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<v Speaker 1>Hello, and welcome to Western CIV. Episode three hundred and

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<v Speaker 1>twenty three Russian Review. It has been quite a long

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<v Speaker 1>time since we talked about the rus In fact, I'm

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<v Speaker 1>not even sure how long it has been, so in

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<v Speaker 1>order to give context to Ivan the Fourth slash Ivan

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<v Speaker 1>the Terrible, I want to do a quick recap of

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<v Speaker 1>Russian rous history up to this point. First, it's important

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<v Speaker 1>to remember from the outset that Eastern Europe and particularly Russia,

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<v Speaker 1>is ethnically distinct from West Europe. Russia today is Slavic.

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<v Speaker 1>The early Slavs lived in central and eastern Europe beginning

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<v Speaker 1>at some point between the fifth and tenth centuries. Scholars

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<v Speaker 1>believed that the Slavs originated in Eastern Europe and migrated west. Certainly,

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<v Speaker 1>proto Slavic cultures were present in western Poland and Belarus

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<v Speaker 1>by around fifteen hundred BCE. The Slavs were generally enemies

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<v Speaker 1>of the Romans, though the Romans didn't call them Slavs.

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<v Speaker 1>Beginning in the fifth century CE, the Slavs began to

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<v Speaker 1>increasingly put pressure on the borders of the then dying

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<v Speaker 1>Roman Empire. In the five fifties, the Slavs tried to

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<v Speaker 1>capture Thessalonica but failed. Note by this point the Western

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<v Speaker 1>Roman Empire had fallen, so we're really talking about the Byzantines.

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<v Speaker 1>The first source which actually records the Slavs by name

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<v Speaker 1>is not until the sixth century of the Common Era

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<v Speaker 1>the Byzantines acknowledged the Slavs. It was around this period

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<v Speaker 1>that the Slavs melded from the north with Viking traders

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<v Speaker 1>and ultimately founded Kiev, becoming known then in our Byzantine

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<v Speaker 1>sources as the Kievan rus Kiev was a large territory

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<v Speaker 1>then and extended a long distance into what is today Russia.

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<v Speaker 1>In five eighty five, the Slavs marched on Constantinople, but

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<v Speaker 1>failed to take the city. They were, however, able to

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<v Speaker 1>establish a permanent foothold in Greece. The Slavs also frequently

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<v Speaker 1>rated the Byzantine Empire's Danube border, becoming a sort of

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<v Speaker 1>persistent issue for the Byzantines from the sixth century onward.

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<v Speaker 1>Byzantine writers often divide the Slavs into two groups, but crucially,

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<v Speaker 1>they always indicate that they spoke the same language. Scholars

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<v Speaker 1>today believe that many of the previous step tribes that

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<v Speaker 1>lived along the Danube River. Groups like the Sarmatians and

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<v Speaker 1>the Scythians were incorporated into the Slavic tribes over decades

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<v Speaker 1>and over the course potentially of an entire century. Slavic

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<v Speaker 1>and Slava, of course, refers to an ethnic group. In essence.

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<v Speaker 1>Here what we mean is a group of people who

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<v Speaker 1>share a common cultural and particularly linguistic background. Writing scholars

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<v Speaker 1>believe did not come to the Slavic peoples until their

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<v Speaker 1>conversation to Christianity in the ninth and tenth centuries Common era.

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<v Speaker 1>Our major source for the early Ruse was referred to

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<v Speaker 1>as the Russian Primary Chronicle, written in one thirteen CE.

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<v Speaker 1>According to this, three Viking brothers decided to establish three

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<v Speaker 1>kingdoms in the region around Kiev. After the two older

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<v Speaker 1>brothers died, their lands felt the third and final Ruric,

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<v Speaker 1>who was the one who actually founded the city of Kiev.

