The Russian Empire

The Dawn of Russia Missionaries competing for converts traveled north of the Black Sea to spread the word of Orthodox Christianity. Two Saints, Cyril and Methodius, would create an alphabet for the Slavic languages that would allow Slavs the ability to read the Bible in their own tongues. Many Slavic languages, including Russian, are written in the Cyrillic Alphabet.* As the missionaries performed their duties of converting, they were unknowingly creating the new empire of Russia.*

The Beginning Byzantium traded extensively with the Slavs of the north; over time, this trade led to cultural diffusion from Byzantium to Russia.* In the 800’s Vikings, or Rus, began to settle along rivers and among Slavic people. Over time the line between Vikings and Slavs vanished. A Viking king was invited to rule over the Rus people in Kiev.

Rise to Power The kings of the Russian territory married off their daughters to various European rulers to gain alliances.* Christianity and the city of Kiev flourished under Vladimir; 400 churches were built by the 12th century. The Boyar were state appointed officials. Can be compared to western European knights.* Upon the death of one of the kings death he gave each of his sons a piece of the kingdom. however, they fought over the best pieces and tore Russia apart. This accompanied with the Crusades began the downfall.

Russia’s Worst Nightmare Genghis Khan and the Mongols (nomadic horseman from central Asia) attacked kingdoms from east to west in the 1200’s.* In 1240 the Mongols attacked and demolished Kiev. After the fall in 1240, the Mongols would rule for 200 years.* Under the Mongols there was no religious persecution The Mongols only demanded complete obedience and massive payments. One report says that no one was left alive after the attack. ; in fact, the church was used as a mediator between Mongols and Russians. During this time there was no outside contact; therefore, Russian technology began to lag behind the rest of the world.

The Rise of an Empire Ivan I gained the trust of the Mongols by helping them put down a revolt against their rule.* They made him tax collector of all the Slavic lands they conquered, thus making him extremely rich. He convinced the Patriarch to move to Moscow. This allied the Russians with the Church.* Ivan III would challenge Mongol rule and took the name of Czar (from Caesar) and declared Russia the “Third Rome.”* In 1480 the Mongols and Russians met to battle for rule over Russia. ; however, no one would advanced and they all went home. Russians see this as a bloodless victory and see it as the liberation from Mongol rule.

Byzantine Influence on Russian Architecture/Art Art was not a form of expression but was rather a strict set of religious guidelines that had to be followed. Russian Orthodox churches with onion domes are meant to represent heaven. Icons must be two-dimensional because they are seen as windows through which worshipers can view heaven.

What to do right now… Working with a partner, spend 10-20 minutes going through the review sheet and mark off what you want to review in class. We will write down what you want to know more about and I will prepare a review for our next class.