AP World Chapter 18 Vocab

boyars

the noble landowning class that stood at the top of the social pyramid

Ivan III (Ivan the Great)

The prince of Moscow who refused to pay tribute to the Mongols at a time when the Mongols were not powerful enough to enforce the collection. To legitimize his power, he began to call himself tsar

Arkhangelsk (Archangel)

a Russian port on the northwest coast of Russia that imported cloth from England because trade agreements were drawn up in 1555.

Streltsy

a boyar-led elite military corps that had supported Peter I's half-sister Sophia. They were defeated by Peter for the throne in Russia. They were later disbanded by Peter for trying to rebel against his reign

St. Basil's Cathedral

a famous cathedral built by Ivan IV that served as a visual reminder to the nation that the tsar and the Church were united

Mongols

a group that had tight control over the city-states and kingdoms that made up Russia. This group is the main reason why no renaissance took place in Russia

Caspian Sea

a large sea in the middle of Russia that connects to the Mediterranean Sea through the Volga River.

Table of Ranks

a list that set up military and governmental positions that could be filled by the best-qualified persons regardless of social status. This system was set up by Peter because he promoted men due to merit rather than social status

Russian Orthodox Church

a new church established by the tsars as a way to unite the people behind their leadership, claiming that they ruled by divine right through the Church

fur trade

a new robust trade that resulted from Russian expansion into Siberia. It gave the Russians an important export to Europe and China

Time of Troubles

a phase that Russia entered due to the loss of a strong autocrat or family in control. This time almost saw Russia in a near state of anarchy.

Siberia

a region in Russia that was formerly held by the descendants of the Golden Horde, the Mongolian conquerors. It was sought out by Ivan IV in his conquest of new land

Black Sea

a sea Southwest of Moscow where peasants who were skilled fighters lived on the grassy, treeless steppes. This sea played as a great place to set up sea ports because it connected with the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean

Old Believers

a sect that opposed earlier reforms and now opposed Peter's reforms along with many peasants

Silk Roads

a trade network south of Russia where the Russians could import silk from India and Persia. Russia exported grain, lather, iron, wood, and tar.

Catherine II

also known as Catherine the Great,this Russian ruler was originally an educated, young, German-born Protestant. She became a powerful tsarina after she obtained the throne from her late husband, Peter III. Most of her achievements were towards education systems in Russia

Partition of Poland

an agreement between Prussia, Austria, and Russia that distributed the commonwealth lands of Poland between each nation. the three powerful countries separated Poland into three parts, and Poland didn't reappear as its own nation until the twentieth century

Enlightenment

an intellectual and political movement in Europe during the 18th century that saw a change in science and technology throughout the world

Moscow

city in Russia that developed many physical changes, further showing the growing status and power of Russian rulers. The city is located on a river in the midst of a forest, and became a major trade center for furs and timber.

Kiev

city in present-day Ukraine that was the location of a slave market, and had formerly been the major link between trade routes that stretched from Scandinavia to the Islamic and Byzantine areas.

Kazan

city in southwest Russia that was controlled by the khanates and was sought out by Ivan IV looking for new land.

Astrakhan

city on the Volga River in southern Russia that was sought out by Ivan IV looking for new land

Cossacks

fierce peasant warriors that were hired by major Russian landowners to fight the local tribes and the Siberian khan. These warriors helped gain control of the Volga River

Westernization

movement that started under Peter the great and continued through the reigning of Catherine II. This movement saw the adoption of western culture from parts of Europe into many aspects of Russian society

Alaska

now part of the United States, this state was originally a region owned by Russia and was the spot of many fur trading explorations and expeditions.

Serfs

peasants who received a plot of land and protection from a noble. These peasants in return would be bound to that land and had little personal freedom.

Eastern Orthodoxy

religion that had taken root in Russia rather than the Roman Catholic or Protestant Christianity in the West. The government in Kievan Rus modeled themselves to be like Constantinople, the seat of the Orthodox Byzantine Empire.

Volga River

river in Russia that flows into the Caspian Sea. This river possessed an outlet to the sea and allowed Moscow to trade with Persia and the Ottoman

Peter I

ruler of Russia that was also known as Peter the Great and gained the throne by defeated his half-sister. He started a movement against the Orthodox Church and expanded the Russian borders into Western Europe. He transformed the Russian agricultural society into an industrial society.

philosophes

the Western European thinkers that corresponded with Catherine II in an attempt to codify Russian laws and end the state's use of torture.

Kremlin

the central citadel in Moscow that had newly constructed walls built by Ivan III. Ivan built new towers that were designed by Italian architects

Slavophilism

the conservative philosophical movement that had the most obvious expression of fear among Russians due to the fear that Russian culture would be lost. Slavophiles believed that Russia should base its development on its own history rather than Western European culture

patriarch

the head of the church that was abolished by Peter as a way of confirming his power over the church. The Holy Synod was composed in the place of the patriarch

Ural Mountains

the mountain range in Russia that has now become the borderline for the continents of Asia and Europe. This border was finally agreed on after a huge dispute about Russia.

Zemsky Sobor

the national assembly in Russia that saved the country from near anarchy after they elected Michael Romanov as leader in 1613.

St. Petersburg

the new capital of Russia that had previously been in Moscow. The new city was a warm-water port on the Baltic Sea and became a testament to Peter's determination to have his own capital. The city contained a street grid and the tsar's palace

Romanov Dynasty

the new dynasty in Russia that formed after Michael Romanov was elected by the Zemsky Sobor in 1613. The dynasty lasted until 1917.

Ivan IV (Ivan the Terrible)

the new tsar of Russia that was crowned in 1547. He set out to expand the Russian border eastward, by taking control of the khanates, Astrakhan, and Siberia. He also built St. Basil's Cathedral

Holy Synod

the newly established head of the church that took over from the patriarch. It was comprised of clergymen overseen by a secular official who answered to the tsar.

Oprichnina

the paramilitary force that was loyal to Ivan IV. These men were dressed in all black and reflected the later development of the Russian secret police

divine right

the right of a sovereign to rule as set forth by the theory of government that holds that a monarch receives the right to rule directly from God and not from the people

Pale of Settlement

the territory set up Catherine II as a new place where Jews of Russia were required to live. This territory set the Jews apart and helped to make them more vulnerable to anti-Semitism

Winter Palace

the tsar's in-town home in St. Petersburg that was built by workers in the mid-eighteenth century. The workers who constructed the palace were peasants and prisoners

tsar

the unofficial name of Ivan III, that was a name used by Ivan to legitimize his power. The term derived from the Latin word Caesar gave Ivan additional prestige through an assumed link to the Roman Empire

provinces

various administrative divisions that made up Russia. These separate states in Russia had officials who received a salary and replaced the old system of local officials. There were originally 8, but eventually the amount of divisions increased to 50

pogroms

vicious anti-Jewish attacks that would frequently occur in Russia during the nineteenth century

mirs

village communes that kept even the small landholders among the peasants in check. They looked over all of the serfs and made sure they were loyal to their landlord and their land