VII. Find and present the information about the first code of laws, Russkaya Pravda. Text 2 historic people of ancient russia

I. Scan the text once and match the name of a historic person to his biography. There is one person whose biography is not given in the task.

1. Rurik

2. Oleg

3. Saint Vladimir Svyatoslavich the Great

4. Yaroslav I the Wise

5. Yuri Dolgorukiy

1. He (c.978 in Kiev – February 20, 1054 in Kiev) was thrice Grand Prince of Novgorod and Kiev, uniting the two principalities for a time under his rule. During his lengthy reign, Kievan Russia reached a zenith of its cultural flowering and military power.

2. He, d. 879, semilegendary Varangian warrior, regarded as the founder of the princely dynasty of Kievan Russia. He and his two brothers, at the head of an armed band, apparently seized Novgorod and nearby districts (c.862). According to unreliable early accounts, they had been invited by the local Slavs. His successors founded the powerful Kievan state, which lasted until the 13th cent. His house also came to rule the grand duchy of Moscow, and later all Russia, until the death of Feodor I in 1598.

3. He (c.958 – 15 July 1015, Berestovo) was the Grand Prince of Kiev who converted to Christianity in 988, and proceeded to baptise the whole Kievan Russia.

4. He, d. c.912, founder of Kievan Russia. Succeeding his kinsman Rurik as leader of the Varangians at Novgorod, he led forth his retainers to seize Kiev (c.879). He made Kiev his capital and set about uniting the Slavic tribes along the Volkhov-Dnieper waterway, freeing them from the overlordship of the Khazars. He concluded commercial treaties with the Byzantine Empire in 907 and 911, making trade with the empire a major factor in the Kievan economy and opening the path for Greek Christian cultural penetration. He was succeeded by Igor.

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II. Read the text again and fill in the following table:

The person	When the person lived	The person’s contribution to the history (of the country)

III. Work in pairs. Find information about other historic people who can be added to the table above. How did they influence the course of history? What was their contribution? Within each pair choose an expert who will present your findings. Discuss and compare your results.

Text 3

MONGOL INVASION

I. Read the text for detail and match the words in bold with

a) their Russian equivalents given below:

1. поправляться, приходить в себя от (болезни, удивления, испуга и т. п.)

2. властелин, правитель

3. захватчик, оккупант

4. одержать победу (над кем-л.), наносить поражение (кому-л.), завоёвывать (что-л.)

5. знак; символ

6. низложить, свергнуть; сместить (с должности)

7. поддерживать, сохранять (в состоянии, которое имеется на данный момент, особенно в хорошем)

8. сильное воздействие; влияние

9. дань; подать

10. церковный; духовный (имеющий отношение к религии, к церкви)

b) the following definitions:

1) an occasion when one country’s army enters another country by force, in order to take control of it –

2) variable, not equal, not regular –

3) the state of being damaged or destroyed –

4) domination of one power or state within a league, confederation, country, etc., or of one social class over others –

5) the office, province, or residence of a patriarch –

6) action against someone who has done something bad to you –

7) the period during which a person is the official ruler of a country –

Kievan Russia struggled on into the 13^th century, but was decisively destroyed by the arrival of a new invader – the Mongols. In 1237 Batu Khan, a grandson of Jenghiz Khan, launched an invasion into Kievan Russia from his capital on the lower Volga (at present-day Kazan). Over the next three years the Mongols (or Tatars) destroyed all of the major cities of Kievan Russia with the exceptions of Novgorod and Pskov. The regional princes were not deposed, but they were forced to send regular tribute to the Tatar state, which became known as the Empire of the Golden Horde. Invasions of Russia were attempted during this period from the west as well, first by the Swedes (1240) and then by the Livonian Brothers of the Sword (1242), a regional branch of the fearsome Teutonic Knights. In the best news of the era for Russia, both were decisively defeated by the great warrior Alexander Nevsky, a prince of Novgorod who earned his surname from his victory over the Swedes on the Neva River.

F or the next century or so, very little seems to have happened in Russia. In fact, given the tribute demanded by the Tatars, there wasn’t much money available for building, campaigns, or anything else of that sort. The impact of the Mongol invasion on the territories of Kievan Russia was uneven. The advanced city culture was almost completely destroyed. As older centers such as Kiev and Vladimir never recovered from the devastation of the initial attack, the new cities of Moscow, Tver and Nizhny Novgorod began to compete for hegemony in the Mongol-dominated Russia. With the Tatars off to the southwest, the northeastern cities gradually gained more influence – first Tver, and then, around the turn of the 14^th century, Moscow. As a sign of the city’s importance, the patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church was transferred to the city, making it the spiritual capital of Russia. By the latter part of the century, Moscow felt strong enough to challenge the Tatars directly, and in 1380 a Muscovite prince named Dmitri Donskoy had the audacity to attack them. His decisive victory at Kulikovo Field immediately made him a popular hero, though the Tatar retaliation two years later maintained their rule over the city. It wasn’t until 1480, after another century had passed, that Moscow was strong enough to throw off Tatar rule for good. Its ruler at that time was Grand Duke Ivan III, better known as Ivan the Great. Ivan began by subjugating most of Moscow’s rival cities, and by the time he tore up the charter binding it to Tatar tribute he was effectively in control of the entire country. However, it wasn’t until the reign of his grandson, Ivan IV (the Terrible), that Russia became a unified state.

[http://www.geographia.com/russia/rushis03.htm]