To Miklagarðr: The Route from the Varangians to the Greeks

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  • Опубліковано 26 чер 2024
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    Scandinavians have travelled eastward since ancient times. The trade route of Eastern Europe flourished during the Viking Age, when nordic merchants called travelled as far as Baghdad. It was ineviteble that the Varjags would encounter the third major player in the middle east: the eastern remnant of the Roman Empire, posthumously called: Byzantium. To any brave soul who dared to cross the Varjag Sea, the wild rapids and frozen plains, great adventures - and greater riches - beckoned in the greatest city on earth...
    Sources and further reading:
    In Austrvegr - Marika Mägi
    Viking Rus - Wladyslaw Duczko
    Ett ödesdigert vikingatåg - Mats G. Larsson
    Väringar - Mats G. Larsson
    Rusernas rike - Mats G. Larsson
    La Suède et l'Orient - T.J. Arne
    The Annals of St. Bertin (839) and Chacanus of the Rhos - Ildar Garipzanov
    Viking Rus and Byzantium - Jonathan Shepard
    Arabic sources on the Vikings - J.E. Montgomery
    Svear i Österviking - Holger Arbman
    Viking Age Textiles - Annika Larsson
    The Vikings in the East - Fjodor Androshchuk
    The early Slavs - Pavel Markovich Dolukhanov
    Byzantine Armies 886-1118 - Ian Heath
    Gutasagan - accessed via www.guteinfo.com/?id=103
    De Administrando Imperio - Constantine Porphyrogenitus, accessed via: faculty.washington.edu/dwaugh/...
    gnezdovo.com/
    The Primary Chronicle - Unknown(Translated into swedish by A. Norrback)
    Timestamps
    0:00 Introduction
    1:26 First contact
    4:16 Striking a deal
    6:21 A new road
    8:18 The Daugava Route
    11:31 The Lovat Route
    13:29 The Dniepr
    16:15 The Vistula Route
    16:57 In Constantinople
    19:45 War and peace
    22:11 The Varangian Guard
    23:29 Initial decline
    25:20 A final Swedish huzzah
    26:42 End of the road
    #vikings #history #byzantium #byzantine

КОМЕНТАРІ • 103

  • @balticempire7244
    @balticempire7244  8 місяців тому +13

    I've encountered an alternative idea of Miklagarðr meaning "City of Michael", which was the name of several Byzantine Emperors during the early-mid 9th century.

    • @yllbardh
      @yllbardh 5 місяців тому

      Great/Big City.
      And Varyag and not -Varjag-

    • @jansundvall2082
      @jansundvall2082 4 місяці тому

      @@yllbardh varyag is spelled with j in the Scandinavian languages

    • @yllbardh
      @yllbardh 4 місяці тому

      @@jansundvall2082 Jeg ved det but here is the English version of the word, which with *Y* in the pronunciation comes closer to the Scandinavian pronunciation and not with ˈdʒeɪ.

  • @Nero_Karel
    @Nero_Karel 9 місяців тому +35

    Those churches painted in Byzantine style are not only to be found on Gotland, but A LOT of them also in Denmark. The bulk of them center around Sjælland and (the then arguably Danish) Skåne and were built by members of Jarl Skjalm Hvide's family and their associates when cultural exchange with Byzantium was at its zenith during the 12th century.
    My former medieval Scandinavian history professor actually wrote an excellent monograph about this connection, but being very expensive and written in German it's unfortunately not very accessible - for anyone who'd still like to check it out though it's 'Skandinavien und Byzanz - Bedingungen und Konsequenzen mittelalterlicher Kulturbeziehungen' by Roland Scheel

  • @user-xi1tu8hh9m
    @user-xi1tu8hh9m 9 місяців тому +25

    The Birka purse is not made out of Comodo dragon skin, even if it was believed so for a long time. Today, we know that it is beavers tail, which makes musch more sense and still looks just as spectacular.. :-)

  • @LukasNse
    @LukasNse 9 місяців тому +18

    Förmodligen en av de bästa videorna jag har sett om svenska vikingar. Tack för att du la upp den!

