Kievan Rus Studies



		*Kievan Rus' Studies of Sfandra Dmitrieva*

	The period of Russian History known as Kievan Rus' occurred between roughly 800AD and 1300AD. The ruling princes of Rus, which on today's map mainly encompasses the Ukraine and other western formerly Soviet republics, were known as the Rurikid Dynasty for the legendary first Grand Prince RURIK, a viking warlord who was supposedly 'invited' by the local Slavic tribes to rule. Yeah, right, whatever. At any rate, Rurik was followed up by IGOR (who's wife, Princess Olga, is going to get her own page here -- believe me, she's worth it! ) who was followed by SVYATOSLAV, who begat VLADIMIR of great renown. It was during Vladimir's reign that the nation really hit its stride. He managed to expand the nation, subjugate a lot of neighbors, get the national treasury really jumping, convert the whole of Russia to Eastern Orthodox Christianity, and father Russia's first 2 saints (he eventually got sainted himself). And that's all in a 37 year reign, which is pretty good for the first millenium, wouldn't you say? Vladimir became Grand Prince of the Rus in June of 978AD and died a ruler in July of 1015AD. The Kievan period continued for another 200 years, until the Mongol hordes sacked the nation. Once Kiev was destroyed, the Rus transferred their capital to Moscow, bowed to the Mongols, played puppet-princes for a while, and eventually developed the Musovite Russia that we all know. The Rurikid princes were replaced by their cousins, the Romanovs, and well, we all know how THAT played out. Pre-Mongol Rus was a national mixture of Slavic, Viking, and Byzantine influences. Post Mongol Russia was a nation that started out very Eastern and eventually got dragged (kicking and screaming) into the sphere of Western European influence. So, what are we going to get into on this website? Well, we're going to look at the HISTORY of Kievan Rus. We're going to look at the GEOGRAPHY, and what role it played. We're going to take a good look at VLADIMIR, his father SVYATOSLAV, his grandfather IGOR, and especially his grandmother, OLGA. We'll look at BYZANTIUM's influence on the nation. We'll look at the CULTURE: the arts, the agriculture, the superstitions and religion. We'll look at the daily clothing, and the icons of God. We'll take a good look at slavery in Rus, economics, war, and trade. We'll get to know Kievan Rus'.

			*Topics of Study*

1) History Slavic Natives - "Gardariki" The Land of Towns Viking Traders - Hi, just passing through! The Varangians - Swords for Sale Rurik - Man of Myth and Legend Igor and Olga - Love and Vengeance Svyatoslav - The Man Who Couldn't Lose Vladimir - The Red Sun 2) Geography Rus' - The land of rivers Field and Forest - The land and it's cultivation Climate, or When to schedule a war in Russia 3) Byzantium The Basils - Good work if you can get it. The Glory of the Empire - What's left of it.
				4) Culture Clothing in Kievan Rus' - This year's hems aren't long! The Arts - Expressions of Daily Life The Icons - And there's a difference Economics and Slavery - Russian Style Religion and Superstition - Door to the right, one cross only The Language - It NOT all Greek to me! 5) Legacies After Vladimir - Why Big Families Can Be Hell Vladimir Monomach - Lawmaker The Mongol Hordes, or Why Good Fences Make Good Neighbors

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