For English speakers: Ukrainians as creators of all-Russian ideology

[pycckomy]

For several centuries prior to the union with Ukraine, official Muscovy had a very dim sense, if indeed any at all, of being the direct heir of Kyiv. It was the newcomers from the South who informed the Muscovites that their state was a direct continuation of the Kyivan state. The idea that they and the Muscovites were really “Russians” performed a

Comments

[irrazionalle]

From my point this could have some grounds, cause Ivan IV was Great Duke of Moscow duchy, then became the Tsar and next governors use this title "Tsar of Moscow" up to Peter the Frist who called himself as Russian Emperor.

But, I belive, Moscow's Tsar and Russian Tsar was same title indeed. And all mess with European starts after marrige of Ivan the Third and daughter of fallen Byzantium Emperor Sofia Paleolog. Her grandson Ivan IV decline offer for crown from Roman's Papa and called himself as Caesar (i.e. Tsar).

[pycckomy]

Thank you for your commentary. Actually, I don't agree with Szporluk, that Muscovites didn't know that they were direct heirs of Kyiv. At least, their princes did. Ivan III proclaimed Kyiv his patrimony. That is one of the causes why the mess started. And exactly after the Muscovite-Lithuanian wars in the 16 century Europeans started to differ Muscovite from other Russians (Ruthenians, ancient Ukrainians etc).

But the interesting moment here is that an American Ukrainian-thinking scholar consider Ukrainians as the main constructors of the all-Russian ideology