On the pages of Western European annals, the name of Rurik was first mentioned in 850 in connection with his capture of the richest trading port of Dorestad in Frisia.
The temporary return of ancestral lands in Frisia was only an episode in full of events life of Rurik from the Skjoldung family. Historians are building diagrams of his possible genealogy, but one legend only gives way to another, and scientists do not have enough information to establish the truth.
Rurik's brave grandfather. We believe that Rurik belonged to a dynasty that was closely related to the Danish and Norwegian kings. Probably, Rurik’s grandfather was the “rich and decisive” king Eystein, who married Sigurd the Deer’s daughter Asa. At the end of the 8th century, Asa died. After this, Eystein pirated in the Baltic and one day approached Aldeiguborg (Ladoga).
The local king Hergeir was unable to defend the city and was killed by the indomitable Eystein in a battle. Eystein began to rule Ladoga, and made Isgerd, the widow of the late king, his wife.
Halfdan is Rurik's father. From his first marriage, Eystein left behind a son, Halfdan. From an early age he participated in his father’s robberies. After his death, Halfdan became king of Aldeiguborg, marrying the beautiful Ingigerd, Isgerd’s daughter from her first marriage. “She is the only legitimate heir of this land,” Dowager Isgerd declared to the people. “And therefore I declare here that I give myself and my daughter, and this state to Halfdan as full ownership.” King Halfdan had at least seven sons from different wives. It is believed that Rurik was one of his most younger sons. He was probably born around 817.
What faith did Rurik of Jutland howl? In 826, as many Western chroniclers noted, Rurik arrived in the Frankish capital Ingelheim on the Rhine in the retinue of his brother Harald Klak, ready to receive holy baptism from Emperor Louis the Pious in exchange for fief in Rustringia and the patronage of the monarch. Perhaps the young Rurik also converted to Catholicism along with Harald’s family. However, having matured, he received the nickname for his pirate raids on the rich monasteries of Britain - "plague of Christianity". Subsequently, the Varangian king returned to paganism.
Birth of a Viking. Rurik was born into the family of a Jutland king, of which there were several hundred in the vast expanses of the collapsed empire of Charlemagne. Being one of his father's youngest sons, he could not count on family lands. According to custom, the newborn was immediately taken from the mother and placed on the floor. No one could touch the baby until the father decided whether to recognize him as a member of the clan or abandon him. The head of the family took his son in his arms, sprinkled him with water and gave him the name Rurik, which meant “owner of glory” in Old Norse. The name indicated the origin of a person and determined his purpose. Scandinavians often named boys after glorious ancestors. In the Skjoldung family, the victorious king Rorik the Ring Thrower, so nicknamed for his generosity, was covered with legendary glory.
"Sitting on your knees." The kings entrusted the upbringing of children to experienced and sensible jarls from other clans. This custom was introduced to unite different clans. The person who accepted paternal responsibilities publicly sat the child on his lap, which is why adopted children were called “lap sitters.” From the young age the boy was raised as a warrior. He was constantly surrounded by men, dealt with weapons, and took part in hunting with adults. In the event of a military campaign, they took him with them.
Mastering the art of war. The son of a Viking should have mastered the skills of sea and land combat to perfection. To gain strength and agility, boys from an early age learned to fearlessly jump from cliffs, jump over streams and narrow rivers, of which there were a great many in Jutland. From a young age, they knew how to jump over a horse and climb steep cliffs without fear. A good Viking threw two spears at the same time with both hands, could catch an enemy's spear flying towards him and throw it back, fight with a sword and spear at the same time, use an ax and a battle ax. As a result of long training, the Scandinavians managed to keep their balance when they had to run along the rising and falling oars of the drakkar as it moved.
The Vertin annals for the year 850 report that Rurik, together with his brother Harald, held the city of Dorestad as a beneficiary during the time of Emperor Louis. After the death of the emperor, Rurik, falsely accused of treason, was thrown into prison in the domain of Lothair. Having escaped, he gathered a significant detachment of Danes and engaged in sea robbery, devastating those areas of Lothair's state that were adjacent to the coast of the Northern Ocean. He sailed across the mouth of the Rhine to Dorestad and captured it.
Looking to the East. Having begun his activity in the political arena as a sea robber, Rurik of Jutland gained wide fame not only thanks to his ruinous invasions of the countries of the North. Western Europe. He managed to force the Frankish kings to reckon with himself. It seems that Rurik was enterprising and persistent in achieving his goal. An excellent strategist and brave warrior, he was not without diplomatic abilities and knew how to get what he wanted through negotiations. Several hundred Vikings, who were confident in their glorious and generous leader, followed him on dangerous campaigns. A man of such stature, experienced and sophisticated in politics and military affairs, and also having Slavic roots on the mother's side, the Slavic-Finnish nobility could well have been invited to protect their lands from Varangian raids.
