Editing Grand Prince of Kiev (section)

=== First princes ===
Askold and Dir are narrated to have been killed in 882 by [[Oleg of Novgorod|Oleg]], the first "prince" (''[[knyaz]]'') of Kiev according to the ''Primary Chronicle'', but not yet a "grand prince" (''velikiy knyaz'').{{sfn|Dimnik|2004|p=259}}{{sfn|Ostrowski|2018|p=32}} His relation to Rurik is debatable, and has been rejected by several modern scholars.{{sfn|Ostrowski|2018|p=30–31, 39}} Although later Muscovite chroniclers would call Oleg a "grand prince" and Kiev a "grand principality" ({{langx|orv|великое княжение|translit=velikoe knyazhenie}}), the earliest sources do not.{{sfn|Dimnik|2004|p=259–260}} Whereas the reconstructed original Greek text of the [[Rusʹ–Byzantine Treaty (907)]] calls Oleg a μεγας ἄρχων or "great [[archon]]" ("ruler"), the [[Old East Slavic]] translations found in the [[Laurentian Codex]] and [[Hypatian Codex]] do not.{{sfn|Dimnik|2004|p=260}} On the other hand, only when the Byzantine emperors [[Leo VI the Wise]], [[Alexander (Byzantine emperor)|Alexander]] and [[Constantine VII]] are called "the Great", Oleg is also called "the Great".{{sfn|Dimnik|2004|p=260}} Dimnik (2004) argued it should thus be read as "the Rus' prince Oleg the Great" instead of "Oleg the grand prince of Rus'".{{sfn|Dimnik|2004|p=260}} Similarly, the only occasions [[Igor of Kiev]] is ever called ''velikiy knyaz'' in the ''Primary Chronicle'' (six times) are all found in the [[Rusʹ–Byzantine Treaty (945)]], where the Greek emperors are also called ''k velikiy tsesarem Grech'-skim'' ("to the great Greek [[Caesar (title)|caesars]]").{{sfn|Dimnik|2004|p=260}} The same happens when, after [[Sviatoslav's invasion of Bulgaria]], the 971 peace treaty is recorded; it is the only place in the ''Primary Chronicle'' where [[Sviatoslav I]] is named a ''velikiy knyaz''.{{sfn|Dimnik|2004|p=260}} Most significantly, the ''Nachal'nyy svod'' (found only in the ''[[Novgorod First Chronicle]]'') never mentions any of these peace treaties, and never calls Oleg, Igor or Sviatoslav a ''velikiy knyaz''.{{sfn|Dimnik|2004|p=260–261}} According to Dimnik (2004), this means that Greek scribes added the word "great" to the princely title, whereas the Rus' themselves did not, except when translating these three treaties from Greek into Slavic.{{sfn|Dimnik|2004|p=260–261}}

[[Yaropolk I of Kiev]] and [[Vladimir the Great|Volodimer I of Kiev]] are both steadily referred to as just a ''knyaz'' by the ''Novgorod First Chronicle'' and the Laurentian and Hypatian Codices.{{sfn|Dimnik|2004|p=261}} There is one exception: the Hypatian Codex writes ''Volodimir knyaz velikii'' ("Volodimir the grand prince") when reporting the latter's death; because the Hypatian Codex is the latest source of the three (compiled {{circa}} 1425), this is probably a later [[interpolation]].{{sfn|Dimnik|2004|p=261}} A ''Paterik'' of the [[Kyiv Pechersk Lavra]] of the early 13th century also calls Volodimer a ''velikiy knyaz'', but that was written two centuries after his death, and may not necessarily describe how he was known while alive.{{sfn|Dimnik|2004|p=262}} The oldest surviving source available is [[Hilarion of Kiev]]'s ''[[Sermon on Law and Grace]]'' ({{circa}} 1040s), which calls Volodimer a ''[[khagan|kagan]]'' (a [[Khazars|Khazar]] title) rather than a ''knyaz''.{{sfn|Dimnik|2004|p=262}} Some scholars have suggested that this indicates Kievan Rus' had won its independence from the Khazars in the early 10th century, and had inherited the title of ''kagan'' from them, before exchanging it for ''knyaz'' later.{{sfn|Dimnik|2004|p=262}} The [[Church Statute of Prince Vladimir|Church Statute of Prince Volodimir]] starts with "Behold, I, Prince Vasilii, called Volodimir," ({{langx|orv|Се аз, князь Василий, нарицаемыи Володимир|translit=Se yaz, knyaz' Vasilii, naritsayemy Volodimir,{{sfn|Dimnik|2004|p=262–263}}}}), but later in the text he interchangeably calls himself ''knyaz'' and ''velikiy knyaz'', and the earliest copy of this document is from the 14th century, so it is difficult to say what the lost original text said.{{sfn|Dimnik|2004|p=262–263}} Since chroniclers also regularly referred to Volodimer as ''velikiy'' without mentioning his title – the reason why he has become known to history as Volodimer "the Great" – suggests that this adjective was not part of his title, but a [[sobriquet]] or [[nickname]], that was also applied to other monarchs or clerics around him.{{sfn|Dimnik|2004|p=263–264}}