The first Tsar in Rus'. Who was the first Russian Tsar The first title of Tsar in Rus'

The Rurikovichs are a princely family in Rus', which comes from Rurik. The Rurik family was large and many of its representatives were rulers of the state and principalities formed after the Russian lands were divided.

Biography of Rurik

The beginning of the reign of the Ruriks is considered to be 862. These are the Grand Dukes of Novgorod, Kyiv, Vladimir, Moscow. All Russian tsars before the 16th century are considered descendants of Rurik. The last of this dynasty was called Fyodor Ioannovich. Rurik became prince in 862. During his reign, feudal relations were established.

Some historians say that Rurik was a Scandinavian. The basis for this is the etymology of the name, which is translated from Latin as King. It is also known that the name Rurik is very common in countries such as Sweden, Finland and others. But other historians suggest that Rurik still comes from the Slavs.

According to the chronicles

We can say that not only Rurik, but also his brothers received the princely lands. But many of the researchers unanimously claim that he did not have any brothers.

The chronicles describe very little about his aspirations to strengthen the borders of the state and build cities. A positive aspect during the period of his reign was the ability to suppress the rebellion. Thus, he reinforced his royal authority. Another positive thing that can be said is that power was centralized in Rus'.

In 879, Rurik died, and Oleg, the guardian of Igor, Rurik’s son, became prince.

List of princes, rulers of Rus'

• Igor
• Olga "Saint"
• Svyatoslav Igorevich
• Yaropolk I, Svyatoslavovich
• Vladimir Svyatoslavovich "Saint"
• Svyatopolk I Vladimirovich “The Accursed”
• Yaroslav I Vladimirovich “The Wise”
• Izyaslav I Yaroslavovich
• Vseslav Bryachislavovich Polotsky
• Izyaslav I Yaroslavovich
• Svyatoslav Yaroslavovich
• Izyaslav I Yaroslavovich
• Vsevolod I Yaroslavovich
• Svyatopolk II Izyaslavovich
• Vladimir Vsevolodovich “Monomakh”
• Mstislav Vladimirovich “The Great”
• Yaropolk II Vladimirovich
• Vsevolod II Olgovich Novgorod–Seversky
• Igor Olgovich
• Izyaslav II Mstislavovich Vladimir–Volynsky
• Yuri Vladimirovich “Dolgoruky”
• Izyaslav III Davidovich Chernigovsky
• Rostislav Mstislavovich Smolensky
• Mstislav Izyaslavovich Vladimir–Volynsky

Who was the first Russian Tsar in Rus'?

Ivan IV Vasilyevich, nicknamed “The Terrible”, the first Tsar of the State

We all studied history at school. But not all of us remember who the first Tsar in Rus' is. This high-profile title in 1547 began to belong to Ivan IV Vasilyevich. For the difficulty of his character, for his toughness and cruelty, he was given the nickname “Terrible”. Before him, everyone who ruled Russia was called princes. And Ivan the Terrible is the first Tsar of the State.

The first king was crowned king in 1547

Biography

The year of Ivan’s birth was 1530. His father was Prince of Moscow Vasily III, and his mother was Elena Glinskaya. Very early, Ivan became an orphan. He is the only heir to the throne; he had a brother, Yuri, but since he is mentally retarded, he could not lead the principality. Ivan the Terrible began to rule the lands in Rus'. It was 1533. In fact, his mother was considered the ruler, since the son was still small. But five years later she was gone too. Having become an orphan at the age of eight, Ivan lived with guardians, who were the boyars Belsky and Shuisky. They were only interested in power. He grew up seeing hypocrisy and meanness every day. I became distrustful, expecting trickery and betrayal everywhere and in everything.

Positive board results

The year 1547 was the time when Grozny announced his intention to marry as king. He received the title of king on January 16. The place where the wedding took place was the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin. During the reign of Ivan Vasilyevich, a significant increase in the influence of the Orthodox Church was noted. There was also an improvement in the lives of the clergy.

