Askold and Dir are the mysterious princes of Kyiv. Kyiv princes Askold and Dir: years of life, reign, history

? - 882

One of the warriors of the legendary Rurik. Askold, together with Dir, left Novgorod, ruled in Kyiv and in 866 went on a campaign against Byzantium. In 882, during the unification of Northern and Southern Rus' into one state, he was killed by soldiers of princes Oleg and Igor.

Askold is one of the oldest historically attested rulers in Rus'. In 862, as part of the “invited” Varangians, he came to Rus'. Together they carried out the famous campaign against Byzantium and became the rulers of Kyiv. In 882, during the unification of Northern and Southern Rus' into one state, he was killed by soldiers of the princes and.

The way to Kyiv

The name Askold is associated with the very beginning of Russian history. When, according to the story “The Tale of Bygone Years” in 862, Rurik began to distribute cities in the north of Rus' to his husbands, two Varangians - Askold and Dir - asked him to leave for a campaign against Byzantium together with “their family.”

The Archangel-City Chronicle reports that Askold and Dir in 863 were near, but did not settle in it, because it was “ Big city"and it took a lot of effort to conquer him. Then in 864 they stopped in Kyiv, according to the chronicle, “a small town” that paid tribute to the Khazars. According to some scientists, for example, Kh. Lovmyansky, Askold and Dir did not conquer Kiev, but the city “called them to reign,” that is, they concluded an agreement (“row”), just as it happened in Northern Rus'.

Having established their power over Kiev and the local tribe of the Polyans, Askold and Dir, according to Russian chronicles, waged wars with other peoples - Polotsk, Krivichi, Drevlyans, Ulichs, as well as with the Bulgarians and Pechenegs. The Nikon Chronicle (16th century) even reports that in 864 “Oskold’s son” was killed in Bulgaria. Based on information from the Joachim Chronicle, he believed that Askold’s son was killed by the Greeks, and this testifies to the war between Rus' and the Greeks even before the campaign against Constantinople, known from the chronicles.

March to Constantinople

In 866, as the Tale of Bygone Years reports, Askold and Dir, having gathered a squad of “many Varangians,” made a trip to Byzantium on 200 ships. Byzantine sources do report a major Russian raid, but somewhat earlier, in 860. The Novgorod First Chronicle records this event with an even earlier date - 854.

Most historians currently believe that the Byzantine date, 860, is the most reliable. Early dates in Russian chronicles were initially absent and were confined to the years of the reign of emperors in Byzantine chronicles. Some researchers note that the episode of the campaign itself is described, rather, from the Byzantine than from the Russian point of view and could have been copied in the chronicles from Byzantine chronicles. According to all sources, the campaign ended in failure due to a storm that suddenly arose (it was preceded by the prayers of the emperor and the patriarch and the lowering of the robe of the Virgin Mary into the water) and scattered the ships of Rus'. Unfortunately, the Greek authors do not mention the names of the leaders of the campaign, but at the same time, their story gives the impression that it was still led by one person. The Novgorod chroniclers, like the Byzantines, do not mention the names of Askold and Dir in connection with these events.

Victims of false merchants

In 882, the Novgorod prince, together with (still a minor - if you believe the Tale of Bygone Years), undertook a large campaign against Kyiv. Sailing to the city, Oleg stopped in a tract on the banks of the Dnieper. Pretending to be a merchant, and even saying he was sick, the prince invited Askold and Dir to a meeting. During the meeting, Oleg stated that only Igor, son, and himself, as his relative, have the right to reign in Kyiv. After this, Oleg’s warriors jumped out of the rooks and killed Askold and Dir.

There is much that is unclear in the description of these events. On the one hand, if the account of events in the chronicles is correct, it is not clear why Askold and Dir went to the boats of “merchants” unknown to them, without suspecting an ambush. On the other hand, if, as some historians believe, the squad of princes-co-rulers was so small that they themselves had to meet the merchants, then it is not clear why Oleg needed to resort to such a trick.

According to the assumptions of a number of researchers, Askold and Dir were lured into a trap, making them understand that the opponents of Oleg and the “Rurik clan” wanted to establish contact with them in the struggle for power over all of Russia. Maybe the descendants of Rurik's brothers - or? In any case, Oleg’s goal was not only the murder of Askold and Dir, but also the establishment of the “Rurik family” as the only legitimate rulers of Rus'.

The transfer of power over Kiev to Oleg and Igor is not the only question that the chronicle researchers were asked regarding Askold and Dir. The very first of them: who were these Varangians really related to Rurik, and were there really two of them?

Askold - son of Rurik?

Historians have long paid attention to the diligence with which the chronicler of the Tale of Bygone Years shows that Askold and Dir did not belong to the “family” of Rurik and, accordingly, the priority of power over Kiev legally belonged to Igor. Under 862 he writes about them: Rurik had two husbands who were not his relatives, but were boyars. And in the entry of 882 he emphasizes that the full-fledged princes of Rus' are only from the family of Rurik.

The Novgorod First Chronicle, which preserved an earlier layer of information about the beginning of Russian history, indicates that Oleg’s informants in Kyiv called Askold and Dir brothers. However, she does not mention either that they were Rurik’s boyars, or that they were generally familiar with Rurik. The Arkhangelsk Chronicler, in turn, writes about Askold and Dir that they did not belong to either a princely or a boyar family.

