Political Communities Reordered (900-1050) - Byzantium: The Strengths and Limits of Centralization - The Formation of Rus

6 important questions on Political Communities Reordered (900-1050) - Byzantium: The Strengths and Limits of Centralization - The Formation of Rus

Where did the Vikings go? What did they do with animals and people?

  • The Vikings who went to Lake Ilmen, Novgorod, and eventually still further, to the region of Kiev (Kyiv), trapped animals for furs and captured people - the indigenous Slavs inhabiting these regions - as slaves.
  • Taking advantage of river networks and other trade routes that led as far south as Iraq and as far west as Austria, they exchanged their human and animal cargos for silks and silver, forming crucial links between east and west, north and south.

What religion did the Khazars decide to adopt? Who followed?

Unusually, their elites opted for Judaism. The Rus were influenced enough by Khazar culture to adopt the title of khagan for the ruler of their own fledgling ninth-century state at Novgorod, the first Rus polity, but they did not embrace Judaism.

Where did Rus' rulers saw their greatest advantage? What did it lead to?

  • Rus' rulers saw their greatest advantage in good relations with the Byzantines, who wanted their fine furs, wax, honey, and - especially - slaves.
  • In the course of the tenth century, with the blessing of the Byzantines, the Rus brought the Khazar Empire to its knees.
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How were good relations between Rus and Byzantium sealed?

Nurtured through trade and military agreements, good relations between Rus and Byzantium were sealed through religious conversion.

When did Rus convert to Christianity?

By the mid-tenth century, quite a few Christians lived in Rus. But the official conversion of the Rus to Christianity came under Vladimir (r.980-1015).

Why did Vladimir chose the Byzantine form of Christianity?

It is likely that Vladimir chose the Byzantine form of Christianity because of the prestige of the Empire under Basil.

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