From the Rurik Dynasty to the first Romanov

29 Sunday May 2022

Posted by michelinewalker in Russia, Ukraine

Tags

Boris Godunov, Feodor I of Russia, First Romanov, Last Rurikid, List or Rurikid princes, Michael of Russia, Regency Council, Sergei Prokovief

Viktor Vasnetsov, *The Invitation of the Varangians*: Rurik and his brothers arrive in Staraya Ladoga.

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A Timeline

From Prince Rurik (862) to Michael of Russia, the first Tsar (1613)

862, Kievan Rus’ is founded by the Varangian (Viking) prince Rurik.
1169, Andrey Bogolyubsky, Prince of Vladimir-Suzdal, and his father sacked Kyiv. Vladimir-Suzdal rose.
1237-1242, Kievan Rus’ was sacked by the Mongols. (See the Mongol Invasion, Wikipedia.)
until 1648, Kievan Rus’ was ruled by the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.
1221-1263 Saint Alexander Nevsky negotiated life under the “Tatar Yoke.”
1261-1303 Daniel of Moscow (1261-1303) inherited the Duchy of Moscow.
1354, the fall of Constantinople (the Byzantine Empire falls to the Ottoman Empire)
1480, the end of the “Tatar Yoke.”

1547-1721, the Tsardom of Russia

1654, the Pereiaslav Agreement (independent Ukraine Zaporozhian Host is allied to Russia).
1721-1917, the Russian Empire, following Peter the Great‘s victory over the Swedish Empire, under Charles XII and Cossack leader Ivan Mazepa.
1547, Ivan IV (Ivan the Terrible) (b. 1530) declared himself Tsar of all Rus’ or Russias. His claim was validated by a “Chosen Council.”
On 16 November 1581, Ivan the Terrible killed his son, the tsarevitch.
1584-1598, Feodor I of Russia, reigned from 1584 to 1598. He was feeble, intellectually and physically, so a regency council consisting of Boris Godunov, Feodor Nikitich Romanov, and Vasili Shuiski was appointed by Ivan IV to reign in his place. He married Boris Godunov’s sister Irina Godunova.
1584-1598, a regency council ruled Russia: Boris Godunov, Feodor Nikitich Romanov, Vasili Shuiski
1598-1605, Boris Godunov was the first non-Rurikid tsar. He was elected to the Tsardom by the Zemskiy Sobor.
1605, Fyodor II of Russia ascended the throne upon the death of his father, Boris Godunov. (Son of Boris Godunov and Maria Grigorievna Skuratova-Belskaya).
1605, False Dmitry I was the Tsar of Russia.
1552-1612, Vasili IV, Tsar of Russia, was the last member of the Rurikid dynasty to reign (Son of Ivan Andreyevich Shuysky).
1612-1613, Fedor Mstislavsky, the leader of the Seven Boyars.
1613-1645, Michael of Russia (b. 1596) was the first Romanov to be elected to the Tsardom of Russia by the Zemskiy Sobor of 1613.

1721-1917, the Russian Empire

In 1721, Peter the Great was the first Emperor of all Russias.
1917, the Russian Revolution, and the fall of the House of Romanov.
1991, the collapse of the USSR, or the Soviet Union
1991, an independent Ukraine

*False Dmitry’s Agents Murdering Feodor Godunov and his Mother*, by Konstantin Makovsky (1862), Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

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The Last Rurikid Princes (by date)

