Ragnar Lothbrok and the Rus-Byzantine War of 860

In 860, a Viking fleet appeared without warning before the walls of Constantinople, catching the Byzantine Empire off guard. The Rus, as they were known to the Greeks, had sailed from the Dnieper River under a leader whose name would become legendary — and tangled forever with the saga of Ragnar Lothbrok. This episode separates the historical raid from the later sagas that claimed Ragnar's sons as its architects. We examine the account of Patriarch Photius, who witnessed the attack firsthand, the Rus fleet's tactical use of the Bosphorus, and the diplomatic aftermath that included the first known Christianization efforts among the Rus. Lucas and Luna also explore the fragmentary sources — the Annales Bertiniani, the Primary Chronicle, and later Norse sagas — that scholars use to piece together what really happened, and why the 860 raid reshaped Byzantine defenses and paved the way for the Rus-Byzantine treaties of the 10th century. This is a deep dive into a pivotal moment where Viking, Slavic, and Byzantine worlds collided. #Rus #ByzantineEmpire #Constantinople #RagnarLothbrok #860Raid #Photius #PrimaryChronicle #Varangian #DnieperRiver #VikingRaids #NorseSagas #Christianization #AnnalesBertiniani #MedievalHistory #EasternEurope #VikingAge #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo