It is officially believed that the word “king” comes from the Old Roman Ceasar, and kings are called kings only because all emperors in Rome were called Caesars, starting with Gaius Julius Caesar, whose name eventually became a household name. However, in Russian, a completely different word came from the Roman Ceasar - the word “Caesar”. This is exactly how this name was read in those ancient times, with [k]. The word “king” comes from the ancient word “Dzar”, it meant the red glow of hot metal, and in this meaning it turned into the word “heat”, as well as dawn, and in this meaning both dawn and glow come from the word “dzar” , and even lightning.
Remember the golden man, dug up in the Issyk mound in 1969? Judging by his attire, this was Dzar, and, with scales like the heat of grief, he really was a clear example of a Dawn Man.
Around the same time, approximately the same people, whose representative was buried in the Issyk mound, had a queen, Zarina. It was called Zarina in Persian, and in its native language, which can conventionally be called Scythian, it was called Dzarnya.
The names Zarina and Zara are still popular in the Caucasus. There is also its male counterpart Zaur.
In the modern Ossetian language, which is considered a descendant of Scythian, the word zærinæ means gold, and in Sanskrit, in which “d” turned into “x”, gold as हिरण्य (hiranya).
The word Ceasar is related to the word “mower” and he was named so for the reason that his mother’s stomach was cut with that same scythe, as a result of which Caesar was born.
Tsars in Rus' were traditionally called foreign rulers - first the Byzantine basileus, to whom the Hellenized version of the name of Caesar, sounding like καῖσαρ, was no longer applied for a long time, and then to the Horde khans.
After dominance on our territory passed from the Horde to Moscow, the Moscow Grand Dukes began to be unofficially called tsars - first Ivan III, and then Vasily III. However, only Ivan IV, later nicknamed the Terrible, officially appropriated this title to himself, since in addition to the Moscow principality he already owned two recent kingdoms - Kazan and Astrakhan. From then until 1721, when Russia became an empire, the royal title became the main title of the Russian monarch.
All Russian Tsars from Ivan the Terrible to Mikhail the Last
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Simeon II Bekbulatovich |
He was appointed by Ivan the Terrible, but after some time he was removed. |
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Fedor I Ivanovich |
The last representative of the Rurik dynasty. He was so religious that he considered marital relations to be sinful, as a result of which he died childless. |
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Irina Fedorovna Godunova |
After the death of her husband, she was proclaimed queen, but did not accept the throne and went to a monastery. |
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Boris Fedorovich Godunov |
The first king of the Godunov dynasty |
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Fedor II Borisovich Godunov |
The last king of the Godunov dynasty. Together with his mother, he was strangled by archers who went over to the side of False Dmitry I. |
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False Dmitry I |
According to the generally accepted version, Otrepiev Yuri Bogdanovich, according to some historians, was actually Tsarevich Dmitry Ivanovich who survived the assassination attempt. |
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Vasily Ivanovich Shuisky |
A representative of the princely family of the Shuiskys from the Suzdal branch of the Rurikovichs. In September 1610 he was handed over to the Polish hetman Zolkiewski and died in Polish captivity on September 12, 1612. |
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Vladislav I Sigismundovich Vaza |
He was called to the throne by the Seven Boyars, but in fact never took over the rule of Russia and was not in Russia. On his behalf, power was exercised by Prince Mstislavsky. |
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Mikhail I Fedorovich |
The first king of the Romanov dynasty. The actual ruler until 1633 was his father, Patriarch Filaret. |
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Alexey I Mikhailovich |
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Fedor III Alekseevich |
He died at the age of 20, leaving no heirs. |
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Ivan V Alekseevich |
From April 27, 1682, he ruled jointly with Peter I. Until September 1689, the country was actually ruled by Princess Sofya Alekseevna. All the time he was considered seriously ill, which did not prevent him from getting married and having eight children. One of the daughters, Anna Ioannovna, later became empress. |
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Peter I the Great |
