And sat Kyi on the hill where Borychiv Uzviz is now, and Shchek sat on the hill, called Shchekovytsya nowadays, and Khoryv – on the third hill, named Khoryvytsya.They have founded a city and named it after their elder brother “Kyiv”.

The Tale of Bygone Years (translation by L. Makhnovets’)

Establishment of the state

The centers of the Slavonic tribe unions were fortified settlement - towns, with cultural heathens and a chief as a rule. Byzantine sources report that Slavs were ruled by arkhonty (foremen) and risky (tsars). Though, the first Slavonic written chronicles prove that this word (even if it was actually used by Slavs) was submitted by the Germanism “prince”, that also confirmed an idea about the power as a military leadership. Traces of ancient towns of the VI-VIII centuries with deep defense trenches, earth mounds and wooden strongholds have been found in Kyiv, Chernihiv, Zymnyj (near Volodymyr Volyns’ky) etc. The chronicle associates the foundation of the future capital of the Kyivan Rus with one of the legendary Polyans’ky princes – Kyi.

Scientist’ debates about etymological meaning of the word Rus (and so the origin of Rusy) date back to ancient times.

Guided by an abstract of “The Tale of Bygone Years”, a number of German scientists, namely Hotlib Byer, Herhard Miller and August Ludwig Schlozer, who served in Russia in the XVIII century, worked out the so called Norman theory. It proved that Varangians – German-Scandinavian nation, known as Vikings or Normans on the west, have founded the Kyivan Rus. The theory in due time was subjected to sharp criticism by many scientists. In particular, Mykhajlo Lomonosov was a known adversary of the theory, who wrote an irate answer to Germen proving top-priority role of Slavs in the establishment of the Kyivan Rus. Statements of Lomonosov named as anti-Norman conception have stimulated contradictions that still continue today.

According to other hypothesis, in opinion of many historians, the Scandinavian theory was more acceptable in general context of the European history. The IX-the middle of the XI centuries were called the “Vikings epoch”. Since the IX century seafarers started to open up a new trade route to the south, called the Road from Varangians to Greeks. Novhorod was the northern outlet of the new route. River routes of the two largest inflows of Dnipro – Pryp’yat’ and Desna met in Kyiv and this localization peculiarity of the future capital of Rus, giving an opportunity to control all Dnipro route, had determined the city attraction for Varangian conquerors.

As “The Tale of Bygone Years” describes, in 862 two Varangian leaders Askold and Dir, leaving their prince Ryuryk in Novhorod sailed with their army down the Dnipro river. Having evaluated good position of Kyiv on the high riverbank they seized the city and imposed a tribute on polyane, who inhabited this land. Askold and Dir, probably, achieved might and prosperity very soon, because in 860, according to the legend, they decided along with amenable to them polyane to invade Constantinopol’. In short time news about their successes had reached Novhorod. And though Ryukyr had already died, and his son Ihor (in Scandinavian Inhvar) was young to be at the head of the army, Oleh, who was a regent (tutor), until Ihor attained his majority, brought together a retinue of Varangians, Slavs and Finns took Ihor and sailed to Kyiv. Askold and Dir had been swindled out of the city and killed, accused in power usurpation. In 882 Oleh settled in Kyiv proclaiming it “the mother of all Russian cities”.

Kyivan Rus formation

During Oleh and his successor Ihor’s ruling (from Scandinavian Inhvar [Ingvar] (882-945) Kyivan Rus began to obtain more distinct outlines – enlarging possessions of Kyivan princes, overriding the tribes of derevlyany and ulychi and after several successful wars with khozars – former khozar tributaries kryvichi, radymychi and siveryany. At the same time northern Slavonic regions had also endorsed the power of the Kyivan prince – Novhorod, since then submitted to a successor or next of kin of the Kyivan prince, Polots’k and Smolens’k. In 911 Oleh, being at height of his might, invaded Constantinopol at the head of big army and sacked it. By the times of Oleh and Ihor written agreements with Constantinopol appeared, that had become first political acts of a young state; they ratified basis of peaceful relations, commercial affairs and conflicts, besides – security guarantees for merchants from Rus to Constantinopol.

