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Grand Prince of Kiev

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Kievan Rus was founded c.860 by Riurik, a Scandinavian Varangian. He founded the Riurikovich dynasty that would rule Ruthenia for the next 800 years. Riurik's capital was the northern city of Novgorod, his successor Oleg relocated the capital to Kiev.

While the early rulers of Rus were Scandinavians, they gradually merged with the local Slavic population and became Ruthenes. Still, in the 11th century, Yaroslav, (called Jarisleif in Scandinavian chronicles) maintained the dynastic links and married a Swedish princess and gave asylum to king Olaf of Norway.

The unity of Kievan Rus gradually declined, and was all but gone by 1132. After that period Kievan Rus shattered into a number of smaller states all of which contested for the throne of Kiev.

Kievan Rus was finally destroyed by the Mongols in 1240, but the Riurikovich line persisted and continued to rule northern Russian principalities until the early seventeenth century.

Princes (kniazes) of Novgorod

Rulers (kniazes) of Kievan Rus

For later rulers see Tsars.

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