Tag: Livonia

  • 5 Foreigners Who Helped Create the Russian Empire

    5 Foreigners Who Helped Create the Russian Empire

    In the early 18th century, Tsar Peter I (Peter the Great) crushed the mighty Sweden, making Russia one of the leading European powers. In this he also received help from foreign experts and professionals. 1. James Bruce Public domain “A most honest and learned man,” Sir Charles Whitworth, British Ambassador to Russia, said by James…

  • Why were Russia and Denmark loyal allies for centuries

    Why were Russia and Denmark loyal allies for centuries

    Sweden was once considered a European superpower. The Russians and Danes did everything they could to bring this glorious period for Sweden to a quick end. For almost five centuries the Danes were one of the most friendly European nations towards the Russians. The reason for the union of the two countries so culturally and…

  • How the Russian Empire performed at its last Olympics in 1912

    How the Russian Empire performed at its last Olympics in 1912

    The Summer Games in Stockholm became the very last Olympics in which the Russian Empire participated. Next time, already like the Soviet Union, athletes would be forty years later! The history of the Olympic movement in the Russian Empire is quite short and predictably ends with the dissolution of the empire itself. The country had…

  • This was Russia’s only window into Europe for centuries

    This was Russia’s only window into Europe for centuries

    Until Peter I struggled to create his “window to Europe” through the Baltic Sea, the only window of its kind that Russia ever had was located in the Arctic Ocean. It was the city of Arkhangelsk. Today, Russia is washed away by 13 seas. However, this was not always the case. In the 16th century,…

  • How the French and Russians learned about each other

    How the French and Russians learned about each other

    Before Russia joined the circle of European powers in the early 18th century, there was little interest in France and vice versa. Russian princess on the throne of France Almost nothing is known about the first contacts between Russians and French – historical sources are silent about the matter. But in the 11th century, an…

  • How Swedish Prince Gustav traveled to Russia and never returned

    How Swedish Prince Gustav traveled to Russia and never returned

    The story had all the prerequisites for a romantic film: a destitute prince flees to Russia and wants to marry the tsar’s daughter. However, the story did not end so happily. And the truth itself can be more complicated. “Drunk with wine, Gustav threatened to burn down Moscow if they did not let him leave…

  • Who was Alexander Nevsky, the legendary Russian prince

    Who was Alexander Nevsky, the legendary Russian prince

    The “Battle of the Ice” in which Alexander Nevsky, a Russian prince, defeated the Knights of the Livonian Order, is considered a milestone in Russian history. We explain this and other important facts about Alexander Nevsky. Surrounded by Russians led by Alexander Nevsky, the Knights break the Livonian Order (an autonomous branch of the German…

  • How ‘Celtic’ crosses appeared in Russia

    How ‘Celtic’ crosses appeared in Russia

    In ancient Russian cities you can see crosses in a circle, more traditional of Celtic societies. We’re investigating how they got there. In Veliky Novgorod, one of Russia’s oldest cities, there are still some old stone churches. Some have a special (for the Russian eye) architectural feature: crosses on the facades, partially inscribed in a…