We know of who the first princes in Russia were from the works of chroniclers - Nestor, who lived at the turn of the 11th-12th centuries, his contemporary Sylvester and the semi-legendary Joachim, about the reality of which historians cannot confirm with all confidence. It is from their pages that “deeds of bygone years” come to life, the memory of which is stored only in the depths of silent steppe mounds and in folk traditions.
The first prince of ancient Russia
The chronicler Nestor was counted among the saints, therefore, during his lifetime he did not lie, and therefore we will believe everything that he wrote, the more so since we have no choice. So, in the middle of the 9th century, the Novgorodians, together with the Krivichi, the miracle, and the whole, invited three Varangian brothers — Rurik, Sineus, and Truvor — to their rule. Such a strange desire - to voluntarily surrender themselves to the power of strangers - the chronicler explains by the fact that our ancestors lost hope on their own to restore order in their vast lands, and therefore decided to turn to the Vikings for help.
By the way, at all times there were skeptics among historians. In their opinion, the warlike Scandinavians simply seized the Russian lands and began to host them, and the legend of voluntary calling was compiled only for the sake of trampled national pride. However, this version is also not proven and is based only on idle reasoning and speculation, and therefore it is not worth talking about it. In the conventional wisdom, the first prince of Kievan Rus was an invited guest here.
Principality on the banks of Volkhov
The first Varangian prince in Russia was Rurik. He settled in Novgorod in 862. Then his younger brothers began to rule in the estates assigned to them - Sineus on Beloozero, and Truvor in Izborsk. It is curious that Smolensk and Polotsk did not allow foreigners to come to their place - either without them the order in the cities was exemplary, or the Vikings simply did not have the strength to break their resistance. Two years later, Sineus and Truvor simultaneously die, as is now customary to say, "under unclear circumstances", and their lands join the possessions of Rurik's elder brother. This became the basis for the creation of the Russian monarchy subsequently.
The chroniclers mentioned above attribute another important event to this period. Two Varangian princes, Askold and Dir, accompanied by a retinue, went on a campaign to Constantinople, but, before reaching the Byzantine capital, captured the small Dnieper city of Kiev, which later became the capital of Ancient Russia. Their campaign in Byzantium, conceived by them, did not bring glory, but as the first Kiev princes Askold and Dir entered our history forever. Although Rurik was the first Varangian prince in Russia, they also played an important role in the formation of the state.
The treacherous capture of Kiev
When Rurik died in 879, after fifteen years of his sole reign, he left Igor’s young son as heir to the prince’s throne, and until his coming of age appointed his relative Oleg, the one whom the descendants would call the Prophet, as ruler. From the first days, the new ruler proved himself a man of power, warlike and devoid of excessive morality. Oleg conquers Smolensk and Lubech, everywhere covering his actions with the name of the young prince Igor, in whose interests he allegedly acts. Having begun the conquest of the Dnieper lands, he cunningly captured Kiev and, having killed Askold and Dir, became its ruler. It is to him that the chroniclers attribute the words that Kiev is the mother of Russian cities.
Conqueror and conqueror of the lands
At the end of the 9th century, Russian lands were still very fragmented, and significant territories inhabited by foreigners extended between Novgorod and Kiev. Oleg with his numerous squad conquered many nations, which until then had maintained independence. These were the Ilmen Slavs, the tribes of Chud, Vesy, Drevlyans and many other inhabitants of the forests and steppes. Combining them under his authority, he gathered the lands of Novgorod and Kiev into a single powerful state.
His campaigns put an end to the rule of the Khazar Kaganate, which for many years controlled the southern territories. Oleg became famous for his successful trip to Byzantium, during which, as a sign of victory, he nailed his famous shield to the gates of Constantinople, glorified by both Pushkin and Vysotsky. He returned home with rich booty. The prince died in old age, saturated with life and glory. Has it been cause of death a snake that bit him, crawled out of a horse’s skull, or is it just an invention, is unknown, but the prince’s life itself was brighter and more amazing than any legend.
Mass influx of Scandinavians to Russia
As can be seen from the foregoing, the first princes in Russia, natives of the Scandinavian peoples, saw their main task in conquering new lands and creating a single state capable of withstanding those numerous enemies who were continuously encroaching on its integrity.
In these years, seeing the success of their fellow tribesmen in Russia, Scandinavians rushed to Novgorod and Kiev lands in large numbers, who wanted to grab their piece, but, being among a large and viable people, they inevitably assimilated in it and soon became part of it. The activities of the first princes of Russia, of course, relied on their support, but over time, the aliens gave way to the indigenous inhabitants.
The reign of Igor
With the death of Oleg, his successor appeared on the historical stage, the son of Rurik who had matured by that time - the young prince Igor. All his life he tried to achieve the same glory that Oleg got, but fate was not favorable to him. Having undertaken two campaigns against Byzantium, Igor became famous not so much for military success as for his incredible cruelty towards civilians of the countries through which his army was moving.