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<v Speaker 1>When Rurik died, his lieutenant Oleg, ruled until his son

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<v Speaker 1>Egor came of age. It was actually Oleg the lieutenant,

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<v Speaker 1>who rapidly expanded the state so that it was much

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<v Speaker 1>more prosperous by the time Egor came of age. One

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<v Speaker 1>quick fun story about Oleg. He was told a prophecy

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<v Speaker 1>near the end of his life that his favorite horse

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<v Speaker 1>would kill him naturally. He sent the horse away, and

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<v Speaker 1>it later died of perfectly natural causes. Oleg then decided

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<v Speaker 1>to go see the corpse of the horse himself to

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<v Speaker 1>prove that the prophecy had been false, But when he

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<v Speaker 1>stepped on the horse's skull, a poisonous snake slithered out

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<v Speaker 1>and bit him. He died the next day. True or not,

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<v Speaker 1>Oleg is a positive character from the history of the

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<v Speaker 1>russ because he made no effort to keep the Kingdom

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<v Speaker 1>of Kiev from Igor, and the Cave and russ were

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<v Speaker 1>all the stronger for his stewardship. One of the major

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<v Speaker 1>obstacles to Slavic expansion in the Middle Ages were the Kazars.

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<v Speaker 1>These were a Turkic people who originated in Central Asia

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<v Speaker 1>and eventually converted to Judaism. The Kazars controlled a large

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<v Speaker 1>swath of Eastern Europe, including, in its heyday, much of

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<v Speaker 1>modern day Russia. Initially, they allied with the Byzantines against

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<v Speaker 1>the Sassinid Caliphate, but in the nine hundreds CE this

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<v Speaker 1>alliance began to fray. Both the Slavs i e. Kievan

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<v Speaker 1>russ and the Kasars sought to dominate the trade routes

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<v Speaker 1>from China and the East to Europe, which were extremely lucrative.

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<v Speaker 1>The Kasars constantly butted heads with both the Slavs and

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<v Speaker 1>the Vikings, the Vikings, having first arrived in Russia in

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<v Speaker 1>the sixth century, but by the late eight hundreds, having

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<v Speaker 1>merged with the Slavs, were firmly in control of Kiev

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<v Speaker 1>and Novgorod. Novgorod, for reference, by the way, is about

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<v Speaker 1>one hundred miles southeast of Saint Petersburg, so it's pretty

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<v Speaker 1>far north. I'm pointing this out because Novgorod actually plays

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<v Speaker 1>a pretty substantial role in our story to come once

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<v Speaker 1>we get to Ivan. Now, by the nine sixties, after

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<v Speaker 1>a series of war with the Byzantines and the Rus,

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<v Speaker 1>the Kasars were eliminated as a major political force. Hence,

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<v Speaker 1>from a macro level, what you have at this point

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<v Speaker 1>is a shrinking Byzantine Empire to the south and a

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<v Speaker 1>growing Rus state centered around the cities of Kiev and

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<v Speaker 1>Novgorod to the north. And this was the status quo

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<v Speaker 1>roughly at the turn of the millennium. In the tenth century,

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<v Speaker 1>relations between Kiev and Constantinople improved for a time, and

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<v Speaker 1>both sides were able to make advantageous trade deals and treaties.

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<v Speaker 1>Olik had by then expanded the Kievan Roos territory to

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<v Speaker 1>the Nepa River, and under Igor, this boundary moved all

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<v Speaker 1>the way to the Baltic Sea. Then, in the nine

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<v Speaker 1>and sixties, Grand Prince Sladislav the First conquered the Kazars.

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<v Speaker 1>Kiev was now at least territorially larger than the Byzantine Empire.

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<v Speaker 1>In fact, the Kievan Russ now found themselves as the

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<v Speaker 1>most powerful kingdom in the region. It exacted tribute from

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<v Speaker 1>smaller Slavic communities around it and negotiated on equal par

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<v Speaker 1>with the Byzantines, though the latter still referred to them

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<v Speaker 1>as barbarians. At the moment, at least, the Rus were

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<v Speaker 1>still pagan, but that would change under Prince Vladimir the First.

