Disagreements on the question of who was the first Russian tsar in the history of Russia are observed if there is no specific definition - "who can be considered a tsar." But the period of the Russian kingdom lasted a little over 170 years.

History reference

The Russian kingdom was a temporary formation between the Moscow principality and the Russian Empire. It is quite difficult to designate a strict date for the birth of the Russian kingdom, since it is necessary to be tied to some decisive episode in history.

Muscovy

Under Ivan the Great, a number of significant events took place that raise the status of the Moscow principality. In particular:

· The territory of the country has increased several times;

· Exit from under the Tatar-Mongolian dependence (after standing on the river Ugra);

· The process of forming a rigid vertical of power and the creation of state bodies has begun. management;

· Created the first collection of laws - "Sudebnik".

In addition to everything, Ivan the Great married a Byzantine princess - Sophia Paleolog. And she was the heiress of imperial blood. This further raised the status of the ruler. But Ivan the Third was not the first Russian Tsar, although he liked to call himself that.

Now few people know about it, but in 1498, the grandson of Ivan the Great, Dmitry Ivanovich, was crowned king in full Byzantine rank. It was not only a whim of the grandfather, but also the dying request of his son (Ivan the Young).

For 5 years, he was the co-ruler of his grandfather. And we can assume that the name of the first Russian Tsar is Dmitry. Although in the documents he had the title of Grand Duke.

But the intra-family strife, partly started by Sophia Paleolog, led to the fact that Dmitry Vnuk was removed from the board during the life of his grandfather, despite his royal status.

In other words, it was a sporadic element in the system of Russian rulers, without beginning or continuation.

What was the name of the first Russian tsar?

The year of the coronation of the first Russian tsar, who laid the foundation for the royal dynasty, was 1647. On January 16, a full Byzantine rite of enthronement was held. Tsar Ivan the Terrible sat on the royal throne.

Ivan the Terrible


By a strange coincidence, the name of the first Russian tsar, like the last, was Ivan. But the last tsar, Ivan V, was a co-ruler of Peter the Great. And since he died before Peter, Ivan V “rested in a bose” with royal regalia. But Peter the Great, dying, was already an emperor.

And in fact it turns out that the last royal funeral was at Ivan V.

But discrepancies in these intricacies of historical facts arise from different points of view on the same episode.

Peter the Great was born a prince, was a king, became an emperor and died as an emperor.

But Ivan V, and in funeral litia was commemorated as a king.

The nuances of the succession to the throne of Russia

Before the adoption by Emperor Paul of the act of succession to the throne, at the death of the king (and later the emperor), discrepancies constantly arose with the definition of the next monarch.

The undercover struggle in the royal environment destroyed stability and introduced troublesome thoughts into the power-hungry consciousness of relatives.

It was Paul the First who legislated the semi-Salic pro-geniture. Its principle was extremely simple, and the succession to the throne received the following sequence:

1. The eldest son and his offspring. If there are none, then -

3. The succession to the throne passes on the same principles to the female generation, to the eldest daughter, etc.

But this was already with the emperors, but the kings were still chosen. Although, these elections very much resembled a similar process with the election of governors in modern Russia.

In fact, the contender for the royal throne was known, this is the son of the last monarch. But he had to be formally elected.

For this, a special, "electoral for the kingdom", Zemsky Sobor was convened, and its participants made a unanimous decision.

In some critical situations, the Council was dispensed with. At the same time, a behind-the-scenes decision was required, the people confirmed. Maybe it was some echo of the ancient formula: "Voxpopuli - voxDei" (The voice of the people is the voice of God). But such kings did not rule for long, and they did not leave heirs.

Ivan the Terrible, although he was the first Russian tsar, avoided the election procedure. But the first tsar elected to the Russian throne was his son, Theodore Ioannovich.

Tsar Theodore Ioannovich

According to the notes of his contemporaries, Feodor Ioannovich was in poor health and mind. He did not have any particular desire to govern the country. He lived according to the principle "neither a candle to God, nor a poker to hell."

And what is especially important, being the last, direct descendant of the Rurikovich, he had no children. So, the heir to the throne had to get out of indirect relatives.

