#Polatsk was independent from Kyiv

[unhonestlymirror]

One day, people will stop fucking calling Kyivan Rus' and Polatsk Principality "russian states" but not today

Marco Polo’s Journey

[unhonestlymirror]

Historically, Ukraine as Kyivan Rus' once tried to colonise Baltics, which led to a couple of wars with Yotvingians, but Baltics were always pretty separate and independent, so Ruthenian Dukes eventually decided to give up on them and focus on colonising Polatsk (Belarus) and Finnish lands instead. Polatsk was the first to become independent from Kyiv thanks to Usiasłaŭ the Sorcerer... but Hungary kicked the Teutons out after they tried to make a coup d'etat -> this coincided very strangely with the invitation of Teutons from Mazovian Duke: "Please come liberate us from evil Prussians" (although Baltics were pretty okay with Christians until the very Teutonic campaign) -> Prussia and Skalvija were wiped out by Teutons -> Latvian Baltics were occupied by Crusaders, too -> Polatsk had to unite with Lithuania (and A LOT of Baltic refugees) and accepted the name "Litva", etc. etc.

Ukrainians don't have bad feelings about medieval Lithuania because in Kyivan Rus' times, it were, in fact, us who tried to colonise them... but 1)we didn't succeed, reasons unknown, but my guess is that they were just way too tall, way too organised and WAY TOO GOOD AT CLIMBING TREES to us, steppe hobbits, 2)it kinda nullifies because Lithuanians colonised us back (because of Teutons), I guess?

Lithuanians, however, still call themselves "colonisers of Ruthenian Duchy😭", lmao, they're so sweet. Double funny because some Ukrainian historians are PRETTY salty not about our colonisation by Lithuanians but rather about the fact they gave up on us because of a single war lost to Horde! and sold us to Poland. (There was, in fact, Game of Thrones with Hungary involved but that's another funny story.)

Lithuanians always were very nice people. Ruthenians didn't believe this at first, because of the Western European propaganda of "evil Baltic pagans!!! who eat children and bow to Satan and don't want to surrender to Our Lord Jesus Christ!!!" - thus, people with the bitter experience of the Horde's slavery immediately left Kyiv after it was conquered by Lithuanians - but they didn't cause massive destruction and were overall pretty civilised with anyone, including Christians ("We don't bring the new, and we don't ruin the old"), which was very shocking. After all, in Kyivan Rus', people heard about the genocide that Crusaders brought to the north, too, we never had any illusions about a whole ass foreign army with PTSD.

Ukrainians have offensive songs about every single country that tried to occupy us - EXCEPT for Lithuania. I think this is very indicative. Belarusians don't even hide their fanaticism towards Grand Duchy of Lithuania and "good old days".

I really dislike textbooks who say "Polish-Lithuanian period" - because there were two periods! Lithuanian and Polish! And they were pretty different from each other!

[unhonestlymirror]

Awwww, poor russian baby is upset that Ukraine is beating russian occupiers left and right, so they try to copy with redrawing cartoons about Kyivan Ruthenia as caricatures🥺🥺🥺

Fun fact, russia didn't exist during Oleshko Popovych (russified version: Alyosha Popovich) times. :D

The prototype of Oleshko was the former boyar Olbeh (Olbeshko) Ratyborovych, according to the “Tale of Bygone Years” as a rightful archer and slayer of the Polovtsian warrior Itlar. Possibly taking his part in the further defence against the Polovtsians of Pereyaslav, Khan Tugorkan and his son perished in the near future.

In the epics, Oleshko is called the winner of Tuharyn Zmievych and Idolyshche the Bad, Oleshko defended the lands on the left bank of the Dnipro, where the principalities of Kyiv, Chernihiv, and Pereyaslav were located.

The hometown of the hero was the city of Pyryatyn, Poltava region, where he supposedly often visited fairs.

In one of the legends, it is told how the mother escorted Oleshko to the market square of the Pyryatyn city on a campaign against the enemy. At that time, Pyryatyn stood on the border of the state of Kyivan Ruthenia (Ruś) and was one of its strongholds in the fight against nomads.

In Suzdal region and Ryazan region, the image of the chronicle Oleshko gradually merged with the figure of the Rostov boyar Aleksandr Popovich, who lived in 13th century. In the Tver Chronicle, it is mentioned that Alexander took part in the battle of Kalka (1223) and died together with seventeen other knights.