  • @nikkitutt5436
    @nikkitutt5436 9 місяців тому +15

    enjoyed very much. love to learn about the swedish vikings and the rus. an amazing people and skilled sailors. thank you for your latest fascinating video.

  • @thechancellor3715
    @thechancellor3715 8 місяців тому +7

    "Ancient Amber Routes and Discovery of the Eastern Baltic" by Dr. Arnold's Spekke traces the routes for those interested in learning more.

  • @erikm8372
    @erikm8372 8 місяців тому +10

    Just FYI, Komodo dragons don’t actually live in India, or really “South Asia” at all, but specifically “Komodo” (island), one of thousands of south-central Indonesian islands. Besides their namesake, they also swim between & live on the islands of Flores, Rinca & Gili Matang (sp?).
    But some of their relatives do live in India! Mostly Asian water monitors, in south & eastern India (which are only slightly smaller than Komodo dragons), and Bengal monitors. In the western & central part of the country are desert monitors, yellow monitors… & maybe more that I’m forgetting. Lol.

  • @swedishmetalbear
    @swedishmetalbear 8 місяців тому +6

    There was a mistake in the beginning. Komodo dragons are only found in "Indonesia" on one particular island called Pulang Komodo. Not India.. Which is far out in the Indonesian peninsula. Closer to Papua New Guinea than Java...

  • @Nero_Karel
    @Nero_Karel 9 місяців тому +9

    I haven't heard of that particular inscription at 18:03 before, but since Are marked his name with a K my first thought was that it might indicate "kristos". Immortalising his conversion from one religious affiliation to another as an "oath" of sorts would definitely make sense for the kind of background he would have come from

  • @vladlachow
    @vladlachow 8 місяців тому +5

    Takk for en lærerikt og bra presentert video

  • @Artur_M.
    @Artur_M. 9 місяців тому +4

    "Are was here!" 😉
    Seriously though, its an amazing video.

  • @josephjude1290
    @josephjude1290 9 місяців тому +6

    Great information and visuals

  • @TheTubeTube2
    @TheTubeTube2 8 місяців тому +1

    Really interesting with loads of information and clarity. I very much liked and appreciated this excellent episode, thank you!

  • @perun814
    @perun814 8 місяців тому +5

    No country was more influenced in europe more by the Greeks than Russia
    Historically known as Daria or Hyperborea to the Greeks.
    Problem that Germany somehow ended up Romanised while Russia ended up Helenised.

  • @johnfisk811
    @johnfisk811 8 місяців тому +4

    Just at the tail end of your main period, did the English settlements around the mouth of the Sea of Azov have any role in the Viking trade? They persisted into the 14th century.

  • @PlasmaticMink
    @PlasmaticMink 8 місяців тому +1

    God damn UA-cam didn't send me a notification for this video...
    Well, at least I found it now.

  • @Sviareik
    @Sviareik 8 місяців тому +1

    Awesome vid

  • @denniswrande6004
    @denniswrande6004 2 місяці тому

    This is one of the best videos i have seen about the viking age and it is so interesting too learn about my the vikings too see how they traded and raided other villagers in the and made trade but they were so smart and strong in their way of dealing with other people and i feel the runes has an deep meaning and magical properties.

  • @NeonStreetRat252
    @NeonStreetRat252 8 місяців тому

    The history of the Byzantines and the Rus is one of those stories of history that does not get enough attention. Thank you for making this video.

  • @matthijsvancampen7901
    @matthijsvancampen7901 9 місяців тому +12

    “The treaty of 9/11” took me by surprise a little bit ahahaha

    • @davidbryden7904
      @davidbryden7904 9 місяців тому +1

      Have you heard of "the other 9/11," the Chilean coup d'etat of 1973?

    • @stephenchappell7512
      @stephenchappell7512 8 місяців тому +2

      Not as much of a coincidence
      as you might think 🤔

  • @HabsburgFanClub
    @HabsburgFanClub 8 місяців тому +1

    Could you possibly do a video on the different types/regions of vikings? Like Denmark? Thanks, I appreciate your content!

