11.2 - Russians Adapt Byzantine Culture

The early Russians (the Russ) and the influence of the Byzantines and the Vikings upon their culture. Included is the Christianization of Kiev and some info about the Mongols and their conquering ways.

1. Russians Adapt Russians Adapt
Byzantine CultureByzantine Culture

2. Objectives
•Know the location of the early Russians (the Rus/Slavs)
and why this location was important vis-à-vis
Constantinople
•Know the influence of the Vikings
•Know the importance of Kiev
•Know why the Christianization of Kiev was important,
who did it (Vladimir I), and what the conversion
process was.
•Know who Vladimir I and Yuroslav the Wise were
•Know who the Mongols were and what effect the
Mongolian conquering and occupation had on the
region.
•Know what Ivan III did

3. So you have these guys living up north of the Black Sea.
They’re the Slavs.

5. •The Slavs were a tribal people that, given their location
and proximity to Constantinople and the Byzantine
Empire generally, naturally started trading with the
Byzantines.
•They also get some Viking influence as the Vikings
migrate down to the region.

6. •Ok, not those Vikings. They couldn’t conquer anything
right now. These Vikings.

7. •While the Vikings were a seafaring people, they did
migrate over land and by river to the interior of Europe.

8. •The Vikings become rulers of the Slavic people in the
region in the mid-9
th
century. They settle down and
integrate into the culture.
“Hi. I’m Rurik.
We’re Vikings.
Mind if we
integrate with
you?”
“Please do. We
don’t know how to
rule ourselves.”

9. •The city of Kiev is founded around 880 and it becomes
the primary city of the region (it’s currently the capital
of Ukraine).
•Prince Oleg moves the capital there from Novgorod.
•He also launches a raid against Constantinople in
907, resulting in a trade agreement in 911.

10. The Rus were in a nice trading location.

11. The Christianization of Kiev
•Kiev becoming Christian was significant and was a
multi-stage process.
•The ruling regent, Olga, first accepts Eastern Orthodox
Christianity while visiting Constantinople.
•Her son, Sviatoslav, refused to adopt it, though, and
stuck to his pagan religion because he was afraid
converting would make him look weak to his men.

12. St. Olga
I like Christianity!

13. Christianity? Ummm…
no, thanks

14. •It’s not until Olga’s grandson Vladimir takes power in
Kiev that you see real change.
•He was originally a committed pagan who built many
temples and may have engaged in human sacrifice.
•Vladimir wants to switch from paganism to
monotheism, but needs to decide on which version.
•So on the advice of his boyars (nobles), he sends
out emissaries to Bulgarian Muslims, Jewish people
in Turkey or central Asia, German Roman Catholics,
and to the Eastern Orthodox in Constantinople.
•According to legend, the emissaries to the Muslims
found them drab and full of sorrow. They also didn’t
like the prohibitions against pork and drinking.
Especially the drinking.

15. •The emissaries to the Jews thought they had been
abandoned by God since they had lost their great
city of Jerusalem and its temple centuries ago and
hadn’t gotten it back.
•The emissaries to the Roman Catholics found the
German churches drab and gloomy.
•The guys who went to Constantinople, though, were
amazed by the splendor of the Hagia Sophia. They
reported they didn’t know if they were in Heaven or
still on Earth.

16. •So Vladimir chooses to convert to Eastern Orthodox
Christianity.
•In reality, the choice was as much political as
spiritual. Vladimir wanted a closer relationship
with his powerful, wealthy neighbor. It was also
part of a military alliance.

17. But I get to
keep the wine,
right?

18. •Vladimir is baptized and then
destroys all the pagan idols in
Kiev.
•He then tells all of Kiev’s
citizens to come down to the
Dnieper River the next day
lest they become the prince’s
enemies.
•They do and the city is
baptized en masse into the
Orthodox religion.
•While there may have been
political overtones, Vladimir
took his conversion seriously
– he built churches, gave
alms, brought in Greek
missionaries to educate folks.

20. •Vladimir is eventually killed during fighting between
him and some of his former pagan wives (he had seven
total and they were multinational) and their sons.
•He at one point had a few hundred concubines and
one guy labeled him a great profligate. In Latin,
that’s fornicator maximus.

21. •The aftereffects, though, are that Kiev and the
surrounding region have much closer ties to the
Byzantines and start taking on some aspects of the
culture.
•Their churches, for example, were based on the
Byzantine model.
•They are also exposed to Greek philosophy, science,
etc.
•It’s also at this time that the Cyrillic alphabet,
developed by Saints Cyril and Methodius in the
mid-800’s, really takes hold.
•The alphabet was designed for writing down the
Slavic languages.

22. •It’s also at this
time that the
Cyrillic alphabet,
developed by
Saints Cyril and
Methodius in the
mid-800’s, really
takes hold.
•The alphabet was
designed for
writing down the
Slavic languages.