Nine years after the beginning of his reign in Rus', Ivan, together with the Elected Rada, developed the “Code of Service”. Thanks to this document, the size of the Russian army increased. This document stated that each feudal lord had the obligation to deploy a certain number of soldiers from his land, who had horses and weapons with them. If the landowner supplied more soldiers than necessary, then his incentive was a monetary reward. But if the feudal lord, for whatever reason, did not provide the number of soldiers required according to the document, then he had to pay a fine. Thanks to this document, the combat effectiveness of the army improved. This is important, since Ivan the Terrible pursued an active foreign policy.

Negative aspects of government

A terrible despot on the throne!

This is what the king was called for his cruelty, torture, and reprisals against people undesirable to his rule and will.

List of rulers of Rus' after the reign of Ivan the Terrible

• Simeon Bekbulatovich nominally Grand Duke of All Rus' Fedor I Ivanovich
• Irina Fedorovna Godunova
• Boris Fedorovich Godunov
• Fedor II Borisovich Godunov
• False Dmitry I (presumably Grigory Otrepiev)
• Vasily IV Ivanovich Shuisky
• Mstislavsky Fedor Ivanovich
• Dmitry Timofeevich Trubetskoy
• Ivan Martynovich Zarutsky
• Prokopiy Petrovich Lyapunov
• Dmitry Mikhailovich Pozharsky
• Kuzma Minin

The first Russian Tsar from the clan (family) of the Romanov dynasty

The Rurik dynasty was followed by the Romanov dynasty. As in the first, so in this dynasty there were many prominent representatives of the government. One of them was the first representative Mikhail Romanov.

Biography of Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov

In 1613 he was elected Russian Tsar. His mother was Ksenia Shestova, and his father was Fyodor Romanov. After Moscow was liberated by Minin and Pozharsky. the future tsar and his mother began to live in the Ipatiev Monastery.

The Poles, when they learned that a tsar had been elected, wanted to interfere in every possible way. So, this case was behind a small detachment that moved towards the monastery with the aim of eliminating Mikhail. But Ivan Susanin showed courage and a detachment of Poles died without finding the right road. And they chopped up Ivan.

Positive board results

The economy of the Russian lands, which were in decline after the failures that occurred in the 7th century, was gradually restored. 1617 was the year of the conclusion of a peace treaty with Sweden.

This is followed by the return of the Novgorod region, which was captured years earlier. After the treaty was signed in 1618 with Poland, Polish troops had to leave Russian lands completely. However, the territories of the Smolensk, Chernigov and Smolensk regions became lost.

Korolevich Vladislav did not recognize the legality of Mikhail Romanov’s rights. He said with conviction that he was the Russian Tsar.

This period is also known for friendly relations with the Persians. Due to the fact that Siberia was conquered, there was an expansion of Russian territories.

Posad people began to be subject to heavy taxes. You can also note the attempt to form a regular army. Foreigners took the lead. The last years of Mikhail Romanov's reign were marked by the formation of dragoon regiments as one of the army's rapid deployment units.

List of Tsars of Russia after the first Tsar of the Romanov dynasty

In which cathedral did the coronation of Russian tsars take place?

The Assumption Cathedral in the Kremlin is considered one of the oldest churches. It is located on the Kremlin's Cathedral Square.

Since the times of Rus', the Assumption Cathedral has been the place where the most important state ceremonies were held. One of such ceremonies held there is the coronation of the Tsars of Russia.

The last Russian Tsar in Russian history

Biography

The last emperor was Nicholas II, his father was Alexander III. Nikolai had an excellent education, studied various foreign languages, studied law, military affairs, economics, history and literature. Since his father died early, he had to take the reins of government at a young age.

The coronation of Nicholas took place in the Assumption Cathedral on May 26, 1896. This date is also marked by bad events. This terrible event was “Khodynki”. As a result, a huge number of people died.

