The Spread of Civilization in Eastern Europe

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The Spread of Civilization in Eastern Europe
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Moving North

• 864 orthodox missionaries Cyril and Methodius to
  territory that is now Czech and Slovak republics.
  The Roman Catholics were more powerful so they
  moved on the Balkans and southern Russia, where
  their ability to speak the Slavic language helped
  gain converts. They devised a written script for
  the language derived from Greek letters- Cyrillic
  
• Literature and literacy developed along with the
  spread of Christianity in the east. Also,
  missionaries willing to use local languages in
  services- opposite of Latin west

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East Central Borderlands

• Eastern missionaries did not monopolize
  borderlands of eastern Europe
• Region organized in a series of regional
  monarchies loosely governed amid a powerful,
  land-owning aristocracy
• Kingdoms of Poland, Bohemia, and Lithuania
  surpassed western kingdoms in territory size
• Large influx of Jews- esp. in Poland

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Emergence of Kievan Rus

• Russia not yet a full-fledged civilization
• Slavic people had moved from Asian homeland
  during the time of the Roman Empire and mixed
  with earlier inhabitants and invaders, like the
  Bulgarians, who had adopted the Slavic language.
  Slavic political organization in family tribes
  and villages. Animist religion
• 6th and 7th centuries traders from Scandinavia
  began to work throughout he Slavic lands as a
  middleman from Byzantium to Scandinavia (Dnieper
  river)
• Scandinavian traders set up some governments
  along their trade route- one in Kiev. Rurik, a
  native of Denmark, became the first prince of
  Kievan Rus about 855 CE and flourished until 12th
  century. Scandinavians coined the term Russia

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Vladimir I (ruled from 980-1015)

• Converted people to orthodox Christianity (was
  awed at splendor of Constantinople)
• Organized mass baptisms and forced conversion
• Russian Orthodox church developed
• As it became Christian it was the largest single
  state in Europe- although highly decentralized

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Institutions and Culture in Kievan Rus

• Borrowed much from Byzantium (ie. Central ruler
  should have wide powers)
• Fervent devotion to the power of God and many
  Eastern saints
• Russian literature using Cyrillic
• Peasants were fairly free farmers, although an
  aristocratic landlord class existed . Boyars-
  Russian aristocrats- had less political power
  than counterparts in western Europe
• Yaroslav the Wise (1019-1054)- greatest ruler of
  the period used marriages to create ties with
  other European countries but still had main focus
  of Byzantium

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Kievan Decline

• Began to fade in 12th century
• Rival princes set up regional governments, royal
  family argued over succession, and decline of
  Byzantium reduced Russias trade and wealth
• 1237-1238 and 1240-1241- invasions by Mongols of
  Asia- called Tatars in Russian
• 2 centuries Russia under Tatar control. Some
  social harmony during the time made it possible
  for Russian culture to reemerge when Tatars were
  forced out in the 15th century
• New Rome idea of the Russians- sense of Eastern
  Christian mission

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The End of an Era in Eastern Europe

• With Byzantium and Russia under siege east
  European civilization fell on hard times
• Separate trajectories of east and west Europe