Russia, the Kievan Rus, and the Mongols: Crash Course World History #20
TLDRThe script discusses the history of Russia leading up to the rule of Ivan the Terrible. It covers the rise of Kiev as a powerful city-state, its fall to the Mongols, and how the Mongols helped propel Moscow and its princes to power. Moscow expanded its influence and eventually asserted independence from the Mongols under Ivan III. His grandson, Ivan IV (Ivan the Terrible), brutally centralized power and crushed the nobility, establishing absolutist rule over Russia through terror and secret police. This created a stereotype of Russian barbarity that persisted for centuries among Western Europeans.
Takeaways
- 😀 The Kievan Rus were a powerful city-state founded by Slavic people who migrated from around the Black Sea
- 😮 Trade like fur, wax and slaves was critical to the economy of the Kievan Rus
- 🤔 The leader of the Kievan Rus was called the Grand Prince, a model for future Russian kings
- 😲 The Mongols conquered the Kievan Rus in 1240, shifting power away from Kiev towards northeast Russia
- 🔍 Mongol rule isolated Russia from Europe but helped propel Moscow to prominence
- 🎓 Ivan the Great asserted Russia's independence from the Mongols and laid foundations for a centralized Russian state
- 😨 Ivan the Terrible crushed nobility, but through extreme brutality, setting a precedent for autocracy via terror
- 🤨 Western Europe also knew brutality, but saw Russia as more barbaric, the fearful 'Other'
- 💡 Stereotypes of Russian barbarism persist today, but brutality often seems barbaric depending on perspective
- 📝 The legacy of Russian autocracy and use of force against citizens continues even today
Q & A
Who founded the city of Kiev and when was it founded?
-Most historians now believe Kiev was founded by Slavic people who migrated from around the Black Sea, though older theories suggest it was founded by Vikings. There is no definitive date for Kiev's founding.
What goods did the Kievan Rus trade and what was the social status of peasants?
-The Kievan Rus traded raw materials like fur, wax and slaves. Peasants often fell into tax debt and became bonded to the land they farmed for life, similar to a slave.
How did the Mongols help Moscow rise to prominence?
-The Mongols named Muscovite princes the Grand Prince, allowing them to collect tribute on behalf of the Khan. This enriched Moscow and helped it expand influence and territory.
Why did Ivan the Terrible earn his nickname?
-In the later part of his reign, Ivan brutally suppressed the boyars (nobility). He used oprichniki (secret police) to destroy entire towns, killing many people, to establish absolute control.
What was the zemsky sobor created by Ivan the Terrible?
-The zemsky sobor was a grand council of representatives, similar to the estates general created in France later. It gave nobles some voice in government.
How did Russia's location contribute to stereotypes about it?
-Russia was seen by Western Europe as both European and non-European for centuries. This 'otherness' led Russia to be feared and stereotyped as brutal and barbaric.
What was the importance of Ivan III (Ivan the Great)?
-Ivan the Great asserted Russia's independence from the Mongols, massively expanded Moscow's territory through conquest and negotiation, and declared himself sovereign of all Russians.
How did the Mongol invasion help unify Russia?
-The Mongol invasion gave the scattered Russian principalities a common enemy. Fighting off the Mongols gave Moscow a leadership role in a growing sense of Russian unity.
What made the Muscovite princes well positioned for power?
-Muscovite princes were stable successors as they usually had sons, and they were at the strategic headwaters of four rivers for trade. Being Mongol allies also gave them security.
Why did Prince Vladimir supposedly choose Byzantine Christianity?
-According to legend, Prince Vladimir chose Christianity over Islam for the Kievan Rus because of its allowance of alcohol, saying "Drink is the joy of the Russian".
Outlines
🏰 The Rise and Fall of Kievan Rus
This paragraph provides background on the Kievan Rus civilization that existed in what is now Russia and Ukraine before the Mongol invasion. It discusses the likely Slavic origins of the people, the importance of trade and agriculture, and the transition from tribal rule to an early Russian state centered around the city of Kiev and led by Grand Princes who later became the model for Russian monarchs.
🐎 The Mongol Conquest and its Legacy
This paragraph examines the Mongol conquest of Russia in the 13th century, establishing the Khanate of the Golden Horde. It analyzes the impacts of Mongol rule, including boosting the power of Moscow and its princes, cutting Russia off from Europe, and unifying the idea of Russia itself.
📜 Ivan the Terrible and the Rise of Russian Autocracy
This final paragraph explores the brutal reign of Ivan the Terrible in the 16th century and how he crushed the Russian nobility to establish absolute rule by the Tsar. It traces how this set the stage for authoritarianism and use of secret police that became synonymous with Russian governance for centuries.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Kievan Rus
💡Mongol conquest
💡Ivan the Great
💡autocracy
💡oprichniki
💡boyars
💡Byzantine Christianity
💡appanage
💡Muscovite power
💡tsar
Highlights
The Mongols did set up the Khanate of the Golden Horde in Russia, but it didn’t leave much lasting impact on the institutions of the region
The Mongols were comparatively light rulers: They were happy to live in their yurts and collect tribute from the ever-bickering Russian princes
Mongol rule cut the Russians off from the Byzantines and further isolated them from Europe, leaving Russia not Byzantine, not European, and not really Mongol either
The Mongols successfully conquered Russia in the winter
The Muscovite princes won — that is to say purchased — the right to collect tribute on behalf of the Khan from other princes
Moscow became the seat of the Eastern Orthodox church in 1325, when the Metropolitan Peter moved there
Inflicted the first major defeat of Mongols in Russia at battle of Kulikovo Field. This showed that the Mongols weren’t invincible
There was only one major succession struggle and it was between two blind guys named Basil. That’s not a joke by the way
Ivan the Terrible’s reign represents the end of princely power and the beginning of the autocracy that Russia is famous for
In the second part of his reign, Ivan earned his nickname, the Terrible — which, can mean either bad or just awe-inspiring, depending on your perspective
Ivan set out to break the power of the nobility-- the former princes and landowners, called the boyars. They were the last link to princely rule
Ivan created the oprichniki, a corps of secret police who rode around on black horses, wearing all black, whose job it was to hunt down and destroy any enemies of the tsar
Over the latter half of Ivan’s reign, whole towns were destroyed. It was, in effect, a civil war, except with no resistance
Ivan IV established absolute control of the tsar over all the Russian people, but he also set the precedent of accomplishing this through terror, secret police, and the suspension of law
For centuries, Russia was seen by western Europe as both European and not, an “Other” that was to be doubly feared because it was not fully Other
Transcripts
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