Russian History in Persons. From the Middle Ages to Enlightened Absolutism

The Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation 
Kazan National Research Technological University 
A. Pichugin, N. Kraysman
RUSSIAN HISTORY IN PERSONS 
FROM THE MIDDLE AGES TO ENLIGHTENED 
ABSOLUTISM 
Tutorial 
Kazan 
KNRTU Press 
2023 

 
UDC 94/99(075) 
BBK Т214я7 
 
 
 
 
Published by the decision of the Editorial Review Board  
of the Kazan National Research Technological University 
 
Reviewers: 
PhD in History B. Khamidullin  
PhD in History R. Sattarov 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Pichugin А. 
Russian History in Persons. From the Middle Ages to Enlightened Absolutism : 
Tutorial / A. Pichugin, N. Kraysman; The Ministry of Education and Science of 
the Russian Federation, Kazan National Research Technological University. – 
Kazan : KNRTU Press, 2023. – 96 p. 
 
ISBN 978-5-7882-3435-9 
 
Volume I of the Study Guide covers Russia' history from the Middle Ages to 
the Modern era of enlightened absolutism and demonstrates the course of Russian history through the activity of historical figures who positively impacted the establishment 
and continued growth of the Russian state. The tutorial is intended to consolidate the 
information that students learn while taking the History of Russia courses.  
Designed for Bachelors of all programs studying history in English. 
Prepared by the department Public Administration, History and Sociology. 
 
 
UDC 94/99(075) 
BBK Т214я7 
 
ISBN 978-5-7882-3435-9 
© Pichugin A., Kraysman N., 2023 
 
© Kazan National Research Technological University, 2023 
 
2 

TABLE OF CONTENTS 
Introduction ................................................................................................... 
5 
RUSSIAN CIVILIZATION FORMATION ................................................. 
7 
Rurik ........................................................................................................... 
8 
Oleg ............................................................................................................ 
9 
Igor ........................................................................................................... 
10 
Olga .......................................................................................................... 
12 
Svyatoslav I Igorevich 
.............................................................................. 
13 
Vladimir I Svyatoslavovich the Great ...................................................... 
15 
Yaroslav I Vladimirovich the Wise 
.......................................................... 
17 
Vladimir II Vsevolodovich Monomakh ................................................... 
19 
Mstislav I Vladimirovich the Great 
.......................................................... 
22 
Izyaslav Mstislavovich ............................................................................. 
24 
Yuri Vladimirovich Dolgoruky ................................................................ 
26 
Andrei I Yuryevich Bogolyubsky ............................................................ 
28 
Vsevolod Yuryevich the Big Nest 
............................................................ 
30 
ESTABLISHING A SINGLE MOSCOW STATE 
(13–16th CENTURIES) ............................................................................... 
32 
Alexander Yaroslavich Nevsky 
................................................................ 
32 
Daniil Alexandrovich of Moscow ............................................................ 
36 
Ivan I Daniilovich Kalita .......................................................................... 
39 
Dmitry Ioannovich Donskoy .................................................................... 
42 
Vasily Dmitriyevich ................................................................................. 
46 
Ivan III Vasilyevich 
.................................................................................. 
48 
Vasily III Ivanovich 
.................................................................................. 
51 
Ioann Vasilyevich IV the Terrible 
............................................................ 
54 
3 

RUSSIA IN THE 17TH CENTURY ............................................................ 
57 
Boris Godunov 
.......................................................................................... 
57 
Mikhail Feodorovich Romanov 
................................................................ 
60 
Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov ................................................................ 
62 
Feodor Alekseyevich Romanov ............................................................... 
66 
RUSSIA IN MODERN ERA ...................................................................... 
68 
Peter I Alekseyevich Romanov ................................................................ 
68 
Yelizaveta Petrovna Romanova ............................................................... 
78 
Yekaterina II Alekseyevna Romanova 
..................................................... 
81 
Conclusion 
................................................................................................... 
91 
References ................................................................................................... 
92 
Appendix 1. Genealogy of the Russian Rurikovich princes 
of 9–13th centuries ....................................................................................... 
93 
Appendix 2. The dynasty of the Moscow Rurikovich princes and tsars 
of the 13–16th centuries ............................................................................... 
94 
Appendix 3. Genealogy of the Romanov rulers .......................................... 
95 

