Mongols Influence On Russia

In 855, the civilization of Kievan Rus ' developed, encompassing a small portion of modern day Russia. Around 1220, the Mongols arrived in Russia where they significantly influenced the Russian culture. In 1762, Catherine the Great became empress where she patronized Western culture. From the civilization of Kievan Rus ' to the Russian Empire of Catherine the Great, Russia 's contacts with the west, political structure, and territorial boundaries had significantly changed.

Contact with the with the west was cut off with the Mongol arrival, yet by the rule of Catherine the Great, contacts with the west had been reestablished. With the religious schism occurring in the Byzantine Empire, Roman Catholic and Orthodox missionaries attempted to convert
With the arrival of the Mongols or Tatars, Russia contacts with the west were cut off, causing Russia to miss numerous key transformations in Europe, such as the Renaissance and the Protestant Reformation. Therefore, Russia 's politics, economy, and intellectual developments began to lag behind that of Europe. With the installment of Catherine the Great as empress in 1762, a process of "westernization" had already begun. Throughout this process, Catherine took great interest in western art and architecture, constructing the city of St. Petersburg using popular western styles. The Russian nobility also sent their children to Europe to be educated. The contacts with the west throughout the civilization of Kievan Rus ' were significant and most likely due to the religious evangelism of the Christian missionaries. Competing with the Roman Catholic missionaries to gain converts, the Orthodox missionaries increased their activity as well. With the Mongol arrival, contacts with the west diminished
Borrowing heavily from the Byzantine Empire, Kievan Rus ' developed a principality incorporating loosely organized alliances with regional landed aristocrats, or boyars. The major princes were attracted to the concept of a central ruler who possessed wide powers, and therefore the boyars did not have a significant role in politics. When the Mongols arrived in 1220, Russia had been divided into numerous small kingdoms. The Russian princes, such as Vladimir, possessed most of the power, yet the boyars influence in politics began to increase as they gained more power over the peasantry. As a vassal to the Golden Horde, Russia payed tribute to the Mongols in order to retain their original political structure. The tribute payment required placed a heavy burden on the peasants, causing a system of manorialism to develop, increasing the power of the boyars over the peasantry. With the Russian Empire under Catherine the Great, the common structure of the government was autocratic. Catherine the Great further increased the power of the boyars over the peasantry, allowing them greater control in politics. Gradually transforming from a monarchy to an autocracy, the boyars political influence slowly increased as well. Since Russia was based heavily on its exportation of