On October 22, 1721, the post of head of state began to be called All-Russian Emperor. Cm.: |
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Catherine I |
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Peter II |
The son of Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich, executed by Peter. |
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Anna Ioannovna |
Daughter of Ivan V Alekseevich. |
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Ivan VI Antonovich |
Great-grandson of Ivan V. Accessed the throne at the age of two months. His regents were Ernst Johann Biron, and from November 7, 1740, his mother Anna Leopoldovna. |
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Peter III |
Grandson of Peter I and Catherine I, son of Princess Anna Petrovna and Duke of Holstein-Gottorp Karl Friedrich. |
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Catherine II the Great |
Sophia Augusta Frederica of Anhalt-Zerbstska, wife of Peter III. She became empress, overthrowing and killing her husband. |
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Proclamation of the course towards the “village NEP” - 1925
The XIV Congress of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) - December 1925 proclaimed a course towards industrialization
Defeat of the “new opposition”
"United Opposition" - 1926-1927
Expulsion of L.D. Trotsky from the USSR-1929
Locarno Conference-1925
Soviet-German Treaty of Non-Aggression and Neutrality - 1926
The beginning of the USSR's participation in the work of the League of Nations Commission on Disarmament - 1927
USSR accession to the Kellogg-Briand Pact of 1928
XV Congress of the CPSU (b), adoption of the first five-year plan - December 1927, proclaimed a course towards collectivization
Grain procurement crisis-1927-1928
First Five-Year Plan - 1928-1932
XVI Congress of the CPSU(b)-1930
Beginning of the Isotov movement-1932
Second Five-Year Plan-1933-1937
Beginning of the Stakhanov movement-1935
The appearance of the first MTS-1928
Message from I.V. Stalin about the “radical change” in the collective farm movement - November 1929
Transition to the policy of “liquidation of the kulaks as a class” - January 1930
Famine in the grain regions-1932-1933
Completion of collectivization-1937
“Shakhty affair” - 1928
Trial in the case of the "Industrial Party" - 1930
Trial in the case of the Union Bureau of Mensheviks - 1931
Activities of the “Union of Marxists-Leninists” headed by M.N. Ryutin - 1932
Resolution of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks “On the restructuring of literary and artistic organizations” - 1932
1st Congress of Soviet Writers-1934
Resolution of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks and the Council of People's Commissars "On the teaching of civil history in schools of the USSR" - 1934
XVII Congress of the CPSU (b) - January 1934
Adoption of the new Constitution of the USSR - November 1936
Campaign against formalism-1936
Trial in the case of the “Terrorist Trotskyist-Zinoviev Center” - 1936
Trial in the case of the “Parallel Anti-Soviet Trotskyist Center” - 1937
Death of S. Ordzhonikidze - February 1937
Case of M.N. Tukhachevsky-1937
"Great Terror" - 1937-1938
Publication of the “Short Course on the History of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) - 1938
Foreign policy of the USSR in the 1930s.
Entry of the USSR into the League of Nations-1934
Soviet-French-Czechoslovak mutual assistance agreement-1935
Soviet-Japanese conflict on Lake Khasan - July 1938
Soviet-Japanese conflict on the Khalkhin-Gol River - May-September 1939
Anglo-Franco-Soviet negotiations in Moscow - June-August 1939
Entry of Soviet troops into Western Ukraine and Western Belarus - September 17, 1939
Mutual assistance pacts between the USSR and the Baltic countries - September-October 1939
Entry of Soviet troops into the Baltic states - June 1940
Entry of Soviet troops into Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina - June 1940
Establishment of Soviet power in the Baltic states - July 1940
Entry of the Baltic States into the USSR - August 1940
Great Patriotic War - 1941-1945.
1941:
Evacuation of government institutions from Moscow -
The Germans went on the defensive in the Moscow direction -
Resumption of the German offensive on Moscow-
June 22, 1941 Patriarchal locum tenens Metropolitan Sergius made an appeal to believers, in which he called on them to defend their Fatherland from fascist robbers.
A radical turning point in the Great Patriotic War -
1942:
Unsuccessful offensive of the Red Army in Crimea - April-May
Unsuccessful offensive of the Red Army near Kharkov – May
1943:
In September 1943 Stalin allowed the election of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus', as well as the formation of the Holy Synod; Sergius was elected patriarch.
The tank column, named after Dmitry Donskoy, was created with money from clergy and parishioners.