He suggested that Askold was actually the son of Rurik and the stepson of “Princess Rurik”, who was widowed in 879. The researcher drew attention to the fact that in the Joachim Chronicle, unlike others, only Askold is mentioned. Dir, according to the historian, appeared due to the mistake of the chroniclers, who mistook the word “tirar”, which means stepson, of Sarmatian origin for the name. It is probably worth listening more carefully to the arguments of V.N. Tatishchev. Although it is written that Askold is not from the family of Rurik, the latter would not let him go with the army. If he had not been a prince and had not received troops, he would not have been able to accept the reign in Kyiv. Hence, the first Russian historian believes, Oleg’s envy of Askold and the desire to kill him.

Two or one?

V.N. Tatishchev’s hypothesis, although it explains why Russian chroniclers in retrospect so defended the priority of Igor (as the winner) over Askold for power in Kiev, was not popular in science. But the idea that Askold and Dir are the same person found many supporters.

The Scandinavian name of Askold, as most historians believe, sounds like Hoskuldr. The name Dira finds its closest analogies in the ancient northern languages ​​- Djor, Djur, which, according to many researchers, means “Beast”, an eschatological image in traditional culture. That is, “Dir” could be Askold’s nickname. In recent years, the possibility that Askold and Dir, being real personalities, ruled in Kyiv, but not at the same time, has been widely discussed in historiography. The combination of Askold and Dir in the chronicle as “co-rulers” in the period 862-882, wrote the famous scientist G.S. Lebedev, is certainly an artificial construction. One of the arguments in favor of the hypothesis about the different reigns of Askold and Dir is the chronicle reports about, although honorable, but still different places their burials on the territory of Kyiv. This really looks strange, given the circumstances of their simultaneous death as conveyed in the chronicle.

The date when the change of power occurred is called 860, the time of Rus'’s campaign against Constantinople. Moreover, according to G.S. Lebedev, Dir ruled Russia in 838-860, that is, he began even before 862. As an argument for the hypothesis that Dir ruled before Askold, a message from an Arab author of the 10th century is often cited. al-Masudi in his essay “Golden Meadows” about the first of the Slavic kings.

Askold - son of Odin?

There are scientific doubts about the historical reality of Askold. For example, Vladimir Egorov, pointing out the scarcity of historical evidence and its contradictions, suggests that Askold and Dir were legendary characters in the chronicle. In his opinion, their names are a modified spelling of the names of the sons of the Scandinavian god Odin - Skold and Tyr, legends about which could have been brought to Rus' with the Varangians. Polish chronicler Jan Duglosh (15th century) believed that Askold and Dir were descendants of the “Polyana dynasty” of the founders of Kyiv, the heirs of Kiy, Shchek and Khoriv. This hypothesis was later supported by other authors who sought to show the priority of Kievan Rus over Rurik’s Rus.

A clear indication of Askold's reality is the penetration of Christianity into Rus' during his reign.

The Gospels don't burn!

Under 876 we find in the Nikon Chronicle a story about the first baptism of Rus' under Askold. After an unsuccessful campaign against Constantinople, the Rus decided to be baptized, and the emperor sent a bishop to Rus'. The princes wanted to see a sign and suggested that the bishop throw the Gospel into the fire to be convinced of the power of Christ’s teaching. The Gospel remained untouched by the fire, and Rus', shocked by the miracle it had seen, was baptized.

V.N. Tatishchev was the first Russian historian to draw attention to information about the baptism of Rus' under Askold and in Byzantine sources, which also contain a story about the miracle of the Gospel not being burned in the fire. In his opinion, the chronicler Nestor certifies the baptism of Askold by his murder from Oleg and the erection by Christians of the Church of St. Nicholas on the site of his burial. Askold probably took the name Nikolai at baptism. The historian suggests that possible reason Askold's death was due to the reluctance of the people of Kiev to accept baptism, who therefore entered into an agreement with Oleg. He can be revered as the first holy martyr in Rus', and it is only because of “ignorance of history” that his name is not included in the calendar.

Khazar "trace"

According to the Tale of Bygone Years, Askold and Dir began to rule Kiev instead of the Khazars, to whom the glades had previously (since 859) paid tribute. But the same chronicle reports that Oleg liberated the glades from Khazar power after he captured Kyiv. Therefore, many scientists believe that in order to establish themselves in Kyiv, Askold and Dir should or could have recognized themselves as vassals of the Khazars.

An important role in the political structure that developed in Kyiv could also be played by the Hungarians located in the Eastern European steppes, who during this period were subordinate to the Khazar Kaganate. Local toponyms of Ugric origin also testify to their presence in Kyiv.

The Russian chronicle says that after the murder of Askold, his body was taken to Ugorskaya Mountain, where “Olmin’s yard” was located, and was buried there. At the burial site, according to the Tale of Bygone Years, Olma built the Church of St. Nikola. Historian G.V. Vernadsky suggested that behind the mysterious Oloma Tale, apparently, there is enough significant personality in ancient Kyiv, the well-known Hungarian governor Almos, who was during this period a vassal of the Khazar Kagan, is hiding.

Has it started Russian chronicle under Askold?

The famous scientist B. A. Rybakov, having analyzed the messages of the Nikon chronicle for the years 867-889, reconstructed them as the earliest ancient Russian chronicle. It began, according to the researcher, after the baptism of Rus' under Askold and after the invention of Slavic writing by the Thessalonica brothers.

