Genealogy of ancient Russian princes diagram. Pedigree of the Rurikovichs

24. Vasily Shuisky was not a descendant of Rurik in the direct royal line, so the last Rurikovich on the throne is still considered the son of Ivan the Terrible, Fyodor Ioannovich.

25. Ivan III’s adoption of the double-headed eagle as a heraldic sign is usually associated with the influence of his wife Sophia Paleologus, but this is not the only version of the origin of the coat of arms. Perhaps it was borrowed from the heraldry of the Habsburgs, or from the Golden Horde, who used a double-headed eagle on some coins. Today, the double-headed eagle appears on the coats of arms of six European states.

26. Among the modern “Rurikovichs” there is the now living “Emperor of Holy Rus' and Third Rome”, he has the “New Church of Holy Rus'”, “Cabinet of Ministers”, “State Duma”, “Supreme Court”, “Central Bank”, “ Plenipotentiary Ambassadors", "National Guard".

27. Otto von Bismarck was a descendant of the Rurikovichs. His distant relative was Anna Yaroslavovna.

28. The first American president, George Washington, was also Rurikovich. Besides him, 20 more US presidents were descended from Rurik. Including father and son Bushi.

29. One of the last Rurikovichs, Ivan the Terrible, on his father’s side was descended from the Moscow branch of the dynasty, and on his mother’s side from the Tatar temnik Mamai.

30. Lady Diana was connected with Rurik through the Kyiv princess Dobronega, daughter of Vladimir the Saint, who married the Polish prince Casimir the Restorer.

31. Alexander Pushkin, if you look at his genealogy, is Rurikovich through his great-grandmother Sarah Rzhevskaya.

32. After the death of Fyodor Ioannovich, only his youngest - Moscow - branch was stopped. But the male offspring of other Rurikovichs (former appanage princes) by that time had already acquired surnames: Baryatinsky, Volkonsky, Gorchakov, Dolgorukov, Obolensky, Odoevsky, Repnin, Shuisky, Shcherbatov...

33. The last chancellor of the Russian Empire, the great Russian diplomat of the 19th century, friend of Pushkin and comrade of Bismarck, Alexander Gorchakov was born into an old noble family descended from the Yaroslavl Rurik princes.

34. 24 British Prime Ministers were Rurikovichs. Including Winston Churchill. Anna Yaroslavna was his great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandmother.

35. One of the most cunning politicians of the 17th century, Cardine Richelieu, also had Russian roots - again through Anna Yaroslavna.

36. In 2007, the historian Murtazaliev argued that the Rurikovichs were Chechens. “The Rus were not just anyone, but Chechens. It turns out that Rurik and his squad, if they really are from the Varangian tribe of Rus, then they are purebred Chechens, moreover, from the royal family and speaking their native Chechen language.”

37. Alexander Dumas, who immortalized Richelieu, was also Rurikovich. His great-great-great-great...grandmother was Zbyslava Svyatopolkovna, the daughter of Grand Duke Svyatopolk Izyaslavich, who was married to the Polish king Boleslav Wrymouth.

38. The Prime Minister of Russia from March to July 1917 was Grigory Lvov, a representative of the Rurik branch descending from Prince Lev Danilovich, nicknamed Zubaty, a descendant of Rurik in the 18th generation.

39. Ivan IV was not the only “formidable” king in the Rurik dynasty. “Terrible” was also called his grandfather, Ivan III, who, in addition, also had the nicknames “justice” and “great”. As a result, Ivan III received the nickname “great”, and his grandson became “formidable”.

40. “Father of NASA” Wernher von Braun was also Rurikovich. His mother was Baroness Emmy, née von Quisthorn.

The history of Ancient Rus' is very interesting for posterity. It has reached the modern generation in the form of myths, legends and chronicles. The genealogy of the Rurikovichs with the dates of their reign, its diagram exists in many historical books. The earlier the description, the more reliable the story. The dynasties that ruled, starting with Prince Rurik, contributed to the formation of statehood, the unification of all principalities into a single strong state.

The genealogy of the Rurikovichs presented to readers is a clear confirmation of this. How many legendary personalities who created the future Russia are represented in this tree! How did the dynasty begin? Who was Rurik by origin?

Inviting grandchildren

There are many legends about the appearance of the Varangian Rurik in Rus'. Some historians consider him a Scandinavian, others - a Slav. But the best story about this event is the Tale of Bygone Years, left by the chronicler Nestor. From his narration it follows that Rurik, Sineus and Truvor are the grandchildren of the Novgorod prince Gostomysl.

The prince lost all his four sons in battle, leaving only three daughters. One of them was married to a Varangian-Russian and gave birth to three sons. It was them, his grandchildren, that Gostomysl invited to reign in Novgorod. Rurik became the Prince of Novgorod, Sineus went to Beloozero, and Truvor went to Izborsk. Three brothers became the first tribe and the Rurik family tree began with them. It was 862 AD. The dynasty was in power until 1598 and ruled the country for 736 years.

Second knee

Novgorod prince Rurik ruled until 879. He died, leaving in the arms of Oleg, a relative on his wife’s side, his son Igor, a representative of the second generation. While Igor was growing up, Oleg reigned in Novgorod, who during his reign conquered and called Kyiv “the mother of Russian cities” and established diplomatic relations with Byzantium.

After Oleg's death, in 912, Igor, the legal heir of the Rurik family, began to reign. He died in 945, leaving sons: Svyatoslav and Gleb. There are many historical documents and books that describe the genealogy of the Rurikovichs with the dates of their reign. The diagram of their family tree looks like the one shown in the photo on the left.

From this diagram it is clear that the genus is gradually branching out and growing. Especially from his son, Yaroslav the Wise, offspring appeared that were of great importance in the formation of Rus'.

and heirs

In the year of his death, Svyatoslav was only three years old. Therefore, his mother, Princess Olga, began to rule the principality. When he grew up, he was more attracted to military campaigns rather than reigning. During a campaign in the Balkans in 972, he was killed. His heirs were three sons: Yaropolk, Oleg and Vladimir. Immediately after the death of his father, Yaropolk became the prince of Kyiv. His desire was autocracy, and he began to openly fight against his brother Oleg. The genealogy of the Rurikovichs with the dates of their reign suggests that Vladimir Svyatoslavovich nevertheless became the head of the Kyiv principality.

When Oleg died, Vladimir first fled to Europe, but after 2 years he returned with his squad and killed Yaropolk, thus becoming the Grand Duke of Kyiv. During his campaigns in Byzantium, Prince Vladimir became a Christian. In 988, he baptized the inhabitants of Kyiv in the Dnieper, built churches and cathedrals, and contributed to the spread of Christianity in Rus'.

