This lesson helps to deepen students’ understanding of an essential first-order concept: namely, ‘democracy’.
Students are challenged to work out how democratic the state of Kievan Rus was, using a set of criteria to help make their judgements.
They look at key aspects of life in Kievan Rus, including the veches (public meetings held in Novgorod, where some local men were given the chance to air their views and influence the decision-making process).
Students also analyse the boyar system (where members of the nobility inherited key advisory roles, rewarded with land and money for their service to the prince).
Students make their judgments about the extent to which Kievan Rus can truly be considered a ‘democratic’ state, before drawing some interesting comparisons with England during the medieval period.
A final, engaging end task sees students compose a report for the prince of Kievan Rus: they must advise him on the political state of his own empire, flattering him with information about the ways in which Kievan Rus was ahead of medieval England in the creation of a democratic state.
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- Lesson presentation: PowerPoint
- Lesson write-up: PDF
- Worksheet 1 & 2: PDF
Price: £12.99
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