1. Ms. Susan M. Pojer Horace Greeley HS Chappaqua, NY
Early
Russian
History
Ms. Susan M. Pojer Horace Greeley HS Chappaqua, NY
Edited by Mr. Stonehill

2. Russia Today

3. Former Soviet Region Compared in Latitude & Area with the United States

4. Russia’s Time Zones

5. Topography of Russia

6. Rich Soil of the Steppes
Chernozen Soil

7. Siberia  “Permafrost”
Average temperatures of January vary from 0 to -50°C, and in July from 1 to 25°C
150,000,000 population.
A former “gulag” Soviet prison camp.

8. Themes in Russian History
Expansion by conquest.
Need for warm-water ports.
The necessity of a strong, central government.

9. Early Russia

10. Byzantine Influence
Develops in the early 1000s under the Kievan Rus

11. Early Byzantine Influences: Orthodox Christianity

12. Early Byzantine Influences: Orthodox Christianity

13. Early Byzantine Influences: Cyrillic Alphabet

14. Novgorod – Ukrainian city

15. Russian Boyars – powerful nobles

16. Russian Expansion

17. Alexander Nevsky: 1220-1263 – Rus’ hero during difficult times
Battle on the Ice (Neva River) Against the Swedes
Teutonic Knight

18. The Mongols Invade Russia

19. Ivan the Great (r. 1462-1505) – Independence from the Mongols after 250 Years
Ivan III Tearing the Great Khan’s Letter Requesting More Tribute in 1480.

20. Russia in the Late 1500s – expansion under Ivan the Terrible

21. Time of Troubles Ivan the Terrible leaves no heirs
50 Years of Chaos – nobles fighting
Eventually Michael Romanov asked

22. Michael Romanov (r )

23. Romanov Dynasty ( )
Romanov Family Crest

24. The Pendulum of Russian History
Pro-West For Progress & Change Encourage New Ideas, Technologies, etc.
Anti-West Isolationist Xenophobic Ultra-Conservative
A few Tsars
Intellectual elites
Merchants/businessmen
Young members of the middle class.
Most Tsars
Russian Orthodox Church
Military
Boyars
peasants
REFORM-MINDED LEADER
DEMAGOGUE

25. Peter the Great (r )

26. Russia & Sweden After the Great Northern War