Guerrilla operation "Rail War" - August-September
Guerrilla operation "Concert" - September-October
1944: military operations
Leningradsko - Novgorod - January-February
Korsun-Shevchenkovskaya - January-February
Dnieper-Carpathian – January-March
Crimean – April-May
Belorusskaya (Bagration) - June-August
Karelian – June-August
Lvovsko-Sandomirovskaya – July-August
Pribaltiyskaya – July-September
Yassko-Kishinevskaya – August
Petsamo-Kirkenes - October
East Carpathian – September-October
Debrecen - October
1945:
Budapest – February
Balatonskaya – March
Vistula-Oder - January-February
East Prussian and Pomeranian – January-April
Vienna – March-April
Formation and development of the anti-Hitler coalition:
Signing of the Atlantic Charter – August 1941
USSR accession to the Atlantic Charter - September 1941
Moscow conference of representatives of the USSR, USA and Great Britain - September 29-October 1, 1941
Anglo-Soviet Alliance Treaty – May 1942
Soviet-American Agreement – June 1942
Tehran Conference of Heads of Government of the USSR, USA, and Great Britain - November 28-December 1, 1943
Opening of a second front by the Allies in northern France -
Yalta Conference of Heads of Government of the USSR, USA and Great Britain - February 1945
Potsdam Conference of Heads of Government of the USSR, USA and Great Britain - July 1945
Post-war reconstruction-1945-1953:
Fourth Five-Year Plan - 1946-1950.
Abolition of cards for food and industrial goods - 1947.
Currency reform-1947
Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR “On criminal liability for theft of state and public property” - 1947.
Test of an atomic bomb in the USSR - 1949.
Fifth Five-Year Plan - 1951-1955
XIX Congress of the CPSU-1952
Test of a hydrogen bomb in the USSR - 1953.
Resolution of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks “On the magazines “Zvezda” and “Leningrad” - 1946.
Resolution of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks “On the repertoire of drama theaters and measures to improve it” - 1946.
Resolution of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks “On the film
“Big Life” - 1946
Resolution of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks “On the opera “Great Friendship” by V. Muradeli” - 1948.
Arrest of members of the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee - 1948
Session of VASKHNIL, defeat of genetics - 1948.
Beginning of the campaign to “fight cosmopolitanism” - 1949
“Leningrad Affair” - 1949.
“The MGB Case” - 1951-1952.
Execution of members of the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee - 1952.
“The Doctors’ Case” - 1952
The beginning of the Cold War - W. Churchill's Fulton speech - 1946
Marshall Plan-1947
Creation of Cominform-1947
The establishment of communist regimes in Eastern Europe - 1947-1948.
Soviet-Yugoslav conflict-1948-1949.
Berlin crisis-1948-1949.
Creation of the Federal Republic of Germany and the GDR-1949.
Creation of NATO-1949
Creation of CMEA-1949
Korean War - 1950-1953
Alexey Mikhailovich(1629-1676), Tsar from 1645. Son of Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich. During the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich, central power strengthened and serfdom took shape (Council Code of 1649); Ukraine was reunited with the Russian state (1654); Smolensk, Seversk land, etc. were returned; uprisings in Moscow, Novgorod, Pskov (1648, 1650, 1662) and the peasant war under the leadership of Stepan Razin were suppressed; There was a split in the Russian Church.
Wives: Maria Ilyinichna Miloslavskaya (1625-1669), among her children are Princess Sophia, future Tsars Fyodor and Ivan V; Natalya Kirillovna Naryshkina (1651-1694) - mother of Peter
Fedor Alekseevich(1661-1682), Tsar from 1676. Son of Alexei Mikhailovich from his first marriage to M.I. Miloslavskaya. Various groups of boyars ruled under him. Household taxation was introduced, and localism was abolished in 1682; The unification of Left Bank Ukraine with Russia was finally consolidated.
Ivan V Alekseevich (1666-1696), Tsar from 1682. Son of Alexei Mikhailovich from his first marriage to M.I. Miloslavskaya. Ill and incapable of government activities, he was proclaimed tsar along with his younger brother Peter I; Until 1689, sister Sophia ruled for them, after her overthrow - Peter I.
