The Crisis of Medieval Russia, 1200-1304 (Longman History of Russia)

Rating:
Summary: Excellent overview of the period before the Mongol Conquest
Review: Fennell's book is a phenomenal overview of the period before the Mongol's invaded Russia, but focuses more on the decentralization of the Kievan state prior to the Great Invasion. This history does not privelege the Mongols with the transformation of Russia into an autocracy, but instead focuses on the internecine conflicts that resulted from the Rota system as the primary cause of the downfall of Kiev. Essential reading for historians of Medieval Russia.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent overview of the period before the Mongol Conquest
Review: Fennell's book is a phenomenal overview of the period before the Mongol's invaded Russia, but focuses more on the decentralization of the Kievan state prior to the Great Invasion. This history does not privelege the Mongols with the transformation of Russia into an autocracy, but instead focuses on the internecine conflicts that resulted from the Rota system as the primary cause of the downfall of Kiev. Essential reading for historians of Medieval Russia.