Russia: From the Vikings to the last tsar
A beginner's guide
The history of Russia seems to contain many extremes – the most grisly murders, the most terrible despots, the most fascinating twists and turns, the most profound revolutions, the most gorgeous displays of wealth and power.
Here you will find links to websites dealing with the high points – and depths – of Russian history, from its occupation by Viking invaders in the early Middle Ages to the execution of the last Russian tsar Nicholas II in 1918.
- Overviews
The length and breadth of pre-Soviet Russian history. - Ancient Russia
From the coming of the Vikings to the end of Kievan Rus. - The Golden Horde and the emergence of Moscow
The centuries when Russia suffered under the yoke of the Tatars, until the coming of the first true tsar. - Ivan the Terrible to the Romanovs
The most famous – and infamous – of the early tsars, whose death set off the Time of Troubles, which only ended with the coming of the first Romanov tsar. - Peter the Great
The tsar who brought Russia into modern Europe. - Elizabeth and Catherine
Two great women (with ineffectual – and doomed – Paul III in between). - Paul I to Alexander III
From the defeat of Napoleon to the assassination of the tsar who freed the serfs. - The path to revolution
Lenin, Nicholas II, Rasputin and rebellion.