Disputes over B. A. Rybakov’s reconstruction of the so-called “Askold Chronicle” and thus attributing the beginning of the compilation of Russian chronicles to the time of Askold still do not subside in the scientific world. Future research will show whether this man really was the inspirer of the first Russian scribes, but what he forever entered into ancient history Rus', it is already undeniable.

Roman Rabinovich, Ph.D. ist. sciences,
specifically for the portal

"The Tale of Bygone Years" featured two "Varangians" - Askold and Dir, who supposedly came to Kyiv from Novgorod and liberated the "glades" from Khazar tribute.

Like Rurik, both “Varangian princes” firmly established themselves on the pages ancient Russian history. However, there is absolutely nothing to confirm the historicity of these characters. In the middle of the 9th century. neither Novgorod nor Kyiv as urban centers yet existed. The names of the leaders of the Rus who raided Constantinople in 860 remained unknown to Byzantine and Western European chroniclers. A similar picture was observed in Rus', where the chronicle code preceding the Tale of Bygone Years, preserved as part of the Novgorod First Chronicle of the younger edition, also did not connect this campaign with Askold and Dir. It follows from this that the names of Askold and Dir were included in the chronicle by one of the later editors of the Tale of Bygone Years, who also turned them into “Varangians” and Rurik’s “boyars”. Thus, the entire history of their reign in Kyiv is a “poem” that is completely unsuitable for historical reconstructions.

To confirm the historical existence of Askold and Dir, a fragment from the work of the Arab historian Masudi mentioning a similar name is usually used: “The first of the Slavic kings is the king of Dir (or Aldira, Dina, Aldin. - S. Ts.), it has extensive cities and many inhabited countries; Muslim merchants arrive in the capital of his state with all kinds of goods."

At the same time, historians turn a blind eye to the fact that this text is completely unsuitable for describing the Middle Dnieper region of the second half of the 9th century, where there were neither “extensive cities” nor a political unification that embraced “many inhabited countries”, but more or less noticeable traces of trade with the Arabs (treasures with dirhams) appear only after 900.

But most importantly, Masudi’s message about “King Dir” is considered in isolation from the context, which suggests a completely different historical and geographical reality. The borders of the “kingdom of Dir” are outlined as follows: “Next to this king of the Slavic kings lives King al-Olvang, who has cities and vast regions, many troops and military supplies; he fights with Rum [Byzantium], Ifranj [Frankish Empire], Nukabard [ distorted: Lombards, that is, Northern Italy] and with other peoples..." Judging by the geographical marks, the Arab writer is clearly talking about some Croatian prince of Dalmatia (among the local cities Constantine Porphyrogenitus, a contemporary of Masudi, calls Alvun (Olvang in Masudi) - modern Labin on the Istrian Peninsula in Yugoslavia). “Then,” continues Masudi, “the king of Turka [Hungary] borders on this Slavic king. This tribe [Hungarians] is the most beautiful of the Slavs in face, the largest of them in number and the bravest of them...”

So, the “kingdom of Dir” is limited on the one hand by the northwestern Balkans, on the other by Hungary, which circumstance negates all attempts to correlate it with the Kyiv principality of Askold and Dir.

Moreover, it is not identified at all with any of the Slavic states of the late 9th - early 10th centuries. According to Masudi's geographical references, the "kingdom of Dir" should be located either south or north of the Danube, in the territory between Dalmatia and Pannonia (Hungary). Therefore, we can talk about Great Moravia or Bulgaria - countries whose sovereigns really claimed primacy in the Slavic world, in whose vast possessions there were populous cities. But the name “kingdom of Dir” cannot be applied to any of them, since this name is absent both in the name books of the ruling dynasties and in the toponymy of these countries.

Old Russian warrior. The end of the 9th - beginning of the 10th century.

But this is not all the arguments against localizing the “kingdom of Dir” in the Middle Dnieper region. The inclusion of Hungarians among the “Slavs” indicates that Masudi used the term “as-sakaliba” (“Slavs”) very broadly - to designate the general population of Europe living between the Frankish state, Italy and Byzantium. Therefore, it is possible that “the first of the Slavic kings” actually means Otto I, the Saxon duke, and since 936 the king of the East Frankish kingdom (Germany) - truly the strongest state in Central Europe at that time.

The obvious foreignness of the chronicle legends about Askold and Dir to the historical reality of Kyiv on the Dnieper suggests their involvement in the history of some other, Danube Kyiv, where they could have come from. Suitable for this role are, for example: Kevee (near Orsov), which is described by the Hungarian chronicler Anonymous Notary, the city of Kiev in South Moravia near Brno, six more Kyjov and three Kyje in the Czech Republic, three Kije, four Kijani and two Kijova in Slovakia. This hypothesis is also supported by the message from the Nikon Chronicle (16th century) about the death of Askold’s son in the fight against the Danube Bulgarians.

The etymology of both names does not add anything significant to the origin of Askold and Dir. The name Dir is Celtic and means - faithful, strong, noble ( Kuzmin A.G. Old Russian names and their parallels // Where did the Russian land come from. Book 1. M., 1986 ); also adopted by the Slavs (in the chronicle of Cozma of Prague the Czech names Tyr and Tyro are found; the Polish historian Palacky mentions Dirslas or Dirislas). The name Askold (original Oskold), apparently, is related to the Church Slavonic word oskol - “rock” (the addition of the final “d” is characteristic of the southern Russian dialect - so Dir in the Ipatiev Chronicle is read in the form Dird) ( Vasmer M. Etymological Dictionary: In 4 volumes. Ed. 2. M., 1986. T. III. P. 160 ). That is, both of them are deprived of any characteristic features, which would help to firmly link them with a particular region.

