Russia History - '18 Midterms

862: Rurik (with Slavs) finds Novgorod

882: Oleg “the Wise” leads the move to Kiev (begins Kievan Rus)

988: Vladimir marries into Constantinople + converts Russia to Orthodox Christianity

1240: The Tartars (Mongols) take over Constantinople, effectively keeping Russia out of the Renaissance

1325: Ivan I “Moneybags” grows Moscow

1462: Ivan III “The Great” further grows toward Baltic. He rejects the “Mongol Yoke” (1480) and fires nobles

1480: Moscow = capital + Ivan III kicks out the Mongols

1547: Ivan IV “The Terrible” establishes the “Tsar of All Russians” and takes Siberia. He has no heir and brings on the Time of Troubles.

1601-03: Time of Troubles (aka a period of droughts, famine, etc.

1613: Tsarial Election + Mikhail Romanov begins Romanov Dynasty

1682-1721: Peter I “The Great” becomes tsar and modernizes Russia and the government with his decrees (westernization of trade, military, and culture). He establishes St. Petersburg as the new warm water port and capital

1762-1796: Catherine II “The Great” rules and continues to make reforms to westernize Russia. Expands, creates Statute of Provincial Administration, works towards getting rid of serfdom but can’t because Charter to the Nobility (result of Pugachev’s Rebellion - 1774-1775)

1796-1801: Paul becomes tsar and tries to get rid of Catherine’s reforms (undoes noble liberties, fires 300+ of Catherine’s supporters, tries to raise nationalism)

1801-1825: Alexander I becomes ruler and proposes political reforms

1807: Alex I + Napoleon alliance

1812: The alliance between France and Russia is broken. France invades Russia but later retreats

1815: Alexander I sets up Holy Alliance with Austria and Prussia (union that rules based on Christian gospel)

1825: Nicholas I rules and commits to Orthodoxy/Autocracy/Nationalism (crushes revolts and constitution ideas, anti-western) until Alexander II takes over

1848: The Communist Manifesto is published

1853: Crimean War (France, Britain vs. Russia)

1855: Alexander II takes over and ends the Crimean War (must lose Black Sea). He drafts a new law code and drafts a new constitution. He also grants self-government to rural districts, establishes free press, reforms the army, and emancipates serfs - reform.

1861: Alexander II abolished serfdom (emancipates 25 million serfs)

1894: Nicholas II takes over (until the 1917 Revolution) and is not prepared to rule. He controls Russia with the Table of Ranks (civil servants who help run Russia), Okhrana (secret police to get rid of opposition), and the Russian Church (teaches people to be loyal to tsar)

1881: Alexander III rules and reinstates Orthodoxy/Autocracy/Nationalism (takes out liberals, establishes concept of Russification, purges minorities) until Nicholas II takes over.