How many years did Prince Oleg reign. What was Prophetic Oleg

Oleg Novgorodsky usually begin to deduct the formation of the ancient Russian state. His figure is really significant, because it determined the beginning of a new era, a new era. His life, like his death, has many mysteries for historians. But still, Prince Oleg the Prophet, whose brief biography will be discussed below, is a rather interesting personality for researchers and ordinary lovers of antiquity.

Appearance in Russia

Biography of which we know only briefly, is considered the founder of the Old Russian state. He was a relative of the legendary Varangian Rurik, that is, he was the brother of Efanda, the commander's wife. It is believed that he was an ordinary governor, whom the Viking immensely trusted. Otherwise, would he have ordered him to take away his young son? It is worth assuming that Oleg acted in agreement with Rurik, and maybe he had a certain freedom. One way or another, but rather quickly, he took possession of Smolensk and Lyubech, and then Kyiv. By the way, the golden-domed city was captured by him by cunning: the Varangian lured out of the walls (who were also probably Vikings) and killed them, declaring himself a prince.

Achievements and successes

Prince Oleg, whose biography is discussed in this article, strengthened his power either by enlisting the support of the Slavic tribes neighboring Kyiv, or by conquering them. He established a tribute for them, which did not greatly burden the people. But his military successes were really impressive. Campaigns against the Khazars saved the Russian lands from the need to pay polyudye to the Khaganate. The great Constantinople fell, on the gates of which, according to the chronicle, the prince nailed his shield. As a result, Russian merchants could trade with Byzantium without duties and receive all kinds of support from it. Thus, Prince Oleg the Prophetic, whose brief biography is discussed above, has more merits to Russia than Rurik. Moreover, almost nothing is known about the ancestor of the princely dynasty.

Hike to Tsargrad

Prince Oleg, whose brief biography is covered in the Tale of Bygone Years, is an outstanding personality. He organized the famous campaign against Constantinople, after which he received his nickname - Prophetic. The chronicle says that he sent a huge army to the city on two thousand boats. Each boat contained four dozen vigilantes. The emperor ordered the gates of the capital to be closed, leaving suburbs and villages to be torn apart by enemies. But the prince of Kyiv ordered to attach wheels to the ships, on which the army reached the gates of Constantinople. The Byzantines were at a loss, so they surrendered, offering Oleg a generous tribute and peace.

Was there a hike?

Prince Oleg, whose brief biography can be found in almost every history textbook, is a controversial figure. Researchers have more questions than answers about his life. For example, the fact of a campaign against Byzantium seems unreliable. This is because the authors from Constantinople described in detail all the attacks on their country, but they do not mention Oleg's campaign. In addition, the return of Oleg and Vladimir the Great from Constantinople are very similar. Perhaps this is a description of the same event. At the same time, after Oleg, Igor also went to the southern city, who also won. This is also stated by European authors who chronicled those years.

Was there a snake?

Oleg, whose biography is also known from literature lessons, died as mysteriously as he appeared in Russia. In the same one, it is described that once the sorcerer predicted his death from his beloved horse. The Varangian was superstitious, so he sat on another animal, and entrusted his pet to the servants, ordering him to take care of him until his death. The ruler remembered him during the feast, but it turned out that the horse had died long ago. Saddened by his beloved and angry that he believed the Magi, the prince went to the bones. But when he stepped on the skull, he saw a snake, which immediately stung him in the leg. Oleg died from poison.

Prince Oleg, whose biography has long been studied, could die another death. And the legend of the horse and the snake may have been borrowed from the saga of Orvard Odd. Although some scholars believe that the hero of Scandinavian legends and Prophetic Oleg are one and the same person. But there are several facts that allow you to think about whether the story about the death of the prince could be true. Among them are the following:

Could a snake bite through a leather boot worn in Russia? Most likely not, or did Oleg come to the mountain barefoot to the horse's bones?

But what if the snake jumped and bit the prince above the tops of his boots? But on the territory of Ukraine there are no such vipers!

As a rule, the snake, before stinging, hisses and tries to crawl away. Could Oleg or his entourage not notice this?

Alternatively, the prince died from poison, but the snake was slipped on him on purpose or Oleg was poisoned in advance. Unfortunately, it is impossible to establish where the truth is.

