{"product_id":"vikings-in-the-east-from-vladimir-the-great-to-vladimir-putin-the-origins-of-a-contested-legacy-in-russia-and-ukraine","title":"Vikings in the East: From Vladimir the Great to Vladimir Putin - The Origins of a Contested Legacy in Russia and Ukraine","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn Western Europe, we typically\nassociate Vikings with the storm-tossed waters of the North Sea and the North\nAtlantic, the deep Scandinavian fjords and the attacks on the monasteries and\nsettlements of north-western Europe. This popular image rarely includes the\nriver systems of Russia and Ukraine, the wide sweep of the Eurasian steppe, the\nfar shores of the Caspian Sea, the incense and rituals of the Eastern Orthodox\nChurch and the high walls and towers of the city of Constantinople. Yet for\nmany Viking raiders, traders and settlers, it was the road to the East that\nbeckoned.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThese Viking adventurers founded\nthe Norse-Slavic dynasties of the Rus, which are entangled in the bitterly\ncontested origin myths of Russia and Ukraine. The Rus were the first community\nin the region to convert to Christianity - in its Eastern Orthodox form - and\nso they are at the heart of the concept of 'Holy Russia'. Russian rulers have\nfrequently referenced these Norse origins when trying to enhance their power\nand secure control over the Ukrainian lands, most recently demonstrated by\nVladimir Putin as his justification for seizing Crimea and invading Ukraine.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn this fascinating and timely\nbook, historian Martyn Whittock explores the important but often misunderstood\nand manipulated role played by the Vikings in the origins of Russian power, the\ndeadly consequences of which we are still living with today. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHardback | 304 pages | Published April 2025\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Biteback Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":63956803191133,"sku":"9781785909054","price":25.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0978\/3459\/8749\/files\/9781785909054.jpg?v=1774263763","url":"https:\/\/www.thebookmark.ie\/products\/vikings-in-the-east-from-vladimir-the-great-to-vladimir-putin-the-origins-of-a-contested-legacy-in-russia-and-ukraine","provider":"The Bookmark ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}