Kaliningrad is a fitting place for major battle for Prussians, Poles and Russians. Hopefully, it does not become an exclave. The Marxists seem to be in retreat. Thank you
-
We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.
World War II: The Rhone Campaign
The British had landed on the French coast and quickly captured Brittany and Normandy. Their army planned to seize control of France and then move to Spain.
This plan failed because of the other two allies. From Alsace, the Germans moved into eastern France, and, from the Low Countries, the Russians moved toward Burgundy. It seemed clear that France was lost to the Marxists, but the UMRE decided to make a stand there anyway - France had been the first of the Western European nations to fall to the revolution, and the new union was clearly worried that the UMRE couldn’t survive its fall.
As it happened, they were correct, but their hyperfocus on the French Front meant that they were unable to defend other portions of their territory. In the middle of 1941, the United States finally moved against the UMRE, landing soldiers in Andalusia, Sicily, and Sardinia. They subsequently joined with the British Navy to clear Marxist forces from the Mediterranean, which increased the importance of France. Now, should France fall, the UMRE would be divided into two states - Spain and Italy - surrounded by enemy territory.
The Marxist army fought a last stand on the Rhone River. It was a desperate move - a loss would annihilate the last military forces that the UMRE had because the Westerners threw everything they had into the battle. They assembled any ship - no matter how old - into a slapdash navy and used that to seize control of the Rhone River itself. They joined their few remaining armies, which were defending against the advances of the three allies, together and even raised militias to defend France.
France was extremely strategically important before these moves, but a victory wasn’t vital. After the Marxists stripped all of their military assets to attempt to eke out a victory, a loss on the Rhone River would destroy the UMRE completely, removing all of its legitimacy and stripping it of all of its territory. Both sides knew this, and both fought as if it were true.
At first, the gamble appeared to be paying off for the UMRE - their ramshackle force pushed the British back to Normandy, kicking them out of Brittany and the occupied lands in France proper. They held the Germans back from Burgundy, and the Russian advance was stalled. For one glorious moment to the Marxists, it must have seemed like the loss at Brussels would prove irrelevant.
Yegorov the Younger rose to the challenge. He arranged a meeting with both Britain and Germany to propose a unified operation in France. This meeting, which took place at Amsterdam, also created preliminary occupation zones for Western Europe, although that agreement didn’t have official approval.
The plan was simple - the Germans and the Russians would unite in Burgundy and advance, hoping that their superior numbers would allow them to reach Normandy and unite with the British. The united army would employ scorched earth tactics to devastate the Marxist defenses and break the will of the UMRE’s citizens. Meanwhile, the British navy would unite with the Russo-Swedish one in the English Channel and subsequently move first into the Atlantic and then into the Mediterranean, from which they would enter the Rhone and destroy the French navy. With their naval control of Southern France assured, the only resistance would be in the north - and that could easily be crushed.
This plan worked, but it took a while and had to be modified to keep up with the operations of the Americans and the Spanish. France was fully occupied by May 1942, but the United States had already occupied most of Italy by that point, and most of Spain was already liberated. This meant that the cleanup operations on the part of the three powers was simple - occupy the northern parts of Italy and Spain.
The Marxists were completely crushed by 1943, but the war was costly. The victors lost many men, but the UMRE was devastated - while the Low Countries got off relatively unharmed, France had large tracts that no one could live in due to lack of food, and Spain and Italy had lost much of their population. The Rhone Campaign was not extremely long, but it irreparably harmed Western Europe.
The victorious allies were left with thousands of miles of territory to occupy, a wasteland to reclaim and organize, and an idea to utterly destroy. They met in Nantes, the only French city of any historical significance left unharmed to determine the post-war order.
On his way to the meeting city, Tsar Nicholas was said to weep over the destruction.
This plan failed because of the other two allies. From Alsace, the Germans moved into eastern France, and, from the Low Countries, the Russians moved toward Burgundy. It seemed clear that France was lost to the Marxists, but the UMRE decided to make a stand there anyway - France had been the first of the Western European nations to fall to the revolution, and the new union was clearly worried that the UMRE couldn’t survive its fall.
As it happened, they were correct, but their hyperfocus on the French Front meant that they were unable to defend other portions of their territory. In the middle of 1941, the United States finally moved against the UMRE, landing soldiers in Andalusia, Sicily, and Sardinia. They subsequently joined with the British Navy to clear Marxist forces from the Mediterranean, which increased the importance of France. Now, should France fall, the UMRE would be divided into two states - Spain and Italy - surrounded by enemy territory.
The Marxist army fought a last stand on the Rhone River. It was a desperate move - a loss would annihilate the last military forces that the UMRE had because the Westerners threw everything they had into the battle. They assembled any ship - no matter how old - into a slapdash navy and used that to seize control of the Rhone River itself. They joined their few remaining armies, which were defending against the advances of the three allies, together and even raised militias to defend France.