Some more interesting facts

The Russian prince Oleg, whose biography is already known to the reader, is mentioned not only in the annals of Kyiv and Novgorod. Al-Masudi (Arabic author) speaks of the unsuccessful campaign of the Rus (500 ships!) on the forehead with Olvang and Al-dir against Persia. They gave part of the booty to the Khazars, but the latter betrayed them and killed everyone. About thirty thousand warriors died there, and those who retreated beyond the Caspian were killed by the Volga Bulgars. Thus, the legendary prince died on a campaign, as befits a brave Varangian.

Here he is, smart and warlike Prince Oleg. His biography is full of white spots, because of which an aura of mystery and mystery remains around this figure. Perhaps time will find answers to all questions.

Prince Oleg - the first ruler of the Old Russian state. After the death of Rurik, from 879 he ruled the territory of Northern Russia, captured Kyiv in 882 and united the lands of Northern and Southern Russia into a single state - Kievan Rus.

Oleg - biography (biography)

Oleg's political activity turned out to be successful: he expanded the territory of the Kyiv principality, subjugating many peoples of Eastern Europe, and also made a successful campaign against Constantinople in 907, after which he concluded a profitable trade agreement with the Greeks.

The image of Prince Oleg, nicknamed by the Russian chronicler the Prophet, has become extremely popular in Russian culture - poetry, literature and fine arts, but at the same time this historical figure is one of the most controversial and difficult for scientific research. Even the earliest Russian chronicles, which are considered the most reliable, compiled at the turn of the 11th - 12th centuries, some of the main facts of Oleg's biography are contradictory. Many chronicle stories associated with this prince reflect historical traditions of an oral, folklore and even mytho-epic nature, which have parallels in the culture of other peoples.

Prince or warlord?

As V. Ya. Petrukhin noted, Oleg's life is most fully covered in the chronicle The Tale of Bygone Years (beginning of the 12th century). In 879, in connection with his death, this chronicle first reported on this prince. The reign passed to him as a "relative" of Rurik and guardian over - the young son of the North Russian ruler. The degree of their relationship to a greater extent, apparently, can be judged by the Joachim Chronicle (XVII century), on the basis of the information of which he believed that Oleg was the brother-in-law of Rurik, the “Urman prince” from Sweden.

In the Novgorod First Chronicle, which is closest to the Primary Code of the 1090s, which underlies the most ancient Russian chronicles, Oleg is not a prince, but a governor under the already quite adult prince Igor. Accordingly, the capture of Kyiv is a joint event of Igor and Oleg.

The chronology of events in which Oleg participates in the Novgorod chronicle is "late" in relation to the one that reflects the Tale of Bygone Years. Thus, Oleg's famous campaign against Constantinople in 907 is dated here as 922. However, researchers have long recognized the conventionality of early chronicle dating and their "dependence" on the dates of Greek chronographs, with which ancient Russian authors "checked".

The first "capital" of Oleg?

This question is directly related to Oleg's status and age. So, the largest researcher of Russian chronicle A. A. Shakhmatov believed that Oleg and Igor ruled independently of each other: one in Kyiv, the other in. The legends about both were connected by the author of the Primary Code, which “made” Oleg the governor under Igor. The compiler of the Tale of Bygone Years "returned" his princely title. In order to explain the simultaneity of the two princes, the chronicler showed Igor as a baby in Oleg's arms.

But where did Oleg "sit" before the capture of Kyiv? The chronicles do not speak directly about this. It is understood that after the death of Rurik, in the same place where the latter was, that is, in Novgorod. But there are sources, for example, the Ipatiev Chronicle, which also point to as the first residence. Yes, and “one of the graves” of Oleg is dated to Ladoga by an annalistic story.

The famous Polish scientist H. Lovmiansky suggested that Oleg's first residence was Ladoga, and then he made his place of residence, given its role as an important trading center. True, the historian himself pointed out a weak point in his hypothesis: Smolensk was not mentioned in the annals in the list of the most important cities subject to Kyiv (907). Yes, and subjugated Oleg Smolensk shortly before the Kyiv events.

How Kyiv became the "mother of Russian cities"

According to the Tale of Bygone Years, in 882 Oleg, having gathered warriors from many peoples living in the north of Russia, set out on a campaign to the south. “Having taken power” in and “planting his husband in it”, he further captured Lyubech. Now Oleg's path lay in Kyiv. Dir, former warriors of Rurik, who were released by him in 866 on a campaign against Byzantium and settled here after returning from a campaign, also ruled in Kyiv. Oleg hid his warriors in the boats and on the shore, and he himself sent for the Varangians, telling them to convey that they, they say, merchants, are going to the Greeks from Oleg and Prince Igor, “come to us, to your relatives.” In the Nikon (Patriarchal) chronicle (XVI century), for credibility, it is added that Oleg said he was sick and, apparently, therefore, invites the rulers of Kyiv to him.

