#varangian

Day 15: Camaraderie - the exiled princes at the court of Yaroslav the Wise

Uppland Runestones U135 & U136

U135: :ikifastur auk austain auk suain litu raisa staina þasa at austain faþur sin auk bru þasa karþu auk hauk þana: U136: :astriþr la(t) raisa staina þasa [a]t austain buta sin is suti iursalir auk antaþis ub i kirkum:

-- Ingifastr ok Øystæinn ok Svæinn letu ræisa stæina þessa at Øystæinn faður sinn, ok bro þessa gærðu ok haug þenna.

-- Æstriðr let ræisa stæina þessa at Øystæinn, bonda sinn, es sotti Jorsalir ok ændaðis upp i Grikkium.

Ingifastr and Eysteinn and Sveinn had these stones raised in memory of Eysteinn, their father, and made this bridge and this mound.

Arrival of Rurik to Ladoga by Viktor Vasnetsov (1848-1926)

"The Povest' preserves the tradition that the Slavic tribes of Northern Russia, in common with their Finnish neighhors, were for some time tributary to the "Varangians from beyond the sea." Stirred to revolt by the exactions of the latter the Slavs eventually rebelled, but were unable, according to the Povest' to arrive at any satisfactory inter-tribal understanding. To escape from the resulting confusion, the Povest' thus reports that they sent overseas "to the Varangian Russes," saying, "Our land is great and rich, but there is no order in it; come and rule and have dominion over us." This invitation was accepted by Rurik and his brethren, each of whom assumed control over a north-Russian centre, with Rurik himself at Novgorod, Sineus at Beloozero, and Truvor at lzborsk. Such, in its simplest terms, is the narrative of the "calling of the princes".

-The Russian Primary Chronicle. Laurentian Text. Translated and edited by Samuel Hazzard Cross and Olgerd P. Sherbowitz-Wetzor

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"In the year 6362 (854) (...) And the Slovenes and Krivitsi and Merya and Chud rose against the Varangians and expelled them beyond the sea; and they began to rule themselves and set up cities. And they arose to fight with themselves, and there was great strife and discord between them, and they rose up city upon city, and there was no righteousness among them. And they resolved to themselves: "Let us look for a prince who would rule over us and reward us according to our rights." They went over the sea to the Varangians and said: "Our land is great and plenty, but we have no order; so come to us to reign and rule us".

-Novgorod First Chronicle

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Timeline of the Rus' Empire (alternate history)

1000- The Rus' Empire starts as an Eastern and Orthodox Christian fragment of the Viking Empire split under the Treaty of Novgorod. The Emperor installed is Vladimir the Great who rules until 1015.

1015- The Rus' Empire conquers Azerbaijan, thus making it part of Caspian Rus' (Kaspiya) along with Kaukasiya (Dagestan). Ingvar the Far-Travelled is the governor of Kaspiya. But invasions of Persia fail.

1050- Kaspiya Province falls to the Seljuk Turks under Tughril.

1074- After several failed attempts, the Rus' finally conquer Pecheneg lands and assert dominion over Crimea.

1140s- Emperor Vsevolod II incorporates Uralic tribes into the Rus' Empire.

1223- The first Mongol invasion of the Rus' Empire ends in the Mongols conquering a huge swath of Pontic-Caspian steppe.

1237-1240- Under Batu Khan, the Mongols launch successful conquests of the several cities in the Rus' Empire. Which lead to the siege of Kiev in 1240, thus ending the Empire.

Varangian