The people gave him a name and his reign lasted until 1015. The Church considers him a saint for the baptism of Rus'. The Grand Duke of Kiev Vladimir Svyatoslavovich had sons: Svyatopolk, Izyaslav, Sudislav, Vysheslav, Pozvizd, Vsevolod, Stanislav, Yaroslav, Mstislav, Svyatoslav and Gleb.

Descendants of Rurik

There is a detailed genealogy of the Rurikovichs with the dates of their lives and periods of reign. Following Vladimir, Svyatopolk, who would be popularly called the Damned, took over the principality for the murder of his brothers. His reign did not last long - in 1015, with a break, and from 1017 to 1019.

The Wise One ruled from 1015 to 1017 and from 1019 to 1024. Then there were 12 years of rule together with Mstislav Vladimirovich: from 1024 to 1036, and then from 1036 to 1054.

From 1054 to 1068 - this is the period of the principality of Izyaslav Yaroslavovich. Further, the genealogy of the Rurikovichs, the scheme of rule of their descendants, expands. Some of the representatives of the dynasty were in power for very short periods and did not manage to accomplish outstanding deeds. But many (such as Yaroslav the Wise or Vladimir Monomakh) left their mark on the life of Rus'.

Genealogy of the Rurikovichs: continuation

The Grand Duke of Kiev Vsevolod Yaroslavovich took over the principality in 1078 and continued it until 1093. In the pedigree of the dynasty there are many princes who are remembered for their exploits in battle: such was Alexander Nevsky. But his reign was later, during the period of the Mongol-Tatar invasion of Rus'. And before him, the Principality of Kyiv was ruled by: Vladimir Monomakh - from 1113 to 1125, Mstislav - from 1125 to 1132, Yaropolk - from 1132 to 1139. Yuri Dolgoruky, who became the founder of Moscow, reigned from 1125 to 1157.

The genealogy of the Rurikovichs is voluminous and deserves very careful study. It is impossible to ignore such famous names as John “Kalita”, Dmitry “Donskoy”, who reigned from 1362 to 1389. Contemporaries always associate the name of this prince with his victory on the Kulikovo Field. After all, this was a turning point that marked the beginning of the “end” of the Tatar-Mongol yoke. But Dmitry Donskoy was remembered not only for this: his internal policy was aimed at unifying the principalities. It was during his reign that Moscow became the central place of Rus'.

Fyodor Ioannovich - the last of the dynasty

The genealogy of the Rurikovichs, a diagram with dates, suggests that the dynasty ended with the reign of the Tsar of Moscow and All Rus' - Feodor Ioannovich. He reigned from 1584 to 1589. But his power was nominal: by nature he was not a sovereign, and the country was ruled by the State Duma. But still, during this period, the peasants were attached to the land, which is considered a merit of the reign of Fyodor Ioannovich.

The Rurikovich family tree was cut short, the diagram of which is shown above in the article. The formation of Rus' took more than 700 years, the terrible yoke was overcome, the unification of the principalities and the entire East Slavic people took place. Further on the threshold of history stands a new royal dynasty - the Romanovs.

Rurikovich- a princely and royal dynasty that ruled in Ancient Rus', and then in the Russian kingdom from 862 to 1598. In addition, in 1606-1610 the Russian Tsar was Vasily Shuisky, also a descendant of Rurik.

Numerous noble families go back to Rurik, such as the Shuisky, Odoevsky, Volkonsky, Gorchakov, Baryatinsky, Obolensky, Repnin, Dolgorukov, Shcherbatov, Vyazemsky, Kropotkin, Dashkov, Dmitriev, Mussorgsky, Shakhovsky, Eropkin, Lvov, Prozorovsky, Ukhtomsky, Pozharsky, Gagarins, Romodanovskys, Khilkovs. Representatives of these clans played a significant role in the social, cultural and political life of the Russian Empire, and then of the Russian diaspora.

The first Rurikovichs. Period of the centralized state

The Kiev chronicler of the early 12th century brings the Rurik dynasty “from beyond the sea.” According to the chronicle legend, the peoples of the north of Eastern Europe - the Chud, the Ves, the Slovenes and the Krivichi - decided to look for a prince from the Varangians, who were called Rus. Three brothers responded to the call - Rurik, Sineus and Truvor. The first sat down to reign in Novgorod, the center of the Slovenes, the second - on Beloozero, the third - in Izborsk. Rurik's warriors Askold and Dir, having descended the Dnieper, began to reign in Kyiv, in the land of the glades, saving the latter from the need to pay tribute to the nomadic Khazars. Many scientists identify Rurik with the Scandinavian king Rorik of Jutland; F. Kruse was the first to put forward this hypothesis in 1836.

The direct ancestors of the subsequent Rurikovichs were the son of Rurik Igor (ruled 912-945) and the son of Igor and Olga (945-960) Svyatoslav (945-972). In 970, Svyatoslav divided the territories under his control between his sons: Yaropolk was planted in Kyiv, Oleg in the land of the Drevlyans, and Vladimir in Novgorod. In 978 or 980, Vladimir removed Yaropolk from power. In Novgorod (Slovenia) he planted his eldest son - Vysheslav (later Yaroslav), in Turov (Dregovichi) - Svyatopolk, in the land of the Drevlyans - Svyatoslav, and in Rostov (land Merya, colonized by the Slavs) - Yaroslav (later Boris), in Vladimir -Volynsk (Volynians) - Vsevolod, in Polotsk (Polotsk Krivichi) - Izyaslav, in Smolensk (Smolensk Krivichi) - Stanislav, and in Murom (originally the land of the Murom people) - Gleb. Another son of Vladimir, Mstislav, began to rule the Tmutorokan principality - an enclave of Rus' in the Eastern Azov region with its center on the Taman Peninsula.

After Vladimir's death in 1015, his sons launched an internecine struggle for power. Vladimir wanted to see his son Boris as his successor, but power in Kyiv ended up in the hands of Svyatopolk. He organized the murder of his three brothers - Boris and Gleb, who later became the first Russian saints, as well as Svyatoslav. In 1016, Yaroslav, who reigned in Novgorod, opposed Svyatopolk. In the battle of Lyubech, he defeated his younger brother, and Svyatopolk fled to Poland to his father-in-law Boleslav the Brave. In 1018, Boleslav and Svyatopolk set out on a campaign against Rus' and were taken to Kyiv. Having returned the Kiev throne to his son-in-law, the Polish prince returned. Yaroslav, having hired a Varangian squad, again moved to Kyiv. Svyatopolk fled. In 1019, Svyatopolk came to Kyiv with the Pecheneg army, but was defeated by Yaroslav in the battle on the Alta River.