On the way to empire. Rurik's decision to accept the proposal of the Gostomysl ambassadors could be due to the economic interests of Friesland. Dorestad, captured by Rurik, specialized in Eastern European trade, but since the 830s its importance as an international port almost disappeared due to the Old Rhine changing its course. Dominance in the Baltic, for which Rurik had previously fought, now lost its meaning. That is why the call to the country of the Slavs was perceived by him as a chance to create his own empire.
They say, “scratch a Russian and you will find a Tatar.” With the same confidence we can say: “scratch a Russian and you will find a Varangian.”
Scratch the Viking...
Vikings are not a nationality, but a vocation. “People from the bay” - this is how this warlike word is translated from the ancient Norse language - caused a lot of trouble to the civilized world at the turn of the second millennium. Sea nomads kept Europe in fear - from the British Isles to Sicily. In Rus', statehood appeared largely thanks to the Vikings.
Among the Vikings, Scandinavian-Germans predominated. Notoriety about them spread from the Caspian to the Mediterranean Sea. In addition, the Vikings were the Pomor Slavs and the Curonian Balts, who kept the entire Baltic in suspense in the 8th-9th centuries.
According to the Roewer genetic laboratory, published in 2008, up to 18% of Russians are descendants of people from Northern Europe. These are owners of haplogroup I1, common for Norway and Sweden, but atypical for Russia. “Descendants of the Vikings” are found not only in northern, but also in southern cities.
In Rus' the Scandinavians were known as Varangians, Rusov And kolbyagov. At that time, in the West only the name was in use Normans –"northern people"
Rus
According to one hypothesis, the Rus were a Swedish tribe. The Finns still remember this and call them ruotsi, and Estonians - rootsi. Ruothi Swedish Sami call themselves. The Komi and eastern Finno-Ugric tribes already call the Russians themselves - rot's, roots. This word in both Finnish and European languages goes back to the designation of red or ginger color.
We say “Russians”, we mean “Swedes”. In this form they are mentioned in the documents of Byzantium and European states. “Russian names” in documents and contracts of the 9th-10th centuries turned out to be Scandinavian. The customs and appearance of the Rus were described in detail by Arab historians and are suspiciously similar to the lifestyle and appearance of the Swedish Vikings.
For the “people from the bay,” the Russian lands did not offer much scope for sea voyages. And yet wealth eastern worlds attracted the most adventurous. The Rus' settlements spread along the main waterways - the Volga, Dnieper, Western Dvina and Ladoga.
Ladoga is the first Scandinavian city in Russia. Legends mention it as the Aldeygjuborg fortress. It was built around 753, located opposite a successful Slavic trading fortress. Here the Rus mastered the Arab technology of making money. These were eyed beads, the first Russian money for which you could buy a slave.
The main occupations of the Rus were the slave trade, robberies of local tribes and attacks on merchants. A century after the founding of Ladoga, they learned about the tricks of the Rus in Arab Caliphate and Europe. The Khazars were the first to complain. The raids of the Rus harmed them traditional craft- with the help of extortions and duties, “skim the cream” from trade between the West and the East. In the 9th century, the Rus were the most hated tribe. They defeated the Byzantines on the Black Sea and threatened to cause a “storm in the desert” for the Arabs.
Varangians
The Varangians are mentioned in Russian chronicles, first of all, not as a people, but as a military class of “overseas” origin. Under the name “Varangs” (or “Verings”) they served Byzantium and helped guard its borders from the raids of their own fellow tribesmen - the Rus.
"Calling of the Varangians" - shining example effective management. The overseas prince no longer served the interests of clans, tribes and clans, pursuing an independent policy. Chud, Slovenes, Krivichi and everyone were able to “pause” the constant strife and occupy the Varangians with matters of national importance.
The Varangians adopted Christianity when it had not yet become mainstream in Rus'. Pectoral crosses accompanied the burials of soldiers back in the 9th century. If we take the “baptism of Rus'” literally, then it happened a century earlier - in 867. After another unsuccessful campaign against Constantinople, the Russians, changing tactics, decided to atone for their sins and sent an embassy to Byzantium with the aim of being baptized. Where these Rus ended up later is unknown, but half a century later Helg visited the Romans, who, by misunderstanding, turned out to be a pagan.
Gardar and Biarmland
In the Scandinavian sagas Rus' was called Garðar, literally - “fence”, the outskirts of the human world, behind which the monsters were located. The place is not the most attractive, not for everyone. According to another version, this word meant “guards” - fortified Viking bases in Russia. In later texts (XIV century) the name was reinterpreted as Garðaríki- “a country of cities”, which more reflected reality.
