Rurik
Prince of Novgorod
Rurik in the Tsarsky Titulyarnik, 1672
Reign	864–879
Buried	?
Predecessor	New creation
Successor	Oleg
Offspring	Igor
Dynasty	Rurik Dynasty
Religious beliefs	Paganism

Rurik or Riurik (Russian: Рюрик, Old East Norse: Rørik, meaning "famous ruler"; ca 830 – ca 879) was a Varangian chieftain who gained control of Ladoga in 862, built the Holmgard settlement near Novgorod, and founded the Rurik Dynasty which ruled Russia until the 17th century.

Name[link]

Riurik is the Slavic rendering of the same Germanic name as the modern English Roderick, or Spanish and Portuguese Rodrigo. In old Germanic languages it had forms such as Hrodric (Old High German) and Hroðricus (Old English). In Old Norse, Hrœrekr (Norway, Iceland) and Hrørīkr or Rørik (Denmark, Sweden), from which Riurik is derived. The name also appears in Beowulf as Hrēðrīk[1].

History[link]

A monument celebrating the millennium of Rurik's arrival to Novgorod.

There is a debate over how Rurik came to control Ladoga and Novgorod. The only information about him is contained in the 12th-century Russian Primary Chronicle, which states that Chuds, Slavs, Merias, Veses and Krivichs "…drove the Varangians back beyond the sea, refused to pay them tribute, and set out to govern themselves". Afterwards the tribes started fighting each other and decided to invite Rurik to reestablish order.

Rurik remained in power until his death in 879. His successors (the Rurik Dynasty), however, moved the capital to Kiev and founded the state of Kievan Rus, which persisted until 1240, the time of Mongol invasion. A number of extant princely families are patrilineally descended from Rurik, although the last Rurikid to rule Russia, Vasily IV, died in 1612.

Grave[link]

There is a large 9th-century funerary barrow in Novgorod Oblast, reminiscent of the mounds at Old Uppsala which is called Shum Gora. Intricately defended against looting, it remains to be excavated. The local inhabitants refer to it as Rurik's Grave.

Disputed origin[link]

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2012)

Even though some historians emphasize folklore roots for the Rurik legend and consequently dismiss Rurik as a legendary figure, there is a controversy about his ethnic origins in Eastern Europe.^{[citation needed]}

According to the Primary Chronicle Rurik was one of the Rus, a Varangian tribe likened by the chronicler to Danes, Swedes, English and Gotlanders. In the 20th century, archaeologists partly corroborated the chronicle's version of events. It was discovered that the settlement of Ladoga, whose foundation has been ascribed to Rurik, was actually established in the mid-9th century, although doubt is now cast on this by the dendrochronological evidence that Ladoga existed by the mid-8th century. Earthenware, household utensils, and types of buildings from the period of Rurik's foundation correspond to patterns then prevalent in Jutland.

Rurik and his brothers Truvor and Sineus arrive in Ladoga.

Some Slavic historians argue that the account of Rurik's invitation was borrowed by a pro-Scandinavian chronicler from a hypothetical Norse document. For instance, the Primary Chronicle states that Rurik arrived to Slavic lands with two brothers, Sineus and Truvor, and sent them to rule the towns of Beloozero and Izborsk, respectively. Instead of connecting Sineus to Signjotr and Truvor to Torvald, they suggest that the chronicler read a hypothetical Scandinavian document and misinterpreted the Norse words 'sine hus' (their houses) and 'tru voring' (with loyal guard) as the names of Rurik's brothers: Sineus and Truvor.

There is another theory that Rurik, on account of common intermarriages between Varangians and Slavic women, was of mixed Slavic-Varangian descent. This theory is based on the information of the first modern historian of Russia, Vasily Tatishchev (a Rurikid himself), who claimed that Rurik was of Wendish extraction. He went so far as to name his wife, Ufanda of Norway (Endvinda? Alfrind?); mother, Umila; his maternal grandfather, Gostomysl; and a cousin, Vadim. Those who assume good faith on Tatishchev's part point out that he based his account on the lost Ioachim Chronicle.

Hrörek of Dorestad[link]

Rorik of Dorestad, as conceived by H. W. Koekkoek.

The only Hrörek described in Western chronicles was Rorik of Dorestad, a konung from the royal Scylding house of Haithabu. Since the 19th century, there have been attempts to identify him with the Viking prince Rurik of Russian chronicles.^[1]

Roerik of Dorestad was born about 810/820 to Ali Anulo, 9th King of Haithabu. Frankish chroniclers mention that he received lands in Friesland from the Emperor Louis I. This was not enough for him, and he started to plunder neighbouring lands: he took Dorestad in 850, captured Haithabu in 857 and looted Bremen in 859. The Emperor was enraged and stripped him of all his possessions in 860. After that Roerik disappears from the Western sources for a considerable period of time. And at that very moment, in 862, the Russian Rurik arrives in the Eastern Baltic, builds the fortress of Ladoga and later moves to Novgorod.

