Podcasts about varangians

A World War 2 story of compassion, loyalty and love.By FinalStand. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories.Both Men and Nations make ware, but only men make love.Introduction: The Nazi Regime was evil; the German Army of the time, the Heer, did horrible things, but in the end armies are made up of ordinary men and this is a story of ordinary men in bad situationsTwo hours before sunset Day 1.Sergeant Heinz Klausenbach pressed himself through the waist deep snow toward the outpost of the neighboring 3rd Battalion. They sat on the extreme north of his own company's position, if you could consider what was left of his command a company. Right now every one of his soldiers was praying to see New Year's Day of 1942, and a prayer was about all they had. The German Wehrmacht was reeling from the massive Soviet Winter offensive and its very existence was in danger.Heinz looked around, trying to get his bearings in the heavy snowfall. He was sure he should have crossed a sentry by now. He checked the bolt on his Mauser rifle; it still worked even in this terrible cold. He snuck up on a figure slumped against as tree. He had on a German helmet so Heinz tapped him and whispered."Hey, don't let your officers find you asleep." The man didn't move. The Sergeant placed a gloved hand on the man's shoulder and was immediately impressed with the cold emanating from him. It bit harder than the lethal winds. Heinz turned the man around and gasped. Even in the cloud-covered failing light the man was an icy blue. He was frozen solid.Heinz didn't want to think about how long the man had to have been out for this to happen. With a sense of dread he pressed on to the last known location of the battalion HQ. He soon came across more frozen corpses. Some looked like they'd died in their sleeps but a few had this look of horror on their faces, as if something had overtaken them.The German came upon the edge of the encampment and slowed down. Nothing seemed to stir in the camp. Heinz endeavored to make it to the battalion radio and relate this disaster. His entire regiment's position was compromised and it was worth his life to save his comrades. As he rounded the main tent and headed for the entrance he found a woman in bare-feet standing over a small clump of frozen men.She had on a loose white gown, cinched at the waist by a black rope. Her skin was alabaster, her hair was waist long, black and seemed to billow about the woman; her lips were a ruddy blue as were her eyes, and her breath came in deep, labored puffs."Comrade," he called out softly in German.The woman turned to face him fully. She was clearly very close to freezing to death. With a moment's hesitation he leant his rifle against the closest tree and tore off his great coat. Steam wafted off his body and the cold intensified as the woman drew close. She was reaching for him when he stepped beside her and wrapped his coat around her chilly shoulders.The woman looked at Heinz in confusion."I know you can't understand me," he continued in German, "but if I don't get you to a fire soon you will die. Let me get you some boots and a spare coat and I'll take you back to me fire."The woman silently regarded him with her dark eyes framed in her classic Slavic features.She seemed to be a very beautiful Russian woman who had experienced a rough time of late. Heinz didn't worry about any of that. If they both stayed out here too long, he would die alongside her. She was so cold it hurt his arm where she grabbed him to steady herself as he put some fur boots on her feet. He took an officer's trench coat and grabbed her chilly hands.The hands felt too bitter to hold so Heinz brought them up to his face and blew hot breath on her. A glimmer of a smile crossed the woman's lips. She said something in Russian, but he hadn't a clue what it was. When the radio proved wrecked he began to drag her back to his own men's position. The woman was careful to follow in the path he stomped through the snow. Twice he stopped to blow again on her freezing hands. Each time she gave that ghost of a smile."Halt," hissed a voice in the twilight."Gunner, I'm back. Get ready to pull back as soon as I give the word," Heinz instructed the private on picket duty."What happened?" he called out carefully. Sound carried far over the snow. "Who is with you?""The 3rd Battalion is gone," Heinz whispered back. "She's the only one I could find.""They left us? The bastards," Gunner growled."No, they are all dead. I didn't find anyone alive this side of the HQ. We need to get the hell out of here," the Sergeant said.Heinz led the woman to his own little command post. His lieutenant had gone to his own battalion HQ two days ago right before the last big push by the Soviets and hadn't been seen since. Heinz had been husbanding the lives of his remaining forty-five men. A few quick orders and his men began to move out. He wouldn't bother radioing Battalion until he'd made his move because he knew what their demands would be.He rolled in his pickets and began his retreat, Fuhrer Orders be damned. The Great Leader ordered that every German stand fast to the last bullet. That was Berlin; in Russia Sgt. Klausenbach had decided to make sure as many of his men as possible lived to see Germany once again. If he followed his conscience they might shoot him. If he stayed, the Russians would definitely kill all of them."Sir, what do we do with the girl?" one of his corporals asked. Heinz looked her over."We'll leave her at the next village we come to. If we abandon her we might as well shoot her. She'll never survive out here on her own," Heinz responded. He offered the woman his hand which she took. Together they led the little German troop in their retreat further west.Two hours later the weary men trudged up to the 'next' village. It wasn't much; twelve houses and two communal buildings. A quick scouting mission revealed that the village hand no soldiers, German or Russian, in it. Heinz had his command move stealthily into the settlement, capturing and securing the various homes as the entered.That done, the German's rounded up the male villagers. Heinz put them to work creating walk ways through the deep snows. His scroungers dug up food supplies which he had the majority of women cook into a hot meal. Using a trick he had picked up in France, Heinz fed the entire village from the prepared food. All the while he felt the eyes of the woman upon him, somehow weighing him in judgment. He was too tired to care.Unfortunately none of the Russians spoke German and the best translator in his unit could only get rudimentary things across. After some finagling, the Sergeant was able communicate to the head of the commune that he was trying to find out who the strange woman belonged to. He talked to the woman who responded in a way that he didn't like. The head man shrugged to the German's.When Heinz went out to check the men he'd placed around the outer buildings, the woman insisted in coming along, no matter how much he tried to dissuade her. When they got back he made a point to wrap her in a blanket and lay her down next to the fire. Even as he put himself up against a post in the building to grab the few hours of sleep allowed a non-com, she was still looking him over.Next sunrise Day 2:"Sergeant Klausenbach, you do realize that you have compromised our entire position," snapped the colonel's adjutant. Sergeants didn't get to talk to the real 'powers that be'. "You need to move back and reestablish the line at once.""Sir, the 3rd Battalion is all gone sir, or at least the two companies I ran across. Sir they were frozen to death. There is no way my forty-five men can plug a hole that wide.""If you fail to follow your orders Sergeant, you will be arrested and returned to Regimental command to stand trial for cowardice in the face of the enemy," the officer threatened. Heinz looked over at the few men in the communal barn with him. The woman studied him intently as well. Heinz was beginning to suspect she understood more than she was letting on."I can't do it sir," Heinz sighed. "What you want me to do can't be done and I'm not going to have all my men die trying to fulfill this insane command just to save my own life. Do what you must." There was no response for the longest time; seconds became minutes."Sergeant Klausenbach, can you defend your current position?" the adjutant asked."I'm in a small village and I've got a good view of the terrain. I can hold it against anything short of a determined attack. Is there any