When Dir arrived at the meeting place, Oleg accused them of not having the right to reign in Kyiv, unlike him and Igor, the son of Rurik. At his sign, the soldiers who ran out of the ambush killed Askold and Dir. Further, apparently, already bloodlessly Oleg asserted his power over Kyiv.

Oleg's military cunning, namely the trap set by the "false merchants", finds analogies in the epic of other peoples (Egyptian, Iranian, ancient, Western European parallels), which allowed some researchers to see not historical authenticity, but the folklore nature of the corresponding legend about the capture of Kyiv by Oleg.

Assessing the favorable strategic position of Kyiv both on the way "from the Varangians to the Greeks" and in the center of the new united state, Oleg made this city the capital. There were many capital cities in Russia, but it was Kyiv, with the light hand of the prince, that became the "mother of Russian cities." As the well-known researcher A.V. Nazarenko showed, this chronicle expression was a tracing-paper from the Greek epithet of Constantinople and its use "indicated the importance of the Constantinople paradigm for the capital status of Kyiv."

Oleg devoted the following years (883-885) to the conquest of the Slavic peoples neighboring Kyiv on the right and left banks of the Dnieper - glades, drevlyans, northerners, radimichi, taking them from the tribute of the "unreasonable Khazars" and including them in the composition of the Old Russian state. But for the ambitious Russian ruler, Constantinople was, of course, the main rival and the most desired prey.

Shield on the gates of Constantinople

In 907, according to the Tale of Bygone Years, Oleg, having gathered a huge, 80,000th, army of Varangians and warriors of Slavic and non-Slavic peoples subject to Russia, on ships, the number of which reached 2000, moved to Constantinople.

The Greeks blocked the access of enemy ships to the harbor of Constantinople with a chain. Then the resourceful Oleg ordered the ships to be put on wheels. A fair wind drove an innumerable armada to the walls of the Byzantine capital by land. The Greeks got scared and asked for peace. The insidious Romans brought Oleg a treat - wine and food, but the Russian prince refused them, suspecting that they were poisoned. He demanded a large tribute - 12 hryvnias for each soldier and, as a sign of victory, hung his shield on the gates of Constantinople. After this campaign, they called Oleg the Prophet.

But did Oleg's campaign take place?

In historiography, radically opposite opinions have long been established as to whether Oleg's campaign against Constantinople actually took place. Adherents of the idea that the campaign took place refer as evidence to the reliability of the Russian-Byzantine treaty of 911 concluded after it. But there are serious arguments in favor of the opinion that the campaign was legendary:

Only Russian sources speak about the campaign of 907, but the Greek ones are silent. But Byzantine authors often and colorfully described the numerous enemy sieges and attacks that Constantinople was subjected to over the centuries, including the attacks of Russia in 860 and 941.
But Russian sources describing Oleg's campaign contain contradictions. These are different dates of the event, and the different composition of the participants in Oleg's army.
The description of the campaign of 907 in many details and style resembles the description by the Russian chronicle of the campaign of Prince Igor against the Greeks in 941, and both of them reveal “dependence” on the text of the Greek chronicle Amartol, which tells about the Russian attack of 941 on Byzantium.
The presentation of the Russian chronicler about Oleg's campaign in 907 contains elements that are recognized by a number of researchers as folklore-epic. For example, the shield of the winner on the gates of the Byzantine capital is an episode contained in the ancient epic of other peoples, but is no longer found in Russian sources. Great "suspicions" of scientists in the artificiality of the description of the campaign are caused by the plot of ships on wheels, and this should be said separately.

Ships on wheels: metaphor or vehicle?

Already on the most ancient monuments of art - Egyptian, Babylonian, ancient, Far Eastern, one can find images of ships on chariots. They are also present in the epic of many peoples. The closest analogy to the story of Oleg's ships on wheels is found in the work of Saxo Grammar "Gesta Danorum" (XII century), which tells about the legendary Danish king Ragnar Lothbrok. Many researchers bring these two legends together.

