You're reading: 10 facts about Kyivan Rus

Once a mighty kingdom on the edge of Europe and Asia, Kyivan Rus still has a prominent place in the collective memory of Ukrainians. This year marks the 1,025th anniversary of the baptism of Kyivan Rus, with most official celebrations taking place on July 27-28. On the eve of celebrations, the Kyiv Post offers some of the most interesting facts about Kyivan Rus that will help shake off the dust from one’s notion of this medieval Slavic state.

1. Kyivan Rus, also known as “the cradle of three modern-day nations,” was a powerful East Slavic state which flourished from the 8th until 12th century.  The three nations are Ukraine, Russia and Belarus.

2. Technically speaking, Kyivan Rus was not a state. The term “Kyivan Rus” was coined at the beginning of the 19th century. The term is now used to describe the loose federation of principalities that stretched across modern day Poland, Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia and Moldova.

3. The biggest exports in Kyivan Rus were honey and furs. Constantinople, now Istanbul, was its biggest trading partner.

4. The religion within Kyivan Rus was Slavic paganism until 900, when Prince Volodymyr the Great established the Byzantine rite of Christianity.

5. Kyiv was not the capital of Kyivan Rus, but the administrative capital of the federation. Kyivan Rus was divided up into principalities, each one governed by its own capital, with its own borders. Kyiv was the spiritual and cultural center of those principalities.

6. Kyivan Rus’ power and influence waned during the 12th and 13th centuries and, against a backdrop of internal disputes between the princes governing each principality, it was invaded by the Mongols in the early 13th century. It would remain under Mongolian control for another two hundred years.

7. The language of Kyivan Rus’ was Old Russian or Old East Slavic. Language only changed after the political division of the principalities in 12th century.

8. In the Middle-Ages, Kyiv was 10 times larger than London and five times the size of Paris.

9. In the Middle-Ages, Kyiv was 10 times larger than London and five times the size of Paris.
It is from ancient Kyivan Rus that the popular proverb “Your tongue will lead you to Kyiv” (Ukrainian “Yazyk do Kyieva dovede”) originated. According to legend, in the year 999, a Kyivan man called Nikita Shchemyakan lost his way in the wilderness of the steppes. He was caught by a militant nomadic tribe and forced to speak of his homeland. Shchemyakan’s tales of Kyiv’s wealth and splendor impressed the tribe’s chief so much, he hooked Shchemyakan by the tongue to his horse’s tail and decided  to wage war against Kyiv – that is how Shchemyakan’s tongue took him home. The macabre element of the proverb has long vanished with the rest of Kyivan Rus. Nowadays the saying simply stresses the role of communication in getting what you want.

10. Kyivan Rus nearly became a Muslim state. As the story goes, Volodymyr the Great (980-1015) wanted to replace paganism with a new religion. He had the choice between Islam, Judaism and Christianity.  According to legend, he was tempted by Islam because it allowed polygamy. But he finally decided against it, because he felt a religion prohibiting alcohol might cause discontent amongst the people.

Kyiv Post intern Isabel Douglas-Hamilton can be reached at [email protected].