According to the sagas, the cities of Gardariki were: Sürnes, Palteskja, Holmgard, Kenugard, Rostofa, Surdalar, Moramar. Without possessing the gift of providence, one can recognize in them the familiar cities of Ancient Rus': Smolensk (or Chernigov), Polotsk, Novgorod, Kyiv, Rostov, Murom. Smolensk and Chernigov can argue for the name “Surnes” quite legitimately: not far from both cities, archaeologists have found the largest Scandinavian settlements.
Arab writers knew a lot about the Rus. They mentioned their main cities - Arzú, Cuiabá and Salau. Unfortunately, the poetic Arabic language does not convey the names well. If Cuiaba can be translated as “Kyiv”, and Salau as the legendary city of “Slovensk”, then nothing at all can be said about Arsa. In Ars they killed all foreigners and reported nothing about their trade. Some see Rostov, Rusa or Ryazan in Ars, but the mystery is far from being resolved.
There is a dark story with Biarmia, which Scandinavian legends placed in the northeast. They lived there Finnish tribes and mysterious biarms. They spoke a language similar to Finnish, and mysteriously disappeared in the 13th century, by the time the Novgorodians arrived in these lands. These lands are described as reminiscent of Russian Pomerania. The Scandinavians left few traces here: in the vicinity of Arkhangelsk they found only weapons and jewelry from the 10th-12th centuries.
The first princes
Historians trust the chronicles, but they do not believe them and like to find fault with words. The “blank spot” in the evidence about the first Varangian princes is confusing. The texts say that Oleg reigned in Novgorod and took tribute from him, which is a contradiction. This gave rise to the version about the “first capital” of Rus' near Smolensk, where there was the largest Scandinavian settlement. At the same time, Ukrainian scientists are also adding fuel to the fire. They claim that they have found the grave of a “Varangian prince” near Chernigov.
The names of the first Russian princes sounded differently in the documents than in the Tale of Bygone Years. If there is almost no news about Rurik, then Igor “according to his passport” was Inger, Oleg and Olga were Helg and Helga, and Svyatoslav was Sfendoslav. The first princes of Kyiv, Askold and Dir, were Scandinavians. The names of the princes of Turov and Polotsk - Tur, Rogneda and Rogvolod - are also attributed to Scandinavian roots. In the 11th century, Russian rulers became so glorified that Scandinavian princely names were rather a rare exception.
The fate of the Varangians
By the X-XII century, the Rurikovich state had become very rich, and could afford to simply “buy” the Varangians needed for service. They were left in city garrisons and squads. Viking attacks on Russian cities would be pointless. It was easier to get a good salary for service.
In the cities, ordinary people often did not get along with the Varangians - there were clashes. Soon the situation began to get out of control and Yaroslav Vladimirovich had to introduce “concepts” - Russian truth. This is how the first legal document in Russian history appeared.
The Viking Age ends in the 12th century. In Rus', mentions of the Varangians disappeared from chronicles already by the 13th century, and the Russes dissolved into the Slavic Russian people.
“Kievan Rus was founded by the Vikings” - I think this phrase will evoke a variety of emotions among historians: indignation, anger, surprise, laughter, joy, understanding. Norman founding theory Kievan Rus raises doubts among many. You can find a lot of information about it on the Internet. Let's just think about how it could be. This is not a scientific work, but rather a simple philosophical speculation.
Let's speculate based on the judgment that Kievan Rus was founded by the Vikings, or rather, it would be true to say, they conquered and led. By the way, at that time the state was called simply Rus; it became Kyiv quite recently, I believe, due to the fact that this name could mean not only a state with a center in Kyiv.
Perhaps the Vikings or Varangians did not found Rus', but merely strengthened it with their governance and made a special contribution to its development on the world stage.
Possible evidence for the theory of the founding of Rus' by the Vikings
Let's start with names. The first name comes from memory - Rurik, of course, Rurik. By the way, his Norwegian name sounds like Hraerik Hemmingson. Born into a family of Scandinavian rulers. He was a Scandinavian, they were also called Varangians. Remember the well-known ancient trade route “From the Varangians to the Greeks”? So: the path passed from Scandinavia (the modern countries of Denmark, Norway and Sweden) to Byzantium (modern Turkey) with the capital at that time in Constantinople (modern Istanbul) through the Dnieper and the Black Sea. Rurik is the chronicled founder of the Novgorod principality in Rus'. But let's not get distracted. Prophetic Oleg ruled after the death of Rurik and was his relative. Oleg's name at birth is Odd. The famous Prince Igor (son of Rurik) was named by the Scandinavian name Ingvar. His wife Olga also had Scandinavian name and Scandinavian roots. All princes are Vikings.
Skalds and chroniclers
Another proof of the strong influence of the Varangians or Vikings on life in Rus' is that skalds first appeared in Scandinavia, who talked about the heroes and anti-heroes of that time. So this is where the chronicle comes from! (for example, “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign”). One can compare the old chroniclers in Rus' with the skalds in Scandinavia during the Viking Age.