But Saxo mentions copper horses on wheels instead of ships. The researchers say that the author metaphorically meant ships. In Saxon's presentation, the whole episode looks vague and vague, in contrast to the clear and understandable story of the Russian chronicler.

Of course, E. A. Rydzevskaya is right in that the legend about Oleg’s campaign developed in Russia, and not in the Scandinavian world, it was used by the chronicler for a spectacular story about Oleg’s attack on Constantinople. Another thing is that the tradition could have been brought by the Varangians to Scandinavia and reflected in the corresponding episode with Ragnar by Saxo the Grammar. But the same researcher came up with the idea that the appearance of ships on wheels in the annalistic plot is not a tribute to the epic cult tradition, but a reflection of a very real practice in the described era. Both the Vikings and the Slavs may have viewed ships on wheels as an improved way to move ships by drag.

Prophetic, because Oleg?

Among the riddles given by the Russian chronicles in relation to Oleg, one of the main ones is his nickname. Prophetic - foreseeing future events! But if the Tale of Bygone Years gives some reason to believe that Oleg was so named because he foresaw a mortal threat in the treat of the Greeks, then the Novgorod chronicle does not even indicate this motive. The reader of the chronicle cannot help but wonder: How did it happen that Oleg, being the Prophet, did not prevent his death from his horse, which was also predicted by the Magi? What is behind the word prophetic? Capabilities? So he, it turns out, did not show them. Or maybe a name?

The Old Norse etymology of the name Oleg - Helgi, is beyond doubt by most modern researchers. It goes back to the word, the general meaning of which is "sacred, sacral" and which reflected in the pagan era the sacredness of the supreme power. In the ancient Germanic name-book, it is not often found, because it was given only to representatives of noble families. The semantic core of the root *hail was the concepts of bodily integrity and personal luck. That is, those qualities that the king, the ruler, should have had.

Once in the Slavic language environment, the Scandinavian name was inevitably rethought. In the conditions of the Slavic pagan worldview, for which ideas about personal luck and fate are not typical, the ruler's witchcraft abilities, the ability to foresee and predict, came to the fore. Thus, according to E. A. Melnikova, the Scandinavian name of Prince Helgi in the East Slavic world acquired a double reflection: both as a phonetic one - in the form of the name Olg / Oleg, and as a semantic one - in the form of the nickname "Prophetic".

Interpretations of the nickname Prophetic inevitably led scientists to investigate the circumstances of the death of Prince Oleg.

Accident?

Perhaps the story of the death of the Prophetic Oleg is the most intriguing part of the chronicle biography of the Russian prince and, in comparison with other information, is most mytho-epic in nature.

In the Tale of Bygone Years, under 912, there is a lengthy story that even before the Byzantine campaign, the Magi predicted the death of the prince from his own beloved horse. Oleg believed the Magi, ordered the horse to be fed, but did not let him near him. Returning from the campaign, the prince learns that his horse has died and ordered to bring himself to the place of his burial. Oleg pushed the horse's skull with his foot, a snake crawled out of it and mortally stung the prince.

According to the Novgorod First Chronicle, Oleg also dies from a snake bite (without mentioning a horse), but this happens in 922 and not in Kyiv, but in. The same chronicle, according to the reconstruction of A. A. Shakhmatov, reports that Oleg “went overseas” and died there. The chroniclers also confirm these news by mentioning the burial places of Oleg - respectively, in Kyiv and Ladoga. A similar plot (death from a snake hiding among the remains of a beloved horse) exists in the Scandinavian saga about the Norwegian Orvar-Odda. E. A. Rydzevskaya reasonably showed that the Russian chronicle narrative about the death of Oleg is primary in relation to the story of the saga.

The story about the death of the Russian prince Oleg in the Bulgarian chronicle Gazi-Baradj (1229-1246), devoid of epic "layers", is curious, placed in the collection of "Djagfar tarihi" by Bakhshi Iman (XVII century). Salahbi (as an eastern source reports the name of Oleg) bought a fighting "Turkmen horse named Jilan." When buying, he dropped a coin under the horse's feet and thoughtlessly bent down after it. The Akhal-Teke, trained in the conditions of battle to stomp on foot, immediately hit him with a hoof and killed him on the spot.

In recent years, studies of the chronicle story about Oleg's death have shown a promising tendency to consider its mythical and epic origins through the prism of the distribution of power functions of the first Russian princes.

