EFL - Enciclopedia delle Famiglie Lombarde

Note on identity of Rurik, konung of Novgorod and Ladoga (by Andrey Al exandrovich Frizyuk): Roerik of Dorestad was born about 810/20. Frank ish chroniclers mention that he received lands in Friesland from the E mperor Louis I. This was not enough for him, and he started to plunde r neighbouring lands: he took Dorestad in 850, captured Haithabu in 85 7, looted Bremen in 859... The Emperor was enraged and stripped him o f all his possessions in 860. After that Roerik disappears from the We stern sources for a considerable period of time. The first Russian ch ronicle, that of Nestor, says that in 862 one Rurik arrived to Slavi c lands with his kin from the land of "rus" (identified by Adam of Bre men with Jutland) in 862, built the fortress of Ladoga, and then rule d in Novgorod. Nestor wrong translated Scandinavian words 'sine hus' ( with house) and 'tru voring' (with loyal guard) as the names of Rorik' s brothers: Sineus and Truvor. Archaeologists discovered that the sett lement of Ladoga was really built about this time, and that earthenwar e, household utensils, etc were imported from Jutland! These facts le d many scholars to identify the Viking prince Rurik of Russian chronic les with Roerik of Dorestad. Roerik of Dorestad reappeared in Frankis h chronicles in 870, when his Friesland demesne was returned to him b y Charles the Bold; in 882 he is already mentioned as dead. Nestor pla ces the death of Russian Rurik at 879. Quite striking for a coincidenc e! http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/RUSSIA,%20Rurik.htm [RURIK [Rori c] (-[879]). According to the ''Primary Chronicle'' 860/62, followin g a call to "the Varangian Russes [=Scandinavians]… to come to rul e and reign over us", Rurik and his two brothers migrated to settle, R urik the oldest brother settling in Novgorod [1]. Franklin & Shephar d comment that "the story [in the ''Primary Chronicle'']… remains hi ghly controversial" [2]. The initial Scandinavian settlements seem t o have been at Gorodishche, the town of Novgorod (as its name implies ) being a new settlement which was probably established nearby in th e 950s [3]. The ''Primary Chronicle'' records Rurik´s death in 879 [4 ]. This chronology is dubious when compared with the more robust date s attributable to his supposed grandson Sviatoslav. m ---. The name o f Rurik´s wife is not known. [1] Russian ''Primary Chronicle'' (1973 ), 860-862, p. 59. [2] Franklin & Shepard (1998), p. 38-9. [3] Frank lin & Shepard (1998), p. 38-9. [4] Russian ''Primary Chronicle'', 870 -879, p. 60.