Crash Course World History Video Notes
Russia, the Kievan Rus, and the Mongols

1. Most historians now believe that the settlers of Kiev were ____________ people who migrated from around the ____________ ______.
2. But there’s an older theory that the settlers of Kiev were actually
_________ who came down to Kiev from rivers like Dnieper and founded outposts.
3. ______________ was hugely important to Kiev. Almost all of their __________ ended with trade concession treaties, and their _____ ______ were unusually devoted to the subject of commerce.
4. The Rus traded ______ ____________ like fur, wax, and also slaves—which may be an explanation that word __________ derives from the Latin word for slave.
5. They also relied on agriculture—and your relationships to the land determined both your ________ ________ and your _____ _______________.
6. The ruler of Kiev was called the ____________ _________________, and he became the model for future Russian Kings. Also, the early grand princes made a fateful decision: They became Byzantine Christians.
7. According to legend, Prince Vladimir chose to convert the Rus to Byzantine Christianity in the 11th century over Islam because of Islam’s prohibition on __________________.
8. The Kievan Rus eventually fell in 1240 when the _____________________ showed up and replaced them.
9. The Mongols did set up the Khanate of the ______________ __________ in Russia, but it didn’t leave much lasting impact on the institutions of the region, which had already been set up by the Kievans.
10. The Mongols were comparatively _____________ ________________: they were happy to live in their ________ and collect ___________________ from the ever-bickering Russian princes.
11. Perhaps most importantly, Mongol rule cut the Russians off from the ___________________ and further isolated them from _______________ .
12. But the Mongols did help propel _____________ to prominence and in doing so, created the idea that this was Russia.
13. The Muscovite princes won—that is to say purchased—the right to ____________ ___________ on behalf of the Khan from other princes.
14. One prince who was particularly good at this was known as Ivan Kalita which translates roughly as “_______________ ______________.”

15. Plus Moscow was at the headwaters of four rivers which made it well-positioned for _________________. And because they were kind of the allies of the Mongols- the Mongols rarely attacked them-which meant that lots of people went to Moscow because it was relatively safe.
16. In fact, Moscow also became the seat of the _________________ ________________ ______________ in 1325.
17. After Basil the Blind, came the real man