23. Vladimir continues to establish and solidify the Kievan
territory.
•His son Yaroslav takes over in 1019, although his rule
wasn’t uncontested until 1036.
•Helped to strengthen Kievan
power.
•Wanted to weaken
Byzantine influence in Kiev,
so he launched an
unsuccessful raid against
Constantinople.
•Still wanted close ties,
though, and the treaty
involved marrying off one of
his sons to the emperor’s
daughter.

24. •Also arranged several other marriages with
European royalty.
•Developed a law code, a first for Eastern Slavic people,
known as the Justice of Rus’.
•Built many churches.

25. •The one big unwise thing he did took place after he
died in 1054.
•Typically, the throne goes to the eldest son
(primogeniture).
•Yaroslav, though, opted to divide things among his
sons – NEVER a good idea. The sons proceed to
fight against each other to get power and territory.
•Then they divide things among their sons and it just
gets worse.

26. The big problem for Kiev, though, was the Mongol
invasion.
•The Mongols were a nomadic people from the steppes
of central Asia.
•They were tribal but around 1200 were united under
the leadership of Genghis Khan. They rampage all over
the place.
Genghis
Khan
The greatest happiness
is to vanquish your
enemies, to chase them
before you, to rob them
of their wealth, to see
those dear to them
bathed in tears, to clasp
to your bosom their
wives and daughters.
Have a nice day.

29. I’ll kill you.

30. According to many
perspectives in different
times, the Mongols:
•were destroyers of
civilizations
•were ruthless
uncivilized
barbarians
•were evil forces
against Christians,
Buddhists,
Confucians, or
Muslims

31. •In other places, they (especially Genghis Khan) are revered.

34. They lived on
horseback.
•Ate there, slept
there, spent a week
or more there.
•Especially fought
from there.
•Opposing armies
were not prepared
for this style of
rapid, mobile
warfare.

35. •Mongolian horses were slightly smaller than most other breeds
and would lose in a race.
•BUT… they were tough and the Mongols fought much
lighter than most of their opponents, so they could still
outmaneuver, outlast, and go faster than their enemies.

37. Compare it to Medieval European horses like the Ardennes, big
and bulky for carrying heavy armored knights.

38. They were also used for lots of
things.
Mmmm… horse milk.

39. The main weapons were the
scimitar, axe, and bow.
•Heavier cavalry also used
lances.

40. •The Mongols were skilled horsemen and mounted
archers. Their bows were the best of the time.

41. •They were composite bows (meaning they were
layered and laminated together).
•Their draw weight was 100-170 pounds and had an
effective range of 350 yards.
•Compare this to the celebrated English longbow
which had a draw weight of 70-80 pounds and a
range of 250 yards.

45. •Soldiers would even have special arrows, such as
whistling signaling arrows.

46. How to shoot a Mongolian
bow.

47. How not to let someone teach you how to use a Mongolian bow.

48. They created the largest land-They created the largest land-
based empire in human history.based empire in human history.

49. •At its peak, the Mongolian Empire covered 12.7 million square
miles, roughly 22% of the earth’s land surface.

50. •At any rate, the Mongols were powerful and fearsome
warriors. The used terror and fear to keep conquered
peoples in line and to get unconquered peoples to
willingly submit.
•At its height, the Mongols had a massive empire.

51. Red = Mongol Empire
By 1294 the empire had split into:
Yellow = Golden Horde
Dark Green = Chagatai Khanate
Light Green = Ilkhanate
Purple = Yuan Dynasty (Great Khanate)

52. •The Mongols conquer Kiev in 1240 under Genghis’s
grandson Batu Khan.
•The Rus put up a fierce fight, but eventually fall to
the Great Khan. The city is decimated as an
example to others.
•Kiev was already weakened due to the fracturing
following Yaroslav and because of the Crusaders
sacking of Constantinople in 1204.
•With the Byzantines in decline, Kiev got less
trade income from them.
•It’s the one and only time in history in which Russia is
successfully invaded and conquered.

53. •Kiev and the surrounding region become part of the
Mongolian Empire. It falls under the administrative
district called the Khanate of the Golden Horde.
•The Mongols were actually relatively benign rulers.
•They were more concerned with money than with
culture. So as long as you recognized their
authority and didn’t rebel, and kept paying your
taxes, they would leave you alone.
•People could continue practicing their religions and
cultures and keep their laws.
•If you did try rebelling, the punishment was swift
and severe.

54. •Many Russian nobles, such as Nevsky, recognized that
it was better to work with and for the Mongols than
against them. So they put down revolts and collected
taxes.
•Better they crush the revolt than their Mongol
overlords do it instead and punish everyone.
•The Mongol occupation actually helps to unite the
region.
•Moscow at this time becomes more powerful and
influential.
•The prince of Moscow, Ivan III, marries the niece of
the last of the Byzantine emperors, in 1472. On this
basis, he calls himself Czar and Moscow the third
Rome.

55. •In 1480, they make the final break with the Mongols
when they standoff at the Battle of Ugra River and
nobody fights.
•Resulted after Ivan stops paying tribute to the
Mongols.