Eastern Europe:
Russia
A product of Byzantium & Orthodox
Kievan-Rus
Kievan-Rus
• A proto-Russian society
– Named for dominant city, Kiev
• Combined cultures of
– Norse Vikings
– Slavic peoples
– Orthodox Christianity
Russia - Timeline
400s:
Slavic peoples settle E. Europe
600s: Norse traders appear
– establish trade links to Byzantium
– military superiority → establish rule
864:
missionary work of Cyril & Methodius;
origins of Kievan-Rus
980-1015: Russian conversion to Orthodox
1019-1054: Peak of Kievan-Rus society;
reign of Yaroslav
1100-1237: Decline in Kievan-Rus
1237-1480: Conquered & ruled by Mongols
Viking Origins
• Norse people from Scandinavia
– Think: North, Normans, Normandy, Norway
• “Vik” = on the war path
• Lifestyle:
– Tribal, warrior culture
– Polytheistic
• Expansion fueled by population
pressure
Norse Expansion
Viking Expansion
Vikings in Eastern Europe
• Russian envoys reported:
“We went among the Germans [the Catholic
Franks] and we saw them performing many
ceremonies in their churches; but we beheld no
glory there. Then we went to Greece [in fact, to
Constantinople and Hagia Sophia], and the Greeks
led us to the edifices where they worship their God,
and we knew not whether we were in heaven or on
earth. For on earth there is no such splendor or
such beauty, and we are at a loss to describe it. We
only know that God dwells there among men…”
Vikings in Eastern Europe
• Sailed Russian river systems until
reaching Black Sea & Constantinople
– Opened trade links b/t Russia &
Byzantium
– Exported furs & slaves for Byzantine
manufactures
Norse-Slavic Principalities
The Spread of Civilization
• Byzantine influence spread to
E. Europe through:
– Commerce
– Christianity (Cyril & Methodius)
Document: Russia Turns to Christianity
Pg. 206
• What motivates
Russian princes to
convert? What does the
author suggest are the
motivations?
• How does the spread of
Christianity to Kievan
Rus compare to the
spread of Islam to S/SE
Asia & Af?
Kiev
Kievan-Rus Society
Kievan-Rus Society
Kizhi
Kievan-Rus Society
Kizhi
Kievan-Rus Society
Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery
Kievan-Rus Society
Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery
Global Connections
• A crossroads for world
trade, linking Europe-Asia
and Mediterraneannorthern Europe
• Russia becomes
dependent on Byzantium
for contact with others;
later will be isolated by
the Mongols
Constantinople in 1453
Review
1. Write down everything you can
remember about E. Europe, with
each fact on a separate post-it.
2. Exchange post-its. Without
talking, separate post-its into
groups.
3. Return post-its. Add titles to each
group created by your partners.
POV practice
•
•
•
•
Source1? Procopius
Source2? Procopius
Source3? Justinian
Source4? Ben Tudela
Question
In what ways was Byzantium a cultural and
economic bridge?
In what ways was Byzantium a buffer?
What traditions blend to create Byzantium?