1328-1340, Ivan I, in full Ivan Danilovich, byname Ivan Moneybag, Russian Ivan Kalita, (born 1304?—died March 31, 1340, Moscow), grand prince of Moscow (1328–40). (Son of Daniil of Russia [1263-1303])
1340-1359, Ivan II, in full Ivan Ivanovich, byname Ivan The Red, Russian Ivan Krasny, (born March 30, 1326—died Nov. 13, 1359), grand prince of Moscow and Vladimir. (Son of Ivan I)
1359–1389, Dmitry (II) Donskoy, byname of Dmitry Ivanovich, (born Oct. 12, 1350, Moscow [Russia]—died May 19, 1389, Moscow), prince of Moscow, or Muscovy (1359–1389), and grand prince of Vladimir (1362–1389), who won a victory over the Golden Horde (Mongols who had controlled Russian lands since 1240) at the Battle of Kulikovo (Sept. 8, 1380). (Son of Ivan II).
1439-1425, Vasily I, in full Vasily Dmitriyevich, (born 1371—died February 1425, Moscow), grand prince of Moscow from 1389 to 1425. (Son of Dmitry II)
1425-1462, Vasily II, in full Vasily Vasilyevich, byname Vasily the Blind, Russian Vasily Tyomny, (born 1415—died March 27, 1462, Moscow), grand prince of Moscow from 1425 to 1462. (Son of Vasili I).
(1462-1505) Ivan III also called Ivan the Great or Russian Ivan Veliky, or Ivan Vasilyevich, (born January 22, 1440, Moscow—died October 27, 1505, Moscow) (Son of Vasily II).
(1505-1533), Vasily III, in full Vasily Ivanovich, (born 1479—died December 3, 1533, Moscow), grand prince of Moscow from 1505 to 1533) Self-proclaimed Tsar. (Son of Ivan III).
1547-1584, Ivan the Terrible, also called Ivan IV, Russian Ivan Grozny, byname of Ivan Vasilyevich, (born August 25, 1530, Kolomenskoye, near Moscow [Russia]—died March 18, 1584, Moscow) grand prince of Moscow (Son of Vasily III).
1584-1598, Feodor I of Russia, Feodor Ivanovich, Feodor I (born 31 May 1557, Moscow—died January 17, 1598, Moscow) grand prince of Moscow, reigned from 1584 to 1598. He was feeble, intellectually and physically, so a regency council, appointed by Ivan IV, the Terrible, and consisting of Boris Godunov, Feodor Nikitich Romanov, and Vasili Shuiski reigned in his place. Feodor I married Boris’s sister Irina Godunova. (Son of Ivan IV and Anastasia Romanovna).
1584-1598, a regency council ruled Russia: Boris Godunov (leader), Feodor Nikitich Romanov, and Vasili Shuiski (appointed by Ivan IV).
1598-1605, Boris Godunov was the first non-Rurikid tsar and a Tatar. He was elected to the Tsardom by the Zemskiy Sobor, a form of parliament.
1605, Fyodor II of Russia (assassinated) ascended the throne upon the death of his father, Boris Godunov (Son of Boris Godunov and Maria Skuratova-Belskaya [also assassinated])
1605-1606, False Dmitry I was the Tsar of Russia (2 other impersonators). The real Dmitry was the Son of Ivan IV the Terrible and his sixth wife, tsaritsa Maria Nagaya)
1606-1610, Vasili IV of Russia was Tsar (son of Ivan Andreyevich Shuisky) (descendant of princes of Nizhny Novgorod).
1610-1612, Fedor Mstislavsky was the leader of the Seven Boyars.
1613, Michael of Russia (b. 1596) was the first Romanov to be elected to the Tsardom of Russia by the Zemskiy Sobor of 1613.

Love to everyone 💕

Sergei Prokofiev’s Chanson Alexander Nevsky, Op. 78: V. The Battle on Ice

Portrait of Ivan IV by Viktor Vasnetsov, 1897 (Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow)

Uvalde: Analysis Paralysis

28 Saturday May 2022

Posted by michelinewalker in Gun Control, The United States

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

an American Tragedy, Analysis Paralysis, Gun Control, Uvalde Texas

© CECILE CLOCHERET/afp via getty images
Devant le bâtiment de la convention, des partisans *[proponents]* du port d’arme et des opposants *[opponents]* se livrent à une bataille médiatique *[engage in a media battle]*. This is the front of the building where the NRA is holding its convention. One can read “Acres of Guns & Gear”.

I sent this post to thrash after hearing that Uvalde police officers stood in the hallway outside the murder scene, as children dialled 9-1-1 begging for help. My story had changed. The officers now say that they made the “wrong decision.” Not quite! They were facing a gunman and could not make a decision. It was a case of analysis paralysis. Uvalde tells, in horrid terms, the story of police officers shooting unnecessarily or not shooting because they suspect or know the person they are attacking is armed.

