The Rus' principalities 870s–1340 Chapter Two Trading posts set up by Scandinavian (Varangian) voyagers along the river route from the Baltic Sea to the Byzantine Greeks evolved into towns that eventually united to become the political entity known as Kyivan Rus'. In 988 Rus’ Prince Volodymyr ("the Great") adopted Christianity according to the Byzantine rite as the realm’s faith. Kyiv included a Jewish quarter (Zhidove) and a number of rabbinic scholars respected abroad. By the thirteenth century, attacks by Turkic warriors and rivalry among the Rus' princes culminated in the disintegration of Kyivan Rus' into separate principalities. As Mongol rulers gained control over the area’s valuable trade routes, they coopted Rus' princes as their vassals. Under Prince Danylo, Galicia-Volhynia became an important commercial centre that welcomed Armenians, Germans, Jews, and Poles in trade, finance, and crafts. Politics Demography and Migration Economy and Society Culture and Religion Antisemitism
