The Rus: How Vikings Built the First Russian State

Viking Horsemen of the Steppe: The Rus in the East

When we picture Vikings, we think of longships and the North Sea. But in the 9th and 10th centuries, Swedish Vikings known as the Rus pushed deep into the rivers of Eastern Europe, trading furs and slaves for silver dirhams from the Abbasid Caliphate. This episode follows their journey from the Baltic to the Black and Caspian Seas, where they fought as mercenaries and pirates, and founded the first dynastic states of what would become Russia and Ukraine. We explore the controversial role of the Rus in the emergence of the Kievan state, their encounters with the Khazar Khaganate and the Byzantine Empire, and the archaeological evidence from sites like Staraya Ladoga, Gnezdovo, and the island of Berezan. Lucas and Luna discuss the Arabic sources — Ibn Rusta, Ibn Fadlan, and the mysterious 'Rus' described in their accounts — and ask whether the Rus were more traders or warriors, and how much they truly 'founded' a civilization. A story of axes, amber, and the great river routes that linked Scandinavia to the Silk Road. #Rus #KievanRus #VikingsInTheEast #StarayaLadoga #Gnezdovo #IbnFadlan #Khazars #Varangians #Dirhams #EasternEurope #VikingAge #Slavs #Berezan #TradeRoutes #History #FexingoHistory #Podcast #SilkRoad Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

Viking Runestones: Messages Carved in Stone

Before the Norse sagas were written down, Vikings carved their stories into stone. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the world of runestones — memorials, boasts, and curses raised by Viking Age Scandinavians. They examine famous examples like the Jelling stones raised by Harald Bluetooth, the Rök stone with its cryptic riddles, and the Kjula runestone that commemorates a Viking campaign. They discuss the transition from the Elder Futhark to the Younger Futhark, the rise of Christian runestones in the 11th century, and what these monuments reveal about Viking identity, trade, and conversion. Along the way, they touch on key runestone types: memorial stones, journey stones, and the rare 'curse stones' that invoke Thor to protect the dead. This episode digs into the physical and spiritual world of runic inscriptions, showing how stone became a medium for fame, faith, and family. #Runestones #VikingAge #YoungerFuthark #ElderFuthark #JellingStones #HaraldBluetooth #RökStone #KjulaRunestone #Thor #VikingConversion #Runology #Denmark #Sweden #NorseCulture #FexingoHistory #Podcast #History #Scandinavia Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

The Battle of Stiklestad: How Olaf Haraldsson Made Norway Christian

In 1030, at Stiklestad in central Norway, King Olaf Haraldsson fell in battle against a coalition of Norwegian chieftains backed by Danish King Cnut the Great. Olaf's death didn't end the fight—it started a cult. Within a year, he was declared a saint, and his story reshaped Norway's identity. Lucas and Luna trace the events leading to Stiklestad: Olaf's rise as a Viking leader, his conversion in Rouen, his brutal Christianization campaigns—breaking temples, executing chieftains, banning old customs—and the backlash that forced him into exile in Novgorod. They explore the battle itself: the terrain, the forces, Olaf's fatal wound from a spear and axe. Then they unpack the aftermath: how Bishop Grimkell's declaration of Olaf's sanctity in 1031 transformed a defeated king into Rex Perpetuus Norvegiae, and how his shrine at Nidaros became the spiritual heart of medieval Norway. They also touch on the long-term consequences—the Christianization of Scandinavia, the decline of the thing's independence, and the paradoxical legacy of a king who used violence to impose peace under one God. #BattleOfStiklestad #OlafHaraldsson #StOlaf #Christianization #Norway #VikingAge #Stiklestad #Nidaros #CnutTheGreat #Grimkell #Novgorod #Rouen #Þing #RexPerpetuus #MedievalScandinavia #History #FexingoHistory #VikingConversion Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

How Viking Swords Forged a Legend

Lucas and Luna explore the cultural and practical significance of Viking swords, focusing on the Ulfberht blades found across Northern Europe. They discuss how these high-carbon steel swords were made using techniques far ahead of their time, why they may have come from the Rhineland, and how they became status symbols buried with warriors from Norway to the Volga. The episode also touches on sword naming traditions, the role of swords in Viking poetry and law, and the mystery of why so many Ulfberht swords carry the same name despite being made by different smiths. Along the way, listeners learn about pattern welding, the 'blood-eagle' legend, and how surviving swords help modern archaeologists understand trade networks and social hierarchy in the Viking world. #VikingSwords #Ulfberht #PatternWelding #NorseWarriors #VikingWeapons #Rhineland #VikingPoetry #NorseCulture #MedievalEurope #Archaeology #VikingAge #VikingBurial #SwordNames #BloodEagle #NorthernEurope #History #FexingoHistory #VikingTrade Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

The Great Heathen Army's Daughters: Viking Women Who Carved Kingdoms

In 865, the Great Heathen Army landed in East Anglia—not just a Viking war band, but a coalition that reshaped England. But what happened after the conquest? This episode focuses on the women who inherited and ran the Danelaw's new kingdoms: Queen Æthelflæd, Lady of the Mercians, who fought back against Viking rule and forged an alliance with her brother Edward the Elder; and the less-known story of Ingibjǫrg, a Viking chieftain's widow who held power in York after her husband's death at the Battle of Tettenhall in 910. We also explore how Viking law codes like the Danelaw's 'wergild' system gave women property rights unusual for the time, and how the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records the siege of Chester in 907, where Æthelflæd's forces used boiling beer to repel a Viking assault. Drawing on the Chronicle, the Mercian Register, and archaeological finds from Coppergate, this episode shows how women—both Anglo-Saxon and Norse—navigated the violent decades after the Great Heathen Army's initial victories, and why their choices shaped the borders of a united England. #Aethelflaed #Danelaw #GreatHeathenArmy #Ingibjorg #Tettenhall #Coppergate #AngloSaxonChronicle #MercianRegister #VikingWomen #Chester907 #Wergild #EdwardTheElder #York #VikingLaw #FemaleRulers #History #FexingoHistory #MedievalEngland Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]