INTRODUCTION
he inception and development of statehood is an integral part of 
the historical process of any state. Russia is no exception. In it’s 
a thousand-year history, Russia has been evolving in a unique, comT 
plex, and special path. There were many factors that led to this path, among 
which one can single out the geographical one. Russian statehood from 
the very beginning started to take shape on the territory of the East European 
Plain. It encompasses a vast, branching network of rivers, lakes, and swamps 
that are covered in forests, and makes up nearly half of Europe. The severely 
continental climate is inherent in almost all areas of this plain: from west to 
east and from south to north, the climate here becomes increasingly severe 
and extreme.  In the growth of the Russian nation and its statehood, this location has come to be crucial. Natural and geographical factors still affect the 
socio-economic development of the majority of Russia's territorial entities in 
one way or another. 
The considerable size of the East European Plain has led to the fact 
that its historical path of settlement and development progressed unevenly 
and slowly. Due to the size of its territory, Russia maintained a continental 
development strategy when other European powers were compelled to create 
seaworthy technologies in order to expand beyond their natural borders. Russia's relatively low population density was primarily detrimental to development. The reason is the vast area that makes it challenging to build infrastructure (the complexity and high cost of trade within the territory, a sparse extensive road network, uneven location of fertile lands, extremely cold climate 
of Western and Eastern Siberia, etc.) 
However, the difficulty in conquering these lands is one of the positive 
aspects of this list of negative ones. Many states have been for a long time 
trying to conquer Russia, but have failed because they did not take into account the vastness of its territories with an unstable climate, where winter 
dominates most of its territory seven months a year. Its enormous territory 
has more than once saved Russia from complete conquest by the Khazars, 
Mongolo-Tatars, because the latter could not fully control its territories with 
tribes living far from the steppe. 
This trend repeated in the Modern (Patriotic War of 1812) and Contemporary History (the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945). For all these reasons, the preservation and improvement of territorial integrity throughout 
5 

the establishment of the Russian state experienced a difficult and uneven 
path, with setbacks, successes, and defeats. 
Historical education is supposed to be aimed at forming an understanding of cause-and-effect relationships, a holistic vision of historical processes, and familiarity with their landmarks. It is important to show the national history as a single economic, social, and political process taking place 
in space and time, in close relationship with the world history. 
Our course is to demonstrate how Russia has changed historically 
from the perspective of its founders – worthy sons of their Fatherland, who 
exercised a salutary influence over the formation and further development of 
Russian statehood. They will include great princes, tsars, emperors, general 
secretaries and presidents, military leaders, Russian political figures. The 
course will enable students to develop such general cultural competencies as 
the ability to understand and analyze worldview socially significant problems (OK-2), the willingness to comply with ethical and legal rules that regulate person-person, person-society, and person-environment (OK-5) relations taking into account the state's social policy. Upon completing the 
course, students must understand the nature of history and its place in the 
humanities, know the main historical dates, facts, events, names of historical 
figures, have a scientific understanding of the main periods of Russian history and its chronology, possess the basics of historical thinking, be able to 
work with scientific literature. The Study Guide is divided into sections with 
each subsection represented by a historical person who characterizes a certain historical period: the Middle Ages, the High Middle Ages, the Modern 
and the Contemporary History. 

