RUSSIAN 50 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Primary Chronicle, Basil Ii, High Church
Document Summary
Can"t make direct connections between paganism and peasants. Hard to determine when certain aspect has been added on. Over the centuries, the ancient beliefs got a lot of new layers and stuff. Kievan rus" founded by rurik in 862. Kievan rus" = modern day ukraine and belarus and part of nw russia. Became grand duke and he was at 1st a pagan converted to christianity bc of economic and political benefits & made an alliance with byzantium. Then vladimir married to byzantium (byzantine emperor basil ii) Dual faith continued to exist however they mostly practiced their older pagan beliefs. Peasants accepted the new religion they ok w being christian but masses hung onto their old beliefs practicing both pagan deities and christian god = dual faith. The simultaneous subscription to 2 different and possibly even contradictory belief systems. Characteristics of early russian christianity, where people observed christians rites but nonetheless continued to adhere to certain pagan beliefs & practices.
