The Byzantine Influence on Russia



The Byzantine Influence on Russia World History/Napp

“The Byzantines greatly influenced the people of Eastern Europe. The people of Eastern Europe are called Slavs. The Slavs moved from central Asia into the present-day countries of Russia, Ukraine, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Croatia, and Poland. The largest group of Slavs was the Russians.

The Slavs admired Byzantine civilization. Around 900 C.E., two Byzantine monks began to preach to the Slavs. The monks, Cyril and Methodius, converted many Slavs to Christianity. The Slavs had no written language. The monks invented an alphabet for their spoken language. This alphabet is called the Cyrillic alphabet. Byzantine Christianity helped bring the people of Eastern Europe together. The Slavs accepted the Eastern Orthodox Church, the religion of the Byzantines. However, most of the rest of Europe belonged to the Roman Catholic Church. This difference isolated the Slavs from the rest of Europe.

The Byzantines traded greatly with Russia. Trade encouraged cultural diffusion. The Russians built their churches to look like Byzantine churches. In addition, the absolute power held by Byzantine emperors became a model for future Russian rulers. The roots of Eastern European culture can be traced to the contributions of the Byzantines.” ~ World History

Questions:

- Who are the Slavs and what present-day countries do the Slavs live in?

- In what continent and specifically what part of that continent do the Slavs live?

- Why are the Russians a significant Slavic group?

- Who were Cyril and Methodius and what did they do?

- Why is the Cyrillic alphabet significant?

- Why did conversion to Eastern Orthodoxy separate the Slavs from the rest of Europe?

- Define cultural diffusion.

- Why does trade encourage cultural diffusion?

- Provide examples of cultural diffusion from the reading.

- Although the Byzantine Empire collapsed long ago, its influence is still present in the world. Prove that the Byzantine Empire is still present in the world.

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Word Bank:

Roman, Constantinople, Trade, Hagia Sophia, Orthodox Christian, Icons, Alphabet, Byzantine, Justinian, Religion

Interesting Historical Fact:

“The most powerful woman in Byzantine history rose from deep poverty. Early in life, Theodora was an actress. Eventually, she met Justinian, and in 525 married. As empress, Theodora met with foreign envoys, passed laws, and built churches. During one political crisis, Theodora even confiscated the property of the general Belisarius. After she died in 548, Justinian was so depressed that he no major laws for the rest of his reign.” ~ World History

- Who was Theodora and why was her rise to power remarkable?

- Why was she a significant person in Byzantine history?

“Historians give 862 C.E. as the date Russia was founded. In that year, Prince Rurik became ruler. His capital was Kiev. It was located on the Dnieper River – one of the main north-south water trade routes. Whoever controlled Kiev controlled Russia’s trade with Constantinople. Centrally located, Kiev became a prosperous trading center, and from there many Russians visited Constantinople. These exchanges led to growing knowledge of Christianity.

King Vladimir I, a Rurik descendant who ruled from 980 to 1015, finally took the step of converting to Christianity not only in his own name but in that of all his people. He was eager to avoid the papal influence that came with Roman Catholicism, which he knew about through the experiences of the Polish kingdom; Orthodox Christianity gave a valid alternative that still provided a replacement for animism. Islam was rejected, according to one account, because Vladimir could not accept a religion that forbade alcoholic drink. Russian awe at the splendor of religious services in Constantinople also played a role. Having made his decision, Vladimir proceeded to organize mass baptisms for his subjects, forcing conversions by military pressure. Early church leaders were imported from Byzantium, and they helped train a literate Russian priesthood. As in Byzantium, the king characteristically controlled major appointments, and a separate Russian church institution soon developed.” ~ World History

 

Questions:

- Who was Rurik and what was the capital of the early Russian state?

- How did the capital’s location on the Dnieper River affect its development?

- Why did the location of the capital lead to cultural diffusion?

- Who was Vladimir and how did he change Russian history?

- Why did Vladimir reject Roman Catholicism?

- Why did Vladimir reject Islam?

- Why did Vladimir accept Orthodox Christianity?

- How did Vladimir get his subjects to convert to Orthodox Christianity?

- Religion is a powerful influence in a people’s cultural ways of living. Yet sometimes religions spread from one culture to another. How do religions spread? When religions spread, do people forsake all of their previous religious beliefs? Finally, do religions change over time or do they remain the same? What are the forces that keep religion a dynamic component in a people and a culture’s way of life?

|Base your answer to the question on the passage below and on your|3. “Western Europe owed a debt of gratitude to the Empire that |

|knowledge of social studies. |for almost a thousand years ensured the survival of Christianity |

| |during a time when Europe was too weak to accomplish the task.” |

|… Aside from female saints, the women described in the greatest | |

|detail by Byzantine authors are empresses and aristocrats. |Which empire is referred to in this quotation? |

|Although they had a certain amount of freedom, these women were |1.Hellenistic |

|held to very much the same standards as average women in |2.Mongol |

|Byzantine society: modesty, piety, and self-control were traits |3.Byzantine |

|of an ideal woman. To preserve their modesty, young unmarried |4.Ottoman |

|women rarely went out in public alone, and married women who did | |

|not have jobs outside the home left the house only for specific |Base your answer to question on the photograph below and on your |

|reasons, such as to go to the market, to church, or to the baths.|knowledge of social studies. |

|By the middle Byzantine period, it was thought appropriate for |[pic] |

|women, when they did go out, to cover their heads …. |4. Which civilization most influenced the style of Russian |

|— Molly Fulghum Heintz, “Work,” in Ioli Kalavrezou, Byzantine |architecture shown in this photograph? |

|Women and Their World, Harvard University Art Museums, 2003 |Umayyad |

|(adapted) |Byzantine |

| |French |

|1. Which statement about Byzantine society is best supported by |Persian |

|this passage? | |

|1. Empresses and aristocrats were more important than female | |

|saints. | |

|2. All women were expected to adhere to similar standards. | |

|3. Most women had jobs outside the home. | |

|4. Young unmarried women were encouraged to be independent. | |

| | |

|2. After the fall of Rome, the eastern portion of the Roman | |

|Empire became known as the | |

|Persian Empire | |

|Byzantine Empire | |

|Mongol Empire | |

|Gupta Empire | |

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