Kievan Rus'

Kievan Rus' (also known as Kyivan Rus) was a medieval state in Europe. It was from the late 9th to the mid 13th century. It broke apart under the Mongol invasion of 1237–1240.

Kievan Rus' Русь
882–13th century
Coat of arms
Kievan Rus, 11th century
Capital	Kyiv
Common languages	Old East Slavic
Religion	Slavic Paganism Orthodox Christianity
Government	Monarchy
Grand Prince of Kyiv
• 882–912	Oleg
Legislature	Veche, Prince Council
History
• Established	882
• Disestablished	13th century
Currency	grivna
ISO 3166 code	RU

At its peak, it stretched from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Black Sea in the south, and from the upper Vistula in the west to the middle Volga in the east.

The state was called "land of Rus'" in broader sense. In the core sense, this term described the territory of Dnieper Ukraine, which served as the heartland of the state.^[1][2][3] The name "Kievan Rus' " was used in the 19th century to mean the time when the center was in Kyiv.^[4]

The early part of the state is sometimes known as the "Rus Khaganate". The history of Rus' proper begins in 882. This is when prince Oleg seized Kyiv and became the first prince of Kyiv. This was after Varangians (Vikings), who were presumably led by Askold and Dir, became Kyiv's first Norse rulers and freed this slavic city from the Khazars' tribute.^[5] The state reached its peak of power in the mid 11th century. Its lands went south to the Black Sea, east to the Volga, and west to the Kingdom of Poland and to the Duchy of Lithuania.^[6] Volodymyr the Great (980–1015) and his son Yaroslav I the Wise (1019–1054) ruled in the "Golden Age" of Kyiv. With the end of the Viking age, the state lost power in the late 11th and during the 12th century. The broke apart into various rival regional powers.^[7]

The modern East Slavic states of Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia all claim to got their identity from the early medieval state.^[8]

References

1. Motsia, Oleksandr (2009). «Руська» термінологія в Київському та Галицько-Волинському літописних зводах ["Ruthenian" question in Kyiv and Halych-Volyn annalistic codes] (PDF). Arkheolohiia (1). doi:10.6084/M9.FIGSHARE.1492467.V1. ISSN 0235-3490. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
2. (in Russian) Назаренко А. В. Глава I Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine // Древняя Русь на международных путях: Междисциплинарные очерки культурных, торговых, политических связей IX—XII вв. Archived 2012-01-31 at the Wayback Machine — М.: Языки русской культуры, 2001. — c. 42—45, 49—50. — ISBN 5-7859-0085-8.
3. "Российский и русский". Грамота.ру (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2 November 2012. Retrieved 16 January 2012.
4. Tolochko, A. P. (1999). "Khimera "Kievskoy Rusi"". Rodina (in Russian) (8): 29–33.
5. "Oleg - ruler of Novgorod". Encyclopedia Britannica.
6. "The Russian Primary Chronicle".; see also and Archived 2009-05-27 at the Wayback Machine
7. "Kievan Rus' and Mongol Periods". Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2012-06-04.
8. Plokhy, Serhii (2006). The Origins of the Slavic Nations: Premodern Identities in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus (PDF). New York: Cambridge University Press. pp. 10–15. ISBN 978-0-521-86403-9. Retrieved 2010-04-27.

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