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 have been trying to find for more than one century. The information that they have is obtained mainly from the chronicle of the XII century, known as the "Tale of Bygone Years." Its compiler is traditionally considered the monk of the Kiev Pechersk Monastery Nestor, canonized by the Orthodox Church in the guise of saints.
Rurik. A biography full of mysteries
In disputes about the origin of the prince, scientists were divided into several groups. These are mainly supporters of his Scandinavian origin and those who consider him to be from the Western Slav tribe - encouraged, who once lived in the lower reaches of the Elbe and in the north-eastern part of modern Saxony. One of the hypotheses, expressed back in the 19th 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 emerged was called "Rus." This further determined the name of the state, the basis of which is attributed to him, 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. We can only say with a certain degree of certainty that the Rus constituted the top of the created state and were the closest circle of the prince.
Creation of a Slavic state
The story of Rurik, described by Nestor, tells that in 862 the tribes, known as the Chud, the whole, Krivichi and Ilmen Slavs, despaired of putting order in their lands on their own. For this purpose, they invited to reign the Vikings - a native of Scandinavia. It turned out to be the legendary Prince Rurik. His biography begins with the fact that, having arrived in Novgorod and establishing his rule there, he managed to collect many disparate lands lying along Volkhov. Subsequently, he managed to create a powerful state at that time, uniting Novgorod and Kievan Rus.
Riddles associated with the appearance of Rurik in Russia
The question of how historically reliable is the version of its appearance in Russia, called the "Calling of the Varangians", is the subject of scientific 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. Two centuries later, the chronicler simply clothed his narrative of 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 set forth in the "Tale of Bygone Years".
Nestor talks about the fact that along with Rurik his younger brothers arrived - Sineus and Truvor, who became the rulers of Beloozero and Izborsk. However, two years later they died, and all power was in the hands of the founder of Russia. Here is another riddle - why did they suddenly die? Perhaps their death was quite natural - in ancient times, human life was short, or maybe they claimed supreme power, which in history often ended in an early funeral. Having become the sole ruler, Rurik sent his people to reign in all major cities, such as Polotsk, Rostov, Belozero and others.
The riot of Novgorod
In one of the largest written monuments of the 16th century - the Nikon Chronicle (a later list from Nestor) - it is said that not all Novgorodians liked the policy of Rurik, and they once staged a riot, to suppress which it was necessary to use military force. This document also mentions the murder of one of the instigators of unrest, a certain Vadim the Brave.
First Rurikovich
Having proceeded for seventeen years, the founder of Russia dies, laying the foundation of a large dynasty that ruled until the end of the 16th century. The young prince Igor grew up under the tutelage of his father’s closest associate, possibly even a relative — a voivode named Oleg. The name of his mother, the Norwegian princess Efanda, has also been preserved. It is not known how many children Rurik had in total, but according to the customs of those years, rulers and generally wealthy people owned, as a rule, whole harems. So he probably had a lot of children, but only one was preserved.
The first Rurikovich went down in history as the Kiev prince, the husband of the founder of Christianity in Russia - the holy princess Olga, who ruled after his death. Igor became famous for his numerous military campaigns, in one of which he reached Byzantium in 944, however, luck left him on this, and he was defeated. Igor died the next year, collecting tribute from the tribes subject to him. The members of one of them - Drevlyans - indignant at excessive requisitions, killed the prince's retinue, and put him to death by fierce death.
The era of Rurik - the starting point of the history of Russia
In those ancient times, many successful Varangian adventurers sought happiness in vast Russian lands. They were attracted there by an irrepressible thirst for enrichment. Over the centuries, the memory of them has been 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, in society there has been a special interest in the past of our Motherland and in the life of those people whose names are inextricably linked with it. Among them, a special place is occupied by Rurik.
The years of his reign became the starting point of the history of Russia, so everything that is connected with him is expensive for every patriot of our country.