In the end, the only evidence of the real presence of Askold and Dir in the history of ancient Kiev are their “graves”, mentioned already in the “Tale of Bygone Years” as local attractions and preserved in the Kiev topography until the present day. However, separated from each other by a considerable distance, they do little to popularize the chronicle’s idea of ​​the “Varangian princes” as an inseparable government tandem. And “folk local history” itself, which associates certain localities with the biographies of historical or pseudo-historical characters, is an extremely unreliable source even for probabilistic conclusions.

In short, it looks very much like we are looking at phantom figures from early Russian history.

Meanwhile, the Rus really should have settled in the Middle Dnieper region no later than the middle of the 9th century. Patriarch Photius noted that in 860 the Rus turned their arms against Byzantium only after they had conquered the peoples surrounding them. These peoples could only be the East Slavic tribes living in the Dnieper region, whom Constantine Porphyrogenitus would later describe as “Paktiots” (that is, tributaries) of the Rus.

Most likely, the first “Russian” prince who settled in the Middle Dnieper region on the Kyiv “mountains” remained unknown to us. But if we talk not about the personality of the ruler, but about the ruling stratum as a whole, then there is no need to guess here: it consisted of Tauride Russes. After all, according to the conclusion of D.L. Talis, “Byzantine writers called Dnieper Rus' Tauro-Scythians and Taurians precisely because the name of the people who actually lived in Crimea in the 8th-9th centuries, i.e., the Ros, was transferred to it” (Talis D. Rosy in Crimea). This is indicated, in particular, by one curious hydrographic paradox - the name of the Desna River, which flows into the Dnieper just above Kyiv. According to modern geographical concepts, this is - left a tributary of the Dnieper, but for those who gave the Desna its name, it was “on the right hand,” that is, “ right"river. And the only Slavic ethnic group that, moving up the Dnieper, could find the Desna to their right, were.

Apparently, from about this time the name began to be assigned to the Middle Dnieper region: Rus', Russian Land.
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Askold and Dir

Askold ( Oskold, Skald) And Dir- two warriors of Rurik, who are mentioned in the history of the beginning of the Russian state. Tradition says that Rurik had two “husbands”, A. and D., not related to him, who begged him to go to Tsar-grad with their family (there is news that A. and D. left Rurik out of displeasure, so how he, demarcating the land for his “husbands” with a rope in the volost, or “rope”, deprived A. and D., who left offended). Seeing the town of Kyiv on the Dnieper, paying tribute Khazars, A. and D. remained in it, gathering many Varangians around them, and began to own the land of the glades. We must assume that Kyiv at that time was a brothel Varangians and all sorts of adventurers, which Tmutorokan and Berlad later were. According to some news, many people dissatisfied with Rurik fled here to Kyiv from Novgorod. A. and D. became the leaders of a fairly large gang, and the glades had to obey them. A. and D. fought with the steppe barbarians, with neighboring Slavic tribes - Drevlyans And Uglich , and with the Danube Bulgarians. Having at their disposal a considerable number of military men, A. and D. and their squad undertook a campaign against Byzantium. The Varangian’s cherished thought was fulfilled, and Rus' found itself at the walls of Constantinople, sailing on 200 sailing boats in 866. Here Rus' acquired a glorious name for itself, first noted in Byzantine chronographs. Askold's campaign failed, according to Greek testimonies, due to the miraculous intercession of the Mother of God: a storm that arose broke the Russian boats, and the remnants of the squad returned with their princes back to Kyiv. The Byzantines then reported that some Russians had adopted Christianity and that a bishop had been sent to them from Constantinople. Thus, this campaign brought the first seeds of Christianity to Kyiv: the significance of Kyiv in our history was revealed early on as a result of the clash between Rus' and Byzantium. In 869 † Rurik, leaving the young Igor, transferred the reign to Oleg, as the eldest in his family. Oleg, continuing Rurik’s desire to concentrate power, moved to the south with an army made up of all the tribes under his control - Chud, Slavs (Ilmen), Meri, Vesi and Krivichi. Having secured Smolensk and Lyubech for himself, Oleg arrived in Kiev, where A. and D. reigned. Here, the legend says, Oleg ordered to hide the boats on which he sailed, and hid his squad in them and sent to tell A. and D. that fellow countrymen them - merchants going to Greece want to see them. A. and D. arrived, but were immediately surrounded by Oleg’s hidden warriors, who allegedly told them: “You are not princes, nor a princely family,” and, pointing to the baby Igor, added: “Here is the son of Rurik.” A. and D. were killed and buried on a mountain on the banks of the Dnieper on a hill with ledges descending to the river and crowned with the church of St. Nicholas. This place is called Askold's grave. Regarding the episode about A. and D., some writers of Russian history express doubts, such as Bayer, Tatishchev and others. D. Ilovaisky in his “Research about the beginning of Rus'” (Moscow, 1882) believes that A. and D. is a product of popular imagination. D. Ilovaisky is based on the fact that the Byzantines, describing the campaign of Rus', nowhere mention its leaders; they talk about the conversion of these Russians, about their embassy to Rome and Constantinople on the issue of faith, about the miracle of the Gospel, and they constantly talk about one prince, and not about two. Our chroniclers, says D. Ilovaisky, took the story of the attack on Constantinople in 866 entirely from Byzantine chronographs, but added to it the names A. and D. It may very well be that the names of some Kiev tracts like “Askold’s Grave” and “Dir’s grave” could serve as the basis for the legend about these two knights, just as the names Kiev, Khorevshchina and Shchekovina served as the basis for the legend about the three brothers who once reigned near the glades. The fact that a church was erected on A.’s grave, and Dirov’s grave, as the chronicler testifies, was located behind the church of St. Irina, indicates that A. and D. were Christians. Schlözer ("Oskold und Dir" and "Nestor", translated by Yazykov, vol. II, 15) refutes the opinion of the writers who preceded him. Moroshkin considered A. and D. Khazar governors.