Peter I Alekseevich (Great) (1672-1725), Tsar from 1682 (reigned from 1689), first Russian Emperor (from 1721). The youngest son of Alexei Mikhailovich is from his second marriage to N.K. Naryshkina. He carried out public administration reforms (the Senate, collegiums, bodies of higher state control and political investigation were created; the church was subordinated to the state; the country was divided into provinces, a new capital was built - St. Petersburg). He pursued a policy of mercantelism in the field of industry and trade (the creation of manufactories, metallurgical, mining and other plants, shipyards, piers, canals). He led the army in the Azov campaigns of 1695-1696, the Northern War of 1700-1721, the Prut campaign of 1711, the Persian campaign of 1722-1723, etc.; commanded troops during the capture of Noteburg (1702), in the battles of Lesnaya (1708) and near Poltava (1709). He supervised the construction of the fleet and the creation of a regular army. Contributed to strengthening the economic and political position of the nobility. On the initiative of Peter I, many educational institutions, the Academy of Sciences, were opened, the civil alphabet was adopted, etc. The reforms of Peter I were carried out by cruel means, through extreme strain of material and human forces, oppression of the masses (poll tax, etc.), which entailed uprisings (Streletskoye 1698, Astrakhan 1705-1706, Bulavinskoye 1707-1709, etc.), mercilessly suppressed by the government. Being the creator of a powerful absolutist state, he achieved recognition of Russia as a great power by the countries of Western Europe.
Wives: Evdokia Fedorovna Lopukhina, mother of Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich;
Marta Skavronskaya, later Catherine I Alekseevna
Catherine I Alekseevna (Marta Skavronskaya) (1684-1727), empress from 1725. Second wife of Peter I. Enthroned by the guard led by A.D. Menshikov, who became the de facto ruler of the state. Under her, the Supreme Privy Council was created.
Peter II Alekseevich (1715-1730), emperor from 1727. Son of Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich. In fact, the state was ruled under him by A.D. Menshikov, then the Dolgorukovs. Announced the cancellation of a number of reforms carried out by Peter I.
Anna Ivanovna(1693-1740), empress from 1730. Daughter of Ivan V Alekseevich, Duchess of Courland from 1710. Enthroned by the Supreme Privy Council. In fact, E.I. Biron was the ruler under her.
Ivan VI Antonovich (1740-1764), emperor in 1740-1741. Great-grandson of Ivan V Alekseevich, son of Prince Anton Ulrich of Brunswick. E.I. Biron ruled for the baby, then mother Anna Leopoldovna. Overthrown by the Guard, imprisoned; killed when V.Ya. Mirovich tried to free him.
Elizaveta Petrovna(1709-1761/62), empress from 1741. Daughter of Peter I from his marriage to Catherine I. Enthroned by the Guard. She contributed to eliminating the dominance of foreigners in the government and promoted talented and energetic representatives from among the Russian nobility to government positions. The de facto leader of domestic policy under Elizaveta Petrovna was P.I. Shuvalov, whose activities were associated with the abolition of internal customs and the organization of foreign trade; rearmament of the army, improvement of its organizational structure and management system. During the reign of Elizabeth Petrovna, the orders and bodies created under Peter I were restored. The rise of Russian science and culture was facilitated by the establishment, on the initiative of M.V. Lomonosov, of Moscow University (1755) and the Academy of Arts (1757). The privileges of the nobles were strengthened and expanded at the expense of the serf peasantry (distribution of land and serfs, decree of 1760 on the right to exile peasants to Siberia, etc.). Peasant protests against serfdom were brutally suppressed. The foreign policy of Elizaveta Petrovna, skillfully directed by Chancellor A.P. Bestuzhev-Ryumin, was subordinated to the task of fighting against the aggressive aspirations of the Prussian king Frederick II.
Peter III Fedorovich (1728-1762), Russian Emperor from 1761. German Prince Karl Peter Ulrich, son of Duke of Holstein-Gottorp Karl Friedrich and Anna - the eldest daughter of Peter I and Catherine I. Since 1742 in Russia. In 1761 he made peace with Prussia, which negated the results of the victories of Russian troops in the Seven Years' War. Introduced German rules into the army. Overthrown in a coup organized by his wife Catherine, killed.
