The document summarizes the origins and early history of Russia. It describes how the Slavs began interacting with the Byzantine Empire in the 9th century and were introduced to Orthodox Christianity through missionaries Cyril and Methodius. Kiev emerged as the center of a new state, Kievan Rus, under Prince Vladimir, who adopted Christianity in 988. The document then outlines several rulers who expanded and strengthened Kievan Rus, before it fractured under Mongol rule. Moscow rose to prominence in the 15th century and claimed to be the "Third Rome" after Constantinople fell. Key rulers like Ivan the Great and Peter the Great centralized power and modernized Russia by implementing western reforms.

2. Beginnings
✵ The Slavs, a group of people
that inhabited the forests
near the Black Sea, began
trading with the Byzantine
Empire
✵ Byzantine Empire began
sending missionaries to
interact with the Slavs,
including Cyril and Methodius

3. Early Byzantine Influences:
Cyrillic Alphabet
Byzantine missionaries, Cyril and Methodius sent to convert
eastern Europe and the Balkans created the script

4. Beginnings
✵ Before 800: No political unity
among Slavs, but did speak
similar languages
✵ 800s: Vikings (called “Rus”)
came, established important
city of Novgorod
✵ Around 880, a nobleman from
Novgorod (Oleg) moved south
to Kiev (for better access to
trade with Constantinople)

5. Beginnings

6. Beginnings

7. Beginnings
✵ Kiev became a principality (a
small state ruled by a prince).
✵ Viking nobles intermarried with
Slavic subjects, adopted many
aspects of Slavic culture
✵ Line between Slavs and Vikings
vanished

8. Kievan Rus
During Roman times, the Slavs expanded into southern Russia.
Like the Germanic peoples who pushed into western Europe,
the Slavs had a simple political organization divided into clans.
They lived in small villages, farmed, and traded along the rivers
that ran between the Baltic and the Black seas.
In the 700s and 800s, the Vikings steered their long ships out of
Scandinavia. These expert sailors were as much at home on
Russian rivers as on the stormy Atlantic. The Vikings, called
Varangians by later Russians, worked their way south along the
rivers, trading with and collecting tribute from the Slavs. They
also conducted a thriving trade with Constantinople.
Located at the heart of this vital trade network was the city of
Kiev. In time, it would become the center of the first Russian
state.

9. Viking Invasions

10. Kievan Rus

11. Rulers of the Kievan Rus
Vladimir I (980)
• (980) Vladimir I –
Extremely war-like ruler
of Kiev. Invited
missionaries from
Judaism, Islam and
Christianity to offer
reasons for
conversion.
• Married the Byzantine
emperor’s sister.
• Brought Christianity
and Greco-Roman
civilization to Russia.

12. Rulers of the Kievan Rus
Yaroslav I (1010 – 1054)
•Created a Russian law code
based on Justinian’s Code.
•Instituted a Golden Age of
Kievan Russia. Built
churches and a new capital
city.
•Allied Russia with the rest
of Europe by marrying his
children to European rulers.

13. Early Byzantine Influences:
Orthodox Christianity
Expansion of Byzantine culture
northward was through
conversion of Kiev to Orthodox
Christianity

14. Early Byzantine Influences:
Orthodox Christianity
Religious artifacts included churches,
icons, and liturgical music as expressed
in Byzantine culture

15. Influenced by
Byzantine Politics
• Russia adopted the concept
of divinely inspired monarchy
with close relations to state-
controlled church
• Were unable to adopt the
Byzantine trained
bureaucracy however

16. “Third Rome”
• Russians re-emerged after
Mongol control ended in the 15th
century and claimed to be the
successors of the Roman and
Byzantine states
• Moscow was considered to be
the “Third Rome”

17. Byzantine Influence on Russia
• Kiev ➲ small Viking state on Dnieper River
– River provided easy access to sea ➲ promotes trade
and cultural diffusion
– Lays foundations for modern Russia

18. Byzantine Influence on Russia
• Olga, Vladimir, & Conversion to Christianity
– Princess Olga visits Constantinople in 957 and
converts to Christianity
– Vladimir
• Olga’s grandson
• Decides his realm should adopt an official religion
• Commissions a report on the three major religions
– Christianity, Judaism, and Islam
– Adopts Christianity
» Baptizes all citizens of Kiev in the Dnieper River
» Imports teachers from the Byzantine Empire

19. Byzantine Influence on Russia
• Government
– Autocracy
– Czar (Tsar)

20. Byzantine Influence on Russia
• Architecture
– Onion Dome

21. The Mongols Invade Russia
Tartars conquered Russian cities during the 13th century
and left Russian church and aristocracy intact, as long as
tribute was paid.