encyclopedic Dictionary F. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron. - S.-Pb.: Brockhaus-Efron. 1890-1907 .

See what “Askold and Dir” are in other dictionaries:

Askold and Dir, the first Kyiv princes mentioned in the chronicles. Entry in the Laurentian corpus (ancient) under different years reports that A. and D., Rurik’s warriors, left him for Constantinople down the Dnieper, took possession of Kiev along the way and ... Biographical Dictionary

ASKOLD AND DIR- (2nd half of the 9th turn of the 9th century?), perhaps the first Russian. Christ princes. According to the Kyiv (?) legend, recorded in brief, the oldest form in the so-called The initial arch of the 90s. XI century (reflected in the NPL Commission List), and in a lengthy, several... ... Orthodox Encyclopedia

Askold and Dir- legendary Kyiv princes of the 60s and 80s. 9th century Information about the biography and activities of A. and D. is vague and contradictory. According to the widespread chronicle legend, A. and D. Varangians, boyars Prince. Rurik, in 862 they asked him for leave to go to Constantinople... ... Russian humanitarian encyclopedic dictionary

Kyiv princes (2nd half of the 9th century). According to chronicles, A. and D. were boyars of Rurik. Around 866, under the leadership of A. and D., Rus' made its first campaign against Constantinople. According to the chronicle, around 882 A. and D. were killed by Novgorod... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

Kyiv princes (2nd half of the 9th century). According to the chronicles, under the leadership of A. and D. Rus' made the first campaign against Constantinople even before the so-called. callings of the Varangians, which is complementary. a refutation of the identity of Rus' with the Normans. By… … Soviet historical encyclopedia

- ... Wikipedia

Askold and Dir- Kyiv princes (2nd half of the 9th century). acc. chronicle data, under the foreshadowing. A. and D. Rus' made the first campaign against Constantinople even before the so-called. “callings of the Varangians”, which is revealed. additional refutation of the identity. Rus' with the Normans. According to the chronicle, approx.... ... Ancient world. encyclopedic Dictionary

Askold and Dir- (2nd half of the 9th century - turn of the 9th century) perhaps the first Russian Christian princes. They ruled in Kyiv until it was captured by Prince Oleg. The oldest version represents Askold and Dir as alien Varangians who settled in Kyiv some time later... ... Orthodoxy. Dictionary-reference book

Askold and Dir (Radziwill Chronicle) ... Wikipedia

See the article by Askold and Dir... Biographical Dictionary

B. Olshansky. In the summer of 908. Marching to Constantinople

?—882
Askold - Varangian from Rurik’s squad, Prince of Kiev in 864-882. (ruled together with Deer).

According to the Tale of Bygone Years, Askold and Dir were boyars of the Novgorod prince Rurik, who released them on a campaign against Constantinople. They settled in Kyiv, seizing power over the Polans, who at that time did not have their own prince and paid tribute to the Khazars (864).

Russian campaign against Constantinople in 860
Trizna of Russian warriors. Painting by G. Semiradsky.

The names of Askold and Dir in the chronicle are associated with the first campaign of Rus' against Constantinople, dated 866 (probably took place in 860; Byzantine sources report only one leader of the Rus, without naming his name), which was followed by the so-called first baptism of Rus'. It is possible that Askold’s Christian name was the name of Nikola, since a church was built in honor of this saint on the site of his grave.

Askold and Dir were killed (882) by the Novgorod prince Oleg, who accused them of illegally seizing power, since they were not from the family of Rurik.

According to the First Novgorod Chronicle, the Varangians Askold and Dir are not connected with Rurik, and came to Kyiv before Rurik was invited to Novgorod, but after the Rus' campaign against Constantinople. In Kyiv they called themselves princes and began to fight with the Drevlyans and Uglichs.

The campaign against Constantinople by Askold and Dir in the Radziwill Chronicle, 15th century

Description in later sources

In the 2nd Pskov Chronicle (XV century) it is said that: “And the princes in that summer were on the Rousseau lands; From the Varyagov there are 5 princes, the first is named Skald (that is, Askold), and the other is Dir, and the third is Rurik...”

The Nikon and Joachim chronicles contain information unknown from other sources about the events of the 870s: the flight of part of the Novgorod nobility from Rurik to Askold during the struggle for power in Novgorod, the death of Askold’s son in the fight against the Bulgarians (872), Askold’s campaigns against Polotsk ( 872), Krivichi (where Rurik planted his governors) and Pechenegs (875). The campaign of Rus' against Constantinople (860), attributed by the Tale of Bygone Years to 866, is dated 874-875.

Siege of Constantinople by the Russians led by Askold and Dir. Patriarch Photius and Emperor Michael III touch the surface of the sea with the Robe of the Mother of God. Radzivilov Chronicle.

