Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-jbqgn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-01T20:11:42.306Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

19 - European Russia, c. 500–c. 1050

from PART III - NON-CAROLINGIAN EUROPE

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 March 2008

Timothy Reuter
Affiliation:
University of Southampton
Get access

Summary

introduction

Histories of European Russia during the early medieval era normally focus upon the origins and development of the Rus′ state centred at Kiev. This approach is, however, much too parochial. Politically, it ignores the Byzantine Crimea, the Khazar khaganate, and the Volga Bulgar amirate, the non-Rus′ states which existed in European Russia after 500 ad. Socially, it omits the vast majority of the population who did not belong to the ruling elites of these states. In order to reflect these new historical perspectives, this chapter will focus on two major themes: the peoples who inhabited European Russia and the states which sought to govern these peoples.

First, however, a few comments about terminology are necessary. There are no universally accepted terms in English for what is referred to here as European Russia. Most Soviet scholars used the phrase eastern Europe (Vostochnaia Evropa), which is fine except that many in the west consider Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and the Balkans as eastern Europe. On the other hand, Ukrainians and other non-Russians object to being classified as part of Russia, even if only for geographical purposes. With apologies to the non-Russians, European Russia has been adopted because it best describes in English the region being examined here. Great controversy also surrounds the use of the word Russian to describe the eastern Slavs and their state in the pre-Mongol era. Ukrainian scholars in particular have insisted that Rus′ is a far better term, especially since it was the word most used by the medieval east Slavic sources to denote themselves and their state. Since this argument has much merit, the term Rus′ will be employed here.

Type
Chapter
Information
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2000

