The activities of the Swedes also led them to establish
settlements on the southern shore of the Baltic and far inland along the
waterways leading into Russia. An old Russian chronicler declares that in 862
A.D. the Slavs sent an embassy to the Swedes, whom they called "Rus,"
saying, "Our country is large and rich, but there is no order in it; come
and rule over us." The Swedes were not slow to accept the invitation.
Their leader, Ruric, established a dynasty which reigned in Russia for more than
seven hundred years. [10]
[10] Russia in 1862 A.D. celebrated the millenary of her
foundation by Ruric.
NOVGOROD AND KIEV
The first Russian state centered in the city of Novgorod,
near Lake Ilmen, where Ruric built a strong fortress. [11] Novgorod during the
Middle Ages was an important station on the trade route between Constantinople
and the Baltic. Some of Ruric's followers, passing southward along the Dnieper
River, took possession of the small town of Kiev. It subsequently became the
capital of the Scandinavian possessions in Russia.
[11] The Norse word for "fort" is preserved in
the gorod of Novgorod.
