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APH - Kievan Rus' -oc-

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So according to this particular headcanon, Scandinavia went on to become Kievan Rus' (as I can see the regions aligning with specific tribes as stronger national identities began to form - Germania with the Vandals, etc).

Scandinavia always had a naïve curiosity which eventually came to get the better of him. Driven in part by the need to get away from his brother, he set sail to explore the seas and discover the regions which lay beyond. His children quickly followed suit, and realising that they were grown enough to not need him anymore, he tearfully decided he should leave them to their new found independence. In spite of always having been unsure whether or not Sweden was one of his own, he was still 'his oldest', and was thus asked to watch over and look out for the others in his stead. Being the second oldest, Denmark was less than impressed.

And so Scandinavia became 'Varangian'. Early on he met the Baltic ancestor, Aestii (Baltia) with whom he gradually developed a close friendship which over time developed further (more on this when I get around to doing his character portrait).

However, news of Rome's death would still hit him hard, prompting him to become something of a wild child. During this time, he eagerly threw himself into fights, drinking and debauchery. His memories of this period are rather vague as a result. At the same time, it was the start of what would become a great passion for trade. From this he went on to form a business partnership with Khazar - Magyar's twin brother. He set up camp beside him, briefly becoming Rus' Khaganate.

This didn't last forever, and ties soon turned sour over Rus' growing overconfidence. War broke out between them both, and after a few (violent) encounters, Khazar was decisively defeated, leaving Rus' to victoriously claim his lands as his own - the same lands which lay beside where Aestii had once stood.

With this, he became Kievan Rus', taking control of the all important trade routes, and eventually becoming Christianised though the adoption of Eastern Orthodox (because none of the other religions had shiny churches. I kid you not, this is the actual reason given in the chronicles). Keeping the peace within himself was very important to him, even with the ruling princes constantly fighting amongst themselves – this can be seen in the Russkaya Pravda (the laws held by Rus' ), which show an unusual absence of capital punishment – focusing instead on a system of fines (and a big fear of fire, apparently). Later on, three new offspring came to appear - Kiev-Ukrayina, Novgorod, and Polatsk (who would go on to become Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus).

His final breath was drawn in 1240 - the killing blow coming in the form of the Mongol invasion. Already weak from internal divisions and loss of trade, it was easily enough to end him. In his death, he left his 3 smallest children alone to face the cold and fend for themselves.

On his personality – He is lot more world-weary and experienced than Scandinavia, though still prone to being tearful and easily moved. When doing business, he could be completely ruthless, not opposed in the least to acting out when trade terms weren't to his liking. Despite being settled, he continued to travel around a lot, moving from principality to principality. As a result, he comes off as the 'guilty working father' type – tough in trade, but a complete softie with his Slavic children and not beyond spoiling them rotten when he had the chance. Occasionally his old Viking tendencies show through – shiny things easily win him over (green beads especially). With Aestii gone, he continued to wear amber over his heart and keep an eye on his Baltic offspring – all, of course, except Prussia...

A note on naming: A standard disclaimer is that Kievan Rus' is only a fairly recent term used to refer to the medieval state, with its people at the time calling it 'Ruska Zemlya'. The name 'Rus' is often associated with Sweden, and true enough the Rus' vikings were from the area that is modern Sweden, but to say they were Sweden himself doesn't quite work when you think that line of though would mean Germania = Germany, or the ancient German tribe of the Alamanni = Allemagne (French for Germany), etc.

I want Hidekaz to hurry up and confirm who Byzantine is so I can properly write up Rus' many dealings with them. (Still not buying that they're Mama Greece, especially after his more recent profiles on the ancients mentions them as though they are two entirely different entities. WHICH THEY SHOULD BE :'| Screw what was said in the early days). Either way, Rus' and Maygar may have had a few scraps in their time, but every now and then they allied to give the Eastern Roman Empire trouble.

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A little simplified, maybe, but history in Hetalia context sure is a toughy to make work sometimes. Also note - Kievan Rus' is not ancient. I thought I'd throw him in here anyway as he's an OC.

Next up - Gaul.
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imstupidabg's avatar

why does his name sound like our not - existing - place and it were called kiyvska rus