Editing History of Russia (section)

==Early history==

===Early Slavs===
{{Main|East Slavs|Rus' Khaganate}}
Some of the ancestors of the modern [[Russians]] were the [[Slavic peoples|Slavic tribes]], whose original home is thought by some scholars to have been the [[Pripet Marshes]].<ref>For a discussion of Slavic origins, see Paul M. Barford, ''The Early Slavs'', Cornell University Press, 2001, pp. 15–16. {{ISBN|0-8014-3977-9}}.</ref> The [[Early East Slavs]] gradually settled [[Western Russia]] in two waves: one moving from [[Kiev]] (present-day [[Ukraine]]) towards present-day [[Suzdal]] and [[Murom]] and another from [[Polotsk]] (present-day [[Belarus]]) towards [[Novgorod]] and [[Rostov, Yaroslavl Oblast|Rostov]].<ref name=Christian2>David Christian, op cit., pp. 6–7.</ref>

From the 7th century onwards, East Slavs constituted the bulk of the population in Western Russia<ref name=Christian2/> and slowly conquered and assimilated the native [[Finnic peoples|Finnic]] and [[Baltic peoples|Baltic tribes]], such as the [[Merya people|Merya]],<ref>Henry K Paszkiewicz, ''The Making of the Russian Nation'', Darton, Longman & Todd, 1963, p. 262.</ref> the [[Muromians]],<ref>Ed. [[Timothy Reuter]], ''The New Cambridge Medieval History'', Volume 3, Cambridge University Press, 1995, pp. 494-497. {{ISBN|0-521-36447-7}}.</ref> and the [[Meshchera]].<ref name="Mongait">[[Aleksandr Lʹvovich Mongaĭt]], ''Archeology in the U.S.S.R.'', Foreign Languages Publishing House, 1959, p. 335.</ref>

===Kievan Rus' (862–1240)===
{{Main|Kievan Rus'}}
[[File:Варяги.jpg|thumb|left|''[[Calling of the Varangians]]'' by [[Viktor Vasnetsov]]]]
[[Scandinavia]]n Norsemen, known as [[Vikings]] in Western Europe and [[Varangian]]s{{sfn|Magocsi|2010|p=55, 59–60}} in the East, combined [[piracy]] and trade throughout Northern Europe. In the mid-9th century, they began to venture along the waterways from the eastern [[Baltic Sea|Baltic]] to the [[Black Sea|Black]] and [[Caspian Sea]]s.<ref>Dimitri Obolensky, ''Byzantium and the Slavs'', St Vladimir's Seminary Press, 1994, p. 42. {{ISBN|0-88141-008-X}}.</ref> According to the legendary [[Calling of the Varangians]], recorded in several [[Rus' chronicle]]s such as the ''[[Novgorod First Chronicle]]'' and ''[[Primary Chronicle]]'', the Varangians [[Rurik]], [[Sineus and Truvor]] were invited in the 860s to restore order in three towns – either [[Novgorod]] (most texts) or [[Staraya Ladoga]] (''[[Hypatian Codex]]''); [[Beloozero]]; and [[Izborsk]] (most texts) or "Slovensk" (''Pskov Third Chronicle''), respectively.{{sfn|Martin|2009b|p=3}}{{sfn|Magocsi|2010|p=55, 59–60}}{{sfn|Cross|Sherbowitz-Wetzor|1953|p=38–39}}<ref name=Curtis>[http://www.shsu.edu/~his_ncp/Kievan.html Kievan Rus' and Mongol Periods] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927230631/http://www.shsu.edu/~his_ncp/Kievan.html |date=27 September 2007 }}, excerpted from Glenn E. Curtis (ed.), ''Russia: A Country Study'', Department of the Army, 1998. {{ISBN|0-16-061212-8}}.</ref> Their successors allegedly moved south and extended their authority to [[Kiev]],<ref>James Westfall Thompson, and Edgar Nathaniel Johnson, ''An Introduction to Medieval Europe, 300–1500'', W. W. Norton & Co., 1937, p. 268.</ref> which had been previously dominated by the Khazars.<ref>David Christian, Op cit. p. 343.</ref>

Thus, the first East Slavic state, [[Kievan Rus|Rus']], emerged in the 9th century along the [[Dnieper River]] valley.<ref name=Curtis/> A coordinated group of princely states with a common interest in maintaining trade along the river routes, Kievan Rus' controlled [[Trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks|the trade route for furs, wax, and slaves]] between Scandinavia and the [[Byzantine Empire]] along the [[Volkhov River|Volkhov]] and Dnieper Rivers.<ref name=Curtis/>

