>is irrelevant up to the 8th century>decides to be relevant for the 9th and 10th centuries>starts being irrelevant again up to the 16th century>decides to be very relevant for the 17th century>stops being relevant againWhat is up with them?
>>16555363>>is irrelevant up to the 8th centuryForest ooga boogas>>decides to be relevant for the 9th and 10th centuriesThe power vacuum of the Carolingian collapse and the East Slavs being retarded cucks>>starts being irrelevant again up to the 16th centuryThe relative strength of their southern neighbors plus endless infighting (not like they weren't infighting during the Viking Age but they conquered Russia/attacked Germany despite it)>>decides to be very relevant for the 17th centuryIt became a powerful and very belligerent nation state >>stops being relevant againRussia
>>16555363Climate is too shitty to consistently sustain a large population and it is also relatively isolated from the rest of Europe. Despite being a historically impoverished nation it seemed to produce some great leaders (at least in the military sense) and scientists, but due to a lack of manpower and money they could only really be relevant when rival powers were weak from infighting.