Western Civilization I / Unit 10 WC1 0921 short lesson, about 20 seconds
The Rus, the Slave Trade, and the Varangians
Captions available
The idea
From the mid-eighth century Vikings rowed Russia's rivers to trade furs and amber with Byzantium and the Abbasids and to sell Slavs as slaves, bringing cash north. Invited to rule at Kiev, they became the Rus; the Varangian Guard served the emperor.
In practice
Russia's name comes from the Rus.
Where people slip
Slaving is the record; the words Slav and slave are linked.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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