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History of the formation of the ancient Russian state of Kievan Rus. The emergence of the state of Kievan Rus

Everyone is primarily interested in the question, where did this beautiful and powerful power called Kievan Rus come from? Where did the Russians come from? Who are they and whose descendants are we? There are many theories on this topic, some popular and some not so popular. After all, the name “Rus” appears in foreign chronicles only in the 8th century. This is why the question arises about the origin of the name of the state... The first theory is called Varangian. She tells us that Rus' came from a tribe of Norman conquerors who incredibly often attacked European countries, traveling inland thanks to boats and the presence of rivers. They were extremely cruel and this cruelty was in their souls, they were real Viking warriors...

Researchers believe that the name “Rus” came from then. This theory was put forward by German scientists Bayer and Miller, who really believed that Kievan Rus was founded by the Normans (immigrants from Sweden). They refer to the fact that it was the Norman princes who helped the Russian people master the art of war. No matter what anyone says, the Normans played an incredible role in the creation of the state and gave rise to the Rurik dynasty.
The second most important theory of the origin of the name of the state and the Russians themselves is a theory that claims that the name comes from a river, a tributary of the Dnieper, called Ros. The tributary of the Rosi is in turn called the Rosava. On the territory of Volyn in Ukraine there is a river Roska... Therefore, Rus' could actually be named after rivers, although some believe that these rivers are named after the state...
It is worth mentioning that there is another theory of the origin of the state. A scientist from the United States named Pritsak put forward the theory that Kievan Rus was founded by the Khazars. But why then was it necessary to separate from the Russians? After all, the Khazar state was as big as Rus'. Moreover, in my opinion, the traditions of the Khazars and Russians are very different to enable us to call them one people with common roots. So, the history of Rus' is extremely rich even at the beginning, not to mention in its further development...
The history of Kievan Rus has many facts that simply forced the Russians to create their own state. First of all, historians believe that it was the emergence of feudal relations that contributed to the creation of the state, as in all other European states. Then it should be said that our ancestors needed to defend themselves from enemies, the main of which were the Khazar Khaganate and Byzantium. Their common ethnic origin only united the Russians even more. The development of trade also forced the Russians to create a state. As for Kyiv, thanks to its economic and geographical location, it began to play a huge role in relations with other states.
Scientists say that Kievan Rus was formed around the 9th century AD. It was then that a state appeared with its center in Kyiv. The heyday of Rus' occurred in the period 978-1054, when Rus' significantly expanded its territories and achieved both political and cultural development. The third period is characterized by the disintegration of the state into separate principalities. We can say with all confidence that Yaroslav the Wise would never have divided the land between his sons if he had known what this would lead to...
It is worth remembering that Rus' was also developed in a cultural sense. It’s no joke to say that the children of the Kyiv prince knew several languages and were extremely educated, which cannot be said about the dynasty of other European states.
Militarily, Kievan Rus was a huge force. The best of the best of Russian warriors served with the Byzantine legions thousands of miles from their homeland. Just look at the well-known example of the defense of Sicily from the Arabs in 1038-1041. Thanks to the Russian corps, Byzantium was able to leave the island behind.
The authority of Kievan Rus in Europe was unconditional. Therefore, we can be truly proud of our ancestors, who even stopped the Mongol-Tatar invasion and saved all of Europe, weakened from ruin.

The date of formation of Kievan Rus, although completely conditionally, is considered to be the date of the union of the Novgorod and Kyiv lands. It’s hard to say who joined whom. In fact, Rurik, who was called to Novgorod, sent his subordinates Askold and Dir to Kyiv in 861. But having captured Kyiv, they immediately forgot about Rurik. A year later, with the help of Prince Oleg, he had to call his envoys to account.
And this happened in 862. It is considered the date of the emergence of Kievan Rus.

Describing the formation of Kievan Rus briefly, many historians determine that this happened in 862, although in fact this date marked only the beginning of this process. By this time, various tribes inhabiting the future Kievan Rus had founded several large cities. However, they were all separate and had no power over each other. The formation of a unified state of Kievan Rus began in the second half of the ninth century. A significant event was the accession of Prince Rurik and his squad in Novgorod; according to the chronicles, the city residents themselves asked him about this.
The Rurikovichs and their squad mixed with the population of Novgorod, after which, with the help of war and diplomacy, they began to unite the neighboring Slavic tribes.

