The history of ancient Russia keeps a lot of secrets andsecrets. One of these mysteries is the first princes of Kiev, whom we know as Askold and Dir. Who were they by origin, where did they come from, who were they to each other? Or maybe it was all one person?
Let us try to understand, setting out the generally accepted version, as well as several variants of events that historians allow, based on very specific facts.
Official version
It is believed that Askold and Dir werethe origin of the Varangians - Rusas, as they were then called. They had no relationship with the ruling Prince Rurik, and were just his "boyars." When Rurik sat down in Novgorod, he began distributing Russian cities to his closest people. So Dir and Askold, he let go to the south in search of a suitable place for government. Those going down the Dnieper down, saw the glorious city of Kiev, in which they lived in a meadow. Askold and Dir decided to stay there and declared themselves rulers.
Они лояльно относились к населению, местным customs and religion. Tribute left at the same level. In addition, like any northern warriors, they knew military affairs well and came accompanied by a well-armed detachment. Therefore, the people of Kiev decided not to rebel and calmly accepted their new rulers.
Around 860-866, Askold and Dir committedambitious military campaign against Constantinople. To protect his city from the belligerent Rus, the ruling emperor Michael III decided to interrupt the war with the Arabs and hurriedly returned to the capital.
Kiev princes arrived under the wallsConstantinople, leading an impressive flotilla of two hundred ships. They quickly and successfully looted the suburbs and besieged the city. Over the capital of Byzantium looms a real threat of conquest. Then the emperor Michael and the holy patriarch Photius began to pray fervently for the protection of the center of the Christian world. Suddenly, a terrible storm arose on the sea, which dispersed and destroyed the belligerent ships of the Rus. Constantinople was saved by divine providence.
Askold and Dir were forced to conclude a peace treaty with Byzantium and decided to be baptized into Christianity.
В 879 году скончался в Новгороде князь Рюрик, leaving the heir to his young son Igor, and his guardian - his relative, who is known as the Prophetic Oleg. He decided to take power not only over the northern, but also over the southern lands, so he gathered an impressive army from the Slavs and Varangians and moved in a southerly direction. Smolensk and the ancient Lyubech obeyed him. Soon, Oleg came to Kiev.
He was well aware that the Kiev princes havestrong squad and will defend themselves, so as not to give power. Therefore, the Prophetic Oleg decided to act cunning. He left his main army in ambush, and he himself disguised himself as a peaceful merchant and invited Askold and Dir to come to his trade talks. Those without fear went to the meeting, but they were surrounded by a military squad on the shore. According to the Tale of Bygone Years, Oleg went out before the captured princes and accused them that they were not of a famous kind and ruled over the people by deception. Then he pointed to little Igor and said: "Here is the prince, here is the son of Rurik!"
Askold and Dir were immediately killed. The mound with the remains of Askold still stands on the steep bank of the Dnieper, and the dust of Dir rested for a long time near the church of St. Irene.
So Oleg began to rule in Kiev on behalf of Igor. It was he who declared Kiev the mother of Russian cities, the center of Russian lands. In 882, for the first time, the northern and southern lands united under the rule of one prince.
This is the official version of events. But historians consider many options, based on a comparison of various chronicles and legends.
History options
For example, there is disagreement about the originDir and Askold. Some historians believe that Askold was a Slav and a direct descendant of Dir. Others, on the contrary, only Dira is credited with Slavic origin and the role of a subordinate, and Askold is considered a Varangian and a voivode.
Ancient Byzantine sources when describingThe military campaign of the Russians of 866 generally mentions only one prince, so it is quite possible that Askold and Dir are one and the same person, Varyag Askold, nicknamed Dir. Translated from the ancient northern language, Dir means “Beast”, which could be a nickname.
If you still confidently consider them as twoindividual people, it is quite logical to assume that Askold and Dir ruled at different times, and in the Tale of Bygone Years they are artificially combined into co-rulers. Chronicler could unite them according to logic, as two illegal rulers. Historians are surprised by the fact that two princes killed at the same time, according to the scriptures, were buried in places so remote from each other. And the Joakimov chronicle says that Oleg killed only one prince, Askold, and the name Dir is not mentioned there at all.
If you compare multiple historicalsources, it becomes quite obvious that Dir was the first ruler of Kiev and lived in the beginning and middle of the 9th century, and Askold became his successor and reigned in the second half of the 9th century.
As we see, there are many unexplained circumstances in the history of these Kiev princes, which are reliably hidden from us by a long history. Do we ever solve them?