Ihor’s son Svyatoslav ended the heroic period of Kyivan Rus formation (962-972), one of the most romantic heroes of annalistic tradition: it was a brave and easy-to-handle prince, did not take in campaign carts and cauldrons, did not hide in tent at night just slept with his army in the open air, putting a saddle under the head, did not attack the enemy unexpectedly, but always threw down a challenge: Attack you! Svyatoslav was first of all a prince- warrior. Hrushevsky called him a Cossack on the throne, and his impetuous ruling described as a great venture. His Slavonic name, Varangian education, nomadic life reflected combination of European and Asian principles.

After successful war operations on Slavonic lands Svyatoslav concentrated on the Balkans. In 968 he agreed to help Byzantines in the war with the Bulgarian Empire. At the head of enormous army he invaded Bulgaria, annihilated the enemy and seized rich cities, taking Pereyaslavets’ as his base station. Svyatoslav died on the battlefield as it was natural for legendary heroes. “The Tale of Bygone Years” describes his heroic death on Dnipro rapids along the way from the Balkans to Kyiv, outlining that Pechenih’s khan ordered to make a bowl of the Kyivan prince’s skull. The ruling of Svyatoslav marked an apogee of early heroic period in the history of Kyivan Rus.

Flourishing Kyiv

After the death of Svyatoslav the Kyivan Rus suffered political crises: broke out strives between the Ryurykovyches for supreme power in the state. In a clash for the right to gather tributes, Yaropolk killed his brother Oleh. Young Volodymyr, fearing that he would suffer the same fate, escaped to Sweden. In several years he came back at the head of Varangian army forces and broke out a war against Yaropolk, in which Yaropolk met his death.

Having ascended to the throne in 980 and concentrating an integrated power in his hands, Volodymyr the Great (in Scandinavian Valdemar) initiated a new epoch in the history of Kyivan Rus. Volodymyr introduced more constructive approach in the state system. As distinct from his predecessors, his attention was directed first of all at prosperity of his possessions, not capture of lands and gathering of tributes. Though in due time, he also became famous for military acquiring, namely, his victory over the Byzantine army and destroy of Khersones. In Volodymyr’s time ruling, Rus had flourished and developed as an integrated society and state. Varangian princes did not consider Rus as a simple area for further conquests or a land for exploitation.

In 988 Volodymyr introduced Christianity according to the Byzantine tradition. Adoption of Christianity provokes a number of disputes in the Ukrainian history – still nowadays circumstances and true reasons of the Kyivan prince, which had determined his choice, are not known. But it is obvious, that this event had become a turning-point of the history – Kyivan Rus adjoined to Christian nations, in other words joined to religion, predominant in the most powerful civilization of that times. Based on the principle of tsar papistry, according to which supreme religious power belonged not to the head of a church but the governor of a state, Byzantium Orthodoxy consolidated the positions of the Ryurykovyches dynasty. After having introduced Christianity in Kyivan Rus an impact of Byzantium culture increased. Economic relations with the Byzantium Empire developed, that resulted in its own money coining. On the coins of Volodymyr for the first time a heraldic insignia – tryzub appeared.

The death of Volodymyr caused a new fratricidal war between the Ryurykovyches. With the support of Poles the elder son of Volodymyr Svyatopolk (chronicler often call him "Damned") attacked his younger brothers Svyatoslav, Borys and Hlib and killed them. Two latter, young and loveable by people, the Orthodox Church proclaimed Saints. Only after the death of Mstyslav in 1036 the period of long wars and political uncertainty had been finished - Yaroslav ascended to the throne and became a single ruler of Rus.

Long ruling of Yaroslav is considered to be a peak of the Kyivan Rus might. He developed and improved numerous acquisitions of his predecessor Volodymyr. As his farther, Yaroslav continued to enlarge borders of his enormous possessions: he retook on the west lands seized by Poles in the period of inner strife, placed under the command new Baltic tribes and smashed pechenihy. In the result of these conquests, possessions of Yaroslav spread from the north to the south from the Baltic to the Black Sea and from Oka on the east to the Carpathians on the west.

