Notes on Russians and the Russian Empire

Russians and the Russian Empire

Emergence of Russian Culture:
- Byzantium traded with Slavs (groups north of the Black Sea).
- Slavic and Greek traditions merged to produce Russian culture.
- The Byzantine Empire sent missionaries, including Cyril and Methodius, to interact with the Slavs.

The Cyrillic alphabet is presented with Russian letters and their English analogs.
- Example: Аа - A, Бб - B, Вв - V, Гг - G, Дд - D, Ее - E, etc.

Geography of Russia:
- Slavic territory was west of the Ural Mountains, from the Black Sea to the Baltic Sea.
- The landscape included forests in the north and hilly grasslands in the south.
- Three major rivers were significant.
Early Slavic Society (Before 800):
- Slavs lacked political unity but spoke similar languages.
Viking Influence (800s):
- Vikings (called “Rus”) arrived and established Novgorod.
- Around 880, Oleg, a nobleman from Novgorod, moved south to Kiev for better trade access with Constantinople.
- Kyiv became a principality ruled by a prince.
- Viking nobles intermarried with Slavic subjects, adopting Slavic culture, blurring the lines between the two groups.

Kyiv became a principality (a small state ruled by a prince).
Viking nobles intermarried with Slavic subjects, adopting many aspects of Slavic culture.
The line between Slavs and Vikings vanished.

Vladimir I:
- He was a warlike ruler of Kiev.
- Invited missionaries from Judaism, Islam, and Christianity to discuss conversion.
- Married the Byzantine emperor’s sister.
- In 989, Vladimir baptized all Kyiv citizens in the Dnieper River.
- Orthodox Christianity beliefs and traditions flourished in Kyiv.
- He brought Christianity and Greco-Roman civilization to Russia.
Yaroslav I (1010-1054):
- Created a Russian law code based on Justinian’s Code.
- Instituted a Golden Age of Kievan Russia.
- Built churches and a new capital city.
- Allied Russia with the rest of Europe by marrying his children to European rulers.

Expansion of Byzantine culture northward occurred through the conversion of Kiev to Orthodox Christianity.
Religious artifacts included churches, icons, and liturgical music from Byzantine culture.

The Rus adopted the concept of divinely inspired monarchy with close relations to the state-controlled church.
They were unable to adopt the Byzantine trained bureaucracy.
Olga, Vladimir, & Conversion to Christianity
- Princess Olga visited Constantinople in 957 and converted to Christianity.
- Vladimir, Olga’s grandson:
  - Decided his realm should adopt an official religion.
  - Commissioned a report on the three major religions (Christianity, Judaism, and Islam).
  - Adopted Christianity.
  - Baptized all citizens of Kiev in the Dnieper River.
  - Imported teachers from the Byzantine Empire.

Kyiv’s Decline:
- Yaroslav divided the realm between his sons, causing civil war.
- Kyiv’s commerce was further weakened by the Crusades.
- The Crusades were a clash between Christians and Muslims over Holy Lands.

The Mongols were nomads from Central Asia who began conquests in the early 1200s.
Kiev fell in 1240 to Genghis Khan’s grandson, Batu Khan.
The Mongols ruled much of Russia for the next 200 years.

Mongol Rule in modern Russia:
- Mongols gave Slavs freedoms but demanded obedience and tribute.
- Slavic nobles, such as Alexander Nevsky, supported the Mongols.
- Mongol rule isolated Slavs from the rest of Europe.

The Rise of Moscow:
- Founded in 1100.
- Became powerful due to its trade position at the intersection of three rivers: Volga, Dnieper, and Don.
- Moscow’s powerful princes became wealthy from trade.
- Convinced the Patriarch of Kiev to move to Moscow, enhancing Moscow’s prestige and giving it a powerful ally (the Church).

Russians re-emerged after Mongol control ended in the 15th century and claimed to be successors of the Roman and Byzantine states.
Moscow was considered to be the “Third Rome.”

Ivan the Great (1462-1505):
- Ivan III (Ivan the Great) was an absolute ruler.
- Took the title of czar (from the Roman word “Caesar”), meaning absolute ruler of Russia.
- Defeated the Mongols, who had gained control of Russia.
- Extended Russian territory.
Ivan III, to sum up:
- Conquered much of the territory around Moscow.
- Liberated Russia from the Mongols.
- Began to centralize the Russian government.
Ivan IV (Ivan the Terrible) 1547-1584:
- Early life: Became the throne when he was 3; witnessed power struggles among the boyars (nobles).
- “Good Period” (1547-1560):
  - Won victories, expanded Russia’s territory, gave Russia a code of laws, and ruled justly (no executions).
- “Bad Period” (1560-1584):
  - His beloved wife Anastasia died in 1560; he accused the Boyars of poisoning her.
  - Started a “reign of terror” by organizing a police force who hunted down those he accused of treason.
  - This force dressed in black and rode horses.
  - Executed many Boyars, their families, and the peasants who worked their lands.
Eventually, his temper caused him to kill his own son in a quarrel, leaving him without his intended heir.
His second son was physically and mentally incapable of ruling.
No heir led to a period of turmoil known as the Time of Troubles.
Boyars struggled for power.
Imposters claimed to rule the throne.
Many died under mysterious conditions.