The Rurik Dynasty was the ruling dynasty of Kievan Rus' (since 862), the successor principalities of Galicia-Volhynia (since 1199), Vladimir-Suzdal, and Grand Duchy of Moscow, as well as early Tsardom of Russia (since 1168).
According to the Primary Chronicle, the dynasty was established in 862 by Rurik, the great legendary ruler of Novgorod. The exact origin of his tribe, the Varangians called Rus', is disputed and his ethnicity remains unclear, although Scandinavian and Slavic influences are cited. He and his brothers founded a state that later historians called Kievan Rus'. By the middle of the twelfth century, Kievan Rus' had dissolved into independent principalities (Russian, or Rus' principalities), each ruled by different branches of the Rurik dynasty. By the end of the fifteenth century, the principality of Moscow had won a struggle for supremacy among these medieval Russian states. Beginning with the reign of Ivan the Great, the Muscovite branch of the Rurik dynasty used the title "Tsar of All the Russias" (or "Tsar of All Russia") and ruled over the Tsardom of Russia. The death in 1598 of Tsar Feodor I ended the rule of the Rurik dynasty.
The unstable period known as the Time of Troubles succeeded Feodor's death and lasted until 1613. In that year, Mikhail I ascended the throne, founding the Romanov dynasty that would rule until 1762 and as Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov until the revolutions of 1917. One descendant of the Rurik Grand Prince of Tver was Catherine the Great, who married Peter III of the Romanov dynasty. Historian Vasily Tatishchev and filmmaker Jacques Tati were descended from Rurik.
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