1. Early Russian History

2. Beginnings
The Slavs, a group of people that inhabited the forests near the Black Sea, began trading with the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire began sending missionaries to interact with the Slavs, including Cyril and Methodius

3. Early Byzantine Influences: Cyrillic Alphabet
Byzantine missionaries, Cyril and Methodius sent to convert eastern Europe and the Balkans created the script 3

4. Beginnings
Before 800: No political unity among Slavs, but did speak similar languages
800s: Vikings (called “Rus”) came, established important city of Novgorod
Around 880, a nobleman from Novgorod (Oleg) moved south to Kiev (for better access to trade with Constantinople)

5. Beginnings

6. Beginnings

7. Beginnings
Kiev became a principality (a small state ruled by a prince).
Viking nobles intermarried with Slavic subjects, adopted many aspects of Slavic culture
Line between Slavs and Vikings vanished

8. Kievan Rus
During Roman times, the Slavs expanded into southern Russia. Like the Germanic peoples who pushed into western Europe, the Slavs had a simple political organization divided into clans. They lived in small villages, farmed, and traded along the rivers that ran between the Baltic and the Black seas.
In the 700s and 800s, the Vikings steered their long ships out of Scandinavia. These expert sailors were as much at home on Russian rivers as on the stormy Atlantic. The Vikings, called Varangians by later Russians, worked their way south along the rivers, trading with and collecting tribute from the Slavs. They also conducted a thriving trade with Constantinople.
Located at the heart of this vital trade network was the city of Kiev. In time, it would become the center of the first Russian state.

9. Viking Invasions 9

10. Kievan Rus

11. Rulers of the Kievan Rus Vladimir I (980)
(980) Vladimir I – Extremely war-like ruler of Kiev. Invited missionaries from Judaism, Islam and Christianity to offer reasons for conversion.
Married the Byzantine emperor’s sister.
Brought Christianity and Greco-Roman civilization to Russia.

12. Rulers of the Kievan Rus 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.

13. Early Byzantine Influences: Orthodox Christianity
Expansion of Byzantine culture northward was through conversion of Kiev to Orthodox Christianity

14. Early Byzantine Influences: Orthodox Christianity
Religious artifacts included churches, icons, and liturgical music as expressed in Byzantine culture 14

15. 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 15

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

17. Byzantine Influence on Russia
Kiev ➲ small Viking state on Dnieper River
River provided easy access to sea ➲ promotes trade and cultural diffusion
Lays foundations for modern Russia

18. Byzantine Influence on Russia
Olga, Vladimir, & Conversion to Christianity
Princess Olga visits Constantinople in 957 and converts to Christianity
Vladimir
Olga’s grandson
Decides his realm should adopt an official religion
Commissions a report on the three major religions
Christianity, Judaism, and Islam
Adopts Christianity
Baptizes all citizens of Kiev in the Dnieper River
Imports teachers from the Byzantine Empire

19. Byzantine Influence on Russia
Government
Autocracy
Czar (Tsar)

20. Byzantine Influence on Russia
Architecture
Onion Dome

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

22. The Rise of Moscow Moscow was first founded in the 1100s
Became powerful because of its trade position (intersection of 3 rivers- Volga, Dnieper, and Don)
A line of Russian princes emerged- became wealthy from trade
Convinced the Patriarch of Kiev to move to Moscow, which enhanced Moscow’s prestige and gave it a powerful ally (the Church)

23. Rulers of the Kievan Rus Ivan the Great (1462-1505)
( ) Ivan III or Ivan the Great – absolute ruler. Took the title of czar
Czar – Absolute ruler of Russia: from Roman word – Caesar
Defeated the Mongols, who had gained control of Russia
Extended Russian territory

24. Rulers of the Kievan Rus Ivan the Great (1462-1505)
Ivan III, to sum up:
Conquered much of the territory around Moscow
Liberated Russia from the Mongols
Began to centralize the Russian government

25. Ivan IV (Ivan the Terrible) 1547-1584
Early life: came to the throne when he was 3; witnessed power struggles among the boyars (nobles)
“Good Period”:
Won victories, expanded Russia’s territory, gave Russia a code of laws, ruled justly (no executions)

26. Ivan IV (Ivan the Terrible) 1547-1584

27. Ivan IV (Ivan the Terrible) 1547-1584
“Bad Period” ( )
Beloved wife Anastasia died in 1560; he accused the Boyars of poisoning her
Started a “reign of terror”- organized a police force who hunted down those he accused of treason
This force dressed in black, rode horses
Executed many Boyars, their families, and the peasants who worked their lands

28. Ivan IV (Ivan the Terrible) 1547-1584
Eventually, his temper got the best of him- killed his own son in a quarrel, leaving him without his intended heir
His second son was physically and mentally incapable of ruling
No heir= period of turmoil known as the Time of Troubles
Boyars struggled for power
Imposters claimed to rule the throne
Many died under mysterious conditions

29. Beginning of the Romanov Dynasty (1613-1917)
In 1613, representatives from Russian cities met to choose the next czar
Chose Michael Romanov, grandnephew of Ivan IV’s wife, Anastasia
All subsequent Russian czars would come from this family (Romanovs) until the Russian Revolution in 1917

30. Peter the Great ( )

31. Peter the Great ( )
Before Peter the Great, Russia was mostly separated from Western Europe
Russia had looked to Constantinople, not to Rome, for inspiration
Orthodox instead of Catholic
Mongol rule had cut them off from many European ideas, including the Renaissance and Age of Exploration
Geographically distant from Western Europe

32. Peter the Great ( )
1697: Went to Western Europe to learn about European customs and manufacturing techniques
Inspired by this trip to the West, Peter resolved that Russia would compete with Europe on both military and commercial terms
Goal was westernization- to use Europe as a model for change in order to modernize and strengthen Russia

33. Peter the Great ( )
Peter increased his own power as absolute ruler in Russia
Brought the Russian Orthodox Church under state control
Abolished the office of patriarch, head of the Church- set up a group called the Holy Synod to run the Church under his direction
Like Ivan IV, reduced the power of landowners (recruited men from lower- ranking families, promoted them, rewarded them with land grants)

34. Peter the Great ( )
Peter increased his own power as absolute ruler in Russia
Modernized Russia’s army by hiring European officers- brought in European tactics and weapons

35. Peter the Great (1696-1725) Efforts at westernization included:
Introduced potatoes (became a staple of the Russian diet)
Started Russia’s first newspaper (edited the first issue himself)
Raised women’s status- had them attend social gatherings
Ordered nobles to give up their traditional clothes for western fashions
Advanced education- opened a school of navigation, schools for the arts and sciences

36. Peter the Great (1696-1725) Efforts at westernization included:
Encouraged (and sometimes required) people to study in foreign lands
Fought Sweden for 21 years to gain access to Western Europe on the Baltic Sea (later named St. Petersburg)
When St. Petersburg was finished, ordered many nobles to leave Moscow and settle in St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg became a busy port

37. Peter the Great ( )
By the end of his rule, Russia was a power to be reckoned with in Europe
However, serfdom continued in Russia until mid-1800s (much longer than it did in Western Europe)