Rurik: biography, born from the annals

One of the most mysterious figures in the history of our country is the founder of the Old Russian state - Prince Rurik. His biography is full of mysteries, the answers to which historians are trying to find more than one century. The information they have is derived mainly from the chronicle of the 12th century, known as the Tale of Bygone Years. His compiler traditionally is the monk of the Kiev-Pechersky Monastery Nestor, canonized by the Orthodox Church in the face of saints.

Rurik. Biography full of puzzles

In disputes about the origin of the prince, scientists divided into several groups. Mostly they are supporters of his Scandinavian origin and those who consider him to be a descendant of a tribe of Western Slavs - obedrites, who once lived in the lower reaches of the Elbe and in the northeastern part of modern Saxony. One of the hypotheses, expressed in the nineteenth century, identifies him with the supreme ruler of ancient Denmark, Rörik, who went down in history as a formidable conqueror and conqueror of many tribes.

It is also believed that the nationality (or social group), from which Rurik came out, was called "Rus." This later determined the name of the state, the basis of which is attributed to it, and the nationality of its inhabitants. What are the ethnic roots of the Rus, remains a mystery to this day, since there are very few reliable facts confirming this or that theory. You can only say with a certain degree of certainty that the Russes formed the top of the created state and were the prince's closest entourage.

The creation of the Slavic state

The history of Rurik, described by Nestor, tells us that in 862 the tribes known as the Chud, all Krivichi and Ilmen Slavs, despaired of establishing order in their own lands. For this purpose they invited the Vikings from Scandinavia to take princes from them. It turned out to be the legendary Prince Rurik. His biography begins with the fact that when he arrived in Novgorod and established his reign there, he managed to collect many scattered lands lying along the Volkhov. Subsequently, he managed to create a powerful state for those times, combining Novgorod and Kievan Rus.

Riddles connected with the appearance of Rurik in Russia

The question of how historically credible the version of his appearance in Russia, called "The Calling of the Varangians", is the subject of scholarly discussions. There are skeptics who are inclined to believe that in fact there was a military invasion of the Scandinavians, who seized power in the Novgorod lands and became rulers there. The Chronicler, in two centuries, simply wrapped his narrative about these events in a form that does not offend the national dignity of the Russians. However, this is only one of the possible options, traditionally, we adhere to the version stated in the "Tale of Bygone Years."

Nestor tells us that along with Rurik came his younger brothers - Sineus and Truvor, who became rulers of Beloozero and Izborsk. However, two years later they died, and all power was in the hands of the founder of Russia. That's another mystery - why suddenly died? Perhaps their death was quite natural - in olden times human life was short, or maybe they claimed the supreme power, which in history often ended in an early funeral. Having become the sole ruler, Rurik sent his people to reign in all the major cities, such as Polotsk, Rostov, Beloozero and others.

Revolt of the Novgorodians

In one of the largest written monuments of the 16th century - the Nikon Chronicle (a later list with Nestor) - it is said that Rurik's policy was not at all appealing to all Novgorodians, and they once staged a riot, for the suppression of which they had to use military force. Mentioned in this document and the murder of one of the instigators of unrest, a certain Vadim the Brave.

First Rurikovich

Proknyazhiv seventeen years, the founder of Russia dies, initiating a large dynasty, which ruled until the end of the XVI century. The young prince Igor grew up under the tutelage of the closest associate of his father, perhaps even a relative - a voevoda named Oleg. The name of his mother, the Norwegian princess Efanda, is also preserved. How many children Rurik had, it is not known, but according to the customs of those years, rulers and generally wealthy people, as a rule, owned whole harems. So he probably had a lot of children, but only one thing was left.

The first Ryurikovich went down in history as the prince of Kiev, the husband of the founder of Christianity in Russia - the holy princess Olga, who ruled after his death. Igor was famous for his numerous military campaigns, in one of which he reached Byzantium in 944, however, his luck left him, and he was defeated. Igor died the following year, collecting tribute from the tribes under his control. Members of one of them - Drevlyane, - outraged by excessive bribes, killed the prince's squad, and he himself was betrayed by a cruel death.

The era of Rurik - the starting point of the history of Russia

In those old times, many lucky adventurers, the Varangians, were looking for happiness in the vast Russian lands. They were attracted there by an irrepressible thirst for enrichment. After the passage of time, the memory of them erased from the pages of history, leaving only the names of people with outstanding state abilities, one of which was Rurik.

His biography is both a documentary chronicle and a poetic legend. In recent years, there has been a special interest in the society for the past of our Motherland and for the lives of those people whose names are inextricably linked with it. Among them, Rurik occupies a special place.

The years of his reign have become the starting point of the history of Russia, therefore everything connected with it is expensive for every patriot of our country.