The Mongols in Russia

Kurultai held by Ogotai.—Sarai, the Mongol capital.—Patriarchal system of Russia.—Rurik, 862.—Death of Rurik, 879.—Oleg, successor of Rurik.—Askold and Dir.—Oleg takes Kief.—Exp...

Death of Vsevolod, 1093.—Sviatopolk, Prince of Kief.—Conflict between Sviatopolk and the Polovtsi.—Defeat of Sviatopolk.—Polovtsi attack Kief.—Polovtsi army led in by Oleg.—Sieg...

Death of Andrei.—Vyacheslav takes Pereyaslavl.—Vsevolod calls a council.—Siege of Pereyaslavl by dissatisfied heirs.—Defeat of the besiegers.—Vsevolod asks aid of Sviatosha.—Izy...

Izyaslav and the King of Hungary attack Vladimirko, 1151.—Escape of Vladimirko.—Vladimirko declares that he is dying and begs for peace.—Izyaslav yields.—Vladimirko sends troops...

Death of Mihalko, 1176.—Men of Vladimir kiss the cross to Vsevolod.—Vsevolod gives Rostoff to Mystislav.—Mystislav invades Vladimir.—Battle near Yurieff.—Flight of Mystislav.—Tr...

Death of Vladimir of Pereyaslavl.—Inheritance of Pereyaslavl by the Prince of Vladimir.—Onrush of Polovtsi.—Grief of Igor.—Escape of Igor from imprisonment among Polovtsi.—Polov...

Death of Roman, 1205.—Rurik, the monk, again prince in Kief.—Quarrels in Galitch.—Escape of Roman’s widow and children.—Desire of Andrei to establish Daniel in Galitch, 1206.—Ch...

Triumph of Mystislav the Gallant.—Superiority of Mystislav over Russian princes.—Marriage of Daniel, Roman’s son.—Success of Daniel.—Perilous position of Daniel.—Endurance of Da...

The Baltic coast.—Kors and Livs.—Merchants of the 12th century.—Visit of Meinhardt to Polotsk, 1186–7.—Attack of Kors and Livs on the Germans.—Founding of Holm or Kirchholm.—Con...

Vladimir, son of Rurik, prince in Kief.—Trouble over the Kief principality.—Michael of Chernigoff.—War throughout Galitch and Volynia, from 1230 to 1240.—Escape of Daniel.—Defea...

Despair of Michael of Chernigoff, 1245.—Youth of Michael.—Return of Michael to the ruins of Chernigoff.—Preparations to visit the Horde.—Arrival at Sarai.—Refusal of Michael to...

Yaroslav prince in Vladimir.—Return of Yaroslav to Vladimir.—Survival of Novgorod.—Victory of Alexander on the Neva, 1240.—Indecision of Novgorod.—Attack of towns on the Klyazma...

“Lord Novgorod.”—Novgorod “liberties.”—Insolence and unrest of Novgorod.—Disgrace of Yaroslav.—Excitement in Novgorod.—Riot in Novgorod.—Persistence of Nevski.—Nevski’s message...

Return of Yuri with Khan’s patent.—Death of Boris, Yuri’s brother.—Gift of land by Yuri to his brother Ivan.—Visit of Ivan of Moscow to the Horde, 1320.—Marriage of princes.—Qua...

Increase of Lithuania, 1340.—Simeon successor of Ivan of Moscow.—Complaint of Simeon against Novgorod.—Outbreak in Torjok.—March of Simeon to Torjok.—Reign of Simeon.—Trouble in...

Visit of Michael to the Horde, 1371.—Cost of Mamai’s good-will.—Desire of Dmitri to make war on the Mongols.—Discouragement in Moscow.—Decision of Dmitri to visit the Horde.—Rec...

Fresh troops assembled by Mamai.—Tohtamish declared heir of Batu.—Slaughter among Mongols.—Demand from Tohtamish that all the Russian princes should come to Sarai.—Indignation i...