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Arne, T. J. (1914), La Suède et L’Orient (Archives d’Etudes Orientales 8) , Uppsala
Bálint, C. (1981), ‘Some archaeological addenda to Golden’s Khazar studies’, Acta Orientalia Academiae Scientiarium Hungaricae 35 Google Scholar
Bálint, C. (1989), Die Archäologie der Steppe: Steppenvölker zwischen Volga und Donau vom 6. bis zum 10. Jahrhundert, Vienna and Cologne
Blum, J. (1953), ‘The beginnings of large-scale landownership in Russia’, Speculum 28 Google Scholar
Boba, I. (1967), Nomads, Northmen and Slavs: Eastern Europe in the Ninth Century, The Hague and Wiesbaden
Bolin, S. (1953), ‘Mohammed, Charlemagne, and Ruric’, Scandinavian Economic History Review 1 Google Scholar
Bulkin, V. A., Dubov, I.V. and Lebedev, G. S. (1978), Arkheologicheskie pamiatniki Drevnei Rusi IX–XI vekov, Leningrad
Byzantinische Zeitschrift and Russia Mediaevalis publish fairly comprehensive and annotated bibliographies of current research on early medieval European Russia.
Callmer, J. (1981), ‘The archaeology of Kiev ca. ad 500–1000: a survey’, Figura 19 Google Scholar
Callmer, J. (1987), ‘The archaeology of Kiev to the end of the earliest urban phase’, Harvard Ukrainian Studies 11 Google Scholar
Chadwick, N. (1946), The Beginnings of Russian History: An Enquiry into Sources, Cambridge
Chekin, L. S. (1990), ‘The rôle of Jews in early Russian civilization in the light of a new discovery and new controversies’, Russian History/Histoire Russe 17 Google Scholar
Cross, S. H. (1946), ‘The Scandinavian infiltration into early Russia’, Speculum 21 Google Scholar
Cross, S. H., and Conant, K. J. (1936), ‘The earliest mediaeval churches of Kiev’, Speculum 11 Google Scholar
Davidson, H. R. E. (1976), The Viking Road to Byzantium, London
Dejevsky, N. J. (1977), ‘The Varangians in Soviet archaeology today’, Mediaeval Scandinavia 10 Google Scholar
Dubov, I. V. (ed.) (1988), Istoriko-arkheologicheskoe izuchenie Drevnei Rusi: Itogi i osnovnye pro-blemy (Slaviano-russkie drevnosti 1) , Leningrad
Dunlop, D. M. (1954), The History of the Jewish Khazars, Princeton
Dvornik, F. (1956), The Slavs: Their Early History and Civilization, Boston
Eck, A. (1933), Le Moyen Agerusse, Paris, ch. 1
Ericsson, K. (1966), ‘The earliest conversion of the Rus′ to Christianity’, Slavonic and East European Review 44 Google Scholar
Fakhrutdinov, R. G. (1984), Ocherki po istorii Volzhskoi Bulgarii, Moscow
Froianov, I. Ia. (1980), Kievskaia Rus′: Ocherki sotsial’nopoliticheskoi istorii, Leningrad
Froianov, I. Ia. (19851986), ‘Large-scale ownership of land and the Russian economy in the tenth to twelfth centuries’, Soviet Studies in History 24, no. 4 Google Scholar
Froianov, I. Ia. (1990), Kievskaia Rus′: Ocherki otechestvennoi istoriografii, Leningrad
Gimbutas, M. (1963), The Balts (Ancient Peoples and Places) , New York
Gimbutas, M. (1971), The Slavs (Ancient Peoples and Places) , London
Golb, N., and Pritsak, O. (1982), Khazarian Hebrew Documents of the Tenth Century, Ithaca and London
Golden, P. B. (1980), Khazar Studies: An Historico-Philological Inquiry into the Origins of the Khazars, 1, Budapest
Golden, P. B. (1982a), ‘Imperial ideology and the sources of political unity amongst the pre-Cinggisid nomads of Western Eurasia’, Archivum Eurasiae Medii Aevi 2 Google Scholar
Golden, P. B. (1982b), ‘The question of the Rus′ Qaganate’, Archivum Eurasiae Medii Aevi 2 Google Scholar
Golden, P. B. (1983), ‘Khazaria and Judaism’, Archivum Eurasiae Medii Aevi 3 Google Scholar
Golden, P. B. (1990a), ‘The peoples of the Russian forest belt’, in Sinor, D. (ed.), The Cambridge History of Inner Asia, Cambridge Google Scholar
Golden, P. B. (1990b), ‘The peoples of the South Russian steppes’, in Sinor, D. (ed.), The Cambridge History of Inner Asia, Cambridge Google Scholar
Goldina, R. D. (1985), Lomovatovskaia kul’tura v verkhmem Prikam’e, Irkutsk
Grekov, B. (1959), Kiev Rus, Moscow
Hajdú, P. (1975), Finno-Ugrian Languages and Peoples, London
Hellie, R. (1971), Enserfment and Military Change in Muscovy, Chicago
Hellmann, M. (1962), ‘Die Heiratspolitik Jaroslavs des Weisen’, Forschungen zur osteu-ropäischen Geschichte 8 Google Scholar
Hellmann, M. (ed.) (1976), Handbuch der Geschichte Russlands, 1, Parts 1–6, Stuttgart
Hrbek, I. (1960), ‘Bulghār’, Encyclopaedia of Islam, 2nd edn, 1, Leiden Google Scholar