In the Nikon Chronicle, compiled in the 16th century to substantiate the moscow prince Vasyl III's claims to Kyiv, the name of Aleksandr Popovich also appears in reports for 1001 and 1004 (absent in the "Tale of Bygone Years") - together with Yan Usmoshevets. He is also called the winner of the Polovtsians - Polovtsians first appeared on the borders of Ruthenia half a century later.

But enough about Ukraine! Let's talk about others.

Very nice of a russian to redraw Belarus as an existing nation during Kyivan Ruthenia times. :D Because russian propaganda claims Belarus was created somewhere around Commonwealth times or even by Stalin, and that Belaruthians are, in fact, "polonized russians." Or "russified Poles." Russians don't really care about what they write in their "historical" articles.

Belarus is, in fact, the direct heir of the Polatsk Principality (Полацкае княства) which was quite independent from Kyivan Ruthenia for a while. Implying that Belarus ACTUALLY IS the Polatsk Principality - this is WOW, not even Belaruthians themselves have guts to admit that. That's really cool. I like it.

Belarus (as Polatsk Principality?) riding on the back of Lithuania as a donkey?? 🤣🤣🤣 Dude...

Did you know that "russian" (Ruthenian actually) word витязь (vityaź/vytyaź) came from a Baltic language, most likely Lithuanian "vytis" - a horseman, knight, protector? The Ukrainian word "вітчизна" (vitchyzna) means not the "land of parents/fathers" but "the land protected by brave warriors"? Вітчизна word specifically gained the sudden popularity during Commonwealth times - from the 16th century, when the authorities began to appeal not to "subjects" but to "citizens", because people were disappointed in polonization and serfdom.

"Vytis" warriors, especially Yotvingians, were highly valued on the military market of Kyivan Ruthenia.

Thousand of years passed, but Vytis in Lithuania is still a thing - it's their national coat of arms nowadays. :D

In conclusion, op, why are you meddling in the history of the land that does not belong to you if you don't even have enough knowledge about your own?

[unhonestlymirror]

Once again I have to use this picture:

"Rus' principalities" - so pretentious, so unserious. As if they were United States of America or something. Most of them, despite being Kyiv's colonies, were culturally different, like Novgorod (still not russian, tho!!), constantly fighting each other. Polatsk Principality (medieval Baltic Belarus) actually succeeded to be independent from Kyiv, thanks to Ŭsiasłaŭ the Sorcerer - but in 1186, Crusaders came with the notorious Maynard (see "Lāčplēsis"), built Riga, made Latvian Baltics their slaves, and although Polatsk with Lithuanians tried to rescue livs and others, they didn't succeed, and a big part of Polatsk was occupied by Germans. But that's for another chapter.

P.S. Da Hell is "Rashka"? XD There was never such a Principality. "Rashka" is a neologism born from the TV show "Nasha Rasha", a derogatory synonym for "russia" (russia didn't exist in 1180).

UPD. Oh, I see, it's about Serbia... don't have a lot of knowledge about it, so idk. Placing it near Kyivan Ruthenia is weird.

Europe in 1180

by dodi_maps

[unhonestlymirror]

*heavy sigh*

First of all, it's Kyiv, not Kiev. It's also Akkerman, Smalensk, and Homiel. Kaunas is called Kovno in Ruthenian and Church Slavonic but in general, it's Kaunas.

Second of all, the 1200s were the times of Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Till the very 1596. Why is it suddenly "Polish states"?

Kaunas changed places with Panevėžys, for some reason...

Moscow back then was a third-rate city and periphery. Which also regularly paid tributes to the Golden Horde. And Lithuania (including Belarus) regularly fucked the same Horde, it never paid any shit to them. Ukraine-Ruthenia... sort of paid, sort of didn't. 50/50.

Anyway, the way from moscow directly to Venice is funny af. XDD

Where did the way from Novgorod to Kyiv disappear?.. Novgorod was Ruthenia's colony for a loooong time, it was a Ukrainian-Finnish city, with its own language (not russian). Where are the routes from Kaunas to Kyiv and Homiel?..

And most importantly, where is Polatsk? (Also Połack in łacinka, Polotsk as russified version). Polatsk eventually broke up with Kyiv and was an independent and very serious duchy. In the 1200s, they made ties with Lithuanians to resist Teutons. Where did it vanish?.. Where did it go?..

Anyway, here's the corrected map:

Trade Networks in the Middle Ages, c. 1200