Positive board results

The period of Nicholas's reign is distinguished by many positive events. There was an economic recovery. There was a significant strengthening of the agricultural sector. During this period, Russia was an exporter of agricultural products to Europe.

The introduction of a gold stable currency was also noted. The development of the industry was very intensive. The construction of enterprises, the growth of large cities, the construction of railways - these are all positive influences of the reign of Nicholas II.

The introduction of a normalized day for workers, the provision of insurance, and the implementation of excellent reforms regarding the army and navy had a good impact on the development of the state as a whole. Emperor Nicholas fully supported the development of science and culture. But, despite the fact that there was so much positive that the people’s life was improving, the unrest among the people did not stop.

And in January 1905, Russia experienced a revolution. This event was inspired by the event known to everyone as “Bloody Sunday”. On September 17, 1905, we are talking about the adoption of a manifesto that defended civil freedom. There was the formation of a parliament that included the State Duma and the State Council.

Negative results of the reign and the end of the Romanov dynasty

After the June coup, which changed the rules for election to the State Duma, every failure that occurred in the war undermined Nicholas's prestige. With the beginning of the uprising in March of the same year in Petrograd, the popular uprising acquired enormous proportions.

Not wanting the bloodshed to reach even greater proportions, Nicholas abdicates the throne.

On March 9, the provisional government observed the arrest of the entire Romanov family. Then they go to the royal village. In Yekaterinburg, on July 17, the Romanovs were sentenced to death in the basement, and an execution took place. This ends the reign of the Romanov dynasty.

By the end of the 15th century, when Byzantium fell under the onslaught of Muslims, the question of succession arose: for Russia, Byzantium with its divinely crowned emperors was an example and model. In order for Moscow to truly become the successor of Christian traditions, it was necessary, following the Byzantine model, to endow the ruling persons with power “from God”, and to make Moscow the new Constantinople. This idea was born at the court of Ivan III and forced his subordinates to rethink their approach to assuming the rights of the next ruler.

At this time, there was a serious struggle at court over which branch of the family of Ivan III would continue to rule the state. The Grand Duke was married twice: the first time to the Tver princess Maria Borisovna, the second to Sophia Paleologus, the sister of the last emperor of the fallen Byzantium. From Maria Borisovna, Ivan III had an heir, Ivan the Young (died in 1490) and his son, Ivan’s grandson Dmitry (born in 1483); Of the children of Sophia Paleologus, the main contender for power was the son Vasily - the eldest of Sophia's sons.

It is curious that the introduction of the idea “Moscow is the new Constantinople” did not belong to Sophia Paleolog, but to her opponents - priests and scribes close to Dmitry and his mother Elena Voloshanka. Metropolitan Zosima, who was close to Helena, even composed an “Exposition of Paschal,” in which he introduced the idea of ​​succession of power. The work of Palaeologus was not mentioned, and the succession was based on Rus''s loyalty to God. Zosima called the autocrat a tsar and claimed that God himself had placed him over Russia. In addition to the clergy, behind Dmitry Vnuk stood the princes of Tver, who did not like Paleologus, considering her a stranger and linking “unrest in Rus'” with her appearance. Ivan III himself wanted to pass the throne along the senior line and considered Dmitry to be his heir, and after the plot against Dmitry failed in the fall of 1497, and Sophia Paleologus and her son fell out of favor, Ivan III decided to crown Dmitry for the “great reign of Vladimir, Moscow, Novgorod and all Rus'”, making him co-ruler.

In the seventeenth year of his life, on December 13, 1546, Ivan announced to the Metropolitan that he wanted to get married. The next day, the Metropolitan served a prayer service in the Assumption Cathedral, invited all the boyars, even the disgraced ones, and went with everyone to the Grand Duke. Ivan said to Macarius: “At first I thought of marrying in foreign countries with some king or czar; But then I abandoned this thought, I don’t want to get married in foreign countries, because after my father and mother I remained small; If I bring myself a wife from a foreign land and we do not agree on morals, then there will be a bad life between us; therefore, I want to marry in my state, with whom God will bless according to your blessing.” Metropolitan and boyars, says the chronicler; They cried with joy, seeing that the sovereign was so young, and yet did not consult with anyone.

