I remember reading in the "Soviet Encyclopedia" (published in1960-1961)
that Ukranians as a separate nation evolved in 16th century.
At the beginning of the 12th century Kievan Rus' ( Kiev was a capital,
and all population was called Russian) enjoyed its prosperity: princes were
living richly in the impressive palaces, creating libraries and even public
schools for the children, trade was flourishing with Byzantium, Tavrida and
Khozaria.
However, the princes were not involved in Zemskii stroy, they would rule
one region and then go to another - they 'went from table to table'. This
system created disunity, discords and local wars between different cities
that weakened Kiev more and more. Some of the princes would even invite
Polovtzi (one of the steppe's tribes who constantly attacked the Kievan
Rus') to the Russian lands to win a dispute.
The proximity of the steppes with onslaughts of nomadic tribes (mostly
Polovtzi) and lack of unity among princes devasted Kievan Rus' - trade was
lost, people (smerdi) in huge numbers left villages to move further North,
to Suzdal and Moscow, from fertile lands to safety. And Tartarian invasion
in 1240 (with its excellent army and strategy) completely destroyed Kievan
Rus'.
Russia started its historical exsistance in Kiev. Kiev accepted
Orthodoxy and became the cradle of the spiritual and cultural beginning of
whole Russia: from Byzantium to Kiev, from Kiev to Suzdal and , finally, to
Moscow.
Suzdal was a provincial town among swamps and forests, its population
was Russian and Finnish holding strongly to their pagan ways, fighting
against the clergy sent from Kiev. This land did not suffer from disputes
or inner wars, but it was yet weak and ununited. Tartars were capturing
successfully one region after another, including cities of Suzdal and
Moscow.
But in every evil there is something good: over 300 years Russians
learnt from Tartars how to establish the powerful centralized state. Moscow
princes were particularly savvy in politics when obtaining the yarliki
rights to rule) from the khans. Having recovered it's strength and
acquired the necessary knowledge how to govern, Russia threw the Tartars and
started it's own conquering quest. When in 1552, Ivan the Terrible liberated
Kazan', the rule of the Golden Orda was over.
Here is the historical development of Kievan Rus' becoming Moscow Rus'
due to political upheavals, and developing of one nation into two. Later
Turkish invasions and Polish influence had more impact on Ukranian history.
But that is a different story.
AK.
----- Original Message -----
From: <s.tarasovas@...>
To: <cybalist@egroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, January 11, 2001 6:25 AM
Subject: [tied] Re: etruscan
> --- In cybalist@egroups.com, "Torsten Pedersen" <tgpedersen@...>
> wrote:
> >who would call their own land a "-
> > mark" (frontier)?
>
> The Ukrainians call themselves just so, 'Ukrayintsi'. But the
> ethnonym means 'borderers,"markomannen"'. Neighbouring Russians
> called them different names (Malorossy 'of Lesser Russia (the
> metropolian territory from wich a colonization of the proper (Great)
> Russia has begun' officially and Sevriuki 'of the (historical)
> Sever'ane tribe', Khokhly 'toupees' etc. informally) up to the XX c.,
> when the self-designation 'Ukraintsy' has been adopted.
>
> Sergei
>
>
>
>