Signs and superstitions 

Significance of the emergence of a single ancient Russian state. The theory of formation of the ancient Russian state. What have we learned

Formation and development of the Old Russian state (IX-XII centuries)

Slavs- the largest group of related peoples in Europe, united by the proximity of languages ​​\u200b\u200band common origin.

The ancestors of the Slavs belonged to the ancient Indo-European family of peoples, who in the IV-III millennium BC. settled on the vast territory of the European continent - from Europe to India.

The ancient Slavs inhabited Central and Eastern Europe between the Vistula and Dnieper rivers, the foothills of the Carpathians, advanced to the Danube, to the Balkans. Subsequently, they occupied territories from the Elbe and Oder rivers in the west, in the Vistula basin, in the Upper Dnieper and to the Middle Dnieper in the east. While the Slavs lived together between the Vistula and the Dnieper, they spoke the same language, understandable to all the ancient Slavs. However, as they settled, they became more and more distant from each other in terms of language and culture. Later, the Slavic massif was divided into three branches on the basis of which modern nations were formed:

● Western Slavs - Poles, Czechs, Slovaks;

● Southern Slavs - Bulgarians, Serbs, Croats, Macedonians, Montenegrins, Bosnians;

● Eastern Slavs - Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians.

The neighbors of the Eastern Slavs were the Jewish Khazars, who created the state of the Khazar Khaganate, the Christian Greeks (inhabitants of Byzantium) and the Muslim Bulgars (Volga Bulgaria).

7th–8th centuries - the decomposition of the tribal system and the formation of large tribal unions, which preceded the emergence of the state among the Eastern Slavs. Tribal unions (names are associated with places of settlement): Polyany (Kyiv), Drevlyans, Dryagovichi, Krivichi (Smolensk), Ilmen Slavs (Novgorod), etc.

The basis of the economy is agriculture (fallow and slash-and-burn), cattle breeding, hunting (obtaining furs), beekeeping, fishing, military affairs and various types of crafts.

Kievan Rus- a state of East Slavic tribes with a center in Kyiv, which existed from the end of the 9th century. (882) to the 30s. 12th century (1132).

The main theories of the formation of the ancient Russian state



Statehood among the Eastern Slavs begins to form in the 7th-8th centuries, when there is a transition from a tribal community to a neighboring community and property inequality develops.

By the end of the 8th century two main Russian centers of statehood were determined - Kyiv And Novgorod. The southern center was stronger, where the Glade tribe dominated. But it so happened that the northern center, Novgorod, united the Eastern Slavs.

On the issue of the formation of the Old Russian state in Russian science since the 18th century. There are two main theories: Norman And anti-Norman.

Norman theory was created by the German scientists Bayer, Miller and Schlozer, who were invited to work in Russia in the 18th century. Its essence is as follows: the founders of the ancient Russian state were Normans(Varangians, Vikings) - immigrants from Scandinavia, the ancestors of modern Finns, Swedes, Norwegians, because. the Slavs themselves were not capable of creating their own statehood.

The basis for this theory was the episode described in the ancient Russian chronicle

"The Tale of Bygone Years" written by a monk of the Kiev Caves Monastery Nestor, about

the legendary calling of the Varangians to Novgorod:

At the end of the 8th century the Germanic peoples of the Scandinavian Peninsula began to attack the countries of Europe. They were called Normans, i.e. "northern peoples". They were excellent sailors, warriors (hence the name "Varangians"). They appeared at the borders


Slavic lands, and then along the Slavic rivers - "the path from the Varangians to the rivers"- reached Byzantium, where they were engaged in trade and military service.

At the end of the ninth century Novgorod Slavs began a period of struggle for power among the nobility. And then, tired of civil strife, the Novgorodians decided to find themselves a prince who would arrange a fair order for them (the people's assembly, the veche, played an important role in the Novgorod system of government). In the chronicle, Nestor writes that in 862 in response to the message of the Novgorodians with the words: “Our land is great and plentiful, but there is no order in it. Come reign and rule over us," responded the three Varangian brothers - Rurik, Sineus And Truvor. However, there is a version that the words

“Sineus” and “Truvor” are translated as “with a house” and “with a squad”, and, therefore, not three brothers came to Novgorod, but Rurik with his family and military force. Rurik himself, although not indisputably, is considered by historians to be a real historical person.