The heyday of the Viking Age and Kievan Rus comes at the same time in history - the 9th-10th centuries.
Runic inscriptions were also found not only in the Scandinavian countries, but also in Ukraine. For example, Wikipedia talks about a runic inscription by an elder Futhark on the tip of a spear, which was found in Volyn (dated to the 4th century). Runic inscriptions from the Viking Age were also found on the island of Berezan at the mouth of the Dnieper.
Similarities of cultures
The mosaic of one of the houses in Kyiv depicts the founders of Kyiv on boats with dragon heads and shields attached to the side of the ship. We know that to intimidate the enemy before a battle, a dragon’s head carved from wood was hung on the bow of the ship (and the bow was then high above the water) (drakkar in translation means dragon). The sides of the drakkar posted on the outside told the enemy about an imminent attack. Most likely, this fashion was brought by the Vikings, who founded a great state at that time. Although, perhaps this is just a cultural exchange between peoples.
Historians of that time call the Varangians Russians. They were relatively tall, with blond hair and eyes. Both the Varangians and the Slavs fit this description. Perhaps we were just one people? Maybe both the Slavs and the Scandinavians had the same ancestors - the Aryans, ancient cattle breeders and plowmen?
And women stood on the social ladder together with men, their rights were not oppressed, women were respected both in Rus' and in Scandinavia.
According to archaeological excavations in 2016, it became known that pre-Christian Kyiv was built according to the northern model (like excavated cities in Sweden in particular): the city was divided into sections of equal area [link No. 6 at the bottom of the page].
Freyr figurine in Chernigov
In Chernigov there is a historical monument - the mound of Prince Cherny (the founder of Chernigov), who, according to legend, was a Varangian. A figurine of God Freyr (the god of fertility according to German-Scandinavian mythology) was found in the mound. The burial is very similar to the type of burials of the Scandinavians in the Viking Age (two warriors were buried with swords and other weapons, war horses, a woman was buried with keys, which symbolized her high location). Below short story about the mound of Prince Cherny in Chernigov, you can read more about it in the same Wikipedia.
Pendant with a dragon in Korosten
Excavations in Korosten (ancient Iskorosten) in the Zhitomir region showed a little about the life of the time when Prince Igor and then Princess Olga ruled. Several mounds (ancient burials) were excavated, and among the finds was a pendant made in the Scandinavian bore style, characteristic of the 10th century. On this pendant you can recognize the mythical animal dragon, which was so popular among the Scandinavians during the Viking Age. Archaeologists and historians claim that the pendant is made in the Scandinavian bore style, which is characteristic of the Scandinavians who lived during the Viking Age (10th century).
At excavations in Korosten (Zhitomir region, in 946, according to legend, he was burned by Princess Olga in retaliation for the execution of her husband, Prince Igor, by the Drevlyans), among other finds, a fragment of a Scandinavian temple ring was also found.
Runes in Volyn and on the island of Berezan
In our Ukraine, runic inscriptions with older Viking runes were also found on the tip of a spear (IV century), the find was in Volyn. Also, runic inscriptions from the Viking Age were found at the mouth of the Dnieper and on Berezan Island.
The Odal (Otal) rune from the older runic alphabet of the Viking Age can very often be found on our ancient embroideries.
Funerary treasures of the ancient Germans in Vinniki
Another proof that the Vikings were in Rus' - an ancient burial ground of a Germanic tribe from the late 1st to mid-2nd centuries was found in Vinniki in the Lviv region. Parts of a red-glazed clay vessel, glass and metal objects, and two large bronze cauldrons were found in the cremation burials [more details in link No. 8].
Similarities between mythologies and beliefs
German-Scandinavian and Slavic mythology very similar to each other.
Calling of the Varangians by the Slavs
The calling of the Varangians led by Rurik in 862 is indicated by a quote from the Ipatiev list of the “Tale of Bygone Years”:
In lѣⷮ҇. ҂ѕ҃. t҃. o҃ ⁘ and expelled Varѧgy overseas. and did not give them tribute. and more often you will feel better about yourself. and there would be no truth in them. and the family rose up to roⷣ. and there was a conflict in nothing. and fight for yourself as often as possible. and we will look for the good fortune in ourselves. whoever would rule over us and destroy us. by right. going overseas to Vargoⷨ҇. to Rus'. This is a good name. you are Varⷽ҇gy Rus'. All these friends are called Sveje. Friends of Jermani. English. ini and Gothe. tacos and si rkosh. Rus. Chud. Slovenia. Krivichi. and our whole land is great. and ѡbilna. but there are no people in it. let you go princes and lead us. and elected. three brothers. with your birth. and walked around all of Rus'. and came to Sloven first. and cut down the mountain of Ladoga. and the gray elders in Ladoza Rurik. and others Sineis on Belѣezer. and the third Truvor in Izborsk. and ѿ those Varѧg. nicknamed Ruska of the earth.