RUSSIAN CIVILIZATION FORMATION
7 

RURIK 
T 
he Tale of Bygone Years 
tells that in 862, Varangian 
Rurik and his brothers was 
asked to rule in Novgorod. 
First of all, he was wanted by the aboriginal tribes of that territory—Krivich, Chud and Ilmen Slavs due to the 
long-lasting civil strife among them. 
This day has been designated by historians as the birthdate of the Russian 
state, with Rurik being the first ruler 
of Russia. In Russian historiography, 
this event became known as the "Calling of the Varangians." 
On the lands owned and united 
The ancestor of the great 
princely dynasty in Russia, 
Prince Rurik (812–879) 
by Rurik, the process of internal arrangement of the new state was underway, the structure of its management 
was determined, and the active construction of cities began. Rurik paid 
special attention to the western Russian borders from the Baltic. These lands 
were particularly affected at the time by Viking raids. They carried out devastating naval campaigns and raids on a sizable portion of Northern Europe 
and the English Islands, but there are no records of any Viking-Russian border conflicts during the reign of Rurik. A peace agreement was reached with 
Kiev under Rurik. Rurik was married to Norwegian Princess Efanda, who 
gave birth to his son Igor. Her brother Oleg nicknamed the Wise, was a loyal 
friend and the "right hand" of Rurik. Rurik's accession to power brought autocracy to Russia. 
The most important events under Rurik: 
862 — The beginning of Rurik's reign in Novgorod. 
8 

OLEG 
A 
ccording to the Tale of Bygone Years, after his death, 
Rurik vested his faithful 
friend with the reins of 
power due to the infancy of his son. 
Oleg soon became famous for his 
courage, intelligence, and significant 
victories, as well as the love of his 
subjects to him. Due to his inquisitive 
mind and ingenuity, Oleg subjected 
ancient Kiev to his power in 882 and 
annexed Smolensk and Liubech. 
Kiev became the capital of the Ancient Russian state. 
Oleg streamlined the reign in 
Ruler of the Ancient Russian 
state Oleg (879–912) 
such a way that local princes and governors helped him control the lands. 
Therefore, he was the first to sow 
the seed of feudal relations in Russia. 
He was also one of the first great princes who added to the Russian land. 
From 883 to 885, the lands of Drevlians, Severians and Radimichs fell under 
his rule. 
Oleg also made a great progress in foreign policy. He marched successfully in defensive campaigns against the Khazars, who terrorized southern Russian lands at the time. In 907, he led a large-scale campaign to Tsargrad (Constantinople), Byzantium, where he signed the first Russian-Byzantine trade treaty, which guaranteed Russians duty-free trade in Byzantium. 
The most important events under Oleg: 
882 — Consolidation of the southern and northern lands of Russia, 
the annexation of Smolensk, Liubech, Kiev. 
883 — Accession of the Drevlians. 
884 — Accession of the Severians. 
885 — Accession of the Radimichs. 
907 — Signing the first Russian-Byzantine trade agreement. 
9 

IGOR 
I 
gor took power in adulthood, 
after the death of Oleg, who 
reigned for 33 years and died 
well advanced in age. Following Oleg's death, the internal 
political situation of the Old Russian state began to deteriorate. 
Thus, the Drevlians wanted to separate from Kiev, but Igor in 914 
humbled them and punished them 
increasing the tribute to be paid. 
The foreign policy situation did not 
look promising either. In 915, nomadic 
tribes 
known 
as 
the 
Old Russian state's Great Prince Igor 
(912—945) 
Pechenegs living in the southern 
steppes and neighbouring the 
southern borders of the Old Russian state, "strong in numbers, terrible in audacity and plunder," occupied the lower reaches of the 
Dnieper river and cut out Russia's convenient trade route "from the Varangians 
to the Greeks." The confrontations between Igor and the Pechenegs at this line 
took place in peaks and valleys and in 920 he mounted a successful military 
campaign against them. 
Like Oleg, Igor also undertook campaigns to Constantinople. Of them, 
only one campaign in 943 was successful and resulted in a peaceful trade 
agreement concluded between Byzantium and Russia. Igor was killed while 
collecting another portion of tribute by the Drevlians who for a long time did 
not submit to Kiev. 
The most important events under Igor: 
914 — Humbling of the Drevlians and the imposition of a large 
tribute on them. 
915 — The first confrontation with the Pechenegs, the loss of Russian influence on the water trade route "from the Varangians to the 
Greeks." 
10