By the end of the 10th century, the minority [[Old Norse language|Norse]] military aristocracy had merged with the native Slavic population,<ref>Particularly among the aristocracy. See {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20070718120101/http://history-world.org/BYZ4.htm World History]}}. Retrieved 22 July 2007.</ref> which also absorbed [[Byzantine Greece|Greek]] Christian influences in the course of the multiple [[Rus'–Byzantine War (disambiguation)|campaigns]] to loot [[Tsargrad]], or [[Constantinople]].<ref>See Dimitri Obolensky, "Russia's Byzantine Heritage," in ''Byzantium & the Slavs'', St Vladimir's Seminary Press, 1994, pp. 75–108. {{ISBN|0-88141-008-X}}.</ref> One such campaign claimed the life of the foremost Slavic [[druzhina]] leader, [[Svyatoslav I]], who was renowned for having crushed the power of the [[Khazars]] on the Volga.<ref>Serhii Plokhy, ''The Origins of the Slavic Nations: Premodern Identities in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus'', Cambridge University Press, 2006, p. 13. {{ISBN|0-521-86403-8}}.</ref>

[[File:Kievan-rus-1015-1113-(en).png|thumb|right|Kievan Rus' after the [[Council of Liubech]] in 1097]]
Kievan Rus' is important for its introduction of a [[Russian Orthodox Church|Slavic variant]] of the [[Eastern Orthodoxy|Eastern Orthodox]] religion,<ref name=Curtis/> dramatically deepening a synthesis of Byzantine and Slavic cultures that defined Russian culture for the next thousand years. The region [[Christianization of Kievan Rus'|adopted Christianity in 988]] by the official act of public [[baptism]] of Kiev inhabitants by [[Vladimir I of Kiev|Prince Vladimir I]].<ref>See [http://www.dur.ac.uk/a.k.harrington/christin.html The Christianisation of Russia] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070727221316/http://www.dur.ac.uk/a.k.harrington/christin.html |date=27 July 2007 }}, an account of Vladimir's baptism, followed by the baptism of the entire population of Kiev, as described in ''The Russian Primary Chronicle''.</ref> Some years later the first code of laws, [[Russkaya Pravda]], was introduced by [[Yaroslav the Wise]].<ref name="Smith">Gordon Bob Smith, ''Reforming the Russian Legal System'', Cambridge University Press, 1996, pp. 2–3. {{ISBN|0-521-45669-X}}.</ref> From the onset, the Kievan princes followed the Byzantine example and kept the Church dependent on them.<ref>P. N. Fedosejev, ''The Comparative Historical Method in Soviet Mediaeval Studies'', USSR Academy of Sciences, 1979. p. 90.</ref>

By the 11th century, particularly during the reign of [[Yaroslav the Wise]], Kievan Rus' displayed an economy and achievements in architecture and literature superior to those that then existed in the western part of the continent.<ref>Russell Bova, ''Russia and Western Civilization: Cultural and Historical Encounters'', M.E. Sharpe, 2003, p. 13. {{ISBN|0-7656-0976-2}}.</ref> Compared with the languages of European Christendom, the [[Russian language]] was little influenced by the [[Greek language|Greek]] and [[Latin]] of early Christian writings.<ref name=Curtis/> This was because [[Church Slavonic]] was used directly in [[liturgy]] instead.<ref>Timothy Ware: ''The Orthodox Church'' (Penguin, 1963; 1997 revision) p. 74</ref>
A nomadic Turkic people, the [[Kipchaks]] (also known as the Cumans), replaced the earlier [[Pechenegs]] as the dominant force in the south steppe regions neighbouring to Rus' at the end of the 11th century and founded a nomadic state in the steppes along the Black Sea (Desht-e-Kipchak). Repelling their regular attacks, especially in Kiev, was a heavy burden for the southern areas of Rus'. The nomadic incursions caused a massive influx of Slavs to the safer, heavily forested regions of the north, particularly to the area known as [[Zalesye]].{{citation needed|date=May 2023}}

Kievan Rus' ultimately disintegrated as a state because of in-fighting between members of the princely family that ruled it collectively. Kiev's dominance waned, to the benefit of [[Vladimir-Suzdal]] in the north-east, [[Novgorod Republic|Novgorod]] in the north, and [[Halych-Volhynia]] in the south-west. Conquest by the [[Mongol]] [[Golden Horde]] in the 13th century was the final blow. Kiev was destroyed.<ref name="Hamm">In 1240. See Michael Franklin Hamm, ''Kiev: A Portrait, 1800–1917'', Princeton University Press, 1993. {{ISBN|0-691-02585-1}}</ref> Halych-Volhynia would eventually be absorbed into the [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]],<ref name=Curtis/> while the Mongol-dominated Vladimir-Suzdal and independent [[Novgorod Republic]], two regions on the periphery of Kiev, would establish the basis for the modern Russian nation.<ref name=Curtis/>

===Mongol invasion and vassalage (1223–1480)===
{{Main|Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus'|Great Troubles}}
[[File:Mongols vladimir.jpg|thumb|left|The sacking of [[Vladimir, Russia|Vladimir]] by [[Batu Khan]] in February 1238]]