The first chronicles date back to the 13th century, in which the events of the 9th century were first mentioned. So it seems to me that you can’t be 100% sure in history, because history is written by people, and they are often biased. And there have also been such facts in history when the new government destroyed all documentation, all traces of the previous government, the history of the people...
To be continued... Article under writing...
Literature + interesting articles were used in preparing the material
A. ALEXEEV, historian.
Science and life // Illustrations
Science and life // Illustrations
Science and life // Illustrations
Science and life // Illustrations
More than a thousand years ago, kings ruled throughout Europe. Their kingdoms were small (England, France, Germany, Spain as states had not yet emerged). But the king had the right to judge any resident, and noble people swore allegiance to him. It was believed that all the land in the kingdom belonged to the king, and he only allowed the rest to use it. All kingdoms professed one faith - Catholic, led by the Pope.
Only inhabitants of Denmark and Scandinavia - Normans(“northern people”) lived freely on their land, honoring their ancient gods as in the old days. At general congresses, all issues were resolved, laws were established there and court cases were examined.
The Normans also had kings - they were called kings. They were respected, but did not have much power. When the king traveled around the country, the Normans fed not only him, but also his squad and horses. The people had no other duties to the king.
In addition to farming, the Normans were engaged in trade and military campaigns. In Europe they were considered the best warriors, and they had the best weapons. Year after year, Norman squads on their long ships attacked coastal cities and settlements, plundering, burning and killing the inhabitants. In Western Europe, the participants in these predatory expeditions began to be called Vikings.
In 789, a squad of Vikings, pretending to be merchants, sailed in their boats to the British city of Dorset. When the local ruler came out to them, he was killed. From that moment on, for two centuries the Normans ravaged Britain and Ireland. To the best of my ability local residents resisted. So, in the middle of the 9th century, a king named Torgsil in Ireland was drowned in a lake, and in the kingdom of Northumbria, in the north of England, King Ragnar Lothbrok was thrown into a pit with snakes.
And yet, the Normans took root in England so well - they started families and households that they traveled to their homeland only occasionally.
People living in France, Holland, and Germany also suffered from the Normans. Almost every year their lands were plundered. In 845, the Danish king Rurik ravaged the Elbe coast and raided Northern France,
other Vikings burned Hamburg. Paris was also robbed many times. So, in 911, he was attacked by King Hrolf, nicknamed the Pedestrian (according to legend, he was so long that he could not ride a horse - his legs dragged on the ground). After several battles, the pagan Hrolf agreed to be baptized, and King Charles the Simpleton gave him his daughter in marriage and allocated him land along the banks of the Lower Seine, which became the Duchy of Normandy. Under the rule of the economic Normans, it soon became the richest and most populous province of the French kingdom. In 1066, the Norman Duke William (he was the great-great-great-grandson of Hrolf) defeated the English at the Battle of Hastings and, having conquered England, became the English king. After this victory he was nicknamed William the Conqueror.
The Swedes “grazed” mainly in the vicinity of the Baltic Sea. In the north-west of Russia they settled with whole families (archaeologists have found much more Scandinavian objects here than in Western Europe). Local Finns called the Norman robbers "ruotsi"(a Finnish word with a Swedish root meaning oarsmen), and the Slavs - "Rus", "Rus". Later the name “Varangians” stuck to them (from the word "waring"- this was the name given to a Norman warrior in the service of some ruler).
Hunting between lakes Chudskoye, Ladoga, Ilmen, Onega and the upper reaches of the Volga, the strongest (in today’s terms, tough) of the Varangian squads imposed tribute not only on the local Slavic and Finnish tribes - Slovenians, Krivichi, Chud, Vse and Meryu - but also on bandit gangs . Another “gang” controlled the middle part of the route “from the Varangians to the Greeks” - the main trade route between the Baltic and Black Seas.
The Varangians-Rus, capturing the Slavs, took them for sale to the Khazars, who roamed the Caspian and Black Seas. Behind long years wandering life in the forests the Rus themselves began to look like the Khazars. They gave themselves the Khazar hairstyle (shaved head with a forelock hanging over the forehead), and their leader, following the example of the Khazar king, called himself kagan.
The ambassadors of this Swedish kagan later visited Byzantium, and from there went to Germany. And everywhere they said that their people were called “ros”. “Having carefully investigated the reason for their arrival, the emperor learned that they belonged to the Swedish people,” wrote the German monk Prudentius. The newcomers were considered Norman spies and were sent back to Byzantium.
Around 862, the inhabitants of the vicinity of Lake Ilmen, in agreement, refused to pay tribute to the Varangian “mafia”. They got rid of the “roof”, but immediately fought among themselves. It turned out that free life is not so easy and fun.
