Byzantium and the Slavs · 863-893

Cyril, Methodius and the Slavic alphabet

In 863 two brothers from Thessalonica set out for Moravia with a brand-new alphabet. Students follow how a script made for one mission led to Cyrillic, the alphabet that hundreds of millions of people use today.

Teach it live New Open on the map
Length
45 minutes
Ages
12–15
On the map
3 steps, AD 900
Live lesson
7 rounds, 3 on the map
Worksheet
Two A4 pages, with Classroom
You need
A projector; phones for live

Live lesson · new in Classroom

Teach it live. The class answers on their phones.

Put the board on the projector. Students join with a six-digit code, no account needed, and tap the map: where was the frontier, where did the grain come from. Their pins drop in together when you reveal, and the closest student takes the round.

€19 per month: every lesson live, every worksheet, cancel anytime. Rome at its height runs live for free.

A live lesson on the projector: the class's pins on the map around Alexandria, the closest students listed beside it A student's phone: the question and a map to tap
7 rounds
3 places to find on the map, quiz questions, a class vote and a one-line answer.
About 15 minutes
Run it as the map step, or to open the discussion. You move on with the space bar.
A report
Every answer, per student and per round, to read back or print after the lesson.
1

Introduction

5 min

Read aloud

In 863 two brothers from Thessalonica set out for Moravia with a brand-new alphabet. Students follow how a script made for one mission led to Cyrillic, the alphabet that hundreds of millions of people use today.

By the end of the lesson, students can

  • Explain why Prince Rastislav of Moravia asked Constantinople for teachers who spoke a Slavic language.
  • Describe the difference between the Glagolitic and the Cyrillic alphabets and where each was first used.
  • Trace on the map the route from Thessalonica to Moravia, Rome and Bulgaria.
2

Explore the map

12 min

Project the map, or let students follow on their own devices. Each step opens the map at the right year and place.

a

AD 900

Great Moravia

Open the map in 900 and find Great Moravia in central Europe. Which powerful kingdom lies to its west, and who lives to the southeast?

Open this view on the map
b

AD 900

From Thessalonica

Zoom out and find Thessalonica, a port of the Byzantine Empire. Many Slavs lived in the lands around it, which is one reason the brothers knew their language. How far is it to Moravia?

Open this view on the map
c

AD 900

A new home in Bulgaria

Move east to the land of the Bulgars. Here the brothers' students found a new home after 885. Which empire lies just south of Bulgaria?

Open this view on the map
3

Class discussion

14 min

Pick two or three. They run from what happened to why it mattered.

  1. Rastislav wanted teachers who would preach in his people's own language. Why would a ruler care about that?
  2. Frankish clergy wanted church services in Latin only. Why might language become a question of power?
  3. Constantine invented a whole new alphabet instead of simply using Greek or Latin letters. Why might he have done that?
  4. After Methodius died, his students were driven out of Moravia. How did Moravia's loss become Bulgaria's gain?
  5. Cyril and Methodius are honored by both Orthodox and Catholic Christians. Why might they be called a bridge between East and West?
4

Game round

9 min

Play Rule History as Charlemagne, whose grandsons ruled East Francia, the powerful western neighbor of Moravia. Afterwards, discuss: why did smaller states like Moravia look to Constantinople or Rome for help against bigger neighbors?

Open Rule History
5

Worksheet

5 min

This worksheet comes with Classroom

€19 per month unlocks every worksheet, every live lesson and the class workspace. The free lesson prints without a subscription.