Alternate names for Russia?

What does it take for a surviving Scythian state to persevere long enough to conquer the Slavs? And when should the PoD for a surviving Scythian state start?
 
Just to make things more complicated:



The funny thing is that during 'Time of Trouble' 'the Russians' did not call themselves 'Russians' (or 'Russkie' or anything similar). You would not find anything like that in any of the written sources. The word 'the Russians' was never(!) used.
The 'Russians' called themselves 'the Christians' (of course meaning 'true Orthodox christians' as opposed to others 'heretic Catholic or Protestant christians').

-------------------------------------------
So answering the question: Alternate names for 'Russians'?

- It is 'the Christians' as it was in the 17-th century. :)

p.s. Actually in the modern Russian language there is an obvious remnant of this old self-name of the Russians:
- it is the word 'крестьянин' - a peasant (plowman). It sounds like 'krestjyanin' and is derived from 'Christian' (христианин).


Hmmm.....so "Christland", which then gets mocked as "Jesusland" in the 21st Century? :D
 
Varangia could be after the Varangian Guard. Also, two Rus' lands could be named Kievan Rus' and Varangian Rus' respectively if Yaropolk had somehow managed to draw even and avoid losing the civil war against Vladimir the Great. So of course, Yaropolk could rule Kievan Rus' (from Kiev) and Vladimir could rule Varangian Rus' (from Novgorod).
 
Last edited:
Hmmm.....so "Christland", which then gets mocked as "Jesusland" in the 21st Century? :D
Nope:)
The name of the land was certain - Rus.

It is easy:
Orthodox Christians who populated the land called 'RUS' gravitated to each other and created a state which grew up and became RUSsia of today.

Even in the 19-th century it was not a 'nation' as we understand this notion nowadays.

Also, two Rus' lands could be named Kievan Rus' and Varangian Rus'
In all ancient 'Russian' sources all the Vikings are called the 'Varangians'.
 
Last edited:
Just some alternate names of Russia I thought up from the top of my head.

Rus
Empire of Russia
Empire of Rossiya
Empire of Rus
United Kingdom of Russia
United Kingdom of Rossiya
United Kingdom of Rus
Principality of Rus
Principality of Rossiya
Principality of Russia
Russian Empire
Kingdom of Russia
Kingdom of Rossiya
Kingdom of Rus
Allied Russian Oblasts
Union of Russian Oblasts
Federation of Russian Oblasts
United Oblasts of Russia
United Oblasts of Rus
United Oblasts of Rossiya
Russia
Russian Federated Oblasts
Russian Federation
Soviet Union
Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
 

Wolfpaw

Banned
Originally, the Rus' were a Swedish tribe that pillaged its way down through the rivers of eastern Europe and conquered Slavic city-states along the way. Over time, Rus' came to designate the subjects of the rulers of the Rus' Land, which was originally a triangle between Kyiv, Chernihiv and Pereyaslav. Over time, this designation changed, migrating both east and west after the collapse of Kyivan Rus'.
 
Orthodox Christians who populated the land called 'RUS' gravitated to each other and created a state which grew up and became RUSsia of today. Even in the 19-th century it was not a 'nation' as we understand this notion nowadays.

The way I understand it, they denoted themselves as Christians in the sence of "Christian folk" - which, of course, sounds kind of ethnocentric and removed from the rest of the world, because they weren't the only ones who could call themselves that, whether in Europe or elsewhere. But Russia really was kind of isolated/divorced from most events outside its borders for several centuries.

The people of Rus not being a nation in the modern sence, since the full fleshing out of national identities took a bit longer in central and eastern Europe. By the 19th century, the Russian Empire was highly diverse in terms of nationalities, including European Russia alone. It also kept its feudal* trappings a bit longer, with the common people being used to being "krestjanins" of the tsar and his subordinates. A social stratification instead of the notion that they are equal with their rulers and superiors.


* - yes, I know, Russian feudalism is different, but the term broadly fits the system Russia was organized in for a large part of its history (at least from the time it united)
 
Top