Russian Empire Flashcards

Flashcards reviewing the formation and expansion of the Russian Empire during the Early Modern Period.

What was the Russian Empire in the Early Modern Period?

Land-based empire in Eastern Europe that expanded to rival China and the gunpowder empires.

Who were the Kyivan Rus'?

Vikings who invaded East Slavic lands and established a principality with Kyiv as its capital.

Kyivan Rus' controlled which trade route?

Lucrative trade route between Scandinavia and the Middle East.

Who subjugated Kyivan Rus'?

Mongol Empire.

What is the Mongol Yoke?

The period when East Slavic princes paid tribute to the Golden Horde.

Who are Ukrainians?

East Slavs in southwestern lands conquered by Poland.

Who are Belarusians?

East Slavs in northwestern lands conquered by Lithuania.

What is Moscow?

City where native East Slavs forcibly won independence from the Mongols.

What is Muscovy?

City whose princes secured the Mongol khan’s favor by serving as tribute collectors.

Who were the Streltsy?

Soldiers trained to use gunpowder weapons recruited from the rural poor in Muscovy.

What is Tsar/Emperor?

Title adopted by the Grand Prince signifying absolute political power.

What is Siberia?

Territory Russia expanded into to the east, rich in natural resources but sparsely populated.

Who were the Boyars?

Noble class of landed elites in Russia who resisted the growth of monarchical power.

What is Serfdom?

State of hereditary legal unfreedom where serfs were bound to their land.

Who are the Cossacks?

Semi-nomadic warriors who enjoyed autonomy in exchange for military service.

What is the Raskol?

Religious schism in Russia caused by attempts to enforce reforms to the Church’s rituals.

What is the Third Rome?

Claimed by Russia as the most powerful Orthodox Christian state following the fall of the Byzantine Empire.

What is Westernization?

Attempt to make Russia resemble Western European models.

Who was Peter the Great?

Tsar who initiated Westernization reforms in Russia.

What is Saint Petersburg?

New city on the Baltic Sea established by Peter the Great as Russia’s ‘window to the West’.

What does it mean that the Tsar was an autocrat?

Absolute political power over his subjects, with no other body possessing independent political power