France was extremely strategically important before these moves, but a victory wasn’t vital. After the Marxists stripped all of their military assets to attempt to eke out a victory, a loss on the Rhone River would destroy the UMRE completely, removing all of its legitimacy and stripping it of all of its territory. Both sides knew this, and both fought as if it were true.
At first, the gamble appeared to be paying off for the UMRE - their ramshackle force pushed the British back to Normandy, kicking them out of Brittany and the occupied lands in France proper. They held the Germans back from Burgundy, and the Russian advance was stalled. For one glorious moment to the Marxists, it must have seemed like the loss at Brussels would prove irrelevant.
Yegorov the Younger rose to the challenge. He arranged a meeting with both Britain and Germany to propose a unified operation in France. This meeting, which took place at Amsterdam, also created preliminary occupation zones for Western Europe, although that agreement didn’t have official approval.
The plan was simple - the Germans and the Russians would unite in Burgundy and advance, hoping that their superior numbers would allow them to reach Normandy and unite with the British. The united army would employ scorched earth tactics to devastate the Marxist defenses and break the will of the UMRE’s citizens. Meanwhile, the British navy would unite with the Russo-Swedish one in the English Channel and subsequently move first into the Atlantic and then into the Mediterranean, from which they would enter the Rhone and destroy the French navy. With their naval control of Southern France assured, the only resistance would be in the north - and that could easily be crushed.
This plan worked, but it took a while and had to be modified to keep up with the operations of the Americans and the Spanish. France was fully occupied by May 1942, but the United States had already occupied most of Italy by that point, and most of Spain was already liberated. This meant that the cleanup operations on the part of the three powers was simple - occupy the northern parts of Italy and Spain.
The Marxists were completely crushed by 1943, but the war was costly. The victors lost many men, but the UMRE was devastated - while the Low Countries got off relatively unharmed, France had large tracts that no one could live in due to lack of food, and Spain and Italy had lost much of their population. The Rhone Campaign was not extremely long, but it irreparably harmed Western Europe.
The victorious allies were left with thousands of miles of territory to occupy, a wasteland to reclaim and organize, and an idea to utterly destroy. They met in Nantes, the only French city of any historical significance left unharmed to determine the post-war order.
On his way to the meeting city, Tsar Nicholas was said to weep over the destruction.
- 1
I suppose it is. They were effectively defeated, but they proved unwilling to give in quickly... to the world's sorrow.
- 1
Yegerov must be the most beloved name in the Russian military. How are the occupiers going to divide the lands? The Americans showed at least. Thank you
World War II: The New World Order
The Nantes Conference effectively divided Europe in half. Russia was allowed to keep occupying the Low Countries and a small portion of Northern France, but the rest of the former UMRE was divided. Germany occupied southern France, while Britain occupied Normandy and Brittany. Spain was given its old lands back, although Britain and the United States continued to keep armies in Spanish territory for decades thereafter. Italy was partitioned into a few republics - Sicily, Sardinia, Lombardy, and Tuscany. Papal independence was guaranteed by all of the new powers - nobody was eager to piss off a substantial religious minority in their own territory.
Britain and the United States quickly formed an alliance with Spain, Portugal, and the new Italian republics called the Barcelona Pact. They immediately began to make demands of Tsar Nicholas and the German Empire, which encouraged the Duma to agree to an alliance with the Germans, once their bitter enemies, called the Minsk Accords. Russia’s other allies were also included in this new faction.
Immediately, the two sides began to compete for influence. Russia and Germany favored more monarchical systems of government, while Britain and the United States argued that keeping a powerful monarch was the road to a nation’s ruin. Secretly, Tsar Nicholas shared this fear, but he also worried that granting too much democracy could lead to a tyranny of the majority that a powerful monarch could prevent.
At first, the conflict was limited to ideological debates, but things quickly got more contentious. Austria-Hungary began to fall into disarray with the central government appealing for Russian aid in exchange for joining the Minsk Accords. Many of the rebels retaliated by appealing for aid from the British and the Americans, but these two nations were initially reluctant to get involved. This soon changed when regime changes put radical republicans in power in both of those nations in 1948, but it was already too late for the Austrian rebels.
However, the new regimes could support the Hungarian rebels, and they did. Austria-Hungary was split into Austria-Bohemia and Hungary. Neither side made moves to begin a new conflict - everyone was tired of war no matter how radical they were.
Even with that, an explosion of military tensions was almost certainly inevitable. This changed in 1954 when a new invention shook the world - the airplane. This allowed cargo and people to be carried in the sky, and both sides immediately realized the military implications of that. This new invention could be used to cause massive destruction from the air, and it was theorized that entire cities could be destroyed without a single offensive casualty.