In 1021, the war with Yaroslav was waged by his nephew, the Polotsk prince Bryachislav, and in 1024 - by his brother, the Tmutorokan prince Mstislav. Mstislav's forces won a victory at Listven near Chernigov, but the prince did not lay claim to Kyiv - the brothers entered into an agreement under which the entire left bank of the Dnieper with its center in Chernigov went to Mstislav. Until 1036, there was dual power in Rus' between Yaroslav and Mstislav Vladimirovich, but then the second died, leaving no sons, and Yaroslav concentrated all power in his hands. To prevent a repetition of civil strife, he drew up a will, according to which Kyiv and Novgorod remained in the hands of one person - the eldest son of Izyaslav. In the south of Rus', power was to be shared with Izyaslav by his brothers Svyatoslav (Chernigov) and Vsevolod (Pereyaslavl). After the death of Yaroslav in 1054, this “triumvirate” shared supreme power in the state for 14 years, after which Rus' again faced strife. The Kiev table was captured by the Polotsk prince Vseslav Bryachislavich (in 1068-1069), and then Svyatoslav Yaroslavich (in 1073-1076). After 1078, when Vsevolod Yaroslavich became the prince of Kyiv, the situation in Rus' stabilized. In 1093, after his death, internecine struggle broke out with renewed vigor: the grandchildren and great-grandsons of Yaroslav competed for power. A particularly fierce struggle took place in the South-West of Rus'; in addition to the Russian princes, foreigners - the Hungarians and the Polovtsians - were involved in it. At the turn of the 11th and 12th centuries, the descendants of Yaroslav were able to agree on the distribution of volosts: at the congress of princes in Lyubech (1097) it was decided that the descendants of the three eldest sons of Yaroslav Vladimirovich should own the lands received from their fathers - “patterns”.

The period of strengthening the supreme power in Rus' began after the reign in Kyiv in 1113 of the son of Vsevolod Yaroslavich and the daughter of the Byzantine Emperor Constantine IX Monomakh - Vladimir Vsevolodovich, who also received the nickname “Monomakh”. He reigned in Kyiv until 1125. He was succeeded by his eldest son, Mstislav Vladimirovich, after whose death the process of separation of the principalities became irreversible. Several state entities appeared on the territory of Rus'. Of these, only the Kyiv land did not have its own dynasty or its semblance, and, as a result, until the invasion of Batu, Kyiv was the object of constant struggle between different princes.

Rurikovich during the period of fragmentation

All lands gained political independence at different times. The Chernigov land actually received it before 1132. By decision of the Lyubech Congress, Davyd and Oleg Svyatoslavich, the sons of the Kyiv prince Svyatoslav Yaroslavich, settled here, and then their descendants - the Davydovich and Olgovich. In 1127, the Murom-Ryazan land was separated from the Chernigov principality, inherited by Oleg and Davyd’s brother Yaroslav and later divided into Murom and Ryazan. The Przemysl and Trebovl principalities united in 1141 under the rule of Vladimirko Volodarievich, the great-grandson of the eldest son of Yaroslav the Wise Vladimir. Vladimirko made Galich his capital - this is how the history of the separate Galician land began. The Polotsk land in 1132 again passed into the hands of the descendants of Izyaslav Vladimirovich. Representatives of the senior branch of the descendants of Vladimir Monomakh (from his first wife) ruled in the Smolensk and Volyn lands. His grandson Rostislav Mstislavich became the first independent prince in Smolensk and the founder of an independent Smolensk dynasty. In the Volyn land, a local dynasty was founded by Izyaslav Mstislavich, the brother of the previous one, and in the Suzdal (Rostov) land - the son of Monomakh from his second marriage, Yuri Dolgoruky. All of them - Rostislav, Mstislav, and Yuri - at first received their lands only as a holding, but after some time they secured them for themselves and their closest relatives.

Another territory where the power of the Monomashichs was established was the Pereyaslavl land. However, a full-fledged dynasty did not form there - both branches of Monomakh’s descendants argued over ownership of the land.

The Turovo-Pinsk land passed from hand to hand for a long time, and only towards the end of the 1150s did the princely family, founded by Yuri Yaroslavich, the grandson of Svyatopolk Izyaslavich, gain a foothold there. In 1136, the Novgorod land also finally separated from Kyiv - after the expulsion of Prince Vsevolod Mstislavich, the period of the Novgorod Republic began here.

In the conditions of division of the state, the most powerful princes tried to expand their possessions and political influence. The main struggle took place over Kyiv, Novgorod, and, from 1199, the Galician table. After the death of Vladimir Yaroslavich, the Galician land was captured by the Volyn prince Roman Mstislavich, who united the Galician and Volyn lands into a single power. Only his son Daniel, who ruled the Galician-Volyn principality from 1238 to 1264, was able to finally restore order in these territories.

Monomashichi - descendants of Yuri Dolgoruky

Suzdal Prince Yuri Dolgoruky had several sons. In an effort to protect the Suzdal land from internal fragmentation, he allocated land to them not within its borders, but in the South. In 1157, Yuri died and was succeeded in the Suzdal land by Andrei Bogolyubsky (1157-1174). In 1162, he sent several brothers and nephews outside the Suzdal region. After his death at the hands of the conspirators, two of his expelled nephews - Mstislav and Yaropolk Rostislavich - were invited by the Rostov and Suzdal residents to the throne. Meanwhile, the “younger” cities of Suzdal land supported the claims to power of Andrei’s brothers - Mikhalka and Vsevolod. In 1176, after the death of his brother, Vsevolod began to reign individually in Vladimir, and a year later he defeated the Rostov squad of Mstislav Rostislavich near Yuryev. Vsevolod Yurievich ruled until 1212, he received the nickname Big Nest. He began to title himself "Grand Duke."

After the death of Vsevolod the Big Nest, his sons, and then the sons of his son, Yaroslav Vsevolodovich, became the Grand Dukes of Vladimir for several decades, one after another. In 1252, Alexander Nevsky received the label for the great reign of Vladimir. Under him, the authority of the Grand Duke's power strengthened, and Novgorod and Smolensk finally entered its field of influence. After the death of Alexander, under his sons Dmitry Pereyaslavsky (1277-1294) and Andrei Gorodetsky (1294-1304), Vladimir’s political weight, on the contrary, weakened. The “ladder system” of succession to the Vladimir throne assumed that the great reign would belong to the eldest descendant of Vsevolod the Big Nest, and from the beginning of the 14th century the great princes of Vladimir preferred to live in the centers of their fiefs, only occasionally visiting Vladimir.

