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)

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.

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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)

—ooo—

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)

____________________

^[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).

Sergei Prokofiev, Dance of the Knights

The Moscow Kremlin under Prince Ivan Kalita (early XIV century) by Apollinary Vasnetsov

Ilya Repin, Ivan IV and his son Ivan on 16 November 1581, Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

30 Saturday Apr 2022

Posted by michelinewalker in Russian Art, Ukraine, Ukraine War

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Ilya Repin, insanity, Ivan the Terrible and his Son Ivan, power, remorse, Tsar Ivan IV

Ilya Repin and his Son Ivan on 16 November 1581, Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

Ivan IV was the Grand Prince of the Duchy of Moscow who may have named himself the Tsar of all Russias, but a Tsar who had moments of insanity. In a fit of rage, he killed his son and could not believe nor undo what he had done.

—ooo—

One wonders whether Vladimir Putin will ever realise that Ukrainians are defending themselves? This invasion is madness so profound that Putin does not want other countries to help Ukraine. He will destroy Britain if Britain opposes him. He seems to believe that Ukraine is his possession and that he can do as he pleases …

That one man should be allowed to unleash such devastation as Ukraine is suffering makes no sense. Putin, and Putin alone, stands between war and peace. No one should be this powerful. Moreover, President Putin may no longer be completely aware of what he is doing. He may be ill. At any rate, he will not be brought to his senses.

Millions have left Ukraine, and thousands of lives have been lost, but, ironically, because the world knows Putin could use nuclear and chemical weapons, it is paralysed. Have we out-weaponed ourselves? An army! Give Ukraine a multinational army that will end this massacre. Ukraine must defend itself. I remember the Holocaust and pogroms.

I sound like a preacher and will, therefore, close this post. I apologise for not being an active blogger. I haven’t recovered. Ilya Repin (5 August [O.S. 24 July] 1844 – 29 September 1930) was a Ukrainian-born Russian artist.

—ooo—

Love to everyone 💕

Ilya Repin

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

23 Saturday Apr 2022

Posted by michelinewalker in Ukraine, Ukraine War

≈ Comments Off on Ukraine’s Varangian Princes, its Primary Chronicle, the Russkaya Pravda …

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Byzantine Emperors, East Slavic population, Hetmans, House of Romanov, Kievan Rus, Mongol Invasion, Rurik Dynasty, Russkaya Pravda, the Primary Chronicle, Varangian Princes

Kievan Rus’ dates to the Rurik dynasty. Prince Rurik was a Varangian Viking who entered an East Slavic territory. He and his two brothers were asked to rule future Ukraine because of political strife. Prince Rurik’s brothers died, so Rurik alone founded Kievan Rus’, “a loose federation in Eastern Europe and Northern Europe” (see Kievan Rus’, Wikipedia).

The Primary Chronicle and the Russkaya Pravda

The Primary Chronicle or Tale of Bygone Years (12^th century) is a written history. Although it is not altogether accurate, it remains a precious document. For instance, it provides the name of a few Varangian Princes who ruled Kievan Rus’, an independent state. The first Varangian Prince is Prince Oleg (879–912), who protected Varangian traders from Khazar incursions.

Sviatoslav I (943–972), Grand Prince of Kiev was given a Slavic name. Prince Sviatoslav’s father, Igor of Kiev, was assassinated when Sviatoslav was a child. His mother, Olga of Kiev, avenged Igor’s death by burying Drevlians alive. They had come to fetch her believing she would marry a Drevlian ruler. Olga reigned until her son grew of age. Prince Sviatoslav moved his capital from Kiev to Pereyaslavets in current-day Romania. Prince Sviatoslav was a conqueror. Under his rule, Ukraine would grow to be the largest country in Europe.

Prince Vladimir the Great (980–1015) introduced Christianity in Kievan Rus’ and imposed it by decree on the people of the state of Kievan Rus. His sons, one of whom is Yaroslav the Wise (1019–1054) “assembled and issued its first written legal code, the Russkaya Pravda, shortly after his death.” The “absence of capital and corporal punishment” in the Russkaya Pravda “reflects Norse jurisprudence.” (See Russkaya Pravda, Wikipedia.)

