The Origins of the Russians

 

          St. Petersburg

The Origins of the Russians

Russia is the largest country in the world measuring 17.1 million kilometers squared. The thing is the only thing about Russia many of us who are educated by the West or its colonies is that of The Kremlin.

 

Second is Vladimir Putin.  Apart from this is the war movies of the 1980s where Russians are the ‘bad guys’’. We did not find out why. Russia is an interesting country with a rich history and we from the Indica Collection have looked at some of the origins.

Biblical origins

According to Jewish traditions, Esau was the older brother of Jacob (Prophet Yakub in Islam.) Esau is said to be the ancestor of Rome, specifically Edomites. Esau according to the Bible was red-haired.

The first to come out was red, and his whole body was like a hairy garment; so they named him Esau.

                  Genesis(25:25)

 

Islam on Russians

In the Hadith reference is made to ‘Banu Asfar”.  The Yellow People or their hair color. Generally made to Romans. But it mainly referred to the children of Esau.

 

What is Russia called in their language?

Rossiya’.

The Muslim reference to Russians.

The earliest reference was by Ibn Fadlan as Al roos’’. Ibn Fadlan was born in Baghdad in 850 CE. He served under Caliph Muqtadir. According to Ibn Fadlan, the Rus originated from Scandinavia, associated with Vikings. The film The 13^th Tribe depicts Ibn Fadlan’s travels amongst the Vikings.

Earliest mention in Russian tradition: King Rurik

The earliest mention is of Rurik is in Russian traditions. According to traditions, a Varangian with the name of Rurik and his brothers were summoned to this land by the local Slavs. The message sent was:

“Our land is great and rich, but there is no order in it. Come to rule and reign over us”

The above might have been a myth also according to historians. Any way the Rurik Empire was established by Varangians.

 

 

 

The Rurik Rule

The rule lasted from 862-1610 CE.

 

Famous Rurikrids

·         Vladimir the Great

·         Yaroslav the Wise

·         Yuri Dolgorukiy

·         Ivan the Terrible

 

The Slavs

The Slavic people’s origin is disputed. The earliest mention of Slavic people is by Greek Historian Herodotus who mentioned (in 5^th Century BC), that they are from the nations of Styte and Sarmatia located near the Black Sea.

Slavs are divided into three categories:

·         Eastern Slavs

·         Western Slavs

·         Southern Slavs.

 

The Romanovs come to Power (1610-1917)

The earliest ancestor of Romanov goes back to 1347 of Andrei Koyba. Michael Romanov becomes the first czar of Russia. I knew it was like asking, since reading Ukrainian Folk Tales.   These stories took me as a reader into a different world. The Romanovs were elected by the parliament of Russia and ruled till the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917. Rasputin played a great role in creating hatred for the Romanov family by the general Russian public. He is considered a saint as well as a drunkard and a negative character.

 

The Bolshevik Revolution

This can be understood easily if one reads George Orwell’s Animal Farm. This revolution was Vladimir Lenin but later on, was replaced by Stalin. Lenin in turn was financed by Jacob Heinrich Schiff according to Russian investigators but that’s a different story. If you want to know have a look.

 
The advent of Islam in Russia

The Muslims came in contact with Russians in the 8^th century. Muslims in Russia number 25 million. The biggest number of Muslims in Europe, about 10% of Russian population.

 

 

 

Books to Read:    (like us in Indica Books).

·         Animal Farm by George Orwell

·         Ibn Fadlan and the Land of Darkness: Arab Travellers in the Far North by Ibn Faldan. link.

·         Nicholas and Alexandra  by Robert K. Massie

·         The Bolshevik Revolution, 1917-1923, Vol. 1 (History of Soviet Russia) by Edward Hallett Carr

 

 

 

 References

 

 https://www.rbth.com/history/330627-rurik-dynasty-founded-russia-ruled-before-romanovs

https://www.ancient-origins.net/ancient-places-europe/rurik-dynasty-0014668

https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/romanov-dynasty-path-of-triumph-and-downfall

https://www.islamicity.org/80153/history-of-muslims-in-ukraine-belarus-and-russia/

https://biblestudyministry.com/what-nations-came-out-of-esau/

https://sunnahonline.com/library/stories-of-the-prophets/296-story-of-prophet-yaqub

 

About Indica Collection

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