In 879, Rurik died and was succeeded by his son, Igor. However, at that time he was only a boy, so the real power in the new state was taken by the commander Prince Oleg, who continued his aggressive activities. In 882, Oleg took Kyiv, destroying the rulers of the princes Askold and Dir, who came from the Polyan tribe. Considering Kyiv a more suitable city for reigning, Oleg moved the capital to it. With this event, the period of formation of Kievan Rus was completed.

The formation of Kievan Rus, briefly described in this section, is still a matter of debate. There are two main theories, according to the first of which it was the Varangians, with whom the Slavs were on friendly terms, who brought statehood to Kievan Rus. They restored order and managed to take control of a vast territory. Another theory suggests that statehood existed in Ancient Rus' even before the arrival of the Varangians, and Rurik himself was a Slav.

The name Rus itself is also a subject of controversy. Perhaps the name came from the name of the Ros River, which flows near Kiev, or it came from the Varangians themselves. Many of the Swedish Viking tribes, as well as their high-ranking members of their society, called themselves Rus or Russa. Therefore, it is quite logical to consider the version according to which it was the Varangians, having seized power in Kyiv, who began to call their highest nomenklatura that name, and then the entire state of Kievan Rus.

The reason for the formation of the state.

1. Economic reasons - economic factors had a great influence on the emergence of the unified state of Kievan Rus. By this time, labor productivity had increased, because the fallow system was used in agriculture, agricultural tools were improved, seeds appeared that gave more yield - all this led to the fact that the peasants had surpluses, i.e. surplus product. The improvement of tools led to the division of labor among the Slavic tribes. Now crafting required more time. A layer of the population appears that is engaged exclusively in crafts. Surpluses of agricultural products and the emergence of a layer of artisans led to the development of barter trade, which gradually led to money trade. The Slavs' internal market is beginning to improve. All this affected the development of public education.

2. Military reasons. By the 9th century, the gradual strengthening of princely power and nationalization continued. This process has accelerated under the influence of external factors. In the north, raids by the Varangians became a constant occurrence, in the south the enmity between the Slavs and Turkic tribes intensified, the power of the Khazar Kagan weakened, and submission to it became unprofitable. The tribes of the southern Slavs begin to resist the Khazar influence, in addition, the Slavs had to repel the raids of the Khazar hordes, not subject to the kagan - all this led to the unification of the Slavs.

3. Cultural reasons. An important reason for the unification of the Slavic tribes is the culture and way of life of the Slavs. All Slavs, regardless of where they lived, spoke the same language and worshiped the same gods and forces of nature. They arranged their life in the same way: housing, clothing, dishes, lifestyle and behavior. Throughout the entire territory of the Slavic world, the same laws were in force - the Russian Law, which has not reached us, based on the norms of customary / tribal / law.

Pushkin also spoke exhaustively about the History of Karamzin. Too many years have passed since the classical works of S.M. Solovyov and V.O. Klyuchevsky, and although in relation to some of their successors I would like to say comrade not a reader, comrade a writer, nevertheless, the volume of facts with which science operates is beyond the past century has grown significantly. In addition, the number of historical concepts taken into account has increased. The most significant of them are the theory of historical materialism, the ideas of Eurasianism, and the concept of challenge and response.

It is no coincidence that concepts are mentioned here along with facts. History, like any other science, is concerned with comprehending the world, or more precisely, building a model of the world, in its case, a historical model. And, being a science, it is subject to certain general scientific principles, which seem to have not yet been clearly formulated by anyone, but are quite conscious to the scientists themselves. Such principles, in particular, include the requirements for taking into account all known facts, stability when new facts are discovered, internal logical consistency, compatibility with data from related disciplines, etc. although none of these rules should be taken to the point of absurdity. Heisenberg also said: Absolute fulfillment of the requirements of strict logical clarity probably does not occur in any science.

Norman theory. Historians who adhered to this version believed that the ancient Russian state was created by the Normans. Its essence is as follows: the Russian state was created by immigrants from Scandinavia, the Varangians. In 862, the Slavs invited the Varangian prince Rurik and his retinue, and he became the founder of the first Russian princely dynasty.

The theory was widespread in the 18th-19th centuries. Its authors were scientists: G. Bayer, G. Miller and A. Schletzer. We adhered to this theory M.M. Shcherbatov and N.M. Karamzin.