  • @okancanarslan3730
    @okancanarslan3730 7 місяців тому

    Nice documentary

  • @dasarath5779
    @dasarath5779 6 місяців тому +1

    you forgot to mention the livonians! they were an extremely important people in the duna route!

  • @ZS-rw4qq
    @ZS-rw4qq 9 місяців тому +3

    13:00 As a Slavic speaker (although a southern one) I would roughly translate Gnezdo(vo) to Nest

    • @vladlachow
      @vladlachow 8 місяців тому +4

      You are right. But Gnözdovo is just the name of a modern village that gave the name to the site. Most archaeologists agree that this site is the old Smolensk, before it was moved several kilometers eastwards after a devastative fire. That gave a great level of preservation to the old one.

  • @15425rfggdfc
    @15425rfggdfc Місяць тому

    Мы впитали в себя всех, кто приходил к нам...)

  • @williambrudvik4747
    @williambrudvik4747 9 місяців тому +1

    Does anyone know the name of the painting/painter of the bog ceremony at 15:47?

  • @Gudha_Ismintis
    @Gudha_Ismintis 9 місяців тому +2

    19:57 - Igor to prove himself 😁

  • @martinwinther6013
    @martinwinther6013 8 місяців тому +2

    That viking grafitti in the church, his name and a K..
    He was caught red-handed and didnt finish the full sentence, thats all there is to it.
    I know, I was there when it happend

  • @user-po8ke5vh2e
    @user-po8ke5vh2e 8 місяців тому +1

    holm - means hill or mound or small mount (in russian)- which were used to build a fort on it.

  • @Citypunk
    @Citypunk 8 місяців тому +3

    Daugmale and rest of the mouth of Daugava was controlled actually by Livonians and to enter the Riga bay you had to pass Osilia and deal with Osilians.

    • @olavirumvolt
      @olavirumvolt Місяць тому +1

      And sometimes counter problems there: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salme_ships

  • @jakkeledin4645
    @jakkeledin4645 8 місяців тому +1

    Vikings learn to road from Finns. FINNS were many times their navigators. Rome Tacitus tell how Finn come to ship and give sacrifacing to big stones of temple ( seita).
    Rurik and Oleg got Finns dna N1c.

  • @jakelynch5113
    @jakelynch5113 9 місяців тому +3

    I wonder how easily it would have been to affix skis of either wood or iron the the hulls of the smaller ships to then be used as sleds over the frozen rivers ?

    • @velisvideos6208
      @velisvideos6208 4 місяці тому

      A good point. One would have to support the ship on both sides to prevent it from falling over. Very simple trusses with rudimentary skis would have worked. For the Overland portage one would use logs laid on the ground to reduce friction. We still use them ( in Finland) when a boat needs pulling out of water. You would be surprised how well it works, wet timber has very low friction. With the proper profit motive, surely the Rus solved these minor technical issues.

  • @manchagojohnsonmanchago6367
    @manchagojohnsonmanchago6367 8 місяців тому +1

    one of the main reason for the decline of the scanidinavians trade was their conversion to catholisim and the lithuanians rise in power, being pagans.. they favored orthodox christians to trade with over the hostile Catholics

  • @rebralhunter6069
    @rebralhunter6069 8 місяців тому

    Anyone know what some of the background music is called/from? It sound so damn familiar but I just can't out my finger on it.

    • @jamesivey5573
      @jamesivey5573 7 місяців тому

      Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind!
      After thinking for ages I finally picked it out. Then I came to the comments to see if anyone else could confirm.
      I’m 99% sure (at least the first half of) it is from Morrowind, specifically walking in the southwest corner of the map (sea town you start in, Ebonheart, Balmora, up to Ald Ruhn)

  • @jansundvall2082
    @jansundvall2082 7 місяців тому +1

    Why do you not include the northern part of Swedes realm in your maps? The old great Hälsingland ( Hälsingland, Medelpad and Ångermanland) was since the beginning of the history populated from south and integrated in the Swede’s networks.

  • @jakkeledin4645
    @jakkeledin4645 8 місяців тому +1

    Daugava river = Väinä joki. Why Finns use have own names for road to Bysant?

