Lesson #5 - Russia's Absolute Rulers

By Mike Vergin on September 4, 2009 2:00 AM
Although I'd like to think I did a pretty good job of staying away from doing a lot of unnecessary lecturing in the World History 9/10 courses the last two years, you need to cut me a little bit of slack today.  Russian history is one of my favorite areas, and I've got a lot of pretty good stories to share with you.  After our quiz, we'll look at the two classic examples of the Russian czar, or absolute ruler: Ivan the Terrible and Peter the Great.


Ivan the Terrible-  A fascinating figure, Ivan the Terrible was the first Russian ruler to formally use the term, "czar."  Download a copy of these From Ivan to Peter notes, and we'll walk through his life, as well as the period of chaos that followed it. 

The Time of Troubles - While it is certainly not the most important period in Russian history, I think the years after the death of Ivan the Terrible are bizarre enough to deserve our attention for a couple minutes. For many of you, it will be a chance to show us your dramatic skills...

Impact of Peter the Great- This list is by no means complete, but it shows the time line of some major events from the time of Peter the Great.

1695-96 capture of Azov
1695 beginning of Russian navy
1696 death of Ivan V; Peter assumes full power
1697-98 Peter's "Grand Embassy" to the West
1698 Streltsy revolt crushed
1700 suspension of patriarchate, new calendar
1700-21 Great Northern War with Sweden
1709 victory in Battle of Poltava
1713 capital moved to St. Petersburg
1718 Tsarevich Alexis killed
1721 treaty with Sweden- new lands acquired
1722 Table of Ranks established, succession law
1725 death of Peter the Great

How did Peter alter the future of Russia?

* Westernization campaign- "Window to the West"
* modernization of military
* bringing of industry and technology to Russia
* introduction of Russia navy
* ends mestnichestvo- system of precedence
* secularization of Russian state and culture
* spiritual regulation- seizure of lands, suspends the Patriachate
* "Truth of the Monarch's Will"- attempts to end question of succession
* establishment of St. Petersburg


HOMEWORK for next session - Tuesday, September 8th

Please read the final section in Chapter 21, "Parliament Limits the English Monarchy." (pp. 614 - 617)

We'll begin our "Absolute Monarchs on Trial" activity on Tuesday with the testimony from the prosecution witness.  Here's a reminder about the specifics for the assignment.

THE CHARGES:  The Absolute Monarchs of Europe are charged with: ignoring the needs and well-being of the people, bankrupting the state, pursuing selfish foreign policies and harming the futures of their states.

FORMAT:  All witnesses should be prepared to give a "speech" in class.  This should be between 2 and 3 minutes. It need not be memorized. If you are a real person, you should explain why "you" support a particular monarch and/or the idea of absolutism. If you represent a "type" of person, you should create a story consistent with your assigned side and background. Prosecution witnesses may focus on one or more of the charges against a particular monarch. 

The six monarchs will have two roles. First, they can question the witnesses for the two sides. In addition, they will have a chance to address the jury before deliberation begins.  (All the witnesses become the "jury" at this stage.) In this address, each monarch has between 3 and 4 minutes to summarize his or her accomplishments as a monarch and/or explain why they should not be convicted of the charges. Our jury will then deliberate on the fate of each monarch, and they also can ask questions of the monarchs at this point. (Note that there may well be different verdicts in the different cases.)

EVALUATION:  You will receive credit for both your "speech" and your participation/conduct during the rest of the trial.


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This page contains a single entry by Mike Vergin published on September 4, 2009 2:00 AM.

Lesson #4 - Religious Conflict and the Thirty Years' War was the previous entry in this blog.

Lesson #6 - English Civil War / Absolute Monarchs on Trial is the next entry in this blog.

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