Both sides began stockpiling the new technology, but neither side ever planned to use it. The potential destruction was too great. Instead, they decided that the Austro-Hungarian Situation would be their new model for conflict. They would fight their wars in the fields of diplomacy, elections, alliances, and espionage. The days of direct conflict were over.
The days of indirect conflict - of the Unspoken War - were just beginning, but I hardly need to tell you of what that war entailed. The Unspoken War is a story that you already know.
Britain and the United States quickly formed an alliance with Spain, Portugal, and the new Italian republics called the Barcelona Pact. They immediately began to make demands of Tsar Nicholas and the German Empire, which encouraged the Duma to agree to an alliance with the Germans, once their bitter enemies, called the Minsk Accords. Russia’s other allies were also included in this new faction.
Immediately, the two sides began to compete for influence. Russia and Germany favored more monarchical systems of government, while Britain and the United States argued that keeping a powerful monarch was the road to a nation’s ruin. Secretly, Tsar Nicholas shared this fear, but he also worried that granting too much democracy could lead to a tyranny of the majority that a powerful monarch could prevent.
At first, the conflict was limited to ideological debates, but things quickly got more contentious. Austria-Hungary began to fall into disarray with the central government appealing for Russian aid in exchange for joining the Minsk Accords. Many of the rebels retaliated by appealing for aid from the British and the Americans, but these two nations were initially reluctant to get involved. This soon changed when regime changes put radical republicans in power in both of those nations in 1948, but it was already too late for the Austrian rebels.
However, the new regimes could support the Hungarian rebels, and they did. Austria-Hungary was split into Austria-Bohemia and Hungary. Neither side made moves to begin a new conflict - everyone was tired of war no matter how radical they were.
Even with that, an explosion of military tensions was almost certainly inevitable. This changed in 1954 when a new invention shook the world - the airplane. This allowed cargo and people to be carried in the sky, and both sides immediately realized the military implications of that. This new invention could be used to cause massive destruction from the air, and it was theorized that entire cities could be destroyed without a single offensive casualty.
Both sides began stockpiling the new technology, but neither side ever planned to use it. The potential destruction was too great. Instead, they decided that the Austro-Hungarian Situation would be their new model for conflict. They would fight their wars in the fields of diplomacy, elections, alliances, and espionage. The days of direct conflict were over.
The days of indirect conflict - of the Unspoken War - were just beginning, but I hardly need to tell you of what that war entailed. The Unspoken War is a story that you already know.
- 1
The Russian military is fond of the Yegorovs, and why shouldn't they be?
The partition happened, but something happened after that. That being said, this is a good place to stop and go back to covering Russia in Alaska and the Middle East. It's the Rise of Russia, not the Reign of Russia, after all.
- 1
Well done sir! An Italian break-up seems more realistic than a German, though both could happen along natural lines if allowed to happen without outside pressure. Thank you
The History of Alyeska
Alyeska was the first overseas colony of Russia, and it had a long and storied history that was mostly (but not always) separate from that of Eurasian Russia.
Alyeska was first discovered by sailors from Siberia sailing across the Arctic Ocean. Legend has it that it was first settled by Russians in 1648 by boats being pulled off course in the Arctic. If this is the case, the settlers must have quickly died off, as Alyeska wasn’t reported to the central Russian government until Peter the Great commissioned an expedition to explore Siberia in 1725. This expedition reached Alyeska in 1741, and the explorers returned to Kamchatka in 1742.
The initial explorers brought the pelts of sea otters back with them, which sparked interest in exploration. Fur traders quickly sailed to the Aleutian Islands, the western borders of Alyeska, where they forced the local Aleuts to hunt the sea otters for them, even taking their family members hostage. Most of the natives were forced into serfdom, but the demands and greed of the Russians soon outgrew the natural resources, driving the Aleuts into unsuccessful revolts.
In 1784, the first permanent Russian settlement in Alyeska outside of the Aleutian Islands was established by Grigory Ivanovich Shelekhov, who took over Kodiak Island by killing many of the natives and taking hostages to keep the rest in line.
Shelekhov then returned to Russia and outsourced his fur trading enterprise in 1790 to a man named Alexander Andreyovich Baranov. Baranov promptly moved the company’s center of operations to a different location on Kodiak Island - a location with timber. Colonists took native wives and settled down.
However, it was at this point when territorial claims became an issue. Baranov noticed that the natives were trading with non-Russian Europeans near him and responded by buying land from the local Tlingits and used that land to establish the city of Mikhailovsk. Unfortunately, a rival tribe of Tlingits destroyed the city in 1802 when Baranov wasn’t in it. He retaliated by attacking the Tlingit settlement with a warship and destroying it. New Archangel (later rechristened Sitka) was established on the old city’s ruins.
