'Vikings Valhalla' Kinng Yarolsav the Wise Controversy Explained
– Reviews News
Netflix has landed in hot water thanks to a historically inaccurate message from the administrators of the official Vikings Valhalla Twitter account.
For context, on November 21, 2022, the official Twitter account of Vikings in Valhalla began releasing new promotional material, mostly introducing new characters to the series for its second season. It has been announced that Season 2 of the show will be coming to Netflix on January 12, 2023.
One of the prominent figures in the series of tweets is King Yaroslav the Wise, one of Kyivan Rus' most famous leaders.
However, the administrator incorrectly listed King Yaroslav the Wise as the ruler of "Northern Russia". Which is hugely controversial given its historical inaccuracy and the current political climate in Europe.
King Yaroslav the Wise, the warrior ruler of northern Russia and uncle of Olaf and Harald pic.twitter.com/UowwZZ62UY
— Valhalla Vikings (@NetflixValhalla) November 21, 2022
Why is this controversial?
First, the post itself is historically inaccurate.
King Yaroslav the Wise was ruler of Kyivan Rus, not Russia. At the time of King Yaroslav's death in 1054, the territory of Kyivan Rus' encompassed much of present-day Ukraine, Russia and Belarus. The three aforementioned nations claim that Kyivan Rus is their cultural ancestor.
It was after the death of King Yaroslav that the decline of Kyivan Rus took place. Over the next two centuries, new powers established themselves in the region, such as the Grand Duchy of Moscow, the Republic of Novgorod, and the invading Mongol Empire. These new powers, including several new principalities, saw the territory of Kyivan Rus split between them.
Tsarism of Russia succeeded the Grand Duchy of Moscow in 1547, almost five hundred years after the death of King Yaroslav the Wise. Kyiv would not fall under Russian rule or influence until 1654, when the Cossack Hetmanate became a protectorate of the Tsardom of Russia.
With several hundred years separating the decline of Kyivan Rus and the formation of the Tsardom of Russia, many different customs and traditions separate the two regions.
Also, geographically, the city of Kyiv, the capital of Kyiv Rus, was not located in the region we know today as Northwest Russia or Northern Russia.
Calling King Yaroslav the ruler of northern Russia is historically, politically and geographically inaccurate.
King Yaroslav the wise Sovereign of what now? The one who ruled Kyiv in 1019-1054 when Russia didn't exist? (Because it was called Russia in the 1147th century and Moscow was founded in XNUMX) as Russia annihilates Ukraine with bombs, you annihilate historical accuracy. Here is our piece by the way pic.twitter.com/QmMWdSSqnB
— Гіль🔪 (@i_gil_) November 22, 2022
Given that Russia and Ukraine share King Yaroslav as an important part of their cultural heritage, recognizing him as a Russian ruler and not a Kyvian ruler, it's not hard to see why any Ukrainian would be upset about this .
As many Ukrainians have discussed online, the mislabeling of King Yaroslav can be seen as the erasure of their history and culture.
Historical adaptations, fictional or not, it is the responsibility of the production studio and distributor that cultures are portrayed correctly, especially when a culture is in danger of being eradicated due to war.
You can read our full overview at Vikings: Walhalla season 2 in our preview.
What do you think of the historical inaccuracies of Vikings: Walhalla? Let us know in the comments below.
SOURCE: Reviews News
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