 Largely flat, steppe-like
land to northeast of
Byzantine empire
 Northern latitudes meant
land was not strong for
farming
 Greater reliance on
trade
 Crossed by many
prominent rivers
 Good for trade
 Large population of Slavs
 Common to much of
eastern Europe
 Largely an agrarian
people
 Vikings moved into area
after being lured by trade
 Vikings became early
ruling class
 “Rus” were Slavic peoples
ruled by Viking nobles
 Important trading partner with Byzantine empire
 City of Kiev was important trade outpost for both Silk
Road and Mediterranean (by way of Constantinople)
trade
 Predecessor of more modern Russian identity
 Became base of Eastern Orthodox Christianity after
collapse of Constantinople
 Eastern Orthodox religion became central to Russian
identity
 Geographic location made it heavily influenced by Byzantine
Empire
 Eastern Orthodox (Byzantine) missionaries were very active
in Rus region
 Missionaries Cyril and Methodius created Cyrillic alphabet
to help spread Christianity into region
 Became the basis for modern slavic/Russian language (252
million people)
 In 980 Vladimir I became Grand Prince of Kiev
 Converted Christianity and made it religion of his state
 Imitated culture of Byzantine Empire
 Churches, art, architecture, Cyrillic alphabet
 Destroyed all pagan statues
 After conversion by Vladimir, spread of Christianity was slow
 Center of power was Kiev until
1200’s, Moscow from 1300’s on
 Agrarian and Craftsmen based
 Strong patriarchy
 Women could be sold in to
slavery
 Upper class women were
isolated in certain areas of
the home
 Feudal form of government
even stronger than Western
Europe
 Serfs (peasant class) even
more restricted than W.
Europe
 Kievan Russia declined by 1100
 Attacks by nomadic neighbors (Huns,
Mongols/Tartars)
 Decline of Byzantine empire reduced trade revenues
 Fell under rule of Mongol (aka Tartar) in 13th century
 Mongols were tolerant of Christianity
 Russian leader Ivan III ends Mongol rule and moves
Russian capital to Moscow
 Moscow became major center of Christendom after
collapse of Byzantine empire
 Eastern Orthodox church moved here after fall of
Constantinople
 Moscow claimed to be “3rd Rome”