In addition to the ancient Russian chronicles, Askold and Dir are mentioned in the work of the 15th century Polish historian Jan Dlugosz (possibly compiled to substantiate Poland's claims to the Kiev inheritance, as opposed to the Moscow Rurikovichs). In his interpretation, Askold was a Polyana prince, a descendant of Kiy, the founder of Kyiv. He was the commander of Prince Dir, who may have removed the latter from the throne and became an autocratic ruler.

Historiography according to Askold

Askold's grave, Ivan Bilibin

In 1919, academician A. A. Shakhmatov connected Prince Askold with the Southern Ilmen region (the center of Staraya Russa). According to his hypothesis, Rusa was the original capital the most ancient country. And from this “most ancient Rus'...soon after” 839, the movement of Scandinavian Rus' to the south began, leading to the founding of the “young Russian state” in Kyiv around 840. In 1920, Academician S. F. Platonov noted that future research would collect... the best material for understanding and strengthening A. A. Shakhmatov’s hypothesis about the Varangian center on the southern bank of Ilmen. The prominent historian of the Russian diaspora G.V. Vernadsky also connected Prince Askold with Staraya Russa.

B. A. Rybakov put forward a bold assumption about the presence in Ancient Rus'"Askold's Chronicles".

The name Askold, according to most researchers, comes from the Old Icelandic Haskuldr or Hoskuldr. According to another version, the name has local, Slavic roots. B. A. Rybakov believed that the name Oskold could come from the ancient self-name of the Scythians: Skolote.

In 2010, V.V. Fomin considered it possible to admit that with Old Russian Russia (the center of Staraya Russa) “Askold and Dir were connected, forced to leave the Ilmen region as soon as Rurik established himself there, representing Varangian Rus', which first settled in Ladoga”

Dir (in the Ipatiev Chronicle also Dird, ?—882) is a legendary Varangian who, together with Askold, captured Kiev and was killed along with him by the Novgorod prince Oleg.

According to the Tale of Bygone Years, he was a boyar of the Novgorod prince Rurik. Together with Askold, they allegedly went down the Dnieper to Kiev in the land of the glades, which at that time did not have a prince and paid tribute to the Khazars, and settled there as princes. Further, the PVL reports that in 866, under the leadership of Dir and Askold, Russia made its first campaign against Constantinople (and Byzantine sources indicate that the campaign took place in 860), then around 882, Rurik’s successor, the Novgorod prince Oleg, captured Kiev and, according to legend, he fraudulently lured Dir and Askold to his boat and killed both due to the illegality of their rule due to the lack of princely dignity, introducing them to Igor, the son of Rurik.

Death of Askold and Dir. Engraving by F. A. Bruni, 1839.

According to another hypothesis, Askold and Dir ruled in different time. Mention of Dir is sometimes seen in the message of the Arab geographer al-Masudi (mid-10th century), about a certain powerful Slavic ruler: “The first of the Slavic kings is the king of Dir, he has vast cities and many inhabited countries, Muslim merchants arrive in his land with various kinds of goods." Consequently, Dir could have ruled either after Askold or even before his arrival. According to one version, Dir, mentioned by al-Masudi, ruled after Oleg the Prophet, but was displaced and killed by the legendary Oleg II (who in turn was expelled by his cousin Igor Rurikovich around 936). According to this version, the author of the PVL combined the legend about the elimination of Askold by Prince Oleg the Prophet with the legend about the elimination of Dir by the legendary Oleg II. According to another version, Dir reigned in Kyiv before Askold and took part in the campaign of 860. It has been suggested that Dir can be identified with the "king of the Slavs", to whom the Caucasian tribe of the Sanarians turned for help against the Arab caliph in the 850s. This “king of the Slavs” was placed by the 9th century author al-Ya’qubi on a par with the rulers of Byzantium and Khazaria. V.N. Tatishchev, relying on the “Joachim Chronicle,” believed that Askold’s invitation to Kiev occurred due to the absence of a ruler in the glades, that is, as other historians believe, after the death of Dir. However, Tatishchev himself considered the appearance of Dir to be an error in reading the text of the chronicle.

Death of Askold. Unknown artist of the late 19th century.

Askold and Dir, allegedly killed by Oleg together, were buried in different places: “And they killed Askold and Dir, took them to the mountain and buried Askold on the mountain, which is now called Ugorskaya, where is now Olmin’s courtyard; on that grave Olma built the Church of St. Nicholas; and Dirov’s grave is behind the Church of St. Irene.” According to one version, this indicates an artificial connection in the chronicle of Askold and Dir, which may have occurred due to an incorrect reading of the Scandinavian spelling of Askold's name - Hoskuldr, or under the influence of local legends about Dir and his grave.

According to another version, “Dir” is the title or nickname of Prince Askold, whose existence is beyond doubt among many. The Soviet historian and Slavic scholar Academician Boris Aleksandrovich Rybakov wrote: “The personality of Prince Dir is not clear to us. One feels that his name is artificially attached to Oskold, because when describing their joint actions, the grammatical form gives us a single, and not a double, number, as it should be when describing the joint actions of two persons.

March on Constantinople.

