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Kievan Rus'

Istakhri, a Persian geographer, wrote in the mid-tenth century: "The Rus are of three kinds The king of those nearest to Bulghar lives in the city called Kiev". Kiev and Novgorod were the two most important Scandinavian trading centres in Russia. Kiev was strategically located on the banks of the Dnieper, controlling the main trade routes of Eastern Europe between the Baltic and the Black Seas. The route from Kiev down to the Dnieper estuaries was particularly difficult, because the Varangians had to carry their boats and goods on their shoulders to bypass dangerous river rapids. After bypassing the rapids, they passed the mouth of the Dniester and the estuaries of the Danube, and travelled by Constanza, Varna and Mesembria to reach Constantinople. Interactions between the Kievan Rus' and then Byzantines were frequent but not always friendly. Raids against Constantinople alternated with trade and military support to Byzantium in the form of mercenary soldiers. The first naval attacks date to 860. A successful raid took place in 907 under Oleg, the first Kievan Prince. The outcome of this raid was a treaty between the Byzantine emperors Leo VI and Alexander with Oleg, stipulating the first Rus'-Byzantine trade relations. The Rus' would carry luxury items to Constantinople (furs, walrus ivory) and in turn they would take equipment for the trip back (ropes, sails and anchors), as well as luxury articles, such as Byzantine silks, gold, and wine. The same agreements allowed the Varangians to enter the Byzantine imperial military as mercenaries. A career in the army or navy of the Byzantine Empire appealed to the Varangians, because it entailed military training and action, lavish gifts, wealth, and prestige. The Byzantines also benefitted from the partnership, gaining protection at the empire's northern borders. The Rus'-Byzantine alliance was renewed in 971, with agreements between Svyatoslav, Grand Prince of Kiev and the Byzantine emperor John Tzimiskes. The alliance became closer with the marriage of Anna, sister of the Byzantine emperor Basil II, and  Vladimir the Great, Grand Prince of Kiev and Novgorod (r. 980-1015). Vladimir was baptised in 988 in Cherson. Through his relation to then Byzantine Imperial house he established Christianity as the official faith of the Kievan-Rus' state.  

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