King Rurik

Rurik was a Varangian leader whom the Primary Chronicle associates with establishing rule at Novgorod in 862. The account was written much later than the events, so historians treat details of his life and authority cautiously.

The Primary Chronicle says that Slavic and Finnic groups invited Rurik and his brothers to rule, placing him at the beginning of the Kievan Rus' ruling tradition. Because the chronicle was compiled centuries later, it is an important source but not a straightforward eyewitness record.

Later tradition treats Rurik as the founder of the dynasty that ruled parts of Kievan Rus' and later Russian lands. The historical link between the ninth-century leader and every later ruler is more complicated than the simplified dynastic story suggests.

Tradition says that Oleg succeeded Rurik as regent for his young son Igor and moved the political center toward Kyiv. The succession story comes mainly through later medieval chronicles and therefore includes disputed details.