For thousands of years, the lands known todayas Russia and Ukraine were inhabited by nomadic tribes and strange Bronze Age cultures. The only record they left were their mausoleums. In the great open grasslands of the south, the steppe, they lay their chieftains beneath gigantic dunes called kurgans. The Ancient Greek historian Herodotus calledthese beings’ Scythians ‘. Their acres were overrun by the same nomadicwarriors who brought down the Roman Empire. The region was then settled by Slavs. They shared some language and cultural activities, butwere divided into many different tribes. Vikings from Scandinavia, known in the eastas Varangians, rowed up Russia’s long creeks on daring attacks and trading expeditions. According to legend, the East Slavs askeda Varangian chief mentioned Rurik to be their sovereign and unite the tribes. He recognized and made his uppercase at Novgorod. His dynasty, the Rurikids, would regulate Russiafor 700 years.His parties called themselves the Rus, andgave their reputation to the land. Rurik’s heir, Oleg, captivated Kiev, makingit the capital of a new country, Kievan Rus. A century last-minute, trying closer ties withthe Byzantine Empire to the south, Vladimir the Great adopted their religion, and convertedto Orthodox Christianity. He is still idolized today as the man whobrought Christianity to Ukraine and Russia. Yaroslav the Wise codified laws and conquerednew countries. His reign observed the golden age of KievanRus. It was amongst the most sophisticated andpowerful set out in Europe.But after Yaroslav’s death his sons foughtamongst themselves. Kievan Rus disintegrated into a patchworkof duelling princedoms … just as a deadly new threat emerged from theeast. The Mongols under Genghis Khan had overrunmuch of Asia. Now they propelled a great raid across theCaucasus Mountains, and overcame the Kievan lords at the Battle of the Kalka River, but then withdrew. 14 years later, the Mongols returned. A big horde led by Batu Khan overran theland. Cities that fought were burnt, their peopleslaughtered. The municipality of Novgorod was saved because itsubmitted to the Mongols. Its sovereign, Alexander Nevsky, then saved thecity again, overcoming the Teutonic Knights at the Battle of the Ice, engaged above a frozenlake.He remains one of Russia’s most revered protagonists. The Mongols ruled the country as lords. Their brand-new dominion was called the Golden Horde, is governed by a Khan from his new capital at Sarai. The Rus lords were his vassals. They were forced to pay tribute or sufferdevastating reprisal attacks. They called their oppressors’ Tatars’ – theylived under’ the Tatar yoke ‘. Alexander Nevsky’s son, Daniel, founded theGrand Principality of Moscow, which promptly developed in influence. Under the great Uzbeg Khan, the Tatars convertedto Islam. A rising power, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, overcame the Tatars at the Battle of Blue Waters, and subjugated Kiev. 18 years later, Dmitri Donskoi, Grand Princeof Moscow, also defeated the Tartars…At the great Battle of Kulikovo Field. After years of infighting, the Golden Hordenow began to disintegrate into rival khanates. Constantinople, fund and last outpost ofthe once-great Byzantine Empire, fell to the Turkish Ottoman Empire. Some hailed Moscow as the’ Third Rome ‘, theseat of Orthodox Christian faith , now Rome and Constantinople had come. Meanwhile, the Grand Princes of Moscow continuedto expand their power, annexing Novgorod, and forging the first Russian state. At the Ugra River, Ivan III of Moscow faceddown the Tatar army and forced it to withdraw. Russia had finally cast off the’ Tatar yoke ‘. Under Grand Prince Vasili III, Moscow continuedto grow in immensity and superpower. His son, Ivan IV, was crowned the first Tsarof Russia. He would be remembered as Ivan the Terrible. Ivan subjugated Tatar lands in Kazan and Astrakahan, but was overcome in the Livonian War by Sweden and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.Ivan’s modernising reforms gave channel to a reignof fear and mass implementations, fuelled by his violent paranoia. Russia was still prone. Invaders from the Crimean Khanate were ableto burn Moscow itself. But the next year Russian pushes routed theTatars at Molodi, just south of the city. Cossacks now lived on the open steppe, a lawlessregion between three warring countries. They were skilled horsemen who lived freely, and was usually recruited by Russia and Poland to fight as adventurers. Ivan the Terrible’s own son, the Tsarevich, fell victim to one of his father’s brutal feelings – coerced to demise with the royalsceptre.The Cossack adventurer Yermak Timofeyevichled the Russian defeat of Siberia, demolishing Tatars and suppressing indigenous tribes. In the north, Archangelsk was founded, forthe time being Russia’s only sea-port linking it to western Europe, though it was iceboundin winter. Ivan the Terrible was supplanted by his sonFeodor I, who died childless. It was the end of the Rurikid dynasty.Ivan’s advisor Boris Godunov became Tsar. But after his sudden death, his widow andteenage lad were brutally assassinated, and the throne impounded by an phony claiming to beIvan the Terrible’s son. He extremely was soon murdered. Russia slipped into anarchy, the so-called’ Timeof Troubles ‘. Rebels and foreign legions laid garbage to theland, and the population was decimated by famine and haras. Polish corps occupied Moscow; Swedish troopsseized Novgorod. The Russian state seemed on the verge of extinction. If you liked this video, why not see EpicHistory TV’s Patreon page to find out how you can help us to reach more great historyvideos.
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