What was going on in Russia during the reign of Charlemagne & the Frankish Empire?

Frankish king Charlemagne was an outstanding ruler in the Middle Ages and creator of the powerful Frankish Empire, which occupied much of Western and Central Europe. It emerged in the year 800 and lasted less than a century, but had a profound impact on the subsequent history on the continent.

At the other end of Europe at this time lived the scattered pagan tribes of the Eastern Slavs: the ‘Drevlyans’, ‘Krivichi’, ‘Polyans’, ‘Vyatichi’, ‘Radimichi’ and others. They, meanwhile, neighbored the Finno-Ugric and Baltic tribes.

In the north, the Slavs interacted with the Scandinavians and Varangians, who were just entering a period of expansion. However, they not only engaged in robbery, but also engaged in trade and served as mercenaries for local rulers.

To the south lay a powerful state of Turkic nomads – the Khazar Khaganate. It controlled the Caucasus, Crimea and vast territories from the Volga River to the Dnieper River and many Slavic tribes paid tribute to the Khazar khagans (khans of khans).

From time to time, the Slavs launched campaigns against the Byzantine Empire. In 860, they sacked the outskirts of Constantinople, which they called Tsargrad, but did not dare storm such a powerful fortress.

The year 862, meanwhile, is associated with the formation of the Old Russian State. A number of East Slavic and Finno-Ugric tribes united in the north and invited the Varangian Rurik to rule the Novgorod land.

His successor, the Varangian Oleg, captured Kiev in 882 and moved the capital there from Novgorod. Thus, the two main centers of the Eastern Slavs were united.

At the same time, the Frankish Empire was undergoing a reverse process. And, in 887, it finally collapsed.