The Rus’ in Their Own Words

Exploring the Novgorodian birchbark manuscripts

Birch trees are very common in the eastern Slavic lands where they have strong cultural and historical significance. (image taken by Psihonavt20–21)

Let me take you back to the Middle Ages. A time when there was neither Russia nor Ukraine, but a powerful and growing realm whose lands covered a massive part of eastern and northern Europe. This is Kyivan Rus’, an eastern Slavic federation with Nordic roots that lasted from the 9th century to the Mongolian invasion in 1240 AD.

The inhabitants of these lands were aptly known as the Rus’. Despite the fall of Kyivan Rus’ and the centuries of conflict and power struggle that followed, the Rus’ people themselves have persisted throughout the ages, eventually becoming Ukrainians, Russians, and Belarusians.

One can only read the history of the Rus’ with fascination; for centuries, no Byzantine, Turkic, or Teutonic force could ever best them — not even the Golden Horde could get its hands on one of the most important cities to the Rus’ only behind Kyiv:

“Novgoro(c)d” (Letter No. 281)

Новъгородъ, the great city of Novgorod.

Novgorod was one of the earliest and most significant cities in Kyivan Rus’ history and even outlived Kyivan Rus’ itself for another 230 years. What started off as the…