RE: The Vikings came thru russia via rivers and one morning they were surrounding the harbor of Istanbul. The sultan came out and gave them gold to go away. Has anyone heard or read about this.
If these Viking warriors were so fearsome that even the Sultan who conquered Constantinople would not want to confront them, the most interesting question for me is this -— HOW WERE THESE WARRIORS CHRISTIANIZED?
Because they quickly discovered that trading was profitable than raiding and becoming Christian made them more desirable trading partners to other Christians.