Outside the building where the NRA (National Rifle Association) convention is taking place, one can read in large letters “acres of guns & gear.” Given that a teacher and 18 young students were killed by gunshot, that sign is offensive. Moreover, the gunman was eighteen years old and may have been mentally unfit when he shot his victims. Why are eighteen-year-olds sold a weapon?

Former President Donald Trump told members of the National Rifle Association to “arm law-abiding citizens” in response to “evil.” Given that the gunman took the life of 18 children and their teacher, and coming from the mouth of a former president of the United States, that statement is inappropriate.

There are many conclusions to be drawn from this latest American tragedy, but two will suffice. Ban the wearing of firearms and enable police officers (the “militia”) to act when they must. In Uvalde, 19 children and 2 adults died who might have been saved.

RELATED ARTICLE

The Second Amendment to the American Constitution: a Misundertansding (27 May 2022)

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Love to everyone 💕

Brahms‘s Lullaby

The Second Amendment to the American Constitution: a Misunderstanding

27 Friday May 2022

Posted by michelinewalker in Firearms, Gun Control, Sharing, Terrorism, War

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

Guernica, Pablo Picasso, the National Rifle Association, the Second Amendment to the Constitution of the U.S., the Security of the State, Uvalde Texas

*Guernica* by Pablo Picasso *(Image credit: RMN-Grand Palais, Musée national Picasso-Paris/Mathieu Rabeau)* and the BBC

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The Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States reads as follows:

“A well regulated [sic] militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.”

The United States has a well-regulated militia, so “the security of a free state” is not endangered, except by those who misread the Second Amendment. If the goal of the Second Amendment is to promote the “security of a free state,” it forbids the wearing of deadly weapons.

In short, the insufficiently-controlled use of firearms has just led to the death of nineteen (19) innocent children and two (2) teachers. So, the American National Rifle Association could be described as a parallel government. The bearing of arms currently threatens the security a “free state” should promote. Proponents of the bearing of arms have become advocates of social disorder and great sorrow.

My love and sincere condolences to all who have lost a child or a dear one at Uvalde, Texas.

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Love to everyone 💕

Guernica: What inspired Pablo Picasso’s masterpiece? BBC News

Picasso in 1905 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Rurikid Princes & the Tsardom of Russia

23 Monday May 2022

Posted by michelinewalker in Despotism, Russia, Ukraine

≈ Comments Off on The Rurikid Princes & the Tsardom of Russia

Tags

Boris Godunov, Dmitri of Uglich, Feodor, Ivan the Great, Ivan the Terrible, Muscovie, Pereiaslav Agreement, the Rurik Dynasty, the Tsardom of Russia, Vasily II

*Ivan the Terrible meditating at the deathbed of his son* by Vyacheslav Schwarz (1861)

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TIMELINE

862, Kievan Rus’ is founded by the Varangian (Viking) prince Rurik.
1169, Andrey Bogolyubsky, Prince of Vladimir-Suzdal, and his father sacked Kiev. Vladimir rose.
1237-1242, Kievan Rus’ was sacked by the Mongols. (See the Mongol Invasion, Wikipedia.)
until 1648, Kievan Rus’ was ruled by the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.
1221-1263 Saint Alexander Nevsky negotiated life under the “Tatar Yoke.”
1261-1303 Daniel of Moscow (1261-1303) inherited the Duchy of Moscow.
1354, the fall of Constantinople (the Byzantine Empire falls to the Ottoman Empire)
1480, the end of the “Tatar Yoke.”

1547-1721, the Tsardom of Russia
1654, the Pereiaslav Agreement (independent Ukraine Zaporozhian Host is allied to Russia).
1721-1917, the Russian Empire, following Peter the Great‘s victory over the Swedish Empire, under Charles XII and Cossack leader Ivan Mazepa.
1547, Ivan IV (Ivan the Terrible) (b. 1530) declared himself Tsar of all Rus’ or Russias. His claim was validated by a “Chosen Council.”
On 16 November 1581, Ivan the Terrible killed his son, the tsarevitch.
1613, Michael of Russia (b. 1596) was the first Romanov to be elected to the Tsardom of Russia by the Zemskiy Sobor of 1613.