Formation of Old Russian state had been finished in Yaroslav’s time ruling. Local separatism was broken once and for all, stabilized state territory and borders, improved State machinery. Tributes became smaller that was in keeping line with progressive feudalization of society. Approximately in 1037 the prince initialized carrying out codification in Kyiv, and due to this fact the first written norm collection of old Russian law “Russian Truth” appeared. In Yaroslav’s time ruling agriculture and cattle-breeding, crafts and trade had been intensively developed, significantly improved home and international commerce.

Decline

After the death of Yaroslav the Wise (1054) the Kyivan Rus had become weaker and broken up into separate provinces. In 1068 Kyivites, being unsatisfied by the ruling of Yaroslav’s son Izyaslav, dethroned him and raised to the throne his nephew Vseslav. And even though Izyaslav with the help of Poles came back and overrode rebels, events of 1068 became an important turn in the history, marking the first verified “revolution” on Ukrainian land. In addition to it, Ukrainian borders were under the threat from the steppe. The unity of Kyivan Rus had become weaker for the reason of complicated succession order of Kyivan throne in the Ryurykovych family. To eliminate intestine wars between princes confronted with the polovets’ka threat in 1097 the princes met for their first congress in Lyubechi of Kyiv. They concluded a treaty according to which common to that time “estate” broke up into three separate “estates” of elder lines of the House of Yaroslavs – Izyaslavychiv, Svyatoslavychiv, Vsevolodovychiv. In this way a principle of succession ownership of dependent territories was formed: “Every one controls his territory”. But provisions of Lyubets’ky and the following congresses of princes: Vytychivs’ky 1100, Zolochivs’ky 1101 and Dolobs’ky – failed to quash prince's strife.

After Svyatopolk’s death and the insurgency of Kyivites in 1113 Volodymyr Monomakh ascended to the throne (1113-1125). He was invited by the Kyivan boyards, avoiding offense of the provision of Lyubets’ky congress. Coming to the throne Monomakh succeeded to renew the political unity of most of Russian lands. His son Mstyslav (1125-1132) continued the policy aimed at integration of the Russian lands. But he was the last of Kyivan princes, in whose time Kyivan state reserved its unity. By estimate of Stepan Tomashivs’ky between 1146 and 1246 rulers changed 47 times in Kyiv, ascending to the throne for several times, here ruled 27 princes, at that 35 rulings each continued less than a year.

While on the banks of the Dnipro river a new state was developing, in southern steppes flied its own life. New and new tribes of nomads got control over steppe areas, changing each other. Soon after Yaroslav the Wise defeated old enemies of Kyivan princes – pechenihy, a new threat appeared in steppe – polovtsi. The first attack of polovtsi on Rus dates back from the 60s of the XI century: in 1061 they invaded Pereyaslavs’ka land, defeating the prince Vsevolod Yaroslavych, and in 1068 Vsevolod and his brothers came off second-best by the river of Al’t. In general, by the beginning of the XIII century steppers introduced into life about 48 campaigns on Rus. One of the most vivid episodes of confrontation between rusychi and nomads was glorified in “The word about Ihor’s Regiment”.

The most painful internecine blow for Kyivan Rus was striken by Mongol-Tatars hordes. It is known, that in the XII century Mongol-Tatar tribes settled borderlands of China, coming into tribe and clan conflicts for squalid pastures. In the last decades of the XII century a charismatic and talented leader Temu-chyn appeared. With the help of pipe laying and power, he united hostile tribes making them acknowledge his absolute power and in 1206 he called himself by Chynhizkhan title, that is a khan above all khans. His next purpose was to direct armed forces and aggression of these tribes against neighboring non-nomadic civilizations.