In 1799, Shelekhov and his family secured a monopoly on fur trade in Russian America from Tsar Paul I. This led to the foundation of the Russian-American Company by Shelekhov’s son-in-law, but there was also an expectation that the company would colonize Alyeska.
The RAC only sent ships every few years and expected the colonists to survive off of their own merits. This left colonists dependent on foreign merchants for supplies, which gave both the British and the Americans influence over the colony. This backfired spectacularly during the Great European War when Britain used their influence to seize control over most of the colony.
Before that, in 1836, Russian colonization efforts in the area increased, as colonists were drawn by the promise of vast riches in gold. This led to a reduction in the influence of the foreign merchants. It also meant that the British annexation was bitterly resisted by a colonial militia, which was ultimately crushed and had to resort to guerrilla warfare.
The end of the Great European War meant that Britain returned Alyeska to Russian control and acknowledged the exclusivity of Russian rights to the fur trade there. Unfortunately, this led to starvation amongst the colonists, which made the RAC send more supplies and colonies and increase trade with the United States. In response, the people who had most benefited from trade with Britain seized control of Sitka in 1849 and demanded a renegotiation of the Treaty of Trabzon. The Tsar responded by immediately sending a large army to the city and retaking it. The traitors were executed.
During the Russian Age of Chaos, Alyeska remained mostly neutral. At first, they, especially the RAC, officially supported the Conservatives, but a conflict of interests led to expansionists seizing control of Alyeska and governing independently. The RAC quickly backed the new regime, and Alyeska’s autonomy was confirmed by the end of the Russian Age of Chaos when its government initiated efforts to grow the colony’s population and expand it.
The American merchants were tolerated as long as they didn’t interfere with official colonial policy. This status quo was kept for years, but it changed in 1871 when the Tsar and the Duma agreed to sell Alyeska to the United States. The local Alyeskan Duma argued that this was illegal and actively resisted American attempts to seize control of the territory.
In the end, a compromise was reached - Alyeska would become an American state immediately as the Commonwealth of Alyeska, and it would be allowed the right to secede. The “secession clause” would later become a major reason for the Alyeskan Conflict during the Unspoken War.
Alyeska was first discovered by sailors from Siberia sailing across the Arctic Ocean. Legend has it that it was first settled by Russians in 1648 by boats being pulled off course in the Arctic. If this is the case, the settlers must have quickly died off, as Alyeska wasn’t reported to the central Russian government until Peter the Great commissioned an expedition to explore Siberia in 1725. This expedition reached Alyeska in 1741, and the explorers returned to Kamchatka in 1742.
The initial explorers brought the pelts of sea otters back with them, which sparked interest in exploration. Fur traders quickly sailed to the Aleutian Islands, the western borders of Alyeska, where they forced the local Aleuts to hunt the sea otters for them, even taking their family members hostage. Most of the natives were forced into serfdom, but the demands and greed of the Russians soon outgrew the natural resources, driving the Aleuts into unsuccessful revolts.
In 1784, the first permanent Russian settlement in Alyeska outside of the Aleutian Islands was established by Grigory Ivanovich Shelekhov, who took over Kodiak Island by killing many of the natives and taking hostages to keep the rest in line.
Shelekhov then returned to Russia and outsourced his fur trading enterprise in 1790 to a man named Alexander Andreyovich Baranov. Baranov promptly moved the company’s center of operations to a different location on Kodiak Island - a location with timber. Colonists took native wives and settled down.
However, it was at this point when territorial claims became an issue. Baranov noticed that the natives were trading with non-Russian Europeans near him and responded by buying land from the local Tlingits and used that land to establish the city of Mikhailovsk. Unfortunately, a rival tribe of Tlingits destroyed the city in 1802 when Baranov wasn’t in it. He retaliated by attacking the Tlingit settlement with a warship and destroying it. New Archangel (later rechristened Sitka) was established on the old city’s ruins.
In 1799, Shelekhov and his family secured a monopoly on fur trade in Russian America from Tsar Paul I. This led to the foundation of the Russian-American Company by Shelekhov’s son-in-law, but there was also an expectation that the company would colonize Alyeska.
The RAC only sent ships every few years and expected the colonists to survive off of their own merits. This left colonists dependent on foreign merchants for supplies, which gave both the British and the Americans influence over the colony. This backfired spectacularly during the Great European War when Britain used their influence to seize control over most of the colony.
Before that, in 1836, Russian colonization efforts in the area increased, as colonists were drawn by the promise of vast riches in gold. This led to a reduction in the influence of the foreign merchants. It also meant that the British annexation was bitterly resisted by a colonial militia, which was ultimately crushed and had to resort to guerrilla warfare.