Ioannisyan, O. M. (1990), ‘Archaeological evidence for the development and urbanization of Kiev from the 8th to the 14th centuries’, in Austin, D. and Alcock, L. (eds.), From the Baltic to the Black Sea: Studies in Medieval Archaeology (One World Archaeology 18), London Google Scholar
Khalikov, A. Kh. (19771978), ‘The culture of the peoples of the middle Volga in the tenth through the thirteenth centuries’, Soviet Anthropology and Archaeology 16, no. 1 Google Scholar
Khazanov, A. M. (1984), Nomads and the Outside World (Cambridge Studies in Social Anthropology 44), Cambridge
Kipersky, V. (1952), ‘The earliest contacts of the Russians with the Finns and Balts’, Oxford Slavonic Papers 3 Google Scholar
Kluchevsky, V. O. (1960), A History of Russia, I, New York
Kodolányi, J. (1976), ‘North Eurasian hunting, fishing, and reindeer-breeding civilizations’, in Hajdú, P. (ed.), Ancient Cultures of the Uralian Peoples, Budapest Google Scholar
Liapushkin, I. I. (1968), Slaviane Vostochnoi Evropy nakanune obrazovaniia Drevnerusskogo gosudarstva (Materialy i issledovaniia po arkheologii SSSR 152), Leningrad
Macartney, C. A. (1929–30), ‘The Petchenegs’, SEER 8
Maenchen-Helfen, O. J. (1973), The World of the Huns: Studies in their History and Culture, Berkeley
Magomedov, M. G. (1983), Obrazovanie khazarskogo kaganata, Moscow
Martin, J. (1986), Treasure of the Land of Darkness: The Fur Trade and its Significance for Medieval Russia, Cambridge
Mezentsev, V. I. (1986), ‘The emergence of the Podil and the genesis of the city of Kiev: problems of dating’, Harvard Ukrainian Studies 10 Google Scholar
Mezentsev, V. I. (1989), ‘The territorial and demographic development of medieval Kiev and other major cities of Rus′: a comparative analysis based on recent archaeological research’, Russian Review 48 Google Scholar
Mikheev, V. K. (1985), Podon′e v sostave Khazarskogo Kaganata, Khar′′kov
Mühle, E. (1987), ‘Die Anfänge Kievs (bis ca. 980) in archäologischer Sicht: ein Forschungsbe richt’, Jahrbücher für Geschichte Osteuropas 35 Google Scholar
Mühle, E. (1988), ‘Die topographisch-städtebauliche Entwicklung Kievs vom Ende des 10. bis zum Ende des 12. Jh. im Licht archäologischen Forschungen’, Jahrbücher für Geschichte Osteuropas 36 Google Scholar
Müller, L. (ed.) (19771979), Handbuch der Nestorchronik, 3 vols.. (Forum Slavicum 48–50), Munich
Noonan, T. S. (1978), ‘Cherniakhovo Culture’, in Modern Encyclopedia of Russian and Soviet History IV, Gulf Breeze Google Scholar
Noonan, T. S. (1980), ‘When and how dirhams first reached Russia: a numismatic critique of the Pirenne theory’, Cahiers du Monde Russe et Soviétique 11 Google Scholar
Noonan, T. S. (1984), ‘Why dirhams first reached Russia: the rôle of Arab–Khazar relations in the development of the earliest Islamic trade with Eastern Europe’, Archivum Eurasiae Medii Aevi 4 Google Scholar
Noonan, T. S. (1985), ‘Furs, fur trade’, in Dictionary of the Middle Ages, New York, VGoogle Scholar
Noonan, T. S. (1986), ‘Why the Vikings first came to Russia’, Jahrbücher für Geschichte Osteuropas 34 Google Scholar
Noonan, T. S. (1988), ‘Technology transfer between Byzantium and Eastern Europe: a case study of the glass industry in early Russia’, in Chiat, M. J. and Reyerson, K. L. (eds.), The Medieval Mediterranean: Cross-cultural Contacts, St. Cloud, MN Google Scholar
Noonan, T. S. (1989), The Millennium of Russia’s First Perestroika: The Origins of a Kievan Glass Industry under Prince Vladimir (Kennan Institute Occasional Paper 233), Washington, DC
Noonan, T. S. (1992), ‘Byzantium and the Khazars: a special relationship?’, in Shepard, J. and Franklin, S. (eds.), Byzantine Diplomacy, Aldershot Google Scholar
Nosov, E. N. (1990), Novgorodskoe (riurikovo) Gorodishche, Leningrad
Obolensky, D. (1971), The Byzantine Commonwealth: Eastern Europe 500–1453, London
Oborin, V. (1976), Drevnee iskusstvo narodov Prikam′ia: Permskii zverinyi stil′, Perm
Paszkiewicz, H. (1954), The Origin of Russia, London and New York
Paszkiewicz, H. (1963), The Making of the Russian Nation, London
Poppe, A. (1976), ‘The political background of the baptism of Rus′: Byzantine–Russian relations between 986–89’, Dumbarton Oaks Papers 30 Google Scholar
Poppe, A. (1980), ‘Das Reich der Rus′ in 10. und 11. Jahrhundert: Wandel der Ideenwelt’, Jahrbücher für Geschichte Osteuropas 28 Google Scholar
Poppe, A. (1982), The Rise of Christian Russia, London