But young Ivan immediately surprised them with another speech. “With the blessing of the Metropolitan’s father and with your boyar council, before my marriage I want to look for the ancestral ranks, like our ancestors, kings and great princes, and our relative Vladimir Vsevolodovich Monomakh sat down for the kingdom and great reign; and I also want to fulfill this rank and sit on the kingdom, on the great reign.” The boyars were delighted, although - as can be seen from Kurbsky's letters - some were not very happy that the sixteen-year-old Grand Duke wished to accept the title that neither his father nor his grandfather dared to accept - the title of Tsar. On January 16, 1547, a royal wedding took place, similar to the wedding of Dmitry the grandson under Ivan III. Anastasia, the daughter of the deceased okolnichy Roman Yuryevich Zakharyin-Koshkin, was chosen as the bride for the tsar. Contemporaries, depicting the properties of Anastasia, attribute to her all the feminine virtues for which they only found names in the Russian language: chastity, humility, piety, sensitivity, kindness, not to mention beauty, combined with a solid mind.

THE BEGINNING WAS GOOD

BY GOD'S GRACE, KING

His Holiness Emperor Maximalian, due to many motives, especially at the insistence of the ambassadors of the Moscow sovereign, gave him the following title: “To the Most Serene and Mighty Sovereign, Tsar John Vasilyevich, Ruler of All Rus', Grand Duke of Vladimir, Moscow, Novgorod, Sovereign of Pskov, Smolensk and Tver, Tsar Kazan and Astrakhan, our only friend and brother.”

But he himself usually uses the following title in his letters sent to foreign sovereigns; all his subjects must keep this title in memory most carefully, like daily prayers: “By the grace of God, Sovereign, Tsar and Grand Duke Ivan Vasilyevich of All Rus', Vladimir, Moscow, Novgorod, Tsar of Kazan, Tsar of Astrakhan, Tsar of Pskov, Grand Duke of Smolensk , Tver, Yugorsk, Perm, Vyatka, Bulgar, Novgorod Nizhnyago, Chernigov, Ryazan, Polotsk, Rostov, Yaroslavl, Belozersky, Udorsky, Obdorsky, Kondinsky and all the lands of Siberia and the north, from the beginning the hereditary sovereign of Livonia and many other countries." To this title he often adds the name of the monarch, which in Russian, which is very happy in addition, is very successfully translated by the word Samoderzetz, so to speak, who alone holds control. The motto of Grand Duke John Vasilyevich was: “I am not subject to anyone except Christ, the Son of God.”

STAIRWAY WITH GOLDEN STEPS

Unlike Byzantium, in Rus' a rule was established according to which the representative of an exceptional family becomes the anointed of God, the very origin of which is connected with the secret destinies of the whole world (Rurikovich was perceived as the last and only legitimate monarchical dynasty, the founder of which, Augustus, lived at the time of the incarnation and ruled in the era when “the Lord entered Roman power,” that is, he was included in the census as a Roman subject). From this time begins the history of the indestructible Roman kingdom, which changed its place of residence several times; its last receptacle on the eve of the Last Judgment became Moscow Rus'. It is the rulers of this kingdom who will become those who will spiritually prepare their people for the “last times,” when the people of Rus', the New Israel, will be able to become citizens of the Heavenly Jerusalem. This is evidenced, in particular, by the most important monument of the historical narrative of the Grozny era, the “Book of Degrees,” which especially emphasized the soul-saving mission of the Muscovite kingdom and its rulers: the history of the Rurikovich family was likened there to a staircase with golden steps (“golden degrees”) leading to heaven , “by it the ascent to God is not forbidden, having established itself and those who exist after them.”

