EARLY RUSSIA AND THE KIEVAN RUS

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• EARLY RUSSIA AND THE KIEVAN RUS
• 800s to 1100s CE

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Spread of Eastern European Civilization

• 864 -- Cyril and Methodius
• Byzantine missionaries
• Successful in Russia and the Balkans
• Used Slavic
• Created Cyrillic alphabet
• Eastern Orthodox religion-Eastern Europe and
  Russia
• Jews immigrated to the region

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Cyril and Methodius
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THE KIEVAN RUS

• Heavily influenced by Byzantium
• Area was populated by Slavs
• 6th and 7th centuries Scandinavian traders
  appeared-Set up governments along their trade
  routes-Kiev
• 855 -- Monarchy was established under
  Rurik

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BYZANTIUM AND THE RUS

• Contacts between the two kingdoms increased
  steadily
• Kiev became a prosperous trading center
• Around 1000 Vladimir I converted to Eastern
  Orthodox Christianity
• Forced his subjects to convert
• Controlled major church appointments
• Separate Russian Orthodox church developed

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Kiev
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CHARACTERISTICS OF KIEVAN RUS

• Largest single state in Europe
• Highly decentralized
• Yaroslav Last of the great Kievan princes
• Codified laws
• Built many churches
• Translated religious literature from Greek to
  Slavic

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INSTITUTIONS AND CULTURE

• Byzantine influence
• Ceremonies, luxuries, and absolute power of the
  leader
• Fervent devotion to God
• Ornate churches filled with icons
• Monogamy
• Literature
• Focused on religious and royal events
• No significant philosophical or scientific
  contributions

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Icons
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• Art- Focused on religion
• Architecture- Orthodox churches
• Society
• Peasants were fairly free farmers
• Boyars Russian aristocratic class
• Entertainment
• Low literacy- story telling
• Combined music, street performances, and theater

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KIEVAN DECLINE 12TH CENTURY

• Causes
• Rival princes set up regional governments
• Fighting within the royal family over succession
• Asian invaders whittled away Russian territory
• Decline of Byzantium decreased Russian trade and
  wealth
• Two Mongol invasions (Mongols are called Tartars
  by the Russians)

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MONGOL CONTROL OF RUSSIA

• Lasted for over two centuries
• Consequences
• Further separated Russia from western Europe
• Russian literature languished
• Trade lapsed
• Russia was isolated

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• Russian Orthodox Christianity and the boyars were
  spared
• Tribute
• 15th century Tartars were forced out
• Russian culture and politics began to reemerge
• Mantle of east European leadership fell to Russia
  because of the fall of Byzantium

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END OF AN ERA IN EASTERN EUROPE

• Byzantium and Russia were under siege
• Eastern Europe fell on hard times
• They had been ahead of western Europe during
  Byzantine domination, but fell behind western
  Europe after the fall of Byzantium