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Kyivan Rus, then and now
4 Anastasiya Gordiychuk
Wed, August 9, 2023 at 5:28 AM PDT·10 min read
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Pope Innocent IV
Pope of the Catholic Church from 1243 to 1254
Kyivan Rus was one of the most developed states of medieval Europe,
lasting from around the late ninth to the mid-thirteenth century. It
played a significant role in the history of the continent and the future
East Slavic nations.

The territories of Kyivan Rus included much of modern-day Ukraine,
Belarus, and western parts of Russia. Located in the center of trade
routes, it was a link between Europe and the Arab East.

At its height in the mid-11th century, it stretched from the Baltic Sea
to the northwest and the Black Sea to the south. Its center was Kyiv,
Ukraine's modern-day capital.

Fueled by Russia's neo-imperial rhetoric, Russian President Vladimir
Putin has portrayed Russia as the only successor to the medieval state,
despite its center having been in Kyiv.

Russia has built its entire history through links to medieval Rus, the
name of which it appropriated centuries after Kyivan Rus' demise.
Historical work on Kyivan Rus also contributed to a misunderstanding of
the state’s history.

According to historian Paul Magocsi, "For the longest time, English
language writings did not distinguish the name Rus from Russia,"
resulting in the "conceptually distorted formulation Kyivan Russia.”

Kyivan Rus met its decline in the thirteenth century when the Mongols
invaded and sacked Kyiv, creating a centuries-long gap between the
medieval state and modern-day eastern European countries.

And while Kyivan Rus is certainly the first stage in the evolution of
the modern Ukrainian, Belarusian, and Russian peoples, the early Slavic
state encompassed a massive territory with many different people living
under it, undermining any modern state's claim as its sole inheritor.

How did Kyivan Rus originate?
The origins of Rus and the foundation of Kyivan Rus have sparked a
centuries-long debate that continues to this day.

Scholars have debated whether Kyivan Rus was created by the political
self-organization of East Slavic tribes or if they invited outsiders,
the Varangian Rus people (a group of Vikings) from Scandinavia, to come
and create it for them.

Most of our knowledge of the period comes from the Primary Chronicle,
written by the Kyivan monk Nestor at the beginning of the 12th century.
Some of its details are questionable, having been written much later
after the events.

The Primary Chronicle tells of the first of several powerful East Slavic
tribes, most notably the Polianians. According to the Primary Chronicle,
their chief, Kyi, built a town along with his brothers Shchek and Khoryv
and sister Lybid in the fifth century and called it Kyiv.

According to the chronicle's version of events, around the mid-ninth
century, groups of East Slavic and Finnic tribes, at the time vassals of
the Varangians, had set out to rule themselves.

Failing to do so peacefully, they sent an invitation to Varangian Rus
nobles to rule over their lands.

Read also: How Russia has attempted to erase Ukrainian language, culture
throughout centuries

The Primary Chronicle says that upon receiving the invitation, the Rus'
sent three brothers, Rurik, Sineus, and Truvor, to govern Staraya Ladoga
(another chronicle calls it Novgorod), Beloozero, and Izborsk–all
located in modern-day Russia. After his brothers' deaths, Rurik moved to
Novgorod.

As the story goes, two of Rurik's boyars, Askold and Dir, were sent to
Constantinople and, on their way, stopped in Kyiv. Along with other
Varangians, they managed to establish control over the city.

In the late ninth century, the new Varangian ruler of Novgorod, Oleh,
came to Kyiv, killed Askold and Dir, and united the northern and
southern lands, proclaiming Kyiv the capital and the mother of Rus
cities, thus establishing the state that would later come to be known as
Kyivan Rus.

"Although one can and should question many details of (the Primary
Chronicle)...the legend probably echoes the actual consolidation of
power by one group of Vikings in the forested regions of eastern Europe
between present-day Velikii Novgorod and Kyiv," Harvard historian Serhii
Plokhy points out in his book on Ukrainian history titled The Gates of
Europe.

Who are the key figures of Kyivan Rus?
In addition to Oleh (also referred to as Helgi), the growth and
expansion of Kyivan Rus in its first two centuries are associated with
his three successors, Ihor, Olha, and Sviatoslav, as well as subsequent
rulers who developed Kyivan Rus lands and carried out several reforms.