Revenge of Veles and the Magi

The appearance of the Varangians in Eastern Europe brought about serious changes in the religious life of the local East Slavic population. Scandinavian society during this period professed a cult of military strength and strong secular power. The priesthood was weak, and the functions of priests, sorcerers and even healers were often taken over by military leaders who did not want to share their power with anyone. It is known that the greater the success of the military leader, the more he seeks to usurp the functions of the "spiritual" class. The sagas often contain motifs of witchcraft and quackery of the kings.

The Varangian princes in Russia also began to take on the functions of the "witchcraft" class. Judging by the nickname, Oleg was the first to claim the role of the prince-priest. It is possible that he, like Prince Vladimir seven decades later, led the sacrifices to pagan idols. After all, the Tale of Bygone Years tells about Vladimir in 983 that he “went to Kyiv, bringing sacrifices to idols with his people.”

Having come to the Slavs, where the influence of the Magi was strong, the Varangian "princes-sorcerers" were bound to come into conflict with the latter. But, needing to attract local Slovenes, Krivichi and Chud as a military force to solve foreign policy tasks of collecting new lands, Oleg, as D. A. Machinsky writes, “accepted, along with“ alien Rus ”, the local Slavic-Russian religion based on the cult Perun and Veles. And the oaths of Russia in Russian-Byzantine treaties and numerous other sources indicate that the elite of ancient Russian society - the prince and his entourage, squad, boyars, preferred the "thunderer" Perun, the patron of secular military power.

At the same time, the "rest of Russia", the Slavs, were more under the influence of the "cattle god" Veles (Volos). The cult of Veles, the god of the underworld, the patron of sacred power, who had a snake-like appearance, was carried out in Russia by the Magi.

The answer to the question why in the epic legend about the death of Oleg, the latter dies from a snakebite, and the death itself is foreshadowed by the Russian prince sorcerers, is contained in the illustrated Radzivilov Chronicle. The miniatures of the latter are copied from the miniatures of the Vladimir Arch of 1212. The presence of a snake in the miniature, when it crawls out of the horse's skull and stings the prince, can, if desired, be understood only in a literal sense. But the presence of a snake on the miniature, which reproduces the oath of Oleg's husbands, suggests that the snake on both miniatures symbolizes the snake-like Veles (Volos).

“Undoubtedly, the chronicler and artist of the early 13th century. were confident in the anthropomorphism of the idol of Perun and the snake-like nature of Volos, writes D.A. Machinsky, “Probably, the miniaturist also believed that Volos the snake, the patron of cattle and especially horses, and the snake that lived in the horse’s skull and stung Oleg, were identical or related creatures.” Apparently the genius was right

Because of the small years of his heir Igor, the first Russian prince Rurik transferred all his power before his death to his relative (in some sources, nephew) Oleg (879 - 912).

According to legends and ancient chronicles, Prince Oleg was a rather warlike and enterprising ruler. As soon as the power was in his hands, he decided on a big adventure - to completely master the entire course of the Dnieper, having at his disposal a waterway to Greece. To accomplish this, it was necessary to conquer all the tribes of the Slavs living along the Dnieper, and one princely squad was clearly not enough for this. Prince Oleg recruits an additional squad from the Finnish tribes, as well as from the Krivichi, Ilmen Slavs, etc., and advances with a huge army to the south.

First of all, the prince gets Smolensk - the city of the Krivichi, who are still beyond his control, after which Oleg captures the city of the northerners Lyubech, leaving in it part of the squad, commanded by experienced reliable governors, and goes on. Approaching Kyiv, Oleg realized that it was not possible to conquer it by force, so he came up with a trick for Askold and Dir, who ruled in the city, luring them out of the city walls and killing them.

After the capture of the city, Kyiv was declared "the mother of all Russian cities." To assert his own power in the conquered land, the prince begins the construction of new cities, just as Rurik did in the north, distributing them to his combatants and establishing tribute.

In the following years of his reign, Oleg managed to conquer all the Slavic tribes living along the banks of the Dnieper, and "also many other tribes around."

However, even this was not enough for Prince Oleg and he was planning a big military campaign against Byzantium, asserting himself in his intention by the fact that he had much more strength than Askold and Dir, who had also previously gone to Constantinople.

Already in 906, the Russians were again at the walls of Constantinople. The surroundings burned again and many of the churches and palaces perished in this flame.

