Historical Dictionary of Medieval Russia [Hardcover]

...should be a welcome ready reference addition to our library shelves, and a value to students and instructors alike....could serve as a textbook substitute....a very useful volume.The scholarship is as exhaustive as it is impeccable, as informative as it is authoritative, and adheres to high standards of accessibility for both the academician as well as the non-specialist general reader with an interest in the field of history...superbly presented and highly recommended.The dictionary covers the history of Russia from its founding in the mid-ninth century to the reign of Peter the Great. It contains entries on politics, society, economy, literature, religion, art.History is full of surprises, but rarely has there been a turnaround as unexpected, and momentous as what occurred to a formative Russia during the medieval period. Attacked and invaded from all sides, it hardly looked as if the small Slavic principalities would survive. But they did and were eventually absorbed into Kiev Rus' and then Muscovy, which gradually expanded and laid the foundation for a huge empire. The author uncovers this extraordinary period, from the founding of the Kievan state to the accession of Peter the Great in 1682, describing both the times of danger and defeat and those of expansion and revitalization. Entries cover: o Tsars o Princes and khans o Pretenders and rebels o Patriarchs and priests o Russians o Mongols and othersChapter 1 Editor's Foreword Jon Woronoff Chapter 2 Reader's Note Chapter 3 Chronology Chapter 4 Introduction Chapter 5 THE DICTIONARY Chapter 6 Bibliography Chapter 7 About the AuthorLawrence Langer is an Associate Professor of Russian History at the University of Connecticut. He is a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies and the Early Slavic Studies Association. He has published in numerous scholarly journals.