Family tree of the princes of Rus'. Rurik dynasty diagram with dates

Ability to call up a menu by right-clicking on an empty space with the following items:

• Hide everyone except the highlighted princes. Even hide their brothers.
• Clear selection
• Save the current tree view as pdf/jpg/…

List of all princes. The ability to select any princes from the list and build a tree up to the selected tribe, in which the selected princes would be shown and highlighted, while hiding as much as possible. This is very useful if you need information on specific princes.

In case of identical names, display dates of life. When you hover over a name in the list, show information with all ancestors and a short biography.

Make a smart search for princes, offering options as you type.

Make rescaling in Firefox smoother. Everything is fine in Chrome, Opera and Safari.

Clicking on the “Show all” button often leaves you in front of a blank screen; the tree completely goes beyond the boundaries of the visible area. To correct.

When the window size increases, the borders of the tree-container do not increase - as a result, not all the available space is used. You have to refresh the page. To correct.

The knee numbers are above and below the diagram, appearing as the knees open. By clicking on the knee number, the diagram is collapsed to this knee; with a second click, the previous view is restored. By pointing at the number of a knee, the number of people in this knee is displayed. And, for example, the general characteristics of this time are the most important events that occurred during this generation. What to do when the illuminated painted lines of the princes intersect?

List of hikes in a pull-out menu. By clicking on the hike you are interested in, all participants are highlighted.

Now Rurik and Prophetic Oleg are the second knee, and the root and its lines are made invisible (to match the background color). Is there a more normal solution to start the tree with two roots?

Now double-clicking zooms in. I think it should be removed/replaced with something more useful.

Do separate function for the location of the tree at start. Now the same function is used, which centers the tree when you click on its elements. It is not possible to achieve an acceptable tree position both at start and at click.

Select the Grand Dukes.

Make lists for cities: under whose power (prince, principality, governors...) they were in time.

Not a fully thought out idea: the ability to color the background under the pedigree in different colors, where the color would indicate a specific region. Since children usually ruled over their father's fiefdom, this should make sense. Let's check it out.

Make the pedigree list (source.data) easy to download and view.

We welcome reports of any inaccuracies (especially factual ones) and broken buttons. Advice, suggestions and wishes are also welcome.

Of which there are almost twenty tribes of rulers of Rus', they descend from Rurik. This historical character was presumably born between 806 and 808 in the city of Rerik (Raroga). In 808, when Rurik was 1-2 years old, the domain of his father, Godolub, was seized by the Danish king Gottfried, and the future Russian prince became half an orphan. Together with his mother Umila, he found himself in a foreign land. And his childhood is not mentioned anywhere. It is assumed that he spent them in Slavic lands. There is information that in 826 he arrived at the court of the Frankish king, where he received an allotment of land “beyond the Elbe”, in fact the land of his murdered father, but as a vassal of the Frankish ruler. During the same period, Rurik is believed to have been baptized. Later, after being deprived of these plots, Rurik joined the Varangian squad and fought in Europe, by no means as an exemplary Christian.

Prince Gostomysl saw the future dynasty in a dream

The Rurikovichs, whose family tree was seen, as legend has it, in a dream by Rurik’s grandfather (Umila’s father), made a decisive contribution to the development of Rus' and the Russian state, as they ruled from 862 to 1598. The prophetic dream of the old Gostomysl, the ruler of Novgorod, showed just that from “the womb of his daughter a wonderful tree will sprout, which will satisfy the people in his lands.” This was another “plus” in favor of inviting Rurik with his strong squad at a time when civil strife was observed in the Novgorod lands, and the people suffered from attacks from outside tribes.

The foreign origin of Rurik may be disputed

Thus, it can be argued that the family tree of the Rurik dynasty began not with foreigners, but with a man who by blood belonged to the Novgorod nobility, who fought in other countries for many years, had his own squad and the age allowed to lead the people. At the time of Rurik’s invitation to Novgorod in 862, he was about 50 years old - quite a respectable age at that time.

Was the tree based on Norway?

How did the Rurikovich family tree form further? The image shown in the review gives a complete picture of this. After the death of the first ruler of Rus' from this dynasty (the Book of Veles testifies that there were rulers in the Russian lands before him), power passed to his son Igor. However, due to at a young age of the new ruler, his guardian was, as allowed, Oleg (“Prophetic”), who was the brother of Rurik’s wife, Efanda. The latter was a relative of the kings of Norway.

Princess Olga was co-ruler of Rus' under her son Svyatoslav

Rurik's only son, Igor, born in 877 and killed by the Drevlyans in 945, is known for pacifying the tribes subordinate to him, going on a campaign against Italy (together with the Greek fleet), trying to take Constantinople with a flotilla of ten thousand ships, and was the first military commander Rus', which he encountered in battle and fled from in horror. His wife, Princess Olga, who married Igor from Pskov (or Pleskov, which may indicate the Bulgarian city of Pliskuvot), brutally took revenge on the Drevlyan tribes that killed her husband, and became the ruler of Rus' while Igor’s son Svyatoslav was growing up. However, after her son came of age, Olga also remained a ruler, since Svyatoslav was mainly engaged in military campaigns and remained in history as a great commander and conqueror.

The family tree of the Rurik dynasty, in addition to the main ruling line, had many branches that became famous for unseemly deeds. For example, Svyatoslav's son, Yaropolk, fought against his brother Oleg, who was killed in battle. His own son from the Byzantine princess, Svyatopolk the Accursed, was something like the biblical Cain, since he killed the sons of Vladimir (another son of Svyatoslav) - Boris and Gleb, who were his brothers by his adoptive father. Another son of Vladimir, Yaroslav the Wise, dealt with Svyatopolk himself and became the prince of Kyiv.

Bloody feuds and marriages with all of Europe

We can safely say that the family tree of the Rurikovichs is partially “saturated” with bloody events. The diagram shows that the reigning ruler from his presumably second marriage with Ingigerda (daughter of the Swedish king) had many children, including six sons who were rulers of various Russian appanages and married foreign princesses (Greek, Polish). And three daughters who became queens of Hungary, Sweden and France also by marriage. In addition, Yaroslav is credited with having a seventh son from his first wife, who was taken into Polish captivity from Kyiv (Anna, son Ilya), as well as a daughter, Agatha, who presumably could have been the wife of the heir to the throne of England, Edward (the Exile).