Anti-Norman theory. Although the very fact of the presence of the Varangians in the 9th-10th centuries. on the territory of the Principality of Kyiv is beyond doubt, this does not prove that the date of formation of the state can be considered 862. The early class state was always born in a bloody struggle for power, therefore in world history there were frequent cases of “inviting” some third force. Statehood is not a matter of import or export. This is a natural process, the result of historical development. When the Slavs invited Rurik to reign, they already had this form of power. This theory was adhered to and developed by: M.V. Lomonosov, I.E. Zabelin, D.I. Ilovaisky, M.S. Grushevsky, B.A. Rybakov.

Undoubtedly, historians clearly recognize Rurik as the first head of state. He transferred power to his relative Oleg, leaving him to rule under his young son Igor.

In 882, Oleg conquered Kyiv, making it the capital of the state, uniting Novgorod and Kyiv under his rule. It was from this time that we can talk about the existence in Rus' of not just statehood, but of the ancient Russian state. Then he conquered the Drevlyans, northerners, and Radimichi. The prince established the size of the tribute and ordered the construction of defensive fortresses in the steppe.

Oleg pursued an active foreign policy. In 907, he signed an agreement with Byzantium on privileges for Russian merchants. The 911 Treaty regulated relations between the two countries on political and legal issues.

In 912, Rurik's son, Igor, came to power. In 945, Igor was killed by the Drevlyans because of the very heavy tribute imposed on them. Olga's reign is characterized by the establishment of political relations with Byzantium. Her son Svyatoslav prefers the great glory of a warrior to the clear political line of the ruler; he defeated the Khazar Kaganate. Conflicted with Byzantium. He died in battle during a surprise attack by the Pechenegs on his camp.

Sources: otvet.mail.ru, antiquehistory.ru, testent.ru, nashol.com, www.redov.ru

Kievan Rus is an exceptional phenomenon of European medieval history. Occupying a geographically intermediate position between the civilizations of the East and West, it became a zone of the most important historical and cultural contacts and was formed not only on a self-sufficient internal basis, but also under the significant influence of neighboring peoples.

Formation of tribal alliances

The formation of the state of Kievan Rus and the origins of the formation of modern Slavic peoples lie in the times when the Great Migration of the Slavs began in the vast territories of Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, which lasted until the end of the 7th century. The previously unified Slavic community gradually disintegrated into eastern, western, southern and northern Slavic tribal unions.

In the middle of the 1st millennium, the Ant and Sklavin unions of Slavic tribes already existed on the territory of modern Ukraine. After the defeat in the 5th century AD. the Huns tribe and the final disappearance of the Western Roman Empire, the alliance of Antes began to play a prominent role in Eastern Europe. The invasion of the Avar tribes did not allow this union to form into a state, but the process of forming a state was not stopped. colonized new lands and, uniting, created new alliances of tribes.

At first, temporary, random associations of tribes arose - for military campaigns or defense from unfriendly neighbors and nomads. Gradually, associations of neighboring tribes close in culture and way of life arose. Finally, territorial associations of a proto-state type were formed - lands and principalities, which later became the cause of such a process as the formation of the state of Kievan Rus.

Briefly: composition of Slavic tribes

Most modern historical schools connect the beginnings of self-awareness of the Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian peoples with the collapse of the great Slavic ethnically unified society and the emergence of a new social formation - a tribal union. The gradual rapprochement of the Slavic tribes gave rise to the state of Kievan Rus. The formation of the state accelerated at the end of the 8th century. On the territory of the future power, seven political unions were formed: the Dulibs, the Drevlyans, the Croats, the Polyans, the Ulichs, the Tiverts, and the Siverians. One of the first to emerge was the Dulib Union, uniting the tribes inhabiting the territories from the river. Goryn in the east to the West. Buga. The most advantageous geographical position was enjoyed by the Polyan tribe, which occupied the territory of the middle Dnieper region from the river. Grouse in the north to the river. Irpin and Ros in the south. The formation of the ancient state of Kievan Rus took place on the lands of these tribes.

The emergence of the rudiments of government

In the conditions of the formation of tribal unions, their military-political significance grew. Most of the loot captured during military campaigns was appropriated by tribal leaders and warriors - armed professional warriors who served the leaders for a reward. A significant role was played by meetings of free male warriors or public gatherings (veche), at which the most important administrative and civil issues were resolved. There was a separation into a layer of the tribal elite, in whose hands power was concentrated. This layer included boyars - advisers and close associates of the prince, the princes themselves and their warriors.

Separation of the Polyan Union

The process of state formation took place especially intensively on the lands of the Polyansky tribal principality. The importance of Kyiv, its capital, grew. The supreme power in the principality belonged to the descendants of the Polyansky

Between the VIII and IX centuries. In the principality, real political preconditions arose for the emergence on its basis of the first, which later received the name Kievan Rus.

