Kievan Rus
Last Updated 12/5/2007
12/4/2007 10/20/2007
10/19/2007
Varangians in Rus
In 862 AD, a Varangian, Rurik, became prince of Novgorod. In 882 AD, a Viking
warrior named Oleg built the first Kievan Rus state, a group of small territories.
Whoever controlled Kiev controlled trade with Byzantium. The main ruler was the Prince of
Kiev. He was helped by local princes, rich merchants, and landowning nobles. The
Prince collected tribute from the local princes and they collected it from the people in
their territory. Oleg's words about Kiev became proverbial "Here will be the
mother of Rus cities."
Oleg nails his shield to the wall at Constantinople
Footnote
A magician had predicted to Oleg that his favorite horse would cause his death. It was
kept apart from him, and when, five years after, the animal. died, he insisted on being
taken to see its body, as a triumph over the ignorance and imposture of the sorcerers. But
from the skull of the horse issued a serpent which inflicted a mortal sting on the foot of
the hero.
Vladimir I
Vladimir was an important prince.
He was a good soldier and a strong ruler.
His armies expanded the country into Poland and the Baltic coast.
Religion
988 AD, Valdimir sends people to observe different religions.
Not impressed with Islamic, Jewish, or Roman Catholic religions.
They saw beauty in the Eastern Orthodox worship.
Valdimir accepts Eastern Orthodox as the official religion.
This religion brought Byzantine culture
to the Kievan Rus.
Priests taught religious rituals and the art of painting icons.
Stone churches with domes and arches rose among wooden buildings.
Monasteries appeared.
Education
They learned to write their language using the Cyrillic alphabet.
Sons of boyars and priests were sent to newly built schools.
The Kievan Rus believed they belonged to the civilized world.
It did separate them from western Europe.
Yaroslav the Wise
1019 AD, Yaroslav, the son of Valdimir
I, became Grand Prince of Kiev.
His sister married the Kng of Poland.
His daughters married the kings of France, Hungary, and Norway.
Golden Age of
Kiev
He invited scholars to live in Kiev.
He encouraged artisans.
Artisans built magnificent churches.
They decorated the palace with murals of music and hunting.
Kiev was larger than Paris or London.
Laws
Yaroslav organized Kievan Rus laws.
Crimes against property were more serious than
crimes against people.
There was no death penalty.
Criminals paid fines, there was usually no physical punishments.
Decline of Kievan Rus
After Yaroslav's death princes began to
fight over the throne.
Yaroslav's tomb is in cathedral of Saint Sophia in Kiev.
People from the steppe attacked Kiev.
They destroyed every building except catherdral of Saint Sophia.
This upset the flow of trade.
Kiev lost their source of wealth.
1169 AD, Kiev was plundered by Andrei Bogoliubsky.
The area never recovered.
Kievan Rus changed from a trading land to a farming land of peasants.
People fled and settled in the forests of the upper Volga.
Alexander of Nevsky
Novgorod was not in Mongol wave of destruction.
They had to contend with Sweeden invading from the west.
Prince Alexander of Nevsky defeated the enemy on the banks of the Neva.
The victory won for Alexander the title of Nevski.
The leader of Novgorod, Prince Alexander, was an outstanding military leader.
He is a hero of Rus history.
The Alexander of Nevski monastery in St. Petersburg is where his bones are reputed to be.
Bibliography
Greenblatt, Miriam, and Lemmo, Peter. Human Heritage A World History. Columbus,
Ohio: McGraw-Hill, 2001.
"Rurik." Wikepedia On Line Encyclopedia. 5
Dec. 12. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rurik.
"Vladimir of Kiev." Wikepedia On Line
Encyclopedia. 4 Dec. 12. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_I_of_Kiev.
"Yaroslav I the Wise." Wikepedia On Line
Encyclopedia. 4 Dec. 12. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yaroslav_I_the_Wise.