Moscow dynasty

The independent Principality of Moscow arose under Alexander Nevsky. Daniil of Moscow became the first prince. By the end of his life, he annexed a number of territories to his inheritance, and the young principality began to quickly gain strength. The goal of Daniel's eldest son, Yuri (1303-1325), was the great reign of Vladimir: in 1318, having defeated the Tver prince Mikhail Yaroslavich, Yuri received the label, but in 1322 Khan Uzbek transferred it to the Tver prince Dmitry. Having gone to the Horde to defend his rights, Yuri was killed by Dmitry Tverskoy. Childless Yuri was succeeded by his younger brother Ivan Danilovich, better known by his nickname Kalita. His goal was the rise of Moscow. In 1327, he took part in the punitive campaign of the Tatars against Tver, the inhabitants of which killed a large Tatar detachment, and soon received the khan's label for the great reign of Vladimir. Both Kalita and his sons Semyon the Proud (1340-1353) and Ivan the Red (1353-1359) strove in every possible way to maintain peace in relations with the Horde. Ivan the Red was succeeded by his young son Dmitry. Under him, the great reign of Vladimir became the “patrimony” of the Moscow princes. In 1367, the Moscow ruling elite took into custody the Tver prince Mikhail, who came to the negotiations. He miraculously escaped from captivity and complained to his son-in-law, the Lithuanian prince Olgerd. The Lithuanians marched on Moscow three times. In 1375, Dmitry Ivanovich marched to Tver with a large army. The city withstood the siege, but Mikhail Tverskoy decided not to risk it and recognized himself as a vassal of Dmitry of Moscow. In the mid-1370s, Dmitry began to prepare for war with the Horde. Many princes supported him. In 1380, Russian troops won a decisive victory over the forces of the Horde commander Mamai in the Battle of Kulikovo, but the princes failed to quickly unite in the face of a new danger. In the summer of 1382, Moscow was captured by the troops of Khan Tokhtamysh, and Dmitry had to resume paying tribute. After Dmitry Donskoy, his son Vasily I (1389-1425) reigned. Under him, Moscow managed to avoid plunder twice: in 1395, Timur, who had already occupied the city of Yelets, unexpectedly abandoned the campaign against Moscow, and in 1408, the Muscovites managed to pay off Timur’s protege Edigei, whose troops were already standing under the walls of the city.

In 1425, Vasily I died, and a long dynastic turmoil began in the Moscow principality (1425-1453). Some of the descendants of Dmitry Donskoy and the nobility supported the young Vasily II, and some supported his uncle, Prince Yuri of Zvenigorod. A weak ruler and commander, in the summer of 1445 Vasily II was captured by the Tatars and was released in exchange for a huge ransom. The son of Yuri Zvenigorodsky, Dmitry Shemyaka, who ruled in Uglich, took advantage of the outrage over the size of the ransom: he captured Moscow, took Vasily II prisoner and ordered him to be blinded. In February 1447, Vasily regained the Moscow throne and gradually took revenge on all his opponents. Dmitry Shemyaka, who fled to Novgorod, was poisoned in 1453 by people sent from Moscow.

In 1462, Vasily the Dark died, and his son Ivan (1462-1505) ascended the throne. During the 43 years of his reign, Ivan III managed to create a unified Russian state for the first time after hundreds of years of fragmentation. Already in the 1470s, Ivan Vasilyevich ordered that in diplomatic correspondence he be called “Sovereign of All Rus'.” In 1480, with the stand on the Ugra, more than two centuries of the Horde yoke ended. Ivan III set out to gather all Russian lands under his scepter: one after another, Perm (1472), Yaroslavl (1473), Rostov (1474), Novgorod (1478), Tver (1485), Vyatka (1489), Pskov fell under the rule of Moscow. (1510), Ryazan (1521). Most of the estates were liquidated. Ivan III's heir was ultimately his son, Vasily III, born in marriage to Sophia Paleologus. Thanks to his mother, he won the long dynastic struggle with the grandson of Ivan III from the eldest son born of his first wife. Vasily III ruled until 1533, after which the throne was taken by his heir Ivan IV the Terrible. Until 1538, the country was actually ruled by the regent, his mother Elena Glinskaya. Ivan Vasilyevich's heir was his eldest son Ivan, but in 1581 he died from a blow from a staff that his father dealt him. As a result, his father was succeeded by his second son, Fedor. He was incapable of government, and in fact the country was ruled by his wife’s brother, boyar Boris Godunov. After the death of the childless Fyodor in 1598, the Zemsky Sobor elected Boris Godunov as tsar. The Rurik dynasty on the Russian throne came to an end. In 1606-1610, however, Vasily Shuisky, from the family of descendants of the Suzdal princes, also Rurikovich, reigned in Russia.

Tver branch

The Tver principality began to gain strength in the second half of the 13th century, becoming an independent inheritance of Alexander Nevsky's younger brother Yaroslav Yaroslavich. After him, Svyatoslav Yaroslavich (until 1282) and Mikhail Yaroslavich (1282-1318) reigned in Tver in turn. The latter received the label for the great reign of Vladimir, and Tver became the main center of North-Eastern Rus'. Serious political mistakes led to the loss of leadership in favor of Moscow of the Tver princes: both Mikhail Tverskoy and his sons Dmitry Mikhailovich the Terrible Ochi (1322-1326) and Alexander Mikhailovich (1326-1327, 1337-1339) were executed by order of the Horde khans. The fate of his two older brothers forced Konstantin Mikhailovich (1328-1346) to exercise extreme caution in his political steps. After his death, another son of Mikhail Tverskoy, Vasily Mikhailovich (1349-1368), reigned in Tver. As a result of long strife, he eventually lost the throne, and Tver came under the rule of the appanage prince Mikhail Alexandrovich Mikulinsky. In 1375, he made peace with Dmitry of Moscow, after which Moscow and Tver did not conflict for a long time. In particular, the Tver prince maintained neutrality during the war between Dmitry of Moscow and Mamai in 1380. After Mikhail Alexandrovich, Ivan Mikhailovich (1399-1425) ruled in Tver; he continued his father’s policies. The heyday of the Tver principality came under the successor and grandson of Ivan Mikhailovich, Boris Alexandrovich (1425-1461), but the continuation of the policy of “armed neutrality” did not help the Tver princes prevent the conquest of Tver by Moscow.

Suzdal-Nizhny Novgorod and Ryazan branches

The Principality of Suzdal-Nizhny Novgorod occupied a prominent position in North-Eastern Rus'. The short-lived rise of Suzdal occurred during the reign of Alexander Vasilyevich (1328-1331), who received the label for the great reign from the Uzbek Khan. In 1341, Khan Janibek transferred Nizhny Novgorod and Gorodets from Moscow back to the Suzdal princes. In 1350, Prince Konstantin Vasilyevich of Suzdal (1331-1355) moved the capital of the principality from Suzdal to Nizhny Novgorod. The Suzdal-Nizhny Novgorod princes failed to achieve the flourishing of their state: the uncertain foreign policy of Dmitry Konstantinovich (1365-1383) and the strife that began after his death undermined the resources and authority of the principality and gradually turned it into the possession of the Moscow princes.