The end of the Great European War meant that Britain returned Alyeska to Russian control and acknowledged the exclusivity of Russian rights to the fur trade there. Unfortunately, this led to starvation amongst the colonists, which made the RAC send more supplies and colonies and increase trade with the United States. In response, the people who had most benefited from trade with Britain seized control of Sitka in 1849 and demanded a renegotiation of the Treaty of Trabzon. The Tsar responded by immediately sending a large army to the city and retaking it. The traitors were executed.
During the Russian Age of Chaos, Alyeska remained mostly neutral. At first, they, especially the RAC, officially supported the Conservatives, but a conflict of interests led to expansionists seizing control of Alyeska and governing independently. The RAC quickly backed the new regime, and Alyeska’s autonomy was confirmed by the end of the Russian Age of Chaos when its government initiated efforts to grow the colony’s population and expand it.
The American merchants were tolerated as long as they didn’t interfere with official colonial policy. This status quo was kept for years, but it changed in 1871 when the Tsar and the Duma agreed to sell Alyeska to the United States. The local Alyeskan Duma argued that this was illegal and actively resisted American attempts to seize control of the territory.
In the end, a compromise was reached - Alyeska would become an American state immediately as the Commonwealth of Alyeska, and it would be allowed the right to secede. The “secession clause” would later become a major reason for the Alyeskan Conflict during the Unspoken War.
- 1
Thank you! Also, Germany wasn't fully united - Mecklenburg and Bavaria were kept as vassals for some reason.
Russia wouldn't dream of punishing her allies, either, and Russia and Germany were allies of convenience during this conflict (both disliking the Marxists)
Thanks!
- 1
The citizens of Alyeska will always have to be self-sufficient as they are a long way from London, St. Petersburg or Washington with much low population land between. Fur trade is semi-short term asset. Thanks
Last edited:
Russia's Relationship with Byzantium and its Legacy: Raiding Constantinople
Russian-Byzantine relations had a very tense beginning. Much of their early interactions were hostile, as early Russian chiefs stayed true to their Viking heritage and raided Byzantine lands.
The date of the earliest Rus attacks on Byzantine territory is unclear. There are records of an attack on Paphlagonia by the Rus, but the date of this attack is unclear. It occurred between 810 and 840 AD - before Rurik ruled Novgorod. However, modern historians question whether this attack ever happened at all.
The next attack was probably the 860 Siege of Constantinople, where the Rus followed the course of the River Dieper and the Black Sea. This early raid sacked all of the settlements surrounding Constantinople.
The Byzantines responded to this by turning to religion. There is a famous legend that the city was saved by divine intervention because the patriarch pushed the veil of the Theotokos (Mary) into the sea. A thunderstorm allegedly scattered the raiders’ ships after that. Interestingly, this scene became popular in Russian art later, but the raiders weren’t specified to be Russians.
Interestingly, who launched this raid on the Queen of Cities is unclear. The traditional tale is that the raider was Oleg of Kiev, who was a “kinsman” of Rurik. However, the traditional date - 860 - is before Rurik died and before Oleg took Kiev from Askoldr and Dir, who were also Viking chiefs. It is possible that Rurik and Askoldr and Dir might have participated in this raid. The Russian Primary Chronicle later blamed the attack on Askoldr and Dir.
Oleg would later launch another attack on Constantinople in 907. The Byzantines were afraid of the Russian raiders and offered to pay them off. They began by sending food and wine, but the leader of the raiders refused to accept these gifts, fearing poison. Russian sources insist that there was poison, and Oleg was wise not to accept them.
Constantinople was barred to the Russians by sea because iron chains blocked the entrance to the Bosporus. Oleg apparently solved this by putting wheels on his boats and landing on the shore. This was enough of a threat to get the Byzantines to agree to a treaty - the Rus would leave Constantinople in exchange for a humiliatingly massive tribute and even agreed to exempt Russian traders from taxation.
Oddly, Byzantine sources don’t mention this incident at all.
Later, Rurik’s son, Igor, also resolved to raid the great city. His raid was not as successful, as he was met by a fleet and an army that used Greek Fire. The Russians were defeated by this great force and retreated to their own lands in shame.
However, this setback merely annoyed Igor. He sought vengeance on the Byzantines, which he reasoned would allow him to recover his lost renown. He raised a massive army and even allied with the Pechenegs on his border. This show of force was enough to encourage negotiations with the intimidated Byzantine Emperor, who offered to pay a tribute even greater than that paid to Oleg. They also gave gifts to the Russians in an attempt to make them more receptive to peace by satisfying their want of plunder.