1648-1709, the Cossack Hetmanates
1648-1709, the independence of Kievan Rus’ from Hetman Bodhan Khmelnytsky (c 1595-1657) to Hetman Ivan Mazepa (1639-2 October 1709)
8 July 1709, the Battle of Poltava (Peter the Great‘s victory over the Swedish Empire, under King Charles XII and Cossack leader Ivan Mazepa d. 2 October 1709

1721-1917, the Russian Empire
In 1721, Peter the Great was the first Emperor of all Russias.
1917, the Russian Revolution, and the fall of the House of Romanov.
1991, the collapse of the USSR, or the Soviet Union
1991, an independent Ukraine.

POST

Ukraine: the Pereiaslav Agreement (1654)

Let us step back a little. What happened to Kievan Rus’? It fragmented into principalities before it fell to the Mongols (See Mongol invasion, Wikipedia). Later, it was ruled by the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. In 1648, Bodhan Khmelnytsky (c 1595-1657), Hetman of the Zaporozhian Host, Ukraine, led a successful insurgency that freed the Zaporozhian Host from the suzerainty of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. However, in 1654, Bodhan Khmelnytsky allied the independent Ukraine Zaporozhian Host with the Tsardom of Russia, which would benefit Muscovy. Under the last Rurikid Princes, the prospect of a Tsardom of all Russias dwarfed regionalism and such covenants as the Pereiaslav Agreement. In short, Alexander Nevsky‘s bequest to his son Daniel was not modest. Britannica dates the fall of Kievan Rus’ to the Mongol conquest, despite its brief rise as an independent Ukraine Cossack state and the Pereiaslav Agreement.

The title of grand prince of Kiev lost its importance, and the 13th-century Mongol conquest decisively ended Kiev’s power.
(See Kievan Rus’, Britannica.)

The Last Rurikid Princes

Ivan IV, the Terrible, was a self-declared Tsar of all Russias. A “Chosen Council” validated his claim to the tsardom. However, by killing his son in a fit of rage, he ended the Rurik Dynasty. His predecessors initiated:

the centralisation of Russia
its independence from Mongol suzerains, and
Rus’ independence from Roman Christianity

To a large extent, all of the above occurred under the rule of Ivan III, the Great, the son of Vasily II. Ivan the Great married a Byzantine Princess, Sophia, the former Zoë. It was a second marriage, and Sophia was a Catholic. This marriage did not prevent the growth of an Eastern Orthodox Tsardom. Ivan III took back land that had been part of Kievan Rus’, but he failed to reconquer Ukraine. Ivan the Great had two sons: Dmitry, by a first marriage, and Vasily, Sophia’s son. Dmitry was crowned, but Ivan III changed his mind. Vasily II, born to Sophia Palaiologina, would succeed him. Dmitry and his mother were jailed for life.

Vassals of the Golden Horde

Before ascending the throne of a principality, a prince needed a patent from the Khan of the Golden Horde. Dmitry (II) Donskoy won the Battle of Kulikovo (1380), which brought him stature. A century later, in 1480, Ivan III ended the Mongol suzerainty. (See The Great Stand on the Ugra River, Wikipedia.) We know from earlier posts that certain khanates remained: the Crimean Khanate, 1441-1783, and the Kazakh Khanate, 1465-1847 are the best examples, but these khanates did not date to the Mongol Invasion of Kievan Rus’. (See Mongol Invasion of Kievan Rus’ 1237-1242, Wikipedia.) Further annexations would occur, but as of Ivan III, the princes of Rus’ had ceased to be vassals of Mongol khans.

The Centralisation of Russia

As the Duchy of Moscow grew into the Tsardom of Russia, the competition for the principality of Muscovy was fierce: uncles, brothers and impostors could contest the legitimacy of a claim, fiefs, or fiefdoms. The sorry fate of Vasili II (1415-1462), Ivan III’s father, is a testimonial to fratricidal conflicts. Vasily II’s uncle Yury (1434) and his cousins Vasily the Squint-Eyed and Dmitry Shemyaka (1446–47) laid claim to the throne. Vasily II was arrested and blinded by his cousin Dmitry Shemiyaka (1446). This was extreme cruelty. Despite blindness, Vasily II regained his rightful bequest, and his son, future Ivan III, provided the help blind Vasily II needed.

