C.J. Hunter Monday, February 02, 2015 5th period The Russian Empire

Taking it back Before 1500, Russia was ruled by the Steppe Nomads (Mongols) The Mongol Khanate of the Golden Horde ruled from 1240-1480 Moscow became important due to the Khanate Moscow: forest area north of grassland; wanted by Mongol horsemen

Taking it back cont. Princes of Muscovy (area around Moscow ) attacked the Golden Horde and captured the territories Novgorod in 1478, freeing them from the Mongols The princes did conquests that made them rulers of the territories Prince Ivan IV pushed the conquests South and East By the end of the 16th Century, Russia was the largest country in Europe, and the largest on the Asian side of the Ural Mountains The ruler had the title tsar (Russian for Caesar, term used for the rulers of the Mongol empire) Considered 3rd Rome by the Russian church

Exaggerated Greatness In 1600, they were poor, messed up, and had no way to trade Arkhangelsk: only port, frozen over Ottomans: controlled Black sea Safavid rulers of Iran: ruled southern Central Asia trade Sweden and Poland-Lithuania: worked the Baltic sea Siberia was the only open route Was filled with resources Aka soft furs Made them known with rich people

The Strogonovs Wealthy trading family Led exploration of Siberia Destroyed Khanate of Sibir in 1582 Crossed into Alaska Political power followed slowly later on Siberia became a jail for criminals and political prisoners Started growing grain in Amur river valley Was near Mongolia Made the 1689 Treaty of Nerchinsk (required them to move homes east)

Society and Politics in Mother Russia Expansion= changes in the land and relations Growth also meant the following: Languages New religions Islam was the main in the Steppes region Christianity was everywhere else Occupations Time of Troubles: when Sweden and Poland occupied Moscow on multiple occasions

Someone close to the Mongols Cossacks Group and individual identities became intricate People living on the steppes between Muscovy and the Black sea Mercenaries Close groups Fought good one the saddle Scared everyone Loyalty was to the chief of the group Soldiers and settlers to the Strogonovs

The Cossacks Worked camps on the Amur river Defended Russia against Swedish and Ottoman expeditions Maintained their political independence

the Serfs Freedom for peasants decreased while power for the tsar increased Change masters during a two week time span During fights and warfare, they fled to the Cossacks or the mountains (some returned to avoid starvation) Law changes in 1649 turned the peasants into serfs, and by definition, they were tied to the land, not the master Serfdom was inherited Made up half the population in 1795, landowners made up 2%

Peter The Great Considered greatest Romanov Turned away from Asian culture; focused on European When younger: Sophia, his older sister, ruled for him Had a younger, sick brother named Ivan Learned blacksmithing, carpentry, shipbuilding and the arts of war Once tsar in his teens: Sent his sister to a monastery Made his brother step down from the throne Focused on enlarging and modernizing the kingdom

Peter The Great Cont. Focused on getting trading ports for expansion Made a small navy for the Black Sea Captured Azov in 1696; lost it in 1713 Stopped Southward movement During the winter of 1697-1698, he visited Europe in disguise to learn how they were so great and rich They did it through trade and acceptance trade = money Acceptance = fascinated people escaping persecution Paid attention to weapons and ships Worked as a ship’s carpenter in the Netherlands After seeing this, he went back to try to improve his homeland

Changes in Order Great Northern War: Between Sweden and Russia for port control in the North Russia eventually beat them and gained trading access in the Baltic Sea They built St. Petersburg on the land won from the battle Built like building popular in France at the time AKA his ‘Window to the West’ Became the capital in 1712

Changes in Order Cont. Caused cultural changes: Copy European fashion Included Peter shaving his Noblemen’s beards End seclusion to women in upper classes Required officials, merchants, military officers, etc. to bring their wives with them Have nobles teach their children Rearrange the government to look like Prussia’s Reduced the roles of boyars (member of Aristocracy) Traditional nobility stayed the same, but officers in the army were promoted by merit, not birth

More changes Peter put the Russian Orthodox church under control of the state Made factories, iron and copper foundries to make supplies for the army Led to increased taxes and forced labor on the serfs Peter the Great was an Absolutist ruler (type that’s common in Europe at the time) Didn’t want to improve living and working conditions for Serfs

Putting the pieces together Eastward expansion continued under peter the Great and his successors Settlement with China and Kangxi’s canceling of Inner Mongolia in 1689 let the Russians focus on the Northern Pacific 1799: Russian company got a monopoly over the Fur trade in Alaska

another Great Catherine the Great ruled at this time Bering strait between Alaska and Russia is named after Captain Vitus Bering who crossed it in 1741 Had control of North shore of the black sea in 1783 after fighting the Ottomans Advanced borders 600+ miles on the Poland side between 1772 and 1795 She added on to policies of Peter: Besides furs they became exporters in gold, iron, and timber Ideas of enlightenment improved westernizing

Sources http://www.hyperhistory.com/online_n2/civil_n2/histscript6_n2/northern.html http://www.history.co.uk/biographies/catherine-the-great The Earth and Its Peoples Fifth Edition Volume II

конец