The Viking Rus and the Khazars. Points of Contact in the 9th and 10th centuries.

Abstract

Eastern Vikings, or Rus as they were usually named by contemporary writers, engaged in diverse activities to sustain themselves; they raided and plundered their neighbors, but they also engaged in trade and acted as merchants and middlemen for various goods. In addition, they also functioned as bodyguards (e.g. the Varangian guards at Constantinople). Of particular note is the unique relationship between the Rus and the khaganate of Khazaria that is attested to in various sources. For example, the Khazars permitted the Rus access to the Caspian Sea for the purpose of pursuing trade, the Rus functioned as bodyguards for the Khazarian ruler, and the sources (primarily written in Arabic) present the ruler of the Rus as the “Rus Khagan”. The use of this title is quite odd since it was not a title that could simply be borrowed by non-Turkic peoples. The most convincing hypothesis put forth by one of the primary experts in the field, argues that the presence of a “Rus Qağanate” suggests a vassal-lord relationship between the Rus and the Khazars. That is, the Rus would have to have been subordinate to the Khazars for such a title to have been legitimate. As of yet though, this unique relationship between the Rus and the Khazars has not yet been fully explored and modern scholarship has not yet pursued this question in great detail. Therefore, this thesis will seek to provide an overview of the Rus-Khazar contacts as well as provide some further insight to the rapport that clearly exists between these two peoples. This approach is essential to further clarifying the broader question of Viking involvement in the East. This topic and the geographical region involved receive far less attention than Viking and Scandinavian activities in Western Europe (this is in part due to the majority of sources being in Arabic). A more in-depth consideration of Eastern Scandinavian activities would create a fuller and clearer picture of the Viking impact on the early Medieval World. The desired outcome of such research is to determine with greater accuracy the relationship between the Scandinavian Rus peoples and the Turkic tribes (specifically the Khazars) around them, and to provide a launch pad for further research.

Austrænir víkingar og Khazarar: samband þeirra á níundu og tíundu öldAustrænir víkingar, eða Rus eins og þeir voru jafnan kallaðir af samtímaheimildamönnum, stunduðu bæði strandhögg og ránsferðir en líka kaupmennsku, og voru jafnvel í sérstökum lífvarðasveitum eins og hjá keisaranum í Konstantínópel. Samband Rus og Khazara er um margt sérstakt og vitnisburður um það hefur varðveist í mörgum heimildum. Khazarar leyfðu Rus t.d. að komast um Volgu inn á Kaspíahaf til að versla, Rus voru lífverðir fyrir leiðtoga Khazara, og sumar arabískar heimildir tala um Rus Khagan, eða khan. Þessi titill er óvenjulegur þar sem hann var einungis notaður meðal túrkískra þjóða. Ein sterkasta kenning sem hefur komið fram er líklega hafi verið til einskonar Rus Kaghanat, í tengslum við veldi Khazara. Rus urðu þannig að hafa verið undir stjórn Khazara til að geta notað þennann titil. Hið einstaka samband Rus og Khazara hefur hins vegar ekki verið skoðað til hlítar í fræðunum, og þessari ritgerð er ætlað að vera framlag í þá umræðu. Þetta efni getur enn fremur varpað frekara ljósi á sögu víkinga í Austurvegi, sem gjarnan hefur notið mun minni athygli en saga þeirra í vestri (ekki síst vegna þess að flestar heimildirnar eru á arabísku). Nánari skoðun á umsvifum austrænna víkinga gefur okkur skýrari mynd af áhrifum víkinga á heim miðalda. Dýpri skilningur á sambandi hinna skandínavísku Rus og túrkískra ættbálka (sérstaklega Khazara) er lykilatriði, og getur reynst stökkpallur fyrir frekari rannsóknir.