The stages of the development of education in Tsarist Russia From the Middle Ages until the end of the Empress Catherine

Abstract

The Russian Tsardom experienced several stages of educational development، starting with the Orthodox religious education combined with certain Slavic pagan customs. The Orthodox clergy worked tirelessly to preserve this religious heritage in education despite the Mongolian invasion and attempts by Jesuit Catholic fathers to intervene in their affairs and change the old educational system in their churches to adopt Western European religious educational systems. However، change came from within، through reformist individuals in the Orthodox Church. Additionally، the influence of expatriates or the foreign Protestant enclave in Moscow played a role in attracting the attention of the Tsars toward Western urbanization، which led them to emulate and elevate Russia in line with the European experience. The beginning of this transformation was the development of vocational education under Tsar Peter the Great. Subsequently، his successors focused on the development of civil education، particularly during the reign of Empress Catherine II.