Therefore, Tsar Ivan said in 1577: “God gives power, whatever he wants.” What was meant here was a reminiscence, widespread in ancient Russian writing, from the book of the prophet Daniel, who warned King Belshazzar about inevitable retribution. But Grozny cited these words to substantiate the idea of ​​​​hereditary rights of the Moscow sovereigns, as the context of the Second Message of Ivan IV to A.M. Kurbsky convinces. The Tsar accuses Archpriest Sylvester and other “enemies” of the throne of attempting to usurp power and notes that only born rulers can possess the fullness of God-given “autocracy.”

GROZNY ABOUT ROYAL POWER

How could you not understand that a ruler should neither commit atrocities nor submit wordlessly? The Apostle said: “Be merciful to some, distinguishing them, but save others through fear, pulling them out of the fire.” Do you see that the apostle commands us to save through fear? Even in the times of the most pious kings one can find many cases of the most severe punishments. Do you, in your crazy mind, believe that a king should always act the same way, regardless of time and circumstances? Shouldn't robbers and thieves be executed? But the crafty plans of these criminals are even more dangerous! Then all kingdoms will fall apart from disorder and internecine strife. What should a ruler do if not sort out the disagreements of his subjects?<...>

Is it really “against reason” to conform to circumstances and time? Remember the greatest of kings, Constantine: how, for the sake of the kingdom, he killed his son, born to him! And Prince Fyodor Rostislavich, your ancestor, how much blood shed in Smolensk during Easter! But they are numbered among the saints.<...>For kings should always be careful: sometimes meek, sometimes cruel, the good - mercy and meekness, the evil - cruelty and torment, but if this is not the case, then he is not a king. The king is terrible not for good deeds, but for evil. If you want not to be afraid of power, then do good; and if you do evil, be afraid, for the king does not bear the sword in vain - to intimidate the evildoers and encourage the virtuous. If you are kind and righteous, then why, seeing how the fire flared up in the royal council, did you not extinguish it, but kindled it even more? Where you should have destroyed the evil plan with reasonable advice, there you sowed even more chaff. And the prophetic word came true on you: “You have all kindled a fire and are walking in the flame of your fire, which you kindled for yourselves.” Aren't you like Judas the traitor? Just as for the sake of money he became furious with the ruler of all and gave him up to be killed, being among his disciples and having fun with the Jews, so you, living with us, ate our bread and promised to serve us, but in your soul you stored up anger against us. Is that how you kept the kiss of the cross, wishing us well in everything without any cunning? What could be more vile than your insidious intent? As the wise one said: “There is no head more evil than the head of a serpent,” and there is no evil more evil than yours.<...>

Do you really see pious beauty where the kingdom is in the hands of an ignorant priest and traitorous villains, and the king obeys them? And this, in your opinion, is “resisting reason and a leper conscience” when the ignorant is forced to remain silent, the villains are repulsed and a king appointed by God reigns? You will not find anywhere that the kingdom led by priests has not gone bankrupt. What did you want - what happened to the Greeks who destroyed the kingdom and surrendered to the Turks? Is this what you advise us? So let this destruction fall on your head!<...>

Is this really the light - when priests and crafty slaves rule, while the king is a king only in name and honor, and in power is no better than a slave? And is this really darkness - when the king rules and owns the kingdom, and the slaves carry out orders? Why is he called an autocrat if he himself does not rule?<...>

The Russian word “tsar” comes from the Latin “caesar” (from the same word, only with a different pronunciation - “Caesar”, the German “Kaiser” also originated). The first of the great princes who ruled in the now united Rus' began to call himself Tsar Ivan III Vasilyevich from the dynasty of the Grand Duke of the Varangian Rurik. He was also the first to begin to be written in various government acts not as Ivan, but as John, as was accepted by church book rules: “John, by the grace of God, sovereign of all Rus',” and assigned himself the title of autocrat (hence “autocracy”) - that’s how the title sounded in Slavic Byzantine emperor. By that time, Turkey had captured Byzantium, the imperial house had fallen, and Ivan III began to consider himself the successor of the Byzantine emperor. He marries the niece of the last Byzantine emperor Constantine Paleologus, Sophia Paleologus, who was considered the heir to the fallen imperial house. Having married Grand Duke John III, she seemed to share her rights of inheritance with him.

