ABSTRACT
Central and western Europe never forgot that Muscovy belonged to the corpus Christianum. It is rather fashionable to compare Soviet Russia's present threat to Europe to the Mongol invasions of the middle Ages. During the dramatic years of the Napoleonic wars the belief arose on Russian soil that the Russian Empire was not just an ordinary part of Europe, but the godsent, destined savior of Europe. Those theoreticians who treasure the idea of an unbridgeable gulf existing between Russia and Europe are fond of citing the historical views and cultural philosophy of the Slavophiles. The Crimean War severely shook Russia's sense of fellowship with Europe. A feeling of genuine solidarity with Christian Europe has been present throughout Russian history. The formidable tribute that the Mongol khans extracted from the Russian duchies also choked off the economic relations between the Russian duchies and their neighbors to the west.