Having concentrated power in his hands after the death of his brothers, Rurik lived in Novgorod, giving the best warriors the cities of Polotsk in the land of the Krivichi, Rostov in the land of Mary, Beloozero in the land of Vesi, and Murom (the city of the Finnish tribe of the same name on the Oka River) to feed. He allowed Askold and Dir to go on a campaign against Constantinople. Exist different opinions about the origin of Askold and Dir. According to one version, Askold, the Russian Kagan, was a direct descendant of Kiy, the founder of Kyiv. He ruled Kiev together with Dir (or Dmir). According to another version, Dir was the prince of Kyiv, for whom Askold served as a governor. According to the third version, Askold and Dir were warriors and comrades of Rurik.

With a small squad, they went down the Dnieper to Kyiv, stopped at the clearings and began to gather an army. The people of Kiev paid tribute to the Khazars. Askold and Dir promised to free them from tribute and settled in a rich city. The Varangians, led by experienced military leaders, conducted several successful campaigns in the steppe, and the Khazars no longer wanted to demand tribute from the Kievites. Over the four years of active combat life, the squad of Askold and Dir has strengthened significantly. They decided to march on Constantinople.

Preparations for the difficult campaign were completed, and 200 rooks set off in 860. along the Dnieper to the Black Sea. Each boat had 40-50 people.

Sacrifice of Rurik 862.
Engraving by B. Chorikov. XIX century

They chose a very good time for the hike. In Constantinople that year there was neither an army nor Emperor Michael III, who was waging a difficult struggle with the Arabs. Only Patriarch Photius was in the capital, but he did not think about the invasion of the enemy, burdened with state, religious and personal affairs. In the summer of 860, Emperor Michael III went on a campaign against the Arabs. The boats of Askold and Dir hurried to the capital of the Byzantine Empire.

On June 18, 860, the weather was calm and sunny in Constantinople. Suddenly, in the north, a motley spot appeared in the strait, and people froze in horror: the Russian boats cut through the soft wave, approaching the city. The rooks followed exactly the course planned by Askold and Dir. Each knew its place in the ranks. The Russians clearly landed troops, took a low country gate, and scattered across the outskirts. The warriors of Askold and Dir worked harmoniously: they threw everything valuable into the boats, then fire into the houses...

And the Byzantine warriors were preparing for an enemy assault. They really hoped for the high, strong walls of Constantinople.

Having completed the first task of the raid, the Russians approached the city and began to build an embankment. There were too few defenders, and their mood quickly changed. They were close to panic and despair. On the outside, stubborn lovers of other people's goods swarm under the walls. From the inside of the fortress, like from a volcano that suddenly awakens, comes the sound of a panicking Constantinople.

And suddenly the volcano began to subside: something important happened in the city. There, in the Church of Hagia Sophia, Patriarch Photius spoke calmly and firmly. And his speech was strange. He denounced his fellow citizens, recalling how “the Greeks unfairly turned around the visiting Russians” and other sins.

The embankment grew. And the residents of the capital of a world power walked to the temple, from where a confident voice came: “We received forgiveness and did not show mercy to our neighbor. The very joyful ones upset everyone, the glorified ones themselves dishonored everyone... Finally, the time has come to resort to the Mother of the Word, to Her, the only hope and refuge. Let us cry out to her: “Venerable One, save your city as you know!”

The chasuble was lifted from the Blachernae Temple Mother of God, and the people went to the procession. The patriarch and clergy in full vestments, banners, a solemn choir of voices, a line of townspeople and in front - a miraculous robe...

The Russians from below saw people on the fortress wall and the sky, cut off by the edge of the brick wall. People, united by one spirit, moved slowly in the sky...

For several decades in a row, the Slavs went against the Slavs, and they had no unity, there was no powerful support for the spirit that led the Byzantines along the wall. Rurik used his sword to restore order among the Slavs - was it successful? Fear calmed the Slavs slightly, but between the high wall and the Byzantine sky it was different. It was not fear that led the townspeople to the procession.

The Byzantines kept walking and walking along the wall. One mass. The voices of the singers had a magical effect on the Russians. The Russians were not timid. And the state they experienced cannot be called fear. It was a stronger feeling. And it wasn’t a feeling at all, but Faith. At that moment, the warriors realized that it was impossible to defeat the people on the wall, just as it was impossible to stop the sun from shining. And when the unhurried procession approached along the edge between the sky and the wall towards the builders of the embankment, one of the Russians screamed, threw down the tool and rushed to the boats, dragging his comrades along with him. No one shot at them, no one chased them. And they ran, ran, as if from fire.

The excited Russians went home...

In 867, as Photius says in a letter to the Pope, the Russian tribe accepted the Christian faith. This was one of the tribes that settled in the Black Sea region. However, some historians claim that he was the first in Rus' to adopt Orthodox faith Askold, and therefore many of his squad.

This episode, recorded in the message of the Patriarch of Constantinople, must be kept in mind when discussing the topic of the Baptism of Rus', which took place more than a century after the events described.

Askold and Dir are legendary princes who ruled the city of Kyiv at the end of the 9th century, converted to Christianity and laid the foundations of ancient Russian statehood. This is the generally accepted version, but there are many contradictions in it.

Sources

The information that we draw from Ancient Rus' is collected mostly in the Tale of Bygone Years, as well as in later chronicles, which largely rely on the first. The reliability of such documents is questioned by modern historians: and this is not only a matter of chronological inaccuracies or mixing of facts.

The chronicles were rewritten several times, and, accordingly, errors gradually crept into them, or even worse - deliberate distortions of events in favor of one or another political idea.