hope of artillery support?" Heinz asked."We will do what we can," the officer answered."Unless they throw a battalion at me, I'll hold this position Sir.""I'll get you some supplies as soon as we figure out where you are," was the man's final statement before the connection ended and Heinz was left looking at his men. One of his men stuck a hot cup of ersatz-coffee which tasted like crap but warmed the blood. He offered half of the cup to the girl who drank it and made a face that had to say 'are you trying to poison me?'Heinz quickly formed some plan for the defense of the village. Once he figured out the best building to hold on to, he moved the families into the houses closer to the center. He fortified the strongpoints and set the other buildings up to be burned if he needed to get rid of them. Convinced he was doing the best he could, he took out a small patrol east to see if he could spot the Russians but there didn't seem to be any around for miles.4 hours later Day 2:As he came back to the village from the east he heard supply trucks coming in from the west side of the village. Heinz took deep sigh and despite the icy daggers in his lungs, he felt happy. With the proper supplies in his current fortifications, he knew his men could hold out as needed. Only when the trucks came close to village did Heinz start to get a funny feeling about things.There were not enough trucks and too much protection. There was a jeep, two half-tracks guarding only two trucks. It was lavish protection for the resupply for one under-strength company. When the leader stepped out one of the soldiers with him grumbled. For Heinz it was more a matter of raw anger that came with desperate disappointment. They were an SS security detail.Everyone in the Army had heard rumors of these detachments. Their generous critics called their actions 'anti-partisan' operations; others whispered accusations of villages leveled and mass executions. Heinz had little hope he was here to help them hold off actual Russian soldiers. The leader was the SS equivalent of a Captain, though he had no rank in the Heer."Sergeant Klausenbach," the Captain said scanning the bundled up German soldiers. Heinz stepped forward."That would be me. Have you come to resupply us?" Heinz asked in even tone."No," the SS man began."Have you come to relieve us?" Heinz interrupted."No," the man continued."Then why in the hell are you in my village?" Heinz snapped. The closest armed SS guards bristled at the treatment of their officer, but the Captain merely smiled in an effete gesture."As I have been trying to tell you Sergeant, there has been a report of unusual activity and my unit is here to investigate," he smiled like a predatory cat. Heinz tried not to feel like its next meal."Like what, sir?" Heinz inquired."A whole battalion froze to death; I need to know if you noticed anything unusual when you scouted the scene," the Captain questioned. Two the closest German soldiers shot Heinz a quick look. The woman who was right behind him stayed motionless."Nothing sir, except a number of men frozen solid with a few of those clearly terrified before they died," Heinz lied."Oh, a pity; I will need you to lead me and some of my men to the site," the SS captain said with a white toothy grin."Sir, you have to realize that the whole area has to be crawling with Communists by now. I can't justify throwing the lives of my men away on such a foolish errand," Heinz protested."First Sergeant, this wasn't a request. I have orders from your regiment to accord me, my men, and my mission every available resource. Secondly, the only guide I need is you. Leave your men in safety. Finally, it shouldn't be the Russian soldiers you should be afraid of," he grinned."What does that mean?" Heinz asked."That is not important to you," the Captain pointed out, rubbing his clean shaven jawline. Heinz stepped forward and extended his hands. With a great show of forbearance the SS Captain (whose name turned out to be G Sierech) gave Heinz his orders who read them. A cold wind threatened to steal the paper away. Heinz swore under his breath."I've only now come in from patrol Captain Sierech. Let me warm myself by the fire and get a bite to eat. You and your men can join us," Heinz suggested. The SS Captain acknowledged the wisdom of the gesture and soon thirty SS men were inside the communal barn with nearly half the villagers."You need to stay here with the others," Heinz pleaded with the woman when they had a moment alone. "Listen, I don't know if you can understand any of this, but I think they are after you and if they figure out who you are they will kill you. Please understand that." She looked into his eyes then past him."Who is the woman?" Captain Sierech inquired politely having snuck up close enough to hear voices but clearly not their intent."She is my woman," Heinz offered."You have good taste in woman. Too bad she's a Slav," Sierech noted contemptuously. "Woman, do you pleasure him?""I prefer to think that she has good taste in men," Heinz countered. The woman made no sign that she understood the SS officer."She doesn't speak much German, does she?" he smiled in that chilling way of his."She doesn't need to speak for what I want," Heinz highly exaggerated. He was far too exhausted for sex and even if he had, he couldn't stomach rape or rapists.Three things happened in rapid succession. Sierech moved to snatch the woman by the hair, the woman stumbled away, and Heinz snapped up his arm and batted the officer's arm aside.The officer reached for his pistol then froze. Heinz had a knife to his throat."Be careful with your next action, Sergeant," hissed Sierech. All over the room German soldiers and SS men were pointing weapons at one another. There were more SS in the room, but it wouldn't help Sierech; Heinz would kill him. The Captain's chest heaved in anticipation."Button up your pistol Captain," Heinz said angrily. "As you said, be careful with your next action." The officer shrugged and buttoned up his holder and moved his hand away. Heinz put his knife back in its sheath and told his men to stand down."Let me finish here and I'll be ready to be your guide in five minutes, Sir."Sierech gave the Hitler salute which Heinz was obliged to follow and once he had a moment, he pulled the woman aside."Does this have anything to do with you?" Heinz asked. He got no reply. "If I got you some provisions could you make your way to the Russian lines?" Again, no reply."Damn it," Heinz pleaded, "I'm trying to save you and I know you know more about what is happening here than you are letting on." By this time the SS were gathering for the mission. "I can't be here to protect you," which brought a smile to her lips. He'd even dressed her down like one of his soldiersWhen he got into the truck he found and odd assortment of gear. Some of it was weird electronic detection units. There were also a good many White Phosphorus grenades and flame throwers. The also had light mortars and plenty of ammunition. Heinz was stepping up when the woman came running up to him. She kissed him as if we were old lovers, deep and rich and something so strong it rattled his toes. Fear, fatigue and even the cold vanished in this surge of warmth. He couldn't have appreciated it more it if had been a three day pass.Heinz convinced them that the best bet was to go around the north then trying due east along 3rd battalion designated retreat route. With the trucks left behind, the SS team made good time until they got close to the battalion parameter. They seemed interested in the frozen bodies as a matter of research and Heinz with two years of university knew just enough that something worse than the wretched winter was at work here.4pm Day 2:I quickly became clear that the soviets come this way, but decided to go around it and continued on to the north. At the camp thing were pretty much as he had left them. No sooner had they arrived the SS began searching the ground for tracks. They found what they were looking for too. Bare woman's footprints. Heinz did his best to appear skeptical without offering any explanation. After some work they determined that the woman had stalked Heinz back to his camp and then followed his troops in the direction of the village."What did you do here?" the SS Captain Sierech commanded. He had the polished wood case of a sniper rifle on his back. Somehow that choice of weapons suited him."I walked the perimeter, came in looking for survivors among that stack of bodies thinking that some survivors would have buried themselves f