Tired of constant war, the Slavs, Finns and Rus decided to invite the prince from the outside so that he would judge and protect them. We stopped at Rurik. Whether it was the same Rurik, who, as already mentioned, raided Northern France, or another, is not known for sure. One way or another, some Rurik with a Varangian squad came to Priilmenye and built a new town not far from Ladoga. It was from this that Novgorod later grew.
“And from those Varangians,” our chronicle says, “the Russian land and the Novgorodians began to be called, who are from the Varangian family, but were previously Slovenians.” That is, when the chronicle was written (in the 12th century), the Novgorodians still remembered that their ancestors were both local Slovenians and newcomers - Varangians-Rus.
When Rurik died, his relative Oleg subjugated the southern Slavic tribes- Polyans, Vyatichi, Radimichi, northerners, who previously paid tribute to the Khazars. So between the Baltic and Black Seas there appeared Russian state with its capital in Kyiv.
Indeed, there is a paradox - the military companies of the Normans in the west are described and attested in detail, but there is no such evidence about Rus'.
On the question of “robbed or not,” the Normanists do not have a clear opinion.
Some of them believe that, of course, the Swedes robbed and even “subjugated the tribes of the Slavs and Finns.” The evidence most often comes from quotes from sagas about military operations in the east (in which Rus' is not mentioned) and the statement “the Danes plundered Western Europe, therefore the Swedes plundered eastern Europe,” which is not correct from a logical point of view. These are two different tribes with different levels development, various political situation and numbers; The locations are also different. A lot is known about the military campaigns of the Normans, these were serious events that brought glory to the participating kings, and their names are preserved in the sagas, and the campaigns are described in synchronous sources from other countries
What about Rus'? The Icelandic sagas describe four kings traveling to Rus' - Olav Tryggvason, Olav Haraldson with his son Magnus, and Harald the Severe. They all hide in Rus', and when they return, sometimes they are not recognized. There are also Skaldic vises (special eight-verses).
Of the 601 skaldic stanzas given in Snorri Sturluson’s “Earthly Circle,” only 23 are devoted to travel to the east. Of these, only one speaks of an attack on Rus' - the destruction of Aldeigya (Ladoga) by Earl Eirik, which usually dates back to 997. And so the main object of the predatory raids of the Scandinavians (skalds usually did not write on other topics; in the “Earthly Circle” about 75 percent of the content is about war) the Baltic states appear.” There is also a story about Eymund, who sailed to Rus' to hire himself to Yaroslav. There is Ingvar the traveler, there are Scandinavians sailing to hire varangers in Tsar-grad, but there are no conquerors.
Thus, from Scandinavian sources it is known one attack on Ladoga, which occurred 100 years after Rurik. Scandinavian attacks are unknown in the chronicles, and archaeological evidence of military expansion is also absent.
Therefore, the other (most) part of the Normanists speaks of the “peaceful expansion of the Scandinavians.” That, they say, they came and peacefully subjugated the backward tribes, traded, and generally organized. True, it is again unclear why in one part of the world they robbed, and in the other there was sheer modesty, and at the same time, local tribes, not very different from the Scandinavians in terms of development and weapons, but significantly superior to them in numbers, calmly gave up land and power into the wrong hands.
Many people don’t bother at all and mention both “conquest and subjugation” and “peaceful expansion” at the same time.
Let's figure out why the Vikings did not attack Rus', and Novgorod in particular. Why did they not leave traces of military expansion in Eastern Europe in history?
The Vikings are pirates, and the plunder of cities by the Normans is no longer the level of just a “pirate gang”, but of several strong kings, who are ready to be followed by large forces. Therefore, when we talk about the plunder of European cities, it is not entirely correct to call the robbers Vikings. If you called a respected king a Viking, that is, a pirate, you would immediately become shorter by a head - famous Viking kings defeat Vikings as young men at the very beginning of their biography. But even for the kings, the only correct tactics were speed and a surprise attack. Engaging in a protracted battle with local troops is impractical, simply because you are far from your bases and reinforcements. There were sieges of cities and mass battles, of course, too, for example the very long but unsuccessful siege of Paris. But the basis of Viking military tactics is the triad: raiding, robbing, running away.
Here is an illustration for the above theses from the earthly circle, “The Saga of Saint Olaf”, Chapter VI.
“That same autumn, in the Swedish skerries near Skerries Soti, Olav was in battle for the first time. There he fought with the Vikings. Their leader was called Soti. Olaf had fewer people, but he had larger ships. Olav placed his ships between the underwater rocks, so that it was not easy for the Vikings to approach them, and on those ships that came closer, Olav’s people threw hooks, pulled them up and cleared them of people. The Vikings missed many and retreated.”