With the appearance of Princess Sophia in the Kremlin, the entire routine of life of the Grand Duke's court and even the appearance of Moscow changes. With the arrival of his bride, Ivan III also stopped liking the environment in which his ancestors lived, and the Byzantine craftsmen and artists who arrived with Sophia began to build and paint churches, construct stone chambers (it was at this time that the Faceted Chamber in the Kremlin was built). True, our ancestors believed that living in stone houses was harmful, so they themselves continued to live in wooden ones, and only held lavish receptions in stone mansions.

Moscow, in its appearance, began to resemble the former Constantinople, as Constantinople was called, the capital of Byzantium, which also now became a Turkish city. According to Byzantine rules, court life was now scheduled, down to when and how the king and queen should go out, who should meet them first and where the others should stand at this time, etc. Even the Grand Duke’s gait has changed since he began to call himself a king. She became more solemn, leisurely and stately.

But it’s one thing to call yourself a king, and another to actually be one. Until the middle of the 15th century, in Ancient Rus', in addition to the Byzantine emperors, the khans of the Golden Horde were also called tsars. The grand dukes were subordinate to the Tatar khans for several centuries and were forced to pay them tribute, so the grand duke could become king only after he ceased to be a tributary of the khan. But in this regard, the situation has changed. The Tatar yoke was overthrown, and the Grand Duke finally stopped attempts to demand tribute from the Russian princes.

By the end of the 15th century, the Byzantine imperial coat of arms - a double-headed eagle - appeared on the seals with which Ivan III sealed political treaties and other important political documents.

But the first tsar officially crowned king was not Ivan III. Some more time passed when the great princes who ruled Russia began to be officially called kings and pass this title on by inheritance.

The first Russian Tsar, who officially began to be called that way throughout the world, was the grandson of Ivan III, Ivan IV Vasilyevich the Terrible in 1547.

Although each of us studied the history of Russia in school, not everyone knows about who was the first tsar in Rus'. In 1547, Ivan IV Vasilyevich, nicknamed the Terrible for his difficult character, cruelty and harsh disposition, began to be called this loud title. Before him, all the rulers of the Russian lands were grand dukes. After Ivan the Terrible became Tsar, our state began to be called the Russian Kingdom instead of the Moscow Principality.

Grand Duke and Tsar: what is the difference?

Having dealt with who was first named Tsar of All Rus', we should find out why the new title became necessary. By the middle of the 16th century, the lands of the Moscow Principality occupied 2.8 thousand square kilometers. It was a huge state, stretching from the Smolensk region in the west to the Ryazan and Nizhny Novgorod districts in the east, from the Kaluga lands in the south to the Arctic Ocean and the Gulf of Finland in the north. About 9 million people lived on such a vast territory. Muscovite Rus' (as the principality was otherwise called) was a centralized state in which all regions were subordinate to the Grand Duke, that is, Ivan IV.

By the 16th century, the Byzantine Empire ceased to exist. Grozny nurtured the idea of ​​becoming the patron of the entire Orthodox world, and for this he needed to strengthen the authority of his state at the international level. The change of title played an important role in this matter. In Western European countries, the word “tsar” was translated as “emperor” or left untouched, while “prince” was associated with a duke or prince, which was a level lower.

