Swedish Vikings, known as the Varangians or the Rus', traveled east and south along the river systems of Eastern Europe.

They established a trade route connecting the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea and the Byzantine Empire.

According to tradition, the first Rus' state was founded in the 9th century when Slavic tribes invited a Varangian chieftain named Rurik to rule over them.

The Rus' formed a ruling military and merchant elite over a predominantly Slavic population.

The capital of this new state was eventually moved to the city of Kiev, giving the state its name: Kievan Rus'.

Rulers like Oleg and Sviatoslav expanded the state's territory through military campaigns.

The Kievan Rus' had a close but complex relationship with the Byzantine Empire, involving both trade and warfare.

A pivotal event was the conversion of Vladimir the Great to Orthodox Christianity around 988 CE.

This conversion led to the Christianization of the Kievan Rus' and deeply influenced its art, alphabet (Cyrillic), and culture.

Over time, the Scandinavian Rus' assimilated into the broader Slavic culture, and the Kievan Rus' is considered the ancestor state of modern Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus.