Rurik is traditionally credited with founding the Rus’ princely dynasty around 862.
The Primary Chronicle, a later East Slavic historical narrative, says that Rurik was invited to rule in Novgorod in 862. It presents him as the ancestor of the dynasty that later ruled Kievan Rus’ and several successor states.
The historical details are disputed. Rurik may have been a Scandinavian ruler, but the surviving sources were written long after the ninth century and provide limited independent evidence about his life. The name may also reflect traditions about more than one early leader.
Rurik’s supposed successor, Oleg, is traditionally associated with the capture of Kyiv in 882 and the creation of a larger Rus’ political center. Thus Rurik is best understood as the dynastic founder in traditional historiography, rather than as a figure whose biography is fully documented.