A World War 2 story of compassion, loyalty and love.By FinalStand. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories.Both Men and Nations make ware, but only men make love.Introduction: The Nazi Regime was evil; the German Army of the time, the Heer, did horrible things, but in the end armies are made up of ordinary men and this is a story of ordinary men in bad situationsTwo hours before sunset Day 1.Sergeant Heinz Klausenbach pressed himself through the waist deep snow toward the outpost of the neighboring 3rd Battalion. They sat on the extreme north of his own company's position, if you could consider what was left of his command a company. Right now every one of his soldiers was praying to see New Year's Day of 1942, and a prayer was about all they had. The German Wehrmacht was reeling from the massive Soviet Winter offensive and its very existence was in danger.Heinz looked around, trying to get his bearings in the heavy snowfall. He was sure he should have crossed a sentry by now. He checked the bolt on his Mauser rifle; it still worked even in this terrible cold. He snuck up on a figure slumped against as tree. He had on a German helmet so Heinz tapped him and whispered."Hey, don't let your officers find you asleep." The man didn't move. The Sergeant placed a gloved hand on the man's shoulder and was immediately impressed with the cold emanating from him. It bit harder than the lethal winds. Heinz turned the man around and gasped. Even in the cloud-covered failing light the man was an icy blue. He was frozen solid.Heinz didn't want to think about how long the man had to have been out for this to happen. With a sense of dread he pressed on to the last known location of the battalion HQ. He soon came across more frozen corpses. Some looked like they'd died in their sleeps but a few had this look of horror on their faces, as if something had overtaken them.The German came upon the edge of the encampment and slowed down. Nothing seemed to stir in the camp. Heinz endeavored to make it to the battalion radio and relate this disaster. His entire regiment's position was compromised and it was worth his life to save his comrades. As he rounded the main tent and headed for the entrance he found a woman in bare-feet standing over a small clump of frozen men.She had on a loose white gown, cinched at the waist by a black rope. Her skin was alabaster, her hair was waist long, black and seemed to billow about the woman; her lips were a ruddy blue as were her eyes, and her breath came in deep, labored puffs."Comrade," he called out softly in German.The woman turned to face him fully. She was clearly very close to freezing to death. With a moment's hesitation he leant his rifle against the closest tree and tore off his great coat. Steam wafted off his body and the cold intensified as the woman drew close. She was reaching for him when he stepped beside her and wrapped his coat around her chilly shoulders.The woman looked at Heinz in confusion."I know you can't understand me," he continued in German, "but if I don't get you to a fire soon you will die. Let me get you some boots and a spare coat and I'll take you back to me fire."The woman silently regarded him with her dark eyes framed in her classic Slavic features.She seemed to be a very beautiful Russian woman who had experienced a rough time of late. Heinz didn't worry about any of that. If they both stayed out here too long, he would die alongside her. She was so cold it hurt his arm where she grabbed him to steady herself as he put some fur boots on her feet. He took an officer's trench coat and grabbed her chilly hands.The hands felt too bitter to hold so Heinz brought them up to his face and blew hot breath on her. A glimmer of a smile crossed the woman's lips. She said something in Russian, but he hadn't a clue what it was. When the radio proved wrecked he began to drag her back to his own men's position. The woman was careful to follow in the path he stomped through the snow. Twice he stopped to blow again on her freezing hands. Each time she gave that ghost of a smile."Halt," hissed a voice in the twilight."Gunner, I'm back. Get ready to pull back as soon as I give the word," Heinz instructed the private on picket duty."What happened?" he called out carefully. Sound carried far over the snow. "Who is with you?""The 3rd Battalion is gone," Heinz whispered back. "She's the only one I could find.""They left us? The bastards," Gunner growled."No, they are all dead. I didn't find anyone alive this side of the HQ. We need to get the hell out of here," the Sergeant said.Heinz led the woman to his own little command post. His lieutenant had gone to his own battalion HQ two days ago right before the last big push by the Soviets and hadn't been seen since. Heinz had been husbanding the lives of his remaining forty-five men. A few quick orders and his men began to move out. He wouldn't bother radioing Battalion until he'd made his move because he knew what their demands would be.He rolled in his pickets and began his retreat, Fuhrer Orders be damned. The Great Leader ordered that every German stand fast to the last bullet. That was Berlin; in Russia Sgt. Klausenbach had decided to make sure as many of his men as possible lived to see Germany once again. If he followed his conscience they might shoot him. If he stayed, the Russians would definitely kill all of them."Sir, what do we do with the girl?" one of his corporals asked. Heinz looked her over."We'll leave her at the next village we come to. If we abandon her we might as well shoot her. She'll never survive out here on her own," Heinz responded. He offered the woman his hand which she took. Together they led the little German troop in their retreat further west.Two hours later the weary men trudged up to the 'next' village. It wasn't much; twelve houses and two communal buildings. A quick scouting mission revealed that the village hand no soldiers, German or Russian, in it. Heinz had his command move stealthily into the settlement, capturing and securing the various homes as the entered.That done, the German's rounded up the male villagers. Heinz put them to work creating walk ways through the deep snows. His scroungers dug up food supplies which he had the majority of women cook into a hot meal. Using a trick he had picked up in France, Heinz fed the entire village from the prepared food. All the while he felt the eyes of the woman upon him, somehow weighing him in judgment. He was too tired to care.Unfortunately none of the Russians spoke German and the best translator in his unit could only get rudimentary things across. After some finagling, the Sergeant was able communicate to the head of the commune that he was trying to find out who the strange woman belonged to. He talked to the woman who responded in a way that he didn't like. The head man shrugged to the German's.When Heinz went out to check the men he'd placed around the outer buildings, the woman insisted in coming along, no matter how much he tried to dissuade her. When they got back he made a point to wrap her in a blanket and lay her down next to the fire. Even as he put himself up against a post in the building to grab the few hours of sleep allowed a non-com, she was still looking him over.Next sunrise Day 2:"Sergeant Klausenbach, you do realize that you have compromised our entire position," snapped the colonel's adjutant. Sergeants didn't get to talk to the real 'powers that be'. "You need to move back and reestablish the line at once.""Sir, the 3rd Battalion is all gone sir, or at least the two companies I ran across. Sir they were frozen to death. There is no way my forty-five men can plug a hole that wide.""If you fail to follow your orders Sergeant, you will be arrested and returned to Regimental command to stand trial for cowardice in the face of the enemy," the officer threatened. Heinz looked over at the few men in the communal barn with him. The woman studied him intently as well. Heinz was beginning to suspect she understood more than she was letting on."I can't do it sir," Heinz sighed. "What you want me to do can't be done and I'm not going to have all my men die trying to fulfill this insane command just to save my own life. Do what you must." There was no response for the longest time; seconds became minutes."Sergeant Klausenbach, can you defend your current position?" the adjutant asked."I'm in a small village and I've got a good view of the terrain. I can hold it against anything short of a determined attack. Is there any hope of artillery support?" Heinz asked."We will do what we can," the officer answered."Unless they throw a battalion at me, I'll hold this position Sir.""I'll get you some supplies as soon as we figure out where you are," was the man's final statement before the connection ended and Heinz was left looking at his men. One of his men stuck a hot cup of ersatz-coffee which tasted like crap but warmed the blood. He offered half of the cup to the girl who drank it and made a face that had to say 'are you trying to poison me?'Heinz quickly formed some plan for the defense of the village. Once he figured out the best building to hold on to, he moved the families into the houses closer to the center. He fortified the strongpoints and set the other buildings up to be burned if he needed to get rid of them. Convinced he was doing the best he could, he took out a small patrol east to see if he could spot the Russians but there didn't seem to be any around for miles.4 hours later Day 2:As he came back to the village from the east he heard supply trucks coming in from the west side of the village. Heinz took deep sigh and despite the icy daggers in his lungs, he felt happy. With the proper supplies in his current fortifications, he knew his men could hold out as needed. Only when the trucks came close to village did Heinz start to get a funny feeling about things.There were not enough trucks and too much protection. There was a jeep, two half-tracks guarding only two trucks. It was lavish protection for the resupply for one under-strength company. When the leader stepped out one of the soldiers with him grumbled. For Heinz it was more a matter of raw anger that came with desperate disappointment. They were an SS security detail.Everyone in the Army had heard rumors of these detachments. Their generous critics called their actions 'anti-partisan' operations; others whispered accusations of villages leveled and mass executions. Heinz had little hope he was here to help them hold off actual Russian soldiers. The leader was the SS equivalent of a Captain, though he had no rank in the Heer."Sergeant Klausenbach," the Captain said scanning the bundled up German soldiers. Heinz stepped forward."That would be me. Have you come to resupply us?" Heinz asked in even tone."No," the SS man began."Have you come to relieve us?" Heinz interrupted."No," the man continued."Then why in the hell are you in my village?" Heinz snapped. The closest armed SS guards bristled at the treatment of their officer, but the Captain merely smiled in an effete gesture."As I have been trying to tell you Sergeant, there has been a report of unusual activity and my unit is here to investigate," he smiled like a predatory cat. Heinz tried not to feel like its next meal."Like what, sir?" Heinz inquired."A whole battalion froze to death; I need to know if you noticed anything unusual when you scouted the scene," the Captain questioned. Two the closest German soldiers shot Heinz a quick look. The woman who was right behind him stayed motionless."Nothing sir, except a number of men frozen solid with a few of those clearly terrified before they died," Heinz lied."Oh, a pity; I will need you to lead me and some of my men to the site," the SS captain said with a white toothy grin."Sir, you have to realize that the whole area has to be crawling with Communists by now. I can't justify throwing the lives of my men away on such a foolish errand," Heinz protested."First Sergeant, this wasn't a request. I have orders from your regiment to accord me, my men, and my mission every available resource. Secondly, the only guide I need is you. Leave your men in safety. Finally, it shouldn't be the Russian soldiers you should be afraid of," he grinned."What does that mean?" Heinz asked."That is not important to you," the Captain pointed out, rubbing his clean shaven jawline. Heinz stepped forward and extended his hands. With a great show of forbearance the SS Captain (whose name turned out to be G Sierech) gave Heinz his orders who read them. A cold wind threatened to steal the paper away. Heinz swore under his breath."I've only now come in from patrol Captain Sierech. Let me warm myself by the fire and get a bite to eat. You and your men can join us," Heinz suggested. The SS Captain acknowledged the wisdom of the gesture and soon thirty SS men were inside the communal barn with nearly half the villagers."You need to stay here with the others," Heinz pleaded with the woman when they had a moment alone. "Listen, I don't know if you can understand any of this, but I think they are after you and if they figure out who you are they will kill you. Please understand that." She looked into his eyes then past him."Who is the woman?" Captain Sierech inquired politely having snuck up close enough to hear voices but clearly not their intent."She is my woman," Heinz offered."You have good taste in woman. Too bad she's a Slav," Sierech noted contemptuously. "Woman, do you pleasure him?""I prefer to think that she has good taste in men," Heinz countered. The woman made no sign that she understood the SS officer."She doesn't speak much German, does she?" he smiled in that chilling way of his."She doesn't need to speak for what I want," Heinz highly exaggerated. He was far too exhausted for sex and even if he had, he couldn't stomach rape or rapists.Three things happened in rapid succession. Sierech moved to snatch the woman by the hair, the woman stumbled away, and Heinz snapped up his arm and batted the officer's arm aside.The officer reached for his pistol then froze. Heinz had a knife to his throat."Be careful with your next action, Sergeant," hissed Sierech. All over the room German soldiers and SS men were pointing weapons at one another. There were more SS in the room, but it wouldn't help Sierech; Heinz would kill him. The Captain's chest heaved in anticipation."Button up your pistol Captain," Heinz said angrily. "As you said, be careful with your next action." The officer shrugged and buttoned up his holder and moved his hand away. Heinz put his knife back in its sheath and told his men to stand down."Let me finish here and I'll be ready to be your guide in five minutes, Sir."Sierech gave the Hitler salute which Heinz was obliged to follow and once he had a moment, he pulled the woman aside."Does this have anything to do with you?" Heinz asked. He got no reply. "If I got you some provisions could you make your way to the Russian lines?" Again, no reply."Damn it," Heinz pleaded, "I'm trying to save you and I know you know more about what is happening here than you are letting on." By this time the SS were gathering for the mission. "I can't be here to protect you," which brought a smile to her lips. He'd even dressed her down like one of his soldiersWhen he got into the truck he found and odd assortment of gear. Some of it was weird electronic detection units. There were also a good many White Phosphorus grenades and flame throwers. The also had light mortars and plenty of ammunition. Heinz was stepping up when the woman came running up to him. She kissed him as if we were old lovers, deep and rich and something so strong it rattled his toes. Fear, fatigue and even the cold vanished in this surge of warmth. He couldn't have appreciated it more it if had been a three day pass.Heinz convinced them that the best bet was to go around the north then trying due east along 3rd battalion designated retreat route. With the trucks left behind, the SS team made good time until they got close to the battalion parameter. They seemed interested in the frozen bodies as a matter of research and Heinz with two years of university knew just enough that something worse than the wretched winter was at work here.4pm Day 2:I quickly became clear that the soviets come this way, but decided to go around it and continued on to the north. At the camp thing were pretty much as he had left them. No sooner had they arrived the SS began searching the ground for tracks. They found what they were looking for too. Bare woman's footprints. Heinz did his best to appear skeptical without offering any explanation. After some work they determined that the woman had stalked Heinz back to his camp and then followed his troops in the direction of the village."What did you do here?" the SS Captain Sierech commanded. He had the polished wood case of a sniper rifle on his back. Somehow that choice of weapons suited him."I walked the perimeter, came in looking for survivors among that stack of bodies thinking that some survivors would have buried themselves f

