Byzantines and Russes
Byzantines and Russes
Migration and interaction result in cultural and racial (genetic) mix. There was plenteous of interaction among Western Europeans and among Eastern Europeans but not much between Western and Eastern Europeans. Slavs migrated into large numbers in Greco-Thraco-Illyrian territory and that had a big impact on racial (genetic) and cultural mix. There was also notable migration from Greco-Thraco-Illyrian (Byzantine) territory to Slavic and much interaction between Byzantine and Russian states.
In ancient times, Greco-Thraco-Illyrian territory stretched from Palestine, Cyprus, Crete to Southern Ukraine and Slovakia. Greeks (Hellenes) were in the southern part, Illyrians in western and Thracians in eastern and northern. Today's southern Ukraine and southwestern Russia was the land of Thracians but Greeks established early many colonies in Black Sea.
In the Golden Fleece myth, Jason was married to Medea, princess of Colchis, in contemporary western Georgia. Herodotus places Amazons (female warriors and hunters) in Sarmatia, modern Ukraine and Russia. In Euripide's play "Iphigenia in Tauris", Iphigenia was taken prisoner in Tauris, contemporary Crimea. Greeks were present in today's southern Ukraine, southwestern Russia and western Georgia since at least 6th century BC.
After capturing Crimea, Vladimir the Great demanded that Byzantines sent there the sister of Emperor Basil II Porphyrogenitus. Anna Porphyrogenita's father was Byzantine Emperor Romanos II of the Macedonian dynasty. The dynasty was named after its founder, Basil I the Macedonian, a Greek (Hellene) originating from Macedonia, which was in the region of Thrace. The Macedonian dynasty ruled Byzantine Empire from 867 to 1056 AD.
Anna's mother was Empress Theophano, a Greek from Laconia, the region around Sparta. Like her mother, Anna was noted for her beauty. Anna's hand was a big prize and many nobles had expressed interest. Anna did not want to marry Vladimir. Such a marriage seemed almost impossible. But Vladimir negotiated the marriage in order to provide military assistance to Basil against two revolting generals, Bardas Sclerus and Bardas Phocas.
After the marriage was agreed, Vladimir sent six thousand soldiers to assist Basil put down the revolt. The condition for the marriage was that Vladimir would be baptized Christian in Crimea. According to some sources, the only reason Vladimir and his subjects became Christian, was Anna's hand. Most sources aknowledge this as one of the reasons. In 987 AD, Vladimir had sent envoys to study the religions of neighboring people. He was very impressed with Byzantine religious practices and Byzantine Empire overall.
In 988 AD, Vladimir and his subjects were baptized by clergy men of Constantinople's Patriarchate and the condition for the marriage was fullfilled. After marrying the Grand Prince Vladimir, Anna became Grand Princess of Kiev. She was referred as queen or tsarina. She brought with her many Byzantines in Kiev. She served as a consultant in religious and other matters to Vladimir who was very impressed with Byzantine ways. Kievan Russ became the largest and most powerfull state in Europe for some time.
In April 1204 AD, during the Fourth Crusade, Western European Crusaders captured Constantinople. Three Byzantine successor states emerged to claim the imperial throne, Emprire of Nicaea, Trapezuntine Empire and Despotate of Epirus. Empire of Nicaea was the one that succeeded, in 1261 AD. Fifty seven (57) years after the sack of Constantinople, Michael VIII Palaiologos defeated Crusaders and became Emperor.
Michael VIII was Greek (Hellene) form Asia Minor, the founder of the Palaiologan dynasty that would rule Byzantine Empire until the fall of Constantinople in 1453 AD. The last Emperor was Constantine XI Dragases Palaiologos. His mother was Serbian noblewoman Helena Dragas Dejanovic. Constantine died defending the city. His younger brother was Thomas, Despot of Morea (Peloponnesos) or Mystra.
The Despotate of Morea or Mystra remained independent for a few years after the fall of Constantinople. In 1460 AD, Ottoman army attacked Morea. Thomas Palaiologos, his wife Cathrine and their three younger children escaped to Corfu. Their older daughter Helena had been married to Serbian Despot Lazar Brankovich and was Despotissa of Serbia. The three younger children were Zoe, Andreas and Manuel.
Thomas was recognized by most people, including the Pope, as the legitimate heir to the Byzantine imperial throne. On 7 March 1461, he made a ceremonial entrance in Rome as Byzantine Emperor. His family remained in Corfu, where Cathrine died in 1462 AD. Before his death in 1465 AD, Thomas brought his three children to Rome. After Thomas died, Andreas became the legitimate heir to the Byzantine throne.
Sophia - Zoe, spent a few years in the court of Pope Sixtus IV. The first wife of Grand Prince Ivan III of Moscow, died in 1467. On 12 November 1472, Sophia (Zoe) Palaiologina married Ivan III at the Dormition Cathedral in Moscow and became Grand Princess of Moscow. When Sophia married Ivan, two decades after the sack of Constantinople, many Byzantines that inititally migrated to Italy, followed her to Moscow. Also many that had remained in Ottoman occupied Byzantine Empire, went to Moscow.
These were added to those that were already there. After the sack of Constantinople in 1453 AD, many Byzantines, mostly upper class, fled abroad. Most went to Russia but many went to Western Europe, mainly in Italy. In the late 15th century, there was a Byzantine (Greek) settlement in Moscow. Sophia was involved in the affairs of Russian state. Like Anna Porphyrogenita, she had great influence. She might also have had a striking appearance, according to reconstructions but she was more noted for her intelligence and strong presence.
With Ivan, they proclaimed Russian state the successor of Byzantine Empire and the center of Orthodox Christianity. Russian state became indeed the center of Orthodox Christianity because almost all other Orthodox areas were under Ottoman rule. Claiming that Russian state was the successor of Byzantine Empire is too excessive. It could be valid to claim that Byzantine culture - civilization was continued in Russian state. There was already strong influence from Byzantine culture - civilization and it became stronger.
It was not just the two queens that had the influence but also Byzantines that went with them. In the second case, the Byzantines that went to Moscow were many more than those that went to Kiev a few centuries ago because they were trying to escape from Ottoman rule. Many got jobs in governance, education, architecture-engineering, technology, arts, trade etc. The migration from Byzantine Empire did not stop but continued.
There were many waves of migration to contemporary Ukraine and Russia from late 15th to early 18th century, in order to escape from Ottoman oppression. A major wave occured in late 18th and early 19th century, after the two Russo-Turkish Wars (1768-1774, 1828-29). Cathrine the Great gave land and priviliges for settlement in New Russia (southern Ukraine - southwestern Russia) and Caucasus.
Although not as large as the Slavic migration in Greco-Thraco-Illyrian territory, there was notable migration from Greco-Thraco-Illyrian territory to Slavic. Also there was great interaction between Byzantine Empire and Russian state (Kievan Rus, Russian Tsardom). That resulted in racial (genetic) and cultural mix, the second being so large that Russian culture-civilization could be considered continuation of Byzantine.