Essential Question What cultures collided to create the

■ Essential Question: –What cultures collided to create the Russian Empire? ■ Warm-Up Question: –Why did the Christian church split in 1054?

Russia’s Geography Russia’s first unified territory originated west of the Ural Mountains in the region that runs from the Black Sea to the Baltic Sea. In the extreme south there are hilly grass lands, and in the north it is densely forested, flat, and swampy. There are three great rivers that run through this region; the Dnieper, the Don, and the Volga.

In the early days of the Byzantine Empire Slavic farmers and traders lived in the forests of Russia. In the 800 s small bands of people called Rus, who were most likely Vikings, settled along the three Rivers with the Slavs who were already there. Russia gets its name from the Rus people.

The Slavs invited the Viking chief Rurik to be their king. He founded Russia’s first important city – Novgorod. Around 880 a noble man from Novgorod named Oleg moved to Kiev, a city of the Dnieper River. Kiev’s location provided easy trade with Constantinople, and it will grow into a principality which is a small state ruled by a prince.

Cultural Diffusion ■ As Kiev grew, Viking nobles intermarried with their Slavic subjects and adopted many aspects of Slavic culture. ■ Gradually, the line between Slavs and Vikings vanished.

Religious Changes ■ Princess Olga governed Kiev from 945 to 964 until her son was old enough rule. ■ In 957 she visited Constantinople and publically converted to Christianity.

Religious Changes ■ Vladimir, Olga’s grandson, came to power in 980. ■ He sent out teams to observe the major religions of the time so that he could choose one to convert to. – The religions observed were: • Islam • Judaism • Western Christianity • Byzantium Christianity

Vladimir received lukewarm responses from all except his team that observed Byzantine Christianity. Their report convinced Vladimir to convert to Christianity and make all his subjects convert too. In 989 a baptism of all the citizens of Kiev was held in the Dnieper river. Kiev already linked to Byzantium by trade, now looked to the empire for religious guidance. Vladimir imported teachers to instruct the people in the new faith. He also appreciated the Byzantine idea of the emperor as supreme ruler of the Church. So the close link between Church and state took root in Russia as well.

Kiev’s Power & Decline Thanks to its Byzantine ties, Kiev grew from a cluster of crude wooden forts to the glittering capital of prosperous and educated people. The rise of Kiev marked the appearance of Russia’s first important unified territory.

Kiev’s Power & Decline ■ Vladimir expanded his state west into Poland north almost to the Baltic sea. ■ In 1090, Vladimir’s son Yaroslav the Wise and built important trading alliances with Western Europe. – He did this by marrying off his daughters and sisters to kings and princes in Western Europe.

In addition to creating alliances with Western Europe Yaroslav the Wise made other important contributions: ■ He created a legal code tailored to Kiev’s commercial culture, ■ built the first library in Kiev, and ■ under his rule Christianity prospered. – By the 12 th century there were 400 churches in Kiev.

Kiev’s Power & Decline ■ Kiev’s decline started with Yaroslav's death. – He made a crucial error when he divided his realm between his four sons. – They tore the state apart fighting for the best territories. – Because this system of dividing the kingdom among sons continued, each generation saw new struggles.

The Crusades – the numerous clashes between Christians and Muslims for control of the Holy Lands of the Middle East that began in 1096 – added to Kiev’s troubles by disrupting trade.

Mongol Invasions The Mongols were a ferocious group of horsemen from central Asia led by Genghis Khan Their savage killing and burning won them a reputation for ruthless brutality.

At its height the Mongol Empire stretched from Poland to China.

In 1240, the Mongols attacked and demolished Kiev. A Roman Catholic bishop travelled to Kiev five years later and wrote what he witnessed. “When we passed through that land, we found lying in the field countless heads and bones of dead people. ” After the fall of Kiev, Mongols ruled all of southern Russia for 200 years. The official name of the empire was the Khanate of the Golden Horde.

Mongol Rule in Russia ■ Under Mongol rule, the Russians could follow their usual customs, as long as they did not rebel. ■ Mongols tolerated the religions of people they conquered. ■ Mongols demanded two things: – Absolute obedience – Massive amounts of tribute (payments)

Mongol Rule in Russia Mongol rule isolated the Russians from their neighbors in Western Europe. Because of this Russians had little access to many new ideas and inventions

Russia challenged the Mongols ■ Moscow was founded in the 1100 s and was located near Russia’s three major rivers. ■ Prince Ivan I earned the trust of the Mongols by crushing a Russian revolt ■ For his services they appointed him tax collector which earned him the nickname “Ivan Moneybag. ”

Growth of Moscow ■ Ivan I used his power to convince the Patriarch (religious leader) of Kiev to move to Moscow. ■ The Patriarch’s move to Moscow improved the city’s prestige and gave Moscow’s princes a powerful ally – the Church. ■ Ivan I and his successors used numerous strategies to enlarge their territory: – Land purchases, wars, trickery, and strategic marriages.

Ivan III’s Importance ■ The Russian state became a genuine empire during the 43 year rule of Ivan III who took the name czar. – Which was the Russian version of Caesar. ■ Ivan would openly challenge Mongol rule.

Defeat of the Mongols In 1480, Ivan made a final break with the Mongols. • He refused to pay the Mongols further tribute. Russian and Mongol armies faced each other at the Ugra River, but neither army advanced to fight. After a time both armies turned around and marched home. Russians traditionally mark this bloodless standoff as their liberation from Mongol rule.