Vikings in the East

In Western Europe, we typicallyassociate Vikings with the storm-tossed waters of the North Sea and the NorthAtlantic, the deep Scandinavian fjords and the attacks on the monasteries andsettlements of north-western Europe. This popular image rarely includes theriver systems of Russia and Ukraine, the wide sweep of the Eurasian steppe, thefar shores of the Caspian Sea, the incense and rituals of the Eastern OrthodoxChurch and the high walls and towers of the city of Constantinople. Yet formany Viking raiders, traders and settlers, it was the road to the East thatbeckoned. These Viking adventurers foundedthe Norse-Slavic dynasties of the Rus, which are entangled in the bitterlycontested origin myths of Russia and Ukraine. The Rus were the first communityin the region to convert to Christianity - in its Eastern Orthodox form - andso they are at the heart of the concept of 'Holy Russia'. Russian rulers havefrequently referenced these Norse origins when trying to enhance their powerand secure control over the Ukrainian lands, most recently demonstrated byVladimir Putin as his justification for seizing Crimea and invading Ukraine. In this fascinating and timelybook, historian Martyn Whittock explores the important but often misunderstoodand manipulated role played by the Vikings in the origins of Russian power, thedeadly consequences of which we are still living with today.

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