Alexander Nevsky Case

Alexander Nevsky- Prince of Novgorod and Grand Prince of Vladimir

Ivan III- Ivan the Great, was a Grand Prince of Moscow and Rus'

Third Rome- The idea that some European cities, states, or countries are successors of Ancient Rome

Ivan IV- Ivan the Terrible, Grand Prince of Moscow and the Tsar of All the Russia's

Boyars- Member of the highest rank of the feudal Bulgarian, Moscovian, Kievan Rus'ian, Wallachian, and Moldovian aristocracies

Cossacks- Group of predominantly East Slavic people who were members of a democratic group

Time of Troubles- The period of time between the fall of the Rurik Dynasty, and the establishment of the Romanov Dynasty

Romanov Dynasty- Rulers of Russia from 1613 until the Russian Revolution of February 1917

Alexis Romanov- Tsar of Russia from 1645 until 1676, son of Tsar Michael of Russia

Old Believers- Group of Russian religious dissenters who refuse to accept the reforms pressed on the Russian Church

Peter I- Peter the Great, ruled the Tsardom of Russia from May 7th, until his death

St. Petersburg- City and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River

Catherine I- Second Wife of Peter I, reigned as Empress of Russia from 1725 until her death

Pugachev Rebellion- Principal revolt that took place in Russia after Catherine II seized power in 1762

Partition of Poland- Three partitions which took place in the second half of the 18th century and ended the existence of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

The Territory expansion policy focused particularly on central Asia. It was motivated by a desire to push the former Mongol overlords farther back. Russia was a country of vast plains, with few natural barriers to invasion. The early tsars turned this drawback to an advantage by pushing southward toward the Caspian Sea. Both Ivan III and IV recruited peasants to migrate to the newly seized lands, particularly in the south.

Peter the Great led the first westernization effort in history, changing Russia permanently and providing a model for later westernization attempts elsewhere. Peter and his successors used westernization to bolster Russia's expansionist empire, without intending to become a truly Western society. Although a major limit was that there were many citizens who did not want change, and would refuse to join in the westernization of Russia.

Catherine the Great was a selective westernizer as her "instruction of 1767" clearly