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<v Speaker 1>He was the youngest son of Sladislav, who had conquered

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<v Speaker 1>the Kazars. Vladimir took power in his own right in

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<v Speaker 1>nine seventy eight, following a brief civil war with his brothers.

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<v Speaker 1>He then spent the next decade both expanding and fortifying

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<v Speaker 1>his borders. It was during the same period that he

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<v Speaker 1>sent envoys out to examine the various religions of Europe

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<v Speaker 1>and beyond and to make a recommendation as to what

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<v Speaker 1>religion the Kievan Rush should follow. When the envoys returned

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<v Speaker 1>from visiting various sites, they declared Orthodox Christianity of Constantinople

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<v Speaker 1>to be the most impressive religion they have found. This

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<v Speaker 1>makes perfect sense to me, by the way, Constantinople was

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<v Speaker 1>the most impressive European city at the time, and the

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<v Speaker 1>Isophia that Basilica was definitely the most impressive place of worship.

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<v Speaker 1>There are a few versions of events that then lead

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<v Speaker 1>to Vladimir's ultimate conversion to Orthodox Christianity. One is that

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<v Speaker 1>he simply believed what his envoys told him and he

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<v Speaker 1>converted on the basis of their report. Another has the

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<v Speaker 1>Byzantine Emperor Basil the second approach Vladimir about a potential

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<v Speaker 1>military alliance. To sweeten the deal, Basil offers one of

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<v Speaker 1>his sisters, Anna, in a marriage to Vladimir, and he

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<v Speaker 1>converts to make that happen. The third version of events

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<v Speaker 1>has Vladimir simply falling in love with Anna and converting again,

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<v Speaker 1>so that he could marry her. Regardless, in nine eighty eight,

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<v Speaker 1>the Kievan russ converted to Orthodox Christianity. Vladimir had his

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<v Speaker 1>entire court and all his sons baptized, and immediately ordered

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<v Speaker 1>that all pagan cults and temples should be suppressed. By

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<v Speaker 1>It was still the Middle Ages, and you couldn't change

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<v Speaker 1>the religion of the kingdom by decree, So when Vladimir

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<v Speaker 1>died in ten fifteen, there were still very large pockets

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<v Speaker 1>of resistance throughout the Kievan territory to this new fangled religion.

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<v Speaker 1>Vladimir did become a saint. However, after Vladimir's death, the

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<v Speaker 1>Kievan russ continued to enjoy a relative period of peace

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<v Speaker 1>and prosperity under several successive rulers, notably Yaroslav the Wise,

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<v Speaker 1>but when he died in ten fifty four, all of

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<v Speaker 1>that changed. For decades, after various princes and I'm not

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<v Speaker 1>going to get into this in great detail, fought over

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<v Speaker 1>different territories and the right to command them all, but

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<v Speaker 1>really to no avail. And the reason I'm not going

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<v Speaker 1>to get into it is because it just probably doesn't

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<v Speaker 1>really matter, because in the end, it's the arrival of

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<v Speaker 1>the Mongols. That really changes the situation in Russia and

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<v Speaker 1>sets the stage for the ultimate rise of a new city, Moscow.

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<v Speaker 1>By the late twelfth century, the Mongols were pressing east

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<v Speaker 1>into Kievan territory. Then in twelve twenty three CE, at

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<v Speaker 1>the Battle of Kalka, the Mongols crushed the Kievan Rus

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<v Speaker 1>in battle, effectively eliminating their capacity to resist further Mongol incursions.

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<v Speaker 1>The heavily armored Kievan troops were simply no match for

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<v Speaker 1>the swift Mongolian horsemen on the wide planes of what

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<v Speaker 1>is today Ukraine. In twelve thirty seven, Batu Khan moved

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<v Speaker 1>his own army firmly into Rus territory. He took and

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<v Speaker 1>destroyed several key cities, including Moscow, actually which he burned

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<v Speaker 1>to the ground, and then in twelve forty he captured Kiev.

