The Rise of Muscovy

The historical roots of the protagonist of this book can be traced back to Kievan Rus (9th-13th centuries), the most important political entity in Eastern Europe in the Middle Ages. This prototype of the East Slavic country centered on the Dnieper River Basin gradually divided into three branches: Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus after the Mongolian Western Expedition in the 13th century. Starting from the 14th century, the Principality of Moscow gradually accumulated strength by taking the opportunity to collect tribute from the Mongolian Empire. The 9th Grand Duke Ivan III (1462-1505) completely got rid of Mongol rule and annexed Novgorod and other principalities to establish a centralized state. In 1598, Feodor I died without an heir, triggering a 15-year "era of chaos". In 1613, the "All-Russian Gentry Conference" elected 16-year-old Mikhail Romanov as tsar, who became the grandfather of the later famous Peter the Great. The Romanov family ended foreign wars through compromises such as the Treaty of Stolbovo and consolidated its ruling authority in the name of "Chosen Bloodline" and "restoration of order." This began the three-century rule of the Romanov dynasty. Throughout the past four hundred years, Russia's performance in conflicts and wars has always been mixed, but it has always been able to rely on external factors to gain respite when it was in desperate situations, and finally achieved a reversal. Sometimes, they were able to reap huge benefits without spending a single soldier. This makes people wonder how many machinations are hidden behind it, and it also arouses my interest in exploring further. By rewinding history, we will gradually find that compared to the so-called "combat nation", Russia's skill in vertical and horizontal manipulation may be several levels higher than their combat effectiveness and weapons and equipment.