The Ryazan principality, which emerged in the middle of the 12th century, was ruled by the descendants of Yaroslav Svyatoslavich, the youngest son of Svyatoslav Yaroslavich of Chernigov, one of the three Yaroslavichs. In the second half, Prince Oleg Ivanovich Ryazansky ruled here. He tried to pursue a flexible policy, maintaining neutrality in the confrontation between the Tatars and Moscow. In 1402, Oleg Ryazansky died, and dynastic ties between Ryazan and Moscow began to strengthen. Prince Vasily Ivanovich (1456-1483) married the daughter of Ivan III of Moscow, Anna. In 1521, Vasily III included the lands of the Ryazan principality into his possessions.

Polotsk, Chernigov, Galician dynasties

The Polotsk princes did not descend from Yaroslav the Wise, like all the other Russian princes, but from another son of Vladimir the Saint, Izyaslav, therefore the Principality of Polotsk always kept itself apart. The Izyaslavichs were the senior branch of the Rurikovichs. From the beginning of the 14th century, rulers of Lithuanian origin reigned in Polotsk.

In the Chernigovo-Bryansk and Smolensk principalities, Moscow competed with Lithuania. Around 1339, Smolensk recognized the suzerainty of Lithuania over itself. In the winter of 1341-1342, Moscow established family relations with the Bryansk princes, vassals of Smolensk: the daughter of Prince Dmitry Bryansk was married to the son of Ivan Kalita. By the beginning of the 15th century, both Smolensk and Bryansk were finally captured by the Lithuanians.

At the beginning of the 14th century, the grandson of Daniil Galitsky Yuri Lvovich (1301-1308), having subjugated the entire territory of Galicia-Volyn Rus', following the example of his grandfather, took the title of “King of Rus'”. The Galicia-Volyn principality acquired serious military potential and a certain foreign policy independence. After Yuri's death, the principality was divided between his sons Lev (Galich) and Andrei (Vladimir Volynsky). Both princes died in 1323 under unclear circumstances and left no heirs. With the passing of the Yuryevichs, the Rurikovich line in Galicia-Volyn Rus', which had ruled for more than a hundred years, came to an end.

There were Rurikovichs for sure, but was there a Rurik... Most likely he was, but his personality still raises many more questions than answers.

The Tale of Bygone Years tells about the calling of Rurik by the Eastern Slavs. According to the Tale, this happened in 862 (although the calendar in Rus' in those years was different, and the year in fact was not 862). Some researchers. and this can be seen in particular from the diagram below, Rurik is called the founder of the dynasty, but its foundation is considered only from his son Igor. Probably, during his lifetime, Rurik did not have time to recognize himself as the founder of a dynasty, because he was busy with other things. But the descendants, after thinking about it, decided to call themselves a dynasty.

Three main hypotheses regarding the origin have been formed.

• The first - the Norman theory - claims that Rurik with his brothers and retinue were from the Vikings. Among the Scandinavian peoples at that time, as proven by research, the name Rurik really existed (meaning “illustrious and noble man”). True, there are problems with a specific candidate, information about which is also available in other historical stories or documents. There is no clear identification with anyone: for example, the noble Danish Viking of the 9th century, Rorik of Jutland, or a certain Eirik Emundarson from Sweden, who raided the Baltic lands, is described.
• The second, Slavic version, where Rurik is shown as a representative of the princely family of the Obodrites from the West Slavic lands. There is information that one of the Slavic tribes living on the territory of historical Prussia was then called Varangians. Rurik is a variant of the Western Slavic “Rerek, Rarog” - not a personal name, but the name of the Obodrit princely family, meaning “falcon”. Supporters of this version believe that the coat of arms of the Rurikovichs was precisely a symbolized image of a falcon.
• The third theory believes that Rurik really did not exist at all - the founder of the Rurik dynasty emerged from the local Slavic population during the struggle for power, and two hundred years later his descendants, in order to ennoble their origins, ordered the author of The Tale of Bygone Years a propaganda story about the Varangian Rurik.

Over the years, the princely dynasty of Rurikovich was fragmented into many branches. Not many European dynasties can compare with it in the ramifications and large number of offspring. But this was the very policy of this ruling group; they did not set out to sit firmly in the capital; on the contrary, they sent their offspring to all corners of the country.

The branching of the Rurikovichs begins in the generation of Prince Vladimir (some call him the Saint, and some the Bloody), and first of all the line of the princes of Polotsk, descendants of Izyaslav Vladimirovich, separates.

Very briefly about some of the Rurikovichs

After the death of Rurik, power passed to Saint Oleg, who became the guardian of Rurik’s young son, Igor. Prophetic Oleg united the scattered Russian principalities into one state. He glorified himself with intelligence and belligerence, with a large army he went down the Dnieper, took Smolensk, Lyubech, Kyiv and made the latter his capital city. Askold and Dir were killed, and Oleg showed little Igor to the clearings:

“Here is the son of Rurik - your prince.”

As you know, according to legend, he died from a snake bite.

Further Igor grew up and became the Grand Duke of Kyiv. He contributed to the strengthening of statehood among the Eastern Slavs, extending the power of the Kyiv prince to the East Slavic tribal associations between the Dniester and the Danube. But in the end he turned out to be a greedy ruler, for which he was killed by the Drevlyans.

Olga, Igor's wife, brutally took revenge on the Drevlyans for the death of her husband and conquered their main city of Korosten. She was distinguished by a rare intelligence and great abilities. In her declining years she accepted Christianity and was later canonized.

One of the most famous princesses in Rus'.

Svyatoslav. Known as one of the most prominent commanders from the Rurik family, for the most part he did not sit still, but was on military campaigns. His son Yaropolk considered responsible for the death of his brother Oleg, who tried to claim the Kiev throne.

But Yaropolk was also killed, and again by his brother, Vladimir.

The same one Vladimir that Rus' baptized. The Kiev Grand Duke Vladimir Svyatoslavovich was at first a fanatical pagan; he is also credited with such traits as vindictiveness and bloodthirstiness. At least he did not regret his brother and got rid of him in order to take the princely throne in Kyiv.

His son Yaroslav Vladimirovich, to whom history added the nickname “Wise,” was truly a wise and diplomatic ruler of the Old Russian state. The time of his reign was not only internecine feudal wars between close relatives, but also attempts to bring Kievan Rus to the world political arena, attempts to overcome feudal fragmentation, and the construction of new cities. The reign of Yaroslav the Wise is the development of Slavic culture, a kind of golden period of the Old Russian state.

