This book examines how the Norsemen came to be drawn into the Imperial service.

This book is the history of the Eastern Vikings, the Rus and the Varangians, from their earliest mentions in the narrative sources to the late medieval period, when the Eastern Vikings had become stock figures in Old Norse Romances. A comparison is made between sources emanating from different cultures, such as the Roman Empire, the Abbasid Caliphate and its successor states, the early kingdoms of the Rus and the high medieval Scandinavian kingdoms. A key element in the history of the Rus and the Varangians is the fashioning of identities and how different cultures define themselves in comparison and contrast with the other. This book offers a fresh and engaging view of these medieval sources, and a thorough reassessment of established historiographical grand narratives on Scandinavian peoples in the East.

In the new Rome, duplicity and death reign supreme. It's the mid-11th century, and the Byzantine Empire dominates the world. Within the walls of its great capital, Constantinople, treachery, debauchery and power politics are part of the lives of the ruling elite. Thrust into this mix is the Viking adventurer, Harald Hardrada. In the court of the deranged emperor, Michael the Fifth, danger lurks at every turn, and Harald soon becomes a pawn in the various factions' thirst for power. Can he survive this dangerous place, and turn his mind towards regaining what is rightfully his?

Trans-Human Augmentation through DARPA's Super-Soldier program begins the process of taking humanity to a scientifically driven caste system. Liberty fades but Men of the Varangian Guard Legion step into the fight. Yet, this is war beyond Land, Air, Sea, and Space. It extends into Cyber and Quantum - The Unknowable Spaces.

Cover Flap English children learn that Knut the Great was a pre-Norman king born of Royal Danish blood and was so conceited as to think that he could command the ocean tides. The rest of Europe learn that he was the Emperor of the North Sea, the Baltic Sea, the Irish Sea and the Channel. Directly or indirectly he ruled most of the peoples living around those seas and thus the trade between them flourished. Knut inherited the empire that his father, King Sweyn Forkbeard of the Danes had glued together. Glued with the technology and wealth gained from the Byzantine trade via the river routes to the Black Sea, and with Varangian warriors trained in the Byzantine. About the Author Skye Smith is my pen name. My interest in Knut stems from the endless research I did while writing “The Hoodsman” series of historical novels about the Norman invasion of England. That invasion by William the Conqueror was not a quick subjugation of a Brit-Saxon England, but a long and bitter genocide of Brit-Danish England and the destruction of Knut’s great legacy. The first novel “Knut - Jomsviking” sets the characters and scene for the entire series, so if you haven’t yet read it, now would be a good time. This is the second novel in the series where Knut’s story continues with the adventures of his father, King Sweyn Forkbeard of Denmark as he entwines the politics of Baltic and Black Seas with the politics of England. The chapter headings identify the dates and places. The Appendix gives historical insight and a list of characters. Enjoy. Other Novels By The Same Author: The Hoodsman – 12 historical adventures set in the Norman conquest. Maya’s Aura – 8 new age adventures while tripping around the world. The Pistoleer – 9 historical adventures set in the English Civil War. Knut – many historical adventures set in the Viking Era. Knut #1 – Jomsviking (980 – 984) Knut #2 – Varangian (986 – 992) Knut #3 – Strandhogg (993 – 994) Knut #4 – Forkbeard’s Peace (995 – 999) Knut #5 – Brice’s Massacre (1000 – 1002 coming soon)

Chronicle covers the years 852-1116 of Russian history.

First published in 1996, A History of Ukraine quickly became the authoritative account of the evolution of Europe's second largest country. In this fully revised and expanded second edition, Paul Robert Magocsi examines recent developments in the country's history and uses new scholarship in order to expand our conception of the Ukrainian historical narrative. New chapters deal with the Crimean Khanate in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and new research on the pre-historic Trypillians, the Italians of the Crimea and the Black Death, the Karaites, Ottoman and Crimean slavery, Soviet-era ethnic cleansing, and the Orange Revolution is incorporated. Magocsi has also thoroughly updated the many maps that appear throughout. Maintaining his depiction of the multicultural reality of past and present Ukraine, Magocsi has added new information on Ukraine's peoples and discusses Ukraine's diasporas. Comprehensive, innovative, and geared towards teaching, the second edition of A History of Ukraine is ideal for both teachers and students.