Perhaps the distance of the sisters and interstate marriages somewhat reduced the struggle for power in this generation of Rurikovichs, since most of the time of the reign of Yaroslav's son Izyaslav in Kyiv was accompanied by a peaceful division of his power with the brothers Vsevolod and Svyatoslav (the Yaroslavovich triumvirate). However, this ruler of Rus' also died in battle against his own nephews. And the father of the next famous ruler of the Russian state, Vladimir Monomakh, was Vsevolod, married to the daughter of the Byzantine Emperor Constantine Monomakh the Ninth.

In the Rurik family there were rulers with fourteen children!

The Rurik family tree with dates shows us that this outstanding dynasty was continued for many years to come by the descendants of Vladimir Monomakh, while the genealogies of the remaining grandchildren of Yaroslav the Wise ceased in the next hundred to one hundred and fifty years. Prince Vladimir had, as historians believe, twelve children from two wives, the first of whom was an English princess in exile, and the second, presumably a Greek. Of this numerous offspring, those who reigned in Kyiv were: Mstislav (until 1125), Yaropolk, Vyacheslav and Yuri Vladimirovich (Dolgoruky). The latter was also distinguished by his fertility and gave birth to fourteen children from two wives, including Vsevolod the Third (Big Nest), so nicknamed, again, for the large number of offspring - eight sons and four daughters.

What outstanding Rurikovichs do we know? The family tree, extending further from Vsevolod the Big Nest, contains such eminent surnames as Alexander Nevsky (grandson of Vsevolod, son of Yaroslav the Second), Michael the Second Saint (canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church due to the incorruptibility of the relics of the murdered prince), John Kalita, who gave birth to John the Meek, who, in turn, gave birth to Dmitry Donskoy.

Formidable representatives of the dynasty

The Rurikovichs, whose family tree ceased to exist at the end of the 16th century (1598), included in their ranks the great Tsar John the Fourth, the Terrible. This ruler strengthened autocratic power and significantly expanded the territory of Rus' by annexing the Volga region, Pyatigorsk, Siberian, Kazan and Astrakhan kingdoms. He had eight wives, who bore him five sons and three daughters, including his successor on the throne, Theodore (the Blessed). This son of John was, as expected, weak in health and, possibly, in mind. He was more interested in prayers, the ringing of bells, and the tales of jesters than in power. Therefore, during his reign, power belonged to his brother-in-law, Boris Godunov. And subsequently, after the death of Fedor, they completely switched to this statesman.

Was the first of the reigning Romanov family a relative of the last Rurikovich?

The family tree of the Rurikovichs and the Romanovs, however, has some points of contact, despite the fact that the only daughter of Theodore the Blessed died at the age of 9 months, around 1592-1594. Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov - the first of the new dynasty, was crowned in 1613 Zemsky Sobor, and came from the family of boyar Fyodor Romanov (later Patriarch Filaret) and noblewoman Ksenia Shestova. He was a cousin’s nephew (to the Blessed One), so we can say that the Romanov dynasty to some extent continues the Rurik dynasty.

A very developed, clearly recognized ethnic self-identification (“we are from the Russian family”) must certainly have been accompanied by the cult of a common ancestor.

Historical research in this direction is complicated by the fact that the ancient genealogy of Russian princes was subsequently subjected to significant distortions and reinterpretation in the spirit of the “Varangian” legend. Meanwhile, in the 9th - 10th centuries. Rurik was not listed among the ancestors of the princes of the Russian land*. This name was not in use among Igor’s descendants until the second half of the 11th century. and not a single written monument of the pre-Mongol era, including the chronicle, names Russian princes collective name Rurikovich. The “Varangian” legend was accepted by the princes “from the Russian family,” so to speak, with their minds, not their hearts.

*For historical criticism this conclusion is obvious. If V.O. Klyuchevsky still hesitated, attributing the calling of the Varangian princes to the “dark traditions” of our chronicle ( Klyuchevsky V. O. Works in nine volumes. M., 1989. T. I. P. 145), then D.I. Ilovaisky already completely rejected any historical basis in the chronicle legend about the calling of Rurik ( Ilovaisky D.I. History of Russia. Part I. M., 1876. P. 19 - 25). Historians of the 20th century expressed themselves even more clearly. E.F. Shmurlo called the chronicle genealogy a “fairy tale-legend” ( Shmurlo E.F. Russian history course. The emergence and formation of the Russian state (862 - 1462). Ed. 2nd, rev. T. 1. St. Petersburg, 1999. P. 73). S.P. Tolstov and M.N. Tikhomirov were confident that “we are undoubtedly facing a deliberately falsified pedigree” ( Tolstov S.P. The ancient history of the USSR as illuminated by Vernadsky // Questions of history. No. 4. 1946. P. 12 2). B.A. To Rybakov, chronicle genealogy seemed “primitively artificial” ( Rybakov B.A. World of history. The initial centuries of Russian history. M., 1987. P. 65). For A.L. Nikitina Rurik is “just a legend and, like Lieutenant Kizha, “has no figure” in Rus'” ( Nikitin A.L. Foundations of Russian history. M., 2000. P. 164).

Along with the “Varangian” genealogical ladder, in ancient Rus' There was another, alternative one, according to which the dynastic roots of the Russian princes went much deeper than the second half of the 9th century. This original, “pre-Rurikov” tradition, apparently oral, appeared in the written monuments of the Kyiv period only once - in the expressions "grandchildren of Vseslavl" And "The Life of Vseslavl"(that is, “the property of Vseslav”), used by the author of “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign” in relation, respectively, to all Russian princes and to the Russian land: “Yaroslav and all the grandchildren of Vseslav! I will glorify life." This is the only collective genealogical formula remaining from that time.

