Rurikovichi: on the traces of history

On November 4-20 Moscow’s Manezh Central Exhibition Hall will host an exhibition titled “Orthodox Rus. My History. The Rurik Dynasty.” As part of the same series last year saw an exhibition about the Romanovs, which caused a stir and attracted over 300,000 visitors.

According to the “Tale of Bygone Years,” the Varangian chieftains Rurik and his brothers, Sineus and Truvor, were invited to Russia in 862 to rule over Novgorod. After the death of his brothers, Rurik assumed sole power. His direct ancestors included his son Igor, grandson Svyatoslav, and great-grandson Vladimir, who introduced Christianity to Russia — the “Baptism of Rus.”

After the death of Vladimir, the Rurik line began branching out: Vladimir’s children ruled various principalities, but all were subordinate to the Grand Duke of Kiev, Yaroslav the Wise.

Yaroslav the Wise’s grandson, Vladimir Monomakh, is remembered not only for his military campaigns and attempts to unite the principalities, but as a writer and thinker. One of his most famous works is “The Teachings of Vladimir Monomakh.”

The son of Grand Prince Vladimir, Yuri Dolgoruky, went down in history as the founder of Moscow. The first mention of Moscow, in 1147, was indeed during Dolgoruky’s reign; in 1156 he and his son, Andrei Bogolyubsky, fortified the city with a moat and wooden walls.

Mstislav the Great, another son of Vladimir Monomakh, tried to keep the Old Russian state together, but his death marked the start of the disintegration of Rus into minor principalities, although formally the state continued to exist until the Mongol-Tatar invasion.

One of the greatest representatives of the Rurik dynasty was Alexander Nevsky, famed as the commander who routed the Swedish fleet in 1240, preserving access to the Baltic Sea, and defeated the Knights of the Livonian Order at Lake Peipus in 1242.

Ivan Danilovich Kalita, the “gatherer of Russian lands,” was instrumental in the rise of Moscow and not averse to “befriending” the Golden Horde, paying handsome tribute to the Khans and showering them with gifts. He acquired the nickname Kalita (“Moneybags”) due to his wealth and generosity.

It would be amiss not to mention the first Tsar of All Russia, Ivan the Terrible. Despite his epithet and austere disposition, Ivan IV did much for the state he ruled, turning Russia into a great power by uniting vast territories, expanding trade and cultural ties with Europe and Asia, and much else besides.

The Rurik dynasty came to an end with Fyodor, son of Ivan the Terrible. His death saw the ascension to the throne of Boris Godunov, whose reign was a barren time — with frost even in summer. The common folk decided that he was out of God’s favor, whereupon the Time of Troubles set in.