanding Rurikoviches do we know? The family tree, extending further from Vsevolod the Big Nest, contains such eminent families as Alexander Nevsky (grandson of Vsevolod, son of Yaroslav II), Michael the Second Saint (canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church in connection with the incorruptibility of the relics of the murdered prince), John Kalita, who gave birth to John the Meek, who, in turn, was born Dmitry Donskoy.
Formidable representatives of the dynasty
Rurikovich, whose genealogical tree ceased to exist at the end of the 16th century (1598), included in their ranksand the great Tsar John the Fourth, the Terrible. This ruler strengthened autocratic power and significantly expanded the territory of Russia by annexing the Trans-Volga, Pyatigorsk, Siberian, Kazan and Astrakhan kingdoms. He had eight wives, who bore him five sons and three daughters, including his successor on the throne, Theodore (Blessed). This son of John was, as expected, weak in he alth and perhaps in intellect. He was more interested in prayers, the ringing of bells, the tales of jesters, than power. Therefore, during his reign, power belonged to his brother-in-law, Boris Godunov. And subsequently, after the death of Fedor, they completely passed to this statesman.
The first of the reigning Romanovs was a relative of the last Rurikovich?
The family tree of Rurikovich and Romanov, however, has some points of contact, despite the fact that the only daughter of Theodore the Blessed died at the age of 9 months, around 1592-1594. Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov, the first Russian tsar of the new dynasty, was crowned in 1613 by the Zemsky Sobor, and came from the family of the boyar Fyodor Romanov (later Patriarch Filaret) and the boyar Xenia Shestova. He was a cousin of Fyodor Ioannovich (Blessed), so we can say that the Romanov dynasty to some extent continues the Rurik dynasty.
