Every Ukrainian knows that Kievan Rus is a state of Eastern Slavs. However, both the people themselves and the term that was used to designate them have a mysterious, centuries-old history filled with gaps and shrouded in myths.
How it happened is a rhetorical question. History has always been and remains a convenient tool for propaganda, which is skillfully used by bloody regimes. Such a fate did not bypass the evidence of Kievan Rus.
To debunk the myths Channel 24 will be together with the partner KOBLEVO. In the new special project, we will change the optics to look at the history of Ukraine from different angles, refute the Kremlin’s popular narratives and return to the roots to make sure once again that behind every Ukrainian there is a unique story that is worth being proud of.
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Let's start our cycle from the origins, namely from Kievan Rus. In particular, with its name, which is so actively appealed to in Russia.
A bit of background: how Kievan Rus appeared
What do you associate Kievan Rus with? With princes, architecture, frescoes and grandeur? But the main thing in this list will be the mention of the Eastern Slavs, because it was they who united in the settlement, which later grew into a powerful and influential state on the world map.
And there is a lot of evidence about this. In particular, back in the 6th century, the Byzantine historian Procopius of Caesarea writes about the Eastern Slavs as an already formed and powerful military community. And this was long before Kyiv really was at the peak of its prosperity.
Model of the settlement of the times of Kievan Rus / Photo by Shutterstock
It is interesting that they did not choose the location for the creation of the main city of Kyiv by chance. For the Eastern Slavs, who are our ancestors, it was important to establish trade relations and strengthen their positions among other states. Therefore, the state center was built on the coast of the Dnieper, because it was the river at that time that was the key to a strong economy, which means a prosperous life. Thanks to favorable geolocation and connections, Kyiv quickly managed to unite the principalities around itself and create a state with a rich culture and potential.
At the same time, Kievan Rus was not a unitary state, but really an association. This included many principalities with their own orders and cells of power, but with a common culture, language, traditions and economy. Roughly speaking, our ancestors lived on a system of decentralization.
This is how they dressed in the days of Kievan Rus / Photo by Shutterstock
Where did the word “Rus” come from and what theories are around it
By the time the ancient Russian state was formed, approximately in the 8th – 9th centuries, the name Kievan Rus had spread to the territories of modern Kiev region, Chernihiv region and Pereyaslav region. And then – to all the lands that Kyiv united under its rule. It would seem that somewhere here the solution to the toponym “Rus” should have been located. However, not all so simple.
Unlike the same Britain, whose name comes from the name of the Celtic tribe of the Britons, the Rusyns seem to have been somewhat more creative and chose a different strategy – to significantly complicate the life of today's historians. So, today there are several versions of the origin of the word “Rus”, and here are the most popular:
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Scandinavian origin. According to this version, the name comes from the word “roðr”, which means “rowing” or “boat with oars”. Roughly speaking, the northern peoples associated “Rus” with the sea or the explorers. In addition, you can find an explanation that “Rus” is a derivative of the Finnish Ruotsi. This word denoted Sweden, from where the migration to the territory of modern Ukraine allegedly took place.
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Slavic origin . According to this version, “Rus” means “fair-haired”. This seems to have been a characteristic feature of most people in the region.
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A hypothesis based on the mention of the ethnonym “hrus” in the Syrian chronicle of the 6th century. In the fragments that have survived to this day, this term describes one of the tribes in the Northern Black Sea region. It is this version that is based on the self-name, because in the Dnieper region there really is a river Ros with tributaries Roska and Rosava. The same river was in the Chernihiv region, it was mentioned in the annals as the place where the battle took place in 1187 between the Polovtsy and the locals.
But these are far from all the theories that try to explain the mystery of the origin of the word “Rus”. However, not only they are interesting, but also the fact that the very existence of such versions is a clear evidence of the active communication of the Slavs with other peoples.
How Russia Wanted to Rewrite Its Origins and Steal the Greatness of Kievan Rus
Kievan Rus as a state association existed, according to various estimates, from the 3rd to the 6th centuries. On the political map of the world in the XIII-XIV centuries, it was gradually replaced by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which was a largely Lithuanian-Russian state. But in the 16th century, Muscovy began to spread its wings, which turned from a small swampy principality into an aggressive kingdom.
Moscow began “gathering Russian lands” 300 years after the Mongol-Tatars destroyed Kyiv. Over these three centuries, the glory of Kievan Rus, the strength of its name did not disappear anywhere – and they warped the Moscow eye so much that after another 200 years the name was simply stolen – Peter I renamed the Moscow kingdom into the Russian Empire and became emperor.
Interestingly, before that, the Muscovites tried to steal Rome. Yes, yes, a whole theory has been developed that the first Rome is the one in Italy, the heart of the Roman Empire. The second Rome is Constantinople, the heart of Byzantium. And the third, which means Moscow – they say, the direct heir. Believe it or not, Ivan the Terrible sincerely argued that he was descended from none other than the first Roman emperor, Octavian Augustus.
The Russians even created coins with Peter I in the style of the Roman Empire / Photo by Shutterstock
But no one in Europe accepted this idea, because the Europeans themselves managed to develop it there, forming the Holy Roman Empire of the German nation. The line of succession was already taken. And then the Muscovites, who were very eager to disguise themselves as a civilized country, decided to take the glory of our majestic Kievan Rus for themselves.
So, Kievan Rus at one time was one of the most developed states on the world map. Thanks to the industriousness and ingenuity inherent in the genes of all Ukrainians, our ancestors had not only an established and powerful economy, but also trade relations, culture and potential for development. Consequently, when Kievan Rus bloomed throughout Europe, only a weed bloomed in the place of Russia. And when Mikhailovsky Cathedral and the Golden Gate were being built in Kyiv, only a fence could be erected in Moscow, because this city was only a small border settlement of the Vladimir-Suzdal Russian principality.
Golden Gate – the main gate of ancient Kyiv / Photo by Shutterstock
Everything changed when the Mongol-Tatar horde came – it caused the fall of Kyiv and ensured the ascent of everything ready for the sake of Moscow's power. But that's a completely different story.
