RUSSIA 



41 



Volhynia, and even Tmutorakan in north Caucasia, 

 was the most brilliant time for Kieff. The ' mother 

 of the Russian towns ' grew to be a populous city, 

 visited by numerous caravans of merchants, and 

 Adam of Bremen described it as 'a rival to the 

 supremacy of Constantinople. ' The great cathedral 

 of St Sophia was built at that time ; as also many 

 other churches. Schools were opened, and the first 

 written Russian law the 'Russkaya Pravda,' or, 

 at least, its essential parts was compiled. It cor- 



responds to the leges barbarorum of the ancient 

 Germans and Scandinavians. By the end of his 

 life Yaroslav was ruling over most of the Russian 

 towns, and his daughters were married, one to the 

 king of Poland, another to Harold in Norway, a 

 third to Henry I. in France, and a fourth to the 

 king of Hungary. He died in 1054. 



The next two centuries of Russian history cor- 

 respond to the feudal period of western Europe. 

 In the annals they appear as an uninterrupted 





l. 



t 



3, 4. 



6, e. 



7. 

 8. 



Principality of Moscow under Daniel, 1303. 



Acquisitions of Yuriy, Ivan KaliU, and Dmitri Donskol, 



life 



the two Taiwill, 1469. 



Ivan III. and Vassili Ivanovltch, 15S3. 



Ivan IV. the Terrible, 1584. 



Mikhail Romanoff, 1645. 



Alexei Mikhailovitch, 1676. 



Historical Map of Russia : 



11, 12. 

 13. 

 14. 

 16. 

 18. 

 17. 

 18. 



10. Acquisitions of Peter I., 1725. 



Anna and Elizabeth, 1762. 

 Catharine II., 1796. 

 Paul I., 1801. 

 Alexander I., 1825. 

 Nicholas I., 1855. 

 Alexander II., 1881. 

 the period 1730-1845. 



succession of petty wars between the descendants 

 of Yaroslav for the right of ruling in this or that 

 city, or for the supremacy at Kien. But modern 

 h liiis disclosed the real characters of the 

 epoch. The Russians at that time were steadily 



extending their territory towards the east; they 

 colonised the Oka, the Don, and the Finnish terri- 

 tories in the north-east. Between the numerous 

 clans and territories into which they were divided 

 there were no exterior bonds of unity save the 



