Russia & the Mongols

8.2-3

And this isn’t as big as it used to be…

Physical Setting

• Vast plain• Carpathian Mts. Broken only by Ural Mts.• Large rivers (Dnieper)

• Slavic nomads were the first people to move into the region from the immediate west

Vikings

• Scandinavia• Used rivers from

Baltic Seato Black Sea

• Trading posts– Novgorad=Rurik of the Rus• Became Kiev

Kiev

• The extent of the Kievan civilization

• Slavs from immediatewest moved in first

• Followed later by the Viking traders

Government

• Each city had its own price• The prince of Kiev was

pre-eminent

Religion

• Vladimir I, of Kiev• Sends envoys to witness

services from many religions

• Baptized in 987

Great Schism—A.D.1054

• Western Church– Believed icons were

necessary for their uneducated people

– Heresy to oppose icons

Roman Catholic Church

• Eastern Church– Full of iconoclasts– Presence of icons could lead

to excommunication

Eastern Orthodox Church

Iconoclastic Controversy

Icons— holy pictures of Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and the saints.

Some Christians revered icons feeling they helped them in their worship.

Iconoclasts—people who felt even the presence of icons constituted idol worship

• When the Christian Church split in 1054, the Russians joined the Eastern Orthodox branch.

and all seemed well…

• Mongols – As invaders all they

wanted was wealth– Pay taxes = left alone

• In Russia– Improved roads,

communication to ensure payment

– Unintentional benefit was trade within the empire

Genghis Khan

• Transformed nomadic Mongols into an invading force

• Conquered lands to gain territory, wealth, and revenge on enemies

• Was followed by his grandson, Kublai Khan– After Kublai took care of

his brothers (before they took care of him)

Marco Polo

• On his travels he met Kublai Khan and was fascinated by their empire (remember he’s from an Italy deep in the Dark Ages)

• Wrote about his adventures which became a “best seller” as people debate the truth of his claims

Rise of Moscow

• Ivan I

• Ivan III

• Ivan IV

• List the events by date of each leader

• Notice how Russia comes out from under the rule of the Mongols