His son, Vasily III, annexed Pskov in 1510, the appanage of Volokolamsk in 1513, the principalities of Ryazan in 1521, and Novgorod-Seversky in 1522. He also took Smolensk away from Poland. (See Siege of Smolensk, Wikipedia.)

Territorial development between 1300 and 1547
(Grand Duchy of Moscow, Wikipedia)

The Turco-Mongol residual states and domains by the 15^th century (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Tsar Ivan IV admires his sixth wife, Vasilisa Melentyeva, by Grigory Sedov, 1875. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Fall of the Rurikid Dynasty

As the legend goes, Varangian Viking Prince Rurik was invited to rule an East Slavic territory, where he founded Kievan Rus’. Prince Oleg would rule Novgorod, and Kyiv would be the capital. Several princes of the Rurik dynasty conquered and annexed Rus’ land’s territory. However, the principal architect of a centralised Rus’ was Ivan IV, a self-declared Tsar of all Rus’, recognized by a “Chosen Council.” (See Ivan IV, Britannica and Ivan the Terrible, Wikipedia). However, Ivan IV killed Ivanovich, his son and heir, and a Rurikid prince. Besides, Ivan Ivanovich’s mother was a Romanov, Anastasia Romanovna. Feodor I, Ivan IV’s second son with Anastasia Romanovna, would reign. Still, he was “sickly and weak.” (See Feodor I, Tsar of Russia, Wikipedia.)

Ivan IV, or the Terrible, had a third presumptive heir, his son Dmitry, born to a sixth wife. Maria Nagaya was the sixth wife. (See Ivan the Terrible, Wikipedia.) Had the Eastern Orthodox Church and the people of Rus’ recognized Dmitry Ivanovich as the legitimate heir to the Tsardom of Russia, the Rurikid Dynasty may have survived. The Eastern Church did not recognize sons and daughters born to a third or later wife. It violated its canonical laws. (See Canon Law of the Eastern Orthodox Church and Dmitry of Uglich, Wikipedia.)

Conclusion

Ivan IV killed his son Ivan Ivanovich in a fit of anger. He was a Rurikid, and Boris Godunov (1557-1605) had witnessed the homicide of Tsarevich Ivan Ivanovich and Ivan IV’s profound grief. Ivan had a second son by Anastasia Romanova. Feodor was a prince of the Rurik Dynasty, but, as we have noted, Feodor was frail. Ivan IV appointed a regency council led by Boris Godunov, the witness. A third son Dmitry (1582-1591), born to Maria Nagaya, was sent to his appanage, Uglich, where he died mysteriously at 8 years old. Dmitry may have suffered an epileptic crisis. (See Dmitry of Uglich, Wikipedia.) However, one suspects that Boris Godunov had Dmitry killed so he could reign as Tsar. Dmitry was impersonated. A False Dmitry I reigned briefly. Maria Nagaya had “recognized” him for personal gains. She renounced him. Had the genuine Dmitry ascended the throne, he would have been a prince of the Rurik dynasty, but young Dmitri was sent to Uglich. This is how Boris Godunov cleared his way to the throne, ending the Rurikid dynasty. Boris Godunov was of East Slavic and Tatar descent.

*Tsarevich Dmitry*, by Mikhail Nesterov,

*Boris Godunov Overseeing the Studies of his Son*, painting by N. Nekrasov (19^thcentury) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Boris Godunov is a legendary figure. He was portrayed in Aleksandr Pushkin‘s play Boris Godunov and in an opera by Modest Mussorgsky, also entitled Boris Godunov.