When Rurik reigned in Novgorod, two of his combatants - Askold And Deer- decided to raid Byzantium. Descending along the Dnieper, they and their squads approached Kiev, the center of the Polyan tribe, who during this period paid tribute to the nomadic Khazars. Askold and Dir, having defeated the Khazars and defended Kyiv, began to rule over the tribe of Polyans.

After the death of Rurik in 879 his relative or combatant became the prince in Novgorod Oleg(he was considered a sorcerer and even nicknamed "Prophetic", which meant "a sorcerer who knows and predicts the future"), since Rurik's son Igor was still a child.

Oleg decided to unite all the most important cities along the great waterway "from the Varangians to the Greeks." IN 882, taking with him the young Igor, he moved south and eventually approached Kiev. Having deceived Askold and Dir from the city, Oleg killed them under the pretext that they

“not princes and not princely family”, and with him was the rightful heir of Rurik. Kyiv, which Oleg really liked, became his new residence and was called "the mother of Russian cities." Thus, the unification of the two centers of the Eastern Slavs and the formation of the Old Russian state took place.

Thus, on the basis of this chronicle story, Norman scholars believed that the state power among the Eastern Slavs arose exclusively thanks to the Varangians, the main of which were Rurik, Oleg, Askold and Dir.

Against the Norman theory M.V. Lomonosov put forward anti-Norman theory, according to which statehood among the Eastern Slavs arose as a result of the internal development of Slavic society, and the influence of the Varangians on this process was minimal.

The correctness of this theory is confirmed by a number of facts:

Firstly, the state is not an object of export or import, but a natural result of the centuries-old historical path of the people. A state cannot arise from scratch, where the conditions and prerequisites have not yet been formed, by the will of one person.

Secondly, even proceeding from the logic of the chronicle itself, it should be noted that in order to invite to reign, it is necessary to already have this form of power.

Thirdly, as evidenced by archaeological sources, the Varangians still constituted a smaller part of the emerging ruling class.

Fourth, already in the 7th–8th centuries, i.e. before the advent of the Varangians, in the Slavic society there was a process of decomposition of the tribal system and the appearance of signs of feudalism. In addition, the socio-economic level of the Slavs was higher than that of the Varangians.

However, M.V. Lomonosov wrongly denied the influence of the Varangians on the process of state formation among the Eastern Slavs.

Modern view on the designated problem boils down to the following: the state of the Eastern Slavs was formed due to the internal development of Slavic society, and the Varangians were the accelerators of this process. The Varangians were indeed invited to Novgorod in order to reconcile the factions of the local nobility fighting for power. This practice of inviting a king or prince to rule was very common in Europe and, as a rule, took place peacefully. But the calling of the Varangians could not be the beginning of Russian statehood, since the formation of the state is still the result of lengthy internal processes in society, and it cannot be introduced from outside. The speech could be


only about foundation in Novgorod of the princely dynasty of Rurikovich. The Varangians soon became glorified, their military retinue nobility merged with the local nobility. And the Russian tsars up to Fedor Ivanovich (1584–1598) called themselves Rurikovich. It was first ruling dynasty in Russia (862–1598).

Having considered above various theories of the origin of the state, let us dwell briefly on the features of the origin of the state in our country. From the beginning of the 18th century to the present day, two fundamental views on the emergence of the Old Russian state have dominated Russian science. One of them proceeds from the fact that the state in Russia naturally arose due to internal historical development, the other (called "Norman") - that the Scandinavian Vikings (Varangians) brought statehood to ancient Russian land. In this way. According to the first point of view, the Russian state was primary, and the second - secondary.

