Kievan Rus'
Kievan Rus' wasearly Russian¹ state dominated bycityKiev from about 860 tomiddle of12th century. The reignsSt. Vladimir (980-1015)his son IaroslavWise (1019-1054) constituteGolden AgeKiev, which sawacceptanceOrthodox Christianity andcreation offirst Russian¹ written legal code,Russkaya Pravda.
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2 The Golden AgeKiev 3 The RiseRegional Centers 4 References |
Early HistoryKievan Rus'
According toPrimary Chronicle,earliest chronicleKievan Rus',Varangian (Viking) named Rurik first established himselfNovgorod (according tochronicle, he was selected as common ruler by several slavic tribes), just southmodern-day St. Petersburg,about 860 before moving southextending his authorityKiev. The chronicle citesScandinavian Rurik asprogenitor ofdynasty that ruledEastern Europe until 1598. These Varangians moved south from NovgorodexpelKhazars from Kievfounded Kievan Rus' about 880. Duringnext thirty-five years, OlegKievhis VikingSlavic, warriors subduedvarious Eastern Slavic tribes. In 907, he led an attack against Constantinople,in 911 he signedcommercial treaty withByzantine Empire as an equal partner. The new Slavic Kievan state prospered becausecontrolledtrade route fromBaltic Sea toBlack Seabecausehad an abundant supplyfurs, wax, honey,slavesexport. Historians have debatedrole ofVarangians inestablishmentKievan Rus'. Some Russian historians have stressedSlavic influence indevelopment ofstate. Although Slavic tribes had formed their own regional jurisdictions by 860,Varangians initiated Kievan Rus' which was named after them (Rus'etymologically identical toFinnishEstonian namesSweden: RuotsiRootsi,is derived fromOld Norse root"rowing" rods-, whichlogical asRussian riversmore suitablerowing than sailing). The Vikings however calledland Greater Sweden, SwedenCold or Gardarike (the landcities). The Slavic people had asmajority settled down at that time,they built many largewell-defended cities, which wascontrastmany barbaric peoples ofnorth. The fact that Vikings had some influenceRussiaalso testified by loan words, such as jabetnik "complaining person" (from aembetsman "official")gospodin "lord" (from husbondi "master"). Nordic names also became popularized, such as Oleg (Helgi), Olga (Helga)Igor (Ingvar).
The Golden AgeKiev
The regionKiev dominatedstateKievan Rus' fornext two centuries. The grand princeKiev controlledlands aroundcity,his theoretically subordinate relatives ruledother citiespaid him tribute. The zenith ofstate's power came duringreignsPrince Vladimir (r. 978-1015)Prince Yaroslav (the Wise; r. 1019-1054). Both rulers continuedsteady expansionKievan Rus' that had begun under Oleg. To enhance their power, Vladimir marriedsister ofByzantine emperor. Yaroslav's granddaughter, his son Vsevolod I, PrinceKiev's daughter Eupraxia, was marriedHenry III, Holy Roman Emperor.Yaroslav arranged marriageshis sisterthree daughters tokingsPoland, France, Hungary,Norway. Vladimir's greatest achievement wasChristianizationKievan Rus',process that began988. He builtfirst great edificeKievan Rus',Desyatinnaya ChurchKiev. Yaroslav promulgatedfirst East Slavic law code, Rus'ka pravda (JusticeRus'); built cathedrals namedSt. SophiaKievNovgorod; patronized local clergymonasticism;is saidhave foundedschool system. Yaroslav's sons developed Kiev's great Peshcherskiy monastyr' (Monastery ofCaves), which functionedKievan Rus' as an ecclesiastical academy.
The Russian¹ annals state that when Vladimir had decidedacceptnew faith instead oftradition idol-worship ofSlavs, he sent out somehis most valued advisorswarriors as emissariesdifferent partsEurope. After visitingCatholics,Jews andMuslims,finally arrivedConstantinople. There,were so astounded bybeauty ofcathedralHagia Sophia andlithurgical service held there, thathad made up their minds therethen aboutfaithwould likefollow. Upon their arrival home,convinced Vladimir that Orthodox Christianity wasbest choiceall, upon which Vladimir madejourneyConstantinoplearrangedmarriage between himself anddaughter ofByzantine Emperor.
Vladimir's choiceEastern Orthodoxy may also have reflected his close personal tiesConstantinople, which dominatedBlack Seahence trade on Kiev's most vital commercial route,Dnepr River. Adherence toEastern Orthodox Church had long-range political, cultural,religious consequences. The church hadliturgy writtenCyrillic (see Glossary) andcorpustranslations fromGreek that had been produced forSouth Slavs. The existencethis literature facilitatedEast Slavs' conversionChristianityintroduced themrudimentary Greek philosophy, science,historiography withoutnecessitylearning Greek. In contrast, educated peoplemedieval WesternCentral Europe learned Latin. BecauseEast Slavs learned neither Greek nor Latin,were isolated from Byzantine culture as well as fromEuropean culturestheir neighbors towest.
