Vladimir the Great is credited with transforming Kievan Rus into a true medieval state with Christianity at the heart of its sense of identity. The story is linked to the siege of the Crimean city of Cherson in 988 and the Byzantine Emperor Basil II the Bulgar Slayer
Monthly Archives: June 2016
Cherson 988 Part 2, Crimea and Black Sea 500BC-800AD
Brief history of Crimea and North Black Sea region 500BC-800 AD, during which time many different peoples having left their mark, including Greeks, Scythians, Romans, Goths, Byzantines, Bulgarians and Khazars
Cherson 988, Part 4, Early Kievan Rus. Rurik to Svyatoslav
The dynasty of Rurik builds the foundations of a new power in eastern Europe – Kievan Rus. Princess Olga takes vengeance on a rebel town by burning it down, but after converting to Christianity was later sainted. Her son, Syvatoslav defeats the Khazars and then tries to resettle his people in Bulgaria before his early death
Cherson 988 Part 3, Origins of the Slavs
The origins of the Slavs are shrouded in uncertainty. We rely on scraps of contemporary writings and later writings such as The Primary Chronicle of Kievan Rus. They tell us of the unification by Vikings of scattered tribes in the region of the Baltic – Black Sea waterways