With the death of the first elected Russian tsar, leapfrog began with the change of rulers. Historically, this coincided with the peak of the "Little Ice Age", which led to monstrous crop failures and famine. Added to this was the extreme dissatisfaction of the Orthodox people with the appearance of drinking houses, which more than once led to riots. And in the end, this period between the death of Theodore Ioannovich and the accession of the first tsar from the Romanov dynasty, Mikhail Fedorovich, was called the era of the Time of Troubles.

By the way, again a curious coincidence. If you do not know the history of the Time of Troubles, and judge by the patronymic, then an ignorant person may think that Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich was the son of Feodor Ivanovich.

Such strange coincidences have happened in Russian history.

That seems to be a simple question, but you won’t immediately remember who was the first king. For me the king is the ruler. But there were many rulers. And Vladimir the Red Sun, Oleg, and so on. But I read the history in more detail and found out something. I will tell you about this.

First Tsar of All Russia

It turned out that earlier in Russia the rulers were called grand dukes, there was no title king. Whereas in other countries the titles tsar, king, emperor were used with might and main and meant autocratic power. Our princes were perceived as princes or as dukes. The urgent need for a "king" appeared in the 16th century, when Prince Ivan IV was embroiled in a struggle for power. Ivan was the son of Vasily III, the direct heir. When he was three years old, his father died, the mother became the guardian of the boy, but she also died five years later. The boyars Shuisky and Belsky became guardians. A fierce struggle broke out between them. boy from an early age observed violence, cruelty, intrigue, deceit. This is what led to the fact that he became distrustful, bitter, and already then decided to become a king, to have unlimited power.

At the age of 16 Ivan who was later named Grozny, was crowned the kingdom of all Russia. It was also beneficial for the clergy at that time to appoint a tsar, as this contributed to the strengthening of the Orthodox Church in the country. So Ivan the Terrible became the first tsar.

The reign of Ivan the Terrible

There are many legends about this historical figure. But his very nickname suggests that he had a cool, wayward and even violent temper. He was characteristic outbursts of aggression, at the time of one of which he killed his son.

But what did he do for Russia? Here are his main accomplishments:

But the worst thing that happened under Ivan the Terrible was his oprichnina army, which for many years robbed and killed the population. The people were afraid andhated the king.

That seems to be a simple question, but you won’t immediately remember who was the first king. For me the king is the ruler. But there were many rulers. And Vladimir the Red Sun, Oleg, and so on. But I read the history in more detail and found out something. I will tell you about this.

First Tsar of All Russia

It turned out that earlier in Russia the rulers were called grand dukes, there was no title king. Whereas in other countries the titles tsar, king, emperor were used with might and main and meant autocratic power. Our princes were perceived as princes or as dukes. The urgent need for a "king" appeared in the 16th century, when Prince Ivan IV was embroiled in a struggle for power. Ivan was the son of Vasily III, the direct heir. When he was three years old, his father died, the mother became the guardian of the boy, but she also died five years later. The boyars Shuisky and Belsky became guardians. A fierce struggle broke out between them. boy from an early age observed violence, cruelty, intrigue, deceit. This is what led to the fact that he became distrustful, bitter, and already then decided to become a king, to have unlimited power.

At the age of 16 Ivan who was later named Grozny, was crowned the kingdom of all Russia. It was also beneficial for the clergy at that time to appoint a tsar, as this contributed to the strengthening of the Orthodox Church in the country. So Ivan the Terrible became the first tsar.

The reign of Ivan the Terrible

There are many legends about this historical figure. But his very nickname suggests that he had a cool, wayward and even violent temper. He was characteristic outbursts of aggression, at the time of one of which he killed his son.

But what did he do for Russia? Here are his main accomplishments:

But the worst thing that happened under Ivan the Terrible was his oprichnina army, which for many years robbed and killed the population. The people were afraid andhated the king.

We are all well acquainted with the last royal dynasty of the Romanovs. BUT who was the first Russian tsar? And why did the Russian rulers begin to call themselves tsars?

How did the tsars appear in Russia?

