Timothy Snyder: The Making of Modern Ukraine. Class 5: Vikings, Slavers, Lawgivers: The Kyiv State

About this video

• Video Title: Vikings, Slavers, Lawgivers: The Kyiv State. Class 5: The Making of Modern Ukraine.
• Channel: YaleCourses
• Speakers: Timothy Snyder
• Duration: 51:27

Overview

In this lecture, Timothy Snyder discusses the formation of the Kyiv State, exploring the complex historical forces and particularities that led to its emergence. He examines the roles of Christianity (both Western and Byzantine), the Viking expansion, the economic context of the slave trade, and the influence of pre-existing Slavic states in shaping this new political entity around the year 1000. The lecture culminates with the conversion of Volodymyr the Great and the establishment of Kyiv as a significant state within the Byzantine sphere of influence, while also highlighting the inherent weaknesses in its system of succession.

Key takeaways

• Theories of State Formation: The lecture posits that states emerge from a combination of general causal forces (like Christianity and economic pressures) and specific historical circumstances, emphasizing that history is about possibility and human agency, not predetermination.
• Christianity as a Unifying Force: The spread of Christianity, particularly the rivalry and eventual interaction between Western and Byzantine forms, played a crucial role in state formation by offering legitimacy, a written language, and an order of recognized states that protected against enslavement.
• Viking Influence and Trade: The Viking Age, intertwined with the expansion of the Franks and Byzantines, saw Scandinavian groups, known as the Rus', establish trade routes down major rivers like the Dnipro to access Arab silver. Their activities, including slave trading, directly influenced the development of Eastern European polities.
• Kyiv as a Nexus: Kyiv emerged as a significant trading post and later a state due to its strategic location on the Dnipro River, facilitating north-south movement and acting as a meeting point for Viking expansion and Byzantine influence.
• The Conversion of Volodymyr: The conversion of Volodymyr the Great to Eastern Christianity in 988, driven by political opportunity and a strategic alliance with the Byzantine Empire, solidified the Kyiv State's place within the Byzantine world and marked a significant step in its development.
• Weaknesses of the Kyiv State: Despite its establishment, the Kyiv State suffered from a lack of a clear succession principle, leading to internal power struggles among the numerous heirs of its rulers, a weakness that would persist and impact its future.