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<v Speaker 1>In response to these incursions, those who wanted to and

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<v Speaker 1>could resist really didn't have much of a choice but

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<v Speaker 1>to flee further and further north, where they struggled to

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<v Speaker 1>eke out in existence. Once the Rus had been defeated,

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<v Speaker 1>the Mongols marched west toward the Hungarians and Poles, who

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<v Speaker 1>they defeated at the Battle of Mohai but this is

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<v Speaker 1>around the time that Oga Dai Khan dies and the

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<v Speaker 1>Mongol Empire fractures. The territories in Europe then fell under

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<v Speaker 1>the control of the famous or i suppose infamous, Golden Horde.

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<v Speaker 1>The Golden Horde effectively dominated the region for the next

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<v Speaker 1>two centuries, but failed to fan their territory in any

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<v Speaker 1>meaningful way. The Golden Horde built a new capital at Sarai,

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<v Speaker 1>but largely left the Rus alone as long as they

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<v Speaker 1>paid their tribute. One such Rus kingdom that paid tribute

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<v Speaker 1>and was left alone was that of Novgorod, far to

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<v Speaker 1>the north. In twelve forty six, Alexander Newsky came to

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<v Speaker 1>power in Novgorod. While he would win a major victory

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<v Speaker 1>over the Swedes on a frozen lake, which is what

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<v Speaker 1>his last name means, he would decide that the time

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<v Speaker 1>was not right to take on the Golden Horde. Newski

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<v Speaker 1>spent his reign rebuilding Russian infrastructure, passing laws, and continuing

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<v Speaker 1>to establish the Orthodox Church as a sense of cultural identity,

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<v Speaker 1>something that the people could rally around. All of these

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<v Speaker 1>investments would pay off in time, none of them would

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<v Speaker 1>have happened, and Novesky chosen to fight the Mongols, but

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<v Speaker 1>when he died, the Kingdom of the Rus again splintered. Ultimately, however,

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<v Speaker 1>his son Daniel was able to take control over the

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<v Speaker 1>rising Principle of Moscow. Now, Mongol rule had a number

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<v Speaker 1>of consequences. For the Rus, Kiev was absolutely devastated and

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<v Speaker 1>it took years for those roots living further south and

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<v Speaker 1>west to recover. To the North and Novgorod, things were

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<v Speaker 1>not as bad and recovery was a lot faster. The

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<v Speaker 1>Golden Horde, however, built new postal roads, improved communications, and

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<v Speaker 1>introduced badly needed military innovations to Eastern Europe. Importantly, the

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<v Speaker 1>line of power between where the Horde held more sway

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<v Speaker 1>and where it held less. Roughly, it corresponds today to

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<v Speaker 1>the border between Ukraine and Russia and to some extent Belarus.

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<v Speaker 1>So the centuries of Horde rule also led to a

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<v Speaker 1>cultural divide that the world is still experiencing very much today.

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<v Speaker 1>And of course, the Mongol piece was responsible for the

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<v Speaker 1>Black Death reaching Europe, which ravaged the region between thirteen

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<v Speaker 1>fifty nine and thirteen eighty two. As a result of

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<v Speaker 1>the plague, Mongol control over the region began to weaken significantly,

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<v Speaker 1>so much so that in thirteen eighty the Russians won

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<v Speaker 1>their first major victory over the Mongols at the Battle

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<v Speaker 1>of Kulikhovo. Eventually, the Golden Horde fractured into various khanates

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<v Speaker 1>and receded from power, until eventually, by the time of

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<v Speaker 1>Ivan the Fourth, they only effectively held Crimea. All corresponded

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<v Speaker 1>with the rise of Moscow during the reign of Vladimir

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<v Speaker 1>the First. Moscow was still a small trading post, but

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<v Speaker 1>it was relatively safe from Mongol attack compared to other

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<v Speaker 1>potential targets, so more and more people moved there, setting

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<v Speaker 1>the stage for our first true Russian dynasty under Ivan

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<v Speaker 1>the First, who ruled from thirteen twenty five to thirteen forty.

