The Vikings | From Varangians into Russians (Lecture 25)

Lecture 25: In 989, Prince Vladimir (r. 980–1015) converted to Orthodox Christianity and, thus, laid the foundations for the future Russian state. The Norse tongue, without a written form, gave way to the prestigious literary Slavic associated with the new royal faith. In many ways, Vladimir and his son Yaroslav (r. 1019–1054) ruled in the fashion of Viking warlords: They received hospitably exiled Scandinavian kings, such as Harald Hardardi, bound for Byzantium. The Kievan princes, however, adapted Byzantine institutions to advance royal power, saw their Slavic dependants as subjects, and came to view the Muslim Turkomen khans as foes rather than trading partners. In so doing, the Swedish Rus were transformed into Russians of the Orthodox Christian faith.

Suggested Reading:
H. Paszkiewicz. The Origin of Russia. London: Allen and Unwin, 1954.
S. Franklin and J. Shepard. The Emergence of the Rus, 750–1200. London: Longman, 1996.

Lecture 26: https://www.bitchute.com/video/NOOLNflZvuIG/