Having rewritten this one and broken it up into two episodes (Episode 116 and this one), including re-recording them both…I really feel like this one works! I'm proud of the revisions (and extremely grateful I never posted the first version) and I hope you enjoy the new-and-improved Episodes 116 and 117! I'd love to hear your thoughts on them. As for this episode, specifically, it spans four years, but I feel like the transitions between all these events actually work. From Robert Guiscard dealing with Varangians to Roger watching the Muslims duke it out, this episode ends with a bang!  Members-Only Series on Patreon: For only a dollar per month, you can hear multiple varying stories and storylines so far through the 11th century. Every dime donated will be put directly back into the show, so I hope you consider becoming a Patreon member!  Just follow this link to our Patreon page to peruse the right “subscription” for you: https://www.patreon.com/FortunesWheelPodcast.  Social Media: Email: fortuneswheelpodcast@gmail.com  YouTube Page: Fortune's Wheel Podcast Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/fortunes.wheel.3  Twitter Page: https://twitter.com/WheelPodcast  Music: Music for this episode is called “Cutting Edge” from the talented artist Hemlock!Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/hemlock/cutting-edge License code: Y0ZLEPLIZYV2RTMJ

Cuando pensamos en las incursiones vikingas en nuestra imaginación lo primero en aparecer es el asalto a Lindisfarne, los ataques a las costas francas o el Danelaw. Es decir, las navegaciones hacia el occidente europeo. Sin embargo, las embarcaciones escandinavas también se dirigieron hacia las regiones orientales. Allí llegaron los suecos, conocidos como varegos o rus; lo hicieron como comerciantes, pero pronto se acabaron convirtiendo en una élite que dominó a la mayoría eslava. En aquellas tierras, de la mano de la dinastía Rurikovich nació la llamada Rus’ de Kiev, el Estado más grande de la Europa Medieval. Si te gusta nuestro contenido podéis dejarnos un me gusta y un comentario, así nos ayudáis a seguir creciendo. También nos podéis apoyar a través de la pestaña «Apoyar» con una suscripción mensual. ¡Muchísimas gracias! BIZUM: +34 614 23 58 90 Sobre los dioses eslavos: https://go.ivoox.com/rf/101812353 Síguenos en: Twitter: https://twitter.com/ElScriptorium TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@elscriptorium?is_from_webapp=1&;;;sender_device=pc Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/scriptoriumpodcast Telegram: https://t.me/ElScriptorium Contacto: scriptoriumpodcast@protonmail.com Bibliografía: - Quesada Mayo, I. (2018). Los Varegos y la Rus de Kiev en el siglo X. La Ergástula. - Torres Prieto, S. (2020). Los antiguos eslavos. Síntesis. - Plokhy, S. (2006). The Origins of the Slavic Nations. Cambridge University Press. - Perrie, M. (2006). The Cambridge History of Russia. Volume I: from early Rus’ to 1689. Cambridge University Press. - Curta, F. (2019). Eastern Europe in the Middle Ages (500-1300). Brill. - Bushkovitch, P. (2013). Historia de Rusia. Akal. - Kaplan, F. I. (1954). «The Decline of the Khazars and the Rise of the Varangians». The American Slavic and East European Review, 13 (1), pp. 1-10. - Lind, J. (2010). «Vikingos en el Este. Penetración escandinava en Europa oriental durante la Era Vikinga». Desperta Ferro: Antigua y Medieval, 3, pp. 8-13. - Stokes, A.D. (1961). «The background and chronology of the Balkan Campaigns of Sviatoslav Igorevich». The Slavonic and East European Review, Vol. 40 (94 ), pp. 44-57. - Fine, J.V.A. (1983). The Early medieval Balkans. A critical survey from the Sixth to the Late Twelfth Century. The University of Michigan Press. - Butler, F. (2008). «Ol'ga's Conversion and the Construction of Chronicle Narrative». The Russian Review, Vol. 67 (2), pp. 230-242. - Hazzard Cross, S. & Sherbowitz-Wetzor, O. (1953). The Russian Primary Chronicle. Laurentian Text. The Mediaeval Academy of America. Música: - "Danza Inglesa Siglo XIII" - Artefactum - "Sackpipelät" - Emilio Villalba (Bajo Licencia CC BY) - "Ancient Stone (without voices)" - Crypt of Insomnia - "Medieval fire" - Ivan Tregub - "Slavonic spirit" - Ivan Trebug - "Eric the Brave" - Petite Viking - "In the Last Way" - Crypt of Insomnia - "Antiquity and Middle Ages" - Rafael Klepsch - "Ibn Al Andalus" - Fatima Mhedden - "Alone on the edge of the dark" - Reip - "General's Death" - ElfShadow - "Kyrie" - Aufklarung - "Eric the Brave" - Petite Viking - "Viking formation (cello version)" - Crypt of Insomnia - "The crusade" - Midoriiro - "Y de pronto...el invierno" - Jaime Heras - "Saltarello I Siglo XIV" - Artefactum Escucha el episodio completo en la app de iVoox, o descubre todo el catálogo de iVoox Originals

Happy Holidays! Let's gather round to hear the tale of The Sword and the Dragon, or at least let's hear Chris and Charlotte talking about Ilya Muromets, Ingmar Bergman, August Strindberg, Sven, and Ole.Show Notes.MST3K Wiki. IMDb. Trailer (for the restorated version).Support us on Patreon to hear the interview with Chris and to hear Chris, Charlotte, and Beth (!!!) talk about the 1970 musical Scrooge with a bunch of other Megaphonic hosts.Our episodes on the other “holiday” experiments: The Day the Earth Froze, Jack Frost, and The Magic Voyage of Sinbad.The sketch.Ilya Muromets on the Myths and Legends podcast.One telling of the legend of Ilya Muromets and the “wind demon”.Kyivan Rus' and Varangians.A review of the restored version of the film.You can buy the restored version from Deaf Crocodile, or if you're willing to deal with YouTube's compression, MosFilm is sharing it there (with the same subtitles).Baba Yaga.The New Gulliver (Aleksandr Ptushko, 1935).Haley's M-O commercial.Cal Smith: Country Bumpkin.A few years ago, the Criterion Channel did a thing involving The Seventh Seal's most famous scene.Persona (Ingmar Bergman, 1966).August Strindberg: A Dream Play (Ingmar Bergman, 1963).Strindberg and Helium. (More about the project.) (UPDATE: It's over 20 years old.)More about August Strindberg and Henryk Ibsen.Edvard Grieg: In the Hall of the Mountain King.Garrison Keillor and a segment of Sven and Ole (or Ole and Lena) jokes from A Prairie Home Companion.Schlitz commercial from 1967.And again, support us on Patreon if you want to give us a gift for the holidays, and we'll give you some gifts in return! But whether you do or not, have a happy holiday.

How did a disagreement over bread spark a religious and political divide that lasted for over 900 years? Hold on to your hats for an electrifying voyage back to the Great Schism of 1054, a pivotal moment in European history that saw the once united Christian Church splinter into the Western Roman Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox Churches. We'll unpack the religious doctrines, political tugs-of-war, and the personalities that fueled this dramatic split of a millennia-old institution. From exploring the power plays between the Pope and the Patriarch to understanding the significance of unleavened bread in Communion, this episode promises to shed light on an era marred by discord.Brace yourselves as we venture into the heart of Byzantium, an empire known for its astonishing military might and intricate bureaucracy. Immerse yourself in the fascinating world of the Byzantines, where citizens were taxed directly by the Emperor, the Varangians served as elite bodyguards, and bureaucrats drew a salary. Marvel at the stark contrast between this multi-layered system and the feudal arrangements of the West, where lords granted land to vassals in exchange for military service.Finally, we guide you through the distrust sown between the Byzantines and the Crusaders, a relationship fraught with suspicion and tension. Hear the gripping tales of Emperor Alexios' attempts to recoup the Anatolian plateau, how the Crusaders' absence left a power vacuum and the devastating blow the Crusades dealt to the once invincible Byzantine Empire. Support the showShow Notes: https://www.thepithychronicle.com/resourceshttps://www.tiktok.com/@thepithychroniclershttps://www.instagram.com/the.pithy.chronicle/

Wir springen ins Jahr 921. Der Kalif von Bagdad hat ein Schreiben erhalten, in dem er um Hilfe gebeten wird. Die daraufhin zusammengestellte Gesandtschaft wird tausende Kilometer reisen, um dem König der Wolgabulgaren diese Hilfe zuteil kommen zu lassen. Die Chronik dieser Reise, verfasst von Ibn Fadlān, liefert uns heute nicht nur außergewöhnliche ethnografische Beobachtungen diverser Turkvölker, sondern vor allem eine der wenigen Beschreibungen der Rus und ihrer Gepflogenheiten. //Literatur Aḥmad Ibn Faḍlān und James E. Montgomery. Mission to the Volga. NYU Press, 2017. Hraundal, Thorir Jonsson. „New Perspectives on Eastern Vikings/Rus in Arabic Sources“. Viking and Medieval Scandinavia 10 (2014): 65–98. Montgomery, James E. „Ibn Faḍlān and the Rūsiyyah“. Journal of Arabic and Islamic Studies 3 (2000): 1–25. Klejn, Leo S. “The Russian Controversy over the Varangians.” In From Goths to Varangians: Communication and Cultural Exchange between the Baltic and the Black Sea, edited by Line Bjerg, John H. Lind, and Søren M. Sindbæk, 15:27–38. Aarhus University Press, 2013. Das Episodenbild zeigt eine fiktive Szene mit Kamel. Tickets für unsere Liveauftritte im Herbst gibt es hier: https://www.contrapromotion.com/ Und wer unser Buch, das am 28.9. erscheinen wird, vorbestellen will, kann das im gut sortierten Buchhandel oder hier tun: https://www.piper.de/buecher/geschichten-aus-der-geschichte-isbn-978-3-492-06363-0 //Aus unserer Werbung Du möchtest mehr über unsere Werbepartner erfahren? Hier findest du alle Infos & Rabatte: https://linktr.ee/GeschichtenausderGeschichte NEU: Wer unsere Folgen lieber ohne Werbung anhören will, kann das über eine kleine Unterstützung auf Steady oder ein Abo des GeschichteFM-Plus Kanals auf Apple Podcasts tun. Wir freuen uns, wenn ihr den Podcast bei Apple Podcasts oder wo auch immer dies möglich ist rezensiert oder bewertet. Wir freuen uns auch immer, wenn ihr euren Freundinnen und Freunden, Kolleginnen und Kollegen oder sogar Nachbarinnen und Nachbarn von uns erzählt!

