Eastern and Central Europe (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

120 NORTH EASTERN EUROPE

Battle of Kulikovo (1380), and the

Russian nation was reborn. During the

long reign of Ivan III the Great

(r. 1462–1505), Moscow’s pres tige

increased and continued under his

grandson Ivan the Terrible (r. 1533–

84), the first to be called “Tsar of All

the Russias”. Yet, his reign ended in

disaster, leading to the so-called Time

of Troubles. To end this strife, in 1613,

Moscow’s citizens chose Mikhail

Romanov to be tsar, thus initiating the

300-year Romanov rule. His grandson,

Peter the Great, transformed medi eval

Russia into a modern European state.

He built the city of St Petersburg and

declared it the cap ital in 1712. For

most of the 18th century Russia was

ruled by women, of whom the most

significant was Catherine II.

Napoleon’s unsuccessful invasion of

Moscow in 1812 and his defeat turned

Russia into a major European power.

Towards the end of the century,

however, the country was on the verge

of break down. Economic unrest and

the urgent need for social reform led

to the 1905 Revolution. The outbreak

of World War I brought about a surge

of patriotism, but war time losses

provoked a series of strikes, the tsar’s

abdication and the establishment of a

provi sional govern ment. This was the

signal for exiled revo lutionaries, such

as Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, to organize an

uprising in October 1917, heralding

more than 70 years of Soviet rule. In

1918, Moscow was reinstated as the

capital of the country.

The Germans invaded the Soviet

Union in 1941, subjecting St Petersburg

(then Leningrad) to a 900-day siege,

but Moscow was never taken; Hitler

had underestimated both the harsh-

ness of the Russian winter and the

willingness of the people to fight.

The USSR ceased to exist in 1991.

Since then, Russia has tried to rein vent

itself as a modern democratic nation.

Vladimir Putin succeeded Boris Yeltsin

as president in 2000. In 2008, after two

terms as president, Putin became

prime minister.

LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

Russian is the official language of the

people of Moscow and St Petersburg

and Cyrillic is the alphabet used.

Classical music is the central theme of

a large number of festivals attracting

performers from all over the world.

Christmas masquerades and the Spas

Yablochni Medovy harvest cele bra-

tion are some of the folk festivals.

KEY DATES IN RUSSIAN HISTORY

863 Missionaries Cyril and Methodius create

the Cyrillic alphabet

1147 Moscow is founded

1380 Mongols defeated at the Battle

of Kulikovo

1613 Mikhail Romanov becomes first tsar of

the Romanov Dynasty

1682 Peter the Great ascends the throne

1703 St Petersburg is founded

1712 Seat of government moves to St Petersburg

1762 Catherine II seizes the throne

1812 Napoleon invades Moscow but has

to retreat

1861 Emancipation of serfs

1906 Inauguration of the Duma (parliament)

1917 The Russian Revolution

1918 Civil War starts. Capital moves to Moscow

1953 Death of Stalin

1991 Dissolution of the USSR

1955 Warsaw Pact is established

2000 Putin becomes President of Russia

2008 Medvedev elected president of Russia

Painting of Lenin leading the Russian Revolution, 1917