Is there any known connection between the cossacks and the vikings?
The vikings were known for their exceptional ships, which were quite fast and good at navigating inland seas and rivers. The Kievan Rus was formed by vikings, and we know that a substantial part of their economy was derived from trade along the rivers near the Black Sea.
The Kievan Rus lasted until the Mongol invasion in the 1240s, and there are few records of Slavic people in the region between the Dniester and the Volga for a number of reasons.
By the 15th century, less than 200 years later, there is a documented society of orthodox slavs living in this region, whose livelihood is derived from fishing, trading, and of course raiding the local Muslims. The clincher for me are their boats, the Chaikas. Long, shallow vessels powered by oars and sail, and exceptionally fast along the rivers and coast of the Black Sea.
So /his/, is there any documented connection between the vikings of the Kievan Rus and the cossacks, or am I simply a victim of wishful thinking?
If anything, they were more simillar to mongols and tatars
>>1152474
The Cossacks were a response by local slavs to the threats posed to them by steppenegroes.
They're basically Slavs larping as Turkics to fight Turkics. You can see it in their equipment and dress. The topknot being the most glaring. Not to mention their free-floating lifestyle to enable them to travel in bands and fight the enemies of Christendom wherever they raid.
The fucking name is from a Turkic word meaning "Freeman" to begin with.
So in short: no.
>>1152484
Naturally they would have been heavily influenced by Tatar and Mongol tactics, as these groups had occupied the region for over a hundred years. Culturally and ethnically they were predominantly slavic, no doubt about that.
I am wondering if there is any recorded connection at all between nordic/ viking society and the cossacks, even in such little details as their ship design.
The fact that the cossacks practiced democracy is also quite interesting. It is known that the nordic societies were among the first practitioners of democracy, and although the Kievan Rus was far from democratic, I still wonder if there might have been a connection.
OP again, browsing through Wikipedia I came upon this
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanitsa
A democratic political organization used exclusively by the cossacks and one other group, the Novgorod Republic. Which was founded by vikings.
Cossacks were only light influenced by Turks. Most of the influence of them came from the Caucasus and its indigenous nations like Circassians, Chechens.
>>1152585
....who are influenced to hell and back by the Turkics. They invaded those places you know.
>>1152593
Not all of them. Circassians were influenced by Turks, but Georgians and Chechens for example never had big outer influence.
Ushkuiniks can be the missed link, but I personally don't thing there was direct connection. After all, the whole concept of "raiding, looting and raping" isn't hard one to come up with.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ushkuiniks
>>1152585
> Most of the influence of them came from the Caucasus and its indigenous nations like Circassians, Chechens
That would be later Don Cossacks, the original Dnepr Cossacks had nothing to do with Caucasus. If anything, they were influenced by Crimean Tatars who controlled the Ukrainian steppe.
>>1152585
That's Don cossacks, Zaporozhian cossacks were obviously influenced by Turkic people since they fought them and neighbored them. These two cossack groups don't have much in common besides the free life style and the name.
>>1152503
Face it, OP, they're not related at all besides the fact that vikings ruled Kievan Rus for a while and both vikings and cossacks lived in pretty shitty conditions while being a mix of warriors, looters, workers and highwaymen.
It's just convergent evolution type of development.
>>1152585
this
it was Kavkazian thing, also Turks appropriated from Scythians
so now it is confirmed that Chetniks are Cossacks and Cossacks are Jews!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_Cossacks
