The Rise of Russia

Mr. GieslerGlobal History

GeographyThree different zones shaped Russian life

Northern forests for lumbar & animals

In the middle, fertile land for farming

Southern steppe – no barriers so it formed a highway for nomads

Rivers linked Russians to Byzantine Civilization

Small Group Activity Map Identifications Refer to notes packet

Russian Steppe

City of KievSouthern Russia

Center of first Russian state

Mixture of Viking and Slavic peoples

Thriving trade with Constantinople

Cyrillic AlphabetGreek monks Cyril and Methodius adapted Greek alphabet to

translate bible into Slavic languages

Became the Cyrillic alphabet & is used in Russia and Ukraine today

Byzantines Bring ReligionOlga, the princess of Kiev converts

Her grandson Vladimir marries sister of Byzantine emperor

Greek priests arrive

St. Olga of Kiev

Olga’s converts to Christianity.

She was one of the first to bring this religion to the pagan society of Kievan Rus.

Olga was baptized in Constantinople either in 955 or 957.

Her son Svyatoslav didn’t support his mother’s decision and was worried about losing the respect of the army because of Olga’s new faith.

Apparently, she had a big influence on her grandson, Vladimir the Great, who in 988 made Christianity the official religion of Kievan Rus.

Spread of Byzantine cultureObtained Written language

Class of educated Russian priests

Byzantine religious art, music, and architecture

Byzantine Christianity set pattern for Russian rulers to control Church

Small Group ActivityUnderstanding Cultural Diffusion: “Who Were The Slavs” Refer to Notes Packet (Reading)

Who were the Slavs? The Slavs lived in what is today eastern Russia. The area was bounded by the Ural Mountains and the Black Sea on the south and the Baltic Sea on the north.

The Slavs lived in the forest areas. They worked as farmers and traders. In the 800s, some Vikings called the Rus came from the north. They built forts along the rivers and blended with the Slavic people. They founded the cities of Novgorod and Kiev and became the rulers of the land. They began to trade in Constantinople. With them, they brought furs, timber, and the Slavs who were their subjects. They sold these people as slaves. In fact, the word slave comes from Slav. Over time, the Vikings adopted the culture of the Slavs. Divisions between Vikings and Slavs disappeared. But the society was sharply split between the great mass of peasants and the few nobles, or boyars.

In 957 Princess Olga of Kiev converted to Christianity. Her grandson, Vladimir, also converted to Byzantine Christianity. He was the ruler of Russia. He ordered all of his subjects to adopt this religion. Now more than trade linked Russia to the Byzantine Empire. Russia also looked to Constantinople for religious leadership. Teachers from the empire gave the Russian people instructions in the new religion. The king liked the idea that the ruler of the empire was also the head of the church.

How did Olga and Vladimir influence theSlavic people?

Who were the Slavs? Where did they come from?

Russian ChurchByzantine Church

TTYN: Describe what you see below

Yaroslav the Wise ruled 1019-1054

Issued a written law code known as the RussianTruth

Translated Greek works into his language

Arranged marriages between his children & royalty in Western Europe

Yaroslav the Wise & Golden Age

Because of Yaroslav’s legislative work, Christianity promotion and enlightenment he raised so high among ancient Russian people that they gave him the name Mudriy (The Wise). 

Sack of Kiev

The Mongol Conquest1200’s, Genghiz Kahn

united nomadic mounted bowmen overran Asia E. Europe

Ogedai Khan, grandson of Genghiz, took Russia; looted, burned & killed

Pillaged Kiev & other towns

Mongols stayRuled Russia for 240

years

Called the Golden Horde

Tolerant rulers

Demanded heavy taxes but left Russian Princes to rule

Built empireMongol

RuleMongols converted to Islam

Tolerated the Russian orthodox church

Unified empire brought peace

New trade routes

Mongols & womenRussians adopted practice of

having upper class women isolated in separate quarters

Women became subject to male authority

Men could sell wives into slavery to pay for debts

Mongols and powerAbsolute power of Mongols

served as a model for later Russian rulers

Princes centralized power without interference

Cut Russia off while Western Europe were advancing rapidly in sciences & arts

1453-1854 Moscow- the “third Rome” Constantinople fell

to the Turks, Ottoman Empires replaces the Byzantine Empire

Located near important river trade routes

Princes increased their power

As Mongols power declined, princes of Moscow defended Russia against foreign rule

1380 defeated Golden Horde

Moscow – the only independent Christian Empire

Ivan the great

Attempted to unify Russian lands under one ruler - himself

Absolute ruleTook over Northern Russia &

recovered Russian territories from Slavs

Limited power of Boyars Adopted Byzantine court ritualsTook title czar

TTYN: What is an absolute ruler

Ivan the terrible

1547-1584Set up feudal system-

Land for nobles & serfs tied to land

In a fit of madness killed own son

Organized Oprichniki who Slaughtered rebellious boyars & sacked towns suspected of disloyalty

Known for his brutal ruling, centralized administration of Russia and expansion of the boundaries of the Russian Empire.  

Assumed the throne in 1547 at the age of seventeen and immediately proclaimed himself “Tsar” (Czar) , instead of Grand Duke.

Reign was peppered with battles with foreign invaders.

In 1560 the Tsar was devastated by the death of his beloved wife Anastasia and turned on his once favored courtiers and nobles, blaming them for her death.

Abdicated in 1564 in protest

Urged back to power and began a rule of terror

Divided the country into two clean-cut spheres, the one (the oprichnina) encompassing his personal domain, and the other (the zemshchina) representing the rest.

In 1571 the Tartars raided Moscow, burning much of the city and taking thousands of citizens away as slaves.

Ivan fled to Yaroslavl, where he spent much of his remaining decade in power plotting to usurp the Polish throne.

In 1581 a combined Polish and Swedish invasion prompted the Tsar to concede Livonia to the Poles. 

Although the transition from Ivan to his son and successor, Feodor I, was relatively easy and quiet, Moscow was, according to most observers, on the verge of anarchy as a result of Ivan The Terrible's policies.