The Old Russian state, the signs of which appeared in the 8th century, began to form in the 9th century with the direct participation of numerous unions of Slavic tribes, as well as the peoples around them. The territory of the resettlement of the Eastern Slavs was squeezed from two sides from the north on the border with the Ilmen Slavs lived by warlike Vikings, or as they were called in Russia by the Varangians, in the south there was the Khazar Kaganate, which the glade had to pay tribute to. Therefore, the calling of the Varangians to Russia had pragmatic goals.
The origin of the Rurik dynasty
At the turn of the century, the glade on the southern borders freed themselves from the power of the Khazars, stopped paying tribute to them, and a state formation appeared with its capital in Kiev. At the same time, in the north, Novgorod claimed a predominant influence in the all-Russian state-building process. Thus, the rivalry of the two centers of ancient Russia comes to the fore, each of which wanted to lead the emerging state. Slavic reality did not allow the princes to choose the most worthy, any of them did not want to concede, especially in the north. There, the princes waged civil strife for power, then in order to end the eternal rivalry, at the veche it was decided to call a stranger who would not be involved in local Novgorod disputes for power. The choice fell on the Varangian Rurik with his brothers. The year the Varangians were called to Russia coincided with the start of another brutal round of struggle in Novgorod, which accelerated the appearance of the Varangians within ancient Russia.
The chronicle describes in detail that the
calling of the Varangians to Russia had positive consequences for the subsequent development of the state. According to the "Tale of Bygone Years" three brothers of the Varangian Rurik, Sineus and Truvor appeared in the Slavic lands. The first of them began to rule in Ladoga, and then in Novgorod, Sineus reigned in Beloozero, and the third brother in Izborsk. After the death of the brothers, Rurik subjugated their possessions to his power, and soon the whole northwest was subjugated by this man. The calling of the Varangians to Russia, the date of this event is determined by historians in 862, when written evidence of this event also appears. In itself, it would not have been important, but the subsequent events completely changed the map of Europe and the fate of many peoples and rulers.
North conquers South
The calling of the Varangians to Russia intensified the struggle between the two Russian centers for supremacy. The Varangians and their squads had rich combat experience. While Rurik concentrated his efforts on creating a well-organized state machine, his successors were already considering expanding their influence. A relative of Rurik Oleg, who in 882 managed to capture Kiev and gain a foothold in it, took up this task. However, attempts to portray the Varangians as the founders of Slavic statehood are completely meaningless, because it arises in view of certain processes within society itself. Another thing is important: the calling of the Varangians to Russia became the impetus for the emergence of a single centralized Old Russian state.