Varangians were the bodyguards of Byzantine emperors, but Kievan Rus’ was sacked by Mongols in the 1240s (See Mongol invasion, Wikipedia). It was a devastating loss. Constantinople, the former Byzantine Empire, did not fall to the Ottoman Empire until 1453. Kievan Rus’, an independent state, was never reborn. However, as we have noted in earlier posts, in 1648, Cossack Hetman Bohdan Khmelnytsky “led an uprising against the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth which led to the creation of an independent Ukrainian Cossack state.” In 1654, he “allied the Cossack Hetmanate with Tsardom of Russia thus placing central Ukraine under Russian control.” (See Bohdan Khmelnytsky, Wikipedia). Ukrainians will nevertheless enjoy a degree of independence until Ivan Mazepa, a Cossack Hetman, and Swedish King Charles XII are defeated by Peter I, Peter the Great of Russia, at the Battle of Poltava on 8 July 1709. Catherine the Great ended Cossack Hetmenates in 1764.

Yet, although Ukraine did not gain its independence until the collapse of the USSR, the former Soviet Union, Ukraine is pushing back Vladimir Putin‘s forces so energetically that one expects Ukraine to survive. Nationhood is not always defined by borders. Ukraine is an ancient culture.

A Timeline

862, Kievan Rus’ is founded by the Varangian (Viking) prince Rurik
in the 1240s, Kievan Rus’ is sacked by Mongols (the Mongol invasion)
1354, the fall of Constantinople (the Byzantine Empire falls to the Ottoman Empire)
1547-1917, the Tsardom of Russia
1547, Ivan IV (the Terrible) (b. 1530) declares himself Tsar but is recognised as Tsar of Russia
1613, Michael of Russia (b. 1596) is the first Romanov to be elected to the Tsardom of Russia by the Zemskiy Sobor of 1613
1648, Hetmans (Cossack Hetmanates) (1648-1709)
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

Conclusion

On Good Friday, I remembered the sayings of Jesus on the Cross. Regarding the objectionable invasion of Ukraine, the first saying would be the most important, but forgiving would be difficult: “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do ( Luke 23:34).” One would like a multinational army to fight alongside Ukrainians and push out the Russians. Providing weapons seems insufficient. But would Vladimir Putin see intervention as other than humanitarian? At any rate, Putin is not at liberty to destroy a country. Will autocracies replace democracy?

RELATED ARTICLES

Bodan Khmelnytsky, 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)

Sources and Resources

Wikipedia, abundantly
Bohdan Chmelnyskyj or Hetmanat (German)
Armed Forces of Ukraine, Wikipedia
The Cossacks of Ukraine, Britannica
Photo credit: Wikipedia, all images

Love to everyone 💕

Vikings of the East: the Kievan Rus’

Bohdan Khmelnytsky, a Cossack Hetman

16 Saturday Apr 2022

Posted by michelinewalker in Ukraine, Ukraine War

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Bohdan Khmelnytsky, Correction, Cossak Hetmenate, Massacre of Catholics, Massacre of Jews, the Battle of Batih

*Entrance of Bohdan Khmelnytsky to Kyiv*, Mykola Ivasyuk. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

—ooo—

I had to revise my post on the word Ruthenia. I am sure all of you realised that the exonym Ruthenia is derogatory. However, I forgot to include a quotation that clarifies that exonyms could be insensitive.

Bodhan Khmelnytsky

Bohdan Khmelnytsky is a name associated with the beginning of the Cossack Hetmenate (1648-1764) and the Khmelnytsky Uprising, an uprising in 1648-1657 during which atrocities were committed. However, the 1648 uprising gave Ukraine autonomy. Hetman Ivan Mazepa and Charles XII of Sweden lost the Battle of Poltava, which was fought against Peter the Great in 1709.

*Execution of Polish captives after the battle of Batih 1652*. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The insurgency was accompanied by mass atrocities committed by Cossacks against the civilian population, especially against the Roman Catholic clergy and the Jews.
(See Khmelnytsky Uprising, Wikipedia)

After the Battle of Batih (Batoh), on 3–4 June 1652, between 3,000 and 5,000 elite Polish soldiers and officers, including 3,500 members of the szlachta,were tied up and massacred in two days of methodical beheadings and disembowelments.
(See Batoh Massacre, Wikipedia)

Szlachta

The Szlachta (Polish, an exonym) were the noble estate of the realm in the Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth who, as a class, had the dominating position in the state, exercising extensive political rights and power.
(See Szlachta, Wikipedia)

During the Cossack Hetmenate, Ukrainians exercised greater control over their country. Therefore, Bohdan Khmelnytsky is a hero to Ukrainians, but he could be ruthless. All of us are paying a price for the current war in Ukraine. Wars kill and they are costly. I read today that Russia opposed gifts of powerful weapons to Ukraine on the part of the United States. Does anyone expect Ukrainians not to defend their country?

