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Just a quick note, this episode does contain some pretty graphic accounts of viking behaviour

that will not be suitable for younger listeners, and that some people may find even more

upsetting than Tom Holland's impersonations.

Anyway, for The Rest of You, enjoy the show.

Hello, welcome to The Rest Is History.

We are recording this in early February 2022 at a time of escalating tensions in Eastern

Europe, focused along the border of Russia with Ukraine.

And Dominic, it's fascinating, isn't it, if you have any interest in early medieval history,

because last summer Vladimir Putin, or at least someone pretending to be Vladimir Putin,

wrote an essay about the historical background to this.

Five thousand words, Tom.

Five thousand words.

And he went back, obviously, through the history of the Soviet Union, back through the

emergence of the Russian Empire, but he ended up going all the way back to the 10th century

and the emergence of the Kingdom of the Rus.

...