The Spread of Christianity and Rise of Eastern Europe

Chapter 9 (4 of 4)

Through Missionaries, the Byzantines Spread Christianity to the Balkans and Russia (Eastern Europe)

Cyril and MethodiusMissionaries

sent by Byzantines to convert people of eastern Europe

Byzantine missionaries

allowed local

languages to be used in

church (unlike

Catholics)

So, as Christianity spread, so did literacy

and literature

Created a written

language for the Slavs derived

from Greek (called Cyrillic)

Competing Catholic missionaries already sent to

convert eastern EuropeCatholic successful at

converting the western half of eastern Europe

Bohemia(now Czech Republic)

Hungary

Poland

Below are 3 major areas Catholics converted in the

western half of eastern Europe

Jews Settle in Eastern Europe as Minority Group

Jews being discriminated

against harshly in western

Europe and Middle East

Jews stressed education to their boys (as other societies weren’t) which

would prove valuable

Many settle in eastern Europe

(especially Poland)

though still discriminated

(ex: barred from

agriculture)

Russia is Born!

The Russian People

Slavs from eastern Europe move into area that is now Russia and mix with the people already there to start the foundation of Russian society

Religiously, the Slavs were animists and had different gods for sun, thunder, wind, and fire

Russia Starts in KievByzantines traded a lot with Scandinavia and traveled through what is now Russia

to trade

Kiev = trade city in south Russian

(formed by Scandinavians/

Vikings) that grew b/c it was along

trade route

Kievan Rus’

• Formed in 855 by the Prince Rurik

• Kingdom based out of Kiev

• Kievan Rus’ formed the basis for later Russia

Kievan Rus’• Kievan Rus’ trade

with Byzantine continues to increase

• Many Russians visited Constantinople

• As a result, many Slavs (the ethnic group of Kiev) learned about Christianity

Many fell in love with splendor of Orthodox

Church

Vladimir I didn’t like Islam (not allowed alcohol)

Vladimir I didn’t like Catholicism (Pope too

much influence)

Forced people to convert that were unwilling

Converted Kiev to Christianity

Ruled Kiev from 980 - 1015

Russian Orthodox – New form of Christianity (similar

to Orthodox religion of Byzantines

Like in Byzantine Empire, king was in control of

church

Byzantine Church leaders brought into Kiev to train

Russian priests

Rurik

Kievan Rus’ originally just city of Kiev, but when Kiev

expanded becomes Kievan Rus’

Kievan Rus’ started by Rurik, but expands greatly

under his successors

Kievan Rus’ had formal code of law like the

Byzantines

Yaroslav the Wise

• Last great Kievan prince

• Made legal code

• Built many Churches

• Had religious text translated from Greek to Slavic

Culture in Kievan Rus’

Similar to Byzantine culture• Large religious ceremonies• Idea that ruler had great power• Churches fancily decorated (ornate)• Used icons and incense• Polygamy replaced by monogamy

Russian (Kievan) Literature

Used Cyrillic alphabet, and often wrote about

religious and royal events

Through literature we know they saw disasters

as punishment from God, and success as a

reward

The Boyars

Boyars = Russian aristocrats

Less political power than aristocrats in

western Europe

The End of Kiev

Kiev declines in the 1100s for several reasons• Royal families fight over succession• Asian invaders begin taking territory• Lost trade with Byzantines b/c that empire fading• Rival princes broke away and formed own kingdoms

TATAR KIEV!Tatar = Russian

term for Mongol invaders

Mongols invaded and

capture Russia (Kievan Rus’) by

1241

This ended the first chapter in Russian history

as Mongols ruled for next

200 years

Tatars allowed Christianity to

survive,

When Tatars lost Russia in

1400s, enough Russian culture

survived and Russia

reemerged

Under Mongol (Tatar) rule,

Russia further separated from western Europe

From Rome to Byzantium to Russia

As the Byzantine Empire fell in 1453, Russia was reemerging from Mongol rule, and took

the mantle from the Byzantines as the leaders of eastern Europe, but by then western Europe had surpassed the east