When Constantinople fell in 1453 AD the leadership of the Eastern Orthodox Church went into Russia
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
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
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
Grand Prince and nobles Boyars- wealthy merchants and landowners serfs- poor farmers who made up 95% of the population
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
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
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.