Izyaslav - I- the eldest son of Yaroslav, after the death of his father he took the Kiev throne, but after an unsuccessful campaign against the Polovtsians, he was driven out by the people of Kiev, and his brother became the Grand Duke Svyatoslav. After the death of the latter, Izyaslav returned to Kyiv again.

Vsevolod - I could have been a useful ruler and a worthy representative of the Rurikovichs, but it didn’t work out. This prince was pious, truthful, loved education very much and knew five languages, but the Polovtsian raids, famine, pestilence and turmoil in the country did not favor his principality. He held onto the throne only thanks to his son Vladimir, nicknamed Monomakh.

Svyatopolk - II- the son of Izyaslav I, who inherited the Kiev throne after Vsevolod I, was distinguished by his lack of character and was unable to pacify the civil strife of the princes over the possession of cities. At the congress in Lyubich Pereslavl in 1097, the princes kissed the cross “to each one own his father’s land,” but soon Prince David Igorevich blinded Prince Vasilko.

The princes gathered again for a congress in the year 1100, and deprived David of Volhynia; at the suggestion of Vladimir Monomakh, at the Dolob congress in 1103, they decided to undertake a joint campaign against the Polovtsians, the Russians defeated the Polovtsians on the Sal River (in 1111) and took a lot of cattle, sheep, horses, etc. The Polovtsian princes alone killed up to 20 people . The fame of this victory spread far among the Greeks, Hungarians and other Slavs.

Vladimir Monomakh. A widely known representative of the Rurik dynasty. Despite the seniority of the Svyatoslavichs, after the death of Svyatopolk II, Vladimir Monomakh was elected to the Kiev throne, who, according to the chronicle, “wanted good for the brethren and the whole Russian land.” He stood out for his great abilities, rare intelligence, courage and tirelessness. He was happy in his campaigns against the Polovtsians. He humbled the princes with his severity. The “teaching to children” he left behind is remarkable, in which he gives purely Christian moral teaching and a high example of the prince’s service to his homeland.

Mstislav - I. Resembling his father Monomakh, Monomakh's son, Mstislav I, lived in harmony with his brothers in mind and character, inspiring respect and fear in the rebellious princes. So, he expelled the Polovtsian princes who disobeyed him to Greece, and instead of them, he installed his son to rule in the city of Polotsk.

Yaropolk, Mstislav's brother, Yaropolk, son of Monomakh, decided to transfer the inheritance not to his brother Vyacheslav, but to his nephew. Thanks to the discord that arose from here, the Monomakhovichs lost the Kiev throne, which passed to the descendants of Oleg Svyatoslavovich - the Olegovichs.

Vsevolod - II. Having achieved a great reign, Vsevolod wanted to consolidate the Kiev throne in his family and handed it over to his brother Igor Olegovich. But not recognized by the people of Kiev and tonsured a monk, Igor was soon killed.

Izyaslav - II. The people of Kiev recognized Izyaslav II Mstislavovich, who vividly resembled his famous grandfather Monomakh with his intelligence, brilliant talents, courage and friendliness. With the accession of Izyaslav II to the grand-princely throne, the concept of seniority, rooted in ancient Rus', was violated: In one family, a nephew could not be a grand duke during his uncle’s lifetime.

Yury Dolgoruky". Prince of Suzdal from 1125, Grand Duke of Kiev in 1149-1151, 1155-1157, founder of Moscow. Yuri was the sixth son of Prince Vladimir Monomakh. After the death of his father, he inherited the Rostov-Suzdal principality and immediately began to strengthen the borders of his inheritance, erecting fortresses on them. So, for example, under him the fortress of Ksyantin arose, as modern Tver was previously called. By his order, the following cities were founded: Dubna, Yuryev-Polsky, Dmitrov, Pereslavl-Zalessky, Zvenigorod, Gorodets. The first chronicle mention of Moscow in 1147 is also associated with the name of Yuri Dolgoruky.
The life of this prince is unusual and interesting. The youngest son of Vladimir Monomakh could not claim more than an appanage principality. He received the Rostov principality as his inheritance, which became prosperous under Yuri. Many settlements arose here. The tireless son of Monomakh received his nickname “Dolgoruky” for his ambitions, for constantly interfering in other people’s affairs and for his constant desire to seize other people’s lands.
Owning the Rostov-Suzdal land, Yuri always sought to expand the territory of his principality and often raided neighboring lands owned by his relatives. Most of all, he dreamed of capturing Kyiv. In 1125, Yuri moved the capital of the principality from Rostov to Suzdal, from where he made campaigns to the south, strengthening his squad with mercenary Polovtsian troops. He annexed the cities of Murom, Ryazan, and part of the lands along the banks of the Volga to the Rostov Principality.
The Suzdal prince occupied Kyiv three times, but he never managed to stay there for long. The struggle for the great reign with his nephew Izyaslav Mstislavich was long. Yuri entered Kiev three times as Grand Duke, but only the third time did he remain so until the end of his days. The people of Kiev did not like Prince Yuri. This was explained by the fact that Yuri more than once resorted to the help of the Polovtsians and was almost always a troublemaker during periods of struggle for the throne. Yuri Dolgoruky was a “newcomer” for the people of Kiev, from the North. According to the chronicler, after the death of Yuri in 1157, the people of Kiev plundered his rich mansions and killed the Suzdal detachment that came with him.

Andrey Bogolyubsky. Having accepted the title of grand duke, Andrei Yuryevich transferred the throne to Vladimir on the Klyazma, and from then on Kyiv began to lose its primacy position. The stern and strict Andrei wanted to be autocratic, that is, to rule Russia without a council or squads. Andrei Bogolyubsky mercilessly pursued the disgruntled boyars, they plotted against Andrei's life and killed him.

Alexander Nevskiy". Grand Duke of Novgorod (1236-1251). Alexander Yaroslavich Nevsky consistently pursued a policy aimed at strengthening the northwestern borders of Rus' and reconciliation with the Tatars.
While still the Prince of Novgorod (1236-1251), he showed himself to be an experienced commander and wise ruler. Thanks to the victories won in the “Battle of the Neva” (1240), in the “Battle of the Ice” (1242), as well as numerous forays against the Lithuanians, Alexander for a long time discouraged the Swedes, Germans and Lithuanians from taking possession of the northern Russian lands.
Alexander pursued the opposite policy towards the Mongol-Tatars. It was a policy of peace and cooperation, the purpose of which was to prevent a new invasion of Rus'. The prince often traveled to the Horde with rich gifts. He managed to achieve the release of Russian soldiers from the obligation to fight on the side of the Mongol-Tatars.