Catherine II Alekseevna (Great) (1729-1796), Russian empress from 1762. German princess Sophia Frederica Augusta of Anhalt-Zerbst. She came to power by overthrowing Peter III, her husband, with the help of the guard. She formalized the class privileges of the nobles. Under Catherine II, the Russian absolutist state became significantly stronger, the oppression of the peasants intensified, and a peasant war took place under the leadership of Emelyan Pugachev (1773-1775). The Northern Black Sea region, Crimea, the Northern Caucasus, Western Ukrainian, Belarusian and Lithuanian lands were annexed (according to three sections of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth). She pursued a policy of enlightened absolutism. From the late 80s - early 90s. actively participated in the fight against the French Revolution; pursued free thought in Russia.
Paul I Petrovich (1754-1801), Russian emperor since 1796. Son of Peter III and Catherine II. He introduced a military-police regime in the state, and Prussian order in the army; limited noble privileges. He opposed revolutionary France, but in 1800 he entered into an alliance with Bonaparte. Killed by conspiratorial nobles.
Alexander I Pavlovich (1777-1825), emperor since 1801. The eldest son of Paul I. At the beginning of his reign, he carried out moderate liberal reforms developed by the Secret Committee and M.M. Speransky. In foreign policy he maneuvered between Great Britain and France. In 1805-1807 he participated in anti-French coalitions. In 1807-1812 he temporarily became close to France. He fought successful wars with Turkey (1806-1812) and Sweden (1808-1809). Under Alexander I, Eastern Georgia (1801), Finland (1809), Bessarabia (1812), Azerbaijan (1813), and the former Duchy of Warsaw (1815) were annexed to Russia. After the Patriotic War of 1812, he led the anti-French coalition of European powers in 1813-1814. He was one of the leaders of the Congress of Vienna 1814-1815 and the organizers of the Holy Alliance.
Nicholas I Pavlovich (1796-1855), Russian emperor since 1825. Third son of Emperor Paul I. Honorary member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences (1826). He ascended the throne after the sudden death of Alexander I. Suppressed the Decembrist uprising. Under Nicholas I, the centralization of the bureaucratic apparatus was strengthened, the Third Department was created, the Code of Laws of the Russian Empire was compiled, and new censorship regulations were introduced (1826, 1828). The theory of official nationality became widespread. The Polish uprising of 1830-1831 and the revolution in Hungary of 1848-1849 were suppressed. An important aspect of foreign policy was the return to the principles of the Holy Alliance. During the reign of Nicholas I, Russia took part in the Caucasian War of 1817-1864, the Russian-Persian War of 1826-1828, the Russian-Turkish War of 1828-1829, and the Crimean War of 1853-1856.
Alexander II Nikolaevich (1818-1881), emperor since 1855. The eldest son of Nicholas I. He abolished serfdom and then carried out a number of other bourgeois reforms (zemstvo, judicial, military, etc.) promoting the development of capitalism. After the Polish uprising of 1863-1864, he switched to a reactionary domestic political course. Since the late 70s, repressions against revolutionaries have intensified. During the reign of Alexander II, the annexation of the Caucasus (1864), Kazakhstan (1865), and most of Central Asia (1865-1881) to Russia was completed. A number of attempts were made on the life of Alexander II (1866, 1867, 1879, 1880); killed by Narodnaya Volya.
Alexander III Alexandrovich (1845-1894), Russian Emperor since 1881. Second son of Alexander II. In the first half of the 80s, in the conditions of growing capitalist relations, he abolished the poll tax and lowered redemption payments. From the 2nd half of the 80s. carried out "counter-reforms". He suppressed the revolutionary democratic and labor movement, strengthened the role of the police and administrative arbitrariness. During the reign of Alexander III, the annexation of Central Asia to Russia was basically completed (1885), and the Russian-French alliance was concluded (1891-1893).