Igor’s death meant that the throne passed to his son, Sviatoslav, but he was underage even by the standards of that time, so the actual power passed to his wife, Olga. She would commit an act that changed the nature of Byzantine-Russian relations forever.
The date of the earliest Rus attacks on Byzantine territory is unclear. There are records of an attack on Paphlagonia by the Rus, but the date of this attack is unclear. It occurred between 810 and 840 AD - before Rurik ruled Novgorod. However, modern historians question whether this attack ever happened at all.
The next attack was probably the 860 Siege of Constantinople, where the Rus followed the course of the River Dieper and the Black Sea. This early raid sacked all of the settlements surrounding Constantinople.
The Byzantines responded to this by turning to religion. There is a famous legend that the city was saved by divine intervention because the patriarch pushed the veil of the Theotokos (Mary) into the sea. A thunderstorm allegedly scattered the raiders’ ships after that. Interestingly, this scene became popular in Russian art later, but the raiders weren’t specified to be Russians.
Interestingly, who launched this raid on the Queen of Cities is unclear. The traditional tale is that the raider was Oleg of Kiev, who was a “kinsman” of Rurik. However, the traditional date - 860 - is before Rurik died and before Oleg took Kiev from Askoldr and Dir, who were also Viking chiefs. It is possible that Rurik and Askoldr and Dir might have participated in this raid. The Russian Primary Chronicle later blamed the attack on Askoldr and Dir.
Oleg would later launch another attack on Constantinople in 907. The Byzantines were afraid of the Russian raiders and offered to pay them off. They began by sending food and wine, but the leader of the raiders refused to accept these gifts, fearing poison. Russian sources insist that there was poison, and Oleg was wise not to accept them.
Constantinople was barred to the Russians by sea because iron chains blocked the entrance to the Bosporus. Oleg apparently solved this by putting wheels on his boats and landing on the shore. This was enough of a threat to get the Byzantines to agree to a treaty - the Rus would leave Constantinople in exchange for a humiliatingly massive tribute and even agreed to exempt Russian traders from taxation.
Oddly, Byzantine sources don’t mention this incident at all.
Later, Rurik’s son, Igor, also resolved to raid the great city. His raid was not as successful, as he was met by a fleet and an army that used Greek Fire. The Russians were defeated by this great force and retreated to their own lands in shame.
However, this setback merely annoyed Igor. He sought vengeance on the Byzantines, which he reasoned would allow him to recover his lost renown. He raised a massive army and even allied with the Pechenegs on his border. This show of force was enough to encourage negotiations with the intimidated Byzantine Emperor, who offered to pay a tribute even greater than that paid to Oleg. They also gave gifts to the Russians in an attempt to make them more receptive to peace by satisfying their want of plunder.
Igor’s death meant that the throne passed to his son, Sviatoslav, but he was underage even by the standards of that time, so the actual power passed to his wife, Olga. She would commit an act that changed the nature of Byzantine-Russian relations forever.
- 1
They are.
About the latest update, this is Russia in the early Middle Ages, so details are scarce. I did the best I could.
Also, go and vote in the Q1 ACAs!
Russia's Relationship with Byzantium and its Legacy: The Conversion and Its Aftermath
The raids on Constantinople had alerted Christians to Russia’s existence, and many lived in Kiev. Olga heard the Christian preachers and talked with them about the afterlife. She thus converted and went to Constantinople to be baptized by the city’s patriarch in 955. Olga took the baptismal name Helen.
Olga attempted to convert her son, Sviatoslav, but he refused. He reasoned that converting would make him a laughingstock among the warriors who he fought with. Sviatoslav assumed the throne in 964 and tolerated Christianity but continued to refuse conversion. He spent his reign making war upon other kingdoms, attacking Khazaria and conquering Bulgaria.
Sviatoslav resolved to move to Bulgaria, lured by the comforts of civilization. The Bulgars disliked this and allied with Byzantium. This alliance drove him back to the cold North, but he was ambushed and killed by the rebellious Pechenegs.
Yaropolk inherited Kiev. He was quickly overthrown by his brother, Vladimir. Legend has it that he was anxious about his afterlife and considered converting to each of the three Abrahamic religions. He received teachers of each faith - Muslims from Bulgaria, Jews from Jerusalem, Christians from Rome, and Christians from Constantinople. He quickly rejected the Jews and the Muslims - the Muslims because Islam forbade alcohol, which he was far too popular in Russia to give up. However, he remained undecided between the Christian churches until it was pointed out that Olga had converted to the Greek church.
As such, Vladimir decided to sail across the Black Sea with an army and seize Crimea. He then sent a message to the Byzantine Emperors Basil and Constantine to request marriage with the princess Anna. He threatened to attack Constantinople if they refused. Vladimir converted to Orthodoxy in Cherson and married Anne at the same time. He then worked to convert all of his subjects to the new faith by burning their idols in massive bonfires. He also issued a decree to all of his subjects to be baptized in a river near Kiev. Many obeyed, and much of the Russian population was baptized in the Dnieper by Vladimir in 988.
