HISTORY OF IMPERIAL RUSSIA

WEEK - 1
Forest, River, & Steppe: Geographical and Historical Background

TO WEEK: [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14]

TO: RECOMMENDED LINKS

TO: MAPS

( an * indicates a recommended site)

Readings

Finish reading in Billington.

Web Links

Geography

• Russia on the Map
  *Globe. Electronic Studio Project at Rice University.
  *Russia. On a "zoomable" map from National Geographic Society's Map Machine.
  Trade Routes in Medieval Russia. From the site "Karty" by Oleg Lantsov.
  Kievan Rus' in the 11th century. Another map from the site "Karty" by Oleg Lantsov.
  Southern Rus' circa 1250. Another map from the site "Karty" by Oleg Lantsov.
  Major Terrain Features. Electronic Studio Project at Rice University.
  Russia and the Former Soviet Republics Maps. Index. From the Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection at The University of Texas at Austin.

• Geography
  The Geography of Russia. Text from Professor Gerhard Rempel, Western New England College.
  Russia Geography. Copyright © 1999 Photius Coutsoukis (all rights reserved).
  Geography - Russia (including climate). From Interactive World Fact Book.

• Russian America (Russia's Early Presence on West Coast America)

Religious Life

• Russian orthodoxy
  Conversion of the Russians. Lecture by Professor Gerhard Rempel, Western New England College.
  Russian Orthodox Church: Early History and Art. Text (in part) by Arthur Voyce.
  *The Christianization of Russia. From the Durham University's Russian Department's home page. Story taken from The Primary Chronicle.
  *The Russian Orthodox Church to 1453. From the Durham University site. An overview = dates, events, etc.
  *The Russian Church: An Overview. (Another page from the "Treasures of the Czars" site.)
  *Russian Orthodox Church: Features and Practices. (Page from the "Treasures of the Czars" site.)
  *Ways of Russian Theology. Chapter One: "The Crisis of Russian Byzantinism." Book by Georges Florovsky. Continues with "The Crisis of Russian Byzantinism." Chapter Three: "The Contradictions of the Seventeenth Century." Chapter Four: "The St. Petersburg Revolution." Chapter Five: "Struggle for Theology." From the site: Myriobiblos.
  

• Icons
  *Vladimir Icon: Mother of God (12th cent.icon). Posted on the Russian Icon page by George Mitrevski. Compare this to the 20th century painting The Year 1918 in Petrograd, painting by Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin. Copyright © 1999. George Mitrevski. Auburn University.
  *The Trinity. Andrei Rublev's most famous icon.
  *Icons. Pictures and text © Alexander Boguslawski.
  Icons of Old Russia:13th-17th centuries. A page from the Hermitage Museum site (with a full description and picture of 4 different icons).
  *What is an Icon?. Answer to this question from St. Petersburg Times "Treasures of the Czars" site.
  *Ikons: Windows into Heaven. Description of the history, the craft of icons, along with some contemporary models. Site from Bob Atchison.
  Color Icons. Brought together on the Orthodox Home page.
  *Russian Icons: Index. 81 icons on this page to link to. (From George Mitrevski.)
  

• Church bells
  Vologda Bells. Sound clip from "Face of Russia" from WETA-TV. [You need RealAudio to hear this clip]
  Bell Ringing. Links to information on Orthodox bells and bell ringing.

• Russian Monasteries
  The Monastery of the Holy Trinity in Sergiev Posad. Links to text, photos and a map from RusPhoto.
  Sergiyev Posad. Some photos from Steven Grimm.
  St. Sergius of Radonezh Image Gallery. From Maitreya Sangha.
  A Virtual Tour of the Monastery on Solovki. From Sibelan Forrester.
  

Cultural Life

• Russian Medieval Sources
  *A Bibliography of Slavic and Eastern European Medievalist Sources. A list of published resources recommended by members of the Slavic Interest Group for the study of Medieval history and culture in the Slavic world. Edited by Paul Wickenden of Thanet.
  The Literature of Old Rus. (gjahn@maroon.tc.umn.edu.) A course page on the history of Russian literature from a professor at the University of Minnesota.

• Chronicles (Excerpts from Primary Sources)
  The Novgorod Chronicle: Selected Annals. And English translation from the Novgorod Chronicle. A.D. 1016-1445. (From the Medieval Sourcebook.)
  The Chronicle of Nestor. An English translation from the Primary Chronicle. (From the Medieval Sourcebook.) This selection on the founding of Kiev.
  Tartar. An English translation from the Primary Chronicle. (From the Medieval Sourcebook.) This selection describing the tartars.
  The Igor Tale. Translation © 1992 J. A. V. Haney and Eric Dahlby. The introduction and commentary on this famous selection from the Chronicles are also interesting.
  *Russkaia Pravda. Russian Code of Laws. A short version from Dunham University's Russian Department's web site. Source: The Primary Chronicle.

History of Russia

• General Articles / Books
  Brief History of Russia. Part One. From "Visiting Russia."
  

Early (Pre-Moscow) History

• Historical Time-Line
  Timeline. From "Face of Russia." WETA-TV. With RealPlayer you can also get audio clips of some of the highlights along the timeline. Lots of additional information if you click on the highlighted topics.

• Scythians
  The Scythians - High Plains Drifters. A nice article on this nomadic tribe by Chris Bennet.

• Invaders - Vikings/Varangians, Goths, Huns, Pechenegs...
  A Part of Swedish History: The Viking Age. Gives some of the history of the Vikings in Russia. From Lulea University (Sweden) home page.
  *Vikings in Russia. Archeological treasures from Staria Ladoga and Novgorod. From Durham University.
  *The Varangians (Normans) and the Origins of the Russian and Ukrainian States. From Durham University's Russian Department's home page. Source: The Primary Chronicle.