  • @ZS-rw4qq
    @ZS-rw4qq 9 місяців тому +1

    13:20
    Was it in the Cyrillic script?

    • @ZS-rw4qq
      @ZS-rw4qq 9 місяців тому

      I'm completely speculating, but goreti/goriti can mean to burn - so it could be an urn?

  • @RosierJulio
    @RosierJulio 4 місяці тому

    Como fue la relacion de los eslavos y rus con los pechenegos??

  • @ZS-rw4qq
    @ZS-rw4qq 9 місяців тому +3

    2:00 Considering that Greek ch is usually a H sound, it looks like these boys were under a kha(ga)n

    • @nuperaa6617
      @nuperaa6617 5 місяців тому

      Why did they pick "amicii tăi"? That's Romanian

    • @ZS-rw4qq
      @ZS-rw4qq 5 місяців тому

      ​@@nuperaa6617I need to rewatch the video, was the source western or eastern?

    • @ZS-rw4qq
      @ZS-rw4qq 5 місяців тому

      ​@@nuperaa6617If it was an Eastern source, my guess would've been that Balkan latin had by that point evolved halfway between the classical Latin and modern Romanian.... Learning that the source was Frankish complicates my theory

    • @nuperaa6617
      @nuperaa6617 5 місяців тому +1

      @@ZS-rw4qq I found the source, the way he spoke the word made it sound Romanian. In the source the word is "amicitiae" and it's Latin, a bit far from Romanian "amicii tăi" nevertheless it's incredible how unknowingly he made it sound Romanian and it's incredible how there are still people that believe Romanian is Slavic and not a Latin based language.

  • @TRHARTAmericanArtist
    @TRHARTAmericanArtist 8 місяців тому +2

    I'm so glad that I didn't live back then. I would have spent all my time inventing the machine gun.

    • @ZS-rw4qq
      @ZS-rw4qq 5 місяців тому +1

      Americans... I'd be inventing hot showers and toilet paper

  • @nuperaa6617
    @nuperaa6617 5 місяців тому

    2:10 could you give me the source for that Saint? That "amicii tăi" is totally Romanian.

    • @nuperaa6617
      @nuperaa6617 5 місяців тому

      Nevermind, i found the text and it's "amicitiae" you made it sound so Romanian but it's simply Latin 😂

  • @karlnemliher167
    @karlnemliher167 5 місяців тому

    8:30 you forgot Livonians, Finnic tribe who actually controlled entrance to Daugava river.

  • @skurt9109
    @skurt9109 9 місяців тому +1

    💪🇸🇪

  • @Texasmade74
    @Texasmade74 5 місяців тому

    Nonsense the Rus didn't "convert" til 988 CE under Vladimir, one of the sons of Sviatoslav 1

  • @Sadoyasturadoglu
    @Sadoyasturadoglu 5 місяців тому +1

    "Chacanus" is nothing but the Latin pronunciation of "Khagan".

    • @ZS-rw4qq
      @ZS-rw4qq 5 місяців тому

      I thought that as well!

  • @Sp-zj5hw
    @Sp-zj5hw 9 місяців тому +38

    My mother's surname is Spadafora. We will never forgive the Normans for de-Hellenising southern Italy. Never...

    • @TeutonicEmperor1198
      @TeutonicEmperor1198 8 місяців тому

      yeah, f these guys!! your mother surname means "sword bearer"!

    • @donalddesrosiers761
      @donalddesrosiers761 8 місяців тому +18

      Geez I mean it was so long ago and I mean it's not like anyone alive is responsible for it...

    • @SneedPatch
      @SneedPatch 8 місяців тому +14

      Cry about it

    • @miloshp7399
      @miloshp7399 8 місяців тому +2

      😂

    • @daverogers1099
      @daverogers1099 7 місяців тому

      you don't have to forgive the Norman
      he doesn't want you to forgive him
      he doesn't care about your feelings
      he only needs you to obey your Lord
      learn your place and give thanks for the Norman defeated the Muslim menace
      in his time the Norman is the divine mechanism his Christian people prayed for to save them from the alien hostile Africans and Asians who would enslave all Normans and Italians
      be grateful

  • @dmytro2792
    @dmytro2792 9 місяців тому +2

    Thanks for an interesting video.
    Just a clarification, it's Kyiv not Kiev.

