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900
900's
Russia was called Kievan Rus. It was made up of a group of countries. Each was independently ruled by a prince. Kiev became the most important countries. Its ruler was known as the grand prince. This title showed his rank above the other princes. -
988
988
Grand Prince Vladimir I converted to Christianity, and he made it the state religion. After his reign, Kiev weakened, and other principalities gained in strength. -
1200
1200's
Kiev and the other principalities were weakened by a civil war. They fell to Mongol invaders. The Mongols were led by Genghis Khan. -
1240
1240
Kiev was destroyed in 1240. They made Russia part of the Mongol Empire. Mongol rule in Russia lasted over than 200 years. The Mongols forced the Russian princes to pay heavy taxes. The princes also had to pledge their allegiance to the Golden Horde. This was the name given to Russia during the Mongol Empire. However, the Mongols did not change much about the daily lives of Russians. -
1300
1300s
The principality of Moscow began to increase its power. Prince Yuri of Moscow married the sister of the Golden Horde’s ruler. The Mongols then allowed him collect taxes from his people. With this extra money, Prince Yuri started to expand his territory. His principality increased in size and strength. -
1400
1400's
Ivan III of Moscow refused to pay taxes to the Mongols. The Mongols sent troops to attack Moscow. However, after a while, they returned shortly after. This ended the Mongol rule of Russia. -
1547
1547
Ivan IV was the Grand Prince of Moscow. He became the first to rule all of Russia. This ruler came to be called the tsar. Ivan feared that other nobles may attempt to overthrow him. He arrested and murdered thousands of nobles. Ivan also made each landowner give soldiers and horses to the Russian army. In addition, he passed laws that bound peasants to the land, which made them serfs. In this way, Russia kept one feature of feudalism for hundreds of years. -
1800's
Serfdom did not end in Russia until the 1800s.
