History Lecture: Kievan Rus, the Mongol Invasions, and Medieval Europe

Vocabulary flashcards covering key historical figures, concepts, and events across Kievan Rus, the Mongol conquests, and Western Europe during the Middle Ages.

Ogedei

Mongol warlord and son of Genghis Khan who, when pleaded by his friends to limit his drinking to one cup of wine a day, complied by filling a bathtub with wine.

Vladimir

Leader who decided to adopt Christianity because of his fondness for drinking, subsequently creating the Russian Orthodox Church.

Russian Orthodox Church

The church established by Vladimir following his decision to join Christianity.

Caesaropapism

The system adopted from the Eastern Roman Empire wherein the political ruler serves simultaneously as the supreme head of both the state and the church.

Yaroslav

Leader of Kievan Rus who established a law code, arranged marriages into Central European royalty, and shifted the church's liturgical language from Greek to Slavic.

Kievan Rus

Early civilization originating as wooden trading outposts centered in Kyiv, which heavily borrowed art, architecture, and religion from the Eastern Roman Empire.

Boyars

The noble class in Kievan Rus who held less initial power than Western European nobles but did not experience the same historical decline in power over time.

Constantinople

The wealthy capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, protected by double walls and cathedrals, which served as the primary cultural and architectural inspiration for the Rus.

1453

The year Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Turks, severing Russia's connection to the Eastern Roman Empire.

Muscovy

A small Kievan Rus trading outpost on the fringes that survived Mongol domination by cooperating with them, eventually emerging as the center of Russian civilization.

William the bastard

The medieval king who conquered England and commissioned a large commemorative tapestry celebrating his victory.

Bayeux Tapestry

A commemorative textile commissioned by William the bastard depicting his conquest of England.

Dark Ages

The period from approximately 500 to 1000 in Western Europe following the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, characterized by regressions in art, literature, and general access to books.