1. Ms. Susan M. Pojer Horace Greeley HS Chappaqua, NY

2. Themes in Russian History  Expansion by conquest.  Need for warm-water ports.  The necessity of a strong, central government.

3. Early Russia

4. Early Byzantine Influences: Orthodox Christianity Expansion of Byzantine northward was trough conversion of Kiev to Orthodox Christianity

5. Early Byzantine Influences: Orthodox Christianity Religious artifacts included churches, icons, and liturgical music as expressed in Byzantine culture

6. Influenced by Byzantine Politics Russia adopted the concept of divinely inspired monarchy with close relations to state- controlled church Were unable to adopt the Byzantine trained bureaucracy however

7. Early Byzantine Influences: Cyrillic Alphabet Byzantine missionaries, Cyril and Methodius sent to convert eastern Europe and the Balkans created the script

8. Russian Boyars Land holding aristocrats who possessed less political power than their western European counterparts

9. Russian Expansion

10. Alexander Nevsky: 1220-1263 Battle on the Ice (Neva River) Against the Swedes Teutonic Knight

11. The Mongols Invade Russia Tartars conquered Russian cities during the 13 th century and left Russian church and aristocracy intact, as long as tribute was paid

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