Olha of Kyiv, who reigned from 945-962, was the only woman to rule
Kyivan Rus and is widely known for her supposed harsh revenge on the
Drevlians tribe, the tribe that assassinated her husband Ihor.

Revolts against extortive tax collection practices had become
commonplace (the Drevlians having likely revolted for this very reason),
leading Olha to improve tax collection practices through the
introduction of pogosti, or administrative centers, that organized tax
payments locally as opposed to by central authorities.

She was also the first member of the ruling family to convert to
Byzantine-rite Christianity and is perhaps best known for improving
Byzantine-Rus relations.

The "Golden Age" of Kyivan Rus is marked by the reigns of Volodymyr the
Great and Yaroslav the Wise. During his reign, which lasted from 980 to
1015, Volodymyr expanded the borders and merged the remaining East
Slavic tribes that were still not under Kyivan Rus' rule.

He also changed the administrative system of the state by dividing the
land and assigning his sons to rule as local princes, subordinating them
to the prince of Kyiv and ending tribal autonomy.

To unify tribes and consolidate his power, Volodymyr also carried out a
religious reform – he accepted Byzantine-rite Christianity and allegedly
ordered the baptizing of his subjects in the Dnipro River. Following the
reform, he began building Orthodox churches, including the Church of the
Tithes in Kyiv, which was destroyed several times throughout its history
and never rebuilt.

Volodymyr's baptism, however, has been the source of great controversy,
with disagreement among scholars as to why Volodymyr accepted
Christianity and when exactly the baptism occurred.

According to some historians, Volodymyr may have already been baptized
and agreed to be re-baptized in order to please the Byzantine emperor.

Volodymyr's son, Yaroslav the Wise, followed in his father's footsteps
and continued to increase Kyiv's significance by erecting many
landmarks, including the Golden Gate of Kyiv and the Saint Sophia
Cathedral, the center of church-state politics and cultural life of
Kyivan Rus.

Gold onion domes of the St. Sophia Cathedral and its bell tower, dating
back to the 11th century, and the monument to hetman Bohdan Khmelnitsky
in central Kyiv. (Getty Images)
Gold onion domes of the St. Sophia Cathedral and its bell tower, dating
back to the 11th century, and the monument to hetman Bohdan Khmelnitsky
in central Kyiv. (Getty Images)
Yaroslav ruled Kyivan Rus from 1019 until his death in 1054.

Yaroslav also focused on strengthening European ties through marital
diplomacy. His daughters were married to the kings of France, Norway,
and Hungary, while his sons married a princess of Poland, the sister of
the bishop of Trier in Germany, and a Byzantine princess.

Yaroslav is remembered not only for his diplomacy and architectural
treasures but also for his desire to implement political unity. He
created a legal code called the Ruska Pravda (Rus Truth) and rules of
political succession, ordering future sons to respect the authority of
the Kyivan prince.

How did Kyivan Rus meet its end?
Constant conflicts between local princes left Kyivan Rus vulnerable to
foreign attacks. In 1240, the Mongols managed to capture and practically
destroy the city, precipitating what is considered to be the end of
Kyivan Rus.

During the invasion of Batu Khan in 1240, Kyiv was part of the
Halych-Volhynia principality ruled by Danylo Halytskyi, who had captured
the city in 1239.

While the Kyivan Rus state ceased to exist as such, local princes were
largely allowed to continue to rule over their patrimonies if they
recognized the authority of the Mongols and paid tribute. This generally
preserved the political and socioeconomic structure of Kyivan Rus,
according to scholars.

The fragmentation of Kyivan Rus following the Mongol invasion gave rise
to three powerful independent states: Halych-Volhynia, located in
central and western parts of modern Ukraine, and Vladimir-Suzdal and
Novgorod, both located primarily in what is now Russia.

Read also: How Russia has attempted to erase Ukrainian language, culture
throughout centuries

Danylo Halytskyi, the ruler of the Halych-Volhynia principality,
resisted the Mongols and tried to build opposition seeking Western
support from Hungary, Poland, and Lithuania. He also requested support
from Pope Innocent IV, who later sent a delegation that crowned Danylo
Halytskyi as the King of Rus.