Agradece a este podcast tantas horas de entretenimiento y disfruta de episodios exclusivos como éste. ¡Apóyale en iVoox! En las estepas del este Europeo, durante la Alta Edad Media surgió un poder nómada que consiguió constituir un verdadero Estado clave para la Historia de la región. No es otro que el kanato jázaro, situada entre las rutas comerciales de Europa y Asia, al Norte del Imperio Bizantino, con fronteras con el poder que comenzaba a emerger desde Oriente Medio: el Califato. Formado por nómadas con su propia religión chamánica, terminaron adoptando el judaísmo y sirviendo de tapón a la expansión musulmana en el Este europeo. Si te gusta nuestro contenido podéis dejarnos un me gusta y un comentario, así nos ayudáis a seguir creciendo. También nos podéis apoyar a través de la pestaña «Apoyar» con una suscripción mensual. ¡Muchísimas gracias! Síguenos en: Twitter: https://twitter.com/ElScriptorium TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@elscriptorium?is_from_webapp=1&;sender_device=pc Telegram: https://t.me/ElScriptorium Contacto: scriptoriumpodcast@protonmail.com Bibliografía: - Brook. K. (2006). The Jews of Khazaria. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. - Zhirohov, M. & Nicolle, D. (2019). The Khazars. A Judeo-Turkish Empire on the Steppes, 7-11th Centurias AD. Osprey Publishing. - Golden. P.B., Ben-Shammai, H. & Róna-Tas, A. (2007). The worlds of the Khazars. New Perspectives. Brill. - Kaplan, F. I. (1954). The Decline of the Khazars and the Rise of the Varangians. American Slavic and East European Review, 13(1), pp. 1-10. - Vachkova, V. (2008). "Danube Bulgaria and Khazaria as parts of the Byzantine Oikoumene". In: The Other Europe in the Middle Ages Avars, Bulgars, Khazars, and Cumans. East Central and Eastern Europe in the Middle Ages, 450-1450, pp. 339-362. - Quesada Mayo, I. (2018). Los varegos y la Rus de Kiev en el siglo X. La Ergástula. Música: - "Danza Inglesa Siglo XIII" - Artefactum -"The Mad Strads" - GingerTom - "Polonaise in A flat major, Op. 53, 'Heroic'" - Chopin (Gianluca Luisi) - "Beyond the Gates of Night" - Wolfuneral - "Saltarello I Siglo XIV" - Artefactum Escucha el episodio completo en la app de iVoox, o descubre todo el catálogo de iVoox Originals

A finales del siglo IX, Basilio II, emperador bizantino, dio forma a uno de los cuerpos de élite más célebres y exóticos del mundo medieval. Con la llegada de 6000 varegos desde las tierras del Rus de Kiev, al norte del Mar Negro, Constantinopla fue testigo del nacimiento de la célebre Guardia Varega. Música empleada: -"Danza Inglesa Siglo XIII", Artefactum -"Tou Glykaios Legomenon O Sourlas (Of the Dulcet, Unto the So-c)", Christodoulos Halaris -"A Border Guard Was Building a Castle", Christodoulos Halaris -"Saltarello I Siglo XIV", Artefactum Bibliografía: -Benedikt, Benedikz y Blöndal, Sigfús (2007). «The Varangians of Byzantium», Cambridge University Press. ISBN-10: 052103552X -Cartwright, Mark (9 de noviembre de 2017). «Basil II». Ancient History Encyclopedia. https://www.worldhistory.org/Basil_II/ -Cartwright, Mark (10 de noviembre de 2017). «Varangian Guard». Ancient History Encyclopedia. https://www.worldhistory.org/Varangian_Guard/ -HistoryExtra (20 de octubre de 2020). "What was the Varangian Guard? A brief history of the Viking warriors of the Byzantine empire". https://www.historyextra.com/period/viking/varangian-guard-byzantine-empire-kievan-rus-vikings-basil-ii-vladimir-great/ -River Editors, Charles (2020). «The Varangian Guard: The History and Legacy of the Byzantine Empire’s Elite Mercenary Unit». ISBN-13: 979-8694528184 -Weapons and Warfare (14 de agosto de 2015). "Varangian Guard". https://weaponsandwarfare.com/2015/08/14/varangian-guard/ Escucha el episodio completo en la app de iVoox, o descubre todo el catálogo de iVoox Originals

Dark Windows Podcast ep. 190: This week we start off with reviewing a gift from one of our lovely listeners! Then we get into the Varangian Guard, the core of the personal guard of the Byzantine Emperor and what would basically be an early version of a special forces group made up of an entirely mercenary force, mostly The Rus and Scandinavian Vikings. If the emperor wanted clowns killed, the Varangians were sent in to do it. So grab your armor and spears and get in formation! https://pdcn.co/e/traffic.megaphone.fm/AOR8552863637.mp3?updated=1648772805 Shoot us an email at dwpmerch@gmail.com for some killer merch that's listed on our social medias! If you want more you can go over to https://www.patreon.com/darkwindowspodcast and become a Patron for just $5 a month and get a bonus episode every week! Thanks to our sponsor Sudio Headphones, go check them out here: https://www.sudio.com/us/ and put in DARKWINDOWS at checkout for a 15% off discount on your purchase! Go over to https://www.ageofradio.org/darkwindows/ and check out our shows and our cool sponsors! Find us at: https://www.instagram.com/darkwindowspod/ https://www.facebook.com/Dark-Windows-363596237442341/ Thank you to all our listeners! We literally couldn't and wouldn't do this show without all of you! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Vikings[a] is the modern name given to seafaring people primarily[3] from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden),[4][5][6] who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and settled throughout parts of Europe.[7][8][9] They also voyaged as far as the Mediterranean, North Africa, the Middle East, and North America. In some of the countries they raided and settled in, this period is popularly known as the Viking Age, and the term "Viking" also commonly includes the inhabitants of the Scandinavian homelands as a collective whole. The Vikings had a profound impact on the early medieval history of Scandinavia, the British Isles, France, Estonia, and Kievan Rus'.[10] Expert sailors and navigators aboard their characteristic longships, Vikings established Norse settlements and governments in the British Isles, Ireland, the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Greenland, Normandy, the Baltic coast, and along the Dnieper and Volga trade routes in what is now European Russia, Belarus[11] and Ukraine,[12] where they were also known as Varangians. The Normans, Norse-Gaels, Rus' people, Faroese and Icelanders emerged from these Norse colonies. The Vikings also voyaged to Constantinople, Iran,[13] and Arabia.[14] They were the first Europeans to reach North America, briefly settling in Newfoundland (Vinland). While spreading Norse culture to foreign lands, they simultaneously brought home slaves, concubines and foreign cultural influences to Scandinavia, profoundly influencing the genetic[15] and historical development of both. During the Viking Age the Norse homelands were gradually consolidated from smaller kingdoms into three larger kingdoms: Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/BreakroomNachos Intro music by Dan Mason: https://danmason.bandcamp.com/

Ancient history of Russia is intriguing. Recorded history of Russia before Christianity is obscure. Available information states that Russia was founded(?) In 882 AD. ‘The traditional beginning of Russian history is 862 A.D. Kievan Rus‘, the first united East Slavic state, was founded in 882. The state adopted Christianity from the Byzantine Empire in 988, beginning with the synthesis of Byzantine and Slavic cultures that defined Russian culture for the next millennium. Kievan Rus' ultimately disintegrated as a state because of the Mongol invasion of Rus' in 1237–1240 and the death of about half the population of Rus'. (History of Russia ) ‘The early history of Russia, like those of many countries, is one of migrating peoples and ancient kingdoms. In fact, early Russia was not exactly “Russia,” but a collection of cities that gradually coalesced into an empire. I n the early part of the ninth century, as part of the same great movement that brough the Danes to England and the Norsemen to Western Europe, a Scandanavian people known as the Varangians crossed the Baltic Sea and landed in Eastern Europe. The leader of the Varangians was the semilegendary warrior Rurik, who led his people in 862 to the city of Novgorod on the Volkhov River. Whether Rurik took the city by force or was invited to rule there, he certainly invested the city. From Novgorod, Rurik's successor Oleg extended the power of the city southward. In 882, he gained control of Kiev, a Slavic city that had arisen along the Dnepr Riveraround the 5th century. Oleg's attainment of rule over Kiev marked the first establishment of a unified, dynastic state in the region. Kiev became the center of a trade route between Scandinavia and Constantinople, and Kievan Rus', as the empire came to be known, flourished for the next three hundredyears.' Source :http://missinglink.ucsf.edu/lm/russia_guide/historyofrussia.htm#ancient It is also stated that Russia was founded when the Eastern Slavs and Finnish-Ugraic People. It is also stated that Russia was founded when the Eastern Slavs and Finnish-Ugraic People.To me this seems to be a contradiction. The Uyghurs were present much, much earlier than the time assigned here. The same time frame may be assigned Eastern Slavics. Available archeological evidence indicates the presence of an advanced civilization in Russia. 1. Narada Mountain in Russia. ‘ Georgiev illustrates that in 1927 a detachment of geologists “discovered” the highest mountain in the Urals. The mountain was called Narada by the local population, and interestingly the ancient Indian epics describe the great sage Narada as living in the north. But since it was the 10thanniversary of the October Revolution, the geologists decided to mark the event and rename the mountain as Narodnoy – or People. And that's what it is now called in all geographic references and on all maps.” ( https://ramanan50.wordpress.com/2015/02/04/narada-mountain-in-russia-urals-narodnaya/) 2.Arkaim Rig vedic Mandala city in Russia. ‘ They realized that its lay-out, the ground-plan of Arkaim, is related to the Mandala principle, a square inside a circle – one of the basic sacred symbols of Buddhist philosophy. The word Mandala is translated as a circle or disk. In the ancient Rig-Veda writings, where it has been first described, the word has a set of values: a wheel, a ring, the country, space, society, gathering. The symbolic meaning of a Mandala is understood all over the world as a model of the Universe, even of the entire cosmos, where the two most important principles present in our Universe are represented in the form of a circle and a square. Arkaim, with its dwellings, having adjoining rooms, might possibly represent the “wheel of time”, where every aspect is defined by the previous one and in turn, defines the next one. https://ramanisblog.in/2017/02/17/kaikeyi-born-in-russia-world-during-ramayana-part-3/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/ramanispodcast/message

Today, we talk about 1035, Varangians, the warrior mindset, and so much more. Harald seems to have his hands in everything! Please keep sharing the podcast with those you know and on your social media accounts. Don't forget to tag us, too, if you share us on Twitter (@WheelPodcast), or drop a quick line about the latest episode on Facebook (Search: Wheel Podcast). I would love to hear from you, so email the show at fortuneswheelpodcast@gmail.com. Also, if you are so inclined, please consider supporting the show on Patreon. Season 2: Here Come the Normans! Episode 31: In Which Harald Serves a Foreign Emperor, Part 1 Years: 1035 - 1038 Settings: Constantinople, Anatolia, Iraq --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/fortuneswheelpodcast/support

Please make a one-off donation via PayPal: http://paypal.me/vinlandtovolgaPlease follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/VinlandToVolgaPlease join the community discord server: https://discord.gg/DPKDwwEgbVEmail me at volgatovinland@gmail.comSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/vinlandtovolga)

