On the whole, the Russians enjoyed at this early period as much mental cultivation as any other part of Northern Europe.  There were several writers even among their princes.  Jaroslav, the son of Vladimir the Great, was not less active than his father had been in advancing the cause of Christianity, and all that stands in connection with religion.  He sent priests throughout the whole country to instruct the people, and founded in Novogorod a theological seminary for three hundred students.  He took care that the translation of the church books was continued; but the most remarkable monument of his reign, as well in an historical as in a philological respect, is the Pravda Russka, a collection of laws.[6] Another grand duke of Russia, Vladimir Vsevolodovitch Monomach, who died in 1125, wrote ‘Instructions for his Children;’ one of his successors, Constantine Vsevolodovitch, a hundred years later, produced a history of the Russian princes, which is now lost.  The clergy, safe in their cells from the tempests of war, were busy in translating from the Greek; Nestor wrote his valuable annals;[7] another priest, Basilius, described the cotemporary events in the south of Russia; Sylvester, bishop of Perejaslavl, ob. 1124, and several others of the clergy, continued Nestor’s annals;[8] while Hegumen Daniel wrote his travels to Palestine in the beginning of the twelfth century.

The theological productions of the early portion of this period, are of less value than the historical.  It was however this field, that was cultivated most diligently.  There are several sermons, or rather synodal oraisons, still extant; some of which, by another Cyril, metropolitan of Kief, A.D. 1281. are said to be not without real eloquence.  Most of the productions of this early period, which belong indeed more to the history of the Slavonic than of the Russian literature, perished in the devastations and conflagrations of the Mongols.

From A.D. 1238 to 1462, the Russian princes, as we have seen, were vassals of the Mongol Tartars, or the Golden Horde.[9] In the course of these two centuries, nearly every trace of cultivation perished.  No school existed during this whole time throughout all Russia.  The Mongols set fire to the cities; sought out and destroyed what written documents they could find; and purposely demolished all monuments of national culture.  The convents alone found in their policy a sort of protection.  Science therefore became more than ever the exclusive possession of the monks.  Among these, however, no trace of classical learning, and hardly a show of scholastic wisdom, was to be found.  Fortunately they improved their time as well in respect to posterity by writing annals, as for their own personal benefit by accumulating wealth.