Yuri - III. Having married the sister of Khan Konchak, in Orthodoxy Agafya, Yuri acquired great strength and help from the Tatars who were related to him. But soon, thanks to the claims of Prince Dmitry, the son of Mikhail, who was tortured by Khan, he had to report to the horde. Here, at the first meeting with Dmitry, Yuri was killed by him, in revenge for the death of his father and for a violation of morality (marriage to a Tatar).

Dmitry - II. Dmitry Mikhailovich, nicknamed “formidable eyes”, for the murder of Yuri III, was executed by the khan for arbitrariness.

Alexander Tverskoy. The brother of Dmitry II, executed in the horde, Alexander Mikhailovich, was confirmed as khan on the grand-ducal throne. He was distinguished by his kindness and was loved by the people, but he ruined himself by allowing the Tver people to kill the hated Khan's ambassador Shchelkan. The Khan sent 50,000 Tatar troops against Alexander. Alexander fled from the khan's wrath to Pskov, and from there to Lithuania. Ten years later, Alexander of Tver returned and was forgiven by the khan. Not getting along, however, with the Prince of Moscow Ivan Kalita, Alexander
he was slandered by him in front of the khan, the khan summoned him to the horde and executed him.

John I Kalita. John I Danilovich, a cautious and cunning prince, nicknamed Kalita (money purse) for his frugality, devastated the Tver principality with the help of the Tatars, taking advantage of the opportunity of violence of the indignant Tver residents against the Tatars. He took upon himself the collection of tribute from all over Rus' for the Tatars and, greatly enriched by this, bought cities from appanage princes. In 1326, the metropolitanate from Vladimir, thanks to the efforts of Kalita, was transferred to Moscow, and here, according to Metropolitan Peter, the Assumption Cathedral was founded. Since then, Moscow, as the seat of the Metropolitan of All Rus', has acquired the significance of a Russian center.

John -II Ioannovich, a meek and peace-loving prince, followed in everything the advice of Metropolitan Alexei, who enjoyed great importance in the Horde. During this time, Moscow's relations with the Tatars improved significantly.

Vasily - I. Sharing the reign with his father, Vasily I ascended the throne as an experienced prince and, following the example of his predecessors, actively expanded the boundaries of the Moscow principality: He acquired Nizhny Novgorod and other cities. In 1395, Rus' was in danger of an invasion by Timur, the formidable Tatar khan. Between
Thus, Vasily did not pay tribute to the Tatars, but collected it into the grand ducal treasury. In 1408, the Tatar Murza Edigei attacked Moscow, but after receiving a ransom of 3,000 rubles, he lifted the siege from it. In the same year, after long disputes between Vasily I and the Lithuanian prince Vytautas, both cautious and cunning, the Ugra River was designated as the extreme border of Lithuanian possessions on the Russian side.

Vasily - II Dark. Yuri Dmitrievich Galitsky took advantage of Vasily II's youth, declaring his claims to seniority. But at the trial in the horde, the khan leaned in favor of Vasily, thanks to the efforts of the smart Moscow boyar Ivan Vsevolozhsky. The boyar hoped to marry his daughter to Vasily, but was disappointed in his hopes: Offended, he left Moscow to Yuri Dmitrievich and assisted him in taking possession of the grand-ducal throne, on which Yuri died in 1434, when Yuri’s son Vasily the Oblique decided to inherit his father’s power, then all the princes rebelled against him.

Vasily II took him prisoner and blinded him: Then Dmitry Shemyaka, brother of Vasily Kosoy, captured Vasily II by cunning, blinded him and took the Moscow throne. Soon, however, Shemyaka had to give the throne to Vasily II. During the reign of Vasily II, the Greek metropolitan Isidore accepted the Florentine Union (1439), for this Vasily II put Isidore in custody, and the Ryazan Bishop John was installed as metropolitan. Thus, from now on, Russian metropolitans are appointed by a council of Russian bishops. During the last years of the Grand Duchy, the internal structure of the Grand Duchy was the subject of the main concerns of Vasily II.

John - III. Accepted by his father as a co-ruler, John III Vasilyevich ascended the grand-ducal throne as the full owner of Rus'. He first severely punished the Novgorodians who had decided to become Lithuanian subjects, and in 1478, “for a new offense,” he finally subjugated them. Novgorodians lost their veche and
self-government, and the Novgorod mayor Maria and the veche bell were sent to John’s camp.

In 1485, after the final conquest of other appanages more or less dependent on the Moscow principality, John finally annexed the Tver principality to Moscow. By this time, the Tatars were divided into three independent hordes: Golden, Kazan and Crimean. They were at enmity with each other and were no longer afraid of the Russians. In official history it is believed that it was John III in 1480, having entered into an alliance with the Crimean Khan Mengli-Girey, tore apart the Khan's basma, ordered the Khan's ambassadors to be taken to execution, and then overthrew the Tatar yoke without bloodshed.

Vasily - III. The son of John III from his marriage to Sophia, Palaeologus Vasily III, was distinguished by his pride and inaccessibility, punishing the descendants of appanage princes and boyars under his control who dared to contradict him. He is “the last collector of the Russian land.”
Having annexed the last appanages (Pskov, the northern principality), he completely destroyed the appanage system. He fought twice with Lithuania, following the teachings of the Lithuanian nobleman Mikhail Glinsky, who entered his service, and finally, in 1514, he took Smolensk from the Lithuanians. The war with Kazan and Crimea was difficult for Vasily, but ended in the punishment of Kazan: Trade was diverted from there to the Makaryev fair, which was later moved to Nizhny. Vasily divorced his wife Solomonia and married Princess Elena Glinskaya, which further aroused the boyars who were dissatisfied with him against him. From this marriage Vasily had a son, John.

Elena Glinskaya. Appointed ruler of the state by Vasily III, the mother of three-year-old John Elena Glinskaya immediately took drastic measures against the boyars dissatisfied with her. She made peace with Lithuania and decided to fight the Crimean Tatars, who boldly attacked Russian possessions, but in the midst of preparations for a desperate struggle she died suddenly.

John - IV the Terrible. Left at the age of 8 in the hands of the boyars, the intelligent and talented Ivan Vasilyevich grew up amid the struggle of parties over the rule of the state, among violence, secret murders and incessant exile. Having himself often suffered oppression from the boyars, he learned to hate them, and the cruelty, riotousness and violence that surrounded him
rudeness contributed to the hardening of his heart.

In 1552, Ivan conquered Kazan, which dominated the entire Volga region, and in 1556 the kingdom of Astrakhan was annexed to the Moscow state. The desire to establish himself on the shores of the Baltic Sea forced John to start the Livonian War, which brought him into conflict with Poland and Sweden. The war started quite successfully, but ended with the most unfavorable truce for John with Poland and Sweden: John not only did not establish himself on the shores of the Baltic, but also lost the coast of the Gulf of Finland. The sad era of “searches,” disgrace and executions began. John left Moscow, went with his entourage to the Alexandrovskaya Sloboda and here surrounded himself with guardsmen, whom John contrasted with the rest of the land, the zemshchina.

