THE HISTORY OF KIEVAN RUS Oxana Yevhenivna Homotuk

THE HISTORY OF KIEVAN RUS Oxana Yevhenivna Homotuk

1. Ukrainian lands before the formation of the Kievan state 2. Preconditions for the formation of statehood in Slavs 3. PERIOD OF STATEHOOD (882 -980).

1. UKRAINIAN LANDS BEFORE THE FORMATION OF THE KIEVAN STATE During the VII-IX centuries Slavs settled in the large territory of Eastern Europe. According to the chronicle "The Tale of Bygone Years" they were united in tribal unions. Polyans lived around Kyiv in the Middle Dnieper; their neighbors were Siveriany who lived over the Desna. To the west of Polans Drevliany and Dregoviches lived. Western boundaries of the settlement reached to the Prykarpattia, where White Croats lived, and along the Western Bug River were lands of Volynyany and Dulebs. Ulychi and Tyvertsi decided to go live in the basins of the Dniester and Southern Bug River near the Black Sea. At the edge of VIII-IX centuries eastern Slavs began to form a basis of statehood. Formation of the state is the result of long and complex development of society. Preconditions for this have also appeared in the Slavs.

2. PRECONDITIONS FOR THE FORMATION OF STATEHOOD IN SLAVS Economic: the transition to arable farming, the separation of crafts from agriculture, handicrafts concentration in urban areas, the development of exchange. Political: for tribal nobility it was necessary to defend their privileges and capture new wealth, the formation of alliances of tribes, the threat of external attack enemies; sufficient military organization. Social: clan communities change into neighborhood one, the emergence of inequality and exploitation of man by man.

Rus was formed as a result of the state union alliances East Slavic tribes in the second half of the first millennium BC. On the vast territory of the Rus' land alliances of tribes transformed into the principalities, cities were also esteblished - Kyiv, Novgorod, Chernigov, Pereyaslav et al. Most of them became centers of principalities.

The main city of Ukrainian – Rus land determined Kyiv. The city appeared almost in the center of the Slavic lands on the right bank of the Dnieper. According to legend, the city, located in the Polan’s lands, was founded by three brothers: Kyi, Shchek, Khoryv and their sister Lybid in the current Starokyivska Hill. The city got its name in honor of the oldest brother Kyi – a prince of Polyany.

So, Kyiv was the center of the Polanian tribe, who lived in the Middle Dnipro region. It was originally fortified settlement enclosed by a ditch and earth rampart. It was the capital of the principality Polyansky. Prince’s palace, houses, major commercial and religious buildings were situated here. About Kyi is known that, after finishing the construction of the city on the Dnieper at the end of V century. He made a trip to Byzantium, was negotiating with the Byzantine emperor, concluded trade agreement with Byzantium, and the return trip, on the Danube city laid Kyyevets.

When in the middle of the IX century Kyiv governor was Prince Dir, Arabic historian, geographer and traveler Al Masood Hasan wrote, that the Deer - "the first among Slavic kings" who possessed by "large cities and populated countries. " The formation of the Kievan state linked with the name of Prince Askold. He pursued a bold and visionary policies, the consolidated his power. To strengthen the authority of his power, he took the title Kagan, who was then equal to the title of Emperor, the Rus were put on a level with Byzantium and Khazaria – which were the strongest states of that time.

Askold pursued an active foreign policy. During his reign Kievan state was firmly established on the Black Sea coast. The main direction of political interests Askold was south and southeast, where the most developed countries situated. The most important, Askold’s actions were his campaigns against Byzantium, which ended profitable for the prince peace agreements with the Byzantines. By Askold was the first attempt to spread Christianity in the East Slavic lands, which refers to the 860. But Christianity was not the dominant religion of that time.

3. PERIOD OF STATEHOOD (882 -980) In 882 Prince Oleh made a trip to Kyiv, where he killed Askold. By combining its possessions in the north of Kiev, Prince Oleh contributed to the formation of a united East Slavic state, which was called Kievan Rus. In 882 Prince Oleh came from the Northern Rus. He ordered to kill Askold and Dir, and seized Kyiv. Oleh connected his northern land with Kiev and promoted the formation of a single eastern state – Kyevan Rus. Since that time, the power in Kyevan Rus goes to the Rurik dynasty. It was a new stage in the history of this state.

Prince Oleh. He conducted military expeditions to the shores of Caspian Sea and raided Byzantine cities.

After seizing power in Kyiv Prince Oleh conquered Derevlyany, and two years later – uliches. He restored pagan religion. (Vishchyi Oleh). Oleh fortified borders of Rus. In 907, he undertook a campaign against Byzantium and forced it to sign with Rus a profitable for the last contract, which opened good opportunities for buyers from Rus to trade (the right to free trade, the right to stay near Constantinople for 6 months supply of food and everything necessary to go through Black sea). In 911 a new treaty was drafted, it was also evidence of military and diplomatic successes of Kievan state. Oleh successfully fought against Khazaria. His army captured the Khazar harbor on the Caspian Sea. By the end of Oleh’s reign his state occupied a vast territory: from the Black Sea steppes to the Baltic Sea.