A literal reading of the expressions “Yaroslav and all the grandchildren of Vseslavl” and “the life of Vseslavl” does not clarify anything, but, on the contrary, gives rise to new, insoluble questions. The assumption that the author of the Lay in this fragment has in mind some specific personalities of his time faces a number of difficulties. Thus, it is impossible to personify “Yaroslav”. The Chernigov prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich is an unsuitable candidate, because, according to the chronicle, he became guilty of “bringing the filth” to the Russian land only in 1195 and 1196, that is, ten to eleven years after Igor Svyatoslavich’s campaign. In addition, he is mentioned in the “golden word” of Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich (“And I no longer see the power [force] of my strong and rich and many-armed brother Yaroslav with the Chernigov tales [boyars]..."), and not among the princes to whom the author’s text is addressed a call to avenge “Igor’s wounds.” Among the latter, however, there is the Galician prince Yaroslav Vladimirovich (Osmomysl), but the chronicle does not know of any dirty deeds behind him, including treacherous relations with the Polovtsians.

The identification of the “grandsons of the Vseslavs” with the grandchildren of the Polotsk prince Vseslav Bryachislavich also looks extremely controversial. It is noted, in particular, that the words “grandson”, “grandsons” occur six times in the Lay, “and only once (“Igor... grandson of Olgov”), certainly in the meaning of “son of a son”,” from which a reasonable conclusion follows that “these sayings (“the grandeur of Vseslavl” and “the life of Vseslavl.” - S.Ts.) have nothing to do with Vseslav Bryachislavich” ( Encyclopedia “Tales of Igor’s Campaign.” T. 1. A-B. St. Petersburg, 1995. P. 216, 261).

“With your sedition, you are deliberately bringing filth to the Russian land, to the life of Vseslavl” - a strange reproach. The indignant appeal of the author of the Lay does not fit at all into the historical situation of the end of the 12th century, when the family feud between the Yaroslavichs and Vseslavichs had already ceased to be the living nerve of princely strife due to the division of the Yaroslavichs into two warring clans - the Monomashichs and the Olgovichs, who, in fact, “brought about the filthy "to the Russian land during the lifetime of the author of the Lay." But the initiative in using Polovtsian force to settle princely disputes belonged, of course, not to the Monomashichs, not to the Olgovichs, and certainly not to the grandchildren of Vseslav of Polotsk, to whom the chronicle generally assigns a very modest place in the fratricidal wars of that time. The phrase “you are definitely bringing filth to the Russian land with your sedition” in relation to the princes of the second half of the 12th century. looks like an obvious anachronism.

Even more surprising is the posthumous patronage of Vseslav of Polotsk over the Russian land, which suddenly turns out to be “Vseslav’s property.” Meanwhile, this prince sat on the Kiev table for a very short time, only about a year (from 1068 to 1069), and, strictly speaking, not at all on legitimate grounds, being, in fact, a protege of the rebellious Kievites. With the exception of this short-term episode, his real power over the Russian land never extended beyond the boundaries of the Principality of Polotsk.

Therefore, instead of “Yaroslav”, one should undoubtedly read “Yaroslavli”, as D.S. Likhachev once suggested, that is: “Yaroslavichs and all the grandchildren of Vseslavov.” This amendment eliminates all the absurdities and contradictions in the reading and makes this expression completely intelligible.

It is obvious that the expression “Yaroslavl and all the grandchildren of Vseslavl” is nothing more than a universal and generally accepted genealogical formula, equally suitable for the present and for the past (the author pronounces it now, addressing the living Russian princes, but wants to talk about the historical sins of their grandfathers , who lived in the second half of the 11th century and were responsible for the ruin of the Russian land: “You are bringing filth to the Russian land with your sedition, I will glorify life"*). Moreover, it is important to note that the “Yaroslavichs” in this formula turn out to be only part of “all the grandchildren of the Vseslavlevs.” Consequently, some other “grandchildren” are not named by their family name. However, their incognito is revealed without difficulty. In the second half of the 11th century. Polotsk princes, descendants of Prince Izyaslav Vladimirovich (d. 1001), son of Vladimir I and Rogneda, openly opposed themselves to the Yaroslavichs - the descendants of Yaroslav I Vladimirovich. There was a branching of the grand ducal family. The Polotsk princes isolated themselves and ranked themselves as a separate branch of it - the “Rogvolozhich”, the Rogvolozhichi, who were constantly at enmity with the Yaroslavichs (due to the reprisal of Vladimir I Svyatoslavich against Rogneda and her father, Rogvolod), raising, according to the chronicler, “a sword against the Yaroslavl grandson " Thus, the expression “Yaroslavl and all the grandsons of Vseslavl” means all the male offspring of Vladimir I Svyatoslavich - the Yaroslavichs and Rogvolozhichs.

* According to the chronicle, the first (in 1078) to invite the Polovtsy under Russian banners were the Chernigov prince Oleg Svyatoslavich and the Smolensk prince Boris Vyacheslavich - both “Yaroslavl”, grandsons of Yaroslav I.

Now we see that the exclamation “Yaroslavl and all the vnutsi Vseslavli!” can actually mean only one thing: “Yaroslavichs and all Russian princes!”

Who is this Vseslav, back at the end of the 12th century. counted among the ancestors of Russian princes?

Let us note an important circumstance: Vseslav’s activity in the “Tale” is dated to the time of Troyan: “In the seventh century [century] of Trojans, Vseslav [threw] lots for the maiden he loved.”* The author of the Lay himself defined the place of the “Trojan Ages” in historical time as follows: “There were the eves [centuries, times] of Troy, the years of Yaroslavl passed; there were plats [regiments, that is, campaigns, wars] of the Olgovs, Olga Svyatoslavlich [grandson of Yaroslav I, d. in 1115]".

* “Liuba maiden” of Vseslav is Kyiv, as is clear from the following phrase: “You prop yourself up with your sticks, window and gallop to the city of Kiev and whittle away the gold of the Kyiv table...”, that is: relying on your “sticks” (“cunning”, prophetic wisdom), jumped on his horse and rushed to Kyiv, touched the golden table of Kyiv with his spear.