The invading [[Mongols]] accelerated the fragmentation of the [[Kievan Rus'|Rus]]'. In 1223, the disunited southern princes faced a Mongol raiding party at the [[Battle of the Kalka River|Kalka River]] and were soundly defeated.<ref>See [[David Nicolle]], ''Kalka River 1223: Genghis Khan's Mongols Invade Russia'', Osprey Publishing, 2001. {{ISBN|1-84176-233-4}}.</ref> In 1237–1238 the Mongols burnt down the city of [[Vladimir, Russia|Vladimir]] (4 February 1238)<ref>Tatyana Shvetsova, [http://www.vor.ru/English/homeland/home_004.html The Vladimir Suzdal Principality] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080320070136/http://www.vor.ru/English/homeland/home_004.html |date=20 March 2008 }}. Retrieved 21 July 2007.</ref> and other major cities of northeast Russia, routed the Russians [[Battle of the Sit River|at the Sit' River]],{{sfn|Martin|2004|p=139}} and then moved west into [[Poland]] and [[Hungary]]. By then they had conquered most of the Russian principalities.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/citd/RussianHeritage/4.PEAS/4.L/12.III.5.html |title = The Destruction of Kiev |archive-url=https://archive.today/20110427075859/https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/citd/RussianHeritage/4.PEAS/4.L/12.III.5.html |archive-date=27 April 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Only the [[Novgorod Republic]] escaped occupation and continued to flourish in the orbit of the [[Hanseatic League]].<ref>Jennifer Mills, [http://depts.washington.edu/baltic/papers/hansa.html The Hanseatic League in the Eastern Baltic] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629134048/http://depts.washington.edu/baltic/papers/hansa.html |date=29 June 2011 }}, SCAND 344, May 1998. Retrieved 21 July 2007.</ref>

The impact of the Mongol invasion on the territories of Kievan Rus' was uneven. The advanced city culture was almost completely destroyed. As older centers such as Kiev and Vladimir never recovered from the devastation of the initial attack,<ref name="Hamm"/> the new cities of Moscow,<ref name=Curtis2>[http://countrystudies.us/russia/3.htm Muscovy] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110920102514/http://countrystudies.us/russia/3.htm |date=20 September 2011 }}, excerpted from Glenn E. Curtis (ed.), ''Russia: A Country Study'', Department of the Army, 1998. {{ISBN|0-16-061212-8}}.</ref> [[Tver]]<ref name=Curtis2/> and [[Nizhny Novgorod]]<ref>Sigfried J. De Laet, ''History of Humanity: Scientific and Cultural Development'', Taylor & Francis, 2005, p. 196. {{ISBN|92-3-102814-6}}.</ref> began to compete for hegemony in the Mongol-dominated [[Rus' principalities]] under the suzerainty of the [[Golden Horde]]. Although a coalition of Rus' princes led by [[Dmitry Donskoy]] defeated Mongol warlord [[Mamai]] at [[Battle of Kulikovo|Kulikovo]] in 1380,<ref name=Kulikovo>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20070607151328/http://www.fanaticus.org/DBA/battles/Kulikovo/index.html The Battle of Kulikovo (8 September 1380)]}}. Retrieved 22 July 2007.</ref> forces of the new khan [[Tokhtamysh]] and his Rus' allies immediately [[Siege of Moscow (1382)|sacked Moscow in 1382]] as punishment for resisting Mongol authority.{{sfn|Halperin|1987|p=73–75}} Mongol domination of the Rus' principalities, along with tax collection by various overlords such as the [[Crimean Khanate|Crimean Khans]], continued into the early 16th century, despite later claims of Muscovite bookmen that the [[Great Stand on the Ugra River|indecisive standoff at the Ugra in 1480]] had signified "the end of the Tatar yoke" and the "liberation of Russia".{{sfn|Halperin|1987|p=77–78}}

The Mongols dominated the lower reaches of the Volga and held Russia in sway from their western capital at [[Sarai (city)|Sarai]],<ref name="history world">{{cite web|url=http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?historyid=aa76|title=History of the Mongols|publisher=History World|access-date=26 July 2007|archive-date=28 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181028151842/http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?historyid=aa76|url-status=live}}</ref> one of the largest cities of the medieval world. The princes had to pay tribute to the Mongols of the Golden Horde, commonly called [[Tatars]];<ref name="history world" /> but in return they received charters authorizing them to act as deputies to the khans. In general, the princes were allowed considerable freedom to rule as they wished,<ref name="history world" /> while the [[Russian Orthodox Church]] even experienced a spiritual revival.

The Mongols left their impact on the Russians in such areas as military tactics and transportation. Under Mongol occupation, Muscovy also developed its postal road network, census, fiscal system, and military organization.<ref name=Curtis/>

At the same time, Prince of Novgorod, [[Alexander Nevsky]], managed to [[Battle on the Ice|repel the offensive]] of the [[Northern Crusades]] against [[Novgorod Republic|Novgorod]] from the West. Despite this, becoming the Grand Prince, Alexander declared himself a vassal to the Golden Horde, not having the strength to resist its power.{{POV statement|date=November 2020}}