Kievan Rus'

Kievan Rus'
c. 880–1240
    
Rurikid princely emblems depicted on coins:
Left: Vladimir the Great (10–11th century)
Right: Yaroslav the Wise (11th century)
A map of Kievan Rus' after the death of Yaroslav I in 1054
A map of Kievan Rus' after the death of Yaroslav I in 1054
CapitalKiev (882–1240)
Common languages
Religion
Demonym(s)Rus'
GovernmentMonarchy
Prince 
• c. 882–912 (first)
Oleg the Wise
LegislatureVeche
History 
• Established
c. 880
• Conquest of Khazar Khaganate
965–969
c. 988
1050s[2]
1237–1241
1240
Area
1000[3]1,330,000 km2 (510,000 sq mi)
Population
• 1000[3]
5.4 million
CurrencyGrivna
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Ilmen Slavs
Krivichs
Chud
Volga Finns
Dregoviches
Radimichs
Eastern Polans
Severians
Drevlians
Vyatichi
Volhynians
White Croatia
Tivertsi
Ulichs
Principality of Kiev
Novgorod Republic
Principality of Chernigov
Principality of Pereyaslavl
Vladimir-Suzdal
Principality of Volhynia
Principality of Halych
Principality of Polotsk
Principality of Smolensk
Principality of Ryazan
Mongol Empire

Kievan Rus',[a][b] also known as Kyivan Rus',[c][7][8] was a state and later an amalgam of principalities[9] in Eastern and Northern Europe from the late 9th to the mid-13th century.[10] The name was coined by Russian historians in the 19th century. Encompassing a variety of polities and peoples, including East Slavic, Norse,[11][12] and Finnic, it was ruled by the Rurik dynasty, founded by the Varangian prince Rurik.[13] The modern nations of Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine all claim Kievan Rus' as their cultural ancestor,[d] with Belarus and Russia deriving their names from it, and the name Kievan Rus' derived from what is now the capital of Ukraine.[12][7] At its greatest extent in the mid-11th century, Kievan Rus' stretched from the White Sea in the north to the Black Sea in the south and from the headwaters of the Vistula in the west to the Taman Peninsula in the east,[15][16] uniting the East Slavic tribes.[10]

According to the Primary Chronicle, the first ruler to unite East Slavic lands into what would become Kievan Rus' was Oleg the Wise (r. 879–912). He extended his control from Novgorod south along the Dnieper river valley to protect trade from Khazar incursions from the east,[10] and took control of the city. Sviatoslav I (r. 943–972) achieved the first major territorial expansion of the state, fighting a war of conquest against the Khazars. Vladimir the Great (r. 980–1015) spread Christianity with his own baptism and, by decree, extended it to all inhabitants of Kiev and beyond. Kievan Rus' reached its greatest extent under Yaroslav the Wise (r. 1019–1054); his sons assembled and issued its first written legal code, the Russkaya Pravda, shortly after his death.[2]

The state began to decline in the late 11th century, gradually disintegrating into various rival regional powers throughout the 12th century.[17] It was further weakened by external factors, such as the decline of the Byzantine Empire, its major economic partner, and the accompanying diminution of trade routes through its territory.[18] It finally fell to the Mongol invasion in the mid-13th century, though the Rurik dynasty would continue to rule until the death of Feodor I of Russia in 1598.[19]

  1. ^ Slavic Culture in the Middle Ages. California Slavic Studies. University of California Press. 2021. p. 141. ISBN 9780520309180.
  2. ^ a b Bushkovitch 2011, p. 11.
  3. ^ Б.Ц.Урланис. Рост населения в Европе (PDF) (in Russian). p. 89. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
  4. ^ Magocsi 2010, p. 55.
  5. ^ Martin 2009b, p. 1.
  6. ^ Plokhy 2006, p. 10.
  7. ^ a b Rubin, Barnett R.; Snyder, Jack L. (1998). Post-Soviet Political Order: Conflict and State Building. London: Routledge. p. 93. As the capital of Kyivan Rus .... "The Golden Age of Kyivan Rus'". gis.huri.harvard.edu. Archived from the original on 30 October 2022. Retrieved 30 October 2022. "Ukraine – History, section "Kyivan (Kievan) Rus"". Encyclopedia Britannica. 5 March 2020. Archived from the original on 6 September 2015. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
    • Zhdan, Mykhailo (1988). "Kyivan Rus'". Encyclopedia of Ukraine. Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  8. ^ Katchanovski et al. 2013, p. 196.
  9. ^ Martin 2009b, p. 1–5.
  10. ^ a b c John Channon & Robert Hudson, Penguin Historical Atlas of Russia (Penguin, 1995), p.14–16.
  11. ^ "Rus | people | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
  12. ^ a b Little, Becky (4 December 2019). "When Viking Kings and Queens Ruled Medieval Russia". HISTORY. Archived from the original on 6 April 2022. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
  13. ^ Kievan Rus Archived 18 May 2015 at the Wayback Machine, Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
  14. ^ Plokhy 2006, p. 10–15.
  15. ^ Kyivan Rus' Archived 26 March 2023 at the Wayback Machine, Encyclopedia of Ukraine, vol. 2 (1988), Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies.
  16. ^ See Historical map of Kievan Rus' from 980 to 1054 Archived 11 May 2021 at the Wayback Machine.
  17. ^ Paul Robert Magocsi, Historical Atlas of East Central Europe (1993), p.15.
  18. ^ "Civilization in Eastern Europe Byzantium and Orthodox Europe". occawlonline.pearsoned.com. 2000. Archived from the original on 22 January 2010.
  19. ^ Picková, Dana, O počátcích státu Rusů, in: Historický obzor 18, 2007, č.11/12, s. 253–261


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