Olav is not just a sea robber, he is a major king, the future king of Norway. The King's battle with the pirates is one of the typical features of the sagas, something like a literary device. After some time, Olav organized a campaign to the eastern lands. Sagas usually do not talk about defeats, but sometimes they make exceptions. Quote from Chapter IX:
“Then King Olav sailed back to the Land of the Finns, landed on the shore and began to destroy the villages. All the Finns fled into the forests and took all the livestock with them. The king then moved inland through the forests. There were several settlements in the valleys called Herdalar. They captured what cattle there were, but found none of the people. The day was approaching evening, and the king turned back to the ships. When they entered the forest, people appeared from all sides, they shot at them with bows and pushed them back. The king ordered to cover it with shields and defend, but it was not easy, since the Finns were hiding in the forest. Before the king left the forest, he had lost many people, and many were wounded. The king returned to the ships in the evening. At night, the Finns caused bad weather with witchcraft, and a storm arose at sea. The king ordered to raise the anchor and set the sails and at night sailed against the wind along the shore, and, as often happened later, the king’s luck was stronger than witchcraft. At night they managed to pass along Balagardssida and go out into the open sea. And while Olav’s ships were sailing along the coast, the Finnish army pursued them overland.”
Moreover, the approach “ inland through the forests"lasted less than daylight hours, including landing, looting, fighting and retreat. But even such a deepening allowed the locals, who knew the area, to set a trap and cause significant damage. The Vikings, as they for some reason like to imagine, were not “killing machines” and “invincible warriors.” They were not very different from any other warriors of that time, although their military traditions and corresponding religion were very helpful in military affairs, but in terms of the level of weapons and protection, the Scandinavians were even inferior, for example, to the Franks or Slavs, simply due to the underdevelopment of their own metallurgy and blacksmithing.
It was the “blitzkrieg” tactics, a swift and bold attack, that allowed them to achieve excellent results. As a result, this forced the locals to hire Scandinavians to protect them from themselves. While the locals were rubbing their eyes and gathering an army, the hired Normans were able to catch up and attack. In protracted battles on foreign territory with a strong enemy, the Normans often ended up losing. This was the case, for example, during the siege of Paris, when the besieged finally waited for help. Or during the attack on Seville, when half of the attackers’ ships were burned.
“However, the military activity of the Scandinavians was the initial impetus for their “development” of Western Europe. It is no coincidence that the Scandinavian raids on the Frankish state ended with the allocation of the territory of modern Normandy to them in exchange for protection from other “seekers of easy prey.” A similar situation arose in England, where a “region of Danish law” was formed, the inhabitants of which were Scandinavians (mainly Danes), and, in exchange for permission to live in the occupied territory, were obliged to protect the coast of the Anglo-Saxon states from Viking raids. In a similar way - by hiring separate Scandinavian military squads - the Irish kingdoms defended their shores."
I’ll add the Sicilian Kingdom of the Normans to this list, although the question of the number of Scandinavians there occupies me, as well as why they sailed to the other end of Europe. Let's take a little closer look at the military activities of the Scandinavians in the 8th-12th centuries.
We see an established pattern of behavior - raids on the coast at shallow depths (marked in light yellow), and entry into navigable rivers to attack large cities. Moreover, the Normans did not seize control of these cities, the goal was military trophies, and the sea people preferred the sea coast for settlements. Constant raids forced the locals to either retreat from the coast and submit, or hire Scandinavians, or build their own fleet. Number 1 marks lands captured by the Normans, primarily the Danes. It is quite logical to sail not far and across the open sea. Why didn't they settle the south, which is much closer to Britain? Because the Slavs were sitting there, who also had ships and Frankish swords. Of course, the Slavs were also attacked, in certain periods they were forced to pay tribute, and cities were destroyed. Moreover, the relationships were complex, for example, one part of the Slavs could attack another part along with the Danes. But the Ruyans in general were such serious guys that they were not particularly touched, and during the crusade of 1147 against the Obodrites, the Ruyans helped their brothers in faith and defeated the Danish fleet. Some provinces of Denmark paid tribute to the Ruyans, for which King Valdemar I did capture Arkona a few years later in 1168.
Okay, we’ve more or less dealt with the Danes and other Norwegians. Where did the Swedes direct their Viking fervor? And they took an example from their foster brothers and moved across the sea to the coast in the same way, only to the east, and not to the west.
Map from the work “History of Sweden”, where the responsible editor and author of the vast majority of articles is the famous Swedish medievalist Dick Harrison (Lund University). Signature under the map: Sverige i slutet av 1200 – talet. Imprint: Sveriges historia. 600–1350. Stockholm – Nordstedts. 2009. S. 433.
Now we can just paint it green on the territory of Finland, but it took the Swedes 490 years, since the time of Rurik. It takes a long time, because the Finns are not rich guys, but they are also difficult. They were the first to start fishing in the Baltic. The Finno-Ugric canoe, or haabjas, is one of the most ancient types of boats. These canoes were used as fishing and transport vessels during the Stone Age, this is not even bronze, this is a very long time ago. So they could sail and pirate no worse than the Swedes, although more often they just fished.