• Rurik dynasty
  *Prince Oleg's Campaign Against Constantinople. From Durham University's Russian Department's home page. The story taken from The Primary Chronicle.
  Yaroslavl the Wise. A brief note on Yaroslav (from the Yaroslavl' home page) [Slow to load!]
  *The Novgorod Chronicle: Selected Annals. From the Medieval Sourcebook. Various entries from the 11th-15th centuries. [Skim through a few of these to familiarize yourself with the content found in the Chronicle.]
  *House of Rurik. Family tree (from Bucknell University site).
  *The Early Settlements. A page from (old) Russia Net.
  Cap of Monomach. See the coronation crown of the Tsars. (From St. Petersburg, Florida exhibit).

• Kievan Rus
  Birth of the Russian State. Lecture by Professor Gerhard Rempel, Western New England College.
  *The Founding of the City of Kiev. A brief explanation from the Durham University's Russian Department's home page. The story taken from the Primary Chronicle.
  *Kieven Rus. From The History of the Russian Navy. A good introduction to the importance of the waterways in early Russian history.
  *Chronology of Russian History: The Kievan and Appanage Periods. Chronology plus links to web sites on this period--from Bucknell University page.

• Mongols/Tatars
  *The Mongols and the Emergence of Moscow. Clickable Timeline. Official Site of the Russian National Tourist Office.
  Nomads or Barbarians? By Catriona Macherson. An interesting and detailed article which discusses this topic and relates it to the Mongols and other nomadic tribes.
  *The Mongols. Another interesting article by Catriona Macherson which treats the Mongols more as people who brought skills and spread knowledge from East to West.
  Welcome to the Realm of the Mongols! A well-maintained site (set up by Per Inge Oestmoen) with full information on the Mongols-- details not only about their history, but about their strength and spiritual qualities.
  The Empire of the Golden Horde. Entry from The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright © 2000 Columbia University Press. Includes links to related entry topics.
  The Tartar Yoke. Lecture by Professor Gerhard Rempel at Western New England College.

• Ghengis Khan
  *Mongolia: The Legacy of Chinggis Khan. An art exhibit tour of Mongolian artifacts currently held at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. Also has a nice Introduction.
  

• Novgorod
  *Novgorod and Moscovy Rus. From The History of the Russian Navy.
  City History. A city site for finding out about Novgorod's past glory and today's Novgorod. Sections include: Novgorod Archaeology, Novgorod Architecture, Icon Painting, His Majesty Lord Novgorod the Great; Icon Gallery, Novgorod Between Two Centuries. [Nice pictures!]
  Democracy and Autocracy in Russian History. Lecture by Professor Gerhard Rempel at Western New England College.
  

• Alexander Nevsky
  Alexander Nevsky. A Bust of Nevsky plus a few words about him from the Yaroslavl' home page.

• Principalities - Vladimir, Suzdal, Rostov, Yaroslavl...
  *Golden Ring of Russia. Sections include: Media Gallery, Traveling in Time, Traveling Round Towns, Dictionary of Names and Terms. © «Cyril & Methodius», 1998–2000. [Colorful site!]
  The Golden Gate of Vladimir. One of the most ancient monuments in the area.
  Church of the Intercession on the Nerl. One of my favorite old churches (near Vladimir). [Check out both views!]
  The Cathedral of St. Demetrius. One of the beautiful cathedrals of Vladimir.
  Pereslavl-Zalessky. Home page of this town gives you the history of the town, some pictures and tells you about the historical monuments (monateries, cathedrals, churches, etc.).
  *Yaroslavl. A good introduction to this town. [Warning: This site is hard to navigate; you may have to BACK out and start over!]
  *Ancient Chronicle of Yaroslavl. A time line for this city.
  *Rostov. A view of the beautiful kremlin at this city plus links to its history, monasteries, museums, etc.

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  Early Moscow History

  • Founding and rise of Moscow
    *History of Moscow. A nice six-part introduction to the city from "russia.net", including the chapters:
    • Moscow Foundation
    • The City Grows
    • Kalita - Donskoi Period
    • The Third Rome
    • Middle Ages
    • Peter the Great
    *Early Days of Moscow. The Mongols. The Ivans (I,II,III) (From Seanet Cooporation.)
    *Novgorod and Moscovy Rus. Another page from The History of Russian Navy
    Moscow the Third Rome. Excerpts from the monk Filofei. (On the University of Durham site.)
    The Early Days of Moscow. A page from the (old) Russia Net.

  • The Kremlin
    *Kremlin Tour. From The Moscow Guide.
    Map of the Kremlin / Map of Red Square. With links to information on the sites on the maps. From "dimkin.df.ru".

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  Early Moscow Rulers

  • Ivan the Terrible
    Ivan the Terrible and his son Ivan on the 16th of November 1581. Painting by I.Repin (1885).
    Ivan the Terrible. Portrait by Victor Vasnetsov.
    Ivan the Terrible. Image from the movie posted by "Face of Russia" web site.
    Ivan the Terrible. A brief note on him and a picture.
    The Terrible Ivan. Lecture by Professor Gerhard Rempel, Western New England College.

  • Time of Troubles
    Poles on the Warpath. (On the Polish invasions of the 17th century.) Page from Professor Gerhard Rempel, Western New England College.
    *Under the Romanovs. From The History of the Russian Navy.
    The Czarist Empire. "Ivan the Terrible." "Time of Troubles." Another page from the (old) Russia Net.
    

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  Last update 1/15/04

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