This year (2022) Russian history came into the focus of society since Vladimir Putin announced the war (or "special operation") against Ukraine on February 24, justifying it with the intertwined history of the states. This quiz is designed to introduce you all to Russian history from its beginnings.
History of Kievan Rus (1/3)
![The painting "The Baptism of Vladimir" by Viktor Vasnetsov from 1890.](/fileadmin/_processed_/c/c/xcsm_RusslandquizFrage1_939fd93f40.jpg.pagespeed.ic.zRA1xNc-Bv.jpg)
An important moment for the identity and history of Russia as well as Ukraine is the Christianization of Kievan Rus in 988/989 by the Grand Prince/Grand Duchess...?
History of Kievan Rus (2/3)
![Perun. The work of contemporary painter M. Presnyakov.](/fileadmin/_processed_/3/8/xcsm_RusslandquizFrage2_c8be5dcc05.jpg.pagespeed.ic.XPEu3GNs1v.jpg)
Before the Christianization of Kievan Rus, a great many Slavs were of pagan faith. One of the important gods was Perun. What was the function of Perun?
History of Kievan Rus (3/3)
![Vladimir Cathedral in Sevastopol. Photo: Pat Berger.](/fileadmin/_processed_/3/d/xcsm_RusslandquizFrage3_fb5f3d582e.jpg.pagespeed.ic.FgFLTPUBIf.jpg)
The "Povest' Vremennych Let" (also Primary Chronicle), the oldest Old Russian chronicle written in the 12th century, described a legend of how the baptism of Grand Prince Vladimir I is said to have occurred (note: this is scientifically disputed!). What allegedly led to it?
The conquest of the Crimea by Empress Catherine II.
![Reconstructed house where Catherine II lived.](/fileadmin/_processed_/d/e/xcsm_RusslandquizFrage4_7f992cbf71.jpg.pagespeed.ic.LahVk4nxuF.jpg)
Crimea was also to play a significant role for Russia in later centuries because of this legend: Empress Catherine II pursued the policy of reviving the Byzantine Empire with Constantinople as its capital from the 1770s onward. This was also the context for the annexation of Crimea in 1783. What did Catherine II call her project?
Events after the baptism of Grand Prince Vladimir I.
![Nestor of Kiev.](/fileadmin/_processed_/9/b/xcsm_RusslandquizFrage5_f8696942c6.jpg.pagespeed.ic.vjpekQjz1i.jpg)
According to the Primary Chronicle, after Vladimir's baptism there was a mass baptism in Kiev on the Dnieper. What was first beaten and then thrown into the water?
July 28: Holiday in Ukraine, Memorial Day in Russia
![Vladimir the Great, copperplate engraving from 1889. From: Русские деятели в портретах, изданных редакцией исторического журнала "Русская старина". Третье собрание. - Санкт-Петербург: Типография В.С. Балашева, 1889.](/fileadmin/_processed_/2/9/xcsm_RusslandquizFrage6_5924e9ce7f.jpg.pagespeed.ic.sHrznsv2lB.jpg)
July 28 is a holiday in Ukraine since 2021, and a commemorative day in Russia since 2008. What is celebrated?
Imperial Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg
![Student digs of Mikhail Lomonosov at Wendelgasse 2 in Marburg.](/fileadmin/_processed_/b/9/csm_RusslandquizFrage7_369c863e92.jpg.pagespeed.ce.3mpT2sP13K.jpg)
With the establishment of the Imperial Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg in 1725, there was a gradual professionalization of Russian historiography. Thirty years later, the university was founded in Moscow. Which historiographer was involved in this process?
The Norman Controversy in the 18th Century
![The Varangian Guard in the Chronicle of John Skylitz (12th century).](/fileadmin/_processed_/0/6/xcsm_RusslandquizFrage8_0d3a9f3d27.jpg.pagespeed.ic.u7Zc_HaMQS.jpg)
In the course of the 18th century a dispute arose among historians Mikhail Lomonosov and Gerhard Friedrich Müller about who founded Kievan Rus. This dispute has gone down in history as the Norman Controversy and continues to have an impact to this day. The question is whether Slavs founded Kievan Rus or...?
Donation of Crimea to Ukraine in 1954
![SED Party Congress, from left: Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev, Walter Ulbricht, Otto Grotewohl. In the background slogan "Socialism triumphs".](/fileadmin/_processed_/3/a/xcsm_RusslandquizFrage9_2a29a3ee29.jpg.pagespeed.ic.IFkIe1BLaM.jpg)
In 1954, Crimea was given to Ukraine by Nikita Khruščëv, the First Secretary of the CPSU. What was the "official" occasion?
T.a.T.u - "All the things she said"
![T.a.T.u. at a concert in Moscow in 2005.](/fileadmin/_processed_/8/8/xcsm_RusslandquizFrage10_9685e7ff29.jpg.pagespeed.ic.PhQrFpgI0D.jpg)
The Russian vocal duo T.a.T.u. was founded in 1999 by the Russian music producer Ivan Shapovalov. What should "T.a.T.u." stand for?