Hondius Bohdan Khmelnytsky (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Ruthenia vs Ukraine

14 Thursday Apr 2022

Posted by michelinewalker in Ukraine, Ukraine War

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

Cossack Hetmanate, Endonyms, Exonyms, Foreign domination of Ukraine, Ivan Mazepa, Kievan Rus', Little Russia, Mongol Invasion

Ruthenia or Ukraine

Outsiders have often given Ukraine the name Ruthenia, which is confusing. Ruthenia is an exonym, a name for a place that is only used outside that place. But Ukraine, an endonym, is the name Ukrainians give their country.

Exonyms and Endonyms

There are exonyms and endonyms. According to Lexico, “many exonyms can be considered insensitive and preference is given to the endonym.” (See Exonym [other examples], in Lexico). Ruthenia, an exonym, would mean a small Ukraine, which is insensitive. However, it has often been the meaning of the exonym Ruthenia, since the state of Kievan Rus’, today’s Ukraine, was founded in the 9^th century by Varangians, Vikings from Sweden mainly. Kievan Rus’, was vandalized by Mongols in the 13^th century. (See Mongol Invasion of Kievan Rus’, Wikipedia.) Since the Mongol Invasion, Ukraine has been under external control except for the years when it was a Cossack Hetmanate, from 1648 to 1764. Ivan Mazepa was the Cossack Hetman of Zaporizhian Host in 1687–1708. He died in Turkey, where he and Charles XII of Sweden had fled after their defeat at the Battle of Poltava (8 July 1709).

In 1764, the Cossack Hetmanate was incorporated by Russia as the Little Russia Governorate headed by Pyotr Rumyantsev, “with the last remnants of the Hetmanate’s administrative system abolished in 1781.” So, there was a Little Russia Governorate, or Little Russia, la petite Russie.

However, despite the Cossack Hetmanate, Ukraine was under foreign domination for 600 years. The Cossack Hetmanate fell to Peter I at the Battle of Poltava.

After the Russian Revolution of 1917, Ukraine rose for a few years and would rise again after the dissolution of the USSR, the Soviet Union.

Ukraine has been independent since 1991, but Crimea was annexed by Russia in 2014. The current war is a continuation of the annexation of Crimea.

In short, the Latin word Ruthenia reflects the foreign domination of Ukraine. The Russian army entered Ukraine in February 2022, when it was directed to do so by Vladimir Putin. President Putin may think that Russia will defeat Ukraine, but Ukraine will probably survive.

At a NATO-Russia summit in 2008, Vladimir Putin “told US President George W. Bush that ‘Ukraine is not even a state!'” while the following year Putin referred to Ukraine as “Little Russia.” (See Vladimir Putin, Wikipedia.)

Love to everyone 💕

Hymn of the Cherubim by Tchaikovsky (excerpt)

Ukraine: … a Genocide?

08 Friday Apr 2022

Posted by michelinewalker in Autocracy, Ukraine, Ukraine War

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Battle of Poltava, Charles XII, Complicity, Genocide, Great Northern War, Sweden

Charles XII and Mazepa at Dnieper River after the Battle of Poltava by Gustaf Cederström (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Great Northern War

Sweden and “Ukraine” were Allies at the Battle of Poltava (8 July 1709).
Both Sweden, under Charles XII, and Ukraine, under Ivan Mazepa, fell to Peter I, Peter the Great, at the Battle of Poltava.
Poltava was a decisive step in the rise of the Russian Empire, which began in 1721.

The image above is confusing. It shows Charles XII of Sweden and Ivan Mazepa of Ukraine, also called Ruthenia, at the Battle of Poltava, fought on 8 July 1709. Sweden and Ukraine were allies in the Great Northern War (1700-1721). Ivan Mazepa was the Hetman of Zaporizhian Host, a Cossack Hetmanate, in 1687–1708. A Hetman was a leader. Tsar Peter’s wish for near supremacy over Hetmanates threatened what has become present-day Ukraine.

Sweden’s defeat at Poltava was a turning point in the history of Europe. After the Battle of Poltava, Charles XII and Ivan Mazepa fled to Turkey for protection. Ivan Mazepa died in Turkey at the age of 70. In 1721, Sweden ceased to be an Empire, and Ukraine remained under Russian control until 1991, or the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Ukraine had also been autonomous for a few years after the Russian Revolution of 1917.

