Serfdom

-Russia: 1450-1750- Time Period 1450-1750 Geographic Description Acquired land back from Mongols in mid 1400s Territorial expansion policy focused particularly on central Asia to push Mongol overlords further East Early tsars pushed southward to the Caspian Sea and eastward past the Ural mountains- Third Rome Mentality All tsars were expansionists From its base in the Moscow region, Russia expanded outwards Cossacks moved into Siberia= gained new settlements and political control (similar to westward expansion in early US) Under Peter the Great, territory extended all the way from Black Sea to Bering Sea and down into China Catherine the Great sends explorers to Alaska, coast of California and even Hawaii Large, vast are of land with a generous supply of natural resources

Rise of Feudalism Early Middle Ages Main Idea Feudalism rose up in Europe as a way for people to protect themselves from Vikings, Muslim invaders, and other barbarian invaders. Words Worth Knowing Feudalism - the dominant social system in medieval Europe, in which the nobility held lands from the Crown in exchange for military service, and vassals were in turn tenants of the nobles, while the peasants were obliged to live on their lord's land and give him homage, labor, and a share of the produce, notionally in exchange for military protection. Lord ? Landowner, usually a king or high official Vassal - Someone given land by the lord in exchange for military service and taxes Knight - a highly-trained mounted warrior who fights for a vassal