The Kingdom of Rus' challenges the perception of Rus' as an eastern "other" - advancing the idea of the Rus' as a kingdom deeply integrated with medieval Europe.

The Kingdom of Rus'

The Early Slavs

A revised edition of the history of Russia from 980-1584.

Medieval Russia, 980-1584

Looks at the history of Russia during the Kievan period, from 862 to 1237.

Kievan Russia

An overriding assumption has long directed scholarship in both European and Slavic history: that Kievan Rus' in the tenth through twelfth centuries was part of a Byzantine commonwealth separate from Europe. Christian Raffensperger refutes this conception and offers a new frame for two hundred years of history, one in which Rus' is understood as part of medieval Europe and East is not so neatly divided from West. With the aid of Latin sources, the author brings to light the considerable political, religious, marital, and economic ties among European kingdoms, including Rus', restoring a historical record rendered blank by Russian monastic chroniclers as well as modern scholars ideologically motivated to build barriers between East and West. Further, Raffensperger revises the concept of a Byzantine commonwealth that stood in opposition to Europe-and under which Rus' was subsumed-toward that of a Byzantine Ideal esteemed and emulated by all the states of Europe. In this new context, appropriation of Byzantine customs, law, coinage, art, and architecture in both Rus' and Europe can be understood as an attempt to gain legitimacy and prestige by association with the surviving remnant of the Roman Empire. Reimagining Europe initiates an expansion of history that is sure to challenge ideas of Russian exceptionalism and influence the course of European medieval studies.

Reimagining Europe

From Kievan Rus' to Modern Ukraine

An historical study of the contest for the legacy of Kievan Rus. This contest was conducted by the various Slav states - Russia, the Ukraine and Poland - with the aim of establishing direct historical continuity to Kievan Rus in order to validate their claims to its legacy.

The Contest for the Legacy of Kievan Rus'

On the Writing of History in Kievan Rus'

The unabridged text of Istoriia Rossii s drevneishikh vremen (History of Russia From Earliest Times), first published in St. Petersburg, 1851-1879, in 29 volumes, translated in 50 volumes from the Moscow edition of 1959-1966. Each volume is edited and translated by a scholar expert in the time and topic of the volume. Introductory essays and annotation. -- Publisher.

History of Russia: The shift northward : Kievan Rus, 1154-1228

A History of Russia: Kievan Russia

History of Russia: The origins of Kievan Rus from earliest times to 1054

Reexamining Rus'

Kievan Rus, a medieval East Slavic state, emerged in the late 9th century in what is now modern-day Ukraine and parts of Russia and Belarus. This historical powerhouse played a pivotal role in shaping the political, cultural, and religious landscape of Eastern Europe. Its capital, Kiev, served as a thriving hub of trade, governance, and Christianity, with the adoption of Orthodox Christianity from Byzantium under Prince Vladimir in 988 leaving an enduring legacy. The Kievan Rus eventually succumbed to internal strife and external invasions, leading to its fragmentation into smaller principalities. Nevertheless, it laid the foundation for the development of the Russian, Ukrainian, and Belarusian nations, leaving an indelible mark on the region's history and identity.