Rise of Russia

Slavic Beginnings

• In the 700s AD, a group of people called the Slavs began moving into the area north of the Byzantine Empire (in eastern Europe)

• These people would lay the foundations of Russia• The Slavic people’s first prince was named Rurik and was a

descendant of the Vikings– Rurik was of the Rus tribe

• Rurik built his capital city at Novgorod on the Dnieper River• Later rulers would move the capitol to Kiev• Kiev was well suited to trade slaves, honey, and furs

downriver to Constantinople

Rurik

Growing close with the Byzantine Empire

• In 989 Vladimir, prince of Kiev, chose to convert his people to the Eastern Greek Orthodox form of Christianity

• This strengthened economic ties with the Byzantines• Byzantium sent missionaries (Cyril and Methodius) to

spread Christianity among the Slavs• Cyril created a Slavic alphabet still used in Russia today

– Cyrillic Alphabet• By 1000, Kiev had become a wealthy trading city. I

– Gold-domed churches and use of icons showed heavy Byzantine influence

Cyril and Methodius

Rise of the Czar• In 1240 Kiev was conquered by Mongol horsemen and

were under their control until 1480– Mongols led by Genghis Khan and grandson Batu– Mongols nicknamed the Golden Horde

• In 1472, nineteen years after the fall of Constantinople, Ivan III (prince of Moscow) married the niece of the last Byzantine emperor– Took the title of Czar/Tsar(Caesar) and overthrew the Mongols– Nicknamed Ivan the Great

• Much of this history was recorded in the Primary Chronicle, a collection of Russian history written around the year 1100

Ivan the Great