Vocabulary
1. Cyrillic alphabet
2. feudalism
3. Kievian Russia
4. missionaries
5. Orthodox Christianity
6. pagans
7. Slavic peoples
8. trading kingdoms
9. tribute
10. tsar
EARLY RUSSIA
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In its early years, Russia was peopled by a number of ethnic groups with different
languages, and their territories shifted from century to century. What emerged was a
general pattern of Slavs in the East, Finns in the North, and Turkic tribes in the south.
Forest dwellers, steppe nomads, and farmers in the various ecological zones traded with
each other. Long-distance caravan trade linked Russia to the Silk Road trade network.
Other significant groups included the Varangians, relatives of the Vikings, who were
active traders on the rivers and northern coasts, and the Khazar Turks who built a
trading kingdom at the mouth of the Volga.
The Rus were societies of western Slav farmers ruled by Varangian nobles. Their most
important cities were Kiev and Novgorod, both centers of trade.
The first Russian state was established in the 800s. The early Russian state was centered
in the city of Kiev, in the present-day Ukraine. Kiev’s location on the Dnieper River
made the city accessible to Byzantine traders.
In 980 Vladimir I became Grand Prince of Kiev. He chose Orthodox Christianity as the
religion of his state and initiated the culture of the Byzantine Empire, building churches,
adopting the Cyrillic alphabet, and orienting his trade toward the Byzantine markets.
Byzantine missionaries and traders made frequent contacts with Vladimir’s officials via
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the Dnieper River. When Vladimir decided that the Orthodox Church would be the
official state religion, he ordered that he and his subjects be baptized en masse in the
freezing Dnieper River.
Kievan food output was poor, due to poor soil, a short growing season, and primitive
farming technology. Therefore, the Kievan state relied more on trade than on an
agricultural economy.
During this early period, the cities of Kiev and Novgorod had populations of 30,000 to
50,000.
Christianity spread gradually in the Kievan state. Pagan customs and polygamy
remained until the end of the 1100s. The Orthodox Church gradually became more
powerful as church officials doubled as tax collectors for the state while building the
authority of the church.
Russia and Eastern Europe became a “Crossroads” from Europe to the Byzantine Empire
during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.
The Byzantines influenced Russia in a number of ways:
Written Language. The Byzantines gave Russia a written language. Byzantine
missionaries adapted the Greek alphabet in order to translate the Bible into
Slavic languages as early as the 800s. This alphabet, called the Cyrillic alphabet
after Cyril, one of the monks, is still used in Russia and other Eastern European
countries today.
Orthodox Christianity. Byzantine missionaries brought the Eastern Orthodox
Church to Russia. The Russian Orthodox Church became an important part of
state power. The Eastern Orthodox Church influenced the region. A strong
church/state relationship developed (similar to the influence of Rome in
Western Europe)
Autocratic Government. Role by one became the norm of Russian government.
A czar (also tsar) - the ruler of Russia - is the Russian word for Caesar.
Art and Architecture. Russians adopted the religious art, music, and architecture
of the Byzantine Empire. Byzantine domes became popular in Russia.
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Major religious differences (Language/Alphabet) with Western Europe caused
Eastern Europe & Russia to fall behind during the Renaissance.
Modernization came very slow to Russia
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Russia was a part of the Mongol Empire from the 1200’s to 1480 CE. Batu Khan
conquered the Russians
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In 1480, Russian Princes called The Dukes of Muscovy(Moscow)drove the Mongols
out of Russia
These rulers take the title “Tsar” (Caesar)
Ivan III – drove Mongols out in 1480 made Moscow the capital known as Ivan “the
Great”
1st Tsar of Russia
Ivan IV
o Established serfdom in Russia
o Because of his harsh treatment he was known as Ivan “the Terrible”
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Ivan IV The Terrible
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Mongol rule has a great Impact on Russia
o Ruled Russia for 250 years
o Absolute power wielded by the Mongol Emperors becomes the model for
Russian rulers who expected to rule without interference from nobles or the
Church
o Isolation – Mongol rule also cut Russia of from Western Rule. This isolation cut
Russia of from many advancements during the Renaissance
Eastern Europe:
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The history of Eastern Europe has been marked by migration, foreign conquest, and
war. The region is home to a diverse mix of peoples who have often battled with each
other and with foreigners. At the same time, this diverse mix of peoples has greatly
enriched the culture of the region.
Eastern Europe includes flat plains to the north and the rocky Balkan Peninsula to the
south. Eastern Europe’s geography contributed to its diversity, because many ethnic
groups migrated through the region.
Western Slavs settled in the present-day Czech Republic, Poland, and the Slovak
Republic. Southern Slavs and other groups settled in the Balkans. Waves of Vikings,
Germanic peoples, Asian Huns, Avars, Bulgars, Khazars, and Magyars came at times as
well.
Eastern Europe was influenced by both Christians and Muslims. Byzantine missionaries
spread Eastern Orthodox Christianity in the Balkans. German knights brought Roman
Catholic Christianity to Poland. Ottoman invaders later brought Islam to the Balkans.
Jews left Western Europe for Eastern Europe. Thriving Jewish communities existed in
Muslim Spain and other countries. But they were blamed for hard times and natural
disasters such as the Black Death. Jews were also attacked during the Crusades.
Beginning in 1264, Polish kings offered tolerance to the Jews and many settled there.
Jewish merchants and scholars helped Poland grow.
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During the Middle Ages many kingdoms and small states existed in Eastern Europe. Some were
absorbed by empires, some merged or formed alliances. Others were tied together by
royal marriages. Poland and Lithuania forged a large and powerful state stretching from
the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea. In 1383, Polish Queen Jadwiga married Duke Wladyslaw
Jagiello of Lithuania.
In Poland and Lithuania, power shifted from the monarch to a diet, an elected body of
nobles. In the diet a single noble could block passage of a law, making it difficult to take
decisive action; this led to a decline. A high point of the state was in 1687, when Polish
King Sobieski broke the Ottoman siege of Vienna. In the eighteenth century Poland fell
to ambitious neighbors.
The Magyars came from the Asian steppes and settled in what is now Hungary. During
the Middle Ages they ruled present-day Hungary, Slovakia, Croatia, and part of Romania.
Like the Slavs in Poland, the Magyars adopted Roman Catholicism. The Hungarian king
was forced to sign the Golden Bull of 1222. Like King John in England, the Hungarian king
was forced to recognize the rights of the nobles. The Golden Bull also strictly limited the
king’s power. The Ottoman Turks ended Hungarian rule in 1526.
The Serbs set up a kingdom in the Balkans in the 1100s. The peak of Serb power came
between 1308 and 1355 in the reign of Stefan Dusan, who added Albania and
Macedonia. Most Serbs practiced Eastern Orthodox Christianity. The Serbs fell to the
Ottoman Turks in 1389.