The Rurikovichs are the descendants of the legendary Rurik, the Varangian prince, the semi-legendary founder of the first Russian grand-ducal dynasty. In total, the Russian throne was occupied by representatives of only two dynasties. The second is the Romanovs. The Rurikids ruled from 862 AD until 1610. The Romanovs from 1613 to 1917. There are 48 Rurik princes and kings. Romanovs - nineteen.

First Prince of Rus'

• 9th century - Eastern historians reported a large union of Slavic tribes - Slavia (with its center in Novgorod), Kujava (Kyiv), Artania
• 839 - the French “Annals of Saint-Bertin” mention representatives of the “Ros” people who were in the Byzantine embassy to the King of the Carolingian dynasty, Louis the Pious
• 859 - The northern Slavic tribes Chud, Slovenes, Meri, Vesi and Krivichi refused to pay tribute to the Varangians. Strife.
• 860 (or 867) - Calling the Varangians to restore order. Rurik settled in the town of Ladoga
  

  “Vastasha Slovene, killed the people of Novgorod and Merya and Krivichi against the Varangians and drove them overseas and did not give them tribute. We began to own ourselves and build cities. And there would not be righteousness in them, and the rise of generation upon generation, and armies, and captivity, and incessant bloodshed. And therefore the people gathered decided to themselves: “Who would be the prince in us and rule us? We will look for and recruit one either from us or from Kozar or from Polyany or from Dunaychev or from the Varangians." And there was a great rumor about this - for this sheep, for the other one who wants it. The same one, having consulted, sent to the Varangians"

  At the end of the 1990s. The finds of archaeologist Evgeny Ryabinin in Staraya Ladoga prove: Ladoga not only existed more than 100 years before Rurik, but also had the highest level of production development for that time. 2 km from Ladoga, Ryabinin dug up the Lyubsha fortress, which was erected in the 6th–7th centuries, rebuilt on a stone foundation around 700. The oldest lathe in Eastern Europe was also found near Ladoga (“Arguments of the Week”, No. 34(576) dated 08/31/2017)

• 862 (or 870) - Rurik began reigning in Novgorod.
  Russian historical science has still not come to a consensus about who Rurik was, whether he existed at all, whether the Slavs called him to reign and why. Here is what Academician B. A. Rybakov writes about this:

  “Was there a calling for the princes or, more precisely, for Prince Rurik? The answers can only be speculative. Norman raids on the northern lands at the end of the 9th and 10th centuries are beyond doubt. A proud Novgorod patriot could portray real raids as a voluntary calling of the Varangians by the northern inhabitants to establish order. Such coverage of the Varangian campaigns for tribute was less offensive to the pride of the Novgorodians than the recognition of their helplessness. The invited prince had to “rule by right” and protect his subjects with some kind of letter.
  It could have been different: wanting to protect themselves from unregulated Varangian exactions, the population of the northern lands could invite one of the kings as a prince, so that he would protect them from other Varangian detachments. Rurik, in whom some researchers see the Rurik of Jutland, would be a suitable figure for this purpose, since he came from the most remote corner of the Western Baltic and was a stranger to the Varangians from southern Sweden, located closer to the Chuds and the Eastern Slavs. Science has not sufficiently developed the question of the connection between the chronicle Varangians and the Western, Baltic Slavs.
  Archaeologically, connections between the Baltic Slavs and Novgorod can be traced back to the 11th century. Written sources from the 11th century speak of trade between the Western Baltic and Novgorod. It can be assumed that if the calling of a foreign prince actually took place as one of the episodes of the anti-Varangian struggle, then such a prince could be Rurik of Jutland, whose original place of reign was located next to the Baltic Slavs. The considerations expressed are not sufficiently substantiated to build any hypothesis on them.”

• 864 - Seizure of princely power in Kyiv by the Varangians Askold and Dir
• 864 (874) - Askold and Dir's campaign to Constantinople
• 872 - “Oskold’s son was quickly killed by the Bulgarians.” “That same summer, the Novgorodians were offended, saying: “As if we would be a slave and suffer a lot of evil in every possible way from Rurik and from his family.” That same summer, Rurik killed Vadim the Brave and many other Novgorodians who were his companions.”
• 873 - Rurik distributed the cities of Polotsk, Rostov, Beloozero, he gave them into the possession of his confidants
• 879 - Rurik died

Rurik Dynasty

• Oleg 879-912
• Igor 912-945
• Olga 945-957
• Svyatoslav 957-972
• Yaropolk 972-980
• Vladimir Saint 980-1015
• Svyatopolk 1015-1019
• Yaroslav I the Wise 1019-1054
• Izyaslav Yaroslavich 1054-1078
• Vsevolod Yaroslavich 1078-1093
• Svyatopolk Izyaslavich 1093-1113
• Vladimir Monomakh 1113-1125
• Mstislav Vladimirovich 1125-1132
• Yaropolk Vladimirovich 1132-1139
• Vsevolod Olgovich 1139-1146
• Izyaslav Mstislavich 1146-1154
• Yuri Dolgoruky 1154-1157
• Andrey Bogolyubsky 1157-1174
• Mstislav Izyaslavich 1167-1169
• Mikhail Yurievich 1174-1176
• Vsevolod Yuryevich (Big Nest) 1176-1212
• Konstantin Vsevolodovich 1216-1219
• Yuri Vsevolodovich 1219-1238
• Yaroslav Vsevolodovich 1238-1246
• Alexander Yaroslavich Nevsky 1252-1263
• Yaroslav Yaroslavich 1263-1272
• Vasily I Yaroslavich 1272-1276
• Dmitry Alexandrovich Pereyaslavsky 1276-1294
• Andrey Alexandrovich Gorodetsky 1294-1304
• Mikhail Yaroslavich 1304-1319
• Yuri Danilovich 1319-1326
• Alexander Mikhailovich 1326-1328
• John I Danilovich Kalita 1328-1340
• Simeon Ioannovich the Proud 1340-1353
• John II the Meek 1353-1359
• Dmitry Konstantinovich 1359-1363
• Dmitry Ioannovich Donskoy 1363-1389
• Vasily I Dmitrievich 1389-1425
• Vasily II Vasilievich the Dark 1425-1462
• John III Vasilievich 1462-1505
• Vasily III Ioannovich 1505-1533
• Elena Glinskaya 1533-1538
• Ivan IV the Terrible 1533-1584
• Fyodor Ioannovich 1584-1598
• Boris Godunov 1598-1605
• Vasily Shuisky 1606-1610