2.  When Constantinople fell in 1453 AD the leadership of the Eastern Orthodox Church went into Russia

4.  Russia was centered on the steppes which are vast grassy plains of Eastern Europe and western Asia  To the north of the steppes were the very thick forests  To the extreme north the land is tundra where Siberia is located  Region runs from the Black Sea to the Baltic Sea  Contains three major rivers: Dnieper, Don, and Volga

6.  The western Slavs were mainly influenced by Europe and the Roman Catholic Church  Present day countries include Poland, Czech, Republic, and Slovakia  The southern Slavs were mainly influenced by the Byzantines and both Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches.  Present day countries include Yugoslavia, Bosnia, Hungary, and Romania

7.  The eastern Slavs were influenced by the Eastern Orthodox Church  Present day countries include Belarus, Ukraine, and Russia  In 900 AD the Grand Prince of Kiev established a loose confederation of city-states that would become Russia

9. Grand Prince and nobles Boyars- wealthy merchants and landowners serfs- poor farmers who made up 95% of the population

11.  No food restrictions (Ex. Lent, Ramadan)  King would be the head of the church  Religion could be studied, written, and spoken in the local language, not just Latin  Byzantine churches were inspirational

12.  The Great Schism coupled with the Mongol invasion of 1240 AD led to Russia’s isolation from the rest of Europe  The Mongol rule of 200 years prevented Russia from benefiting from the European Renaissance  Russians were forced to pay tribute to the Mongols and this strengthened the system of feudalism  Finally, in 1480 Ivan the Great freed Russia from Mongol rule and united the Russia principalities

13.  With the fall of Constantinople to the Muslim Ottoman Turks in 1453 AD the Eastern Orthodox Church made its home in Russia  Russia became known as the third Rome  Ivan the Great (Ivan III) married a niece of the last Byzantine Emperor and declared himself ▪ Caesar- the basis for the Russian word Czar.