Nicholas II Alexandrovich (1868-1918), the last Russian emperor (1894-1917). Eldest son of Alexander III. His reign coincided with the rapid development of capitalism. Under Nicholas II, Russia was defeated in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, which was one of the reasons for the revolution of 1905-1907, during which the Manifesto of October 17, 1905 was adopted, which allowed the creation of political parties and established the State Duma; The Stolypin agrarian reform began to be implemented. In 1907, Russia became a member of the Entente, as part of which it entered the First World War. Since August 1915, Supreme Commander-in-Chief. During the February Revolution of 1917, he abdicated the throne. Shot along with his family in Yekaterinburg
The wife of Peter III, who became empress after dethroning her husband. Being a German princess who converted to Orthodoxy, having no relationship with the Romanov dynasty, nor any rights to the Russian throne, she nevertheless held the reins of power in her hands for more than 30 years. And this time in Russia is usually called the “golden age”.
Catherine pursued her policy in three main directions:
Expanding the territory of the state, strengthening its authority in the world;
Liberalization of methods of governing the country;
Administrative reforms involving the involvement of nobles in the management of local authorities.
During her reign, the country was divided into 50 provinces. The principle of division was a certain number of inhabitants.
The reign of this empress was the era of the heyday of the noble class. The provinces were completely under the rule of their nobles. At the same time, the nobleman was exempt from taxes and corporal punishment. Only a court of equals could deprive him of his title, property or life.
In the foreign policy arena, the main directions of Russia were:
Strengthening its influence in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Catherine carefully ensured that only Russian proteges sat on the Polish throne;
Relations with Turkey. In this direction, the struggle was for Russia's access to the Black Sea. As a result, two long military campaigns were carried out, ending in the victory of the Russian troops;
The fight against revolutionary France. Despite the fact that Catherine was a fan of the French enlighteners, she gradually became disillusioned with their ideas and methods, and perceived the revolution in this country rather hostilely. To fight France, it was decided to join forces with Prussia, England and Austria. However, death prevented Catherine from fulfilling her plans.
Such illustrious names as G. Potemkin, A. Suvorov, F. Ushakov, P. Rumyantsev are closely associated with the name of Catherine the Great and the conquests of her period.
The ruler paid great attention to the development of education, the main goal of which was not simply to increase the level of education, but to educate a new generation of people, true citizens of their state.
It was she who became the founder of female school education in Russia, establishing institutions for the “education of noble maidens.”
However, for all her desire for liberalism, Catherine zealously persecuted dissent and cruelly punished those who disagreed with her state policy. Thus, A. Radishchev was sentenced to death and then “pardoned” by exile to Siberia for his famous “Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow”, public activist, writer and publisher N. Novikov was persecuted, some foreign publications were banned, etc. .
In Catherine's era, culture and science actively developed. A thorough study of Russia, its history, geography, ethnography, etc. was carried out. Thanks to the high imperial support, the Academy of Sciences gave the world such people as I. Kulibin, I. Polzunov. The names of D. Fonvizin, G. Derzhavin and others became known in the literature. The empress herself made a valuable contribution to literature by writing memoirs.
Art also developed during this period: painting, sculpture, architecture.
Along with achievements in many areas of life, the reign of Catherine the Great was marked by one of the most famous and major uprisings in Russia - the Pugachev uprising. The reason for this uprising under the leadership of the Cossack E. Pugachev was the further enslavement of the peasants. By posing as Peter III, who miraculously managed to escape death, Emelyan Pugachev managed to unite workers, peasants, representatives of national minorities, and Cossacks. The uprising grew into a real bloody war. Pugachev's army, growing as it advanced, won victories one after another, taking advantage of the fact that most of the Russian troops were absent from the country (the Russian-Turkish war was going on). The months-long struggle ended with the betrayal of Pugachev by his own comrades. After he was handed over to government forces, Catherine ordered his public execution on Bolotnaya Square.
After the death of the leader, the uprising was suppressed, and all those responsible were severely punished.
In addition, civil unrest periodically broke out in many parts of the country, but they were not of such proportions.
Thus, the “golden age” was significantly overshadowed, especially in relation to the ordinary population of Russia.
Almost half of Catherine's reign was occupied by wars and riots. Bribery and theft flourished.
