The Siege of Kazan 1552
The conquest of Kazan and Astrakhan by Muscovy can be seen as the birth of a Russian Empire. It had profound consequences for the steppe region and beyond, allowing Russian expansion eastwards, eventually as far as the Pacific.
Category Archives: Black Sea
Siege of Kazan 1552, Part 2
Early reign of Ivan the Terrible
Under his rule, Moscow resumes its bid for control of neighbouring Kazan, which is already weakened by decades of instability
Siege of Kazan 1552, Part 1
Muscovy and her Asiatic neighbours 1400s-early 1500s
The story of the complex relationship between the Russians and their southern and eastern neighbours in 1400s-early 1500’s. Those neighbours were the successor states of the once mighty Mongol-Tatar empire known as the Golden Horde; the khanates of Kazan, Crimea, Siberia, the Great Horde and Nogay Horde. These relationships were at least as important to Muscovy as those with her western neighbours. Pictured: QolSharif Mosque in the city of Kazan, Russia
Cherson 988 Part 5, Conversion of Russians to Christianity
Vladimir the Great is credited with transforming Kievan Rus into a true medieval state with Christianity at the heart of its sense of identity. The story is linked to the siege of the Crimean city of Cherson in 988 and the Byzantine Emperor Basil II the Bulgar Slayer
Cherson 988 Part 2, Crimea and Black Sea 500BC-800AD
Brief history of Crimea and North Black Sea region 500BC-800 AD, during which time many different peoples having left their mark, including Greeks, Scythians, Romans, Goths, Byzantines, Bulgarians and Khazars
Cherson 988, Part 4, Early Kievan Rus. Rurik to Svyatoslav
The dynasty of Rurik builds the foundations of a new power in eastern Europe – Kievan Rus. Princess Olga takes vengeance on a rebel town by burning it down, but after converting to Christianity was later sainted. Her son, Syvatoslav defeats the Khazars and then tries to resettle his people in Bulgaria before his early death
Cherson 988, Part 1, Early History of The Black Sea
Early History of The Black Sea, Perspectives on Ukrainian and Russian History.
Intro is the Russian Presidential Address of 2014. Then an outline of different perspectives on Russian History, and next a description of the geography and early history of the Black Sea region from the time of the Ancient Greeks