page_title: Byzantine Empire under the Macedonian dynasty
section_title: Relations with Kievan Rus'
hierarchical_section_title: Byzantine Empire under the Macedonian dynasty / Relations with Kievan Rus'
context_page_description: The medieval Byzantine Empire underwent a revival during the reign of the Greek Macedonian emperors of the late 9th, 10th, and early 11th centuries, when it gained control over the Adriatic Sea, Southern Italy, and all of the territory of the Tsar Samuil of Bulgaria.
  The cities of the empire expanded, and affluence spread across the provinces because of the newfound security. The population rose, and production increased, stimulating new demand while also helping to encourage trade.
  Culturally, there was considerable growth in education and learning. Ancient texts were preserved and patiently recopied. Byzantine art flourished, and brilliant mosaics graced the interiors of the many new churches.
  Though the empire was significantly smaller than during the reign of Justinian, it was also stronger, as the remaining territories were both less geographically dispersed and more politically and culturally integrated.
context_section_description: Between 800 and 1100 the empire developed a mixed relationship with the new state of Kievan Rus' that emerged to the north across the Black Sea.
  The Byzantine Empire quickly became a main trading and cultural partner for Kiev. After Christianizing, Rus' Vladimir the Great employed many architects and artists to work on numerous cathedrals and churches around Rus', expanding the Byzantine influence even further.
  Kievan Rus' princes were often married into the Byzantine imperial family and Constantinople often employed princes' armies; most notably, Vladimir the Great presented Byzantium with the famous Varangian Guard – an army of vicious Scandinavian mercenaries. Some believe that this was in exchange for the marriage to Basil's sister Anna to Vladimir. However, the Primary Chronicle states the marriage was in exchange for the Rus' conversion to orthodoxy; the Varangian Guard was a by-product (although a significant one) of this exchange.
  The relationship was not always friendly. During this three hundred year interval Constantinople and other Byzantine cities were attacked several times by the armies of Kievan Rus' (see Rus'-Byzantine Wars). Kiev never went far enough to actually endanger the empire; the wars were primarily a tool to force the Byzantines to sign increasingly favorable trade treaties, the texts of which are recorded in the Primary Chronicle (Rus'–Byzantine Treaty (907)) and other historical documents. Constantinople at the same time constantly pitted Kievan Rus', Bulgaria, and Poland against each other.
  The Byzantine influence on Kievan Rus' cannot be overestimated. Byzantine-style writing became a standard for the adopted from Bulgaria Cyrillic alphabet, Byzantine architecture dominated in Kiev, and as a main trading partner the Byzantine Empire played a critical role in the establishment, rise, and fall of Kievan Rus'.
caption: Prince Oleg leads a squadron of horse-driven boats to the walls of Tsargrad. A medieval Kievan Rus' illumination (907)
exif: {"Image ImageWidth": "2436", "Image ImageLength": "1436", "Image BitsPerSample": "[8, 8, 8]", "Image Compression": "JPEG", "Image PhotometricInterpretation": "6", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image SamplesPerPixel": "3", "Image XResolution": "300", "Image YResolution": "300", "Image PlanarConfiguration": "1", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "Adobe Photoshop CS5 Windows", "Image DateTime": "2016:03:01 09:18:25", "Image YCbCrSubSampling": "[1, 1]", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Co-sited", "Image ExifOffset": "276", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "96", "Thumbnail YResolution": "96", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "414", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "6461", "EXIF ColorSpace": "Uncalibrated", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "2436", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "1436"}