The Rus’: An analysis of the Impact of the Varangians on Eastern Europe

           Church legend has it that St. Andrew the Apostle of John the Baptist and of Jesus Christ, during his evangelical missions traveled all the way up the Dnieper river in the then Scythian region of Sarmatia north of the Black sea, erected a cross, and prophesied that the site upon which he planted his cross was to become a great and powerful Christian city of many churches.[1] Through the ages, St. Andrew’s prophecy gradually came to life with the rise of a great and powerful city of Kiev under the rule of the Varangians: a city that eventually was inaugurated as the Christian capital of Kievan Rus’. However, the development of Kievan Rus’ was the later-stage product of a process of nation-building that was taken over from the Khazars (a political entity of Southeastern Europe and Eurasia) and put into motion by the Vikings, whom before that time, settled in the Northern steppes of modern day Russia in two proximal locations known as Staraya Ladoga and the city of Novgorod.

The Varangians traversed through the Baltic Sea on their various expeditions, and made temporary settlements at Staraya Ladoga for trading and crafting purposes.[2] They were initially not welcomed by the indigenous population of that region (such as the Balts and the Slavs) due to in-fighting amongst all the ethnic peoples there. But eventually the climate was right for their welcomed (and desired) re-arrival in the 9^th century under the leadership of Rurik. It was at this pivotal moment, with the introduction of Rurik and the Rurikid (his followers/descendants) at Staraya Ladoga and Novgorod that Eastern Europe would permanently change. With all the annals of history that describe the acts, innovations, and feats of the political entities stemming from Novgorod and Kievan Rus’; the Varangians, Rurik and his dynasty (which ruled Russia up until the 16^th century) influenced Eastern Europe throughout the span of their existence. They not only established an elite legacy of rulers, but also brought forth a rich Scandinavian culture; founded an economy; expanded their boarders as to rival even their Byzantine neighbors, and much more. In due time, the Rus' would grow to become a political entity of purpose, prosperity and power.

With the arrival of the Varangians in Northeastern Europe: one has to ask what was the significance of such an expedition? What were the unyielding implications of their arrival and upbringing, from Scandinavia to Northeastern Europe, and what were the inescapable consequences of their forth-bearing impact? Simply put, it was through the Rurikid dynasty and their successive assumption of authority in Eastern and Northeastern Europe, the Varangians changed the way Eastern Europe was shaped in all avenues of life through culture, economics, and most importantly politics.

The Varangians loved to trade, and because of this everlasting thirst for goods and wares, their expansion into modern day Russia was of economic perpetuity. What drove all merchants and tradesmen mad with desire were exotic goods from far-off lands. In this respect, the Varangians were no exception. They likewise were spellbound by trade. The most intriguing of all markets during the Viking Age were the ones located in the Orient. As is a well-known fact about the Orient, it was a fabulously wealthy land, and for the Scandinavians, there was need for, and a good profit to be earned from the discovery of new routes to the source of Oriental goods.”[3] They eventually did find these necessary routes to reach the Orient that stretched from the Donets and the Don leading them to the Sea of Azov.

The Tragedy Behind the Fall of Constantinople

           

           

The year 1453 was one that altered the landscape of late medieval history, one that changed the world forever. This year entailed a siege that was accomplished by the Ottoman Turks upon the empire of Eastern Rome, and in particular, the great city of Constantinople. Whether or not this clash of civilizations had positive impact is still ambiguous. However, at the pinnacle of Byzantine decline and Ottoman invasion, the sheer cataclysm that the fall of Constantinople assumed in Asia Minor held a strong negative impact. Much like a poetic Homeric epic, the story of the fall of Constantinople was a tragedy worthy of a myriad of infamy. It was the beginning of the end of antique and Christian wisdom through Turkish desolation, the finite demise of the lineage of the great Palaiologos dynasty, along with the sudden end to the tangent glorious legacy of the Roman empire. As prolonged as the conquest of Byzantine by the Turks was, it was swift enough to become a major blow to Christendom, European, and Roman influence.

            The spoils of war are an excellent model by which historians measure the direct impact of conquest. In the case of the Turks; Sultan Mehmed II, after having captured the besieged city, allowed his troops to plunder it of her riches for three days, saving only a few forbidden points of interests such as the Hagia Sophia. This was accomplished through both desecrating and thieving. This vice has highly negative connotations, both in antiquity and in the historical community. If a city is looted, there is no way of preserving, extracting, or excavating artifacts and literature of interest, thereby contracting both contemporary wisdom and modern knowledge.

            One must weigh in the humane factor when examining just how wounding the sack of Constantinople was. The slaughter of approximately seven thousand innocent Christian civilians in the city lasted for three days. Those who could flee the inescapable fate of the city took with them ancient scrolls of knowledge, which is said to have sparked the renaissance in certain parts of Europe. It was also cited by Venetian eye witness Barbaro, that the great Constantine XI, in a heroic last stand, took off any garments that made him look like that of nobility, and lead one last charge against the Turks in an effort to defend the city. Thus it was by the sword that ended the rule of the Palaiologos, and burying along with the ashes, the legacy of the Eastern Roman emperors. The symbolism behind this, is that in the end, the captain went down with the ship. The Roman Empire and the Augustuses were no more. The sheer calamity of putting an end to centuries of Roman triumph, innovation, and monumental influence was tragic and immensely impacting on the world at large. It was as if the fall of Byzantium was the undoing of a precious and important museum artifact.

            The year 1453 was one that altered the landscape of late medieval history. Constantinople had fallen, and because of this, the Greeks and the west wept. The Sultan erected his Ottoman capitol in the same city, and the end of a seemingly timeless empire had reached its end. Much of what modern society now possesses is derived from the Roman Empire. To this day, the west is still in lament due to the loss of what had been somewhat of a father figure to the development of culture and society in itself. Despite this devastating loss, one must remember that even though great figures are remembered, legends never die; such is the legacy of the Roman empire and the city of Constantinople.