The first ("national") theory claims that "military democracy" developed until the 9th century, then in Russia there is a gradual formation of state institutions. It is important for us that by the 9th century, on the territory of the future Russia, political formations of a pro-state type already existed. The formation of property inequality and private property is very important, insofar as it thereby achieves the possibility of collecting taxes in favor of the state in the presence of a layer of wealthy individuals for management. In the undated part of The Tale of Bygone Years, it is told that three brothers - Kyi, Shchek and Khoriv - formed a city in honor of Kyi on the banks of the Dnieper. The position of “Kiya is special, he personified “his city” in international negotiations, “went to the Tsar-city” and “received great honor.” At this time, the old organization was replaced by a new government, the chronicle calls it reigning. the death of the Kiya brothers, their descendants began to reign among the glades, and the Drevlyans had their own reign, and the Dregovichi had their own ... ”In the 7th century in the territory of future Russia there were stable political formations of the pre-state type: Kuyavia, Slavia, Artania (Kyiv, Novgorod , possibly Tmutarakan). In 862, "Rurik was strengthened in the Novgorod principality. In 882, as a result of a military campaign against Kyiv, Northern and Southern Russia were united into a single principality. In the tenth century, the hereditary transfer of the princely table was finally realized, and around Kyiv, the main massifs of East Slavic lands are united, reforms are actively carried out to strengthen statehood, and the state order as a whole dominates.

The development of the Slavic tribes in the IX century. presented in the annals in such a way that it already requires state registration. Not only the Slavic, but also the surrounding Finnish, Turkic, and Scandinavian peoples were drawn into these processes. The stabilization of the supreme power among the Eastern Slavs is connected with the chronicle story about the “calling of the Varangians and the founding of the Rurik dynasty”, which is based on some real events far from us. An annalistic passage about this, called by the annals “the legend of the vocation”, is placed in the “Tale of Bygone Years” under 859. The annals say: “In 6367 (in 859, according to your calculation), the Vikings took tribute from overseas on the Chudi on the Slavs, on measure, on weight and on krivichi. And the Khazars had a tribute in the glades, in the northerners and in the Vyatichi, they took a white string from a melon ”(most likely, on the skin of a fur-bearing animal). On the vast territory of the future Russia, "tribute taxation" of various tribes became more active. This went on for several years. But in 6371) (862), the Slavs “expelled the Varangians across the sea and did not give them tribute, they began to control themselves; and there was no truth among them, clan rebelled, there was strife, they began to fight among themselves. Then they decided: "Let's look for a prince to own us and judge by right." They went across the sea, to the Varangians, to Russia. Those Varangians were called Rus, as others are called Swedes, Germans, English, and others Goths, so here. The Slavic tribes said: "Our giant land is plentiful, but there is no outfit (power) in it. Come reign and rule over us." Three brothers were chosen with their families, they took all of Russia with them and came; the oldest Rurik "sat in Novgorod, Sineus on Beloozero, and the third, Truvor, in Izborsk." After that, stability in the state was restored. Modern resonant research shows that things were not so peaceful, the new dynasty was established in military conflicts. Now scientists are arguing about why the Varangians are called Rus. Some explain this by later insertions of chroniclers, others by kinship with the Russian dynasty, and so on. The calling of the three brothers is considered by some researchers as a similar legend about the three brothers Kyi, Shchek, Khoriv, ​​in the southern version, the founders of Kyiv; based on this chronicle passage in the 17th century. the "Norman theory" was created.

"Norman theory" and its criticism. The calling of the Varangians was considered by Russian chroniclers from high civic positions - as the emergence of national power and the beginning of civil peace. In 1724, Peter 1 founded the Academy; Sciences, where foreign scientists were invited, including; who were the founders of Normanism. Losle death of Peter 1 in January 1725, the Russian throne became the object of the struggle of the heirs. With its occupation by Anna Ivanovna (1730), the nobility poured from Courland, thirsting for ranks and money, and not for serving Russia. Under her favorite Biron, the Academy of Sciences became a stronghold of ideological reaction. There were conditions for a biased interpretation of Russia's past. In the works of Bayer, head of the department of history, it was said that the Russians owe the emergence of the state to the Varangians. This statement undermined the national dignity of the Russians who defeated Sweden in the Northern War, and the Swedes were descendants of the Normans. In the future, the ideas of Normanism were developed by Miller and Schletser. However, they also did a lot of useful things for the historical science of Russia: they wrote books about it, studied chronicles, and collected sources. Schlozer gave a complete look to Normanism as a system of theoretical views, biased and exaggeratedly interpreting the importance of the Normans in the formation of Ancient Russia. In the future, almost all Russian scientists, from Lomonosov to Klyuchevsky, dealt with the problem of the Varangians, and each contributed something of his own, and everyone was mistaken in something. The theory was overgrown with facts, became more complicated, modernized. Criticism of the Norman theory is carried out in the following areas. It is impossible to deny the presence of an ethnically alien dynasty in Ancient Russia. But the question of the dynasty should not absorb the question of the state. The latter is a product of internal development among all peoples and is not introduced from outside. Productive forces and legal consciousness among the Slavs in the 9th century. were more developed than the Scandinavians. The theses about the Norman colonization of the territory of Russia are untenable, since the excavations: contain an insignificant percentage of Scandinavian objects. The written sources are also silent about this.