Death of Foti, 1431.—Succession of Iona.—Church divisions and troubles.—Union of Churches.—Mohammed expelled from the Horde by Kutchuk.—Mongol troops sent against Russia, 1445.—...

Birth of Ivan III, January 22, 1440.—Consolidation of Russia.—Decline of Novgorod.—Martha Boretski, the Novgorod patriot, favors Kazimir.—Defeat of the Boretski party.—Disputes...

Feofil, Archbishop of Moscow, 1471.—Marriage of Ivan of Moscow to Sophia.—Journey of Sophia to Russia.—Trouble with the Roman legate.—Advance of Ivan to Novgorod.—Hospitality of...

In my history of the Mongols we have seen how Hulagu beguiled the Assassins and slaughtered them. We have seen also how he ended the Kalifat at Bagdad, showing no more regard fo...

In 1093 Vsevolod died at the age of sixty-four. His successor was Sviatopolk, son of Izyaslav, a weak and worthless man. Then came trouble and turmoil. “Those were days,” an old...

The death of Andrei, son of Monomach, brought many changes. Vsevolod induced Vyacheslav, Yuri’s brother, to take Pereyaslavl, that city which led to the Kief succession, and lea...

In 1151 the Kief prince and King Geiza of Hungary attacked Vladimirko near Peremysl, where, though hemmed in by the armies, he managed to escape to the town with a single attend...

Peace in Vladimir was short-lived, however. Mihalko died that year, 1176. The men of Vladimir acknowledged Vsevolod and kissed the cross to him, as did all the Suzdal men then i...

Igor lived in captivity among the Polovtsi, but without hardship. His servants were left with him; he had his own equerry. He was even allowed to hunt. Men set to guard his tent...

When Roman’s death became known, Chermny, Prince of Chernigoff, set out for Kief. But the monk Rurik was in the city before him. Throwing off his habit, he ruled again in the an...

Mystislav returned to Novgorod in triumph, but the mad rage of factions had not become weaker in the interval, and he was forced to take strong measures. Many boyars were banish...

To understand the difficulties of the situation in the north Baltic region, it will be necessary to describe it somewhat in detail. In the tenth century the Russian coast on the...

After Vladimir of Smolensk had perished at the Kalka, Vladimir, son of Rurik, who returned from that disastrous battle, took the Kief throne as the senior prince and favorite co...

Michael of Chernigoff wished to show how a Russian prince could bear himself when in despair over the ruin of his country, and when he felt that a Christian could not live under...

After Yuri’s death on the Siti, in 1238, the Vladimir throne of Dolgoruki and Big Nest was taken by his eldest brother, Yaroslav. Yaroslav thought of his birthplace in that sple...

In 1252–1253 Alexander Nevski began rule and was the real successor of Yaroslav, his father. When Andrei had grown weary of exile, he begged Nevski to intercede for him at the H...

In 1319, Yuri returned from the Horde with the Khan’s patent making him Grand Prince. According to old Russian rules, he was equal to the sons of Prince Michael. If they were su...

After the death of Ivan, who died a few months before Uzbek, his sons Simeon, Ivan, and Andrei went to Sarai. Other princes went hither also, among them Constantine, son of Mich...

Michael, deserted by Olgerd, made peace with Dmitri but only to go to the Horde, which he visited January, 1371. Judging by what he accomplished, he was received well by Mamai,...

Mamai fled from Kulikovo and assembled a fresh and numerous army to take revenge on Dmitri for his triumph. But suddenly a new enemy rose up against him: Tohtamish, made Khan on...

Foti, the metropolitan, died in 1431. His successor was Iona, who was born at Soli-Galitch, a place north of the Volga. The late metropolitan had favored Iona, and foretold his...

On January 22, 1440, Ivan III, son of Vassili the Blind, was born. This future solidifier of Russia passed his youth in the turmoil and terror of civil dissension, during which...

In 1471 Feofil, the archbishop, was anointed in Moscow, and obtained from the Grand Prince release for boyars in detention. The next year Ivan married Sophia Palaeologus, a niec...