Description
Book SynopsisIn examining the Mongol influence on Muscovy, Donald Ostrowski places Muscovy in the context of world history. In this 1998 book, he discusses the different cultures which influenced its development and shows that the ecclesiastical and secular establishments were affected by two dominant influences: Byzantium and the Qipchaq Khanate.
Trade Review'… an invaluable book … It raises the level of debate, and it brings together into a coherent argument a vast amount of disparate scholarship in many disciplines to illumine a difficult area in history … Future writing on this topic will have to engage with Ostrowski's analysis one way or another.' Reviews in History
'This is a book which makes a significant contribution, and its arguments are well worth pondering.' English Historical Review
' … a solid, thoroughly researched work on a major and often contentious topic. It is an important addition not just to Russian-Mongol imperial history, but to Eurasian and comparative studies as well.' Journal of Ecclesiastical History
Table of ContentsPreface; Introduction: understanding Muscovy; Part I. Mongol Influence: What's What and What's Not: 1. Setting the scene; 2. Administration, political institutions and the military; 3. Seclusion of women; 4. Oriental despotism; 5. Economic oppression; Part II. Development of an Anti-Tatar Ideology in the Muscovite Church: 6. Defining ideology; 7. Anti-Tatar interpolations in the Rus' chronicles; 8. Fashioning the Khan into a Basileus; 9. Byzantine political thought and Muscovy; 10. Third Rome - delimiting the ruler's power and authority; 11. The myth of the 'Tatar Yoke'; Addendum: types of cross-cultural influence; Glossary; Chronology; Works cited; Abbreviations; Sources; Studies.
