- •Topic 1
- •Introduction
- •The Trypillians
- •The Early Nomads
- •In 2nd century bc, the Sarmatians, another powerful Iranian-speaking nomadic people from the east, defeated and assimilated most of the Scythians.
- •In the 3rd century ad the Sarmatians were defeated by the Goths,2 a Germanic tribe that came from the west.
- •The Greek Colonies in Ukraine
- •New Barbaric Waves
- •The East Slavs
- •The Origin of Rus
- •Rise of Kiev
- •Kievan Rus at Its Peak
- •Decline of Kievan Rus
- •The Problem of Kievan Rus’ Legacy
- •Topic 2
- •The Conquest of Western Ukraine
- •The Union of Krevo (1385)
- •The Union of Lublin (1569)
- •Ukrainian Culture under Poland-Lithuania
- •The Union of Brest (1596) and the Formation of the Greek Catholic Church
- •The Cossacks
- •The Social Composition of the Cossacks
- •Evaluation of Cossackdom
The Origin of Rus
The Eastern Slavs managed to create in the 9th century a powerful state called Kievan Rus or Rus. The origin of the word Rus is still a mystery. Around A.D. 1100 Slavic traditions were written down in the Chronicle of Bygone Years (also known as the Primary Chronicle), a record that combines facts and legends. According to the Chronicle, in about A.D. 860 the Slavic people from the northern village of Novgorod (in present-day Russia) asked Vikings from Scandinavia for aid: “Our land is great and rich, but there is no order in it. Come to rule and reign over us.” The Viking leader Riurik accepted the invitation. According to the Chronicle, “Riurik came with the Rus,” which means “Riurik came with a (Viking) army.” In many ancient sources Vikings are called “Rus.” Some historians (mostly from Western Europe) believe that the name Rus is derived from this word. They stress the fact that early Kievan princes had Scandinavian names: Askold, Dir, Helgi (Oleg), Ingvar (Igor), Helga (Olga), Voldemar (Volodimer or Vladimir). Thus, according to these historians usually known as the Normanists,3 the Vikings in the 9th century established the state called Rus.
Other historians (mostly Ukrainian and Russian patriots) give another explanation of the word Rus. The word Rus is not of Scandinavian origin, according to them. They associate Rus with the names of the Ros River and her tributaries Rosava and Rostavytsa in central Ukraine. According to these historians, usually known as the Anti-Normanists, the Ros was a Slavic tribe, living in the valley of the Ros River, who later merged with the Polianians of the Kiev region as well as with the Siverianians of Chernigov region to form a new tribal union – Rus.
Rise of Kiev
According to the Chronicle of Bygone Years, in the first half of the 9th century, two Vikings, Askold and Dir, left their lord Riurik of Novgorod, and sailed down the Dnieper with their followers. Noting Kiev’s excellent strategic location high on the river banks, they established control over the settlement and imposed tribute on the local population (Polianians). In 860 they launched a sea raid against Constantinople, when the Byzantine army was away fighting the Arabs.
In 882 Kiev was conquered by another Viking from Novgorod, Oleg, who united Novgorod and Kiev and proclaimed Kiev the capital and “mother of all Rus cities.”
In 907 Oleg made a raid against Constantinople. The result was quite a favorable trade treaty with the Byzantine Empire (911). In 913 Oleg perished during the war against the Arabian Caliphate on the coast of the Caspian Sea. (According to a legend he died from the bite of a snake).
Oleg’s successor, Prince Igor, ruled Kievan Rus from 913 until his death in 945. In 941, when the Byzantine army was away fighting the Arabs, Igor launched a sea raid on Constantinople. Though Igor devastated some regions in Asia Minor his raid was a failure. Igor’s fleet was burned by the famous Greek fire.4 Then his army was defeated by the Byzantine forces which had returned from the Arab campaign. The resulting peace treaty of 944 was not as good for the Rus as that of 911.
In 944 the Rus army attacked the Caspian coast and plundered several Muslim cities. Igor perished in 945 when trying to collect a double tribute from the Drevlianians (a Slavic tribe west of Kiev). He died in a horrible way. His legs were tied to the curved tops of two trees. When the trees became strait they tore Igor into two pieces.
Princess Olga, the wife of Igor, took revenge on the Drevlianians. She burnt their major city Iskorosten (present-day Korosten in Kiev region). At the same time she promised not to collect more tribute from the subjugated tribes than it was agreed. Olga reigned from 945 till 964 while her son Sviatoslav5 was under age.
Sviatoslav spent all his life in military raids. He was a classic warrior-prince, simple, severe, brave, equally sharing with his men hardships of wars. Before attacking his enemies Sviatoslav sent a warning: “I am going to attack you.” In 964-966 he destroyed Khazar Kaganat, a powerful empire in the Volga region. Then he engaged in long wars in the Balkans against Bulgaria and the Byzantine Empire. Having achieved some impressive successes he even planned to move Rus’ capital from the Dnieper to the Danube. Sviatoslav was killed by Pechenegs in 972 while returning from Bulgaria after an unsuccessful campaign against the Byzantines. The Pecheneg khan Kuria made a cup from Sviatoslav’s skull and drank wine from it before having sex with his wife. According to a Pecheneg tradition it could lead to the birth of a powerful ruler.