  • @waynemcauliffe-fv5yf
    @waynemcauliffe-fv5yf 8 місяців тому

    Might of taken some of more Irish ancestors there

  • @victoriathorlacius874
    @victoriathorlacius874 5 місяців тому

    Icelanders still call Swedes “Svíar”.

  • @TheAlwaysPrepared
    @TheAlwaysPrepared 8 місяців тому

    The largest city in europe is moscow. Just for the record.

  • @user-po8ke5vh2e
    @user-po8ke5vh2e 8 місяців тому +1

    now days in russia we discovered that all baltic and western vikings to the gals and frises and hollanders - were slavik and connected to russian slavs. same runes same ornaments same idols. even on albion (england) we were 1 huge family of slavs

  • @FamMitrevski
    @FamMitrevski 4 місяці тому

    The correct name for byzantium was and is Macedonia

  • @sodinc
    @sodinc 8 місяців тому +2

    It might be a good video, but the way you pronounce "varjag" hurts my ears 😅

  • @user-po8ke5vh2e
    @user-po8ke5vh2e 8 місяців тому +1

    @Baltic Empire if u r interested i can drop u a russian/hollander historian woman - she discovered alot about how slavs and all people u describe here were 1 family and had 1 language and stuff

  • @natalieflores7722
    @natalieflores7722 8 місяців тому

    'promo sm'

  • @georgekashuba1656
    @georgekashuba1656 8 місяців тому

    No Russian monk 1250 only Kievan Rus from today Ukraine.

    • @user-nc6vn3bt3v
      @user-nc6vn3bt3v 9 днів тому

      Не было никакой киевской руси! Была Русь

  • @perun814
    @perun814 8 місяців тому +2

    The Vings were terified of the Finnic and Slavic people .
    Indeed the rise of Ruthanins ended sweeden as northern power.
    The greeks historically hated the vikings.Calling them them the inbreed race

    • @SL7O7
      @SL7O7 8 місяців тому +1

      ruthenians ≠ moscovites

    • @dirksharp9876
      @dirksharp9876 8 місяців тому +2

      The Eastern Slavs literally asked Norsemen to rule them...

    • @jakkeledin4645
      @jakkeledin4645 8 місяців тому +3

      Vikings scare finnic tribes. Read sagas and learn!

    • @perun814
      @perun814 8 місяців тому

      @@dirksharp9876 no they didn't.the rus has newer been ruled by anyone.EVER.NOBODY COULD EVER CONQUER THAT REGION u INBREED.
      they are called ruthanians because of their extreme war like nature.In greece they are referred to as boreans or decenders of Boreans
      the vary word rus comez.from borus. BOREANS.
      NOT EVEN THE MONGOLS COOULD TAKE THEM.and in the end they beat both the Mongols and the germans
      it was germany that was historically rolled by prussians.not the other way around

    • @perun814
      @perun814 8 місяців тому

      @@dirksharp9876 where do u you think this tale.of ice giants and 10 foot tall.russians come.from.
      the idea that the russians were vikings actualy comes from a mistake. by a Arab scolar

  • @user-oc9cf3vw8i
    @user-oc9cf3vw8i 8 місяців тому

    At 2:30 the author mentions "russian" monk - the usage of current Russia name is not correct - the correct woul be Russ - the name os Medival Kievan Russ (see the capital is Kiev not Moskow)ю uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9F%D0%BE%D0%B2%D1%96%D1%81%D1%82%D1%8C_%D0%B2%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%BC%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%BD%D0%B8%D1%85_%D0%BB%D1%96%D1%82

    • @user-nc6vn3bt3v
      @user-nc6vn3bt3v 9 днів тому

      Не было никакой киевской руси! Была просто Русь. Столицы менялись, сначала был Новгород потом недолго Киев потом Москва

  • @olavirumvolt
    @olavirumvolt Місяць тому

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salme_ships