Prince Rurik - Governor of Novgorod

The name Rurik is associated with the ancient Russian state and one of the legendary figures in the history of Europe. Very little is known about this very brave man.

Prince Rurik is considered, perhaps, one of the most mysterious figures in Russia. Supposedly he was born somewhere in 808 in the city of Rerik, now renamed Rarog.

In the early 800's, the Danish king Gottfriedcaptured this city, and Rurik's father, Prince Godoljub, ordered to hang. His mother, widowed Princess Umila, together with two young children disappeared in a foreign land. In general, the period of Rurik's childhood in history is not illuminated. Mention of this time can be found only in the "Bertinsky Annals", when in 826 the year the brothers (the future prince and brother Harold) appeared in the residence of the Frankish emperor. King Louis the Pious became their godfather, and granted them lands beyond the Elbe.

By the beginning of the nineteenth century in our territorythere was no whole state. Here lived the tribes of the Chudes, the Weights, the Ilmen Slavs, Krivich, Vyatich, Drevlyane, Glades and others. Between them very often flared up enmity and quarrels, in endless skirmishes many people died.

Therefore, according to tradition, at last, one dayrepresentatives of all these tribes gathered and urged "to establish order" of the foreign prince. This man, as chroniclers claim, was Prince Rurik, and this happened in 862.

Until the events described, in 845 the year the Vikingsclimbed on their rooks up the Elbe and defeated almost all the cities along the banks of the river. They were led by Prince Rurik, who, five years later, commanded a huge fleet of 350 ships at that time. And it was this armada that he brought down on England.

In 862 the troops of the Varangians occupied the shores of Ladoga, and in 864 Rurik annexed Izborsk and Beloozero to their possessions.

And when on the united lands of numeroustribes "called" the prince formed a single state, then his capital became Novgorod. Next to it was cut down another small town - Gorodische, where later many Novgorod rulers lived.

In neighboring Polotsk, Beloozero and other citiesPrince Rurik appointed to rule his close people - comrades-in-arms. Just two years after Prince Rurik ascended the throne, an uprising began, led by Vadim the Brave. However, the ruler of the Novgorod lands was able to fully prove that he was fully able to manage his disobedient subjects: he cruelly suppressed the insurrection.

By the 864th year, as a result of a difficult war with the Khazars, he managed to subdue Moore and Rostov, expanding the Novgorod principality, stretching from the Volkhov to the mouth of the Oka.

During the reign of Prince Rurik actively strengthenedTheir borders and laid new cities. The policy pursued by him was quite simple: he was well aware of the importance of the river trade routes through which the main cargoes from the East were hauling. He managed to control them, thereby making Novgorod even richer.

Until his death, he firmly held the board in Novgorod. According to the annals, Rurik reigned for seventeen years. He died in 879th year during the raid on the tribes of the lord and the koreel.

After his death, the throne in Novgorod passed to his son Igor, however, because he was a minor, the actual rule was taken over by Prince Oleg.

Rurik, the dynasty of which ruled the Russian land for more than seven hundred years, was interrupted only at the end of the nineteenth century.