The Fascinating History of Russia and Ukraine: From Nomadic Tribes to the ‘Time of Troubles’

🌾 Ancient Nomads and Early Cultures

The lands known today as Russia and Ukraine have been home to diverse cultures and tribes for thousands of years. These nomadic tribes and mysterious Bronze Age communities left behind few records, primarily their graves.

• Kurgans: In the great southern grasslands, or steppe, chieftains were buried beneath massive mounds known as kurgans.
• Scythians: As noted by the Ancient Greek historian Herodotus, these people were called Scythians, whose lands were eventually overtaken by nomadic warriors that also overran the Roman Empire.

🛶 The Arrival of the Slavs and the Vikings

The land was later settled by the Slavs, who shared linguistic and cultural similarities, though divided into many tribes. The east saw the arrival of the Vikings from Scandinavia, known as Varangians.

• Varangians: These seafaring warriors rowed up Russia’s long rivers for daring raids and trading expeditions.
• Rurik: According to legend, the East Slavs invited a Varangian chief named Rurik to be their prince and unite the tribes. He established his capital at Novgorod, marking the beginning of the Rurikid dynasty that ruled Russia for nearly seven centuries.

🏛️ From Kievan Rus to Orthodox Christianity

Rurik’s successor, Oleg, conquered Kiev, establishing the capital for a new state called Kievan Rus.

• Vladimir the Great: A century later, to strengthen ties with the Byzantine Empire, Vladimir the Great adopted Orthodox Christianity, a move that profoundly shaped the religious landscape of Russia and Ukraine.
• Yaroslav the Wise: His reign is considered the golden age of Kievan Rus. Yaroslav codified laws and expanded the territory, making it one of the most sophisticated and powerful states in Europe.

⚔️ The Mongol Invasion

After Yaroslav’s death, internecine conflicts weakened Kievan Rus, just in time for a new threat from the east: the Mongols. Under Genghis Khan, they overran large parts of Asia and launched a great raid across the Caucasus Mountains, eventually defeating the Kievan princes at the Battle of the Kalka River.

• Batu Khan: Fourteen years later, the Mongols returned with a gigantic army led by Batu Khan who devastated the lands, burning resistant cities and slaughtering inhabitants.
• Golden Horde: Established by the Mongols, this empire ruled the land, with the princes of Rus forced to pay tribute or face terrible reprisals.

🏰 The Rise of Moscow

During Mongol rule, Moscow gradually grew in power.

• Alexander Nevsky: As Novgorod’s prince, Nevsky submitted to the Mongols and later saved the city by defeating the Teutonic Knights at the Battle of the Ice. He is one of Russia’s most revered heroes.
• Dmitri Donskoi: The Grand Prince of Moscow, Dmitri Donskoi, challenged and defeated the Tatars at the Battle of Kulikovo Field.

🎖️ The Fall of Constantinople and Moscow as ‘Third Rome’

The Byzantine Empire’s fall to the Ottoman Turks led some to dub Moscow as the ‘Third Rome,’ the new center of Orthodox Christianity after Rome and Constantinople.

• Grand Princes: The rulers of Moscow expanded their power, annexing cities like Novgorod and forming the first nascent Russian state.
• Ivan III: At the Ugra River, Ivan III faced down the Tatar army, compelling them to retreat and freeing Russia from the ‘Tatar yoke.’

👑 The First Tsar and ‘Ivan the Terrible’

Under Grand Prince Vasili III, Moscow’s power continued to grow. Vasili’s son, Ivan IV, became the first Tsar of Russia, remembered as Ivan the Terrible.

• Conquests: Ivan IV expanded Russian territory by conquering Tatar lands in Kazan and Astrakhan.
• Livonian War: Despite these victories, Ivan was defeated in the Livonian War by Sweden and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
• Reign of Terror: His modernizing reforms were overshadowed by a reign of terror and mass executions, driven by violent paranoia.

🔥 Raiders, Cossacks, and the Time of Troubles

Even after Ivan, Russia remained vulnerable, facing external threats from raiders and internal chaos.

• Cossacks: These skilled horsemen lived freely in the lawless steppe between warring states and were often hired as mercenaries by both Russia and Poland.
• Domestic Tragedy: Ivan the Terrible’s own son, the Tsarevich, perished in one of his father’s violent rampages.
• Yermak Timofeyevich: This Cossack adventurer led the Russian conquest of Siberia, defeating Tatars and subjugating indigenous tribes.

🛑 The Descent into Anarchy

The death of Ivan IV’s son Feodor I without an heir marked the end of the Rurikid dynasty, plunging Russia into a period known as the Time of Troubles.

• Boris Godunov: Ivan’s advisor briefly became Tsar, but his sudden death led to chaos. His widow and teenage son were murdered, and the throne was seized by an impostor claiming to be Ivan the Terrible’s son, who would also be murdered.
• Foreign Invasion: During this anarchy, rebels and foreign armies devastated the land. Polish and Swedish troops occupied Moscow and Novgorod, respectively.
• Plague and Famine: Famine and plague decimated the population, pushing the Russian state to the brink of extinction.

The rich and complex history of Russia and Ukraine, marked by conquests, invasions, and resilience, continues to shape the region’s identity and influence today. What began as a land of nomadic tribes ultimately developed into a powerful state, enduring through times of unity, division, and turmoil.