• Prince Vladimir's adaption of Christianity in 988 A.D. as the official religion

1. one of the main reasons being that after Rome falls to the Visigoths, Byzantium becomes the second Rome.  With this title comes Rome's power and religion, shifting importance to the east.  Trade is conducted between Kiev and this new power and the adoption of Byzantium's Christianity proves to guarantee military allegiance between both empires.

• System of tribute: obligations by peasant farmers to social, political, and religious overlords.  ex. Peasants performed service to the lord in order to attatin certain use rights of this land
  
• Concept of service: boyars served Tsar militarily and administratively
• No principle of mutual obliations- tsars could assert unlimited authority over all people.  (mention instability amongst princedoms, fights over successions.  The rights and authority commanded by the princes varied from own to town, resulting in disunity. People felt not safety or security which lead the way for Russian Tsars to assert absolute power over their subjects as long as the people felt safe from foreign foes and secure with the ruling power.)
• society was divided into classes (explain social structure of Kievan State- pyramid structure that was extremely bottom heavy ruled by territorial princes.)
• esablished Russian as a major force in international affairs and as the linkage point between Europe and Asia (east and west) for trade

• Vikings traveled to Russia motivated by the availibility of furs, honey,and wax
• The were known as barbaric plunders and conquerors in Europe, but in Russia described as traders and mercenaries
• Swedsh Vikings who were asked to rule over the disunited Slavic tribes.

1. Ruirik and his two brothers ruled with local leaders

• As leaders, they worked closely with Slavic leaders to:

1. increase order and security to protect trade routes
2. Encourage regular tribute payments for commercial and military expeditions

• This cooperative relationship between the local Slavic leaders and Varagians proved beneficial, creating stable government and state system

• icon= an idealized figure painted on wood detailed with gold and jewels.  The painting of the icon was defined as a sacrad act, thus only a person of faith could create the image
• divine image, not meant to be realistic
• icons could be found in churches and in every room of an Orthodox home.
• Purpose: to educate and inspire the largely illiterate population about Christ, the Saints, and the Bible

1. What contributed to the decline of the Kievan Rus'?
2. Why could it offer so little resistance to Mongol invaders?

1. political weakness: there was no central authority as the jurisdictions of the princes ran along trade routes and scattered areas that paid tribute, rather than a specific contiguous territory.

• Each prince and town had different rights, therefore the State was disjointed, without clearly identified authority leaders or a universal administrative system. 
• No system of succession was established, making the fight for the throne bloody and unstable. Princes fought each other and against dissatisfied subjects, spending much of their reign in warfare. ex. In a thirty year perios, the throne changed hands 17 times-->princes cannot command allegiance and state separates further
• Loss of economic growth: goods become less valuable as new trade routes are developed, therefore, routes across Russian become less important
• Continuous battles against nomadic tribes weaken state and drain the little resources that the state possessed.

2. As a result of battles with neighboring tribes, already limited resources become even fewer.  Internal dissension amongst princes further weakened the state.

• refer to pyramid social structure:

Who were the Mongols?

• Cruel and harsh invaders= no prisoners- surrender or die- "more ferocious that lions or bears"
•  from Mongolia
•  outstanding horsemen and archers, skilled adapters
• organized, mobile, suprise, and disciplined attackers
• Invaded in 1237 with an impactful and devastating campaign: loss of life, destruction of town and churchs, & psychological repurcussions were immense
• They would be the first invaders to successfully defeat Russia and the LAST= held  power for 2 centuries
• divine ruler= Genghis Khan
• Tolerant- never required conversion to Islam
• Collected tribute
• indirectly ruled Russia via princes

• allowed for little agricultural surplus, therefore Russians struggled to survive with little opportunity for economic growth -->

1. limited opportunities to expand trade
2. increase production or
3. accumulate capital

• Russian became inherently servile (since princes had to humble themselves at the court of the Khan for the sake of their survival) pledging submission and receiving the charter of authority.
• They craved strong rule because prior to the invasion there was none, and during the Mongol reign over succession, the were ruled indirectly but at the complete service of their rulers.  They wanted a ruler that would provide them with SAFETY and SECURITY
• They feared the outside world due to the sudden and devastating conquering of their land by outsiders

1. Monguls= Southeast
2. Lithuania-Russian State= West
3. Novgorod= Northwest
4. Tver & Moscow= Northeast

1. Sweden
2. Poland
3. Lithuania

1. advantageously linked to hills, therefore easy to defend like Rome--> IMPORTANT CONNECTION
2. center of ORTHODOX CHURCH, home of the Metropolitan (highest office)

• The Church represented the rally point of power & unification, therefore Moscow represents this
• Identified as 3rd Rome= Center of Christian Faith

3. Two main commercial trade routes crossed in Moscow

4. Served as symbol of resistance to Mongul rule

5. St. Peter (metropolitan) died while visting Moscow

6. 3 main rivers= Dnieper, Don, Volga

7. Home of Tsar- 1331 Ivan I recognized of Moscow as grand prince

• Human bondage that lasted for 200 years (abolished in 1861)
• peasants work for Tsar via laboring the land owned by boyars & church
• 1631, 1st Romanov Tsar- Fedorovich

1. Money is needed, thus TAXES are imposed
2. Due to the Time of Troubles, Peasants are located throughout the country
3. Landowners need laborers
4. Government needs to know where the peasants are at all times, so taxes can be collected

• Tsar need to build state + defeat enemies

--> resources needed, thus service by peasants needed

• In return for ORDER and PROTECTION= peasants become serfs:

1. Pay taxes + provide recruits for army
2. serve by supporting gentry (who provide military and administrative service for payment of land given to them by Tsar)

• Low agricultural productivity, thus low surplus for commercial use