Origins of Russia
The ancestors of Russians were early Slavs that settled the region at around 500 CE. From the 7th Century on, Slavs became the majority of the population of the region around what is today the Ukraine. At around the same time, Vikings began to expand their rule in the same region. Vikings were repelled by the Slavs but later Slavs went to the Vikings asked the Vikings to rule them. Slavs assimilated into the Viking culture establishing Kievan Rus late in 882. As the Byzantine empire was declining, a new state was on the rise in the East in the form of Kiev Rus.
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Kievan Rus was a society was ruled by various princes. Kievan Rus rulers were looking for a way to consolidate rule and create a cohesive state that was filled with a culturally diverse population. They achieved this by converting to Orthodox Christianity. Thus Christianity would expand Eastwards during this period. Christianity not only united the Rus people but it connected Kiev Rus to a larger European Orthodox Christian society. Kiev Rus borrowed more than just Christianity from their Byzantine neighbors. They borrowed the Byzantine architectural style, the Cyrillic alphabet based on Greek, and the use of religious images called icons.
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Like other empires during this time, Kiev was dependent on agriculture. However, a large part of the economy consisted of the slave trade. Kiev princes would demand that local regions give them tribute in the form of peasants. They would then take those peasants to Constantinople to sell them as slaves in exchange for gold coins. When the Kiev Rus princes were not satisfied with the exchanges, they would send raiding parties to Constantinople.
If you want to learn more about the Crimean Slave Trade go here |
Kiev Rus lasted until 1237 When Crusader invasions led the a weakening of the Byzantines that in turn lead to weakening of Kieavan Rus. Additionally, Prince infighting also weakened the empire. More importantly, the Mongols invaded making the Rus principalities into vassal states that provided tribute. This region under Mongol rule would be called he Golden Horde. To learn more about the effects of Mongol Rule in Russia go here.