Formation of the name "Rus"

The question “where did the Russian land come from” asked has not found a clear answer to this day. Today, several scientific theories about the origin of the name “Rus” and “Kievan Rus” are widespread among historians. The formation of this phrase goes back to the deep past. In a broad sense, these terms were used to describe all East Slavic territories; in a narrow sense, only the Kyiv, Chernigov and Pereyaslav lands were taken into account. Among the Slavic tribes, these names became widespread and were later entrenched in various toponyms. For example, the names of the rivers are Rosava. Ros, etc. Those Slavic tribes that occupied a privileged position in the lands of the Middle Dnieper region also began to be called. According to scientists, the name of one of the tribes that was part of the Polyansky Union was Dew or Rus, and later the social elite of the entire Polyansky Union began to call themselves Rus. In the 9th century, the formation of ancient Russian statehood was completed. Kievan Rus began its existence.

Territories of the Eastern Slavs

Geographically, all tribes lived in the forest or forest-steppe. These natural zones turned out to be favorable for economic development and safe for life. It was in the middle latitudes, in forests and forest-steppes, that the formation of the state of Kievan Rus began.

The general location of the southern group of Slavic tribes significantly influenced the nature of their relations with neighboring peoples and countries. The territory of residence of the ancient Rus was on the border between East and West. These lands are located at the crossroads of ancient roads and trade routes. But unfortunately, these territories were open and unprotected by natural barriers, making them vulnerable to invasion and raids.

Relationships with neighbors

Throughout the VII-VIII centuries. The main threat to the local population was the newcomers of the East and South. Of particular importance for the glades was the formation of the Khazar Khaganate - a strong state located in the steppes of the Northern Black Sea region and in the Crimea. The Khazars took an aggressive position towards the Slavs. First they imposed tribute on the Vyatichi and Siverians, and later on the Polyans. The fight against the Khazars contributed to the unification of the tribes of the Polyansky tribal union, which both traded and fought with the Khazars. Perhaps it was from Khazaria that the title of ruler, Kagan, passed to the Slavs.

The relations of the Slavic tribes with Byzantium were important. Repeatedly, the Slavic princes fought and traded with the powerful empire, and sometimes even entered into military alliances with it. In the west, relations between the East Slavic peoples were maintained with the Slovaks, Poles and Czechs.

Formation of the state of Kievan Rus

The political development of the Polyansky reign led to the emergence of a state formation at the turn of the 8th-9th centuries, which was later assigned the name “Rus”. Since Kyiv became the capital of the new power, historians of the 19th-20th centuries. they began to call it “Kievan Rus”. The formation of the country began in the Middle Dnieper region, where the Drevlyans, Siverians and Polyans lived.

He had the title Kagan (Khakan), equivalent to the Russian Grand Duke. It is clear that such a title could only be worn by a ruler who, in his social status, stood above the prince of the tribal union. The strengthening of the new state was evidenced by its active military activities. At the end of the 8th century. The Rus, led by the Polyansky prince Bravlin, attacked the Crimean coast and captured Korchev, Surozh and Korsun. In 838 the Rus arrived in Byzantium. This is how diplomatic relations with the Eastern Empire were formalized. The formation of the East Slavic state of Kievan Rus was a great event. It was recognized as one of the most powerful powers of the time.

The first princes of Kievan Rus

Representatives of the Kievich dynasty, which includes the brothers, reigned in Rus'. According to some historians, they were co-rulers, although, perhaps, Dir reigned first, and then Askold. In those days, squads of Normans appeared on the Dnieper - Swedes, Danes, Norwegians. They were used to guard trade routes and as mercenaries during raids. In 860, Askold, leading an army of 6-8 thousand people, carried out a sea campaign against Constantinople. While in Byzantium, Askold became acquainted with a new religion - Christianity, was baptized and tried to bring a new faith that Kievan Rus could accept. Education and the history of the new country began to be influenced by Byzantine philosophers and thinkers. Priests and architects were invited from the empire to Russian soil. But these activities of Askold did not bring much success - the influence of paganism was still strong among the nobility and commoners. Therefore, Christianity came later to Kievan Rus.

The formation of a new state determined the beginning of a new era in the history of the Eastern Slavs - an era of full-fledged state and political life.

Kievan Rus is an ancient Russian state in the west, southwest, and partly in the south of the East European Plain. Existed from the ninth to the early twelfth centuries AD. The capital was Kyiv. It arose by a union of Slavic tribes: Ilmen Slovenes, Krivichi, Polyans, Drevlyans, Dregovichs, Polotsk, Radimichi, Northerners, Vyatichi.