The moment of the emergence of the Old Russian state cannot be determined with sufficient accuracy. However, most authors agree that the emergence of the Old Russian state should be attributed to the 9th century.

The so-called Norman theory tells how this state was formed. the most ancient chronicle "The Tale of Bygone Years". makes it clear that in the ninth century. our ancestors lived in conditions of statelessness, although this is not directly mentioned in the Tale. We are only talking about the fact that the southern Slavic tribes paid tribute to the Khazars, and the northern ones paid tribute to the Varangians, that the northern tribes once drove the Varangians away, but then changed their minds and called on the Varangian princes. This decision was due to the fact that the Slavs quarreled among themselves and decided to turn to foreign princes to establish order. . The Varangian princes came to Russia and in 862 sat on the thrones: Rurik - in Novgorod, Truvor - in Izborsk (near Pskov), Sineus - in Beloozero. This event was considered to be the moment of the formation of the Russian state.

The chronicle says that the statehood of the Eastern Slavs existed even before the Varangians. Secondly, the state cannot organize one person or several even the most prominent men. The state is the product of a complex and long development of the social structure of society. Nevertheless, the annalistic mention in a certain sense was adopted as early as the 18th century. Thus was born the notorious Norman theory of the origin of the Old Russian state. The main refutation of the Norman theory is the rather high level of social and political development of the Eastern Slavs in the 9th century. The ancient Russian state was prepared by the centuries-old development of the Eastern Slavs. In terms of their economic and political level, the Slavs stood above the Varangians, so they could not borrow state experience from the newcomers.

We do not know exactly when and how exactly the first principalities of the Eastern Slavs arose, preceding the formation of the Old Russian state, but in any case they existed until 862, before the notorious "calling of the Varangians." In the German chronicle, since 839, the Russian princes are called Khakans - kings.

But the moment of the unification of the East Slavic lands into one state is known for certain. In 882, Prince Oleg of Novgorod captured Kyiv and united the two most important groups of Russian lands; then he managed to annex the rest of the Russian lands, creating a huge state for those times.

The Russian Orthodox Church is trying to link the emergence of statehood in Russia with the introduction of Christianity.

Of course, the baptism of Russia was of great importance for strengthening the feudal state, since the church sanctified the subordination of Christians to the exploiting state. However, the baptism took place no less than a century after the formation of the Kievan state, not to mention the earlier East Slavic states.

In addition to the Slavs, the Old Russian state also included some neighboring Finnish and Baltic tribes. This state, therefore, from the very beginning was ethnically heterogeneous. However, it was based on the ancient Russian nationality, which is the cradle of three Slavic peoples - Russians (Great Russians), Ukrainians and Belarusians.

3. State system of Kievan Rus.

The date of formation of the Old Russian state is conditionally considered to be 882, when Prince Oleg, who seized power in Novgorod after the death of Rurik, undertook a campaign against Kyiv. Having killed Askold and Dir, who reigned there, for the first time he united the northern and southern lands as part of a single state. Since the capital was moved from Novgorod to Kyiv, this state is often called Kievan Rus (Kiev Principality, Kyiv Khaganate).

social structure

The highest category is the PRINCES, from which the Grand Dukes stand out. The prince is chosen according to the family principle, based on seniority. BOYARS - noble people who had estates. They were divided by origin into the tribal boyars (in the past, the "old men of the city") and the service boyars (the top of the princely squad). They were about 1%.

The middle stratum of the population was represented by MERCHANTS and WEALTH CITIZENS in the cities and JUNIOR DRUZHINNIKI. 3%.

