Topic
#Kievan Rus
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People · Kievan Rus'
Vladimir Monomakh: The Prince Who Held Rus' Together
Vladimir Monomakh, grand prince of Kyiv from 1113 to 1125: his wars against the Polovtsians, the councils that kept Rus' together, his Instruction, and the cap.
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Religion & Belief · Kievan Rus'
Slavic Paganism in Rus': Perun, Veles and the Gods Before Christianity
What did the pagan Slavs of Rus' believe? Perun, Veles, Mokosh and the other gods, the few sources that name them, and which "Slavic gods" were invented later.
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Empires & Dynasties · Kievan Rus'
Kievan or Kyivan Rus'? The Name, the Spelling and Who Owns the Past
Was Kievan Rus' Ukraine or Russia? What the realm called itself, where "Kievan" and "Kyivan" come from, and why historians call Rus' a shared past.
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Religion & Belief · Kievan Rus'
The Christianization of Kievan Rus': How a Pagan Realm Became Christian
Kievan Rus' did not become Christian in a year. Early converts, the baptism of 988, pagan magicians in revolt, the first bishops and what graves reveal.
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Trade & Travel · Viking settlements
Viking Trade Routes to the East: The Volga and the Dnieper
How Viking traders reached Constantinople and Baghdad: the Volga and Dnieper routes, their portages and rapids, and the furs, slaves and silver they carried.
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Sources & Evidence · Kievan Rus'
The Primary Chronicle: How We Know About Early Rus'
Who wrote the Primary Chronicle, when, which manuscripts survive, and how historians test its dates against Byzantine, Arabic and Frankish sources.
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War & Warriors · Kievan Rus'
Sviatoslav I: The Warrior Prince
Who was Sviatoslav I of Kiev? The pagan prince who broke Khazaria, conquered Bulgaria, defied Byzantium and died at the Dnieper rapids in 972.
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People · Kievan Rus'
Yaroslav the Wise: Law, Marriages and the Golden Age
Who was Yaroslav the Wise? See how Kyiv's grand prince wrote down the law, married his daughters to kings and why his bones are missing.
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People · Kievan Rus'
Igor of Kiev and the Drevlian Tribute
Igor of Kiev ruled the Rus' until the Drevlians killed him in AD 945. See how Greek fire, a costly treaty and a greedy tribute round sealed his fate.
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People · Kievan Rus'
Oleg of Novgorod: The Prophetic Prince
Who was Oleg of Novgorod? The Varangian who took Kiev, raided Constantinople and died by a snake, sorted into history and legend.
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People · Kievan Rus'
Olga of Kiev: Revenge, Regency and Sainthood
Olga of Kiev buried envoys alive and burned a city with birds, then became a saint. Here is what really happened and what the sources say.
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People · Kievan Rus'
Vladimir the Great: The Warlord Who Baptised Kievan Rus'
Vladimir the Great seized Kiev with Viking help, then baptised Kievan Rus' in 988. Here is what the sources really say about his life and legacy.
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Peoples & Migrations · Viking settlements
Who Were the Varangians? Vikings of the Eastern Rivers, Rus' and Byzantium
Who were the Varangians? The Vikings in Russia and Ukraine: Scandinavian traders, warriors and princes on the river roads to Byzantium and Baghdad.
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Empires & Dynasties · Rus'
Who Was Rurik? The Viking Founder of the Rurikid Dynasty
Was Rurik real? See what the chronicles and archaeology say about the Viking founder of the Rurikid dynasty, which ruled Rus' and Russia until 1598.