The Rise of Moscow: political
culture
XV-XVI centuries
Expansion of Muscovy
From Kiev to Moscow
Muscovite Russia (14th - end of 17th c)
1263 Alexander Nevsky’s death
1326 Metropolitan Petr resides in Moscow (Moscow as a religious centre)
1335 Foundation of Trinity Sergius Lavra by Sergius of Radonezh
1480 official end of the Mongol domination
c. 1410 Andrey Rublev completes “Trinity” icon for Trinity monastery
1439 Florentine Union between Constantinople and Rome
1453 Conquest of Byzantine Empire by Ottomans
1493 Ivan III as successor of Byzantine emperors. Translatio imperii
1499 translation of the Bible into Slavonic
1503 polemic between “non-possessors” and Josephites
Reasons for the rise of Muscovy
Concentration of the Russian populaiton
Favorable geographical position
Political success of the Muscovite princes
Moscow as a spiritual centre (the seat of the
Orthodox Metropolitan)
Translatio Imperii
The Byzantine coat of arms adopted by
Ivan III after his marriage to Sophia
Paleologos
The Holy Roman Emperor, Habsburg Empire
The coat of arms of the
Russian Federation today
How did Grand Duke become Tsar?
Tsar (Царь) – Caesar
Ivan III marriage to Sofia
Paleolog in 1472
The new ceremony of
coronation (the hat of
Prince Vladimir
Monomach)
The title: Ruler of All
Russia (Ivan III)
Power of the Tsar as sacred
Political system in Muscovite Russia
Grand
prince/ Tsar
Boyar Duma
Appanage
prince
Court
Court
Appanage
prince
Army
Treasury
Kremlin as a site of political culture
Kremlin built in 15-16th centuries Italian
architects: Aristotel Fioravanti, Anton
Friazin, Marko Rufo, Petr Solario)
Uspenskii Cathedral in Moscow
Kremlin, 1326-27
Kremlin ( a modern map)
Ivan IV (the Terrible): a crisis of political
power
Ivan IV (ruled: 1547-1584)
The period of Reforms : 1540-50s : strenthening the legal
system, executive power; elected representatives; reforms
of the central and local administration; military reforms
Conquest of Kazan and colonisation of Siberia
Livonian War 1558-1583
The period of terror 1565-1572
1564 the evacuation of the
court to Alexandrov
Formation of the terror
organisation (oprichniki)
Oprichnina vs. zemshchina
Legitimation of the
violence
 attack on the nobility ,
ordinary people and the
church
The Discovery channel film on Ivan IV
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56f6V7L9B18
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jO3_q_kQnCE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Anx4Lbdt4ic
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djAHK_JGd_I
“Holy Russia”
Ilja Glazunov, Mystery
of the 20th century