Names of Rus', Russia and Ruthenia

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

As Kievan Rus' weakened in the 12th century, its lands split into smaller areas. One of these, Vladimir-Suzdal, helped form the Grand Duchy of Moscow. By the 14th to 16th centuries, Moscow grew powerful and began 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' and 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, home to people known as Rusyn.

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, becoming 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", and today, many Ukrainian Orthodox churches use names related to "Ukraine" instead of "Rus'."

Etymology

Further information: Rus' people

The name Rus' likely started with a group of Scandinavian Vikings called Varangians. They founded a medieval state in Eastern Europe in the 10th century, called Kievan Rus'. The term Rus' then came to mean both the people and the region 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 and times to refer to the same region and its people.

From Rus' to Russia

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

In old times, a group of people called the Rus' lived in a big area of Eastern Europe. They were from Scandinavia and they set up 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 came together under the rule of Moscow. The name "Russia" started to be used more often during this time. Leaders in Moscow began 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, parts of the original Rus' lands came together under the rule of the Kingdom of Rus', also called Ruthenia. Leaders like Roman the Great and Danylo of Galicia were given titles such as "king of the Rus'" by leaders from other countries.

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

Later, the name Ruthenia mostly referred to 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 based in Kiev (Kyiv) originally called himself "metropolitan of Kiev and all Rus'". In 1299, this position moved to Vladimir. Later, in 1325, some leaders settled in Moscow and kept the same title. Over time, new church titles developed. In 1361, a leader in Constantinople created separate titles for different areas.

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".