Note that the southern part of the Gulf of Finland is not painted over. And why? Because the Estonians lived there, who also knew how to sail ships and stick spears into people. Of course, they were attacked, but there was nothing special to take compared to Europe, so the risk was not justified. The Estonians then lived poorly and traded in amber, which allowed them to buy swords, albeit in small quantities. They also engaged in fishing and piracy. In the saga of Olav Trygvasson, where it is said that during the flight of Olav and his mother to the east, “they were attacked by the Vikings. They were Estonians." For example, the Estonians from the island of Ezel (Ezelians) and the Curonian tribe, related to the Livonians, repeatedly attacked the coasts of Denmark and Sweden.
There is also a very important, but rarely covered point, do you see the Karelian tribe, in the very east? They became dependent quite late, and for a long time were independent and very restless guys. Does the phrase “Sigtuna Campaign of 1187” tell you anything? This campaign did not deserve any attention from Swedish researchers, and even from our Normanists, but in vain. Sigtuna is the capital of the Swedish state at that time, The largest city Sweden, political and shopping mall, located in the heart of Uppland on the shores of Lake Mälaren.
Tonnage and other parameters of found warships (according to D. Ellmers with additions)
Now let's look at the route.
First we go through the Gulf of Finland, then 60 km along the Neva. The river is wide and comfortable, you can go on any ship. Then we go to the mouth of the Volkhov River and here the fun begins. Staraya Ladoga is only 16 kilometers from the mouth. An ideal target for an attack, Earl Eirik was no fool. But to get to Novgorod we will need to row 200 kilometers against the current along a difficult fairway, which cannot be passed without a local pilot. The river practically does not allow you to tack against the wind. Along the way you need to overcome rapids in two places.
Large and medium-sized combat or cargo ships (such as Skuldelev 5 or Useberg/Gokstad) could pass through the Ivanovo rapids. The Ivanovo rapids were destroyed in the 30s of the twentieth century - the fairway was straightened and expanded by blasting. The second difficulty was the Volkhov rapids. Unlike the Neva, they were impassable for ships with deep draft. The Volkhov rapids were hidden by water as a result of the construction of the Volkhov hydroelectric station, so it is now impossible to carry out an exact experiment, but bottom studies give the maximum length of the ship no higher than 13-15 m.
That is, the combat “Skuldelev 5” may no longer pass; from the table with warships, only Ralsvik-2 will pass. Here are small merchant ships with an average length of 13 meters, they can crawl through very well.
Tonnage and other parameters of the found cargo ships (according to D. Ellmers with additions)
Another table from the same source shows the duration of the journey from Birka to Novgorod, 550 nautical miles, 1018 km, 9 days if sailing around the clock and 19 if with night breaks. I don’t know the Elmers calculation method, but in a modern experiment, the route from Stockholm to Novgorod was passed, for example, on the ship “Aifur”
- Length - 9 meters
- Width - 2.2 meters
- Body weight - about 600 kg
- Sail - 20 m2
- Team - 9 people
This is slightly less than the penultimate one from the bottom, “Skuldelev 6”. The ship completed the route in 47 days, including several 2-3 day stops and 10 days from Staraya Ladoga to Novgorod. This does not take into account the time it takes to pass the rapids. And then back with the loot, through the same rapids. And you can't be big warships use, that is, you can’t bring many people, and there are evil Finnish sorcerers in the forest. But most importantly, in Novgorod the Slavs who have their own boats are called “lodya”. And their swords and chain mail. I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t swim. And the Swedes also thought so, because the risk is big, and the exhaust is incomprehensible, what is there in this Novgorod? Not even a suitable Catholic priest so that his nose, ears and hands could be cut off, as was the case with the priest accompanying the cousins of Thietmar of Merseburg. And why then row and strain 260 kilometers along rivers? It’s better to plunder along the Neva coast, or along Lake Ladoga.
Let me summarize. The Vikings did not attack Rus' because:
- The Swedes were occupied by the Finns and Estonians for 500 years. The Estonians did not lag behind and were also occupied by the Swedes. The Karelians got tired of this and destroyed the Swedish capital. The Swedes did not have a few thousand extra people for the war with Novgorod, and the possible trophies were not commensurate with the risk.
- Novgorod was too deep inland to suffer from sea robbers. To reach Novgorod, it was necessary to swim 260 km along rivers. 200 km are passed along a difficult fairway, mostly by oars; the river has rapids, one of which is impassable for large military vessels. For comparison, in Europe cities were plundered on wide rivers, and to a depth of an average of 100-150 km. The coast was preferred.
- The Danes still have 700 km to Novgorod. They had closer and more interesting goals.
- Source http://mirtesen.ru/url?e=pad_click&isWidget=1&pad_page=1&blog_post_id=43861598031
