Mercenaries, traders and missionaries: travelling in the Slavic realm before the year 1000

Abstract

The arrival of the Slavs in the fifth and sixth centuries to Central, Eastern and Southern Europe became eventually the last big reorganisation of territory in Eurasia after the fall of Rome. Many of these new Europeans engaged in various forms of travelling, either seeking economic gain or spiritual solace. Moreover, many of the new polities were formed as recently arrived, non-Slavic peoples exercised dominion over Slavic settlers. The first centuries of the history of the Slavs are, thus, permeated with trips and travels. The aim of this chapter is to discuss the economic, cultural and political impact of all these travels and how they contributed to the incorporation of these newly arrived peoples to the formation of Europe before the year 1000.