The Rurikovichs, whose family tree numbers nearly twenty tribes of the rulers of Russia, descend from Rurik. This historical character was born presumably between the years 806 and 808 in the city of Rerik (Rarog). In 808, when Rurik was 1-2 years old, the Danish king Gottfried took possession of his father, Godolyub, and the future Russian prince became half an orphan. Together with his mother Umila, he was in a foreign land. And his childhood is not mentioned anywhere. It is assumed that he spent them in Slavic lands. There is information that in 826 he arrived at the court of the Frankish king, where he received a allotment of land "beyond the Elbe", in fact the land of his murdered father, but as a vassal of the Frankish ruler. In the same period, Rurik was supposedly baptized. Later, after the deprivation of these allotments, Rurik entered the Varangian squad and fought in Europe, not at all as an exemplary Christian.
Prince Gostomysl saw a future dynasty in a dream
Rurikovich, whose family tree was seen as legend says, in a dream, Rurik’s grandfather (Umila’s father) made a decisive contribution to the development of Russia and the Russian state, as they ruled from 862 to 1598. The prophetic dream of the old Gostomysl, ruler of Novgorod, showed it is just that from the "womb of his daughter will grow a wonderful tree that will saturate people in his lands." This was another “plus” in favor of inviting Rurik with his strong squad at a time when civil strife was observed in the Novgorod lands, and the people suffered from the attack of outside tribes.
Rurik's foreign origin may be challenged
Thus, it can be argued that the genealogical tree of the Rurikovich dynasty did not begin with foreigners, but with a person who, by blood, belonged to the Novgorod nobility, who had fought in other countries for many years, had his own squad and age allowed to lead the people. At the time of the invitation of Rurik to Novgorod in 862, he was about 50 years old - the age at that time was quite respectable.
Was the tree based on family ties with Norway?
How then was the Rurik family tree formed? A complete picture of this is given in the review image. After the death of the first ruler of Russia from this dynasty (the fact that there were rulers in Russian lands before him, the Book of Veles testifies), power passed to his son Igor. However, due to the young age of the new ruler, his guardian was, what is allowed, Oleg ("Prophetic"), who was the brother of Rurik's wife - Efanda. The latter was a relative of the kings of Norway.
Princess Olga was co-ruler of Russia with her son Svyatoslav
Rurik's only son, Igor, born in 877 and killed by the Drevlyans in 945, is known for pacifying his subordinate tribes, going to Italy (along with the Greek fleet), trying to take Constantinople from a fleet of ten thousand ships, was the first military commander Rus, who faced the Greek fire in battle and from whom he fled in horror. His wife, Princess Olga, who married Igor from Pskov (or Pleskova, which may indicate the Bulgarian city of Pliskuvot), brutally avenged the Drevlyan tribes who had destroyed her husband, and became the ruler of Russia while Igor's son, Svyatoslav, was growing up. However, after the coming of age of her offspring, Olga also remained the ruler, since Svyatoslav was mainly engaged in military campaigns and remained in history as a great commander and conqueror.
The genealogical tree of the Rurik dynasty, in addition to the main ruling line, consisted of many branches, which became famous for unseemly deeds. For example, the son of Svyatoslav, Yaropolk, fought against his brother Oleg, who was killed in battle. His own son from the Byzantine princess, Svyatopolk the Cursed, was something like the biblical Cain, because he killed the sons of Vladimir (another son of Svyatoslav) - Boris and Gleb, who were his brothers in his adoptive father. Another son of Vladimir, Yaroslav the Wise, dealt with Svyatopolk himself and became the Prince of Kiev.
Bloody feuds and marriages with all of Europe
It can be safely stated that the Rurik family tree was partially “saturated” with bloody events. The diagram shows that the reigning Yaroslav the Wise from his alleged second marriage with Ingigerda (daughter of the Swedish king) had many children, including six sons who were rulers of various Russian destinies and married foreign princesses (Greek, Polish). And the three daughters who became queens of Hungary, Sweden and France also through marriage. In addition, Yaroslav is credited with the presence of the seventh son from his first wife, who was taken to Polish captivity from Kiev (Anna, son Ilya), as well as the daughter of Agatha, who, presumably, could be the wife of the heir to the throne of England, Edward (the Exile).
Perhaps the remoteness of the sisters and interstate marriages somewhat reduced the struggle for power in this generation of the Rurikovich, since most of the time in Kiev, the reign of Yaroslav's son - Izyaslav - was accompanied by a peaceful division of his power with his brothers Vsevolod and Svyatoslav (the triumvirate of Yaroslavovich). However, this ruler of Russia was killed in battle against his own nephews. And the father of the next famous ruler of the Russian state, Vladimir Monomakh, was Vsevolod, married to the daughter of the Byzantine emperor Konstantin Monomakh the Ninth.
There were rulers with fourteen children in the Rurikovich family!
The family tree of the Rurikovich with dates shows us that this outstanding dynasty was continued for many years by the descendants of Vladimir Monomakh, while the genealogies of the remaining grandchildren of Yaroslav the Wise ceased in the next hundred and fifty years. According to historians, Prince Vladimir had twelve children from two wives, the first of whom was an English princess in exile, and the second, presumably, was Greek. Of these numerous offspring at reign in Kiev were: Mstislav (until 1125), Yaropolk, Vyacheslav and Yuri Vladimirovich (Dolgoruky). The latter was also fertile and gave birth to fourteen children from two wives, including Vsevolod the Third (Big Nest), nicknamed again, because of the large number of offspring - eight sons and four daughters.
What famous Rurikovich do we know? The family tree, which extends further from Vsevolod the Big Nest, contains such eminent names as Alexander Nevsky (grandson of Vsevolod, son of Yaroslav the Second), St. Michael the Second (canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church in connection with the incorrupt relics of the murdered prince), John Kalita, who gave birth to John Krotsky , which, in turn, was born Dmitry Donskoy.
Terrible representatives of the dynasty
Rurikovich, whose family tree ceased to exist at the end of the 16th century (1598), included in their ranks the great Tsar John the Fourth, Grozny. This ruler strengthened the autocratic power and significantly expanded the territory of Russia through the annexation of the Volga, Pyatigory, Siberian, Kazan and Astrakhan kingdoms. He had eight wives, who bore him five sons and three daughters, including his successor on the throne of Fedor (Blessed). This son of John was believed to be in poor health and possibly intelligence. He was more interested in prayers, ringing bells, stories of jesters, than power. Therefore, during his reign, power belonged to his brother-in-law, Boris Godunov. And subsequently, after the death of Fedor, they completely switched over to this statesman.
The first of the Romanov reigns was a relative of the last Rurikovich?
The family tree of the Rurikovich and Romanovs, however, has some points of contact, despite the fact that the only daughter of Fedor the Blessed died at the age of 9 months, around 1592-1594. Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov - the first Russian Tsar of the new dynasty, was crowned in 1613 by the Zemsky Cathedral, and came from the family of the boyar Fedor Romanov (later - Patriarch Filaret) and the noblewoman Ksenia Shestova. He was a cousin of his nephew Fyodor Ioannovich (Blessed), so we can say that the Romanov dynasty to some extent continues the Rurik dynasty.