Prince Ehor followed Oleh, in 912, who not only continued external raids but also had to fight insubordinate tribes of Ulitchs and Derevlans. He died during a battle with Derevlans in 945.

In 912, after the Oleh’s death, Igor Riurykovych became a prince of Kiev. He continued his predecessors' policies aimed at strengthening the prince's power and unity of all Eastern Slavic lands. In 913 -914 Igor fought with Drevliany, who did not want recognize his superiority. In 915 and 920's, he spoke out against the Pechenegs, who often done raids on Rus, fought with ulyches, trying to strengthen trade routes for Rus. In 941, the Igor with his army went against Byzantium. But the campaign was unsuccessful. The new campaign against the Byzantine Empire was in the year 944. Russ lost possession on the Black Sea and near the mouth of the Dnieper. Rus merchants had to pay duty by trading with Byzantium. In 945, during the assembly of tribute Igor provoked Drevlyan’s rebellion. In captivity he was killed by them.

His wife Olha revenged his death by brutal suppression of Derevlans. In 964 she became a Christian and established her son Svyatoslav on the throne.

When Prince Igor was killed, his son Sviatoslav was only 3. Therefore, power passed to the widow of Igor - Princess Olha. After becoming ruler of Rus', she cruelly revenge on the Derevlyans for her husband’s death: killed derevlyany’s ambassadors, burned their capital Iskorosten and killed part of its residents. Princess Olha renounced war and strengthened the state peacefully. She went to all their possessions, built new cities, appointed their rulers. Olha clearly defined tribute dimensions, tax rules and place of their assembly. She adopted Christianity and made great efforts to spread the new religion. During the Olha’s reign there were a lot of Christian preachers in the Kievan state. Princess also wanted to strengthen the international position of the state. In 957 she visited Constantinople on a diplomatic mission and concluded a new treaty with Byzantium. Even when her son became of age, Olha continued to defend the interests of Kyevan Rus.

Svyatoslav was an able and courageous prince; he fought Asian hordes in the East and conducted raids on Bulgaria. He divided his state between his sons, then continued with his expeditions and battles. When he died in 972 during battle with Pechenegs, his sons fought between themselves, often with help from their enemies.

Son of princess of Olga and Prince Igor entered on history as a prince-conqueror. The primary objective of hikes of Sviatoslav was strengthening of the Kyiv state, providing of free trade with orients and Byzantium, liquidation of external threat on borders from the side of nomads. Svyatoslav overmastered Vyatyches and completed the association of East Slavic tribes the same around Kyiv. Then he, carrying out a hike on North Caucasus, raided yasses (ossetians) and kasogs (circassians) and added them to the states near the Kuban. Taken across on the Kerch peninsula, he took Tmutarakan. Svyatoslav carried out successful hikes against Volga bulgars.

In 965 he raided Khazar khanate and laid hands on an important way on Volga. Under reaching victory on East, Svyatoslav carried military operations on Balkans. Byzantines invited Svyatoslav to conquer Bulgaria for them, seasoning the request lavish gifts to the prince. In 967 he raided the Bulgarian army and possessed on east Bulgaria, but did not pass her to Byzantines. Assault of Pechenegs which were corrupt by Byzantines forced Sviatoslav to interrupt a campaign and hastily return home to ward off enemies that besieged Kyiv. Next year Svyatosliv returned to the Balkans. He even wanted to move his capital there (to the city Pereyaslavets based by him). The campaign was unsuccessful. Sviatoslav was forced to sign peace with Byzantium and to renounce his possessions in the Balkans. In 972, Svyatoslav with his army was killed in a pecheneg’s ambush on the island Khortytsya. Activities Svyatoslav contributed to the power of Kievan Rus, promoted East Slavic tribal cohesion and strengthen the borders of the State.

In 980, Prince Volodymyr defeated all his brothers and unified the country into one powerful state with Kyiv as the capital. He adopted Christianity in 988 and started to convert the population, which had up to then, worshiped Pagan gods. Force was often used against those who resisted. He produced silver and gold coins with his portrait on one side and the trident on the reverse side (The trident is Coat of Arms of present day Ukraine). In History he is known as Volodymyr the Great or Saint Volodymyr. During his reign, pillaging Pecheneg hordes defeated the Khazars, pushed out the Hungarian hordes from the southern steppes and became a menace to the state. Volodymyr started to fortify Kyiv against them. After his death in 1015, fighting and assassinations between his sons ensued, resulting in victory for prince Yaroslav in 1019.

Yaroslav the Great consolidated nearly whole of his father's territory, defeated the Pechenegs and became one of the most powerful rulers in Europe. A church hierarchy was established, headed (at least since 1037) by the metropolitan of Kyiv, who was usually appointed by the patriarch of Constantinople. Yaroslav promoted family ties with other kingdoms, built many churches, improved Kyiv's fortifications, introduced laws and established courts.

However, in the same way as his forefathers, he divided the country between his sons, who after his death in 1054, started to fight among themselves and divide their land between their sons. This resulted in a number of small principalities which not only fought each other, but also had to defendthemselves from arauding Turkish and Polovetsian hordes, who plundered the countryside.

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