At the same time, the Byzantines managed to block the harbor with a huge chain in time and lock themselves in the city. The Russian prince began planning an offensive even after the Byzantines offered to pay off with a large tribute. The offensive was successful and the Byzantines agreed to the conditions that Oleg dictated to them, nailing his shield to the gates of Constantinople.

The great Russian prince died in 912, according to legend, from the bite of a snake that crawled out and stung the prince from under the bones of his war horse.

According to some historical evidence, it is believed that Prince Oleg was a relative of Rurik, or rather the brother of Rurik's wife Efanda, who was a Norwegian princess before her marriage. The exact date of his birth is unknown.

Power passed to Oleg after the death of Rurik as the regent of his young son Igor.

Kyiv prince

When Igor was young, Oleg began to pursue an active domestic and foreign policy. The Tale of Bygone Years says that in 882 Oleg captured Smolensk and Lyubech with a large army, planted his governors and moved to Kyiv, where the Varangians Askold and Dir ruled, who, in fact, usurped power. He tricked them out of the city and killed them. Oleg liked Kyiv, and he made it the capital of the Old Russian state. The new government was quickly recognized by the Slavic tribes, including the Polans, the Northerners, the Drevlyans, the Ilmen Slovenes, the Krivichi, the Vyatichi, the Radimichi, the Ulichi and the Tivertsy. Oleg organized the structure of the state in such a way that local princes and governors helped him in managing the territories.

In the future, he continued to expand the state at the expense of nearby territories. Under the rule of the Kyiv prince in 883, the lands of the Drevlyans passed, in 884 - the northerners and in 885 - the Radimichi.

Prince's campaigns

It is impossible not to take into account the successes of Oleg in foreign policy. A special place is occupied by the struggle with the Khazar Khaganate, which terrorized the East Slavic lands, collecting tribute from them. Oleg managed to protect his subjects from their raids. The chronicle cites his words addressed to the northerners: "I am an enemy of the Khazars, therefore you have no need to pay tribute to them."

Oleg's legendary campaign against Byzantium occupies a special place in the chronicles. In 907, he equipped a large army, and on 2000 boats it moved to Tsargrad (Constantinople). The Byzantines did not expect such an onslaught and did everything to secure the city, including blocking the harbor with chains. Oleg's unexpected actions frightened the Byzantines: he put all his boats on wheels and, with a fair wind, moved to the city in full sail. The courage of the city takes: this was enough for the Greeks to offer Oleg peace and tribute.

The Russian army received 12 hryvnias for each oarlock (a device on the side of the boat to stop the oars while rowing), and in the future Byzantium had to pay tribute to Russian cities. The main result of the peace was an agreement on duty-free trade of Russia in Byzantium. Legends say that Oleg, celebrating the victory, nailed his shield on the gates of Constantinople.

Some historians question this campaign, calling it a legend. Nevertheless, The Tale of Bygone Years, in describing the campaign of Igor Rurikovich in 944, conveys the words of the Byzantine king to Prince Igor: “Do not go, but take the tribute that Oleg took, I will add more to that tribute.”

In the same chronicle, his nickname Prophetic is given, which corresponds to the one who knows the future, foreseeing it. So Oleg began to be called immediately upon his return from a campaign against Byzantium in 907.

Legends of the Prophetic Oleg

The evidence of the circumstances of the death of Prophetic Oleg is contradictory. "The Tale of Bygone Years" reports that his death was preceded by a heavenly sign - the appearance of "a great star in the west in a spear way."

There are other versions, but everywhere there is a legend about death from a snakebite. According to legend, the Magi predicted Oleg's death from his beloved horse. The prince remembered the horse only a few years after his death. Oleg laughed at the Magi, came to the place where the horse died, stood on the skull and said: “Should I be afraid of him?” However, a poisonous snake lived in the skull, fatally biting the prince.

The date of Oleg's death, like all annalistic dates of Russian history until the end of the 10th century, is conditional. However, the most preferred date is 912.

Later 850 Birth of Oleg.

862 The date of the annalistic message about the call to reign by the union of Slavic and Finno-Ugric tribes of the Varangian dynasty - Rurik, Sineus and Truvor. The beginning of the reign of Rurik in Ladoga, Sineus - in Beloozero, and Truvor - in Izborsk. The arrival of Oleg as part of a detachment of the Varangians to the lands of Northern Russia.

864 Death of Sineus and Truvor. A chronicle indication that "only Rurik took all power and began to distribute cities to his men." Rurik, together with his retinue, settled in the settlement at the source of the Volkhov.