Lev Gumilyov believed, for example, that the chronicler Nestor viewed history as politics facing the past, and therefore remade it in his own way.
However, if you have independent sources of information - not only ancient Russian chronicles, but Byzantine, European or Arabic documents, then you can general outline restore the picture of events of a bygone era.

From the Varangians to the Khazars

The Tale of Bygone Years reports that Askold and Dir were Varangian warriors of the Novgorod prince Rurik, who begged him to go on a campaign against Constantinople (Constantinople). But in the Nikon Chronicle they appear as enemies of Rurik: dissatisfied with the division of the volosts, the warriors participate in the uprising organized against him.

One way or another, going down the Dnieper, the Varangians saw on a hill the glorious city founded by Kiy. Having learned that there was no ruler in the city, and that its population was paying tribute to the Khazars, they decided to settle there and reign.
The Ustyug Chronicle says that Askold and Dir were “neither the tribe of a prince nor a boyar, and Rurik would not give them a city or a village.” Apparently, the campaign to Constantinople was only a pretext, and the ultimate goal was to obtain lands and a princely title.
Historian Yu. K. Begunov claims that Askold and Dir, having betrayed Rurik, turned into Khazar vassals. There is no information about the defeat of the Khazars by the Novgorod squad (and it was not easy to do this), which means that this version has the right to life - otherwise the Khazars (and their mercenaries) would not have allowed the Varangians to dispose of their patrimony so easily. But, perhaps, there was also an agreement between both parties - in the person of the disgraced Varangians, the Kaganate saw serious help in the confrontation with the powerful Rurik.

March to Constantinople

In addition to the Tale of Bygone Years, we learn about the raids of the Rus (as the Greeks called the peoples living north of the Black Sea) on Constantinople from Byzantine and Italian chroniclers, which gives the information more reliability. True, sources differ in determining the dates: the Tale indicates the year 866, and according to Byzantine data it is 860-861, however, making allowances for the inaccurate chronology of the Tale, we can assume that we are talking about the same events.

The Byzantines, exhausted from the war with the Arabs, did not expect an attack from the sea by the Rus. According to various sources, from 200 to 360 ships approached the shores of Constantinople.

The Byzantines had little idea where this army came from, but the chronicler Nestor speaks of the troops of Askold and Dir, who plundered the environs of the Byzantine capital and threatened to take Constantinople itself.

Only thanks to the fervent prayer of Tsar Michael and Patriarch Photius, as well as the robe Holy Mother of God which was soaked in the sea, a miracle happened: a storm suddenly broke out, and huge waves rose and strong wind The ships of the “godless Russians” were scattered - few were able to return home.

Christians or Jews?

Some sources report that after the defeat of the Rus, Byzantium established relations with the young Old Russian state and began to conduct its missionary activities there. Filaret Gumilevsky writes that “according to the undoubted voice of history, Kievan Rus listened to the gospel preaching under the Kyiv princes Askold and Dir.”

However, academician A. A. Shakhmatov claims that in the more ancient chronicles telling about the campaign against Constantinople there is no mention of Askold and Dir - their names were inserted later, nothing is said about them either in Byzantine or Arab sources. Moreover, given the possible connections of the Kyiv princes with the Jewish Kaganate, it is premature to talk about their Christianity: they had a much greater chance of converting to Judaism.

Murder

After the death of Rurik, Oleg became the guardian of his young son Igor and, in fact, the head of Novgorod - the same one who took revenge on the “foolish Khazars.” He remembered the disgraced Varangians, and therefore the campaign against Kyiv he organized in 882 was aimed at displacing the illegal power of the impostors. Kyiv at that time turned into a hotbed of unrest - dissatisfied residents of the Novgorod lands constantly flocked there, and therefore immediate measures were required.

However, according to the 15th century Polish historian Janusz Dlugosz, who largely retells ancient Russian chronicles, Askold and Dir were the hereditary rulers of Kiev, descendants of Kiy, and moreover, brothers, and therefore the overthrow of the Kiev princes looks not only treacherous, but also illegal.

But here one can discern Dlugosz’s desire to show the validity of Polish claims to Kyiv, since, in his opinion, Kiy is one of the heirs of the Polish dynasty.

Was there Dir?

According to the chronicle, Askold was buried at the place of his death - the high right bank of the Dnieper, but Dir's grave was located behind the Irininsky Monastery - not far from the current Golden Gate. They are separated by three kilometers: a strange fact: co-rulers (or even brothers) who died on the same day are buried in different places!

It should be noted that some researchers suggest that Askold and Dir ruled in Kyiv at different times, but there are those who believe that Askold and Dir are one person. In the Old Norse version of the name "Haskuldr", the last two letters could be separated into a separate word, and eventually into an independent person.

Also, Byzantine sources, describing the siege of Constantinople by the Rus, talk about one military leader, although without naming his name.

Historian B. A. Rybakov gives us an explanation: “The personality of Prince Dir is not clear to us. It is felt that his name is artificially attached to Askold, because when describing their joint actions, the grammatical form gives us a single, and not a double, number, as it should be when describing the joint actions of two persons.”

The history of the Kyiv princes Askold and Dir leaves more questions than it answers. Chronicles, as the main source of information, unfortunately, suffer from inaccuracies or direct distortion of facts, and archeology is not able to show us a complete and reliable picture of the life of Ancient Rus' in the 9th century. Of course, we still have something to learn, but much will remain hidden under the veil of the past millennium.