I have not discussed Ivan IV’s oprichnina, a police force that could act with impunity. Nor have I mentioned the Massacre of Novgorod. One pillaged mercilessly. But we have seen that one blinded opponents and killed the rightful heir to the throne in the quest for power. Moreover, we have travelled lightly. There were Tsaritas and interregnums. Ivan IV had two more heirs, but the death of Ivan Ivanovich doomed the Rurik dynasty. Fear of opponents led Ivan IV to surround himself with a force that eliminated accountability. Ivan the Terrible’s oprichnina was a deadly force. They terrorized Rus’. Oprichniki could rape, torture, and kill in the name of power. Another Rurik prince could not ascend the throne.

The entire episode of the oprichnina leaves a bloody imprint on Ivan’s reign, causing some doubts about his mental stability and leaving historians with the impression of a morbidly suspicious and vindictive ruler.
(See Ivan IV, Britannica)

We have another list, and more must be said about Ivan IV. This post will be continued.

RELATED ARTICLES

Europe, Page
Enlightened Despotism in Russia (1 November 2018)

Daniel of Moscow‘s Descendants: Rurikid Princes

Ivan I, in full Ivan Danilovich, byname Ivan Moneybag, Russian Ivan Kalita, (born 1304?—died March 31, 1340, Moscow), grand prince of Moscow (1328–40). (Son of Michael of Russia)
Ivan II, in full Ivan Ivanovich, byname Ivan The Red, Russian Ivan Krasny, (born March 30, 1326—died Nov. 13, 1359), grand prince of Moscow and Vladimir. (Son of Ivan I)
Dmitry (II) Donskoy, byname of Dmitry Ivanovich, (born Oct. 12, 1350, Moscow [Russia]—died May 19, 1389, Moscow), prince of Moscow, or Muscovy (1359–89), and grand prince of Vladimir (1362–1389), who won a victory over the Golden Horde (Mongols who had controlled Russian lands since 1240) at the Battle of Kulikovo (Sept. 8, 1380). (Son of Ivan II)
Vasily I, in full Vasily Dmitriyevich, (born 1371—died February 1425, Moscow), grand prince of Moscow from 1389 to 1425. (Son of Dmitry II)
Vasily II, in full Vasily Vasilyevich, byname Vasily the Blind, Russian Vasily Tyomny, (born 1415—died March 27, 1462, Moscow), grand prince of Moscow from 1425 to 1462. (Son of Vasili I)
Ivan III also called Ivan the Great or Russian Ivan Veliky, byname of Ivan Vasilyevich, (born January 22, 1440, Moscow—died October 27, 1505, Moscow) (Son of Vasily II)
Vasily III, in full Vasily Ivanovich, (born 1479—died December 3, 1533, Moscow), grand prince of Moscow from 1505 to 1533. (Son of Ivan III)
Ivan the Terrible, also called Ivan IV, Russian Ivan Grozny, byname of Ivan Vasilyevich, (born August 25, 1530, Kolomenskoye, near Moscow [Russia]—died March 18, 1584, Moscow), grand prince of Moscow (Son of Vasily III)

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Love to everyone 💕

Boris Godunov – Coronation scene (Bryn Terfel; The Royal Opera)

The Decline of Kievan Rus’

12 Thursday May 2022

Posted by michelinewalker in Russia, Ukraine

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Alexander Nevsky, Dissolution of Grand Duchy of Kiev, Moscovy, Novgorod, the Mongol Invasion, the Tatar Yoke, Vladimir-Suzdal

Novgorod marketplace by Apollinary Vasnetkov

Ukraine’s Varangian Princes, its Primary Chronicle, the Russkaya Pravda …

A Timeline

862, Kievan Rus’ is founded by the Varangian (Viking) prince Rurik
1169, Andrey Bogolyubsky, Prince of Vladimir and his father sacked Kiev
in the 1240s, Kievan Rus’ is sacked by Mongols (the Mongol invasion)
1221-1263 Saint Alexander Nevsky negotiates life under “Tatar Yoke”
1261-1303 Daniel of Moscow inherits the Duchy of Moscow
1354, the fall of Constantinople (the Byzantine Empire falls to the Ottoman Empire)
1480/02, the end of the “Tatar Yoke”
1547-1721, the Tsardom of Russia
1721-1917, the Russian Empire, following Peter the Great‘s victory over the Swedish Empire, under Charles XII and Cossack leader Ivan Mazepa
the rise of the Grand Duchy of Moscow
1547, Ivan IV (the Terrible) (b. 1530) declares himself Tsar but is recognised as Tsar of Russia
1613, Michael of Russia (b. 1596) was the first Romanov to be elected to the Tsardom of Russia by the Zemskiy Sobor of 1613
1648-1709, Hetmans (Cossack Hetmanates) (1648-1709): Khmelnytsly to Ivan Mazepa
1721, the birth of the Russian Empire (Peter the Great)
1917, the Russian Revolution
1917, the fall of the House of Romanov
1991, the fall of the USSR, or the Soviet Union

