Bath Royal Literary & Scientific Institution: Martyn Whittock

The medieval “Rus” state (origin of both Russia and Ukraine) was founded by Vikings, who met Islamic traders on the Volga, besieged Constantinople, appeared in Baghdad on camels, and converted to Orthodox Christianity in 988.

Then, in the 1240s, “Kyivan Rus” was devastated by the Mongol invasions and the political centre of gravity shifted to Moscow. The “Rus” legacy has been referenced, since the 16th century, by Russian rulers seeking to enhance their power and validate their claims to the Ukrainian lands, most recently by Vladimir Putin.

Martyn Whittock examines this deep story and its modern impact. Martyn, a freelance historian, columnist and commentator, has a particular interest in “deep stories”; the way in which history is used to frame modern identities.

His recent books exploring this concept: Trump and the Puritans (2020), American Vikings (2023) and now Vikings in the East: From Vladimir the Great to Vladimir Putin – the Origins of a Contested Legacy in Russia and Ukraine (Biteback, London, 2025). Vikings in the East is his fifty-eighth book.