Lecture 1. Theme: Ukraine from the earliest times till the middle of the 17th century.

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Lecture 1. Theme Ukraine from the earliest times
till the middle of the 17th century.

• Plan
• Early history
• Kyivan Rus
• Period of Lithuanian and Polish rule

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Map of Ukraine
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Early History

1. Human settlement in the territory of Ukraine
   dates back to at least 4500 BC
2. There were numerous tribes in Ukraine, some
   nomadic, some agricultural most of the time at
   war with each other
3. The oldest known main inhabitants of Ukraine were
   Cimmerians
4. Cimmerians were replaced in 5th century BC by
   Scythians, who ruled till 2nd century BC
5. About 370 AD, the first Asian horde of Huns
   expelled Goths from Ukraine
6. According to legends, Kyiv was founded in the 5th
   century by three brothers Kiy, Shchek and Khoriv
   and their sister Lebid

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Kyivan Rus

• In the 9th century, Kiev was conquered by the
  Varangian noble Oleh who was the ruler of the Rus
  from 882 to 912
• Oleh moved the capital of Rus from Novgorod to
  Kiev and laid the foundation for the powerful
  state of Kievan Rus
• Prince Ihor followed Oleh (912-945)
• After Ihor's death, his wife Olha ruled Kievan
  Rus as regent (945-c. 963) for their son,
  Svyatoslav
• Olha changed the system of tribute gathering what
  may be regarded as the first legal reform
  recorded in Eastern Europe
• Olha was the first Rus ruler to convert to
  Christianity

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Golden Age of Kyiv

• Volodymyr the Great (980-1015) adopted
  Christianity in 988
• Volodymyr fortified Kyiv against Pechenegs
• Yaroslav the Wise became one of the most powerful
  rulers in Europe
• A church hierarchy was established, headed by the
  metropolitan of Kyiv
• Yaroslav promoted family ties with other
  kingdoms, built many churches, improved Kyiv's
  fortifications, introduced laws and established
  courts
• To celebrate his victory over the Pechenegs he
  sponsored the construction of the Saint Sophia
  Cathedral in 1037
• Yaroslav was a notable patron of book culture and
  learning

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Galicia-Volhynia

• Yaroslav divided the country between his sons,
  who after his death in 1054, started to fight
  among themselves.This resulted in a number of
  small principalities which fought each other.
• Western parts of Ukraine - Halych (Galicia) and
  Volynj (Volhynia) - gradually emerged as leading
  principalities
• Prince Danylo founded city Lviv in 1250 as a
  defense site against Tatars
• In 1253 he accepted the royal crown from the pope
  
• In 1349, Polish king Kazimyezh managed to occupy
  Halych and part of Volynj.
• In 1360 the Prince of Kyiv was overthrown.
  Ukraine was partitioned between Poland and
  Lithuania

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PERIOD OF LITHUANIAN AND POLISH RULE (1360-1599).

• In 1413 a decision was made to allow only
  Catholics to occupy important government
  positions. Wide-spread discrimination against the
  Orthodox population followed.
• To defend themselves from the Tatars, people
  constructed forts called "Sitch
• In 1569, with the Union of Lublin, the
  Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was made. Most of
  Ukraine became part of Poland
• Peasants lost their land ownership and civil
  rights and gradually became serfs, exploited as
  manpower in agriculture and forestry
• There was a modest revival of Ukrainian culture
  later in 16th century. Church schools and
  seminaries were set up

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PERIOD OF LITHUANIAN AND POLISH RULE (1360-1599).

• Such a situation was the main cause, which
  multiplied the influx of people to Cossack
  territory, increasing the Cossacks strength.
• Over three centuries of Lithuanian and Polish
  rule, Ukraine by the middle of the 17th century
  had undergone substantial social evolution
• Since the 13th century many Poles, Armenians,
  Germans, and Jews had settled in the cities and
  towns, where the Ukrainians were often reduced to
  a minority
• The Union of Brest-Litovsk caused a deep split in
  the Ruthenian church and society

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References

• 1. Subtelny, Orest. Ukraine A History. Toronto
  University of Toronto Press (1988).
• 2. Andrew Wilson. The Ukrainians Unexpected
  Nation. Yale University Press 2nd edition
  (2002).
• 3. Anna Reid. Borderland A Journey Through the
  History of Ukraine. London, Orion Books 4th
  impression (1998, preface 2003).
• 4. Paul Robert Magocsi. A History of Ukraine.
  Toronto University of Toronto Press (1996).
• 5. Mykhailo Hrushevsky. History of Ukraine-Rus
  in 9 volumes.