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<v Speaker 1>We don't know a lot about Ivan the First or

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<v Speaker 1>Ivan the Second, but things get a lot more serious

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<v Speaker 1>under Ivan the Third, also known as Ivan the Great,

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<v Speaker 1>who was born in fourteen forty. When he succeeded his

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<v Speaker 1>father in fourteen sixty two, his main goals were continuing

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<v Speaker 1>to get Russia out from under the Mongol Yokin unifying

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<v Speaker 1>the kingdom. In fourteen seventy six, he decided he would

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<v Speaker 1>try his luck and didn't pay the yearly tribute to

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<v Speaker 1>the Khanate. The Horde attacked four years later, but for

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<v Speaker 1>the first time, at least in Moscow's history, Ivan was

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<v Speaker 1>able to win. The Horde had no choice but to

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<v Speaker 1>retreat in the days of Moscow paying tribute to the

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<v Speaker 1>khan were over for good. Once that was done, Ivan

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<v Speaker 1>wanted to unite Moscow and Novgorod. The two cities had

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<v Speaker 1>been enemies for years, but Ivan defeated Novgorod in battle

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<v Speaker 1>and brought the territory under his rule. He was also

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<v Speaker 1>able to take Yaroslav, Rostov and Tavayr, which ended all

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<v Speaker 1>the independent principalities. And so really this is the time

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<v Speaker 1>first time that we can speak of a unified Russia

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<v Speaker 1>in any real sort of sense. Ivan I also formally

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<v Speaker 1>allied the monarchy with the Orthodox Church and established a

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<v Speaker 1>formal code of law for the kingdom. Ivan invented craftsman

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<v Speaker 1>from the foreigner Byzantine Empire to beautify Moscow, hoping to

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<v Speaker 1>turn it into the centure of culture for the author

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<v Speaker 1>the Doc's faith. He also imported what we might call

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<v Speaker 1>an imperial government structure. For centuries, the leading princess had

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<v Speaker 1>ruled the various Russian principalities in conjunction with nobles. These

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<v Speaker 1>numbles were called boyars. Ivan, though, wanted to rule as

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<v Speaker 1>an autocrat, so he did everything he could to crush

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<v Speaker 1>the power of the boyar class to an extent. This

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<v Speaker 1>worked the position of czar, which actually doesn't start until

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<v Speaker 1>we get to his grandson, Ivan the Fourth, was much

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<v Speaker 1>much stronger thanks to Ivan the Third. He died in

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<v Speaker 1>fifteen oh five and power passed to his son, Vasili

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<v Speaker 1>the Third. Vasily continued to expand Moscow's borders, which was

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<v Speaker 1>easier thanks to the rapid decline of the Golden Horde.

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<v Speaker 1>He captured Smolensk from the Lithuanians. But Valissi was much

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<v Speaker 1>more known for his oppressive rule than his expansion is tendencies.

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<v Speaker 1>More than even his father, he brutally oppressed any Boyar

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<v Speaker 1>effort to undercut the power of the king. Had it

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<v Speaker 1>not been for his son Ivan the Fourth slash Ivan

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<v Speaker 1>the Terrible, as you know him, he might actually get

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<v Speaker 1>remembered for that oppressive stuff he did. But as we're

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<v Speaker 1>going to see, Ivan the Fourth takes it to a

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<v Speaker 1>next level. The most important way that Vasily decreased the

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<v Speaker 1>power of the boyars was to replace them in the

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<v Speaker 1>government with what we might call professional technocrats or bureaucrats.