According to this periodization, the “age of Trojans” precedes the time of the “grandfathers,” thus coinciding with pagan era*. In ancient Russian sources, including those contemporary to “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign,” an ancient Slavic deity bears the name of Troyan. Thus, the ancient Russian insert into the apocrypha “The Virgin Mary’s Walk through Torment,” Slavic manuscripts of which go back to the 12th century, denounces the pagans for “calling them gods: the sun and the month, the earth and the water, the beasts and the reptiles... from that stone the creation of Trojan , Khorsa, Veles, Perun." In another ancient Russian anti-pagan work (from Tolstoy’s collection of the 16th century), the pagans “are supposed to be many gods: Perun and Khors, Dyya and Troyan.” A. N. Afanasyev expressed the opinion that the name Troyan was formed from the word “three”, “three” ( Afanasyev A.N. Myths, beliefs and superstitions of the Slavs. T. 2. M., 2002. P. 497, 607 - 609). The Old Russian Trojan can be connected with a pagan deity, known among the Pomeranian Slavs and the Czechs under the name Triglav (Triglav was also the name of the sacred mountain in the land of Khorutan). The most revered idol of Triglav stood in the Pomeranian Shchetin, in the “three-horned” (three-towered) castle. This deity was credited with dominion over three kingdoms: heaven, earth and the underworld, symbolically corresponding to the three roots of the world tree. In Serbian folklore there is a legend about King Troyan, comparable to the Russian fairy tale about the Snow Maiden (the unfortunate king in love also dies from the sun's rays). The affinity of Troyan with Triglav, by the way, is evident from the fact that goat heads were offered to the latter as a sacrifice, and the Serbian fairy tale gives King Trojan goat ears and three heads. In other versions of this fairy-tale plot, the place of King Trojan is taken by a serpent - among the Slavs, as is known, the creature usually has three heads. Most likely, Trojan, hiding from the sun, was the deity of the underworld, Night. However, another interpretation of his name and position in the divine pantheon of the Slavs is also possible. Ukrainian retained the adjective “Trojan” in the meaning “father of three sons” (triplets) ( Vernadsky G.V. Kievan Rus. Tver; Moscow, 2001. P. 62). Then Troyan can be considered the parent of some divine triad of brothers.

* Captivated by the seductive consonance, most commentators make the mistake of seeing in the “Trojan centuries” an allusion to the wars of the Roman emperor Trajan in Dacia or even a vague memory of the Trojan War. There is no need to prove that neither one nor the other event made an era in Slavic history and therefore could not remain in ancient Russian folklore.

From a literal reading of the text of the “Tale,” it turns out that Prince Vseslav of Polotsk decided to get himself a Kiev table in the pagan “times of Trojan,” even before the “summers of Yaroslavl” and “Paltsy Olgova” had passed, in other words, long before his birth. There is a fusion of two Vseslavs - historical and legendary *, or, more precisely, there is every reason to believe that when describing the personality and activities of the Polotsk prince Vseslav Bryachislavich, the author of the Lay used artistic imagery and stylistic techniques taken from the once existing epic about his ancient namesake .

* A.L. Nikitin saw in Vseslav a character of a “common Slavic epic completely unknown to us,” “a mythical common Slavic hero or progenitor (“Vse-slav”),” which in the minds of the poet of the late 12th century. “merged with the image of the contemporary Polotsk prince Vseslav Bryachislavich, thanks to which the latter found himself shrouded in mystery and magic” ( Nikitin A.L. Foundations of Russian history. P. 454; It's him. "The Tale of Igor's Campaign." Texts. Events. People. Research and articles. M., 1998. P. 185).

Thanks to the works of A. N. Veselovsky ( Veselovsky A.N. Epics about Volkh Vseslavich and poems about Ortnit // Russian folklore. St. Petersburg, 1993. T. 27) and S. N. Azbeleva ( Azbelev S.N. Legends about the most ancient princes of Rus' according to the records of the 11th - 20th centuries. // Slavic traditional culture and the modern world. M., 1997. Issue. 1), this “old” Vseslav is today in the field of historical vision. The oldest generational painting of Russian princes “before Rurik” is contained in the Joachim Chronicle. Rurik here is assigned only a tertiary role. This pedigree opens with the name of Prince Vladimir, but with the mention of the reign of his father, from whom, in fact, the princely “tribes” are counted. Before Gostomysl, Rurik’s predecessor, there were 14 generations of princes. Since in the most ancient genealogies the reign of one “tribe” was given on average 25 years, the reign of Vladimirov’s father falls at the beginning of the 5th century - the era of the Great Migration of Peoples. Also dating back to the 5th century. The German saga about Thidrek of Berne (that is, Verona) depicts the fierce struggle of the Gothic king Theodoric Amal (Thidrek of Berne) with the Russian “King Valdemar,” whose father is named Vseslav (Old German Gertnit). Both German and Russian sources talk about the same person - the “Russian” ruler of the Slavic Pomerania (among the peoples subject to Gertnit/Vseslav, the saga calls “Viltins,” that is, Velets/Lutichs). Comparison of these news with the one in use at the end of the 12th century. The genealogical formula “grandchildren of Vseslav” shows that the princes of the Russian land descended from one of the princely families of the Baltic Rus, whose ancestor was considered the semi-legendary Vseslav, the father of the Vseslav who lived in the 5th century. Prince Vladimir.

As a result, a genuine ancient Russian genealogical tradition opens before us, according to which any representative was called “grandson of Vseslavlev” or Vseslavich grand ducal family*. At the same time, the Russian land (like, perhaps, any of the) at the end of the 12th century. was known as “the life of Vseslavleva,” that is, the princely heritage of Vseslav, the great-grandfather and patron of all princes “from the Russian family.”

*Subsequently, the patronymic Vseslavich was assigned in epics and some chronicles to one Vladimir I (see: Moiseeva G.N. Who are they - “the grandsons of Vseslavli” in “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign” // Research on ancient and modern literature. L., 1987. P. 158) - probably due to his exceptional role in Russian history and historical association with the illustrious Vladimir Vseslavich of the 5th century.

