| The Protohistory (Ninth to Twelfth
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| | meteor over the dark horizon of Europe.
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| Centuries): -
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| | In the tenth century, when Russians were
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| Russia's position on the eastern flank of
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| | still mostly pagans, Islam had already
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| Europe has often been compared to that of
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| | penetrated Eastern Transcaucasia and
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| Spain on the western side. Both are seen
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| | Daghestan. It had conquered the whole of
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| as bulwarks of Christendom facing the
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| | Turkestan south of Syr Darya and the King
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| hostile world of Islam, of civilization
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| | of Bulghar in the far north had adopted
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| facing 'barbary'. Russia exhausted
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| | the religion of the Prophet, Except for
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| herself in a heroic struggle of several
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| | the Bulghar Kingdom, all these
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| centuries, but this sacrifice was not to
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| | territories had long been settled with
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| be in vain, for Europe was saved and
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| | highly developed urban societies going
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| could go on to develop its brilliant
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| | back to the second millennium BC. Even
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| civilization well protected by the
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| | the nomadic Turks of the Caspian steppes
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| Russians. The price of this voluntary
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| | - the Khazars - whose feudal nobility had
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| sacrifice was heavy, since in order to
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| | adopted Judaism as their official
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| survive and finally to overcome the 'Asia
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| | religion, had attained a higher level of
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| barbarians', Muscovy was obliged to adopt
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| | political and cultural development than
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| their ways, such as tyranny, despotism,
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| | the ancestors of the Russians, their
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| serfdom and lack of liberty. Such is the
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| | vassals in the eighth and early ninth
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| picture that is painted in nearly all
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| | centuries.
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| Russian and Soviet historical works.
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| | During the eleventh and twelfth centuries
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| Far-fetched as it is, there are deep
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| | political and cultural equilibrium was
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| reasons for defending this absurd
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| | established between the sedentary Kievian
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| concept. According to the Russians, 'they
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| | Rus, Christianized and civilized by
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| have suffered more than any other people'
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| | Byzantium and the nomadic Qypchaqs
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| and have 'played the role of protectors
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| | (Polovtsy) - heirs to the Khazars who
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| and saviours', a kind of St George
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| | ruled over the Steppe territories between
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| killing the Asiatic dragon and rescuing
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| | the Dniepr and the Aral Sea.
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| the European princess. This exclusive
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| | Contrary to the commonly accepted but
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| position 'gives the Russians certain
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| | totally misleading version put forward by
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| messianic rights', in particular the
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| | Russian historians, relations between
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| right to assume the leadership over their
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| | sedentary Russians and nomadic Turks were
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| lesser European brothers and to
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| | not limited only to plundering
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| 'civilize' the world Asiatics.
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| | expeditions and punitive
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| The reality is of course far from this
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| | counter-expeditions, but included wide
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| Manichaean approach to history. When the
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| | cultural and diplomatic exchanges between
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| ancestors of the Russians first came into
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| | partners who treated each other as
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| contact with Asia in the ninth century
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| | equals. Moreover, during this period
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| they were the 'Barbarians', not the
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| | Turkic princesses often married Kievian
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| highly civilized Muslims.
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| | princes. (It is a well known historical
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| In the early tenth century, the
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| | fact that the vassal seeks the hand of
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| borderline between 'Civilization' and
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| | his suzerain's daughter.) This happy
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| 'Barbary' followed more or less exactly
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| | period ended with the Mongol invasion,
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| the frontier which today separates the
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| | but not before a considerable number of
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| Slavic 'European' people of the USSR from
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| | Turkic, Iranian and even Arabic words
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| the area populated largely by Muslims:
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| | synonymous with advanced societies were
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| Middle and Lower Volga, North Caucasian
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| | borrowed and have become so thoroughly
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| mountains, Derbent, Syr Daria. However,
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| | Russified as to make it nearly impossible
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| 'Barbary' at this time was represented by
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| | to recognize their Asiatic origins:
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| the 'Europeans', ancestors of the
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| | chugun, bulat, topor, sablia, saray,
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| Russians. (There are those who believe
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| | bumaga, khram, terem, yazyk, ochag,
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| that the position has altered little over
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| | cherdak, loshad', chemodan, bogatyr,
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| time.)
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| | magazin, karandash, karaul, etc. In
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| For the Muslims, the 'Rus' were wild and
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| | contrast, Slavic vocabulary made no
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| primitive natives, purveyors of rare
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| | impression on Turkic languages - at least
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| blond slaves and such precious raw
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| | until the nineteenth century.
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| materials as fur and ivory. But they were
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| | In the eleventh and twelfth centuries,
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| dangerous neighbors and their plundering
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| | the equilibrium which existed between the
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| expeditions (912 and 941-4 raids in the
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| | sedentary Kievian civilization and the
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| Caspian Sea, the destruction of the
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| | steppe nomads in the Black Sea-Caspian
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| Khazar Empire in 945 and 985 expedition
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| | Sea area could be likened to an outwardly
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| against Bulghar) were described in
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| | similar situation between the sedentary
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| gruesome detail by early Muslim
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| | Irano-Turkic and nomadic Turko-Mongol
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| chroniclers.
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| | worlds along the line of Syr Daria. To
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| During 942-4 the 'Rus' devastated all
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| | draw any sort of parallel would, however,
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| Muslim Transcaucasia. Berdea, the most
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| | be wrong. In Central Asia, Bukhara of the
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| prosperous city of Azerbaijan, was
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| | Samanids and Empire of the Seljuqs were
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| completely destroyed and its inhabitants
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| | the great centers of world culture at
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| slaughtered. According to Ibn Hawkal,
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| | that time and the defense line on Syr
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| from the 1,200 5 remained. In 1850, a
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| | Daria marked the border between
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| Russian historian, Grigor'ev, wrote"
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| | civilization and Barbary. There could be
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| When anarchy, fanaticism and barbarity
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| | no borrowing of Mongol-Turkic or Manchu
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| were disputing the domination of Europe,
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| | words from the Qara Khitay by the
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| the Khazar Empire was a center of law,
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| | Persians or the Seljuqs and a Samanid
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| order and religious tolerance, a refuge
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| | king or a Khwarezm shah would never dream
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| for all those who were persecuted for
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| | of marrying the daughter of a nomad
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| their belief. It was like a brilliant
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| | chieftain roaming the Mongolian outback.
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