I have improved the timeline in Ukraine’s Varangian Princes, its Primary Chronicle, and the Russkaya Pravda (23 April 2022). It complements earlier posts on the history of Ukraine and indicates that the Tsardom of Russia ended in 1721 when Peter the Great became an emperor. Nicholas II, the last Tsar, was the Emperor of Russia until 1917 or the Russian Revolution.

The Dissolution of the Grand Duchy of Kiev

This post shows how the Grand Duchy of Kyiv dissolved before the Mongol Invasion. Novgorod became independent of princely rulers. Kyiv was absorbed by Vladimir-Suzdal, which in turn was absorbed by the Duchy of Moscow, but dukes and princes were Rurikid princes for several generations, including Ivan the Terrible

Novgorod

First, Kievan Rus’ lost Novgorod, which Prince Oleg had ruled.

When Kiev declined, Novgorod soon (1136) declared its independence from princely power, and, although it accepted princely protectors from various neighbouring dynasties, it remained a sovereign city until conquered by Muscovy (Moscow).
(See Novgorod, Britannica)

Territorial development between 1300 and 1547, Grand Duchy of Moscow (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Theotokos of Vladimir (Photo Credit: Wikipedia)

Saint Alexander Nevsky (1221-1263), (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Rise of the Duchy of Vladimir-Suzdal

Second, the Duchy of Vladimir-Suzdal, one of the duchies that succeeded Kievan Rus’ in the late 12^thcentury, gained prominence. In 1169, a few years after losing Novgorod, Kyiv was pillaged by Andrey Bogolyubsky, the Grand Prince of Vladimir-Suzdal, from 1157 until he died in 1174. Prince Andrey’s father, Yuri I Vladimirovich (Yury Dolgorukliy), led his son on a conquest of Kyiv. This conquest was bloody, but under Andrey Bogolyubsky, Vladimir-Suzdal became the new capital of the Rus’. Moreover, Alexander Nevsky (1221 – 1263), Prince of Novgorod, Grand Prince of Kyiv (1236 – 52), and Grand Prince of Vladimir-Suzdal (1252 – 63) defeated the Swedes on 15 July 1240 at the Battle of the Neva, protecting Novgorod from a full-scale invasion from the West. This victory earned Alexander a sobriquet, Nevsky from Neva. On 5 April 1242, his Rus’ army defeated German knights and the Estonian infantry at the Battle on the Ice. His envoys also signed a treaty between Russia and Norway in 1251. It prevented the Swedes from blocking the Baltic Sea, which hindered the movement of Rus’ people’s principalities.

He preserved Russian statehood and Russian Orthodoxy, agreeing to pay tribute to the powerful Golden Horde. Metropolite Macarius canonized Alexander Nevsky as a saint of the Russian Orthodox Church in 1547.
(See Alexander Nevsky, Wikipedia.)

He also obtained an exemption for Russian from a draft of men for a planned invasion of Iran.
(See Saint Alexander Nevsky, Britannica.) ^{[1] [2]}

Moreover, Vladimir welcomed the Theotokos of Vladimir, the Virgin of Vladimir, an icon created in Constantinople and sent to Kyiv as a gift before being transferred to the Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir.

Vladimir-Suzdal is traditionally perceived as a cradle of the Great Russian language and nationality, and it gradually evolved into the Grand Duchy of Moscow.
(See Duchy of Vladimir-Suzdal, Wikipedia.)