All Rurikovichs were descendants of previously independent princes, descended from two sons of Yaroslav the Wise: the third son Svyatoslav (Svyatoslavichs with branches) and the fourth son - Vsevolod (Vsevolodovichs, who are better known through the line of his eldest son as Monomakhovichs). This explains the tough and lengthy political struggle in the 30-40s of the 12th century. it was between the Svyatoslavichs and Monomashichs for the grand-ducal table after the death of Mstislav the Great. The eldest of the sons of Svyatoslav Yaroslavich, Yaroslav, became the ancestor of the Ryazan princes. Of these, as part of the Russian boyars of the 16th-17th centuries. only the descendants of the appanage princes of the Ryazan land remained - the Pronsky princes. Some editions of genealogical books consider the Eletsky princes of Ryazan to be descendants, others trace them from another son of Svyatoslav, Oleg, who reigned in the Chernigov lands. The families of the Chernigov princes trace their origins to the three sons of Mikhail Vsevolodovich (great-great-grandson of Oleg Svyatoslavich) - Semyon, Yuri, Mstislav. Prince Semyon Mikhailovich of Glukhov became the ancestor of the princes Vorotynsky and Odoevsky. Tarussky Prince Yuri Mikhailovich - Mezetsky, Baryatinsky, Obolensky. Karachaevsky Mstislav Mikhailovich-Mosalsky, Zvenigorodsky. Of the Obolensky princes, many princely families later emerged, among which the most famous are the Shcherbatovs, Repnins, Serebryans, and Dolgorukovs.
More births occurred from Vsevolod Yaroslavovich and his son, Vladimir Monomakh. The descendants of Monomakh's eldest son, Mstislav the Great, the last great prince of Kievan Rus, were numerous Smolensk princes, of whom the Vyazemsky and Kropotkin families are the most famous. Another branch of the Monomashichs came from Yuri Dolgoruky and his son, Vsevolod the Big Nest. His eldest son, Konstantin Vsevolodovich, bequeathed to his sons: Vasilka - Rostov and Beloozero, Vsevolod - Yaroslavl. From Vasilko Konstantinovich’s eldest son, Boris, descend the Rostov princes (the most famous of them are the Shchepin, Katyrev, and Buinosov families). From the second son of Vasilko Konstantinovich, Gleb, came the families of the Belozersk princes, among whom were the princes of Ukhtomsky, Shelespansky, Vadbolsky, and Beloselsky. The only heir of the Yaroslavl prince Vsevolod Konstantinovich, Vasily, had no sons. His daughter Maria married Prince Fyodor Rostislavich from the family of Smolensk princes and brought the Yaroslavl principality as a dowry, in which a change of dynasties (different branches of the Monomashichs) thus took place.
Another son of Vsevolod the Big Nest, Yaroslav, became the founder of several princely dynasties. From his eldest son Alexander Nevsky, through his son Daniil Alexandrovich, came the dynasty of Moscow princes, who then became the central link in the unification process. The brothers of Alexander Nevsky, Andrei Suzdalsky and Yaroslav Tverskoy, became the founders of these princely families. Of the Sudal princes, the most famous are the Shuisky princes, who gave Russia at the beginning of the 17th century. king Tver princes throughout the 14th century. waged a fierce struggle with representatives of the Moscow house for the grand-ducal table, with the help of the Horde physically exterminating their opponents. As a result, the Moscow princes became ruling dynasty And family formations didn't have. The Tver branch was cut short after the flight of its last Grand Duke, Mikhail Borisovich, to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (1485) and the inclusion of these lands into the national territory. The Russian boyars included the descendants of the appanage princes of the Tver land - the Mikulinsky, Telyatevsky, Kholmsky princes. The youngest son of Vsevolod the Big Nest, Ivan, received Starodub Ryapolovsky (east of the capital Vladimir) as an inheritance. Of the descendants of this branch, the most famous are the Pozharsky, Romodanovsky and Paletsky families.
Gediminovichi. Another group of princely families were the Gediminovichs - the descendants of the Grand Duke of Lithuania Gedimin, who ruled in 1316-1341. Gedimin pursued an active policy of conquest and was the first to title himself “King of the Lithuanians and Russians.” Territorial expansion continued under his sons, Olgerd was especially active (Algirdas, 1345-77). In the XIII-XIV centuries. the lands of the future Belarus and Ukraine were conquered by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Poland, Hungary, and here the sovereignty of the hereditary lines of the Rurikovichs was lost. Under Olgerd as part of the Great Principality of Lithuania included Chernigov-Seversk, Kyiv, Podolsk, Volyn, Smolensk lands. The Gediminovich family was quite branched, its descendants were on thrones in different principalities, and one of the grandsons, Jagiello Olgerdovich, after the signing of the Union of Krevo in 1385, became the founder of the Polish royal dynasty Jagiellonian. The descendants of Gediminas, who settled in reigns in lands that were previously part of Kievan Rus, or who switched to Moscow service in the process of forming the state territory of Russia, are called Russian Gediminovichs. Most of them come from two sons of Gediminas - Narimant and Olgerd. One of their branches descended from the eldest grandson of Gediminas, Patrikey Narimantovich. Under Vasily I at the beginning of the 15th century. Patrikey’s two sons, Fyodor and Yuri, transferred to Moscow service. The son of Fyodor is Vasily on the estates on the river. Khovanke received the nickname Khovansky and became the founder of this princely family. Prominent political figures Vasily and Ivan Yuryevich were called Patrikeevs. The sons of Vasily Yuryevich were Ivan Bulgak and Daniil Shchenya - the ancestors of the princes Bulgakov and Shchenyatev. The Bulgakovs, in turn, were divided into Golitsyns and Kurakins - from the sons of Ivan Bulgak, Mikhail Golitsa and Andrei Kuraki. Another branch of the Gediminovichs in Rus' traced their origins to the son of Gedimin Evnutius. His distant descendant Fyodor Mikhailovich Mstislavsky left for Rus' in 1526. The Trubetskoys and Belskys traced their origins to the famous Grand Duke of Lithuania Olgerd. The great-grandson of Dmitry Olgerdovich Trubetskoy (in the city of Trubchevsk) Ivan Yuryevich and his nephews Andrei, Ivan and Fyodor Ivanovich in 1500 transferred to Russian citizenship along with their small principality. The grandson of Dmitry Olgerdovich’s brother, Vladimir Belsky, Fyodor Ivanovich went to Russian service in 1482. All Gediminovichs took high official and political positions in Rus' and played a noticeable role in the history of the country.
The origin of the princely families of Rurikovich and Gediminovich is more clearly depicted in the diagrams. (Table 1, 2, 3)

