Summary of Mark Galeotti's A Short History of Russia

Everest Media

Description

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book.
Sample Book Insights:
#1 The painting is typical of Vasnetsov’s work. It is detailed and evocative, and it is quite wrong. It shows Prince Ryurik landing on the shores of Lake Ladoga from his distinctive dragon-prowed Viking longship, along with his brothers and retinue.
#2 The lands of the Slavs were attractive to the Scandinavian traders. They were often invaded and conquered by their neighbors, the Turkic tribes. However, they did not settle in these lands.
#3 The lands of the Rus’ were dominated by Scandinavian tribes who had extracted tribute from the northwestern tribes until the risings in 860 forced them from their timber-walled forts. They moved their capital from northern Novgorod to Kiev, and this would remain the dominant city of the Rus’ for centuries.
#4 The Rus’ were a new nomad power that was rising in the south, and they were constantly being challenged by the Kievans, who were conquerors, pirates, and traders not just for greed but also need.

Informations

• Publié par: Everest Media LLC
• Date de parution: 21 mars 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781669356851
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Insights on Mark Galeotti's A Short History of Russia
Contents Insights from Chapter 1 Insights from Chapter 2 Insights from Chapter 3 Insights from Chapter 4 Insights from Chapter 5 Insights from Chapter 6 Insights from Chapter 7 Insights from Chapter 8 Insights from Chapter 9
Insights from Chapter 1

#1

The painting is typical of Vasnetsov’s work. It is detailed and evocative, and it is quite wrong. It shows Prince Ryurik landing on the shores of Lake Ladoga from his distinctive dragon-prowed Viking longship, along with his brothers and retinue.

#2

The lands of the Slavs were attractive to the Scandinavian traders. They were often invaded and conquered by their neighbors, the Turkic tribes. However, they did not settle in these lands.

#3

The lands of the Rus’ were dominated by Scandinavian tribes who had extracted tribute from the northwestern tribes until the risings in 860 forced them from their timber-walled forts. They moved their capital from northern Novgorod to Kiev, and this would remain the dominant city of the Rus’ for centuries.

#4

The Rus’ were a new nomad power that was rising in the south, and they were constantly being challenged by the Kievans, who were conquerors, pirates, and traders not just for greed but also need.

#5

Vladimir, the Rus’ emperor, was a planner and a politician. He expanded the territories under his rule, battling the Pechenegs, conquering tribes, and seizing towns. He had defenses thrown up around Kiev, with the mighty Snake Ramparts securing it from the south.

#6

Vladimir’s aim was to marry Anna, the sister of the Byzantine emperor. He agreed to become a Christian, and the Byzantines agreed to support his bid for the throne.

#7

The first to test this was Yaroslav the Wise, who stopped sending his father tribute in 1014. Vladimir began to muster forces to reassert his power, but he died the next year, before he had a chance to launch his punitive expedition.

#8

Yaroslav’s reign was one of paradoxical successes. He took back the lands seized by Bolesław, conquered territories in what is now Estonia, and routed a Pecheneg siege of Kiev. However, this also held within it the seeds of political fragmentation.

#9

The cities and principalities that arose around them became more powerful and prosperous, and they provided the economic basis that allowed the princes to wage their private wars. They also began to acquire their own voices, especially through the veche, a town assembly.

#10

By the beginning of the thirteenth century, Kiev had risen to become the capital of a land built on trade and conquest. However, its ambitions had outrun its influence. The Mongols were coming, and the divided, self-absorbed principalities of the Rus’ had no idea what that would mean.