Daniel of Moscow

Third, Alexander Nevsky’s youngest son, Daniel of Moscow (1261 – 1303), born in the Duchy of Vladimir-Suzdal, inherited the least of his father’s patrimony, Moscow. Ironically, Moscow developed into the Grand Duchy of Moscow. The Duchy of Moscow grew by conquering or annexing neighbouring principalities. In other words, Vladimir “gradually evolved into the Grand Duchy of Moscow.” Daniel of Moscow’s successors were Rurikid Princes, including Ivan the Terrible.

Time had elapsed since Vladimir the Great, Prince of Novgorod, Grand Prince of Kyiv, and the ruler of Kievan Rus’ from 980 to 1015, converted to Christianity (988) and imposed Christianity on the entire population of Kievan Rus’. Still, Vladimir the Great ascended the throne after a fratricidal war of succession. His father, Sviatoslav I of Kyiv, did not leave clear instructions about his line of succession. Vladimir’s brother, Yaropolk, murdered his other brother, Oleg of Drelinia, and conquered Rus’. Vladimir fled to Scandanavia and returned with an army of Varangian Vikings. He reconquered Rus’ and was Prince of Kievan Rus’.

Ögedei Khan‘s Invasion of Europe (see the Crimean Khanate)

Conclusion

Kyiv declined before the Mongol Invasion. It fragmented. It would enjoy a modest degree of independence as a Ukrainian Cossack state, but Ivan Mazepa and Charles XII of Sweden lost the battle of Poltava, in 1709.

In 1238, Kievan Rus’ was sacked by Mongol invaders. Batu Khan founded the Golden Horde, later consisting of Tatars and Turkic people. Ögedei Khan, the third son of Genghis Khan, succeeded Batu Khan. Ögedei ruled briefly. He died in 1241, ending the Mongol invasion of Russia. (See Mongol Invasion and List of conflicts in Europe, Wikipedia). However, Rus’ were vassals of the Golden Horde and Ösbeg Khan, or Ös Beg, adopted Islam. Laws would no longer reflect the Norse jurisprudence of the Russkaya Pravda.

The Golden Horde would remain active until 1480 – 82, when it was defeated at the Great Stand on the Ugra River. The Crimean Khanate and the Kazakh Khanate, the “last remnants of the Golden Horde,” survived until 1783 and 1847. (See Golden Horde, Wikipedia.) In 1354, Rome north, Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Empire. After their victory, the Ottomans conquered countries neighbouring present-day Russia. When the Byzantine Empire fell to the Ottoman Empire, Greek scholars fled to Italy carrying books and initiated the Renaissance. But artists, who produced icons, headed to Muscovy. Icons would henceforth be created in Muscovy.

Kyiv would enjoy a degree of independence as a Ukrainian Cossack state, but Ivan Mazepa and Charles XII of Sweden lost the battle of Poltava in 1709. But despite the Ukrainian diaspora, Ukraine remained, and it is currently defending the territorial integrity it gained in 1991 when the USSR collapsed.

Map of Ukrainian Diaspora in the world (Photo Credit: Wikipedia)

Ukraine’s Varangian Princes, its Primary Chronicle, the Russkaya Pravda (23 April 2022)
Bodan K hmelnytsky, a Cossack Hetman (16 April 2022)
Ruthenia vs Ukraine (14 April 2022)
Ukraine: … a Genocide? (8 April 2022)
A Brief Disappearance (6 April 2022)
Ukraine: the Battle of Potlava (5 April 2022)
The War in Ukraine: la petite Russie (1 April 2022)
The Great Gate of Kiev (Kyiv) (21 March 2022)
The Art of Dionisius (9 September 2012)

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^[1] Hellie, Richard. “Saint Alexander Nevsky”. Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 Nov. 2021, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Alexander-Nevsky. Accessed 11 May 2022.

^[2]According to the Encyclopedia Britannatica, [t]here is no book-length study of Nevsky in English. Information may be found in A. E. Presniakov, The Formation of the Great Russian State: A Study of Russian History in the Thirteenth to Fifteenth Centuries (1970; Orig. pub. in Russian, 1918); and George Vernadsky, A History of Russia, vol. 3, The Mongols and Russia (1953).