Swedish (Civ6)/Vikings, Traders, and Raiders!/Civilopedia

While their Danish counterparts were best known for raids in England and France, and the Norwegians were wandering about the North Atlantic, the Vikings of Sweden sailed across the Baltic Sea and along the river inlets into the Russian frontier. Throughout the “Viking Age” they were well known for their far-reaching trade routes, reaching deep inland, even unto fabled Byzantium.
Moving into Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine down the Volga during the 9th Century AD, many of the Swedish Vikings settled in these eastern lands, where they came to be known as the Rus. After capturing the city of Kiev in c. 850, the Rus formed a state that survived for nearly 400 years (until the arrival of the Mongols).
Throughout the first millennium, Sweden itself was a loose collaboration of independent provinces. Although a number of early kings are mentioned in various Norse sagas, attempting to separate legend from factual history leaves their lineage and succession still somewhat muddled. Olof Skotkonung, son of Eric the Victorious, ruled from 995 until 1022, and is considered the first to truly unite the Swedish tribes, ruling over both Svealand and Gotaland.