Russia is the largest state in the world in terms of area. It is washed by the waters of three oceans, on its territory there are a variety of natural zones - from arctic deserts to subtropics. Russia has a rich, glorious, albeit replete with tragic pages, history. And how did the name of the state come about, what does the word "Russia" mean in general?
Great Russia - the state of the Eastern Slavs
In some historical documents of the era of the French king Louis I the Pious and the Byzantine emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus, a large state is mentioned in the middle reaches of the Dnieper. This state was called Rus (Russian land). Its main cities were Kiev, Chernigov and Pereslavl (Yuzhny).
There are many hypotheses about the origin of the term "Rus". Most scientists are of the opinion that this name comes from some ancient word meaning "water". As proof, they refer to the huge role that water bodies played in the life of those extended and forested places (transport, trade routes, food sources). That is, “Rus” is something like “a place rich in water”.
In the documents of a later era, the names of a number of other cities are found, for example, Vyshgorod, Belgorod, Tripoli, Korsun, Kanev. According to them, you can determine the approximate boundaries of Ancient Russia. They included the territories of many Slavic tribes (Polyans, Drevlyans, Vyatichi, Krivichi, etc.), as well as Finno-Ugric tribes - Chudi, Vesi.
By the beginning of the XIII century, the territory of Russia also included the Novgorod and East Suzdal lands.
Since when did the official name "Russia" appear?
As a result of a long period of feudal fragmentation, civil strife, and especially because of the Mongol-Tatar invasion, there was a sharp weakening of ties between different parts of Ancient Rus. In toponymy such concepts as "Belaya Rus", "Little Rus", "Chervonaia (that is, Red) Rus" arose. It was then that the very concept of "Russian" arose, denoting the nationality of a person.
The Grand Duke of Moscow Ivan III at the end of the 15th century for the first time began to call himself the Sovereign of All Russia. And about 100 years later, the first mentions of the term "Russia" appeared, which meant "a state inhabited by Russians."
Although for a long time, mainly such names as "Rus", "Russian land", "Moscow state" were used.
By the middle of the 17th century, when the territory of the state increased significantly due to the annexation of lands with an ethnically non-Russian population, the name "Russia" began to be used much more often. And from the beginning of the 18th century, during the era of Peter the Great, our country officially began to be called the Russian Empire.
