The Chronicle Says Rurik’s Varangians Came to Rule Novgorod

The earliest surviving written account of the foundation of the medieval Rus state appears in the Primary Chronicle, a text compiled in the early twelfth century and traditionally attributed to the monk Nestor. According to this narrative, several East Slavic and Finnic groups, including the Slovenes, Krivichs, Chuds, Meryans, and Ves, revolted between 860 and 862 against the Varangians who had extracted tribute from them. After driving the Norsemen across the sea, the local populations attempted self-governance. Internal strife soon followed, prompting the tribal representatives to seek an external arbiter to bring order. They reportedly invited a Varangian leader named Rurik to rule over their lands alongside his armed retinue.

Rurik arrived with his brothers, Sineus and Truvor, in 862, according to the chronicle. The chronicle relates that the three siblings divided the northern territories among themselves, with Sineus establishing a base at Beloozero and Truvor securing the settlement of Izborsk. Following the early deaths of both brothers, Rurik absorbed their domains into his own sphere of authority, consolidating a significant territorial footprint across northern rivers and trade networks. Many scholars interpret the Varangians of this era as Scandinavians, probably from what is now Sweden, and the name Rus is often linked to an Old Norse word connected with rowing.