Russia and the Forging of Empires: Vikings, Mongols and Slavs
Essay #2
Due Tuesday (Nov. 4 th ) in Rob’s office/or in Pat’s Email No Later Than 5:00 p.m.
Please write a four- to five-page (4-5pp.) analytical essay on only one of the following topics. Be certain to bolster the major points of your argument with specific references to program texts, primary and secondary source readings, and, if desired, films and lectures. Your written secondary sources might include the assigned works by: Hosking; Pipes; Clements; Milner-
Gulland; Halperin; and Platonov; as well as the following two primary sources: Ibn Fadlan’s
Journey to Russia and the Tale of the Campaign of Igor. The following films and documentaries are considered fair sources so long as they are properly credited when need be: The Face of
Russia (pt. 1) ; The Vikings ; Riddle of the Desert Mummies ; Amazon Warrior Women ; Siberian Ice
Maiden ; Prince Igor ; Alexander Nevsky ; Andrei Rublev ; and Ivan the Terrible . The greater number of substantive links that you can make across these many diverse sources, the more appealing and intriguing your final essay is likely to be.
1) “A Tsar that is meek and humble in his reign will see his realm impoverished and his glory diminished. A Tsar that is feared and wise [ grozen i mudrii ] will see his realm enlarged and his name be praised in all corners of the earth… A realm without dread [ bez grozy ] is like a horse beneath a tsar without a bridle.”
-- Ivan Peresvetov, contemporary and apologist for Tsar Ivan IV
Analyze this statement not only in terms of Ivan IV (“The Terrible”), but in terms of those rulers who came before him. Do you concur with Peresvetov’s rationale (if not his sentiment)? What evidence might suggest the opposite of Peresvetov’s contention? Refer to your primary and secondary source reading and lectures to support your assertions.
2) The “Time of Troubles” ( smutnoe vremia ) highlighted several issues of Russian history, such as the growing consolidation of Muscovite absolutism and the formation of a national state; the demise of the boyar class and the rise of the service gentry; and the emergence of serfdom as the social basis of Muscovite society. Nevertheless, Platonov concludes that “the Troubles did not change the social structure of Muscovy, but they did shift its center of gravity from the boyars to the service gentry.”
Drawing from Platonov and our other assigned texts, explore exactly how the "center of gravity" shifted from the boyars to the service gentry and why it did so. Did this shift relate to changes in land tenure policies from the time of Kievan Rus' to Muscovy? If so, how? What role did the
Moscow princes and princely families play in this shift? What was the effect of this shift socially and politically on those who tilled the soil? Be certain to support your conclusions with ample and appropriate textual evidence.
3) Trace the evolution of women's lives from Kievan Rus' times through the emergence of
Muscovy. How did their lives change? What were the larger social and political factors which governed women's lives in both periods (Kiev and the emergence of Muscovy). Detail, as well, which social and political factors governed the changes that took place in women’s lives. Be certain to search our other texts (by Hosking, Pipes and Milner) for any additional relevant information about changes women experienced from the earliest years of Kievan Rus’ through the emergence of Muscovy.

Note : You must cite your sources properly according to The Chicago Manual of Style ---refer to the assigned reference text by Mary Lynn Rampolla, A Pocket Guide to Writing in History for specific and detailed examples. Also visit The Writing Center on campus for free assistance.
All papers must have the following elements to be considered complete :
1) Please use Word Document format for your paper, if at all possible;
2) Double-spaced (Pat and Rob accept 10-12-point font size);
3) A formal title page;
4) No extra space between paragraphs;
5) Appropriately placed and formatted footnotes or endnotes ( Chicago Manual of Style );
6) Relevant and properly formatted bibliography ( Chicago Manual of Style )
(Your title page & bibliography are not considered in the total page count for this essay).