In the everyday consciousness of the Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians, as well as the South and West Slavic nations, the erroneous belief was fixed that the first state among the Slavs and Eastern Slavs, in particular, was Kievan Rus, and earlier our ancestors lived in scattered tribes and clans. And as much as some individuals do not want to support this myth, it crumbles like a house of cards.
Firstly, no Kievan Rus has ever existed, we must capture this once and for all in our memory. The state of the Eastern Slavs was called: Rus or Rus Land. It is under this name that our Motherland is mentioned in international documents and chronicles. The now widespread name was introduced in the 19th century. Russian historian N. M. Karamzin. This was done in order to explain why Kiev, the capital of Ancient Rus, is not the capital of Russia. For this, N. M. Karamzin put forward a theory according to which in 1169 the capital of Russia passes from Kiev to Vladimir, and then to Moscow. And so that the two Rus' would not be confused, he introduces the terms Kievan Rus and Muscovite Rus. In fact, these concepts have no historical basis. Kiev, as it was, and remains the "mother" of Russian cities,and political vicissitudes did not change the spiritual significance of this city.
Secondly, the Rus Land is not the first state of the Slavs, but, indeed, the first Slavic empire. Like all political empires, this power collapsed, and this happened, unfortunately, due to the loss of spiritual values, the original world outlook.
The most significant East Slavic power of the pre-Kiev time was the Antsk kingdom. The kingdom received its name from the name that was then called the Eastern Slavs - Anty. Historian VI century. AD Jordan, speaking about the ancestors of the Slavs, writes: "These originate from one root and are now known under three names: Wends, Antes, Sklavins." For the first time the name "ant" is found in one of the Kerch inscriptions of the 3rd century. The Slavic-Gothic war, which was fought with varying success in the Northern Black Sea region and throughout the territory between the Dniester and the Dnieper, the lands of the Antsky kingdom, belongs to the second half of the 4th century.
As in the past, the Trypillians, the Antes lived in cities and villages not protected by defensive structures, which indicates the absence of internal contradictions or a well-organized defense that did not let the enemy go deep into the country. The most famous Antic kings (princes) were Bozh, Radogost (Ardagast), Pirogost, Mezhimir. In foreign writings, boyars and nobles are mentioned: Idarius, Kologast, Dobrogast, Vsegord.
The most striking in the history of the Antsk kingdom were the wars with the Goths and Avars. The war with the Goths, although it brought victory to the ants, left an indelible sadness in the people's memory. At one of the turns of this war, the Antian king of God (Bus), who was deceived by the Goths, was crucified along with his sons and 70 elders on crosses. Perhaps this is how the Goth Christians wanted to intimidate the Antes-Slavs. Almost half a millennium later, the author of "The Lay of Igor's Campaign …" also mentions with sorrow the "times of Busova", about which the "red Gothic maidens" sing.
No less heroic was the struggle of the Slavs with the images (Avars) 200 years after the events mentioned, in the VI century. At the head of the Ant army was Prince Mezhimir (Mezenmir), who, being in the Avar camp at the negotiations, boldly refused to submit, saying that his people had never reproached anyone, but only commanded others. For this, the cliffs killed Mezhimir, and a punitive army was sent to the kingdom of Antes. Sources do not mention anything about this war, but our people have steadfastly preserved the saying: “disappear like obry” (abyss without a trace). Probably, this proverb speaks more than eloquently about the fate of the Obrov and their punitive army.
In the 7th century, the Antic tribes and clans almost completely settled the Balkans, turning these lands into Slavic ones. Until now, the Croats have preserved the male name Ant, which is also found among the Slavs of Hungary.
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The Antsk kingdom was a federal-type power, as the Byzantine author Procopius of Caesarea writes: "These tribes, the Sklavins and Antes, are not ruled by one person, but since ancient times they have lived in democracy." That is why nothing is known about the capital of the kingdom or the princely dynasties, they simply did not exist. The Antes lived by veche law, and the role of the prince increased during the wars.
In the 7th century, the Antsk kingdom disappears from the sources, but another state appears, called Samo. It arose on the territory of modern Czech Republic, Croatia, Austria, and its population was made up of the ancestors of modern Slovaks, Czechs, Slovenes and Lusatian Serbs. It is quite possible that it was with a joint blow that the Western and Eastern Slavs destroyed the Obrov, taking the Avar Khaganate (as the Obrov state was called) in the Slavic grip and crushing the common enemy.
At the head of the Western Slavs was Prince Samo, after whose name the power was named. Created in 870, the "Conversion of the Bavars and the Horutan" (Frankish source) says: "During the time of the glorious Frankish king Dagobert, a certain Slav named Samo, who lived with the Horutans, was the leader of this tribe."
The Western Slavs had to wage a war on two fronts, the cliffs had not yet weakened completely from the east, and the Franks were already advancing from the west. In the battle of Vogastisburg in 631, which lasted 3 days, Samo defeated the Frankish army. After that, the Slavs invaded Thuringia and some other lands controlled by the Franks. In addition, the Sorbian prince Dervan joined Samo. And although the Slavs did not manage to gain a foothold in the lands of the Franks and after the death of Prince Samo in 658 his state collapsed, the Western Slavs soon revived the statehood, creating Great Moravia, the Rus Land was born in the east, and the powers of the Slavs Berzitia and Draguvitia arose in the Balkans.
Therefore, the traditions of statehood have deep roots in our people. Our powers have existed since at least the 4th century, dying and reborn in the whirlwind of world events. And if, as in antiquity, we put the veche principle, the idea of the spiritual unity of the people, in the foundations of statehood, we will become no less successful than our glorious Ancestors - Wends, Antes, Sklavins and others, by which names the Ancestors called themselves.
Bohumir MYKOLAEV