Later 864 Oleg's participation in the military campaigns of Prince Rurik of Novgorod.

Later 864 Rurik's marriage to the "Urman princess" Efanda, Oleg's sister.

Later 864 The uprising in Novgorod led by Vadim the Brave against the autocracy of Rurik. Return of Rurik to Novgorod. The murder of Vadim the Brave by Rurik and the suppression of the uprising. The flight of many "Novgorod men" to Kyiv in order to avoid reprisals.

Later 864 Rurik's subjects Askold and Dir receive permission to go on a military campaign against Byzantium. Their arrival in Kyiv and the liberation of the city from the Khazar tribute. The beginning of the reign of Askold and Dir in Kyiv.

Later 864 The birth of the son of Igor by the prince of Novgorod Rurik and Efanda.

865 Military campaign of the Kyiv prince Askold against Polotsk. Participation of Oleg in the campaign of the Novgorod prince Rurik against Askold. Preservation of Polotsk under the protectorate of Rurik.

Later 865 The wars of the Kyiv prince Askold with the Drevlyans and the streets.

867 The arrival of a Byzantine bishop in Kyiv and the mass baptism of the Rus. "Circumferential message" of Patriarch Photius to the Byzantine bishops, where he reports on the baptism of the Rus.

869 The campaign of the Kyiv princes Askold and Dir against the Krivichi. Oleg's participation in the military campaign of the Novgorod squad against Askold and Dir.

Late 860s The appointment of Oleg as Igor's tutor.

874 Campaign of the Kyiv prince Askold to Byzantium. Conclusion of a peace treaty between him and Emperor Basil I the Macedonian. Baptism of a part of the Rus squad in Constantinople.

879 Death of Prince Rurik of Novgorod. Oleg's acceptance of guardianship over Rurik's young son Igor.

879 The beginning of the Novgorod reign of Oleg as "the eldest in the Rurik family."

Late 870s The campaign of the Rus to the Caspian Sea and the attack on the city of Abaskun (Abesgun).

882 The beginning of the advance to the south of the army of Prince Oleg, which consisted of the Ilmen Slovenes, Krivichi, Meri and Vesi.

882 The capture by Prince Oleg of the lands of the Dnieper Krivichi and the city of Smolensk.

882 Capture by Prince Oleg of the lands of the northerners and the city of Lyubech.

882 Prince Oleg's campaign against Kyiv. The murder of the Kyiv rulers Askold and Dir by Prince Oleg. The beginning of Oleg's reign in Kyiv. The unification of Northern and Southern Russia under the rule of Oleg. Creation of the Old Russian state with the center in Kyiv.

Later 882 The erection by Prince Oleg of fortified cities and "fortress" to assert his power and to protect against the nomads of the Great Steppe.

Later 882 Oleg obliges Novgorodians to pay annually 300 hryvnias for feeding and maintaining the Varangian squad, designed to protect the northern borders of the state.

883 The conquest of the Drevlyans by the Kyiv prince Oleg and the imposition of tribute on them.

884 Victory over the tribe of northerners and taxing it with tribute.

885 The subjugation of the Radimichi and the imposition of tribute on them.

885 The war of Prince Oleg with the streets and Tivertsy.

Later 885 Successful wars of the Kyiv prince Oleg with the Khazars, Bulgarians and other peoples of the Danube region.

898 Conclusion of a union treaty between the Ugrians and Rus. The imposition of tribute on Russia for peace and military assistance.

Con. 9th century Invasion of the Pechenegs in the Northern Black Sea region.

X-XII centuries The formation of the ancient Russian people.

903 The first mention in the annals of Pskov.

907 Campaigns of Prince Oleg in the lands of the Vyatichi, Croats and Dulebs.

907 Prince Oleg's campaign against Constantinople. Leaving Prince Igor Rurikovich as governor in Kyiv.

907 Conclusion of a peace treaty with Byzantium. Establishment of duty-free trade with Byzantium.

Later 907 Prince Oleg received the nickname Prophetic.

909-912 Military campaigns of the Rus on the southern coast of the Caspian Sea.

911 Prince Oleg's campaign against Constantinople.

912 September 2 - Conclusion of a peace treaty with Byzantium. Oleg was first called the "Grand Duke of Russia". In the treaty, Russia was first mentioned as a state.

912 Death of the Grand Duke of Kyiv and Prince Oleg of Novgorod.