Askold and Dir - mysterious princes of Kiev

The history of ancient Russia contains many secrets and secrets. One of these riddles is the first princes of Kiev, whom we know as Askold and Dir. Who were they by origin, where did they come from, who were they from each other? Or maybe it was one person at all?

Let's try to understand, having stated the generally accepted version, as well as several variants of events that historians admit, based on very concrete facts.

Official version

It is generally believed that Askold and Dir were by origin Varangians - Rus, as they were then called. They had no kinship with the ruling prince Rurik, but were simply his "boyars". When Rurik sat down in Novgorod, he began distributing Russian cities to his closest people. So Dir and Askold, he let go to the south in search of a suitable place for government. Those, descending the Dnieper down, saw the glorious city of Kiev, in which the glades lived. Askold and Dir decided to stay there and declared themselves rulers.

They were loyal to the population, local customs and religion. Tribute left at the same level. In addition, like any northern warriors, they knew the war well and came with a well-armed detachment. Therefore, the people of Kiev decided not to rebel and calmly accepted their new rulers.

Around 860-866, Askold and Dir made an ambitious military campaign against Constantinople. To protect his city from warlike Russes, the ruling emperor Michael III decided to interrupt the war with the Arabs and hastily returned to the capital.

The Kiev princes arrived under the walls of Constantinople, leading an impressive flotilla of two hundred ships. They quickly and successfully sacked suburbs and besieged the city. Over the capital of Byzantium, a real threat of conquest looms. Then the Emperor Michael and the holy Patriarch Photius began to pray intensely for the defense of the center of the Christian world. Suddenly a terrible storm rose on the sea, which dispersed and destroyed the warlike ships of the Rus. Constantinople was saved by Divine Providence.

Askold and Dir were forced to conclude a peace treaty with Byzantium and decided to be baptized into Christianity.

In 879, Prince Rurik died in Novgorod , leaving the heir to Igor's young son, and his guardian, his relative, who is known as Oleg's Prophetic. He decided to take power not only over the northern, but over the southern lands, so he collected from the Slavs and Varangians an impressive army and moved southward. Smolensk and ancient Lyubech submitted to him. Soon Oleg came up to Kiev.

He understood well that the Kiev princes have a strong squad and will defend themselves in order not to surrender power. Therefore Prophetic Oleg decided to act by cunning. He left his main army in ambush, and he pretended to be a peaceful merchant and invited Askold and Dir to negotiate on trade with himself. Those without fear went to a meeting, but on the shore they were surrounded by a military squad. According to The Tale of Bygone Years, Oleg went out before the captured princes and accused them that they are not ruling the family and deceiving people. Then he pointed to the little Igor and said: "Here is the prince, this is the son of Rurik!"

Askold and Dir were immediately killed. The mound with remains of Askold still stands on the steep bank of the Dnieper, and the ashes of Dir rested for a long time near the temple of Saint Irene.

So Oleg began to rule in Kiev on behalf of Igor. It was he who declared Kiev the mother of Russian cities, the center of Russian lands. In 882, for the first time, the northern and southern lands united under the rule of one prince.

This is the official version of the events. But historians are considering a variety of options, based on a comparison of various chronicles and legends.

Variants of history

For example, there are disagreements about the origin of Dir and Askold. Some historians believe that Askold was a Slav and direct descendant of Dir. Others, on the contrary, only Diru are credited with the Slavic lineage and the role of the subordinate, and Askold is considered a Varangian and a voivode.

Ancient Byzantine sources in describing the military campaign of the Rusians of 866 generally mention only one prince, therefore it is quite possible that Askold and Dir are the same person, the Varangian Askold, nicknamed Dir. In translation from the ancient Native language Dir meant "Beast", which could be a nickname-title.

If nevertheless it is confident to consider them as two separate people, then it is quite logical to assume that Askold and Dir ruled at different times, and in the Tale of Bygone Years they are artificially combined into co-regents. The Chronicler could unite them logically, as two illegal rulers. Historians are surprised by the fact that the two princes, killed at the same time, according to the scriptures, were buried in places so far apart. And the Joachim chronicle says that Oleg killed only one prince - Askold, and the name of Dir there is not mentioned at all.

If we compare multiple historical sources, it becomes quite obvious that Dir was the first ruler of Kiev and lived in the early and middle of the 9th century, and Askold became his successor and was in the second half of the 9th century.

As we see, in the history of these princes of Kiev there are many unclear circumstances that are reliably hidden from us by centuries of history. Will we solve them someday?