The Byzantine Influences on Russia

1.) Who are the Slavs and what present-day countries do the Slavs live in? “The Byzantines greatly influenced the people of Eastern Europe. The people of Eastern Europe are called Slavs. The Slavs moved from central Asia into the present-day countries of Russia, Ukraine, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Croatia, and Poland. The largest group of Slavs was the Russians. 2.) In what continent and specifically what part of that continent do the Slavs live? “The Byzantines greatly influenced the people of Eastern Europe. The people of Eastern Europe are called Slavs. The Slavs moved from central Asia into the present-day countries of Russia, Ukraine, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Croatia, and Poland. The largest group of Slavs was the Russians. 3.) Who were Cyril and Methodius? What did they do.? The Slavs admired Byzantine civilization. Around 900 C.E., two Byzantine monks began to preach to the Slavs. The monks, Cyril and Methodius, converted many Slavs to Christianity. The Slavs had no written language. The monks invented an alphabet for their spoken language. This alphabet is called the Cyrillic alphabet. Byzantine Christianity helped bring the people of Eastern Europe together. The Slavs accepted the Eastern Orthodox Church, the religion of the Byzantines. However, most of the rest of Europe belonged to the Roman Catholic Church. This difference isolated the Slavs from the rest of Europe. 4.) Why is the Cyrillic alphabet significant? The Slavs admired Byzantine civilization. Around 900 C.E., two Byzantine monks began to preach to the Slavs. The monks, Cyril and Methodius, converted many Slavs to Christianity. The Slavs had no written language. The monks invented an alphabet for their spoken language. This alphabet is called the Cyrillic alphabet. Byzantine Christianity helped bring the people of Eastern Europe together. The Slavs accepted the Eastern Orthodox Church, the religion of the Byzantines. However, most of the rest of Europe belonged to the Roman Catholic Church. This difference isolated the Slavs from the rest of Europe. 5.) Why did the conversion to Eastern Orthodoxy separate the Slavs from the rest of Europe? The Slavs admired Byzantine civilization. Around 900 C.E., two Byzantine monks began to preach to the Slavs. The monks, Cyril and Methodius, converted many Slavs to Christianity. The Slavs had no written language. The monks invented an alphabet for their spoken language. This alphabet is called the Cyrillic alphabet. Byzantine Christianity helped bring the people of Eastern Europe together. The Slavs accepted the Eastern Orthodox Church, the religion of the Byzantines. However, most of the rest of Europe belonged to the Roman Catholic Church. This difference isolated the Slavs from the rest of Europe. 6.) Define cultural diffusion? The Byzantines traded greatly with Russia. Trade encouraged cultural diffusion. The Russians built their churches to look like Byzantine churches. In addition, the absolute power held by Byzantine emperors became a model for future Russian rulers. The roots of Eastern European culture can be traced to the contributions of the Byzantines.” ~ World History 7.) Why does trade encourage cultural diffusion? The Byzantines traded greatly with Russia. Trade encouraged cultural diffusion. The Russians built their churches to look like Byzantine churches. In addition, the absolute power held by Byzantine emperors became a model for future Russian rulers. The roots of Eastern European culture can be traced to the contributions of the Byzantines.” ~ World History 8.) Who was Theodora and why was her rise to power remarkable “The most powerful woman in Byzantine history rose from deep poverty. Early in life, Theodora was an actress. Eventually, she met Justinian, and in 525 married. As empress, Theodora met with foreign envoys, passed laws, and built churches. During one political crisis, Theodora even confiscated the property of the general Belisarius. After she died in 548, Justinian was so depressed that he no major laws for the rest of his reign.” ~ World History 9.) Why was she a significant person in Byzantine history? “The most powerful woman in Byzantine history rose from deep poverty. Early in life, Theodora was an actress. Eventually, she met Justinian, and in 525 married. As empress, Theodora met with foreign envoys, passed laws, and built churches. During one political crisis, Theodora even confiscated the property of the general Belisarius. After she died in 548, Justinian was so depressed that he no major laws for the rest of his reign.” ~ World History -10.) Who was Rurik and what was the capital of the early Russian state? “Historians give 862 C.E. as the date Russia was founded. In that year, Prince Rurik became ruler. His capital was Kiev. It was located on the Dnieper River – one of the main north-south water trade routes. Whoever controlled Kiev controlled Russia’s trade with Constantinople. Centrally located, Kiev became a prosperous trading center, and from there many Russians visited Constantinople. These exchanges led to growing knowledge of Christianity. 11.) How did the capital’s location on the Dnieper River affect its development? “Historians give 862 C.E. as the date Russia was founded. In that year, Prince Rurik became ruler. His capital was Kiev. It was located on the Dnieper River – one of the main north-south water trade routes. Whoever controlled Kiev controlled Russia’s trade with Constantinople. Centrally located, Kiev became a prosperous trading center, and from there many Russians visited Constantinople. These exchanges led to growing knowledge of Christianity. 