Today I’m going to explain you about The Kievan Rus

PROJECT PLAN
PROJECT PLAN
MAIN TERMS
HISTORY
QUESTIONS
OTHER TOPICS
KEY EVENTS :
KEIVAN RUS
VLADIMIR AS A PRINCE
CONVERSION TO ORTHODOX CHRISTIANITY
YAROSLAV AS A PRINCE

Imp. Tribes or Community :
Slavs – People of the Black Forest Region north of the Black Sea. They were Russia’s 1st unified territory.
Varagians – They worked their way south along the rivers, trading with and collecting tribute from the Slavs.
People to Know :
Rurik
Vladimir
Yaroslav
KEY TERMS TO KNOW

BEGINNINGS OF KEIVAN RUS
The lands that made up Kievan Rus were located in the forest zone of Eastern Europe populated mainly by Slavic and Finnic tribes.
They began trading with Byzantine Empire.
In early 9th Century (Around 800s) Scandian adventurers (Varagians or Rus) entered the Slav lands attracted by the silver at the market centres. They took over the Slav lands. They established important city of Novgorod.
Picture of Kievan Rus in Map

KEIVAN RUS
They also conducted a thriving trade with Constantinople(Capital of Byzantine Empire).
The city of Kiev was located at the heart of this vital trade network. In time, it would become the center of the first Russian state.
In 862, a Varangian named Rurik became the prince of Novgorod, a northern town on the East Slav trading route.
Rurik was the sole ruler until his death in 879 or 882. A ruler named Oleg, then ruled on behalf of Rurik's young son Igor.
Viking Invasion or Expansion during 9th Century

KEIVAN RUS
After Oleg’s death (912) Igor ruled until 945; he was killed by the Drevliane tribe due to its Greed.
Igor’s wife, Olga, tookover the rule after him. Their son, Sviatoslav, claimed his father’s place in 962.
Oleg in 907 and Igor, in 944, conducted military campaigns against Constantinople (The capital of the Byzantine Empire), which resulted in permitting the Rus to trade around every corner of the known world.
Sviatoslav (962–72) continued to expand his forefathers’ domain.
In 968, he was returning to Kiev when he was killed by the Pechenegs (a Turkic tribe) in 972.

VLADIMIR REIGN AS A GRAND PRINCE OF KEIV
One of the most important princes of Kiev was Vladimir I, a good soldier and a strong ruler
Shortly after Sviatoslav's death his son Yaropolk became prince of Kiev, but conflict erupted between him and his brothers.
After one died in battle against him, another brother, Vladimir, fled from Novgorod, to raise an army in Scandinavia. Upon his return in 980, he first engaged the prince of Polotsk.
Victorious, Vladimir married the prince’s daughter and associated the prince’s military to his own army, with which he then defeated Yaropolk and seized the throne of Kiev.
He was the sole ruler of the East Slav tribes. His family, ruled the lands of Rus until 1598.
Vladimir I

CONVERSION OF KIEVAN RUS TO EASTERN ORTHODOC CHRISTIANITY
Early Myths of Christianization :
The original Rus territory was comprised of hundreds of small towns, each with its own beliefs and religious practices. Many of these practices were based on pagan and localized traditions. The first mention of any attempts to bring Christianity to Rus appears around 860.
The Byzantine Patriarch Photius penned a letter in the year 867 that described the Rus region right after the Rus-Byzantine War of 860.
According to Photius, the people of the region appeared enthusiastic about the new religion and he claims to have sent a bishop to convert the population.
However, this low-ranking official did not successfully convert the population of Rus.