The year 862 is considered fundamental in the history of Kievan Rus, when, as the ancient written source “The Tale of Bygone Years” indicates, the Slavic tribes called the Varangians to reign. The first head of Kievan Rus was Rurik, who took the throne in Novgorod.

Princes of Kievan Rus

864 - Varangians Askold and Dir seized princely power in Kyiv
882 - Varyag Oleg, who reigned in Novgorod, killed Askold and Dir, sat down to reign in Kyiv, united the northern and southern Slavic lands and took the title of Grand Duke
912 - Death of Oleg. Elevation Igor, son of Rurik
945 - Death of Igor. His wife is on the throne Olga
957 - Olga transferred power to her son Svyatoslav
972 - Death of Svyatoslav at the hands of the Pechenegs. The Kyiv throne took Yaropolk
980 - Death of Yaropolk in a civil strife with his brother Vladimir. Vladimir- Kyiv prince
1015 - Death of Vladimir. His son seized power in Kyiv Svyatopolk
1016 - Three-year struggle for supremacy in Rus' between Svyatopolk and Novgorod prince Yaroslav
1019 - Death of Svyatopolk. Yaroslav, nicknamed wise - prince in Kyiv
1054 - After the death of Yaroslav, his son took the throne Izyaslav
1068 - Uprising of the Kyiv people, their proclamation of the Prince of Polotsk Vseslav Grand Duke, Return Izyaslav.
1073 - Expulsion of Izyaslav by his brothers Svyatoslav and Vsevolod. Prince - Svyatoslav Yaroslavich
1076 - Death of Svyatoslav. Return Izyaslav.
1078 - Death of Izyaslav at the hands of the nephew of Oleg Svyatoslavich, Prince of Chernigov. The Kyiv throne took Vsevolod Yaroslavich
1099 - Prince Svyatopolk, son of Izyaslav
1113 - Prince Vladimir Monomakh
1125 - Death of Vladimir Monomakh. His son ascended the throne Mstislav
1132 - Death of Mstislav. Disintegration of Novgorod-Kievan Rus.

Brief history of Kievan Rus

Kyiv remained the center of Kievan Rus until 1169, when it was captured and plundered by troops of Prince of Rostov-Suzdal Andrei Bogolyubsky

Cities of Kievan Rus

Novgorod (until 1136)
Pskov
Chernigov
Polotsk
Smolensk
Lyubech
Zhytomyr
Iskorosten
Vyshgorod
Crossed
Pereyaslavl
Tmutarakan

Until the Mongol-Tatar invasion in the middle of the 13th century, Kyiv continued to be formally considered the center of Rus', but actually lost its significance. The time of feudal fragmentation has come in Rus'. Kievan Rus split into 14 principalities, ruled by the descendants of different branches of the Rurik tree, and the free city of Novgorod

Denying the greatness of Russia is a terrible robbery of humanity.
Berdyaev Nikolay Alexandrovich

The origin of the ancient Russian state of Kievan Rus is one of the biggest mysteries in history. Of course, there is an official version that gives many answers, but it has one drawback - it completely rejects everything that happened to the Slavs before 862. Are things really as bad as they write in Western books, when the Slavs are compared to semi-wild people who are not able to govern themselves and for this they were forced to turn to a stranger, a Varangian, so that he could teach them reason? Of course, this is an exaggeration, since such a people cannot take Byzantium by storm twice before this time, but our ancestors did it!

In this material we will adhere to the basic policy of our site - presentation of facts that are known for certain. Also on these pages we will point out the main points that historians use under various pretexts, but in our opinion they can shed light on what happened on our lands in that distant time.

Formation of the state of Kievan Rus

Modern history puts forward two main versions according to which the formation of the state of Kievan Rus occurred:

Norman. This theory is based on a rather dubious historical document - “The Tale of Bygone Years”. Also, supporters of the Norman version talk about various records from European scientists. This version is basic and accepted by history. According to it, the ancient tribes of the eastern communities could not govern themselves and called upon three Varangians - the brothers Rurik, Sineus and Truvor.
anti-Norman (Russian). The Norman theory, despite its general acceptance, looks quite controversial. After all, it does not answer even a simple question: who are the Varangians? Anti-Norman statements were first formulated by the great scientist Mikhail Lomonosov. This man was distinguished by the fact that he actively defended the interests of his Motherland and publicly declared that the history of the ancient Russian state was written by the Germans and had no logic behind it. The Germans in this case are not a nation as such, but a collective image that was used to call all foreigners who did not speak Russian. They were called dumb, hence the Germans.