Vladimir quickly tried to ensure that the conversion stuck. He sent missionaries throughout the kingdom and established schools. He hired teachers from Byzantium and had Christian books translated into Russian.
The Christianization of Russia by Byzantium - and Vladimir’s marriage with Anna - firmly allied the Kievan Rus with Byzantium. The fact that Russia was Eastern Orthodox became a distinguishing mark of identity in later years, as it distinguished the country from the Catholics (and later Protestants) in the west. From Vladimir’s successful conversion of his people until the fall of Constantinople in 1453, the two main Orthodox powers would remain linked as close allies.
Later, Russia’s religious identity would be used to claim and assert authority over the Orthodox in Greece. In addition, the common faith of Russia and the Byzantine Empire (which Russia saw as the legitimate successor to the Roman Empire) would be used to enhance Russia’s claim to being the “Third Rome”.
Olga attempted to convert her son, Sviatoslav, but he refused. He reasoned that converting would make him a laughingstock among the warriors who he fought with. Sviatoslav assumed the throne in 964 and tolerated Christianity but continued to refuse conversion. He spent his reign making war upon other kingdoms, attacking Khazaria and conquering Bulgaria.
Sviatoslav resolved to move to Bulgaria, lured by the comforts of civilization. The Bulgars disliked this and allied with Byzantium. This alliance drove him back to the cold North, but he was ambushed and killed by the rebellious Pechenegs.
Yaropolk inherited Kiev. He was quickly overthrown by his brother, Vladimir. Legend has it that he was anxious about his afterlife and considered converting to each of the three Abrahamic religions. He received teachers of each faith - Muslims from Bulgaria, Jews from Jerusalem, Christians from Rome, and Christians from Constantinople. He quickly rejected the Jews and the Muslims - the Muslims because Islam forbade alcohol, which he was far too popular in Russia to give up. However, he remained undecided between the Christian churches until it was pointed out that Olga had converted to the Greek church.
As such, Vladimir decided to sail across the Black Sea with an army and seize Crimea. He then sent a message to the Byzantine Emperors Basil and Constantine to request marriage with the princess Anna. He threatened to attack Constantinople if they refused. Vladimir converted to Orthodoxy in Cherson and married Anne at the same time. He then worked to convert all of his subjects to the new faith by burning their idols in massive bonfires. He also issued a decree to all of his subjects to be baptized in a river near Kiev. Many obeyed, and much of the Russian population was baptized in the Dnieper by Vladimir in 988.
Vladimir quickly tried to ensure that the conversion stuck. He sent missionaries throughout the kingdom and established schools. He hired teachers from Byzantium and had Christian books translated into Russian.
The Christianization of Russia by Byzantium - and Vladimir’s marriage with Anna - firmly allied the Kievan Rus with Byzantium. The fact that Russia was Eastern Orthodox became a distinguishing mark of identity in later years, as it distinguished the country from the Catholics (and later Protestants) in the west. From Vladimir’s successful conversion of his people until the fall of Constantinople in 1453, the two main Orthodox powers would remain linked as close allies.
Later, Russia’s religious identity would be used to claim and assert authority over the Orthodox in Greece. In addition, the common faith of Russia and the Byzantine Empire (which Russia saw as the legitimate successor to the Roman Empire) would be used to enhance Russia’s claim to being the “Third Rome”.
- 1
In fairness, a lot of that has to do with the fact that this is Russia, which doesn't have surviving primary sources until later on. Of course, primary sources might just confuse the issue, so you do have a point.
Also, vote in the Q1 ACAs!
- 1
Saint Vladimir allowed Russians to worship however they pleased, but choosing anything but the Orthodox Church greatly decreased life expectancy. Thank you
Russia's Relationship with Byzantium and its Legacy: The Third Rome
After Russia’s conversion to Christianity, the Kievan Rus and Byzantium grew closer, as the two Orthodox powers had a lot of trade of goods and even people. Byzantine priests and artists were invited to Russia to create religious buildings like cathedrals and churches, while Russian soldiers served in the Byzantine military, especially in the famous Varangian Guard.
Unfortunately, this relationship was harmed by internal struggles in Russia and the decline of Byzantium. The Byzantine Empire became a common location of exile for defeated Russian princes. In addition, Byzantium’s decline weakened their trade routes with Kiev, which harmed the economy of the Kievan Rus. The Sack of Constantinople in 1204 marked the effective end of the Dnieper trade route as a significant source of income.