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<v Speaker 1>These men also had the advantage of actually being pretty

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<v Speaker 1>good at their jobs. In reality, while Vasili tried to

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<v Speaker 1>produce an air, these bureaucrats ran the kingdom. It should

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<v Speaker 1>probably come as little surprise, but in this era there

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<v Speaker 1>was a massive disparity of wealth between the rich and

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<v Speaker 1>the poor. In Russia, the peasants were terribly poor, while

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<v Speaker 1>the wealth he lived in relative luxury. Banking was beginning

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<v Speaker 1>to take root in Russia, though most financial transactions, even

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<v Speaker 1>as we transition and dive in the Terrible were still

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<v Speaker 1>gone through barter. Vasily traced his lineage all the way

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<v Speaker 1>back to Rurek, the legendary founder of the Russian state,

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<v Speaker 1>though this was purely a propaganda tool. The biggest issue, though,

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<v Speaker 1>that faced Vasily as he reached middle age, was the

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<v Speaker 1>fact that he didn't have an heir. As a result,

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<v Speaker 1>he divorced his wife, who, according to the sources, willingly

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<v Speaker 1>retired to a convent and married a Lithuanian princess who

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<v Speaker 1>had then been being held as a sort of hostage

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<v Speaker 1>in the court at Moscow. Said Lithuanian girl was twenty

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<v Speaker 1>years old at the time, Vasily was in his forties.

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<v Speaker 1>The two were married in fifteen twenty six, Despite that,

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<v Speaker 1>as the months went by, this younger bride seemed also

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<v Speaker 1>unable to produce an air. Of course, it's highly that

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<v Speaker 1>the women were never the issue here, But in August

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<v Speaker 1>of fifteen thirty the Princess Elena finally gave birth to

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<v Speaker 1>a son I. Then in fifteen thirty two, Elena gave

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<v Speaker 1>birth to a second son named Yuri. But according to

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<v Speaker 1>our sources, he suffered from some kind we're not sure

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<v Speaker 1>a birth defect and was never considered to be a

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<v Speaker 1>realistic option for the throne. Not that that fact will

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<v Speaker 1>prevent the Boyars from trying to use him as a

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<v Speaker 1>puppet alternative to Even later on, in fifteen thirty three,

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<v Speaker 1>Vassily fell very sick. In truth, he had suffered from

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<v Speaker 1>ill health for a long time. The doctors were summoned

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<v Speaker 1>but could do nothing. Sensing the end was near, Vasili

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<v Speaker 1>sent riders to the Kremlin to get his old will.

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<v Speaker 1>He had never actually revised it since his marriage to Elena,

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<v Speaker 1>which seems like a very big oversight to me. And

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<v Speaker 1>this old will still gave power to his brother, Vassily

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<v Speaker 1>didn't want his brother to succeed him, and in fact

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<v Speaker 1>wanted to cut him out of what was going to

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<v Speaker 1>have to be a very lengthy regency, given that Ivan

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<v Speaker 1>at the time was only three years old. In November

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<v Speaker 1>fifteen thirty three, Vasily was able to return to the

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<v Speaker 1>Kremlin in person, where he immediately summoned his privy council.

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<v Speaker 1>There he made them swear an oath that his son

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<v Speaker 1>would be the next ruler of the Ruse. Moreover, the

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<v Speaker 1>regency council would be run by the Princess Elena and Boyars.

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<v Speaker 1>In general, Vasili's brother was effectively cut out. The Boyars

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<v Speaker 1>swore it was done. Vassili died at midnight on December third,

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<v Speaker 1>fifteen thirty three. The people of Moscow wept at his passing.

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<v Speaker 1>For more than seventy years, the people of Moscow had

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<v Speaker 1>been under the capable rule of first Ivan the Third

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<v Speaker 1>and now Vassili. Now they faced a long and uncertain regency.

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<v Speaker 1>As we will see, basically, everyone would soon be praying

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<v Speaker 1>for the return of a ruler more like Vasili or

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<v Speaker 1>his father. Next week we begin Ivan the Terrible, and

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<v Speaker 1>let me tell you he is going to earn that

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<v Speaker 1>name and then some