Table 1. Scheme of the origin of the main princely families of the Rurikovichs

Table 2. Rurikovich

Table 3. Scheme of the origin of the main princely families of the Russian Gediminovichs

The saying “all men are brothers” has a genealogical basis. The point is not only that we are all distant descendants of the biblical Adam. In the light of the topic under consideration, another ancestor stands out, whose descendants made up a significant layer in social structure feudal Russia. This is Rurik, the conditional ancestor of the “natural” Russian princes. Although he was never in Kyiv, much less in Vladimir and Moscow, everyone who occupied the grand-ducal tables until the end of the 16th century considered themselves his descendants, justifying their political and land rights with this. With the increase in offspring, new princely branches appeared from real ancestors, and to distinguish them from each other (including from the standpoint of family possessions and priority rights to it), first family nicknames and then surnames appeared.
Two main stages can be distinguished. The first is the formation of princely branches, assigning names to them ending in -ich, -ovich (X-XIII centuries, ancient and appanage Rus'). It is not known what they called themselves, but in the chronicles they are named Monomashichi (Monomakhovichi), Olgovichi (Olegovichi), etc. In the first patronymic (from the name-nickname of the ancestor) names of the princely branches, belonging to the princely family was emphasized, and the seniority of the branch was determined by the name of the ancestor, which, first of all, with the ladder (sequential) right of inheritance determined the sovereign rights. A significant reason for the absence of toponymic surnames among the appanage princes of the pre-Moscow period was that they passed by seniority from appanage to appanage. Surnames derived from the name of the locality appear after liquidation another right inheritance. In this case, the bearers of toponymic surnames were, as a rule, from among the service princes, and less often from the Old Moscow boyars. In this case, the suffix –sky, -skoy was used: Volynsky, Shuisky, Shakhovskoy, etc. At the same time, surnames often did not reflect former sovereign rights, but simply the area from which their bearers moved to the Moscow service, especially among the “expatriates” - Cherkasy, Meshchersky, Sibirsky, etc.
The second stage falls on the period of formation of the Russian centralized state. There is a proliferation of princely branches and the formation of new families, each of which is assigned its own nickname, at the turn of the 15th-16th centuries. turning into a surname. The specific hierarchy is replaced by localism - a system of official correspondence of clans in relation to each other and the monarch. Surnames appear at this stage, as if out of official (hierarchical) necessity, and are assigned to the offspring, outwardly emphasizing membership in a clan that occupied a certain social niche. V.B. Korbin believes that in Russia the formation of princely surnames is directly related to the emergence of the category of “service” princes (XV century). Already in the Moscow service, these princely families gave off branches, each of which was assigned not only land holdings, but also surnames, as a rule, patronymic. Thus, from the Starodub princes, the Khilkovs and Tatevs stood out; from Yaroslavl - Troyekurov, Ushaty; from Obolensky - Nogotkovy, Striginy, Kashiny (for more details, see Table 1).
In the 16th century, the process of forming surnames among the boyars was actively underway. Famous example- the evolution of the family name, which gave a new name at the beginning of the 17th century royal dynasty. Five sons of Andrei Kobyla became the founders of 17 famous genera Russia, each of whom had his own surname. The Romanovs began to be called that way only from the middle of the 16th century. Their ancestors are the Kobylins, Koshkins, Zakharyins, and Yuryevs. But even during this period, the central government gave preference to surnames derived from personal nicknames. Sometimes territorial names were preserved as a kind of prefix. This is how double surnames appeared, with the first indicating the ancestor and being patronymic, the second reflecting the general clan affiliation, and, as a rule, toponymic: Zolotye-Obolensky, Shchepin-Obolensky, Tokmakov-Zvenigorodsky, Ryumin-Zvenigorodsky, Sosunov-Zasekin, etc. d. Double surnames reflected not only the incompleteness of the process of their formation, but also the peculiar policy of the great Moscow princes, aimed at interrupting clan territorial ties. It also mattered when and how the lands recognized the supremacy of Moscow. The Rostov, Obolensky, Zvenigorod and a number of other clans retained territorial names in their descendants, but Starodubsky was not allowed to be called by this family name even in the middle of the 17th century, as evidenced by the petition addressed to Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich from Grigory Romodanovsky, who represented the interests of the senior branch of this, once powerful, but disgraced kind. By the way, possible reason The ban on the part of the Romanovs could be because the toponymic surnames indirectly reminded of the family seniority of the Rurikovichs. Officially, nobles were allowed to be called, in addition to their surname, by the name of their land holdings. Charter granted to the nobility (1785). However, by that time the surnames had already been established, the nature of land relations had fundamentally changed, and this tradition, popular in Europe, did not take hold in Russia. Of those that existed in late XIX centuries of the families of Russian “natural” princes Karnovich E.P. There are 14, whose surnames were formed from the names of estates: Mosalsky, Eletsky, Zvenigorod, Rostov, Vyazemsky, Baryatinsky, Obolensky, Shekhonsky, Prozorovsky, Vadbolsky, Shelespansky, Ukhtomsky, Beloselsky, Volkonsky.
Below are the main princely families of the Rurikovichs and the Russian branch of the Gediminovichs with the branches formed from them with surnames assigned to them (Tables 4, 5).

Table 4. Rurikovich. Monomashichi

Table 5. Gediminovichi

Milevich S.V. - Methodical manual to study a genealogy course. Odessa, 2000.

Rurik- according to the chronicle legend, the head of the Varangian military detachment, called by the Ilmen Slavs to reign together with the brothers Sineus and Truvor in Novgorod. Founder of the Rurik dynasty.

Oleg(?—912) - relative of Rurik, prince of Novgorod (from 879) and Kiev (from 882). In 907 he made a trip to Byzantium, in 907 and 911 he concluded treaties with it.

Igor(?—945) - son of Rurik, Grand Duke Kyiv from 912. In 941 and 944 he made campaigns to Byzantium, with which he concluded an agreement. Killed by the Drevlyans, who rebelled during the collection of tribute.

• Children: Svyatoslav - see below
• Olga (?-969) - wife of Prince Igor, Grand Duchess Kyiv. Ruled during the childhood of his son Svyatoslav and during his campaigns. Suppressed the uprising of the Drevlyans. Around 957 she converted to Christianity.

