Absolute Rulers Of Russia

SETTING THE STAGE Ivan III of Moscow, who ruled Russia from 1462 to
1505, accomplished several things. First, he conquered much of the territory
around Moscow. Second, he liberated Russia from the Mongols. Third, he began
to centralize the Russian government. Ivan III was succeeded by his son, Vasily,
who ruled for 28 years. Vasily continued his father’s work of adding territory to
thegrowing Russian state. He also increased the power of the central government.
This trend continued under his son, Ivan IV, who would become an absolute
ruler.
The First Czar
Ivan IV, called Ivan the Terrible, came to the throne in 1533 when he was only
three years old. His young life was disrupted by struggles for power among
Russia’s landowning nobles, known as boyars. The boyars fought tocontrol
young Ivan. When he was 16, Ivan seized power and had himself crowned czar.
This title meant “caesar,” and Ivan was the first Russian ruler to use it officially.
He also married the beautiful Anastasia, related to an old boyar family,
the Romanovs.
The years from 1547 to 1560 are often called Ivan’s “good period.” He won
great victories, added lands to Russia, gave Russia a code of laws,and ruled justly.
Rule by Terror Ivan’s “bad period” began in 1560 after Anastasia died.
Accusing the boyars of poisoning his wife, Ivan turned against them. He organized
his own police force, whose chief duty was to hunt down and murder people
Ivan considered traitors. The members of this police force dressed in black
and rode black horses.
Using these secret police, Ivan executed manyboyars, their families, and the
peasants who worked their lands. Thousands of people died. Ivan seized the
boyars’ estates and gave them to a new class of nobles, who had to remain loyal
to him or lose their land.
Eventually, Ivan committed an act that was both a personal tragedy and a
national disaster. In 1581, during a violent quarrel, he killed his oldest son and
heir. When Ivan died threeyears later, only his weak second son was left to rule.
Rise of the Romanovs Ivan’s son proved to be physically and mentally incapable
of ruling. After he died without an heir, Russia experienced a period of
Absolute Rulers of Russia
Summarizing Use a
cluster diagram to list the
important events of Peter
the Great’s reign.
TAKING NOTES
Peter the Great
turmoil known as the Time ofTroubles. Boyars struggled for power, and heirs of
czars died under mysterious conditions. Several impostors tried to claim the throne.
Finally, in 1613, representatives from many Russian cities met to choose the
next czar. Their choice was Michael Romanov, grandnephew of Ivan the Terrible’s
wife, Anastasia. Thus began the Romanov dynasty, which ruled Russia for 300
years (1613–1917).
Peter theGreat Comes to Power
Over time, the Romanovs restored order to Russia. They strengthened government
by passing a law code and putting down a revolt. This paved the way for the absolute
rule of Czar Peter I. At first, Peter shared the throne with his half-brother.
However, in 1696, Peter became sole ruler of Russia. He is known to history as
Peter the Great, because he was one of Russia’s greatestreformers. He also continued
the trend of increasing the czar’s power.
Russia Contrasts with Europe When Peter I came to power, Russia was still a
land of boyars and serfs. Serfdom in Russia lasted into the mid-1800s, much longer
than it did in western Europe. Russian landowners wanted serfs to stay on the land
and produce large harvests. The landowners treated the serfs like property. Whena
Russian landowner sold a piece of land, he sold the serfs
with it. Landowners could give away serfs as presents or to
pay debts. It was also against the law for serfs to run away
from their owners.
Most boyars knew little of western Europe. In the Middle
Ages, Russia had looked to Constantinople, not to Rome,
for leadership. Then Mongol rule had cut Russia off from
the Renaissance and...