lazserus
May 8th, 2009, 7:39 PM
Vikings were much more than raiders and pillagers. They developed a trade network just as important as the Arabs (though not as pronounced), and they reached areas of the known world without conventional means, which led to the development of new cultures. The Vikings during the Viking Era (circa A.D. 790-1070) were very diverse. Much of the medieval literature about the Viking Era concentrates on the Icelanders and their exploits. But when we look at the Scandinavians during the period of initial colonization in Iceland--that is at the parts of Scandinavia the Icelandic settlers hailed from--we can see a distinct division in behavior. The western Vikings from Norway set out and raided parts of northern Europe, the British Isles, and colonized Iceland and Greenland. The eastern Vikings, those from Sweden, took a different path just as significant: They penetrated eastern Europe, developed future Russia, and established a trade network with the Arabs. In this thread I will explore the Swedish Vikings and their movements into Asia.
THE RUS
The Rus were a band of Viking Swedes that entered Asia possibly via the Gulf of Finlandand made their way via the Volga River. First populating the region of Novgorod, the Rus became a pool of warriors frequently recruited by the Byzantines as early as the 9th century. The Byzantium emperors frequently attampted to make peace with neighboring tribal communities and potential enemies, the Rus being one of those tribes. Though the Rus were far north of Byzantine influence, the Byzantines were able to spot potential strong allies. The Rus from the Novgorod region were the core picking tree of elite warriors the Byzantines used for personal guards and elite missions of expansion. In fact, by the early 10th century, according to Norse sagas, Viking men flocked to the Rus-controlled region of Novgorod to be recruited by the Byzantines.
There is still debate regarding the Rus migration into the southern regions of what was once the Russian Empire, particularly to the Ukrainian trade center of Kiev. What is nearly certain is the Rus populated the Novgorod region north of the Volga and had at least some influence (genetically and culturally) in how Russia developed. Kiev and the Ukraine is another argument entirely, and, in my opinion, an irrelevant one. The story goes that the Rus migrated south to Ukraine and mingled with the Slavik population in Kiev. The Rus took control of the city, but after a few dozen generations the Swedish Rus began adopting the native Slavik tongue and culture, eventually assimilating into the culture that was there before their arrival. Historians (and many historical disciplines) agree with this story. The Rus did, however, reach far south of the Volga and into Kiev, where they setup shop (probably violently) and reconsituted the trade passing through. And, important enough, Russia is derived from Rus.
NETWORKS
The Vikings were some of the world's greatest sailors, possibly only second to the Phoenicians. But surpassing Phoenician naval technology was the longship. The Viking longship is probably the most remarkable piece of naval engineering the world has seen. Longships were capable of skating atop the oceans' surfaces and traveling inland via rivers. Modern yachts, those that cost millions to build, can barely compete with a medieval-style longship. There was nowhere a longship could not get to as long as a river was present (all rivers open to the sea), and there are cases whereby longships were dragged over ground to new locations--meaning they were light enough in their design to be dragged by less than 20 persons.
With this in mind, the Vikings of the early Medieval Period were quite capable of bypassing land travel by merely coasting along river systems in their longships, allowing them to penetrate a part of the Asian continent quickly like no other people in human history. Using the river systems in western Asia, the Vikings were able to branch out in inject themselves deep into territories controlled by peoples such as the Arabs. There's no question that the Norse populated the area surrounding the Black Sea, and more evidence continues to surface that they made it as far as the Capsian Sea (and possibly further inland).
The banks of the Caspian have been controlled by the Arabs for ages, but the Vikings reached Arab territory, set up shop, and sent home Arab gold coin. In fact, the most concentrated quantity of Arab gold unearthed was found in Gotland, an island just southeast of Stockholm, Sweden. This concentration wasn't found in an Arab land but a land once controlled and populated by Vikings! Aside from the gold found at Gotland, there are Arabic accounts of Norseman interaction in Arab-controlled regions near the Caspian before the 11th century and after. So, apparently the Swedish Norse were able to setup shop in those regions and trade peacefully.
