The history of Ancient Russia is very interesting for posterity. She reached the modern generation in the form of myths, legends and annals. The Rurikovich family tree with the dates of reign, its scheme exists in many historical books. The earlier the description, the more reliable the story. The dynasties that ruled, starting with Prince Rurik, contributed to the formation of statehood, the unification of all Slavic tribes and principalities into a single strong state.
The pedigree of the Rurikovich presented to readers is a vivid confirmation of this. How many legendary personalities who created the future of Russia are represented in this tree! How did the dynasty begin? Who was Rurik by origin?
Grandchildren Invitation
There are many legends about the appearance of Varangian Rurik in Russia. Some historians consider him a Scandinavian, others - a Slav. But the best story about this event is “Tales of Bygone Years”, left by the chronicler Nestor. From his story it follows that Rurik, Sineus and Truvor are the grandchildren of the Novgorod prince Gostomysl.
The prince lost all his four sons in battle, he had only three daughters left. One of them was married to a Varangian-Ross and gave birth to three sons. It was them, their grandchildren, that Gostomysl called to reign in Novgorod. Rurik became Prince of Novgorod, Sineus went to Beloozero, and Truvor to Izborsk. Three brothers became the first tribe, and the Rurikovich family tree began with them. It was 862 AD. The dynasty was in power until 1598, ruled the country for 736 years.
Second knee
Prince of Novgorod Rurik ruled until 879. He died, leaving in his arms Oleg, a relative on the line of his wife, his son Igor, a representative of the second tribe. While Igor was growing up, Oleg reigned in Novgorod, who during the reign conquered the Principality of Kiev and called Kiev “the mother of Russian cities”, established diplomatic relations with Byzantium.
After Oleg’s death, in 912, Igor began to reign, the rightful heir to the Rurikovich family. He died in 945, leaving his sons: Svyatoslav and Gleb. There are many historical documents and books that describe the pedigree of the Rurikovich with the dates of reign. The outline of their family tree looks like the one on the left.
It can be seen from this scheme that the genus branches and grows gradually. Especially from Vladimir I Svyatoslavovich. From his son, Yaroslav the Wise, offspring appeared, which was of great importance in the formation of Russia.
Princess Olga and the heirs
In the year of the death of Prince Igor Svyatoslav was only three years old. Therefore, his mother, Princess Olga, began to rule the principality. When he grew up, he was more attracted to military campaigns, rather than reigning. On a campaign in the Balkans, in 972, he was killed. Three sons remained his heirs: Yaropolk, Oleg and Vladimir. Immediately after the death of his father, Yaropolk became the prince of Kiev. Autocracy was his desire, and he began to openly fight against his brother Oleg. The pedigree of the Rurikovich with the dates of government suggests that Vladimir Svyatoslavovich still became the head of the Principality of Kiev.
When Oleg died, Vladimir first fled to Europe, but after 2 years he returned with a squad and killed Yaropolk, thus becoming the Grand Prince of Kiev. During his campaigns in Byzantium, Prince Vladimir became a Christian. In 988, he baptized the inhabitants of Kiev in the Dnieper, built churches and cathedrals, and contributed to the spread of Christianity in Russia.
The people gave him the name Vladimir Krasnoy Solnyshko, and his reign lasted until 1015. The church honors him saints for the baptism of Russia. The Grand Prince of Kiev Vladimir Svyatoslavovich had sons: Svyatopolk, Izyaslav, Sudislav, Vysheslav, Pozvizd, Vsevolod, Stanislav, Yaroslav, Mstislav, Svyatoslav and Gleb.
Descendants of Rurik
There is a detailed pedigree of the Rurikovich with dates of their lives and periods of rule. Following Vladimir, Svyatopolk, who is popularly called the Accursed, stood up for the principality for the murder of his brothers. His reign did not last long - in 1015, with a break, and from 1017 to 1019.
Yaroslav Vladimirovich the Wise ruled from 1015 to 1017 and from 1019 to 1024. Then there were 12 years of rule together with Mstislav Vladimirovich: from 1024 to 1036, and then from 1036 to 1054.
From 1054 to 1068, this was the period of the principality of Izyaslav Yaroslavovich. Further, the family tree of the Rurikovich, the scheme of government of their descendants, expands. Some of the representatives of the dynasty were in power for very short periods and did not have time to commit outstanding acts. But many (such as Yaroslav the Wise or Vladimir Monomakh) left their mark on the life of Russia.
Family tree of Rurikovich: continuation
The Grand Duke of Kiev Vsevolod Yaroslavovich entered the Principality in 1078 and continued it until 1093. There are many princes in the dynasty’s pedigree who were remembered for their exploits in battles: such was Alexander Nevsky. But his rule was later, during the invasion of Russia by the Mongol-Tatars. And before him, the Principality of Kiev was ruled by: Vladimir Monomakh - from 1113 to 1125, Mstislav - from 1125 to 1132, Yaropolk - from 1132 to 1139. Yuri Dolgoruky, who became the founder of Moscow, reigned between 1125 and 1157.
The family tree of the Rurikovich is voluminous and deserves a very careful study. It is impossible to pass by such famous names as John "Kalita", Dmitry "Donskoy", who reigned in the period from 1362 to 1389. Contemporaries always associate the name of this prince with his victory on the Kulikovo field. After all, it was a turning point that laid the foundation for the “end” of the Tatar-Mongol yoke. But Dmitry Donskoy was not only remembered for this: his domestic policy was aimed at uniting the principalities. It was during his reign that Moscow became the central place of Russia.
Fedor Ioannovich - the last of the dynasty
The Rurikovich family tree, a scheme with dates, indicates that the dynasty ended with the reign of the Tsar of Moscow and all Russia - Fedor Ioannovich. He ruled in the period from 1584 to 1589. But his power was nominal: by nature he was not a sovereign, and the State Duma ruled the country. But nevertheless during this period peasants were attached to the land, which is considered a merit of the reign of Fedor Ivanovich.
The year 1589 broke the genealogy of the Rurikovich, the scheme of which is shown above in the article. For more than 700 years, the formation of Russia has been going on, the terrible yoke has been overcome, the principalities and the entire East Slavic people have united. Next, on the threshold of history is the new royal dynasty - the Romanovs.