Svyatoslav(?—972)—son of Prince Igor, Grand Duke of Kiev. Made trips with 964 from Kyiv to the Oka, to the Volga region, to North Caucasus and the Balkans; liberated the Vyatichi from the power of the Khazars, fought with Volga Bulgaria, defeated (965) Khazar Khaganate, in 967 he fought with Bulgaria in the Danube region. In alliance with the Hungarians, Bulgarians and others, he fought the Russian-Byzantine War of 970-971. Strengthened the foreign policy position of the Kyiv state. Killed by the Pechenegs at the Dnieper rapids.

• Children: Vladimir (see below)
• Oleg (?-977), Prince Drevlyansky

Yaropolk(?-980), Prince of Kiev (from 972). Tried to subjugate territories in the north and northeast of Rus', but was defeated younger brother Vladimir.

Vladimir(?-1015) - son of Prince Svyatoslav, Prince of Novgorod (from 969), Grand Duke of Kiev (from 980). Conquered the Vyatichi, Radimichi and Yatvingians; fought with the Pechenegs, Volga Bulgaria, Byzantium and Poland. Under him, defensive lines were built along the Desna, Osetra, Trubezh, Sula and other rivers, Kyiv was re-fortified and built up with stone buildings. In 988-989 he introduced Christianity as the state religion. Under Vladimir ancient Russian state entered its heyday, the international authority of Rus' increased. In Russian epics it is called the Red Sun. Canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church.

• Children: Boris (?—1015), Prince of Rostov. Killed by supporters of Svyatopolk. Canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church.
• Vsevolod, Prince of Vladimir-Volynsky
• Vysheslav, Prince of Novgorod

Gleb(7- I 0 I 5), Prince of Murom. Killed by order of Svyatopolk. Canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church

• Izyaslav (see below)

Mstislav(?-1O36), prince of Tmutarakan (from 988) and Chernigov (from 1026). He conquered a number of Caucasian tribes. The struggle with Prince Yaroslav the Wise ended with the division of the state along the Dnieper River, which remained until the death of Mstislav.

Svyatoslav(?—1015), Prince Drevlyansky. Killed by order of Svyatopolk

Svyatopolk the Accursed(c. 980-1019), Prince of Turov (from 988) and Kiev (1015-1019). He killed three of his brothers and took possession of their inheritance. Expelled by Yaroslav the Wise. In 1018, with the help of Polish and Pecheneg troops, he captured Kyiv, but was defeated.

• Stanislav
• Sudislav (?-1063)

Izyaslav(?-1001) - son of Prince Vladimir, Prince of Polotsk

• Children: Bryachislav (?-1044), Prince of Polotsk
• Grandchildren: Vseslav (?-1101), Prince of Polotsk
• Great-grandchildren: Gleb (?-1119), Prince of Minsk
• Great-great-grandchildren: Vladimir, Prince Minsky
• Great-great-great-grandchildren: Vasily, Prince Logovsky
• Great-great-grandchildren: Vsevolod, Prince of Izyaslavl

Rostislav, Prince of Polotsk

• Great-grandchildren: David, Prince of Polotsk
• Rogvolod (Boris), Prince of Polotsk
• Great-great-grandchildren: Vasily (Rogvolod), Prince of Polotsk
• Great-great-great-grandchildren: Gleb, Prince Drutsky
• Great-grandchildren: Roman (?-1116), Prince of Polotsk
• Rostislav (George)
• Svyatoslav, Prince of Polotsk
• Great-great-grandchildren: Vasilko, Prince of Polotsk
• Great-great-great-grandchildren: Bryachislav, Prince of Vitebsk
• Vseslav, Prince of Polotsk

Yaroslav the Wise(c. 978-1054) - son of Prince Vladimir, Grand Duke of Kiev (1019). He expelled Svyatopolk the Accursed, fought with his brother Mstislav, divided the state with him (1026), and united it again in 1036. With a series of victories he secured the southern and western borders of Rus'. Established dynastic ties with many European countries. “Russkaya Pravda” was compiled under him.

• Children: Anastasia, Queen of Hungary
• Anna (c. 1024 - no earlier than 1075), wife (1049-1060) of the French king Henry I. Ruler of France during the early childhood of her son Philip I
• Vladimir (?-1052), Prince of Novgorod
• Grandchildren: Rostislav, Prince of Tmutarakan
• Great-grandchildren: Vasilko (?-1124), Prince Terebovlsky

Volodar(?—1124), Prince of Przemysl. He sought independence of the Galician land from Kyiv. Using an alliance with the Cumans and Byzantium, together with his brother Vasilko, he successfully fought against the Hungarian and Polish feudal lords. He fought with the princes Svyatopolk Izyaslavich and David Igorevich. He established himself together with Vasilko in Terebovlya.

• Great-great-grandchildren: Vladimir (?-1152)
• Great-great-great-grandchildren: Yaroslav Osmomysl (?-I87), Prince of Galicia. Participant in numerous feudal wars, campaigns against the Polovtsians and Hungarians. He strengthened the Principality of Galicia with many international connections. Fought against the separatism of the boyars.
• Great-great-grandchildren: Rostislav
• Great-great-great-grandchildren: Ivan Berladnik (?-1162)
• Great-grandchildren: Rurik (?—1092), Prince of Przemysl
• Children: Vsevolod (1030-1093), Prince of Pereyaslavl (from 1054), Chernigov (from 1077), Grand Duke of Kiev (from 1078). Together with his brothers Izyaslav and Svyatoslav, he fought against the Polovtsians.
• Grandchildren: Vladimir Monomakh (see below)
• Eupraxia (?-1109)

Rostislav(?—1093), Prince of Pereyaslavl

• Children: Vyacheslav (?—1057), Prince of Smolensk
• Grandchildren: Boris (?—1078), Prince of Tmutarakan
• Children: Elizabeth, Queen of Norway
• Igor (?—1060), Prince of Vladimir
• Grandchildren: David (?-1112), Prince of Vladimir-Volynsky
• Children: Izyaslav (1024-1078), Grand Duke of Kiev (1054-1068,1069-1073,1077-1078). Expelled from Kyiv (by a popular uprising in 1068 and by his brothers in 1073), he regained power with the help of foreign troops.
• Grandchildren: Eupraxia, Queen of Poland
• Mstislav (?-1068)

Svyatopolk(1050-1113), Prince of Polotsk in 1069-1071, Novgorod in 1078-1088, Turov in 1088-1093, Grand Duke of Kiev from 1093. Hypocritical and cruel, incited princely civil strife; The oppression of the people prepared the uprising that broke out in Kyiv after his death.

