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 PeopleSlavs 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