THE RURIK DYNASTY. (2019) Episode 2. In Russian with English subtitles.

Conquest and the struggle of power, victory and defeat, love and betrayal, the rise of culture and the ashes of conflagration - these are just some of the elements of the Rurik dynasty. Founded by Viking/Varangian prince, the Rurik dynasty ruled the territory of Kievan Rus from 882, and later, several neighbouring principalities including the Grand Duchy of Moscow. Their rule continued until 1610 and the Time of Troubles, after which they were succeeded by the Romanovs. Throughout their rule, the Rurikids fortified, defended and expanded their territory - sometimes with fierce and terrifying battles, sometimes with reconciliation and peace treaties. Most importantly, however, it was under their rule that Russian culture developed, and the Russian nation emerged to become the vast transcontinental and multi-ethnic state that exists today.
The second episode covers the reigns of Sviatoslav, Vladimir, and Yaroslav. Svyatoslav Igorevich. The only thing that interested him in life was the war. But not the defense of borders, but the endless expansion of the territory. He ignored the emergence of new militant nomads from the Great Steppe - the Pechenegs, but in a few years he defeated the Khazar Khaganate, plundered the Volga Bulgaria and went south - to the borders of the Byzantine Empire. To stop him, it took almost the entire power of the Eastern Roman army. Svyatoslav had to return to Rus', and on the way back he was ambushed at the Dnieper rapids by the Pechenegs, whom he once did not take seriously. Vladimir Svyatoslavich (Saint). In Rus', they called him the Red Sun and composed epics about him, which outlived him for many centuries. In Europe, he was known as a wild pagan, whose cruelty and debauchery were legendary. It was he who brought Orthodoxy to Rus', than determined the entire subsequent history of his country. Vladimir united the Russian lands under his rule and created a great power, cementing it with a common faith in one God. In the XIV century, Prince Vladimir of Kiev was glorified as a Saint Equal-to-the-Apostles, which is revered by both the Catholic and Orthodox churches. Yaroslav Vladimirovich (Wise). Having come to power after a fratricidal war, in a short time he recreated the almost crumbling Russian state, crushed the Pechenegs and turned Kievan Rus into one of the most powerful and stable states in Europe. He had extensive dynastic connections: his wife was the daughter of the Swedish king, his daughters-in-law were Polish, Austrian and Byzantine princesses, and his sons-in-law were the kings of Norway, Hungary and France. On his initiative, the first code of laws in Rus' was created - the so-called "Yaroslav's Truth". Together with the “Truth of the Yaroslavichs” and “The Teachings of Vladimir Monomakh”, this code is called “Russian Truth”, it operated on the territory of Rus' for several centuries. Canonized in the guise of a faithful.