For centuries, the Varangians were the cream of the crop of the Byzantine army. As Scandinavian warriors in a foreign land, they were ruthlessly efficient and loyal to a man. In Episode 3: Norsemen, I tell the history of the Varangian Guard and the most famous Varangian, Harald Hardrada. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/badassbyzantium)

這本書說的就是諾曼人，其實歐洲大陸其實原先並沒有名為諾曼的這一支民族，那麼是從何而來呢？其實原本的起源，謙信說出來大家必定有聽過，就是起源於丹麥、冰島、挪威等地，原屬諾斯人（"Norman"一詞由"Norseman"演變而來，Norseman原意為北方人）的分支『維京人』（古英語中Wīcingas表示"pirates"，即「海盜」），聽過對吧？那麼怎麼會維京人消失在世界的民族中，而諾曼人還在呢？其中要先解釋，Vikingr是古諾斯語，「vik」意思是「海灣」，「ing」意思是「從……來」，加起來「維京」意思是在海灣中從事某種事，「vikingr」是在海灣中從事這種事的人。另外也出現在斯堪那維亞的古盧恩石碑，冰島的當地語言中意指「海上冒險」。在英語中「wicing」這個詞首先出現在6世紀的古代盎格羅-撒克遜的詩歌中，意思就是海盜。在中古世紀的英文中本來維京這一詞已經消失，卻在18世紀重新在傳奇文學故事中，更在20世紀擴大解釋指斯堪地那維亞人，還出現如「維京時代」、「維京文化」、「維京殖民地」等名詞。 10世紀時，諾斯人組成的劫掠集團向歐洲大陸各地發起掠奪與商業遠征，其中入侵並定居於不列顛群島、西歐與南歐等地，與當地居民發展文化、民族融合後，漸漸形成諾曼文化。你或許會疑問，歷史上入侵歐洲的民族也不少，但是為什麼只有他們可以這麼快速進行融合？諾曼人有個非常不同的特點，非常善於吸收鄰居的制度為己所用，而不是堅持自己的那套，才能快速的與當地進行融合。 不過在俄國史料中，諾曼這個詞語專指瓦倫京人（又稱瓦良格人，Varangians），而在法國史料中，諾曼人則是專指在九世紀掠奪法國的各維京集團。 今天法國北部的大片地區當時都被他們征服，這片土地也是名聞遐邇，只要你知道一點二次大戰或是看過相關的電影、影集，絕對不陌生，是的就是英美聯軍登陸的諾曼地，你說歷史是不是常常在不經意提醒我們什麼呢？..... 如果您喜歡提供的內容，希望能夠聽到更多不一樣的歷史解讀，可以的話請您以「謙信的歷史廣場」搜尋，在medium或blogger留下寶貴意見，或是有想聽的歷史主題，都歡迎與我分享，會盡力改進缺點提供大家更好的歷史饗宴。

這本書說的就是諾曼人，其實歐洲大陸其實原先並沒有名為諾曼的這一支民族，那麼是從何而來呢？其實原本的起源，謙信說出來大家必定有聽過，就是起源於丹麥、冰島、挪威等地，原屬諾斯人（"Norman"一詞由"Norseman"演變而來，Norseman原意為北方人）的分支『維京人』（古英語中Wīcingas表示"pirates"，即「海盜」），聽過對吧？那麼怎麼會維京人消失在世界的民族中，而諾曼人還在呢？其中要先解釋，Vikingr是古諾斯語，「vik」意思是「海灣」，「ing」意思是「從……來」，加起來「維京」意思是在海灣中從事某種事，「vikingr」是在海灣中從事這種事的人。另外也出現在斯堪那維亞的古盧恩石碑，冰島的當地語言中意指「海上冒險」。在英語中「wicing」這個詞首先出現在6世紀的古代盎格羅-撒克遜的詩歌中，意思就是海盜。在中古世紀的英文中本來維京這一詞已經消失，卻在18世紀重新在傳奇文學故事中，更在20世紀擴大解釋指斯堪地那維亞人，還出現如「維京時代」、「維京文化」、「維京殖民地」等名詞。 10世紀時，諾斯人組成的劫掠集團向歐洲大陸各地發起掠奪與商業遠征，其中入侵並定居於不列顛群島、西歐與南歐等地，與當地居民發展文化、民族融合後，漸漸形成諾曼文化。你或許會疑問，歷史上入侵歐洲的民族也不少，但是為什麼只有他們可以這麼快速進行融合？諾曼人有個非常不同的特點，非常善於吸收鄰居的制度為己所用，而不是堅持自己的那套，才能快速的與當地進行融合。 不過在俄國史料中，諾曼這個詞語專指瓦倫京人（又稱瓦良格人，Varangians），而在法國史料中，諾曼人則是專指在九世紀掠奪法國的各維京集團。 今天法國北部的大片地區當時都被他們征服，這片土地也是名聞遐邇，只要你知道一點二次大戰或是看過相關的電影、影集，絕對不陌生，是的就是英美聯軍登陸的諾曼地，你說歷史是不是常常在不經意提醒我們什麼呢？..... 如果您喜歡提供的內容，希望能夠聽到更多不一樣的歷史解讀，可以的話請您以「謙信的歷史廣場」搜尋，在medium或blogger留下寶貴意見，或是有想聽的歷史主題，都歡迎與我分享，會盡力改進缺點提供大家更好的歷史饗宴。