The Tsar's childhood

Knowing who became the first tsar in Rus', it will be interesting to get acquainted with the biography of this person. Ivan the Terrible was born in 1530. His parents were the Grand Duke of Moscow Vasily III and Princess Elena Glinskaya. The future ruler of the Russian lands was orphaned early. When he was 3 years old, his father died. Since Ivan was the only heir to the throne (his younger brother Yuri was born mentally retarded and could not lead the Moscow principality), rule of the Russian lands passed to him. This happened in 1533. For some time, his mother was the de facto ruler of the young son, but in 1538 she too passed away (according to rumors, she was poisoned). Completely orphaned by the age of eight, the future first Tsar of Rus' grew up among his guardians, the boyars Belsky and Shuisky, who were not interested in anything other than power. Growing up in an atmosphere of hypocrisy and meanness, from childhood he did not trust those around him and expected a dirty trick from everyone.

Acceptance of new title and marriage

At the beginning of 1547, Grozny announced his intention to marry into the kingdom. On January 16 of the same year he was given the title of Tsar of All Rus'. The crown was placed on the head of the ruler by Metropolitan Macarius of Moscow, a man who enjoys authority in society and has a special influence on young Ivan. The ceremonial wedding took place in the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin.

As a 17-year-old boy, the newly-crowned king decided to get married. In search of a bride, the dignitaries traveled all over the Russian lands. Ivan the Terrible selected his wife from one and a half thousand applicants. Most of all, he liked young Anastasia Zakharyina-Yuryeva. She captivated Ivan not only with her beauty, but also with her intelligence, chastity, piety, and calm character. Metropolitan Macarius, who crowned Ivan the Terrible, approved the choice and married the newlyweds. Subsequently, the king had other spouses, but Anastasia was his favorite of them all.

Moscow uprising

In the summer of 1547, a strong fire broke out in the capital, which could not be extinguished for 2 days. About 4 thousand people became its victims. Rumors spread throughout the city that the capital was set on fire by the Tsar’s relatives, the Glinskys. An angry crowd of people went to the Kremlin. The houses of the Glinsky princes were plundered. The result of popular unrest was the murder of one of the members of this noble family - Yuri. After this, the rebels came to the village of Vorobyovo, where the young king was hiding from them, and demanded that all the Glinskys be handed over to them. The rioters were hardly pacified and sent back to Moscow. After the uprising waned, Grozny ordered the execution of its organizers.

Beginning of state reform

The Moscow uprising spread to other Russian cities. Ivan IV faced the need to carry out reforms aimed at establishing order in the country and strengthening his autocracy. For these purposes, in 1549, the tsar created the Elected Rada - a new government group, which included people loyal to him (Metropolitan Macarius, priest Sylvester, A. Adashev, A. Kurbsky and others).

This period dates back to the beginning of the active reform activities of Ivan the Terrible, aimed at centralizing his power. To manage various branches of state life, the first tsar in Rus' created numerous orders and huts. Thus, the foreign policy of the Russian state was led by the Ambassadorial Prikaz, headed by I. Viskovity for two decades. The Petition Hut, under the control of A. Adashev, was obliged to accept applications, petitions and complaints from ordinary people, as well as conduct investigations into them. The fight against crime was entrusted to the Robust Order. It served as a modern police force. The life of the capital was regulated by the Zemsky Prikaz.

In 1550, Ivan IV published a new Code of Laws, in which all existing legislative acts in the Russian kingdom were systematized and edited. When compiling it, the changes that have occurred in the life of the state over the past half century were taken into account. The document introduced punishment for bribery for the first time. Before this, Muscovite Rus' lived according to the Code of Laws of 1497, the laws of which were noticeably outdated by the middle of the 16th century.

Church and military politics

Under Ivan the Terrible, the influence of the Orthodox Church increased significantly, and the life of the clergy improved. This was facilitated by the Council of the Hundred Heads, convened in 1551. The provisions adopted there contributed to the centralization of church power.