Pritsak, O. (1970), ‘An Arabic text of the trade route of the corporation of Ar-Rūs in the second half of the ninth century’, Folia Orientalia 12 Google Scholar
Pritsak, O. (1975), ‘The Pecenegs: a case of social and economic transformation’, Archivum Eurasiae Medii Aevi 1 Google Scholar
Pritsak, O. (1978), ‘The Khazar kingdom’s conversion to Judaism’, Harvard Ukrainian Studies 2 Google Scholar
Pritsak, O. (1981), The Origin of Rus′, 1: Old Scandinavian Sources other than the Sagas, Cambridge, MA
Rispling, G. (1990), ‘The Volga-Bulgarian imitative coinage of al-Amir Yaltawar (“Barman”) and Mikhail b. Jafar’, in Jonsson, K. and Malmer, B. (eds.), Sigtuna Papers: Proceedings of the Sigtuna Symposium on Viking-Age Coinage (Commentationes de Nummis Saeculorum IX–XI in Suecia Repertis. Nova Series 6), Stockholm and London Google Scholar
Rybakov, B. (1965), Early Centuries of Russian History, Moscow
Sakharov, A. N. (19781979), ‘The “diplomatic recognition” of ancient Rus (ad 860)’, Soviet Studies in History 17, no. 4 Google Scholar
Sawyer, P. H. (1982), Kings and Vikings: Scandinavia and Europe, AD 700–1100, London and New York
Schramm, G. (1980), ‘Die erste Generation der altrussischen Fürstendynastie. Philologische Argumente für die Historizität von Rjurik und seinen Brüdern’, Jahrbücher für Geschichte Osteuropas 28 Google Scholar
Sedov, V. V. (1982), Vostochnye slaviane v VI–XIIIvv. (Arkheologiia SSSR), Moscow
Sedov, V. V. (ed.) (1985), Srednevekovaia Ladoga: Novye arkheologischeskie otkytiia i issledova-niia, Leningrad
Sedov, V. V. (ed.) (1987), Finno-ugry i baly v epokhu srednevekhov′ia (Arkheologiia SSSR), Moscow
Ševčenko., I. (1971), ‘The date and author of the so-called fragments of Toparcha Gothicus’, Dumbarton Oaks Papers 25 Google Scholar
Shepard, J. (1974), ‘Some problems of Russo–Byzantine relations ca. 860–ca. 1050’, SEER 52 Google Scholar
Shepard, J. (19781979), ‘Why did the Russians attack Byzantium in 1043?’, Byzantinisch-Neugriechischen Jahrbücher 22 Google Scholar
Shepard, J. (1979), ‘The Russian-Steppe frontier and the Black Sea zone’, Archeion Pontou 35 Google Scholar
Shepard, J., and Franklin, S. (1996), The Emergence of Rus, 750–1200, London
Smedley, J. (1979), ‘Archaeology and the history of Cherson: a survey of some results and problems’, Archeion Pontou 35 Google Scholar
Smith, R. E. F. (1977), Peasant Farming in Muscovy, Cambridge
Smith, R. E. F. (1959), The Origins of Farming in Russia, Paris and The Hague
Sorlin, I. (1961), ‘Les Traités de Byzance avec la Russie au xe siècle’, Cahiers du Monde Russe et Soviétique 2 Google Scholar
Stalsberg, A. (1982), ‘Scandinavian relations with northwestern Russia during the Viking Age: the archaeological evidence’, Journal of Baltic Studies 13 Google Scholar
Stokes, A. D. (19611962), ‘The Balkan campaigns of Svyatoslav Igorevich’, SEER 40 Google Scholar
Stokes, A. D. (19611962), ‘The background and chronology of the Balkan campaigns of Svyatoslav Igorevich’, SEER 40 Google Scholar
Sverdlov, M. B. (19821983), ‘Family and commune in Ancient Rus′, Soviet Studies in History 21, no. 2 Google Scholar
Tatishchev, V. N. (1963), Istoriia Rossiiskaia, II, Moscow and Leningrad
Thomsen, V. (1877), The Relations between Ancient Russia and Scandinavia and the Origin of the Russian State, Oxford and London
Váňa, Z. (1983), The World of the Ancient Slavs, Detroit
Varangian, (1970), Varangian Problems (Scando-Slavica Supplementum 1), Copenhagen
Vasiliev, A. A. (1946), The Russian Attack on Constantinople in 860, Cambridge, MA
Vasiliev, A. A. (1951), ‘The second Russian attack on Constantinople’, Dumbarton Oaks Papers 6 Google Scholar
Vernadsky, G. (1948), Kievan Russia (A History of Russia, ed. Vernadsky, G. and Karpovich, M., 2), New Haven
Vlasto, A. P. (1970), The Entry of the Slavs into Christendom: An Introduction to the Medieval History of the Slavs, Cambridge
Vodoff, V. (1988), Naissance de la Chrétienté russe: la conversion du prince Vladimir de Kiev (989) et ses conséquences, Paris
Vorren, Ø., and Manker, E. (1962), Lapp Life and Customs, Oxford
Wozniak, F. (1984), ‘Byzantium, the Pechenegs, and the Khazars in the tenth century: the limitations of a great power’s influence on its clients’, Archivum Eurasiae Medii Aevi 4 Google Scholar
Zakhoder, B. N. (19621967), Kaspiiskii svod svedenii o Vostochnoi Evrope, 2 vols., Moscow
Zguta, R. (1975), ‘Kievan coinage’, SEER 53 Google Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×