Saki, H. H. Munro
The History of the Russian Empire
From the Foundation of Kievian Russia to the Rise of the Romanov Dynasty
Published by
Books
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2018 OK Publishing
ISBN 978-80-272-4371-6
Table of Contents
CHAPTER I THE DAWN OF RUSSIAN HISTORY
CHAPTER II THE COMING OF THE VARANGIANS AND THE BUILDING OF KIEVIAN RUSSIA
CHAPTER III THE FEUDS OF THE HOUSE OF RURIK
CHAPTER IV THE COMING OF THE MONGOLS
CHAPTER V “THE YEARS THAT THE LOCUST HATH EATEN”
CHAPTER VI THE GROWING OF THE GERM
CHAPTER VII THE LAST OF THE PALEOLOGI AND THE FIRST OF THE AUTOCRATS
CHAPTER XI “THIS SIDE THE HILL”
GLOSSARY OF RUSSIAN WORDS EMPLOYED WITHOUT EXPLANATION IN TEXT
“On se flatterait en vain de connaitre la Russie actuelle, si l’on ne
remontait plus haut dans son histoire.”—Le Père Pierling.
PREFACE
With the exception of a translation of Rambaud’s somewhat disjointed work, there is no detailed history of Russia in the English language at all approaching modern standards. The reigns of Petr the Great and of some of his successors down to the present day—a period covering only 200 years—have been minutely dealt with, but the earlier history of a nation with whom we are coming ever closer into contact is to the English reader almost a blank. Whether the work now submitted will adequately fill the gap remains to be seen; such is its object.
The rule observed with regard to the rendering of names of places and persons has been to follow the spelling of the country to which they belong as closely as possible. The spelling of Russian words employed, and curiously distorted, by English and other historians, has been brought back to its native forms. There is no satisfactory reason, for instance, why the two final letters of boyarin should be dropped, or why they should reappear tacked on to the equally Russian word Kreml. Moskva is scarcely recognisable in its Anglicised form, and Kiev can only be rendered Kieff on a system which would radically disturb the spelling of most English towns.
A list of works consulted is appended, arranged somewhat in the order in which they have been found useful, precedence being given to those which have been most largely drawn upon.
HECTOR H. MUNRO,
1899.
WORKS CONSULTED
Karamzin—Histoire de l’empire russe. 1819. (French translation by MM. St. Thomas et de Divoff.)
S. Solov’ev—Istoriya Rossie. 1858.
Th. Schiemann—Russland, Polen und Livland. 1885.
A. Rambaud—History of Russia. 1879. (English translation.)
L. Paris (translator)—Chronique de Nestor. 1834.
N. Kostomarov—Rousskaya Istoriya v jhizneopisaniyakh eya glavnieyshikh dieyatelen. 1874.
N. Kostomarov—Sieverno Rousskiya Narodopravstva. 1886.
Sir H. H. Howorth—History of the Mongols.
Anonymous—Geschichte der Ostseeprovinzen. 1879.
Von Hammer-Purgstall—Geschichte der goldenen Horde. 1840.
„ „ Histoire de l’Empire Ottoman. (French translation.)
E. A. Freeman—Ottoman Power in Europe. 1877.
J. W. Zinkeisen—Geschichte des osmanischen Reich in Europa.
Gennad Karpov—Istoriya Bor’bui Moskovskago Gosoudarstvo s Pol’sko-Litovskim, 1462-1508. 1867.
“V. N.”—Iz Istorie Moskvui, 1147-1703. 1896.
E. A. Solov’ev—Ivan IV. Groznie. 1893.
N. A. Polevoi—Tzarstvovanie Ioanna Groznago. 1859.
Le Père Pierling—La Russie et l’Orient. 1891.
„ „ Rome et Demetrius. 1878.
Marquis de Noailles—Henri de Valois et la Pologne en 1572. 1867.
V. B. Antonovitch—Otcherk Istorie Velikago Kniajhestva Litovskago. 1878.
N. G. Riesenkampff—Der Deutsche Hof zu Nowgorod. 1854.
Laszlo Szalay—Geschichte Ungarns. 1874.
A. N. Murav’ev—History of the Russian Church. 1842. (English translation by R. W. Blackmore.)
A. Pember—Ivan the Terrible.
A. M. H. J. Stokvis—Manuel d’Histoire, de Généalogie, et de Chronologie, etc. 1889.
Bar. Sigismund von Herberstein—Rerum Moscoviticorum commentarii. 1851. (English translation by R. H. Major.)
CHAPTER I
THE DAWN OF RUSSIAN HISTORY
Russia, which is blessed with a rich variety of tribes and peoples, the despair of the ethnographical geographer, who can scarcely find enough distinctive colours wherewith to denote them all on his maps, is characterised by a singular uniformity of physical conditions throughout the greater part