Digital Humanities has become one of Katherine Johnson’s key interests during her undergraduate studies. Through her exploration of digital history, she sees these projects as an accessible, interactive way to visualize the history and political dynamics of Eastern Europe. She has been inspired by many digital humanities projects, most specifically The Rusian Genealogical Database by Christian Raffensperger and David J. Birnbaum. Her work here, like theirs, primarily focuses on providing visual representations of the earliest Eastern European dynastic state: Kievan Rus’.
A digital map tracing key moments of contact between Kyivan Rus’ and Byzantium from 900–1050. Through raids, treaties, conversions, and campaigns, this project highlights how Rus’ interacted with the Byzantine Empire as an independent actor. Rather than portraying Rus’ as part of a Byzantine periphery, this map emphasizes mutual influence and negotiation. It reframes moments like Ol’ga’s baptism and Volodimer’s siege as strategic choices, not passive receptions. By focusing on sites of conflict and diplomacy, this project challenges center-periphery narratives and repositions Rus’ as a sovereign and dynamic force in the medieval world.
A digital map spanning 900–1100, focusing on the dynastic marriage of the Riurikid dynasty. By focusing on dynastic marriage, there is also an empasized focus on women. Women from Rus’ and outside of it had infleunfe on the growth of the polity. This project shows that marriage could sway a nation, not just trade or treaties. This digital map repositions figures like Ol’ga and Anne of Kiev from the margins to the center, emphasizing their political and historical significance.
A digital map exploring the international reach of Grand Prince Iaroslav the Wise through dynastic, religious, and political connections. Spanning from Kyiv to Scandinavia, France, Byzantium, and beyond, this project highlights how Iaroslav positioned Rus’ as a central player in medieval Europe. Through the marriages of his children, the cultivation of religious authority, and diplomatic ties, Iaroslav extended his influence, both by extending his borders and reaching beyond them. This map reframes Kyivan Rus’ not as isolated or peripheral, but as deeply embedded in the political currents of the eleventh century.
Katherine Johnson 