Dependent population: PEOPLE - all free population; SMERDY - semi-free population living on the lands of the prince and paying taxes; ZAKUPY - semi-free people working off debt (kupu); RYADOVICHI - working under a "row" - an agreement; Serfs - not free population, slaves. LETTERS - freed serfs. As a rule, prisoners of war, as well as those who fled or did not return the debt, were slaves; OUTSIDE - people who stand outside of society. The smerds who left the community became outcasts, later - the children of priests who did not learn to read and write, and the children of princes who did not receive a "table" before the death of their parent.

The Church is a separate structure, headed by a metropolitan, who was appointed by the Patriarch of Constantinople. Resolved the following issues: cases against religion; questions of morality and family relations. Only priests and members of their families, as well as the insane and outcasts, were judged by the church court.

Public administration

1. At the head of the state was the PRINCE, who belonged to the Rurik family. In the first century of the existence of Kievan Rus, the lands subject to Kiev were ruled by tribal princes, elected according to the tribal principle. Subsequently, they were forced out by the grand ducal dynasty. The power of the prince was not monarchical, since it was limited to the veche. For Russia, the redistribution of princely "tables" among the entire family of Rurikovich was characteristic (ladder system), when the eldest in the family ruled Kiev, the second in seniority ruled Novgorod, etc. In the event of the death of the Kiev prince, the entire staircase went up a step. This system very soon became extremely inconvenient due to the impossibility of establishing the seniority of one or another member of the genus. This led to continuous wars between the branches of the Rurikovich. Functions of the prince: - ensuring external security; issuing laws; the highest court; head of administration, Gatherings and the formation of a squad, the appointment of the head of the people's militia - thousandth. During the war, he commanded a squad and a militia.

2. The prince was nothing without a TEAM, consisting of professional soldiers. At first, the squad was united and fed at the court of the prince, later the senior squad was singled out, which included warriors who received land holdings - the boyars, and the younger squad, consisting of grids. The squad performed not only military, but also administrative and judicial functions. The senior warriors made up a permanent council under the prince. They went to war with their army. Junior combatants - youths - semi-free, dependent on the prince, were rewarded with money for their service.

3. The legacy of the primitive communal system was the veche, which met regularly in Novgorod and, in exceptional cases, in other cities. Resolved issues of reign, war and peace, the convocation of the people's militia. No law limited the competence of the veche. It solved the issues of reigning - vocation or exile, the question of war and peace, the right to gather the people's militia in a military campaign.

The population of the Old Russian state was subject to tribute. The collection of tribute was called polyudye. Every year in November, the prince with his retinue began to detour the territories subject to him. While collecting tribute, he carried out judicial functions.

In the cities there were tsarist officials who copied people “in number” for taxation of tribute - NUMBERS.

Since Russia was in vassal dependence on the Mongol-Tatars, Russian princes had to travel to the Horde to receive a LABEL - a khan's letter of ownership of any principality. The princes gave gifts for the label. During the erection to the princely throne, the presence of the Horde ambassador was obligatory.

Kievan Rus was not a centralized state. Like other states of the period of formation of feudal relations, for example, the empire of Charlemagne in Western Europe, the Old Russian state was "patchwork", it was inhabited by different tribes - glades, drevlyans, krivichi, dregovichi, etc. Local princes were obliged to participate with their army in campaigns Kiev princes, were present at the feudal congresses, some of them were members of the princely council. But with the development of feudal relations, the deepening of the process of feudalization, the ties between the local princes and the Kiev Grand Duke weakened more and more, and prerequisites for feudal fragmentation arose.

The state unity of Kievan Rus rested on the system of suzerainty-vassalage. The entire structure of the state rested on the ladder of the feudal hierarchy. A vassal depended on his lord, who depended on a larger lord or supreme overlord. Vassals were obliged to help their lord (to participate in his military expeditions and pay tribute to him). In turn, the seigneur was obliged to provide the vassal with land and protect him from the encroachments of neighbors and other oppressions. Within the limits of his possessions, the vassal had immunity. This meant that no one, including the overlord, could interfere in his internal affairs. The vassals of the Grand Duke were local princes, who had such immunity rights as the right to collect tribute and administer court with the receipt of appropriate income.

The Grand Duke stood at the head of the Old Russian state. He held the supreme legislative power. Known major laws issued by the Grand Dukes and bearing their names: the Charter of Vladimir, the Truth of Yaroslav, etc. The Grand Duke of Kyiv concentrated in his hands the executive power, being the head of the administration. He led the entire military organization of the ancient Russian state, personally led the army into battle. (Prince Vladimir Monomakh recalled at the end of his life about his 83 big campaigns). The grand dukes performed the external functions of the state not only by force of arms, but also through diplomacy. Ancient Russia stood at the European level of diplomatic art. She concluded various international treaties of a military and commercial nature, either orally or in writing. Diplomatic negotiations were conducted by the princes themselves; they also sometimes headed embassies sent to other countries.

Performed princes and judicial functions. The figure of the prince arose as a result of the evolution of the power that belonged to the tribal leader, but the princes of the period of military democracy were elected. Having become the head of state, the Grand Duke transfers his power by inheritance, in a direct descending line, that is, from father to son. Usually the princes were men, but an exception is known - Princess Olga.

Although the Grand Dukes were monarchs, yet they could not do without listening to the opinions of those close to them. So there was a council under the prince, which was not legally formalized in any way, but which had a serious influence on the monarch. The council included close associates of the Grand Duke, the top of his squad - princely men. Sometimes in the ancient Russian state feudal congresses were convened, in which large feudal lords took part. The congresses resolved inter-princely disputes and some other issues. It has been suggested in the literature that at one of these congresses the Truth of the Yaroslavichs, an important component of the Russian Truth, was adopted. There was also a veche in the Old Russian state, which grew out of the ancient people's assembly. His activity was especially high in Novgorod.

Scientists cannot say exactly when the Old Russian state appeared even in our time. Different groups of historians talk about many dates, but most of them agree on one thing: the appearance of Ancient Russia can be dated to the 9th century. That is why various theories of the origin of the ancient Russian state are widespread, each of which tries to prove its own version of the emergence of a great state.

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The emergence of the ancient Russian state briefly

As it is written in the world-famous Tale of Bygone Years, Rurik and his brothers were called to reign in Novgorod in 862. This date for many became the beginning of the countdown of the statehood of Ancient Russia. The Varangian princes sat on the thrones in Novgorod (Rurik), Izborsk (Truvor), in Belozero (Sineus). After some time, Rurik managed to unite the presented lands under a single authority.

Oleg, a prince from Novgorod, in 882 captured Kyiv to unite the most important groups of lands, and then annexed the rest of the territories. It was from that period that the lands of the Eastern Slavs united into a large state. In other words, the formation of the ancient Russian state dates back to the 9th century, according to most scientists.

The most common theories of the origin of the ancient Russian state

Norman theory

The Norman theory tells that the Varangians, who at one time were called to the throne, were able to organize the state. We are talking about the brothers that were mentioned above. It is worth noting that this theory originates in The Tale of Bygone Years. Why were the Varangians able to organize the state? The thing is that the Slavs allegedly quarreled among themselves, unable to come to a common decision. Representatives of the Norman theory say that the Russian rulers turned to foreign princes for help. It was in this way that the Vikings established the state system in Russia.

Anti-Norman theory

The anti-Norman theory says that the state of Ancient Russia appeared for other, more objective reasons. Many historical sources say that the statehood of the Eastern Slavs took place before the Varangians. At that period of historical development, the Normans were lower than the Slavs in terms of the level of political development. In addition, the state cannot arise in one day thanks to one person, it is the result of a long social phenomenon. Autochthonous (in other words, the Slavic theory) was developed thanks to its followers - N. Kostomarov, M. Grushevsky. The founder of this theory is the scientist M. Lomonosov.

Other notable theories

In addition to these most common theories, there are several more. Let's consider them in more detail.

The IRANO-SLAVIC THEORY of the emergence of the state suggests that there were 2 separate types of Russ in the world - the inhabitants of Rugen (Rus-encouraging), as well as the Black Sea Rus. Some Ilmenian Slovenes invited Russ-encouragers. The rapprochement of the Russ occurred precisely after the unification of the tribes into one state.

COMPROMISE theory in other words is called Slavic-Varangian. One of the first adopters of this approach to the formation of the Russian state was the historical figure Klyuchevsky. The historian singled out a certain urban area - an early local political form. We are talking about a trading district, which was ruled by a fortified city. He called the Varangian principalities the second local political form. After the unification of the Varangian principalities and the preservation of the independence of the city regions, another political form emerged, called the Grand Duchy of Kiev.

