A Short History of Medieval Russia

As early as eight hundred and fifty-nine the Variagi exacted tribute from the Slavs of Ilmen and the Krivitchi, as well as the Tchudi, Ves, and Meriane. The natives had once expelled the Variagi, but, as divisions once more became rife among them, they decided that they needed a strong government, and recalled them in eight hundred and sixty-two. Whether the name Russia, or Bus, was originally derived from a province of Sweden or from the banks of the Dnieper, the fact remains that with the...