12.) Why did the location of the capital lead to cultural diffusion? “Historians give 862 C.E. as the date Russia was founded. In that year, Prince Rurik became ruler. His capital was Kiev. It was located on the Dnieper River – one of the main north-south water trade routes. Whoever controlled Kiev controlled Russia’s trade with Constantinople. Centrally located, Kiev became a prosperous trading center, and from there many Russians visited Constantinople. These exchanges led to growing knowledge of Christianity. 13.) Who was Vladimir and how did he change Russian history? King Vladimir I, a Rurik descendant who ruled from 980 to 1015, finally took the step of converting to Christianity not only in his own name but in that of all his people. He was eager to avoid the papal influence that came with Roman Catholicism, which he knew about through the experiences of the Polish kingdom; Orthodox Christianity gave a valid alternative that still provided a replacement for animism. Islam was rejected, according to one account, because Vladimir could not accept a religion that forbade alcoholic drink. Russian awe at the splendor of religious services in Constantinople also played a role. Having made his decision, Vladimir proceeded to organize mass baptisms for his subjects, forcing conversions by military pressure. Early church leaders were imported from Byzantium, and they helped train a literate Russian priesthood. As in Byzantium, the king characteristically controlled major appointments, and a separate Russian church institution soon developed.” ~ World History 14.) Why did Vladimir reject Roman Catholicism? King Vladimir I, a Rurik descendant who ruled from 980 to 1015, finally took the step of converting to Christianity not only in his own name but in that of all his people. He was eager to avoid the papal influence that came with Roman Catholicism, which he knew about through the experiences of the Polish kingdom; Orthodox Christianity gave a valid alternative that still provided a replacement for animism. Islam was rejected, according to one account, because Vladimir could not accept a religion that forbade alcoholic drink. Russian awe at the splendor of religious services in Constantinople also played a role. Having made his decision, Vladimir proceeded to organize mass baptisms for his subjects, forcing conversions by military pressure. Early church leaders were imported from Byzantium, and they helped train a literate Russian priesthood. As in Byzantium, the king characteristically controlled major appointments, and a separate Russian church institution soon developed.” ~ World History 15.) Why did Vladimir reject Islam? King Vladimir I, a Rurik descendant who ruled from 980 to 1015, finally took the step of converting to Christianity not only in his own name but in that of all his people. He was eager to avoid the papal influence that came with Roman Catholicism, which he knew about through the experiences of the Polish kingdom; Orthodox Christianity gave a valid alternative that still provided a replacement for animism. Islam was rejected, according to one account, because Vladimir could not accept a religion that forbade alcoholic drink. Russian awe at the splendor of religious services in Constantinople also played a role. Having made his decision, Vladimir proceeded to organize mass baptisms for his subjects, forcing conversions by military pressure. Early church leaders were imported from Byzantium, and they helped train a literate Russian priesthood. As in Byzantium, the king characteristically controlled major appointments, and a separate Russian church institution soon developed.” ~ World History 16.) Why did Vladimir accept Orthodox Christianity? How did Vladimir get his subjects to convert to Orthodox Christianity? King Vladimir I, a Rurik descendant who ruled from 980 to 1015, finally took the step of converting to Christianity not only in his own name but in that of all his people. He was eager to avoid the papal influence that came with Roman Catholicism, which he knew about through the experiences of the Polish kingdom; Orthodox Christianity gave a valid alternative that still provided a replacement for animism. Islam was rejected, according to one account, because Vladimir could not accept a religion that forbade alcoholic drink. Russian awe at the splendor of religious services in Constantinople also played a role. Having made his decision, Vladimir proceeded to organize mass baptisms for his subjects, forcing conversions by military pressure. Early church leaders were imported from Byzantium, and they helped train a literate Russian priesthood. As in Byzantium, the king characteristically controlled major appointments, and a separate Russian church institution soon developed.” ~ World History Which monarchy constructed the largest contiguous land empire in history, second in size only to the Mongol Empire? British Mughal Russian French Qing In which neighboring region(s) did the Russian Empire gain the most land during the Romanov dynasty? Poland Baltic States Black Sea region Siberia and Central Asia Scandinavia The shift of the Russian Imperial capital to which city indicated a shift in orientation toward the West under the rule of Peter the Great? Moscow Kiev Vladivostok St. Petersburg Belgrade Which end result of industrial development was most important to Peter the Great? Russian capacity to produce modern weapons Growth of a vibrant merchant class A raised cultural level of the resultant urban masses