The Kievan Rus’ was one of the most fierce European powers in the Middle Ages.
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Introduction
Kievan Rus’ (or Kyivan Rus’) was one of the most fierce European powers in the Middle Ages. It was composed of a good number of Slavic tribes in areas of modern-day Belarus, Ukraine, and Russia. This nation went through rapid development and established itself as a major power. Unfortunately, it was one of the only European countries invaded by the Mongols, leading to its eventual collapse.
The Trident, Kievan Rus’ symbol
Origin of Rus’
Before the 9th century, there were endless Scandinavian and Slavic tribes located in the area north of the Black Sea. According to The Russian Primary Chronicle, a Viking, known as Oleg the Wise, started his military campaign in Novgorod, defeated a lot of tribes, and expanded his territories straight down to Kiev. In 882 CE, Oleg then moved the capital to Kiev for its strategic location on the Dnieper River, an important and long water source connecting a lot of lands up till the Black Sea.
Map of the Dnieper river
In the following years, under the supreme rule of Oleg, the group conquered more of the local Slavic and Finnic tribes, uniting everyone in the region under the trident banner and the name “Rus’.” The name “Kievan” was added before Rus’ by the Russian historians; the meaning is basically “Land of Rus of Kiev”. After Oleg died, Igor I took over the throne, marking the beginning of the Rurik family’s rule.
Land occupied by Kievan Rus under the rule of Oleg
Development of Rus’
After the death of Oleg the Wise, his descendants succeeded him in ruling Kievan Rus. It continued to conquer lands through endless wars with the neighboring tribes. The military power it held was extraordinarily powerful at the time. For instance, it dared to go to war with the famous Byzantine Empire over unfair trading terms. To everyone’s surprise, it directly attacked and captured Constantinople. Byzantium had no choice but to give up its harsh terms and share the control of trading over the Black Sea with the Rus’. Kievan Rus then became rich by trading the abundant jewelry resources it had while expanding its territories as usual with a strong military as its backbone.
Kievan Rus’ Siege of Constantinople in 860 CE
With regard to religion and beliefs, Kievan Rus’ was once filled with Slavic paganism (the native faith of Slavs), Norse paganism (locally practiced), and Finnish paganism (the native faith of Finnic peoples). After the influence of Christianization in Western Europe, many people started to believe in Orthodox Christianity, which Vladimir I, who was known as Vladimir the Great, made the official religion during his reign. Orthodoxism is still a very prevalent religion in Eastern Europe even until now.
Golden Age of Rus’
The rule of Vladimir I (980–1015 CE) was considered the Golden Era of the nation. Rus’ continued to expand its territories and won countless battles under his command. During that time period, no one dared to enrage the country with the supreme military power that crushed the almighty Byzantine Empire. Furthermore, Kievan Rus’ geographical advantage also contributed to its prosperity. Its neighboring countries were mostly weak; the people living there were just some local tribes. As a result, it could invade these countries without having to worry about major wars that could end in its defeat.
Map of Europe in approx. 980 CE
Kievan Rus’ didn’t use the name of Vikings to gain its dominant place. Although the first ruler, Oleg, was a Scandinavian descendant, his grandson, Svyatoslav I, was the last Rurik family ruler who strictly followed the Scandinavian tradition. In 980 CE, starting with his son Vladimir I, the Rurik bloodline was thoroughly Slavnolized and considered themselves Slav. Nevertheless, due to its old tradition and strong military power, it still preserved political relationships with other parts of Europe during that time period.
Downfall of Rus’
After its golden era, multiple civil wars broke out in Kievan Rus’. The first one followed the death of Vladimir I (1015 CE), which left a power vacuum at the throne. A civil war broke out between the successors of Vladimir I, Sviatopolk, and Prince Yaroslav. With the latter faction winning the war, Yaroslav became the Grand Prince of Kiev and attempted to stabilize his family’s power by reforming the administrative system and dividing the land of the country among his three sons. Ironically, he forgot that his sons were power-hungry, and a major civil war for the throne broke out between Yaroslav’s three sons right upon his death (1024 CE). Fighting for the throne was so common in the late years of Kievan Rus’ as almost every prince was put in charge of a region, and each of them wanted to be the Grand Prince of Kiev. The most notable civil wars that happened later were the Novgorod-Seversky Rebellion (1070 CE; cousins fight) and the Suzdal Rebellion (1125 CE; son rebels against father). The “Grand Prince of Kiev” became an empty name with no power, to such an extent that Andrew I (1169 CE), who was the Grand Prince of Kiev at the time, decided to sack Kiev and return to his original region for his own good. These civil wars greatly weakened Kievan Rus’ military and political stability.
Different regions of Kievan Rus’ became independent
Secondly, during the hundred years, commerce in the Black Sea was also affected, as it was no longer preferred after the fall of the Byzantine Empire and the Crusade. To resolve the situation, different princes decided to establish alliances with western European countries like Poland and the Holy Roman Empire, boosting their economies but losing their autonomy in terms of controlling trade. By the middle of the 12th century, all the regions controlled by alliances in Kievan Rus’ had basically become independent in both economic and political means.
The End
A drawing of the Mongols
The ruthless invasion by the Mongols was the decisive faction that completely ended the unstable nation. Under Batu Khan (1240 CE), the Mongols, known as the “Golden Horde,” started to invade Kievan Rus’. The Mongols were cruel; they murdered all the citizens of a city if the city decided to resist. Under this attack tactic, Kievan Rus’ fell quickly, dissolving into different independent countries. The Mongols didn’t leave after they won. Instead, they set up a stronghold in Moscow, implementing heavy taxes and heavily influencing the trading routes and politics of the newborn Slavic nations. Surprisingly, the Mongols didn’t limit the power of Orthodoxism during their reign; this made a lot of the arts at that time period related to Orthodoxism, as the artists felt like they had lost their sense of identity and the Church would commission them to create art pieces. Nonetheless, the Mongols continued to dominate these areas until centralized powers like the Grand Duchy of Moscow began to rise in the 16th century.
Conclusion
In summary, Kievan Rus’ was a once-powerful nation that experienced several rapid developments and severe setbacks. From the rule of Oleg to his predecessor Vladimir I, Kievan Rus’ was the first state uniting all the tribes in the area and bringing its influence to the entire Western Europe. Although it no longer exists, the cultures it created, like Orthodox Christianity and Byzantium-Russo-style architecture, still largely influenced all their predecessors in the region. We can still see a large amount of its influence in modern-day Eastern Europe.