The Kyi dynasty, also known as the Kyivites () was allegedly a dynasty of early medieval Polans rulers of Kyiv.
Accounts in the Primary Chronicle
According to page 10.15–16 of the Primary Chronicle, after the deaths of the legendary founders of Kyiv – Kyi, Shchek, Khoryv and their sister Lybid' – their родъ (rodŭ; "clan" or "gens") 'assumed the supremacy among the Polyanians'. However, this is directly contradicted by pages 16.21–17.3, which say: 'After this time, and subsequent to the death of the three brothers in Kyiv, the Polyanians were oppressed by the Derevlians and other neighbors of theirs. Then the Khazars came upon them as they lived in the hills and forests, and demanded tribute from them'. In pages 20.24–21.3, Askold and Dir are told by the inhabitants: "There were three brothers, Kyi, Shchek, and Khoriv, who had once built this city. They died, and we, their descendants, are living here, and paying tribute to the Khazars.'
M. Braychevskyi's hypothesis M. Braichevsky's hypothesis is based on the rather popular in Soviet science identification of Kyi with Quar Zenob Glack and Kuver Byzantine chronicles.Брайчевський М. Ю. Вибране. Т. II: Хозарія і Русь. Аскольд — цар київський. К.: Вид. ім. Олени Теліги, 2009.
The dating of Kyi's life and activity will be acceptable, Килиевич С. Р. Детинец Киева IX — первой половины XIII. Киев: Наукова думка, 1982 as will the identification of Kyi with Quar. Kuver's connection with Kyiv is doubtful, the former is now mostly associated with the Proto-Bulgarians. Свод древнейших письменных известий о славянах. Т. ІІ. М., 1995.
Khorezmian hypothesis of V. Toporov V. Toporov, without directly touching on the topic of the Kyivan dynasty, presented his own hypothesis about the origin of the toponym "Kyiv" (advocated by the late Omeljan Pritsak Н. Голб, О. Прицак. Хазаро-еврейские документы X в. Москва-Иерусалим, 1997.), namely:
That is, according to V. Toporov, he believes the Kyiv dynasty did not exist, the name of Kyiv comes from the name of the leader of the Khorezmian army, which was in the service of the Khazars.повідомлення датоване бл. 956 р. «10. Більшу частину населення в царстві хазар складають мусульмани, так як з них складено військо царя; вони називаються Ларисія й родом приблизно з Хуварезма. В давні часи, незабаром після появи ісламу, трапилася в їхній державі війна та чума, вони й притулилися в царстві хазар; це люди хоробрі, і на сміливість їхню цар хазар покладається у своїх війнах. Вони залишилися в його державі за умови, що релігія їхня буде оголошена вільною, вони можуть будувати мечеті, голосно закликати до молитви та візир має обиратися з них. Наразі візир з їх числа, і це Ахмед-ібн-Куваї. Коли цар веде війну з мусульманами, то вони тримаються в його таборі окремо та не борються зі своїми одновірцями, але борються разом з царем проти інших кяфірських народів. Наразі з них 7000 вершники…» Аль Масуді
Place of Askold and Dir Some writers have claimed that Askold and Dir belonged to the Kyi dynasty. The 15th-century Polish chronicler Jan Długosz wrote: 'Later, after the deaths of Kyi, Shchek and Khoryv, their sons and descendants inherited from the Kyivan Rus' for many years, until such descendants led to two brothers - Oskald and Dir.'Jan Długosz. Annales seu cronici incliti regni Poloniae. (1480) This claim has not been taken seriously by most modern scholars. In his 2006 book Origins of the Slavic Nations, Serhii Plokhy paraphrased the Primary Chronicle as saying that 'the Polianians had their own ruling dynasty established by the three brothers Kyi, Shchek, and Khoryv, who founded the city of Kyiv. (...) Once the Kyi dynasty died out, the Polianians paid tribute to the Khazars. Then they were ruled by the Varangian warriors Askold and Dir' (...). If there had been any dynasty, it had long gone extinct by the time Askold and Dir arrived, who were Varangians and not local Polianians. In his 2017 book The Gates of Europe: A History of Ukraine, however, Plokhy no longer mentions Kyi and his siblings, relegating them to the realm of legend.
Notes
References
Bibliography Primary sources (First edition published in 1930. The first 50 pages are a scholarly introduction.)
– A 2014 improved digitised version of the 2002/2003 Ostrowski et al. edition.
Literature
Брайчевський М. Ю. Вибране. Т. II: Хозарія і Русь. Аскольд — цар київський. К.: Вид. ім. Олени Теліги, 2009. Голб Н., Прицак О. Хазаро-еврейские документы X в. Москва-Иерусалим, 1997. Топоров В. Н. Об иранском элементе в русской духовной культуре. Славянский и балканский фольклор. М.: «Наука», 1989 Свод древнейших письменных известий о славянах. Т. ІІ. М., 1995.
External links
Літопис руський: За Іпатським списком (пер. Л. Махновця). К., Дніпро, 1989. (рос.)ЯН ДЛУГОШ. АННАЛЫ ИЛИ ХРОНИКИ СЛАВНОГО КОРОЛЕВСТВА ПОЛЬШИ.