Professor of History Christian Raffensperger has again elevated global understanding of Medieval Europe and Kyivan Rus.鈥� His latest book, Ties of Kinship: Genealogy and Dynastic Marriage in Kyivan Rus鈥�, which was just published by Harvard University Press, is already being hailed as one 鈥渢hat has been needed for generations,鈥� according to fellow historian Russell E. Martin at Westminster College.
鈥淎nyone who has ventured into the Kyivan chronicles and other Rusian and western medieval sources immediately becomes disheartened by the maze of names and marriages of the Volodimerovi膷i,鈥� Martin explained. 鈥淣ot anymore, thanks to this book. But Ties of Kinship is more than a reference work; it is an erudite and ambitious work of interpretive historical scholarship that offers a source-based glimpse of how the Kyivan polity fit into a much broader social and political medieval European world. Anyone interested in Rusian history or medieval Europe will find this work indispensable.鈥�
The Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute (HURI) agrees.
鈥淭he warp and weft of political and social relationships among the medieval elite were formed by marriages made between royal families,鈥� notes the Institute. 鈥�Ties of Kinship establishes a new standard for tracking the dynastic marriages of the ruling family of Rus麓鈥攖he descendants of Volodimer (Volodimerovi膷i). Utilizing a modern scholarly approach and a broad range of primary sources from inside and outside Rus麓, Christian Raffensperger has created a fully realized picture of the Volodimerovi膷i from the tenth through the twelfth centuries and the first comprehensive, scholarly treatment of the subject in English.鈥�
Raffensperger, who previously won the Ohio Academy of History Publication Award in 2013 for his work , found the interconnectivity intriguing as he conducted research for Ties of Kinship.
鈥淥ne of the things that fascinated me about Rus' was that though it is portrayed as part of Russian or Ukrainian history it is actually deeply interconnected with the rest of medieval Europe, even though medievalists don't typically acknowledge it,鈥� he said, noting that while many of the dynastic marriages are already known, they鈥檙e often ignored in scholarship, largely due to the 鈥榮ilos鈥� that have come to define academic fields.
Raffensperger wanted to change that, which is why his latest work highlights the role of women by following the motivations and events surrounding dynastic marriages. In the case of Rus鈥�, the vast majority of marriages with foreign polities involved Rusian women.
鈥淭he most basic part of women鈥檚 history is including women as part of the narrative,鈥� Raffensperger said. 鈥淭he larger issue is exemplifying how important women were to medieval history as a counter to the male-centric history that has been written for so long. In this case, I place the emphasis on the role that these women play as ambassadors of Rus鈥�, guarantors of treaties, and advocates for their natal families.鈥�
Active in multiple scholarly organizations, Raffensperger currently serves on the governing board of both the and the . He is also a founding member of the editorial board for the journal, The Medieval Globe, which brings scholarly interconnectivity to our modern understanding of the medieval world. Additionally, Raffensperger serves as an of the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute. He earned his B.A. from Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, and his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Chicago.
Currently he is at work on a new project focusing on intra-familial conflicts in medieval central and eastern Europe, and how those families manage those conflicts through the creation of "situational kinship networks," as a way to mitigate the effects of the conflicts.
Ties of Kinship is available now online at the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute. For more information, please click .