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In addition, there is a theory called the Indo-Iranian. This theory is based on the opinion that Rus and Rus are completely different nationalities that arose at different times.

Video: Rurik. History of Russian Goverment

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The prerequisites for the formation of the Old Russian state were the disintegration of tribal ties and the development of a new mode of production. The Old Russian state took shape in the process of development of feudal relations, the emergence of class contradictions and coercion.

Among the Slavs, a dominant layer was gradually formed, the basis of which was the military nobility of the Kiev princes - the squad. Already in the 9th century, strengthening the positions of their princes, the combatants firmly occupied a leading position in society.

It was in the 9th c. in Eastern Europe, two ethno-political associations were formed, which eventually became the basis of the state. It was formed as a result of the association of glades with the center in Kyiv.

Slavs, Krivichi and Finnish-speaking tribes united in the area of ​​​​Lake Ilmen (the center is in Novgorod). In the middle of the 9th c. Rurik (862-879), a native of Scandinavia, began to rule this association. Therefore, the year of formation of the Old Russian state is considered to be 862.

The presence of the Scandinavians (Varangians) on the territory of Russia is confirmed by archaeological excavations and records in the chronicles. In the 18th century German scientists G.F. Miller and G.Z. Bayer argued the Scandinavian theory of the formation of the Old Russian state (Rus).

M.V. Lomonosov, denying the Norman (Varangian) origin of statehood, associated the word "Rus" with the Sarmatians - Roxolans, the river Rosyu, flowing in the south.

Lomonosov, relying on The Tale of the Princes of Vladimir, argued that Rurik, being a native of Prussia, belonged to the Slavs, who were the Prussians. It was this "southern" anti-Norman theory of the formation of the Old Russian state that was supported and developed in the 19th-20th centuries. historian scholars.

The first mention of Russia is attested in the "Bavarian Chronograph" and refers to the period 811-821. In it, Russians are mentioned as a people in the composition inhabiting Eastern Europe. In the 9th c. Russia was perceived as an ethno-political formation on the territory of the glades and northerners.

Rurik, who took control of Novgorod, sent his retinue, led by Askold and Dir, to rule Kiev. Rurik's successor, the Varangian prince Oleg (879-912), who took possession of Smolensk and Lyubech, subjugated all the Krivichi to his power, in 882 he fraudulently lured Askold and Dir out of Kyiv and killed him. Having captured Kyiv, he managed to unite the two most important centers - Kyiv and Novgorod by the power of his power. Oleg subjugated the northerners and Radimichi.

In 907, Oleg, having gathered a huge army of Slavs and Finns, undertook a campaign against Tsargrad (Constantinople), the capital of the Byzantine Empire. The Russian squad devastated the surroundings, forced the Greeks to ask Oleg for peace and pay a huge tribute. The result of this campaign was very beneficial for Russia peace treaties with Byzantium, concluded in 907 and 911.

Oleg died in 912 and was succeeded by Igor (912-945), the son of Rurik. In 941, he made a campaign against Byzantium, which violated the previous agreement. Igor's army plundered the shores of Asia Minor, but was defeated in a naval battle. Then in 945, in alliance with the Pechenegs, Prince Igor undertook a new campaign against Constantinople and forced the Greeks to conclude a peace treaty again. In 945, while trying to collect a second tribute from the Drevlyans, Igor was killed.

Igor's widow - Princess Olga (945-957) - ruled the state for the infancy of her son Svyatoslav. She brutally avenged the murder of her husband by devastating the lands of the Drevlyans. Olga streamlined the size and places of tribute collection. In 955 she visited Constantinople and was baptized into Orthodoxy.

Svyatoslav (957-972) - the bravest and most influential of the princes, who subjugated the Vyatichi to his power. In 965, he inflicted a series of heavy defeats on the Khazars. Svyatoslav defeated the North Caucasian tribes, as well as the Volga Bulgarians, and plundered their capital, the Bulgars. The Byzantine government sought an alliance with him to fight external enemies.

Kyiv and Novgorod became the center of formation of the Old Russian state, East Slavic tribes, northern and southern, united around them. In the 9th c. both of these groups formed the Old Russian state, which went down in history as Russia.