Incenturies that followedstate's foundation, Rurik's descendants shared power over Kievan Rus'. Princely succession moved from elderyounger brotherfrom unclenephew, as well as from fatherson. Junior members ofdynasty usually began their official careers as rulers ofminor district, progressedmore lucrative principalities,then competed forcoveted throneKiev. In11th century and12th century,princestheir retinues, which weremixtureSlavicScandinavian elites, dominatedsocietyKievan Rus'. Leading soldiersofficials received incomeland fromprincesreturntheir politicalmilitary services. Kievan society lackedclass institutionsautonomous towns that were typicalWest European feudalism. Nevertheless, urban merchants, artisans,laborers sometimes exercised political influence throughcity assembly,veche (council), which included alladult males inpopulation. In some cases,veche either made agreementstheir rulers or expelled theminvited otherstake their place. Atbottomsociety wassmall stratumslaves. More important wasclasstribute-paying peasants, who owed labor duty toprinces;widespread personal serfdom characteristicWestern Europe did not existKievan Rus', however.
The RiseRegional Centers
Kievan Rus' was not ablemaintain its position aspowerfulprosperous state,part because ofamalgamationdisparate lands undercontrol ofruling clan. Asmembersthat clan became more numerous,identified themselvesregional interests rather than withlarger patrimony. Thus,princes fought among themselves, frequently forming alliancesoutside groups such asPolovtsians, Poles,Hungarians. The Crusades broughtshiftEuropean trade routes that accelerateddeclineKievan Rus'. In 1204forces ofFourth Crusade sacked Constantinople, makingDnepr trade route marginal. Asdeclined, Kievan Rus' splintered into many principalitiesseveral large regional centers. The inhabitantsthose regional centers then evolved into three nationalities: Ukrainians insoutheastsouthwest, Belorussians innorthwest,Russians innorthnortheast.
Innorth,RepublicNovgorod prospered as partKievan Rus' becausecontrolled trade routes fromVolga River toBaltic Sea. As Kievan Rus' declined, Novgorod became more independent. A local oligarchy ruled Novgorod; major government decisions were made bytown assembly, which also electedprince ascity's military leader. In12th century, Novgorod acquired its own archbishop,signincreased importancepolitical independence. In its political structuremercantile activities, Novgorod resemblednorth European towns ofHanseatic League,prosperous alliance that dominatedcommercial activity ofBaltic region between13th century and17th century, more thanother principalitiesKievan Rus'.
Innortheast, Slavs colonizedterritory that eventually became Muscovy by conqueringFinno-Ugric tribes already occupyingarea. The cityRostov wasoldest center ofnortheast, butwas supplanted first by Suzdal'then bycityVladimir. By12th century,combined principalityVladimir-Suzdal' had becomemajor powerKievan Rus'.
In 1169 Prince Andrey BogolyubskiyVladimir-Suzdal' dealtsevere blow towaning powerKievan Rus' when his armies sackedcityKiev. Prince Andrey then installed his younger brotherruleKievcontinuedrule his realm from Suzdal'. Thus, political power shifted tonortheast, away from Kiev, insecond half oftwelfth century. In 1299, inwake ofMongol invasion,metropolitan ofOrthodox Church moved tocityVladimir,Vladimir-Suzdal' replaced Kievan Rus' asreligious center.
'Tosouthwest,principalityGalicia-Volhynia had highly developed trade relationsits Polish, Hungarian,Lithuanian neighborsemerged as another successorKievan Rus'. Inearly thirteenth century, Prince Roman Mstislavich unitedtwo previously separate principalities, conquered Kiev,assumedtitlegrand dukeKievan Rus'. His son, Prince Daniil (Danylo; r. 1238-1264) wasfirst rulerKievan Rus'acceptcrown fromRoman papacy, apparently doing so without breakingOrthodoxy. Early in14th century,patriarch ofOrthodox ChurchConstantinople grantedrulersGalicia-Volhyniametropolitancompensate formove ofKievan metropolitanVladimir.
However,longunsuccessful struggle againstMongols combinedinternal opposition toprinceforeign interventionweaken Galicia-Volhynia. Withend ofMstislavich Dynasty inmid-fourteenth century, Galicia-Volhynia ceasedexist; Lithuania took Volhynia,Poland annexed Galicia.
(1) Original Russian nation later divided into three major nations - modern Russians, UkrainiansBelorussians,also into several minor nations, including Carpatho-Ruthenians.
