Early Formation of the Varangians (Rus')

Name: Early Formation of the Varangians (Rus')
Start: 701
End: 800

Type Event Region Eastern Europe Time 701–800

In the 8th century, Varangians from Scandinavia entered the East European forests via the Volga and Dnieper trade routes, establishing bases at Ladog…

Timeline

701–750Ladoga · Northwestern RussiaScandinavian Varangian merchants traveled south from the Baltic Sea via Lake Ladoga, the Volkhov River, and the Volga River, trading with the Khazar Khaganate and the Abbasid Caliphate while establishing seasonal trading posts in the East European forests.
750–800Around Lake Ilmen · Northwestern RussiaAs armed merchants, the Varangians formed hire-and-protection relationships with local Slavic tribes and controlled the "Route from the Varangians to the Greeks" trade line. Archaeological evidence shows an increase of Nordic artifacts at Ladoga and elsewhere, foreshadowing Rurik's founding of a state in the 9th century.

Sources

The Viking Age: A Reader — Angus A. Somerville and R. Andrew McDonald (2010)
The Primary Chronicle (Tale of Bygone Years)