Oleg A. Matveychev

PhD, Professor of the National Research University Higher School of Economics

National Research University Higher School of Economics

(Moscow, Russia)

Abstract. The article regards the source of Russian statehood. The author rejects the possibility of the descent of the dynasty that ruled in Russia in 862 – 1610 A.D from Rurik and casts doubt on the traditional dating of the reign of the first Russian princes, in particular, Igor (there are many reasons to believe that he took the throne of Kiev only around 942 – 943 A.D). Noting the numerous inconsistencies in the chronicles, the author claims that this problem can be solved if we accept the hypothesis of two successively ruling princes: Oleg the Seer and his son Oleg the Second. Identified as Helgu from the Khazar Correspondence, Oleg II could be the father of Olga who was Igor’s wife. She gave birth to Svyatoslav who became the successor to the Oleg dynasty, but on his mother’s side. Igor’s father, and this is the main message of the article, was probably the influential warrior Sveneld, who was a diarch under Igor, Svyatoslav, and Yaropolk. Later chroniclers carefully hid this fact as the “shameful secret” of the ruling dynasty, which is called “Rurikovich” only due to a historical misunderstanding.
Keywords: history of Kievan Rus', Rurik dynasty, Oleg of Novgorod, Igor of Kiev, Olga of Kiev, Sveneld, Schechter Letter.

Full text of the article (PDF)


For citation:Matveychev, OA 2020, ‘Sveneld is the founder of the Rurik dynasty? To the question’, Tula Scientific Bulletin. History. Linguistics, issue 3 (3), pp. 15–27, URL: http://tula-vestnik.ru/pdf/2020/vipusk_3_20_12_20.pdf (in Russ.)

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