The history of ancient Russia keeps many secrets and secrets. One of these puzzles is the first princes of Kiev, whom we know as Askold and Dira. Who were they by origin, where did they come from, who were they to each other? Or maybe it was just one person?
Let's try to figure it out by setting out the generally accepted version, as well as several versions of events that historians admit, based on very specific facts.
Official version
It is believed that Askold and Deer were originally Varangians - Rus, as they were then called. They did not have a relationship with the ruling prince Rurik, but were simply his “boyars”. When Rurik sat in Novgorod, he began to distribute Russian cities to his closest people. So Dira and Askold he let go south in search of a suitable place for rule. Those, going down the Dnieper down, saw the glorious city of Kiev, in which the meadow lived. Askold and Deere decided to stay there and declared themselves rulers.
They were loyal to the population, local customs and religion. Tribute left unchanged. In addition, like any northern warriors, they knew military affairs well and came accompanied by a well-armed detachment. Therefore, the people of Kiev decided not to rebel and calmly accepted their new rulers.
Around 860-866, Askold and Deer made an ambitious military campaign against Constantinople. To protect his city from warlike Rus, the ruling emperor Michael III decided to end the war with the Arabs and hastily returned to the capital.
The princes of Kiev arrived under the walls of Constantinople, leading an impressive fleet of two hundred ships. They quickly and successfully looted the suburbs and besieged the city. Over the capital of Byzantium, a real threat of conquest loomed. Then Emperor Michael and St. Patriarch Photius began to pray intensely for the protection of the center of the Christian world. Suddenly, a terrible storm arose in the sea, which swept and destroyed the warlike ships of the Rus. Constantinople was saved by divine providence.
Askold and Deer were forced to conclude a peace treaty with Byzantium and decided to be baptized into Christianity.
In 879, Prince Rurik died in Novgorod, leaving heir of his young son Igor, and his guardian, his relative, who is known as Oleg the Prophet, as heir. He decided to take power not only over the northern, but also over the southern lands, so he gathered an impressive army from the Slavs and Varangians and moved south. Smolensk and ancient Lubech obeyed him. Soon Oleg went up to Kiev.
He well understood that the Kiev princes had a strong squad and would defend themselves so as not to give up power. Therefore, Prophetic Oleg decided to act by cunning. He left his main army in an ambush, and he impersonated a peaceful merchant and invited Askold and Dir to his negotiations on trade. Those without fear went to a meeting, but on the shore they were surrounded by a military squad. According to The Tale of Bygone Years, Oleg went out before the captured princes and accused them that they were not of a famous kind and deceived the people by deception. Then he pointed to little Igor and said: “Here is the prince, here is the son of Rurik!”
Askold and Deere were immediately killed. The mound with the remains of Askold still stands on the steep bank of the Dnieper, and the remains of Dir rested for a long time near the church of St. Irina.
So Oleg began to rule in Kiev on behalf of Igor. It was he who declared Kiev the mother of Russian cities, the center of Russian lands. In 882, for the first time, the northern and southern lands united under the rule of one prince.
This is the official version of events. But historians are considering many options, based on a comparison of various chronicles and legends.
Story options
For example, there is disagreement about the origin of Dir and Askold. Some historians believe that Askold was a Slav and a direct descendant of Dir. Others, on the contrary, only ascribe Dir to Slavic origin and the role of a subordinate, while Askold is considered a Varangian and voivode.
When describing the military campaign of the Russ of 866, ancient Byzantine sources generally mention only one prince, therefore it is quite possible that Askold and Deer are one and the same person, the Varangian Askold, nicknamed Deer. Translated from the ancient North language, Deer meant "The Beast", which could be a nickname-title.
If, nevertheless, they are confidently regarded as two separate people, it is quite logical to assume that Askold and Deere ruled at different times, and in the Tale of Bygone Years they are artificially united into co-rulers. The chronicler could combine them logically, as two illegal rulers. Historians are surprised by the fact that two princes, killed at the same time, according to the scripture, were buried in places so remote from each other. And the Chronicle of Joachim says that Oleg killed only one prince - Askold, and the name of Dir is not mentioned there at all.
If we compare multiple historical sources, it becomes quite obvious that Deer was the first ruler of Kiev and lived in the beginning and middle of the 9th century, and Askold became his successor and reigned in the second half of the 9th century.
As we see, in the history of these Kiev princes there are many unexplained circumstances that are safely hidden from us by a centuries-old history. Will we ever solve them?