Which group of Mongols conquered Russian cities in the 13th century while leaving the Russian church and aristocracy intact?

• A. Huns
• B. Tatars
• C. Kipchaks
• D. Avars

Answer: (B)

The situation showcases indirect governance: the conquerors ruled through existing Russian institutions rather than abolishing them. The Mongols, usually called the Tatars in Russian chronicles and part of the Golden Horde, swept through the Russian principalities in the 1230s–1240s, destroying cities and forcing tribute. They chose to leave the Russian Orthodox Church and the aristocracy largely in place because using these established structures made taxation and administration easier and helped maintain order. By keeping the church and the boyars as intermediaries, the conquerors could extract tribute and govern without constant, broad-based rebellion.

Other groups don’t fit. The Huns and Avars were from earlier eras and regions, not the 13th-century Rus. The Kipchaks were Turkic nomads who interacted with the Mongols but did not conquer the Rus in the same centralized way. The Tatars—the term used for the Mongol rulers in this context—are the correct reference to who carried out this conquest while preserving local power structures.