Roerik of Dorestad reappeared in Frankish chronicles in 870, when his Friesland demesne was returned to him by Charles the Bald; in 882 he is already mentioned as dead. The Russian chronicle places the death of Rurik of Novgorod at 879. According to Western sources, the ruler of Friesland was converted to Christianity by the Franks. This may have parallels with the Christianization of the Rus', as reported by Patriarch Photius in 867.

Rurikid dynasty[link]

The Rurikid dynasty went on to rule the Kievan Rus', and ultimately the Tsardom of Russia until 1598. Numerous noble Russian and Ruthenian families claim a male-line descent from Rurik, and via Anne of Kiev, wife of Henry I of France, Rurikid ancestry can also be argued for numerous Western European lineages.

Genetic investigation[link]

According to the FamilyTreeDNA Rurikid Dynasty DNA Project, Rurik appears to have belonged to Y-DNA haplogroup N1c1, based on testing of his modern male line descendants.^[2] But while genetically related to the later Baltic Finnic peoples, the Rurikids do not possess the DYS390=24 mutation associated with the Finnic languages, theirs remaining the ancestral DYS390=23, with the Rurikid haplotype itself (all values considered) more closely associated with Northern Germanic language speakers (Varangians).^[3]

References[link]

lez:Рюрик

O'Connell at the 2008 Petit Le Mans.

Johnny O'Connell (born July 24, 1962 in Poughkeepsie, New York), is a GM factory racecar driver from United States. He is currently acting as a commentator for ESPN broadcasts of American Le Mans Series races and racing for Cadillac in the Pirelli World Challenge Series.

O'Connell started racing in the Formula Atlantic series in 1987, winning the Championship and Rookie of the Year. He also spent 1996 in the Indy Racing League, racing in the Indianapolis 500 and finishing in the top 10 in half of his 4 starts. He has seven class wins in the 12 Hours of Sebring, more than any other driver, and an overall title in 1994 when racing for Nissan. Driving for Corvette Racing, he has also won a number of class victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 24 Hours of Daytona. With his teammate Ron Fellows he won the 2003 GTS class driver's championship.

O'Connell was also featured in Chevy's 2007, Super Bowl ad, "Ain't We Got Love" also featuring Mary Blige, rapper T.I., Big & Rich, and Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

24 Hours of Le Mans results[link]

Year	Class	No	Tyres	Car	Team	Co-Drivers	Laps	Pos.	Class Pos.
1994	IMSA GTS	75	Y	Nissan 300ZX Turbo Nissan VRH35 3.5L Turbo V6	Clayton Cunningham Racing	Steve Millen John Morton	317	5th	1st
1998	GT1	44	M	Panoz Esperante GTR-1 Ford (Roush) 6.0L V8	Panoz Motorsports Inc. DAMS	Éric Bernard Christophe Tinseau	236	DNF	DNF
1999	LMP	11	M	Panoz LMP-1 Roadster-S Ford (Élan) 6.0L V8	Panoz Motorsports	Jan Magnussen Max Angelelli	323	11th	9th
2000	LMP900	12	M	Panoz LMP-1 Roadster-S Elan 6L8 6.0L V8	Panoz Motorsports	Hiroki Katoh Pierre-Henri Raphanel	342	5th	5th
2001	GTS	63	G	Chevrolet Corvette C5-R Chevrolet LS7.R 7.0L V8	Corvette Racing	Ron Fellows Scott Pruett	278	8th	1st
2002	GTS	63	G	Chevrolet Corvette C5-R Chevrolet LS7.R 7.0L V8	Corvette Racing	Ron Fellows Oliver Gavin	335	11th	1st
2003	GTS	53	G	Chevrolet Corvette C5-R Chevrolet LS7.R 7.0L V8	Corvette Racing	Ron Fellows Franck Fréon	326	12th	3rd
2004	GTS	63	M	Chevrolet Corvette C5-R Chevrolet LS7.R 7.0L V8	Corvette Racing	Ron Fellows Max Papis	334	8th	2nd
2005	GT1	63	M	Chevrolet Corvette C6.R Chevrolet LS7.R 7.0L V8	Corvette Racing	Ron Fellows Max Papis	347	6th	2nd
2006	GT1	63	M	Chevrolet Corvette C6.R Chevrolet LS7.R 7.0L V8	Corvette Racing	Ron Fellows Max Papis	327	12th	7th
2007	GT1	63	M	Chevrolet Corvette C6.R Chevrolet LS7.R 7.0L V8	Corvette Racing	Jan Magnussen Ron Fellows	342	6th	2nd
2008	GT1	63	M	Chevrolet Corvette C6.R Chevrolet LS7.R 7.0L V8	Corvette Racing	Jan Magnussen Ron Fellows	344	14th	2nd
2009	GT1	63	M	Chevrolet Corvette C6.R Chevrolet LS7.R 7.0L V8	Corvette Racing	Jan Magnussen Antonio García	342	15th	1st
2010	GT2	63	M	Chevrolet Corvette C6.R Chevrolet 5.5L V8	Corvette Racing	Jan Magnussen Antonio García	225	DNF	DNF

External links[link]

• Official website

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