A Nation

Under the control of Sweden, Ukrainians were likely to gain more independence and escape brutality. It did not during World War I (See Alchetron.com). Cruelty toward Ukrainians did not start with the current invasion of Ukraine. When Tsar Nicholas II ordered the quelling of riots at Odessa, it was a blood bath. But Ukraine always remained a nation. Many Ukrainians speak Russian, but they have retained their own language, and they are the Petits Russes who commandeered the Potemkin.

Complicity …

Ukraine has survived as a nation, so a nation is not necessarily a country. Ukraine did not have territorial integrity until 1991, but its territorial integrity is now threatened by Vladimir Putin’s invasion. Ukraine has been attacked, and it is defending its territory. So, what we are witnessing isn’t altogether a war. It is an invasion, and it seems a genocide. I read and heard that Russians did not know what was happening in Ukraine. This could be the case, but I wish they knew Putin has invaded Ukraine and could help send their President to an international court of justice. The more prolonged Putin’s attacks and destruction, the more substantial the bill, assuming Putin fails to annihilate Ukraine. He must not be successful. Sanctions may not suffice, and various ententes to prevent war could turn the world into Vladimir Putin’s accomplice.

RELATED ARTICLES

A Brief Disappearance (6 April 2022)
Ukraine: The Battle of Poltava (5 April 2022)
The War in Ukraine: la petite Russie (1^stApril 2022)
The Great Gate of Kiev [sic] (21 March 2022)
Sweden’s Age of Liberty, Part Two (9 November 2018)
Sweden’s Age of Liberty, Part One (8 November 2018)
Europe (page)

Love to everyone 💕

Peter the Great by Alexandre Benois (WikiArt.org)

Ukraine: the Battle of Poltava

05 Tuesday Apr 2022

Posted by michelinewalker in Russia, Russian Literature, Russian Music, Ukraine, Ukraine War

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

Mazepa, Tchaikovsky, Ukraine, War in Ukraine

“Onwards Ukraine,” a mural in Paris by the street artist Seth. Sarah Meyssonnier/Reuters

Vladimir Putin: a Dictator

It is horrific. The atrocities committed at Bucha qualify as a war crime, but although the world grieves, the world will not defend Ukraine. Ironically, our best defence, NATO and the European Union, have turned into weapons. What about the United Nations?

Vladimir Putin knows that nations will stand still for fear that he, Vladimir Putin, one man, will trigger a Third World War. Putin has allies in what President Biden has described as a fight between autocracy and democracy. But Putin leads the pack.

Now that Vladimir Putin has ceased to be a world leader to change into a “dictator,” he can no longer go anywhere except an international court of justice where he will be tried as a criminal. But who will take him there? Putin is surrounded by his military, and he is, in fact, part of the military.

Putin has betrayed his people. Russians are fleeing, and he has nearly destroyed Ukraine. He is turning Ukraine into a petite Russie, and former Soviet nations bordering the Adriatic Sea and the Baltic Sea could be attacked. Finland is afraid. It shares a border with Russia.

Mazepa and the Battle of Poltava

Ukrainians, however, are a nation and Ukraine is a country. They have heroes, perhaps the main one being the great Yvan Mazepa (Wikipedia).

Mazepa lost the Battle of Poltava to Russian emperor Peter the Great. It was the final battle. Mazepa also inspired other composers and writers, and a 1993 film features Mazepa.

Lord Byron – Mazeppa, poem (1818)
Alexander Pushkin – Poltava, poem (1828–1829)
Victor Hugo – Mazeppa, poem (1829)
Juliusz Słowacki – Mazeppa, drama (1840)
Franz Liszt – Mazeppa, symphonic poem (1851); Transcendental Étude No. 4.
Marie Grandval – Mazeppa, opera (1892)
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky – Mazeppa, opera (1881–1883)
Michael William Balfe – The Page, cantata (1861)
Taras Shevchenko
Kondraty Ryleyev
A Ukrainian-language film by Yuri Ilyenko, loosely based on historical facts and called Молитва за гетьмана Мазепу (Molytva za hetmana Mazepu), was released in 2002.
The Italian composer Carlo Pedrotti wrote a tragic opera titled Mazeppa in 1861, on a libretto by Achille de Lauzières.