We learn about the life of the first rulers in Russia from the most ancient of the surviving chronicles “The Tale of Bygone Years”. The activities of the first Russian princes are directly related to the emergence of an independent Old Russian state. Today, a huge number of specialists in this field and enthusiasts who are simply interested in historical knowledge are engaged in studying the history of our country. The history of Russia is quite interesting, every year it reveals more and more secrets to us and presents more and more mysteries.
According to the Tale, Old Russian princes originate from the Rurik dynasty, the ancestor of which is Rurik, who was invited to the Russian lands by Ilmen Slovenes in 862. The first place of settlement and rule of Rurik was Ladoga, then his power spread to all Novgorod lands.
The average life expectancy of men of the ninth century was no more than 35 years, this is mainly due to the rapid change of managers in Russia. When dying, the ruler transferred his authority to a close relative or a faithful soldier of his retinue. A little later, the reins of government, the first Russian princes began to pass on to their sons.
At present, it is not known for certain whether the second prince in Russia was a blood relative of Rurik, his rule had a huge impact on the development of the Russian state as a whole. Oleg, nicknamed the "prophetic", became the first representative of the princely dynasty, during the reign of which the formation of Kievan Rus began. In 882 Prophetic Oleg seized the city of Kiev, which became for many centuries the capital and center of Russian lands. Prince Oleg was actively engaged in expanding the territories of Russia, as well as strengthening its foreign policy relations with other countries. In 907, his army made a military campaign against Constantinople, the ancient capital of Byzantium, as a result of which two peace treaties were concluded and very beneficial for Russia. The exploits of the prince were immortalized in his work “Song of the Prophetic Oleg” by A. S. Pushkin.
Among the merits of the third Russian prince Igor, who became the ruler of the country in 912:
- the expansion of the borders of the state through the subordination of streets located in the neighboring tribes;
- land development of the Taman Peninsula;
- victory over the nomadic Pechenegs.
The life of Prince Igor ended in a very tragic way. As you know, the first Russian princes took part in the collection of tribute (polyudae) from the tribes subordinate to them. In one of these campaigns to collect Polyud, Igor was killed by representatives of the Drevlyans. After the death of the prince, the reins of government passed into the hands of his wife Olga, since the only son of Igor Svyatoslav was still too small at the time of his father’s death.
The first reform of Princess Olga was the introduction of the exact size of tribute for the subordinate peoples, as well as the establishment of the main place of its collection. In 957, the ruler of Russia visited Constantinople and adopted the Christian faith under the name Elena. It was with her rule that a great event in the religious life of the country was connected - the baptism of Rus (Kiev), which occurred in 988. Although it is impossible to establish the exact date of this event, it took place over several decades. Pagan Russia was very reluctant and slowly accepted a foreign religion.
The main activity of the next Russian prince Svyatoslav was aimed at conducting military operations against ancient tribes located in the immediate vicinity. On his account the destruction of the Khazar Kaganate, the war with Byzantium, a campaign on the Danube Bulgaria. Like his father, Svyatoslav was killed by representatives of enemy tribes. In this case, the Pechenegs.
The first Russian princes were outstanding personalities. Take, for example, Olga. The ability to lead this woman could be envied by a modern business woman. The Christian church called it Equal to the Apostles. At the same time, chroniclers called Olga cunning, and historians called wise.
So, the dynasty of Russian princes - descendants of Rurik originates from the middle of the ninth century. The first rulers of Russia were very fair in relation to the subjects of their country and cruel to their neighbors. If we turn to history, we can see that the formation of almost all the states of the world occurs through the conquest and subjugation of enemy territories. Ancient Russia is no exception. The first Russian princes primarily cared about expanding the borders of their state, and only then thought about the well-being of the subjects living on its territory. The first half of the 12th century was marked by the beginning of the disintegration of one large principality into fifteen smaller and separate lands, which went down in history under the name of “feudal fragmentation of Russia”. From this time period, Kievan Rus as a single state ceased to exist.