These lectures were delivered to my pre-Revolutionary Russian history class over the Fall Semester, 2006. I dealt with Russia from Vladimir to Nicholas II, but spent a great deal of time on the little understood and little studied middle ages, which in the Russian universe begins with Christianization and ends with the reforms of Peter I. Given that the “Russian idea” was built during this seminal period, to ignore it (as many do) is very dangerous, and leads to stupid generalizations like “Russian autocracy was taken from the Mongols.”

It was not until the Summer of 2007, however, that I got around to transcribing these lectures and putting them into some kind of coherent style. You’ll notice that I leave a few things out, and treat other things with the briefest of comments. Unfortunately, this is the reality if the university classroom, with little time and other aspects of teaching that interfere with any coherent presentation. Nevertheless, I believe I have built a coherent and relevant set of ideas, woven through these lectures, that explain modern Russia through the prism of her medieval experience.

It is my contention that medievals, whether in Ireland, Gaul or Russia, lived better than modern day Americans. They worked less, lived about as long (contrary to mythology), and had a far superior cultural and spiritual life. Other than a lack of air-conditioning, they life was coherent, integrated and full. Their diet was superior, their physical condition equally so. If you’re a fat, middle-aged American, eating a doughnut and slurping a Diet Coke, sitting in his cubicle reading this, I’d love to hear you disagree.

Nevertheless, I’d like, as always, to thank my wife, Angela, for all her support as I wrote this, and my boys, as always. Without them, I’d be, well, a normal American, the thought of which makes me shudder.

This book is dedicated to my sister, Mary Elizabeth, and my brother-in-law, Walter. Their bravery in the face of suffering is an inspiration to everyone.

See their son’s (and my nephew’s) site here

She also designed a memorial page for my father, which you can access here

Her own website can be accessed here

MRJ

Summer, 2007