SUMMATION
Obviously this thread skips a lot of the details, but would you be reading this if it filled 5 pages? I like to keep things simple and concise while leaving the floor open for questioning. To sum things up, the Swedish Norse (primarily through the Rus) built a trade network into eastern Europe and western Asia, reaching long established trade networks setup by the Arabs. Considering Viking history, there's no reason to believe these initial networks were setup peacefully; however, considering the size and strength of the Arabs in the Caspian region, there was probably a somewhat peacefull exchange of ideas and goods. Otherwise the Arabs would have wiped out the Swedish invaders and that would be that. Just remember, Russia comes from the Swedish Rus, and know that the Swedish Vikings took a different route than their western Scandinavian neighbors: The moved east and didn't have to kill as many people.
THE RUS
The Rus were a band of Viking Swedes that entered Asia possibly via the Gulf of Finlandand made their way via the Volga River. First populating the region of Novgorod, the Rus became a pool of warriors frequently recruited by the Byzantines as early as the 9th century. The Byzantium emperors frequently attampted to make peace with neighboring tribal communities and potential enemies, the Rus being one of those tribes. Though the Rus were far north of Byzantine influence, the Byzantines were able to spot potential strong allies. The Rus from the Novgorod region were the core picking tree of elite warriors the Byzantines used for personal guards and elite missions of expansion. In fact, by the early 10th century, according to Norse sagas, Viking men flocked to the Rus-controlled region of Novgorod to be recruited by the Byzantines.
There is still debate regarding the Rus migration into the southern regions of what was once the Russian Empire, particularly to the Ukrainian trade center of Kiev. What is nearly certain is the Rus populated the Novgorod region north of the Volga and had at least some influence (genetically and culturally) in how Russia developed. Kiev and the Ukraine is another argument entirely, and, in my opinion, an irrelevant one. The story goes that the Rus migrated south to Ukraine and mingled with the Slavik population in Kiev. The Rus took control of the city, but after a few dozen generations the Swedish Rus began adopting the native Slavik tongue and culture, eventually assimilating into the culture that was there before their arrival. Historians (and many historical disciplines) agree with this story. The Rus did, however, reach far south of the Volga and into Kiev, where they setup shop (probably violently) and reconsituted the trade passing through. And, important enough, Russia is derived from Rus.
NETWORKS
The Vikings were some of the world's greatest sailors, possibly only second to the Phoenicians. But surpassing Phoenician naval technology was the longship. The Viking longship is probably the most remarkable piece of naval engineering the world has seen. Longships were capable of skating atop the oceans' surfaces and traveling inland via rivers. Modern yachts, those that cost millions to build, can barely compete with a medieval-style longship. There was nowhere a longship could not get to as long as a river was present (all rivers open to the sea), and there are cases whereby longships were dragged over ground to new locations--meaning they were light enough in their design to be dragged by less than 20 persons.
With this in mind, the Vikings of the early Medieval Period were quite capable of bypassing land travel by merely coasting along river systems in their longships, allowing them to penetrate a part of the Asian continent quickly like no other people in human history. Using the river systems in western Asia, the Vikings were able to branch out in inject themselves deep into territories controlled by peoples such as the Arabs. There's no question that the Norse populated the area surrounding the Black Sea, and more evidence continues to surface that they made it as far as the Capsian Sea (and possibly further inland).
The banks of the Caspian have been controlled by the Arabs for ages, but the Vikings reached Arab territory, set up shop, and sent home Arab gold coin. In fact, the most concentrated quantity of Arab gold unearthed was found in Gotland, an island just southeast of Stockholm, Sweden. This concentration wasn't found in an Arab land but a land once controlled and populated by Vikings! Aside from the gold found at Gotland, there are Arabic accounts of Norseman interaction in Arab-controlled regions near the Caspian before the 11th century and after. So, apparently the Swedish Norse were able to setup shop in those regions and trade peacefully.
SUMMATION
Obviously this thread skips a lot of the details, but would you be reading this if it filled 5 pages? I like to keep things simple and concise while leaving the floor open for questioning. To sum things up, the Swedish Norse (primarily through the Rus) built a trade network into eastern Europe and western Asia, reaching long established trade networks setup by the Arabs. Considering Viking history, there's no reason to believe these initial networks were setup peacefully; however, considering the size and strength of the Arabs in the Caspian region, there was probably a somewhat peacefull exchange of ideas and goods. Otherwise the Arabs would have wiped out the Swedish invaders and that would be that. Just remember, Russia comes from the Swedish Rus, and know that the Swedish Vikings took a different route than their western Scandinavian neighbors: The moved east and didn't have to kill as many people.