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Viking Slave Trade in Eastern Europe

Type Event Region Europe Time 901–1000

In the 10th century, Vikings (Varangians) penetrated the Volga and Dnieper river systems, building a slave trade route from the Baltic to Byzantium a…

Timeline

  1. 901–930Novgorod · RussiaScandinavian Varangians entered Lake Ladoga and Novgorod via the Baltic, controlling local trade and extending east along the Volga and south along the Dnieper. They obtained Slavic tribal populations by force or trade, transporting them as goods.
  2. 882–970Kyiv · UkraineAfter the founding of Kievan Rus', Kyiv became the core of the Dnieper trade route, and Varangians and Slavic rulers jointly organized the southward trade in slaves, furs, honey, and beeswax. Byzantine sources record Rus' merchants carrying slaves to Constantinople for sale.
  3. 920–1000Constantinople · ByzantiumRus' caravans reached Constantinople via the Black Sea, selling slaves, furs, and amber to the Byzantine Empire; another route went down the Volga to the Caspian, trading with Abbasid merchants. The Arab geographer Ibn Fadlan recorded the Rus' slave trade of Volga Bulgaria, reflecting the scale of 10th-century trade.

Sources