In 1555-1556, the first Tsar of Rus', Ivan the Terrible, together with the Elected Rada, developed the “Code of Service,” which helped increase the size of the Russian army. In accordance with this document, each feudal lord was obliged to field a certain number of soldiers with horses and weapons from his lands. If the landowner supplied the Tsar with soldiers in excess of the norm, he was encouraged with a monetary reward. In the event that the feudal lord could not provide the required number of soldiers, he paid a fine. The “Clause of Service” contributed to improving the combat effectiveness of the army, which was important in the context of Ivan the Terrible’s active foreign policy.

Expansion of territory

During the reign of Ivan the Terrible, the conquest of neighboring lands was actively carried out. In 1552, the Kazan Khanate was annexed to the Russian state, and in 1556, the Astrakhan Khanate. In addition to this, the king’s possessions expanded due to the conquest of the Volga region and the western part of the Urals. Kabardian and Nogai rulers recognized their dependence on Russian lands. Under the first Russian Tsar, the active annexation of Western Siberia began.

Throughout 1558-1583, Ivan IV fought the Livonian War for Russia's access to the shores of the Baltic Sea. The start of hostilities was successful for the king. In 1560, Russian troops managed to completely defeat the Livonian Order. However, the successfully launched war dragged on for many years, led to a worsening of the situation within the country and ended in complete defeat for Russia. The king began to look for those responsible for his failures, which led to mass disgrace and executions.

Break with the Chosen Rada, oprichnina

Adashev, Sylvester and other figures of the Elected Rada did not support the aggressive policy of Ivan the Terrible. In 1560, they opposed Russia’s conduct of the Livonian War, for which they aroused the wrath of the ruler. The first tsar in Rus' dispersed the Rada. Its members were persecuted. Ivan the Terrible, who does not tolerate dissent, thought about establishing a dictatorship in the lands under his control. To this end, in 1565 he began to pursue a policy of oprichnina. Its essence was the confiscation and redistribution of boyar and princely lands in favor of the state. This policy was accompanied by mass arrests and executions. Its result was the weakening of the local nobility and the strengthening of the power of the king against this background. The oprichnina lasted until 1572 and was ended after the devastating invasion of Moscow by Crimean troops led by Khan Devlet-Girey.

The policy pursued by the first tsar in Rus' led to a severe weakening of the country's economy, devastation of lands, and destruction of estates. Towards the end of his reign, Ivan the Terrible abandoned execution as a method of punishing the guilty. In his will of 1579, he repented of his cruelty towards his subjects.

Wives and children of the king

Ivan the Terrible married 7 times. In total, he had 8 children, 6 of whom died in childhood. The first wife Anastasia Zakharyina-Yuryeva gave the Tsar 6 heirs, of which only two survived to adulthood - Ivan and Fedor. His second wife, Maria Temryukovna, gave birth to a son, Vasily, to the sovereign. He died at 2 months. The last child (Dmitry) of Ivan the Terrible was born to his seventh wife Maria Nagaya. The boy was destined to live only 8 years.

The first Russian Tsar in Rus' killed the adult son of Ivan Ivanovich in 1582 in a fit of anger, so Fedor turned out to be the only heir to the throne. It was he who took over the throne after the death of his father.

Death

Ivan the Terrible ruled the Russian state until 1584. In the last years of his life, osteophytes made it difficult for him to walk independently. Lack of movement, nervousness, and unhealthy lifestyle led to the fact that at the age of 50 the ruler looked like an old man. At the beginning of 1584, his body began to swell and emit an unpleasant odor. Doctors called the sovereign’s illness “blood decomposition” and predicted his quick death. Ivan the Terrible died on March 18, 1584, while playing chess with Boris Godunov. Thus ended the life of the one who was the first tsar in Rus'. Rumors persisted in Moscow that Ivan IV was poisoned by Godunov and his accomplices. After the death of the king, the throne went to his son Fedor. In fact, Boris Godunov became the ruler of the country.