Listener questions on Varangians, provincial administration, diplomacy, family mottos and the ever popular top 5 best and worst Emperors. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Renaissance and Reformation               Spanish and Portuguese Empires: get out of my ocean   Gabe The Spanish and Portuguese are kind of the start to a lot of global trade but more so the Portuguese empire because they were more interested in trade then acquiring land and so what they would do is set up these things called factories which were a lot like warehouses for trading outposts and they set these up along there trade route which went from portugal all the way to the bottom of africa and back up to japan which was the route vasco da gama created and they found that the chinese wanted silver to reinforce there paper money and they saw this as a great trade opportunity and they would go and trade china's goods of basically anything for silver from japan to china   Ben - During the Spanish golden age, are and literature flourished. This was also during the Italian Renaissance, around the year 1492. The same year that Christopher Columbus discovered America. A famous European artist of this time was Diego Velázquez. He made various works for the royals of Spain that showcased his immense skill in talent.   Ella - In America, people often worked on plantations and in mines. The work they did was really harsh and difficult that sometimes people would die doing it.  But it resulted in a large increase in production. And with that came the need for more labor so they began to use enslaved africans which brought West Africa into these trading networks and relationships with the spanish and portuguese.   Audrey -  In 1598 a fleet of Dutch ships left the Netherlands to trade. A sailor aboard one of these ships was an Englishman named William Adams. The fleet sailed down the coast of Africa and made a stop off the coast of West Africa to trade, and this was very common for the European ships at the time. When they left there they sailed around South America ending up off the coast of Peru. At this point William Adams began keeping a journal and it says “It was agreed that we should leave the coast of Peru and direct our course for Japan. Having understood that cloth was good merchandise there and also how upon that coast of Peru the king’s ships were out seeking us.” The king that Adams was referring to was the king of Spain and this worried the fleet because Peru was a Spanish colony at the time and Spain and the Netherlands were at war. This just shows how interconnected the economy was at the time with how they new where a place was how to get there and what items would be beneficial to trade there. (Sorry its so long) Emma - Prior to the beginning of the African slave trade, certain areas in Africa already held an important role in the Renaissance era global economy. West Africa in particular, played a part in the Spanish and Portuguese trade of items such as gold and ivory, as well as some spices. All of these items were highly desired by people of many cultures and were seen as symbols of wealth and luxury.   Skylar - William Adams sailed from West Africa to Peru, to Japan. When they arrived in Japan the Emperor put Adams in prison. These Portuguese Priests were in Japan and were trying to get the emperor to agree to let William Adams out of prison. Finally the Emperor agreed and said he would trade with him, but he had to help his army build ships.   Ethan- In Brazil their economic power comes from their sugar plantations towards the north. This changed when they struck gold in 1693. This was found inward on Brazil in the region of Minas Gerais.  Them finding gold triggered the Americans desire to find gold in America. This struck down Brazil’s financial status for most of the 18th century. Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment: Gabe - The Scientific Revolution started around the early 1500s when copernicus says hey what if we aren't the center of attention what if the sun and we are revolving around it and not it around us which questions everything they believed and this kind of ended around the late 1600s when newton publishes the principia which describes our universe and around this time people began to question old beliefs that had been around since forever which began the Age of Enlightenment Ben - The Age of Enlightenment was also called the Age of Reason. Historians from France usually place this period at around 1715, but other historians from around the world think it happened in around 1620. Corresponding with the scientific revolution. Ella - The reasons the Enlightenment started was not only because we had new tools of thinking but that it was almost a responsibility of the society now that they had scientific information that they could apply to there current information. Audrey - The Age of Enlightenment was a very philosophical time when people really started questioning their rights and their obligations especially considering their social status, like why this person had the right to rule why others had to be slaves and why the upper class could own them.   Emma - During this new philosophical era, many “modern” philosophers began to emerge. One of these was John Locke, the writer of the Second Treatise Concerning Civil Government. This document expressed his beliefs on how people should treat one anGovernmentother. For example, one passage said this; “...when his own preservation comes not in competition, ought he, as much as he can, to preserve the rest of mankind, and may not, unless it be to do justice on an offender, take away, or impair the life, the liberty, health, limb, or goods of another.” This kind of thinking was growing larger in popularity during this time.   Ethan- The Scientific Revolution with things like the heliocentric theory that we use today. This was the first theory that said the universe revolved around something other than the Earth. The barometer was also invented during this time. The bifocal lens was also a great invention because it let people have the ability to see both far and near.7. Skylar - im going to talk about Thomas Hobbes. Thomas was a english writer, who was inspired by experimental attitude toward nature and decided to apply it to politics.  In 1651 he wrote Leviathan, a title he chose after the sea monster from the Book of Job. Thomas thought that humans in their original state of nature were unhappy. He supported an absolute monarch government, but didn’t support the Divine Right theory government. He didn’t support that kind of government because he believed that you need protection from yourself.   Mughal rule in India:   Gabe - The Mughal Rule Starts in Samarkand around early 1500s which babur who is Timur's great grandsons grandson tries taking and fails and he tries to take Fergana and fails and he does this a couple times before he goes to Kabul and conquers it in the early 1600s which after taking Kabul he starts focusing on more India then he does Asia and he even later on defeated Ibrahim Lodi at Delhi taking control over northern india.    Ella - One of the rulers Humayun had trouble retaining power because of multiple family rivalries. Eventually the Pashtun Suri dynasty dethrones him. He was able to regain control for a while with the help from the safavids but unfortunately tripped on a staircase and died.   Audrey - Shah Jahan was the son of Jahangir therefor Akbar’s grandson and he lived from 1592-1666 AD. Where both Akbar and Jahangir were said to be very tolerant rulers Shah Jahan was known to be considerably less tolerant. His rule was known as the golden age of Mughal architecture one of his greatest structures being the Taj Mahal. It was built in the 1630’s in Agra which at some point was the capitol. Shah Jahan had the Taj Mahal built as a home for the body of his wife who had died just before.   Emma - The Mughal Empire was an example of an Indo-Persian culture, a combination of both the Indian and Persian cultures of the surrounding areas. Examples of this can be seen in art and architecture of the time period which showed influences from both of these distinct cultures.   Ethan- The Mughal Empire was the 3rd largest empire on the Indian subcontinent to ever exist, alongside the British Indian Empire and the Maurya Empire. This empire expanded 4 million square kilometers.  The largest expansion of this empire was when Aurangzeb ruled, with over 150 million subjects.   Skylar - In 1483 Babur is born, who becomes the leader of Fergana at age 12. He tries to take over multiple different places, and never won. Finally in the early 16th century he is able to take control over Kabul. When akbar became the leader he was able to add quite a bit more territory to the Mughal empire.   Sikhism:  Gabe - Sikhism starts in punjab around the time that the Mughals are coming into power with a man named guru Nanak and his followers are called sikhs which is from the sanskrit word sikh which means to learn Ella - Eventually The Sikhs have a large increase in following from Hindus and Muslims. Jahangir becomes threatened by them so he decides to imprison and torture Guru Arjan in an attempt to make him convert to Islam. Despite being boiled and tortured he would not consent and he eventually died.kicking in the basement guess who Audrey - Guru Arjan played an important part in Sikhism with the making of the Adi Granth which is a compilation of the sayings and hymns from previous gurus including his own so essentially the holy book of Sikhism. Guru Arjan also built the Harmandir Sahib in Ramdaspur a place later known as Amritsar which was intended as a place of worship for people of all religions and they had the tradition of Langar where they would feed anyone from any faith. The Harmandir Sahib would later be known as the Golden Temple after Raja had it plated with gold and it is now the largest free kitchen in the world. Skylar - The Sikhism is started in the 15th century by Guru Nanak. Guru was born into a merchant class Hindu family, he was precocious especially when talking about spirituality, meaning he was extremely religious. Emma - The Bhakti Movement of the Mughal Empire was a major influence of the development of Sikhism. The Bhakti Movement was a theistic that originated from Hinduism in Medieval times. However, it was not a direct branch from the movement. Ethan- All Sikh believe that faith and meditation are essentials in their lives. They also believe in divine unity and equality of humankind. Now there are close to 25 million Sikhs worldwide and many of them have stayed in Punjab. The last guru was Guru Gobind Singh and named the Sikhs scripture Guru Granth Sahib. 7. The Protestant Reformation: Ella -  Pope Leo X wanted to rebuild Saint Peter's Basilica which given to Peter from Christ himself. The cost to rebuild it was very high because it was one of the greatest architectural structures of the time. They planned to afford it by selling indulgences or pieces of paper that supposedly helped you get into heaven faster.  Gabe - The Protestant Reformation is when the church went from just the Roman Catholic church too methodist, baptist, lutheran, congregationalist, and presbyterian churches these were some of the churches that came out of the Protestant Reformation Audrey - Martin Luther, who was a German monk and a professor of theology at the University of Wittenberg, was tired of people saying since they bought indulgences, which were pieces of paper that could supposedly get you to Heaven quicker, they were freed of all their sins. As a monk Martin Luther did not like the idea of people trying to take the easy way out by buying their way to Heaven so he wrote a series of arguments on the issues of selling indulgences better known as the 95 Theses and it is said that he nailed it to the doors of the castle church in Wittenberg. Skylar - The protestant reformation started in 1517. The reformation started by Martin Luther. Then later on other leaders were Huldrych Zwingli and John Calvin. The Protestant Reformation lasted until the end of the Thirty Years war, which ended in 1648. Emma - The reformation was a distinct change from the practices and beliefs of the  Catholic Church. They very much believed that your actions impacted if and when you got to Heaven. This was what martin Luther was addressing with his writings, saying that the sinful nature was unavoidable and that faith alone can save us. Ethan- The Reformation ended around the time of the end of the 30 years war. The war ended in 1648. By this time the society of Western Christianity had split into many different “churches” like Catholic, Lutheran, and Anglican, just to name a few. 7.   The Russian Empire - Ella - Modern day Sweden was once the home of the Vikings. They would travel around Western Europe by sea and attack and steal from towns on the coast. The Vikings were also known for their trading. There were many water routes from Sweden to common trading countries such as Baghdad and Constantinople. Large amounts of viking jewelry was found along these rivers. Gabe - The Russian empire began with the varangians which were vikings being pushed back to Sweden but there was chaos in the northern slav area and it is said that they went to the varangians and asked them to rule over them because there is no order and so 3 people were pick Rurik being the oldest settles in Novograd and calls the land Rus which many people believe is where the word Russia comes from and on his death Rurik appoints Oleg as his successor and Oleg settles in Kiev expanding Rus to Kiev Rus Skylar - The Russian Empire was officially proclaimed by Tsar Peter I, (the first, skylar do NOT say 1)following the Treaty of Nystad, which was in 1721. The Russian Empire was strong and alive well before that though, 1478 is when most believe in was truly established. The Russian Empire is the third largest in the world. It contains three different continents. Sometimes the Russian Empire is also known as Imperial Russia. Audrey - The word Rus is thought by most historians to be the origin of the word Russia. But where did the word Rus come from? Historians have come up with many answers for this question. Some believe that the word Rus came from the name of Sweden at the time since that’s where Rus was, and some think the the Rus were a group of vikings. Emma - The inhabitants of the Land of Rus are said to have come from two groups of people that resided in what is now Russia. These two groups were the Eastern Slavs and the Varangians. However, there were many other groups of Slavs that made up the other nations that now exist in the area. Ethan- The Russian Empire lasted from 1721-1917. The Empire took up 14 million square miles and was ruled autocratically. It had over 170 million people and 100 different backgrounds. The capital of the Russian Empire is St Petersburg. Most of the population consisted of serfs until 1861 when Alexander II set them free. This Emancipation did not change the conditions for the peasant populus.

