Oleg of Novgorod (882): Taking Kiev and Founding Kievan Rus

Oleg of Novgorod, a Varangian prince of the late 9th century, is credited by the Primary Chronicle with capturing Kiev (Kyiv) in 882 and making it the capital of a new Rus state. By uniting Novgorod in the north with Kiev on the Dnieper, he controlled the river route from the Baltic to the Black Sea. For this reason he is traditionally regarded as the founder of Kievan Rus, though much of his story is surrounded by legend.

Background

According to the Primary Chronicle, compiled in Kiev in the early 12th century, the Varangian prince Rurik ruled Novgorod from 862 and died in 879. He left his young son Igor in the care of a kinsman, Oleg, who took power as regent.

Kiev, on the middle Dnieper, was then held by Askold and Dir, whom the chronicle describes as former followers of Rurik who had gone south and made themselves rulers. The chronicle also credits them with the Rus attack on Constantinople, though the Byzantine sources name no leaders.

The capture of Kiev, 882

In 882 Oleg set out with an army of Varangians and men from the northern Slavic and Finnic tribes. He took Smolensk and Lyubech, then sailed down the Dnieper to Kiev.

The chronicle says Oleg hid his soldiers in the boats and sent a message to Askold and Dir that merchants had arrived and wished to see them. When the two came to the riverbank, Oleg’s men surrounded them. Holding up the child Igor, Oleg declared that they were not princes or of princely birth, but Igor was the son of Rurik. Askold and Dir were killed, and Oleg took the city.

Oleg is then said to have proclaimed that Kiev would be “the mother of Rus cities”. Whether or not he said it, the city did become the political centre of the Rus for the next three centuries.

Building a state

From Kiev, Oleg extended his rule over neighbouring East Slavic tribes. The chronicle records his conquest of the Drevlians in 883, the Severians in 884 and the Radimichs in 885, many of whom had previously paid tribute to the Khazars. He imposed regular tribute in furs and other goods and built fortified towns.

This network of tribute and trade along the Dnieper made the Rus a significant power. Each year furs, wax, honey and slaves were gathered and shipped south to markets in Byzantium.

Oleg and Byzantium

The Primary Chronicle describes a great campaign against Constantinople in 907 with 2,000 ships. It says Oleg put his boats on wheels to reach the city by land and nailed his shield to its gates as a sign of victory. No Byzantine source mentions this expedition, and many historians consider its details legendary.

The chronicle also preserves the text of a treaty between the Rus and the Byzantine emperor Leo VI, dated 2 September 911. It regulated trade, the treatment of Rus merchants in Constantinople, and legal disputes between Rus and Greeks. Most of the Rus envoys named in it have Scandinavian names. Historians generally accept the 911 treaty as authentic, and it is one of the earliest documents of Rus history.

The legend of Oleg’s death

Oleg was known as Veshchy, “the Wise” or “the Seer”. According to the chronicle, soothsayers had warned him that he would die because of his favourite horse, so he sent it away. When he later learned that the horse had died, he laughed at the prophecy and went to see its bones. As he stepped on the skull, a snake crawled out and bit him, and he died.

The Primary Chronicle dates his death to 912 and places his grave near Kiev. The Novgorod First Chronicle gives a different account, placing his death in the north. The story inspired Alexander Pushkin’s poem “The Song of the Wise Oleg” (1822).

How reliable is the story?

The Primary Chronicle was compiled more than two centuries after Oleg’s time, and its early dates are reconstructions. Its claim that Oleg was regent for Igor may have been added to tie the ruling house of Kyiv neatly to Rurik. Some historians think Oleg was an independent leader in his own right.

Outside evidence is limited. The treaty of 911 confirms that a Rus ruler in this period dealt with Byzantium as an equal partner. A 10th-century Hebrew document from the Khazar world, known as the Schechter Letter, mentions a Rus leader called HLGW, often read as Helgu, whom some scholars identify with Oleg, although it describes a different end to his career.

Timeline

• 879: Death of Rurik; Oleg becomes regent for Igor.
• 882: Oleg takes Smolensk, Lyubech and Kiev; Askold and Dir are killed.
• 883: Oleg subdues the Drevlians.
• 884-885: The Severians and Radimichs are brought under his rule.
• 907: Campaign against Constantinople, according to the chronicle.
• 911, 2 September: Treaty between the Rus and Byzantium.
• 912: Death of Oleg, according to the Primary Chronicle.

Why it matters

Whether he was exactly as the chronicle describes, Oleg represents the moment when the Rus shifted their centre from the north to Kiev and joined the river routes into a single realm. The state he is credited with founding passed to Igor and his widow Olga, and later became the Christian Kievan Rus whose heritage is claimed by Ukraine, Russia and Belarus.