Constantinople and Conversion :
After getting the throne of Kiev, Vladimir spent the next decade expanding his holdings.He also remained a practicing pagan during these first years of his rule.
However, the Primary Chronicle (one of the few written documents about this time) states that in 987 Vladimir decided to send envoys to investigate the various religions neighboring Kievan Rus’.
The envoys that came back from Constantinople reported that the festivities and the presence of God in the Christian Orthodox faith were more beautiful than anything they had ever seen, convincing Vladimir of his future religion.
Another version of events claims that Basil II of Byzantine needed a military help. In this version of the story, Vladimir demanded a royal marriage in return for his military help.
In either version, Vladimir vied for the hand of Anna, the sister of the Basil II. In order to marry her he was baptized in the Orthodox faith with the name Basil, a nod to his future brother-in-law.
CONVERSION OF KIEVAN RUS TO EASTERN ORTHODOC CHRISTIANITY

He returned to Kiev with his bride in 988 and proceeded to destroy all pagan temples and monuments.
He also built the first stone church in Kiev named the Church of the Tithes starting in 989.
Baptism of Kiev :
On his return in 988, Vladimir baptized his twelve sons in official recognition of the new faith. He also sent out a message to all residents of Kiev to appear at the Dnieper River the following day.
The next day the residents of Kiev who appeared were baptized (immersive in water or dive) in the river while Orthodox priests prayed. This event became known as the Baptism of Kiev.
Vladimir became a symbol of the Russian Orthodox religion, and when he died in 1015 his body parts were distributed throughout the country to serve as holy relics.
CONVERSION OF KIEVAN RUS TO EASTERN ORTHODOC CHRISTIANITY

YAROSLAV REIGNS AS A GRANG PRINCE OF KEIV
OVERVIEW :
Yaroslav the Wise was the Grand Prince of Kiev from 1016 until his death in 1954.
He was also vice-regent of Novgorod from 1010 to 1015 before his father, Vladimir the Great, died.
During his reign he was known for spreading Christianity to the people of Rus, founding the first monasteries in the country, encouraging foreign alliances, and translating Greek texts in Church Slavonic.
He also created some of the first legal codes in Kievan Rus’. These accomplishments during his lengthy rule granted him the title of Yaroslav the Wise in early chronicles of his life
Yaroslav The Wise

Youth and Rise to Power :
Yaroslav was the son of the Prince Vladimir the Great.
His youth remains shrouded in mystery. Evidence from the Primary Chronicle and examination of his skeleton suggests that he was most likely born around the year 978.
He was set as vice-regent of Novgorod in 1010. In this same time period Vladimir granted the Kievan throne to his younger son, Boris.
Yaroslav refused to pay Novgorodian tribute to Kiev in 1014, and due to this a bitter civil war between the brothers happen.
Yaroslav won the first battle at Kiev against Sviatopolk (his brother) in 1016 and Sviatopolk was forced to flee to Poland.
After this significant triumph Yaroslav’s granted freedoms to the Novgorod Republic, who had helped him gain the Kievan throne. These first steps also most likely led to the first legal code in Kievan Rus under Yaroslav called Russkaia Pravda.
YAROSLAV REIGNS AS A GRANG PRINCE OF KEIV

Wise Reign :
Yaroslav garnered his thoughtful reputation due to his prolific years in power. He was a ruler that loved literature, religion, and the written language. His many accomplishments included:
Building the Saint Sophia Cathedral and the first monasteries in Russia, named Saint George and Saint Irene.
Developing a more established hierarchy within the Russian Orthodox Church, including a statute outlining the rights of the clergy and establishing the sobor of bishops.
Beautifying Kiev with elements of design taken from the Byzantine Empire, including the Golden Gate of Kiev.
Compiling the first book of laws in Kievan Rus’, called the Pravda Yaroslava.
DEATH :
The Grand Prince Yaroslav I died in 1054 and was buried in Saint Sophia’s Cathedral. His expansion of culture and military might, along with his unification of Kievan Rus, left a powerful impression on Russian history.
YAROSLAV REIGNS AS A GRANG PRINCE OF KEIV

Thanks!
Questions Regarging Topic :
How would Kiev become the center of the first Russian state ?
How Vladimir get the throne of Kiev ?
Around which time the first mention of any attempts to bring Christianity to Rus appears ?
Which Church was Built By Vladimir in 989 ?
Yaroslav known for which things During it’s Reign?