Names of Rus', Russia and Ruthenia

The word Rus' or Rus started as the name for a group of Scandinavian Vikings, also called Varangians. They created a medieval state called Kievan Rus' in Eastern Europe in the 10th century. Over time, Rus' came to mean the people and the land around cities like Kiev, Pereiaslavl', and Chernihiv.

When Kievan Rus' became weaker in the 12th century, its lands split into smaller areas. One of these areas, Vladimir-Suzdal, helped form the Grand Duchy of Moscow. By the 14th to 16th centuries, Moscow grew strong and started using the name Russia. By the 16th century, under Ivan IV, the state was called the Tsardom of Russia, though some in Europe still used the name Muscovy.

The name Ruthenia comes from Rus'. It was used in Western Europe to describe the eastern Slavic lands. Later, especially after the 19th century, it mainly referred to Carpathian Ruthenia in the northeastern Carpathian Mountains, where people known as Rusyn lived.

The leader of the church in Kiev was called the "Metropolitan of Kiev and all Rus'" until the church moved to Moscow in the 14th century. It then became the "Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus'" with the creation of the Russian Orthodox Church. In southwest areas, the church title was "Metropolitan of Kiev, Galicia and all Ruthenia". Today, many Ukrainian Orthodox churches use names related to "Ukraine" instead of "Rus'."

Etymology

Further information: Rus' people

The name Rus' began with a group of Scandinavian Vikings called Varangians. They created a medieval state in Eastern Europe in the 10th century, called Kievan Rus'. The word Rus' came to mean the people and the land around Kiev, Pereiaslavl', and Chernihiv.

The word Russia is a version of Rus' influenced by Greek. The term Ruthenia is the Latin version of Rus'. These names have been used in different languages to talk about the same place and its people.

From Rus' to Russia

Further information: Translatio imperii § The Rus' land from the Middle Dnieper to Suzdalia

Long ago, a group of people called the Rus' lived in a large area of Eastern Europe. They came from Scandinavia and created a state called Kievan Rus'. This state was centered around the city of Kiev, with other important cities like Pereiaslav and Chernihiv.

Over time, the name Rus' changed. The word "Russia" comes from the same root, and it is a version of the name influenced by Greek. Another form, "Ruthenia," is the Latin version of the name. These names all refer to the same ancient lands and people, just in different languages and times.

In the 14th to 16th centuries, many of the Rus' lands joined together under the rule of Moscow. The name "Russia" began to be used more often during this time. Leaders in Moscow started calling themselves rulers of all Rus', and the country became known as the Tsardom of Russia in 1547 when Ivan IV was crowned.

Even though the name "Russia" became official, some people in Europe still used the name "Moscovia" to refer to the country. This was just a different way to say "Moscow State." But in Russia, the people called their country "Russia." So, the names "Russia" and "Moscovia" were used to describe the same place, depending on who was talking about it.

From Rus' to Ruthenia

Main article: Ruthenia

See also: Ruthenian language

In the 13th to 14th centuries, some lands from the original Rus' joined together under the rule of the Kingdom of Rus', also called Ruthenia. Leaders like Roman the Great and Danylo of Galicia were called "king of the Rus'" by leaders from other countries.

Over time, the name Ruthenia, a Latin version of Rus', started being used in Western Europe. The lands of Rus' were sometimes called special names like "White Rus'", which later became the name Belarus, "Black Rus'", and "Red Rus'".

Later, the name Ruthenia mostly meant a place called Carpathian Ruthenia, in the Carpathian Mountains, where people had a Rusyn identity. This area included cities like Mukachevo, Uzhhorod, and Prešov.

Main article: Etymology of Belarus

Ecclesiastical titles

Further information: Metropolis of Kiev and all Rus', List of metropolitans and patriarchs of (K), and List of metropolitans and patriarchs of Moscow

The church leader in Kiev (Kyiv) used to call himself "metropolitan of Kiev and all Rus'". In 1299, this job moved to Vladimir. Later, in 1325, some leaders went to Moscow and kept the same title. Over time, new church titles were made. In 1361, a leader in Constantinople made separate titles for different places.

After the 1500s, the church in Moscow became independent and changed its title. Meanwhile, in parts of Ukraine and Belarus, a different church formed with its own title. In the early 1900s, new church titles appeared in Ukraine, and after 2018, the main church in Ukraine uses the title "Metropolitan of Kiev and All Ukraine".