However, with all this, during her reign the population of Russia almost doubled, the territory of the state expanded significantly, the army strengthened and the fleet increased (instead of 21 half-rotten battleships, by the end of her reign there were 67 well-equipped ships and 40 frigates). The number of factories and factories increased to 2 thousand (instead of 500), and state income increased 4 times.
Over the almost 400 years of the existence of this title, it was worn by completely different people - from adventurers and liberals to tyrants and conservatives.
Rurikovich
Over the years, Russia (from Rurik to Putin) has changed its political system many times. At first, rulers bore the title of prince. When, after a period of political fragmentation, a new Russian state emerged around Moscow, the owners of the Kremlin began to think about accepting the royal title.
This was accomplished under Ivan the Terrible (1547-1584). This one decided to marry into the kingdom. And this decision was not accidental. So the Moscow monarch emphasized that he was the legal successor. It was they who bestowed Orthodoxy on Russia. In the 16th century, Byzantium no longer existed (it fell under the onslaught of the Ottomans), so Ivan the Terrible rightly believed that his act would have serious symbolic significance.
Such historical figures had a great influence on the development of the entire country. In addition to changing his title, Ivan the Terrible also captured the Kazan and Astrakhan khanates, beginning Russian expansion to the East.
Ivan's son Fedor (1584-1598) was distinguished by his weak character and health. Nevertheless, under him the state continued to develop. The patriarchate was established. Rulers have always paid a lot of attention to the issue of succession to the throne. This time he became especially acute. Fedor had no children. When he died, the Rurik dynasty on the Moscow throne came to an end.
Time of Troubles
After Fyodor's death, Boris Godunov (1598-1605), his brother-in-law, came to power. He did not belong to the reigning family, and many considered him a usurper. Under him, due to natural disasters, a colossal famine began. The tsars and presidents of Russia have always tried to maintain calm in the provinces. Due to the tense situation, Godunov was unable to do this. Several peasant uprisings took place in the country.
In addition, the adventurer Grishka Otrepyev called himself one of the sons of Ivan the Terrible and began a military campaign against Moscow. He actually managed to capture the capital and become king. Boris Godunov did not live to see this moment - he died from health complications. His son Feodor II was captured by the comrades of False Dmitry and killed.
The impostor ruled for only a year, after which he was overthrown during the Moscow uprising, inspired by disgruntled Russian boyars who did not like the fact that False Dmitry surrounded himself with Catholic Poles. decided to transfer the crown to Vasily Shuisky (1606-1610). During the Time of Troubles, the rulers of Russia often changed.
The princes, tsars and presidents of Russia had to carefully guard their power. Shuisky could not restrain her and was overthrown by the Polish interventionists.
The first Romanovs
When Moscow was liberated from foreign invaders in 1613, the question arose of who should be made sovereign. This text presents all the kings of Russia in order (with portraits). Now the time has come to talk about the rise to the throne of the Romanov dynasty.
The first sovereign from this family, Mikhail (1613-1645), was just a youth when he was put in charge of a huge country. His main goal was the fight with Poland for the lands it captured during the Time of Troubles.
These were the biographies of the rulers and the dates of their reign until the middle of the 17th century. After Mikhail, his son Alexei (1645-1676) ruled. He annexed left-bank Ukraine and Kyiv to Russia. So, after several centuries of fragmentation and Lithuanian rule, the fraternal peoples finally began to live in one country.
Alexei had many sons. The eldest of them, Feodor III (1676-1682), died at a young age. After him came the simultaneous reign of two children - Ivan and Peter.
Peter the Great
Ivan Alekseevich was unable to govern the country. Therefore, in 1689, the sole reign of Peter the Great began. He completely rebuilt the country in a European manner. Russia - from Rurik to Putin (we will consider all the rulers in chronological order) - knows few examples of an era so saturated with changes.
A new army and navy appeared. For this, Peter started a war against Sweden. The Northern War lasted 21 years. During it, the Swedish army was defeated, and the kingdom agreed to cede its southern Baltic lands. In this region, St. Petersburg, the new capital of Russia, was founded in 1703. Peter's successes made him think about changing his title. In 1721 he became emperor. However, this change did not abolish the royal title - in everyday speech, monarchs continued to be called kings.