While the Byzantines would partially recover from the Sack of Constantinople and the Fourth Crusade, the Kievan Rus was destroyed by the Mongols, who exacted tribute from the collection of small and divided Russian states until the late 1400s. The Byzantine Empire would never recover control of even the entirety of Greece, and the fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans in 1453 marked its final end.
Even despite that, the connection between the two states remained. They had shared a religion, and both saw the usefulness of close relations. While the Kievan Rus was permanently destroyed, a successor to that polity was quickly emerging in Moscow. In 1472, Ivan III of Russia married Zoe (or Sophia) Palaiologina, the niece of the last Byzantine Emperor. He used this marriage to claim the title of Tsar or imperator.
The Russian Tsars would use their similarities to the Byzantine Empire to claim to be the rulers of a “Third Rome”. They argued that their similarities with the Byzantine Empire - in both religion and political structure - made them the rightful successors to the Byzantine state - and, by extent, the rightful successors to the Roman Empire. The fact that Moscow also had seven hills was used as further evidence that Russia was Rome’s rightful heir, given that both Rome and Constantinople had seven hills.
The Russian Tsars and the Russian Church quickly began to use the idea of the “Third Rome” to justify an eventual war with the Ottomans as soon as the late 1400s. While this idea was not initially feasible due to the vast distance between the small Tsardom of Russia and the Ottoman Empire, the expansion of both of these empires made warfare inevitable and justified. The first wars occurred as soon as the late 1500s, and conflict between the two empires would continue into the twentieth century and only stop with the fall of the Ottoman Empire itself.
The connection between Byzantium and Russia was more than mere symbolism. The coronations of the Russian Tsars were deliberately reminiscent of the coronations of the old Byzantine Emperors, including relationships with the clergy during the ceremony. This was meant to reinforce the idea of Russia being the Third Rome among the Orthodox faithful.
The Russian Tsars took their position as the inheritors of the legacy of Byzantium seriously - they even proposed restoring the empire multiple times, most notably during Catherine the Great’s reign. This idea would finally bear fruit after the Stockholm Meeting.
Unfortunately, this relationship was harmed by internal struggles in Russia and the decline of Byzantium. The Byzantine Empire became a common location of exile for defeated Russian princes. In addition, Byzantium’s decline weakened their trade routes with Kiev, which harmed the economy of the Kievan Rus. The Sack of Constantinople in 1204 marked the effective end of the Dnieper trade route as a significant source of income.
While the Byzantines would partially recover from the Sack of Constantinople and the Fourth Crusade, the Kievan Rus was destroyed by the Mongols, who exacted tribute from the collection of small and divided Russian states until the late 1400s. The Byzantine Empire would never recover control of even the entirety of Greece, and the fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans in 1453 marked its final end.
Even despite that, the connection between the two states remained. They had shared a religion, and both saw the usefulness of close relations. While the Kievan Rus was permanently destroyed, a successor to that polity was quickly emerging in Moscow. In 1472, Ivan III of Russia married Zoe (or Sophia) Palaiologina, the niece of the last Byzantine Emperor. He used this marriage to claim the title of Tsar or imperator.
The Russian Tsars would use their similarities to the Byzantine Empire to claim to be the rulers of a “Third Rome”. They argued that their similarities with the Byzantine Empire - in both religion and political structure - made them the rightful successors to the Byzantine state - and, by extent, the rightful successors to the Roman Empire. The fact that Moscow also had seven hills was used as further evidence that Russia was Rome’s rightful heir, given that both Rome and Constantinople had seven hills.
The Russian Tsars and the Russian Church quickly began to use the idea of the “Third Rome” to justify an eventual war with the Ottomans as soon as the late 1400s. While this idea was not initially feasible due to the vast distance between the small Tsardom of Russia and the Ottoman Empire, the expansion of both of these empires made warfare inevitable and justified. The first wars occurred as soon as the late 1500s, and conflict between the two empires would continue into the twentieth century and only stop with the fall of the Ottoman Empire itself.
The connection between Byzantium and Russia was more than mere symbolism. The coronations of the Russian Tsars were deliberately reminiscent of the coronations of the old Byzantine Emperors, including relationships with the clergy during the ceremony. This was meant to reinforce the idea of Russia being the Third Rome among the Orthodox faithful.
The Russian Tsars took their position as the inheritors of the legacy of Byzantium seriously - they even proposed restoring the empire multiple times, most notably during Catherine the Great’s reign. This idea would finally bear fruit after the Stockholm Meeting.
- 1
It's hard to convert an entire nation immediately. This at least got Russia nominally Christian...
Oh, and go and vote in the Q1 ACAs!
- 1
I wonder how many cities can claim seven hills if their mayors use liberal hill definitions. Russia also likes the internal feuding popularized by the Byzantines. Thanks