However, he didn’t return home empty-handed, bringing plentiful booty from the campaigns. Successful were his actions against the steppe Pecheneg robbers, whom he managed to drive away to Bessarabia. Naturally ambitious and ambitious, the prince ended his life very ingloriously. Collecting yet another tribute from the Drevilians subordinate to him, he, with his irrepressible greed, took them to extremes, and those who rebelled and killed the squad, put him to death with a fierce death. In his actions, the whole policy of the first princes of Russia was expressed - the search for fame and fortune at all costs. Not burdened with any moral standards, they considered all the ways leading to the achievement of the goal admissible.
Princess counted as a saint
After Igor’s death, power passed to his widow, Princess Olga, whom the prince married in 903. Starting her reign, she brutally dealt with the drevlyans - the murderers of her husband, while not sparing either the elderly or children. The Princess went on a campaign with her young son Svyatoslav, wanting to accustom him to swearing from an early age.
According to most historians, Olga - as a ruler - deserves praise, and this is due primarily to wise decisions and good deeds. This woman managed to adequately represent Russia in the world. Her special merit is that she was the first to bring the light of Orthodoxy to Russian soil. For this, the church ranked her as a saint. While still a pagan, in 957 she headed the embassy heading to Byzantium. Olga understood that outside of Christianity it is impossible to strengthen the prestige of the state and the ruling dynasty.
Newly Baptized Slave of God Elena
The sacrament of baptism was performed over it in the church of St. Sophia personally by the patriarch, and the emperor himself acted as the godfather. The princess came out of the holy font with a new name, Elena. Unfortunately, having returned to Kiev, she could not persuade her son Svyatoslav to accept the Christian faith, like all the first princes in Russia who worshiped Perun. All the boundless Russia remained in the darkness of paganism, which enlightenment with the rays of true faith lay before her grandson, the future prince of Kiev Vladimir.
Prince Conqueror Svyatoslav
Princess Olga died in 969 and was buried according to Christian custom. A characteristic feature of her reign was that she limited her activities only to the cares of state government, leaving the male princes to wage wars and asserting her power with a sword. Even Svyatoslav, having matured and received all the princely powers, occupied with campaigns, boldly left the state in the care of his mother.
Having inherited power from his mother, Prince Svyatoslav devoted himself entirely to military campaigns, wishing to revive the glory of Russia, which shone so brightly in the time of Prince Oleg. By the way, he was almost the first to follow the laws of knightly honor. The prince, for example, considered it unworthy to attack the enemy by surprise, and it was he who owned the famous phrase "I'm coming to you!"
Possessing an iron will, a clear mind and leadership talent, Svyatoslav managed to annex many lands to Russia over the years of his reign, significantly expanding its territory. Like all the first princes in Russia, he was a conqueror, one of those who conquered a sixth of the land with his sword for the future state of Russia.
The struggle for power and the victory of Prince Vladimir
The death of Svyatoslav was the beginning of a struggle for power between his three sons - Yaropolk, Oleg and Vladimir, each of whom, having his own legitimate destiny, sought to seize the territories of his brothers by cunning and force. After several years of mutual enmity and intrigue, Vladimir won, becoming the sole and full ruler.
He, like his father, showed extraordinary leadership abilities, reconciling the riots of the peoples subject to him and conquering new ones. However, the main merit that truly immortalized his name was the Baptism of Russia, which took place in 988 and placed the young state on a par with European countries, which had long before received the light of the Christian faith.
The end of the life of the holy prince
But at the end of his life, the baptist of Russia was destined to survive many bitter minutes. The passion of power-hungry consumed the soul of his son Yaroslav, who ruled in Novgorod, and he raised a rebellion against his father. To pacify him, Vladimir was forced to send a squad to the rebellious city under the command of his other son Boris. This caused the prince severe psychological trauma, from which he could not recover and died on July 15, 1015.
For his services to the state and the Russian Orthodox Church, Prince Vladimir went down in the history of our country with the addition of the epithet Great or Holy to his name. A special proof of the popular love for this outstanding person is the trace that he left in the folk epos that mentioned him in epics about Ilya Muromets, Dobryn Novgorod and many other Russian heroes.
Ancient Russia: the first princes
This was the formation of Russia, which rose from the darkness of paganism and eventually became a powerful power, one of the legislators of European politics. But since Russia, under the rule of the first princes, stood out from among other peoples, having established its superiority over them, it had a long and difficult path, which included the process of evolution of state power. It continued throughout the entire period of the Russian autocracy.
Very conditional can be considered the concept of "the first Russian prince in Russia."The whole family of princes of the Rurikovich, originating from the legendary Varangian, who came to the banks of Volkhov in 862, and ended with the death of Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich, carries Scandinavian blood, and it is hardly fair to call its members purely Russian. Numerous specific princes, who were not directly related to this dynasty, also for the most part have either Tatar or Western European roots.
But who is the first prince of all Russia, we can say with some accuracy. From the annals it is known that for the first time the title, which emphasized that its holder was not just the Grand Duke, but namely the ruler of “All Russia”, was awarded to Mikhail Yaroslavovich Tverskoy, who ruled at the turn of the XIII and XIV centuries. The first Moscow prince of all Russia is also reliably known. It was Ivan Kalita. His followers also wore the same title, right up to the first Russian Tsar Ivan the Terrible. Main line of them foreign policy there was an expansion of the borders of the Russian state and the accession of new lands to it. Domestic policy was reduced to the utmost consolidation of centralized princely power.