Renaissance and Reformation               Spanish and Portuguese Empires: get out of my ocean   Gabe The Spanish and Portuguese are kind of the start to a lot of global trade but more so the Portuguese empire because they were more interested in trade then acquiring land and so what they would do is set up these things called factories which were a lot like warehouses for trading outposts and they set these up along there trade route which went from portugal all the way to the bottom of africa and back up to japan which was the route vasco da gama created and they found that the chinese wanted silver to reinforce there paper money and they saw this as a great trade opportunity and they would go and trade china's goods of basically anything for silver from japan to china   Ben - During the Spanish golden age, are and literature flourished. This was also during the Italian Renaissance, around the year 1492. The same year that Christopher Columbus discovered America. A famous European artist of this time was Diego Velázquez. He made various works for the royals of Spain that showcased his immense skill in talent.   Ella - In America, people often worked on plantations and in mines. The work they did was really harsh and difficult that sometimes people would die doing it.  But it resulted in a large increase in production. And with that came the need for more labor so they began to use enslaved africans which brought West Africa into these trading networks and relationships with the spanish and portuguese.   Audrey -  In 1598 a fleet of Dutch ships left the Netherlands to trade. A sailor aboard one of these ships was an Englishman named William Adams. The fleet sailed down the coast of Africa and made a stop off the coast of West Africa to trade, and this was very common for the European ships at the time. When they left there they sailed around South America ending up off the coast of Peru. At this point William Adams began keeping a journal and it says “It was agreed that we should leave the coast of Peru and direct our course for Japan. Having understood that cloth was good merchandise there and also how upon that coast of Peru the king’s ships were out seeking us.” The king that Adams was referring to was the king of Spain and this worried the fleet because Peru was a Spanish colony at the time and Spain and the Netherlands were at war. This just shows how interconnected the economy was at the time with how they new where a place was how to get there and what items would be beneficial to trade there. (Sorry its so long) Emma - Prior to the beginning of the African slave trade, certain areas in Africa already held an important role in the Renaissance era global economy. West Africa in particular, played a part in the Spanish and Portuguese trade of items such as gold and ivory, as well as some spices. All of these items were highly desired by people of many cultures and were seen as symbols of wealth and luxury.   Skylar - William Adams sailed from West Africa to Peru, to Japan. When they arrived in Japan the Emperor put Adams in prison. These Portuguese Priests were in Japan and were trying to get the emperor to agree to let William Adams out of prison. Finally the Emperor agreed and said he would trade with him, but he had to help his army build ships.   Ethan- In Brazil their economic power comes from their sugar plantations towards the north. This changed when they struck gold in 1693. This was found inward on Brazil in the region of Minas Gerais.  Them finding gold triggered the Americans desire to find gold in America. This struck down Brazil’s financial status for most of the 18th century. Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment: Gabe - The Scientific Revolution started around the early 1500s when copernicus says hey what if we aren't the center of attention what if the sun and we are revolving around it and not it around us which questions everything they believed and this kind of ended around the late 1600s when newton publishes the principia which describes our universe and around this time people began to question old beliefs that had been around since forever which began the Age of Enlightenment Ben - The Age of Enlightenment was also called the Age of Reason. Historians from France usually place this period at around 1715, but other historians from around the world think it happened in around 1620. Corresponding with the scientific revolution. Ella - The reasons the Enlightenment started was not only because we had new tools of thinking but that it was almost a responsibility of the society now that they had scientific information that they could apply to there current information. Audrey - The Age of Enlightenment was a very philosophical time when people really started questioning their rights and their obligations especially considering their social status, like why this person had the right to rule why others had to be slaves and why the upper class could own them.   Emma - During this new philosophical era, many “modern” philosophers began to emerge. One of these was John Locke, the writer of the Second Treatise Concerning Civil Government. This document expressed his beliefs on how people should treat one anGovernmentother. For example, one passage said this; “...when his own preservation comes not in competition, ought he, as much as he can, to preserve the rest of mankind, and may not, unless it be to do justice on an offender, take away, or impair the life, the liberty, health, limb, or goods of another.” This kind of thinking was growing larger in popularity during this time.   Ethan- The Scientific Revolution with things like the heliocentric theory that we use today. This was the first theory that said the universe revolved around something other than the Earth. The barometer was also invented during this time. The bifocal lens was also a great invention because it let people have the ability to see both far and near.7. Skylar - im going to talk about Thomas Hobbes. Thomas was a english writer, who was inspired by experimental attitude toward nature and decided to apply it to politics.  In 1651 he wrote Leviathan, a title he chose after the sea monster from the Book of Job. Thomas thought that humans in their original state of nature were unhappy. He supported an absolute monarch government, but didn’t support the Divine Right theory government. He didn’t support that kind of government because he believed that you need protection from yourself.   Mughal rule in India:   Gabe - The Mughal Rule Starts in Samarkand around early 1500s which babur who is Timur's great grandsons grandson tries taking and fails and he tries to take Fergana and fails and he does this a couple times before he goes to Kabul and conquers it in the early 1600s which after taking Kabul he starts focusing on more India then he does Asia and he even later on defeated Ibrahim Lodi at Delhi taking control over northern india.    Ella - One of the rulers Humayun had trouble retaining power because of multiple family rivalries. Eventually the Pashtun Suri dynasty dethrones him. He was able to regain control for a while with the help from the safavids but unfortunately tripped on a staircase and died.   Audrey - Shah Jahan was the son of Jahangir therefor Akbar’s grandson and he lived from 1592-1666 AD. Where both Akbar and Jahangir were said to be very tolerant rulers Shah Jahan was known to be considerably less tolerant. His rule was known as the golden age of Mughal architecture one of his greatest structures being the Taj Mahal. It was built in the 1630’s in Agra which at some point was the capitol. Shah Jahan had the Taj Mahal built as a home for the body of his wife who had died just before.   Emma - The Mughal Empire was an example of an Indo-Persian culture, a combination of both the Indian and Persian cultures of the surrounding areas. Examples of this can be seen in art and architecture of the time period which showed influences from both of these distinct cultures.   Ethan- The Mughal Empire was the 3rd largest empire on the Indian subcontinent to ever exist, alongside the British Indian Empire and the Maurya Empire. This empire expanded 4 million square kilometers.  The largest expansion of this empire was when Aurangzeb ruled, with over 150 million subjects.   Skylar - In 1483 Babur is born, who becomes the leader of Fergana at age 12. He tries to take over multiple different places, and never won. Finally in the early 16th century he is able to take control over Kabul. When akbar became the leader he was able to add quite a bit more territory to the Mughal empire.   Sikhism:  Gabe - Sikhism starts in punjab around the time that the Mughals are coming into power with a man named guru Nanak and his followers are called sikhs which is from the sanskrit word sikh which means to learn Ella - Eventually The Sikhs have a large increase in following from Hindus and Muslims. Jahangir becomes threatened by them so he decides to imprison and torture Guru Arjan in an attempt to make him convert to Islam. Despite being boiled and tortured he would not consent and he eventually died.kicking in the basement guess who Audrey - Guru Arjan played an important part in Sikhism with the making of the Adi Granth which is a compilation of the sayings and hymns from previous gurus including his own so essentially the holy book of Sikhism. Guru Arjan also built the Harmandir Sahib in Ramdaspur a place later known as Amritsar which was intended as a place of worship for people of all religions and they had the tradition of Langar where they would feed anyone from any faith. The Harmandir Sahib would later be known as the Golden Temple after Raja had it plated with gold and it is now the largest free kitchen in the world. Skylar - The Sikhism is started in the 15th century by Guru Nanak. Guru was born into a merchant class Hindu family, he was precocious especially when talking about spirituality, meaning he was extremely religious. Emma - The Bhakti Movement of the Mughal Empire was a major influence of the development of Sikhism. The Bhakti Movement was a theistic that originated from Hinduism in Medieval times. However, it was not a direct branch from the movement. Ethan- All Sikh believe that faith and meditation are essentials in their lives. They also believe in divine unity and equality of humankind. Now there are close to 25 million Sikhs worldwide and many of them have stayed in Punjab. The last guru was Guru Gobind Singh and named the Sikhs scripture Guru Granth Sahib. 7. The Protestant Reformation: Ella -  Pope Leo X wanted to rebuild Saint Peter's Basilica which given to Peter from Christ himself. The cost to rebuild it was very high because it was one of the greatest architectural structures of the time. They planned to afford it by selling indulgences or pieces of paper that supposedly helped you get into heaven faster.  Gabe - The Protestant Reformation is when the church went from just the Roman Catholic church too methodist, baptist, lutheran, congregationalist, and presbyterian churches these were some of the churches that came out of the Protestant Reformation Audrey - Martin Luther, who was a German monk and a professor of theology at the University of Wittenberg, was tired of people saying since they bought indulgences, which were pieces of paper that could supposedly get you to Heaven quicker, they were freed of all their sins. As a monk Martin Luther did not like the idea of people trying to take the easy way out by buying their way to Heaven so he wrote a series of arguments on the issues of selling indulgences better known as the 95 Theses and it is said that he nailed it to the doors of the castle church in Wittenberg. Skylar - The protestant reformation started in 1517. The reformation started by Martin Luther. Then later on other leaders were Huldrych Zwingli and John Calvin. The Protestant Reformation lasted until the end of the Thirty Years war, which ended in 1648. Emma - The reformation was a distinct change from the practices and beliefs of the  Catholic Church. They very much believed that your actions impacted if and when you got to Heaven. This was what martin Luther was addressing with his writings, saying that the sinful nature was unavoidable and that faith alone can save us. Ethan- The Reformation ended around the time of the end of the 30 years war. The war ended in 1648. By this time the society of Western Christianity had split into many different “churches” like Catholic, Lutheran, and Anglican, just to name a few. 7.   The Russian Empire - Ella - Modern day Sweden was once the home of the Vikings. They would travel around Western Europe by sea and attack and steal from towns on the coast. The Vikings were also known for their trading. There were many water routes from Sweden to common trading countries such as Baghdad and Constantinople. Large amounts of viking jewelry was found along these rivers. Gabe - The Russian empire began with the varangians which were vikings being pushed back to Sweden but there was chaos in the northern slav area and it is said that they went to the varangians and asked them to rule over them because there is no order and so 3 people were pick Rurik being the oldest settles in Novograd and calls the land Rus which many people believe is where the word Russia comes from and on his death Rurik appoints Oleg as his successor and Oleg settles in Kiev expanding Rus to Kiev Rus Skylar - The Russian Empire was officially proclaimed by Tsar Peter I, (the first, skylar do NOT say 1)following the Treaty of Nystad, which was in 1721. The Russian Empire was strong and alive well before that though, 1478 is when most believe in was truly established. The Russian Empire is the third largest in the world. It contains three different continents. Sometimes the Russian Empire is also known as Imperial Russia. Audrey - The word Rus is thought by most historians to be the origin of the word Russia. But where did the word Rus come from? Historians have come up with many answers for this question. Some believe that the word Rus came from the name of Sweden at the time since that’s where Rus was, and some think the the Rus were a group of vikings. Emma - The inhabitants of the Land of Rus are said to have come from two groups of people that resided in what is now Russia. These two groups were the Eastern Slavs and the Varangians. However, there were many other groups of Slavs that made up the other nations that now exist in the area. Ethan- The Russian Empire lasted from 1721-1917. The Empire took up 14 million square miles and was ruled autocratically. It had over 170 million people and 100 different backgrounds. The capital of the Russian Empire is St Petersburg. Most of the population consisted of serfs until 1861 when Alexander II set them free. This Emancipation did not change the conditions for the peasant populus.

Civil war resumes as both Bardas Sclerus and Bardas Phokas rebel against Basil. An epic showdown follows which drags the Bulgarians, the Rus, Varangians, Arabs, Armenians and Georgians into the contest. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Today's question is about the Varangians, a group of Vikings that conquered Kievan Rus and became the first rulers of the Russian state. I'd love it if you could talk about Kievan-Rus, the Rurik dynasty, The Varangians...any of these would be great. WANT ME TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION ABOUT HISTORY? Click here to learn more.   TO HELP OUT THE SHOW Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help and I read each one. Subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher

Gary Butterfield and Kole Ross read your responses to the Scholar of the First Sin remake of Dark Souls II. LINKS OF NOTE: Oh god, the Fireys Family Guy is so adult and edgy, I just can't stand it Varangians Scholar Changes Spoilers aren't bad