Firstly, Tatar-Mongols reached the borders of the Kyivan Rus in 1223. At that time Russian-polovetski forces met by the Kalka river with Mongol-Tatars in a terrible struggle coming off second-best. But Mongols dispersing their forces decided not to take advantage of this victory and came back home. In return, by the end of 1237 a powerful Mongol-Tatar army appeared at the borders of Rus at the head with Chynhizkhan’s grandson Batyj. On December 21, 1237 on the seventh day after siege, Batyj conquered Ryazan’, in a month, in January of 1238 fell Moscow, and on February 7 battering rams smashed up walls of Volodymyr on Klyazma, the capital of Volodymyro-Suzdals’ky province of those times. For a short period of time Mongols captured and destroyed cities of Ryazan’, Suzdal’ and Volodymyr, and in 1240 reached Kyiv. On December 6, 1240 Kyiav had been seized and utterly destroyed. At moth of the Volga River the khan founded a capital of the state called Gold Horde. Kyivan Rus was taken up by conquerors, its lands got under dependence and laid under severe tribute. In 1242 Mongol-Tatar forces approached Poland and the Balkans with a serious of victories. Western provinces of Rus awfully resisted Tatar invasion for a long time, but they also were forced to acknowledge the supremacy of khan. Thus, in the XIII century the Kyivan Rus practically ceased to exist.

Galician-Volynian Principality

Galicia (Halychyna) was the first province on the territory of modern Ukraine, which got firmly established and came apart from Kyiv. Using all possible methods – fair as well as unfair, artful prince Volodymyrk (1123-1153) managed to bend in his will the province and in the course of time to resist successfully to the influence of great princes, at the same time repulsing attacks of neighbors – the Hungarians. Guided by his father’s achievements, the talented son of Volodymyrko Yaroslav Osmosmysl (1153-1187), in other words “a man of eight senses”, enlarged borders of the province up to the mouth of the Dniestr river, that is today in present-day Moldova. Ensuring peace and prosperity Yaroslav kept in touch with the Hungarians and Fridrich I Barbaross from Germany. Glory and authority of the prince in Rus was described in “The Word of Ihor’s Regiment”. Though success of the prince was impugnable. With the flourishing Galicia he reinforced political influence of boyars. In Yaroslav’s ruling they became so powerful that made him disown his second wife Anastasiya and faggot her with the lapse of time.

After Yaroslav’s death a civil war broke out in the province provoked by the struggle for the power between the boyars and princes’ heirs. After several years of strife and uncertainty Galicia got under the ruling of Volyn prince Roman Mstyslavovych who in such a way had united under his power practically all lands of present-day Ukraine.

In 1173 after his father’s death, Roman ascended to the Volyn throne; having reformed destroyed and deserted estates of his family, which were under the possession of Monomakh’s heirs. In 1188 Galician boyars invited to rule a talented and quite powerful prince, but adversaries and a group of hostile boyars prevented him to do it. But in 1199 he came back to Galicia and adjoined it to Volyn, establishing in Eastern Europe a new great state at the head of energetic, active and talented prince. Galician-Volynian chronicle calls Roman an autocrat and winner of all hostile nations. By means of cruel methods Roman surmounted resistance of boyars and strengthened the prince’s power on his lands. Roman died during one of numerous aggressive campaigns falling into a trap.

After his death intestine wars broke out. Only in 1245 the son of Roman Danylo had quashed adversaries and united Galician and Volynian lands. Danylo appeared to be a talented autocrat and achieved much success in foreign as well as in home policy. He fortified many towns and founded new ones, including L’viv in 1256 named after his son Lev. To settle new town centers Danylo invited craftspeople from Germany, Poland and Rus. Big Armenian and Jewish communities intensified multinational characteristic of Galician towns, which reserved its characteristic peculiarity up to the XX century.

Danylo succeeded to regulate relations with Tatars that gave him an opportunity to be independent in his policy and protected from exploitation, though in turn he had to acknowledge khan’s supremacy. Danylo had also established friendly relations with Poland and Hungary. One of the most interesting episodes of Danylo’s foreign policy concerns his relations with Rome. Danylo made a request to the Pope Innokentij IV to assist in uniting all Slavs for a crusade against Mongol-Tatars. In return Danylo agreed to transmit his possessions under the church jurisdiction of Rome. To encourage the Galician prince the Pope sent him a royal crown and in 1253 the Pope’s envoy crowned Danylo investing him a crown and scepter.

But as Danylo died in 1264 Galician-Volynian principality fell into decay and practically broke up. In the second half of the XIV century the territory of Galician-Volynian principality was divided between Lithuania and Poland once and for all.

Thus, the decline of the Kyivan Rus and Galician-Volynian principality ended up the first important epoch of the Ukrainian State system that had been recommenced only in the XX century.