In fact, until the end of the 9th century, not a single mention of the Slavs remained in the chronicles. This is quite strange, since quite civilized people lived here. This question is discussed in great detail in the material about the Huns, who, according to numerous versions, were none other than Russians. Now I would like to note that when Rurik came to the ancient Russian state, there were cities, ships, their own culture, their own language, their own traditions and customs. And the cities were quite well fortified from a military point of view. This somehow loosely connects with the generally accepted version that our ancestors at that time ran around with a digging stick.

The ancient Russian state of Kievan Rus was formed in 862, when the Varangian Rurik came to rule in Novgorod. An interesting point is that this prince carried out his rule of the country from Ladoga. In 864, the associates of the Novgorod prince Askold and Dir went down the Dnieper and discovered the city of Kyiv, in which they began to rule. After the death of Rurik, Oleg took custody of his young son, who went on a campaign against Kyiv, killed Askold and Dir and took possession of the future capital of the country. This happened in 882. Therefore, the formation of Kievan Rus can be attributed to this date. During Oleg's reign, the country's possessions expanded through the conquest of new cities, and international power also strengthened as a result of wars with external enemies, such as Byzantium. There were good relations between the Novgorod and Kyiv princes, and their minor conflicts did not lead to major wars. Reliable information on this matter has not survived, but many historians say that these people were brothers and only blood ties restrained bloodshed.

Formation of statehood

Kievan Russia was a truly powerful state, respected in other countries. Its political center was Kyiv. It was a capital that had no equal in its beauty and wealth. The impregnable fortress city of Kyiv on the banks of the Dnieper has long been a stronghold of Rus'. This order was disrupted as a result of the first fragmentations, which damaged the power of the state. It all ended with the invasion of the Tatar-Mongol troops, who literally razed the “mother of Russian cities” to the ground. According to the surviving records of contemporaries of that terrible event, Kyiv was destroyed to the ground and lost forever its beauty, significance and wealth. Since then, the status of the first city did not belong to it.

An interesting expression is “mother of Russian cities,” which is still actively used by people from different countries. Here we are faced with another attempt to falsify history, since at the moment when Oleg captured Kyiv, Rus' already existed, and its capital was Novgorod. And the princes got to the capital city of Kyiv itself, descending along the Dnieper from Novgorod.

Internecine wars and the reasons for the collapse of the ancient Russian state

Internecine war is that terrible nightmare that tormented the Russian lands for many decades. The reason for these events was the lack of a clear system of succession to the throne. In the ancient Russian state, a situation arose when after one ruler there remained a huge number of contenders for the throne - sons, brothers, nephews, etc. And each of them sought to realize their right to rule Russia. This inevitably led to wars, when supreme power was asserted with weapons.

In the struggle for power, individual contenders did not shy away from anything, even fratricide. The story of Svyatopolk the Accursed, who killed his brothers, is widely known, for which he received this nickname. Despite the contradictions that reigned within the Rurikovichs, Kievan Rus was ruled by the Grand Duke.

In many ways, it was the internecine wars that led the ancient Russian state to a state close to collapse. This happened in 1237, when the ancient Russian lands first heard about the Tatar-Mongols. They brought terrible troubles to our ancestors, but internal problems, disunity and the unwillingness of princes to defend the interests of other lands led to a great tragedy, and for 2 long centuries Rus' became completely dependent on the Golden Horde.

All these events led to a completely predictable result - the ancient Russian lands began to disintegrate. The date of the beginning of this process is considered to be 1132, which was marked by the death of Prince Mstislav, popularly nicknamed the Great. This led to the fact that the two cities of Polotsk and Novgorod refused to recognize the authority of his successor.

All these events led to the collapse of the state into small fiefs, which were controlled by individual rulers. Of course, the leading role of the Grand Duke remained, but this title was more like a crown, which was used only by the strongest as a result of regular civil strife.

Key events

Kievan Rus is the first form of Russian statehood, which had many great pages in its history. The main events of the era of Kyiv's rise include the following:

862 - the arrival of the Varangian Rurik in Novgorod to reign
882 – Prophetic Oleg captured Kyiv
907 – campaign against Constantinople
988 – Baptism of Rus'
1097 – Lyubech Congress of Princes
1125-1132 - reign of Mstislav the Great