True, most people don't realize that Russia was, from the European point of view, a non-entity for much of its history. The country was big, but very poor and u

True, most people don't realize that Russia was, from the European point of view, a non-entity for much of its history. The country was big, but very poor and underdeveloped. Only in the 1700s Russia starts to emerge as a serious contender in European power struggles.