«Слепые пятна» норманнистских гипотез в проблеме возникновения Древ-нерусского государства

Abstract

The author considers some of the “blind spots” of the “Scandinavian-centric” hypotheses in the issue of the emergence of the Old Russian state. He demonstrates that the adherents of the “Scandinavian-centric paradigm” very often resort to ad hoc explanations without noticing the critical contradictions that arise in their constructions. If one collects partial statements of the Scandinavian-centric hypotheses, we see how they begin to contradict each other. For example, according to Elena A. Melnikova, the Old Russian “варѧгъ” comes from the Scandinavian “væringi”, which in turn comes from Greek “βάρaγγοι”, and Greek “βάρaγγοι”, comes from the Old Russian “варѧгъ”. In the context of the processes leading to the formation of the Old Russian state, the author critically evaluates the ideas of the “Scandinavian control on the Baltic-Volga trade route” and “Scandinavian colonies” in Eastern Europe. The local polities of Eastern Europe in the early Middle Ages, whether Slavic, Baltic or Finnish, obviously possessed sufficient power and military potential to close off uncontrolled movement along the river routes to the Scandinavians, if they so wished. The author also raises the question of the initial political status and the actual role of the emerging trade settlements in Ladoga and Gnezdovo in the formation of the Old Russian state.