Kievan Rus' - powerful medieval State

[Layla1971]

After the successful invasion of England by the Norman's however, a large number of Anglo-Saxons and Danes immigrated to the Byzantine Empire by way of the Mediterranean. One source has more than 5,000 of them arriving in 235 ships. Those who did not enter imperial service were settled on the Black Sea, but those who did became so vital to the Varangians that it was commonly called the Englinvarrangoi from that point. In this capacity they were able to war against the Normans under Robert Guiscard in Sicily, who unsuccessfully sought to invade the lower Balkans as well.

The duties and purpose of the Varangian Guard was similar to - if not identical - to the services provided by the Kievan druzhina, the Scandinavian vikinge-lag, and the Anglo-Saxon and Danish huscarls. The Varrangoi served as the personal lifehuard of the emperor, swearing an oath of loyalty to him; they had ceremonial duties as retainers and acclaimers and police duties similar to the American Secret Service especially with regard to cases of treason and conspiracy. Naturally, they served at the emperor's side when he was on campaign. The guard performed all these duties superbly: it was one of the fiercest and most loyal elements of the Byzantine army. Similar to their distant brethren, the Varangians' main weapon was a long axe, although they were often skilled swordsmen or archers as well. They were the only element of the army to successfully defend part of Constantinople during the Fourth Crusade. Although the Guard was apparently disbanded after the city's capture in 1204, there are some indications that it was revived either by the Empire of Nicaea or the Palaeologid emperors themselves.

It is neither unusual nor particularly Byzantine that a foreign unit would gain such access and prestige. Augustus himself had a personal guard of Germans, the Collegium Custodum Corporis or Germani Corporis Custodes, to protect himself from the native Praetorians. This guard was revived by Tiberius and continued until Nero.

One of the most famous members of the Varangian Guard was the future king Harald III of of Norway known as Harald Hardraada ("Hardreign"), who arrived in Constantinople in 1035. He participated in eighteen battles and became the Akolythos ("Acolyte," the title of the commander of the guard) before returning home in 1043. The exiled English prince Edgar Aetheling may also have served with the Guard around 1098.

[Layla1971]

And I was reading about the possible origins of the name, but I can't remember where I was reading it or what the origins were, I'll find the info and let you know, if you want.

[Layla1971]

I said that I had some info about the origins of the name Rus' and I found the book I was reading.

It says that the Eastern Slavs never used the word 'Rus' to describe the Vikings(including the Verangians). They had used the word 'varyagi' or Verangians.

The word Rus' had been used by the Greeks in their chronicles since about 200, so it isn't likely that the Vikings from Scandinavia created the name when they came to power in Novgorod and then, Kiev in 860.

Arabs in the mid-8th century were very specific in describing the location of Rus as a Kingdom on middle Dnieper around Kiev, in the lands of the Eastern Slav Polyane tribal Union. Interestingly Verangians don't appear in Kiev until 860 and in fact their first arrival in Russia is dated as 750 in Staraya Lodoga.

Also the river Ros' flows through the lands once populated by a Slav Polyane tribal Union at the centre of the future Kievan Rus' in the area adjacent to Kiev(Kyiv).

When Andriy, the prince (knyaz) of Vladimir planned an attack on Kiev, he said that he was "going against the Rus'".

This and other evidence supports the opinion that even in Kievan Rus' , the word "Rus" implied the Southern Rus' lands, namely the principalities of Kiev, Chernihov and Pereyaslavl (possibly, even Galich and Volhyn). The question then is why would one not use the word Rus' for Novgorod, where Rurik had taken up power initially, if Rurik and the Verangians had created the name 'Rus'.

My opinion is that the name has Slavic origins and that the Verangians used a name already used for the land they had taken control of.

I would be happy to hear your opinion on this Cuervo.:)

[Layla1971]

Originally Posted by cuervo

is that Rurik's Varagians called by other Scandinavian tribes 'Rus'from a word similar to 'row'or the 'one who rows'because they were rowing up and down Baltica sea,before they be established in Kiev....

I think I've finally found the info that may answer your question cuervo.
According to the Normanist Theory the word ‘Rus’ was adopted by Slavs from the Norse root, directly or through Finnish.

In Old Norse the word roughly means row, which could have referred to the Varangians mostly rowing through the waterways of East Europe.

Layla:)

[sofajr]

еthe orogin of the RUS word is still controversal in our country.
there are some opinions: first of all Rus came from Ros - its a a name of a feeder of Dnepr river. the second, Rus has a connection with the name of indigenous people Russyi or Rossyi.the third is: according to Tacit (ancient historian) people of Rutyi (rugy) lived on the current territory of Russian Federation. and the one another is the name Rus came from latin word RUS - countryside of greek Rusios (no sure the spelling is correct) means red colour.
specialists have more than dozens of theories, but we may never know which one is correct.

[chancellor]

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