Askold and Dir

Askold and Dir were supposed to have been rulers of Kiev, in the 9th century. They are mentioned in a text from c. 1113.

Al-Masudi (d. 956), a historian, wrote that "king al-Dir [Dayr] was the first among the kings of the Slavs". The historian's works, has made (other) historians think that Dir ruled after Askold, mainly in the 870—880s; Furthermore, when Prince Oleg's soldier went into Kyiv, then Dir was killed; Askold had died earlier.