The Rurikids’ Polity in the first half of the 10th century: Chronology, Territory & Social Structure

Abstract

The paper provides an attempt of a comprehensive reconstruction of the absolute chronology of Rurikid’ polity in the first half of the 10th century, its historical geography and territorial organization during this period. Separately, is made an attempt to recreate the model of the social structure of communities of Rus’ in the first half – the middle of the 10th century by simultaneous written sources in a comparison with the data of first Russian chronicles. The paper substantiates that the Rurikid’s polity was created in the half a century between the conventional 910 and 960 years. Geographically this polity consisted of two of nuclear territories — the «southern» around Kiev and the «northern» around Novgorod, around which had been formed the zones for racketeering by Rus’. Rus’ was quite homogeneous society in which varied hereditary and acquired individual status, but had not yet been established rigid social hierarchy. It was a militant political community with a hereditary position of its leader (ruler). By the middle of the 10th century there was an allocation of the princely family of Rurikids as a conical ruling clan.