First Published in 2004

Modernizing Muscovy is a comprehensive account of seventeenth-century
Russian history. It rejects the traditional interpretation of this era as the twilight
of the Russian Middle Ages. By revealing important instances of dynamic
change in the late Muscovite state, economy, and society, the book demonstrates
the crucial importance of pre-Petrine reform in Russia’s transition to one of the
great powers of the world. The book’s broad scope makes it a veritable
encyclopaedia of late Muscovite history. It both synthesizes previous scholarship
and breaks new ground in many important areas.