22. The Rise of Moscow
• Moscow was first founded in the
1100s
• Became powerful because of its
trade position (intersection of 3
rivers- Volga, Dnieper, and Don)
• A line of Russian princes emerged-
became wealthy from trade
• Convinced the Patriarch of Kiev to
move to Moscow, which enhanced
Moscow’s prestige and gave it a
powerful ally (the Church)

23. Rulers of the Kievan Rus
Ivan the Great (1462-1505)
• (1462-1505) Ivan III or
Ivan the Great –
absolute ruler. Took
the title of czar
• Czar – Absolute ruler
of Russia: from
Roman word – Caesar
• Defeated the Mongols,
who had gained
control of Russia
• Extended Russian
territory

24. Rulers of the Kievan Rus
Ivan the Great (1462-1505)
• Ivan III, to sum up:
–Conquered much of
the territory around
Moscow
–Liberated Russia
from the Mongols
–Began to centralize
the Russian
government

25. Ivan IV (Ivan the Terrible) 1547-1584
• Early life: came to
the throne when he
was 3; witnessed
power struggles
among the boyars
(nobles)
• “Good Period”:
1547-1560
–Won victories,
expanded Russia’s
territory, gave
Russia a code of
laws, ruled justly (no
executions)

26. Ivan IV (Ivan the Terrible) 1547-1584

27. Ivan IV (Ivan the Terrible) 1547-1584
• “Bad Period” (1560-1584)
–Beloved wife Anastasia
died in 1560; he accused
the Boyars of poisoning
her
–Started a “reign of
terror”- organized a
police force who hunted
down those he accused
of treason
–This force dressed in
black, rode horses
–Executed many Boyars,
their families, and the
peasants who worked
their lands

28. Ivan IV (Ivan the Terrible) 1547-1584
• Eventually, his temper got the
best of him- killed his own son
in a quarrel, leaving him
without his intended heir
• His second son was physically
and mentally incapable of
ruling
• No heir= period of turmoil
known as the Time of Troubles
–Boyars struggled for power
–Imposters claimed to rule
the throne
–Many died under
mysterious conditions

29. Beginning of the Romanov Dynasty
(1613-1917)
• In 1613, representatives from Russian cities
met to choose the next czar
• Chose Michael Romanov, grandnephew of
Ivan IV’s wife, Anastasia
• All subsequent Russian czars would come
from this family (Romanovs) until the Russian
Revolution in 1917

30. Peter the Great (1696-1725)

31. Peter the Great (1672-1725)
• Before Peter the Great, Russia was mostly
separated from Western Europe
–Russia had looked to Constantinople,
not to Rome, for inspiration
–Orthodox instead of Catholic
–Mongol rule had cut them off from
many European ideas, including the
Renaissance and Age of Exploration
–Geographically distant from Western
Europe

32. Peter the Great (1696-1725)
• 1697: Went to Western Europe
to learn about European
customs and manufacturing
techniques
• Inspired by this trip to the West,
Peter resolved that Russia
would compete with Europe on
both military and commercial
terms
• Goal was westernization- to use
Europe as a model for change
in order to modernize and
strengthen Russia

33. Peter the Great (1696-1725)
• Peter increased his own power
as absolute ruler in Russia
–Brought the Russian
Orthodox Church under
state control
–Abolished the office of
patriarch, head of the
Church- set up a group
called the Holy Synod to
run the Church under his
direction
–Like Ivan IV, reduced the
power of landowners
(recruited men from lower-
ranking families, promoted
them, rewarded them with
land grants)

34. Peter the Great (1696-1725)
• Peter increased his own
power as absolute ruler in
Russia
–Modernized Russia’s
army by hiring European
officers- brought in
European tactics and
weapons

35. Peter the Great (1696-1725)
• Efforts at westernization included:
–Introduced potatoes (became
a staple of the Russian diet)
–Started Russia’s first
newspaper (edited the first
issue himself)
–Raised women’s status- had
them attend social gatherings
–Ordered nobles to give up
their traditional clothes for
western fashions
–Advanced education- opened
a school of navigation, schools
for the arts and sciences

36. Peter the Great (1696-1725)
• Efforts at westernization
included:
–Encouraged (and
sometimes required)
people to study in foreign
lands
–Fought Sweden for 21
years to gain access to
Western Europe on the
Baltic Sea (later named St.
Petersburg)
–When St. Petersburg was
finished, ordered many
nobles to leave Moscow
and settle in St.
Petersburg
–St. Petersburg became a
busy port

37. Peter the Great (1696-1725)
• By the end of his rule, Russia
was a power to be reckoned
with in Europe
• However, serfdom continued
in Russia until mid-1800s
(much longer than it did in
Western Europe)