Rus: Did you mean...?

Birka, located on the island of Björkö in present-day Sweden, was an important trading center and strongly fortified town in the Viking Age which flourished from the 8th through the 10th centuries CE. Along with the town of Hedeby which is...

Nikephoros II Phokas was Byzantine emperor from 963 to 969 CE. Known as “White Death of the Saracens,” Nikephoros was a fearsome commander who conquered Crete, Cilicia, and much of Syria. While he is known as a great military commander, he...

A 19th century CE fresco by Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov in kieve depicting the baptism of the Kievan Rus leader Saint Prince Vladimir (r. 980-1015 CE)

Olga of Kiev, who is better known as Saint Olga (d. 969) of the Kievan Rus. After her husband, Igor of Kiev (r. 912-945) is killed by the Drevlian tribe (a tribe of Early East Slavs), Olga seeks bloody vengeance and achieves this, among others...

A 15th century CE manuscript illustration showing the revenge of Princess Olga (d. c. 969 CE) of the Kievan Rus on the Drevlians, who had killed her husband, Igor of Kiev (912-945 CE)

St. Sophia's Cathedral, Novgorod, Russia. It was first built c. 1037 CE by the Kievan Rus king Yaroslav I (c. 1019-1054 CE)

Guests from Overseas, oil on canvas painting from the series Beginnings of the Rus by Nicholas Roerich, 1901. Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow.

The Mongol Empire (1206-1368) was founded by Genghis Khan (r. 1206-1227), first Great Khan or 'universal ruler' of the Mongol peoples. Genghis forged the empire by uniting nomadic tribes of the Asian steppe and creating a devastatingly effective...

Genghis Khan (aka Chinggis Khan) was the founder of the Mongol Empire which he ruled from 1206 until his death in 1227. Born Temujin, he acquired the title of Genghis Khan, likely meaning 'universal ruler’, after unifying the Mongol tribes...

The Hanseatic League (also known as Hansa, Hanse, 1356-1862 CE) was a federation of north German towns and cities formed in the 12th century CE to facilitate trade and protect mutual interests. The league was centered in the German town of...