The Mongol Conquest of Kiev 
Last Updated    12/5/2007     11/5/2007

1240 AD, the Mongols from central Asia, takes control of Rus states.  They destroyed villages and towns, and killed many people.  They made the Rus people pay tribute to the Khan.  Rus citizens had to serve in the Mongol army.  Many people fled to the northern forests.

The Church
The Eastern Orthodox Church remained strong during the Mongol Invasions.
Monks began to found monasteries deep in the northern forests.
Rus farmers followed looking for new lands.
Towns and villages grew around the monasteries.
The Rus churches were isolated.
They developed their own local rituals and practices.

Daily Life
Food
Wealthy ate deer and wild pig.
Peasants ate bread, cabbage, salted fish, and mushrooms.

Entertainment
A peasant pleasure was visiting.
They told stories about the brave deeds of their warriors and heroes.
The stories were passed on and became part of Rus history.

Clothes
Peasants wore white tunics, linen trousers, and tree bark shoes.
They used rags wrapped around their feet for socks.
Rich Merchants and Boyars wore tall fur hats.
They wore long robes tied at the waist with a sash.
Rus women of all classes wore blouses or smocks, skirts, and long shawls.
On holidays they added a headdress.
The headdress indicated the region she was from and if she was married.

Bibliography
Greenblatt, Miriam, and Lemmo, Peter. Human Heritage A World History. Columbus, Ohio: McGraw-Hill, 2001.