• Great-grandchildren: Bryachislav (?-1127)
• Izyaslav (?-1127)
• Mstislav (?-1099)
• Yaroslav (?—1123), Prince of Vladimir
• Great-great-grandchildren: Yuri (?-1162)
• Grandchildren: Yaropolk (?—1086), Prince of Turov
• Great-grandchildren: Vyacheslav (?-1105)
• Yaroslav (?-1102), Prince of Brest
• Children: Ilya (?-1020)

Svyatoslav(1027-1076), Prince of Chernigov from 1054, Grand Duke of Kiev from 1073. Together with his brother Vsevolod, he defended the southern borders of Rus' from the Polovtsians and Turks

• Grandchildren: Gleb (?-1078), Prince of Novgorod and Tmutarakan
• David (see below)
• Oleg Gorislavich (see below)
• Roman (?—1079), Prince of Tmutarakan
• Yaroslav (?-1129), Prince of Murom and Chernigov
• Davil Svyatoslavich (?—1123), grandson of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, Prince of Chernigov
• Children: Vladimir (?-1151), Prince of Chernigov
• Grandchildren: Svyatoslav (?—1166), Prince Vshchizhsky
• Children: Vsevolod (?-1124), Prince of Murom
• Izyaslav (?—1161), Grand Duke of Kyiv
• Rostislav (?-1120)
• Svyatoslav (Svyatosha) (?-1142), Prince of Chernigov

Oleg Svyatoslavich(Gorislavich) (?—1115) - grandson of Yaroslav the Wise. He reigned in the Rostov-Suzdal land, in Volyn; Having lost his possessions, he fled to Tmutarakan, twice, with the support of the Polovtsians, captured Chernigov, was captured by the Khazars, then in Byzantium in exile to Fr. Rhodes. In “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign” he is nicknamed Gorislavich.

• Children: Vsevolod (?—1146), Prince of Chernigov (1127—1139), Grand Duke of Kiev (from 1139). Participant in civil strife; brutally oppressed the people, which caused an uprising in Kyiv after his death.
• Grandchildren: Svyatoslav (?—1194), Grand Duke of Kiev
• Great-grandchildren: Vladimir (?—1201), Prince of Novgorod
• Vsevolod Chermny (?-1212)
• Great-great-grandchildren: Mikhail (1179-1246), Prince of Chernigov. In the 20s several times he was a prince in Novgorod. From 1238 Grand Duke of Kyiv. When the Mongol-Tatar troops advanced, he fled to Hungary. Returned to Rus'; killed in the Golden Horde.
• Great-great-great-grandchildren: Rostislav (?-1249)
• Great-grandchildren: Gleb(?-1214)
• Great-great-grandchildren: Mstislav, Prince of Turov
• Great-grandchildren: Mstislav (?—1223), Prince of Chernigov
• Oleg (?—1204), Prince of Chernigov
• Great-great-grandchildren: David
• Grandchildren: Yaroslav (?—1198), Prince of Chernigov
• Great-grandchildren: Rostislav (?—1214), Prince Snovsky

Yaropolk

• Children: Vsevolod the Big Nest (1154-1212), Grand Duke of Vladimir. Successfully fought against the feudal nobility; subjugated Kyiv, Chernigov, Ryazan, Novgorod. During his reign, Vladimir-Suzdal Rus' reached its greatest prosperity. He had 12 children (hence the nickname).
• Grandchildren: Ivan (?-1239), Prince Starodubsky

Konstantin(1186-1219), Grand Duke of Vladimir (from 1216). In 1206-1207 he reigned in Novgorod. With the support of Prince Mstislav Mstislavich the Udal and the Novgorod-Pskov-Smolensk-Rostov general army, he defeated his brothers Yaroslav and Yuri in the Battle of Lipitsa (1216). He took the Grand Duke's table from Yuri.

• Great-grandchildren: Vasily (?—1238), Prince of Rostov
• Vladimir (?—1249), Prince of Uglitsky
• Vsevolod (7-1238), Prince of Yaroslavl
• Grandchildren: Svyatoslav (?—1252)

Yuri (George)(1188-1238), Grand Duke of Vladimir (1212-1216 and from 1218). He was defeated in the Battle of Lipitsa (1216) and lost the great reign to his brother Constantine. In 1221 Nizhny Novgorod was founded; defeated and killed in battle with the Mongol-Tatars on the Sit River.

• Great-grandchildren: Vladimir (?-1238)
• Vsevolod (?—1238), Prince of Novgorod
• Mstislav (?-1238)
• Grandchildren: Yaroslav (1191-1246). He reigned in Pereyaslavl, Galich, Ryazan, was invited and expelled by the Novgorodians several times; participant in feudal wars, was defeated in the Battle of Lipitsa (1216). In 1236-1238 he reigned in Kyiv, from 1238 Grand Duke of Vladimir. Went to twice Golden Horde, as well as to Mongolia.
• Great-grandchildren: Alexander Nevsky (see below)
• Andrey (?—1264)
• Children: Gleb (?—1171), Prince of Pereyaslavsky
• Ivan (?-1147), Prince of Kursk
• Mikhail (?-1176), Prince of Vladimir
• Mstislav, Prince of Novgorod
• Grandchildren: Yaroslav (7-1199), Prince of Volokolamsk
• Children: Rostislav (7–1151), Prince of Pereyaslavl
• Grandchildren: Mstislav (? - 1178), Prince of Novgorod
• Great-grandchildren: Svyatoslav, Prince of Novgorod
• Grandchildren: Yaropolk (?-1196)
• Children: Svyatoslav (?-1174)
• Yaroslav (?-1166)