The era of palace coups
Peter's death was followed by a long period of instability in power. Monarchs replaced each other with enviable regularity, which was facilitated by the Guard or certain courtiers, as a rule, at the head of these changes. This era was ruled by Catherine I (1725-1727), Peter II (1727-1730), Anna Ioannovna (1730-1740), Ivan VI (1740-1741), Elizaveta Petrovna (1741-1761) and Peter III (1761-1762) ).
The last of them was German by birth. Under Peter III's predecessor, Elizabeth, Russia waged a victorious war against Prussia. The new monarch renounced all his conquests, returned Berlin to the king and concluded a peace treaty. With this act he signed his own death warrant. The Guard organized another palace coup, after which Peter's wife Catherine II found herself on the throne.
Catherine II and Paul I
Catherine II (1762-1796) had a deep state mind. On the throne, she began to pursue a policy of enlightened absolutism. The Empress organized the work of the famous laid down commission, the purpose of which was to prepare a comprehensive project of reforms in Russia. She also wrote the Order. This document contained many considerations about the transformations necessary for the country. The reforms were curtailed when a peasant uprising led by Pugachev broke out in the Volga region in the 1770s.
All the tsars and presidents of Russia (we have listed all the royal persons in chronological order) made sure that the country looked decent in the external arena. She was no exception. She conducted several successful military campaigns against Turkey. As a result, Crimea and other important Black Sea regions were annexed to Russia. At the end of Catherine's reign, three divisions of Poland occurred. Thus, the Russian Empire received important acquisitions in the west.
After the death of the great empress, her son Paul I (1796-1801) came to power. This quarrelsome man was not liked by many in the St. Petersburg elite.
First half of the 19th century
In 1801, the next and last palace coup took place. A group of conspirators dealt with Pavel. His son Alexander I (1801-1825) was on the throne. His reign occurred during the Patriotic War and Napoleon's invasion. The rulers of the Russian state have not faced such serious enemy intervention for two centuries. Despite the capture of Moscow, Bonaparte was defeated. Alexander became the most popular and famous monarch of the Old World. He was also called the "liberator of Europe."
Within his country, Alexander in his youth tried to implement liberal reforms. Historical figures often change their policies as they age. So Alexander soon abandoned his ideas. He died in Taganrog in 1825 under mysterious circumstances.
At the beginning of the reign of his brother Nicholas I (1825-1855), the Decembrist uprising occurred. Because of this, conservative orders triumphed in the country for thirty years.
Second half of the 19th century
All the kings of Russia are presented here in order, with portraits. Next we will talk about the main reformer of Russian statehood - Alexander II (1855-1881). He initiated the manifesto for the liberation of the peasants. The destruction of serfdom allowed the Russian market and capitalism to develop. Economic growth began in the country. Reforms also affected the judiciary, local government, administrative and conscription systems. The monarch tried to get the country back on its feet and learn the lessons that the lost beginnings under Nicholas I taught him.
But Alexander's reforms were not enough for the radicals. Terrorists made several attempts on his life. In 1881 they achieved success. Alexander II died from a bomb explosion. The news came as a shock to the whole world.
Because of what happened, the son of the deceased monarch, Alexander III (1881-1894), forever became a tough reactionary and conservative. But most of all he is known as a peacemaker. During his reign, Russia did not wage a single war.
The last king
In 1894, Alexander III died. Power passed into the hands of Nicholas II (1894-1917) - his son and the last Russian monarch. By that time, the old world order with the absolute power of kings and kings had already outlived its usefulness. Russia - from Rurik to Putin - has known a lot of upheavals, but it was under Nicholas that more than ever happened.
In 1904-1905 The country experienced a humiliating war with Japan. It was followed by the first revolution. Although the unrest was suppressed, the tsar had to make concessions to public opinion. He agreed to establish a constitutional monarchy and parliament.
Tsars and presidents of Russia at all times faced a certain opposition within the state. Now people could elect deputies who expressed these sentiments.
In 1914, the First World War began. No one then suspected that it would end with the fall of several empires at once, including the Russian one. In 1917, the February Revolution broke out, and the last tsar was forced to abdicate. Nicholas II and his family were shot by the Bolsheviks in the basement of the Ipatiev House in Yekaterinburg.