Kievan Rus and Russian Principalities of the 12th-13th Centuries

This book is a fundamental work by the outstanding domestic historian and archaeologist Acad. B.A. Rybakov, dedicated to the problem of the origins of the Eastern Slavs and Rus, the Kievan period of early Russian statehood, and the period of separation of the Russian principalities up to the Mongol invasion of the 13th century.
Based on the utilization of a vast array of source studies and archaeological material, the author systematically substantiates his largely original viewpoint on such contentious issues as the origin of the name "Rus", the existence of the oldest dynasty of Kievan princes of the 6th-9th centuries, and the role of the Normans in the formation of Russian statehood. The author pays special attention to investigating the reasons for the emergence of the period of fragmentation of Rus following the reign of Vladimir Monomakh.
It is addressed to students, teachers, and researchers in humanitarian universities, as well as to a wide audience of readers who are concerned about the history of their homeland's origins.