Tsar is the highest title of monarchical power in Russia. In order for the Russian rulers to bear this title, the Russian Orthodox Church played an important role. The royal title is not just a verbal expression of the highest degree of power, but also a whole philosophy created by the Church.

The Orthodox Church became the successor of the Greek Church and the Byzantine Empire. The royal title officially went to the Moscow princes from Constantinople (Constantinople). It happened around the 16th century. Since that time, all Russian sovereigns called themselves the heirs of the divinely crowned Byzantine basileus.

Legacy of the Byzantine Empire

A number of historical events led to the fact that in the second half of the 15th century, after the fall of Constantinople, a new Russian state, Moscow, was formed on the political map of the world. Savage Moscow not only received sovereign power, but also freed itself from the yoke of the Golden Horde, becoming an all-Russian sovereign center and uniting most of the fragmented Russian lands under itself. On the throne then sat the Grand Duke Ivan III the Great (Rurik), who, after the recognition of Moscow, began to call himself the "Sovereign of All Russia." Thanks to him, palace life "acquired" forgotten Byzantine rituals and magnificence. Ivan III the Great got himself a grand ducal seal, on one side of which a double-headed eagle was depicted, on the other, a rider-rider slaying a dragon (the original version of the seal depicted a Lion (the symbol of the Vladimir Principality) tormenting a snake).

According to the Russian chronicle of the 15th-16th centuries. "The Tale of the Princes of Vladimir", the Moscow princely house was closely associated with the Roman Emperor Augustus, on whose behalf the northern lands of the Roman Empire, located on the banks of the Vistula, were ruled by his legendary relative Prus. His descendant is the no less legendary founder of the princely family Rurik. It was he who in 862 was invited by the Novgorodians to the princely throne. Consequently, Ivan the Great was his distant descendant, and, therefore, the descendant of the Roman emperors, whose power was consecrated by the ancient tradition of succession to the throne. That is why Ivan the Great and his Moscow state were recognized by all European dynasties.

In addition, according to the same "Tale", the Grand Duke of Kyiv Vladimir Monomakh received as a gift from the Byzantine Emperor Constantine IX the royal regalia (diadem, golden chain, crown, carnelian cup, the "cross of the Living Tree" and royal barmas), which, according to legend, belonged to , the Roman Emperor Augustus himself. From this we can conclude that the Byzantine Empire already considered the ancient Russian princes as its heirs. Subsequently, these regalia were used at the coronation of the first Russian Tsar.

Many historians question the fact of receiving gifts for the coronation, because all the predecessors of the first Russian tsar never wore them.

Crowning the kingdom

From the moment of the appearance of the Moscow kingdom, all sovereigns, starting from the 15th century, bore the grand ducal title. Then where did the tsars come from in Russia? And who was the first Russian tsar?

Despite the fact that historians cite the diplomatic correspondence of Ivan III the Great, in which the title “tsar” is used along with the imperial title, the princes did not use the verbal expression of the highest power in their official address until, in January 1547, Ivan (John) IV the Terrible did not marry the kingdom, calling himself the Tsar of All Russia.

This step became important not only in the political life of the Russian state, but also a serious reform, since it elevated the Russian sovereign above all European monarchs and significantly raised Russia in relations with Western Europe. Initially, the title of Grand Duke was perceived by European courts as the title of "prince" or "grand duke", and the title of tsar allowed the Russian ruler to stand on a par with the only European emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.

The chroniclers understood this event in their own way - they considered Russia the political successor of Byzantium after the fall of Constantinople, as a result of which the Russian tsar preserved Christian Orthodox traditions and the significance of the Church.

The young Tsar Ivan the Terrible was crowned by Metropolitan Macarius. The ceremony of crowning the Kingdom took place in the Assumption Cathedral with special pomp. The coronation of the new king consisted in communion with the Holy Mysteries, anointing with myrrh and laying on the autocrat the royal regalia - barma, Monomakh's cap and the cross of the Life-Giving Tree, which, according to legend, belonged to the Roman emperor Augustus.

The young Russian tsar was not recognized in Europe and the Vatican for a long time, until Patriarch Joasaph II of Constantinople in 1561 issued confirmation of the status of the new sovereign. Thus, the idea of ​​the divine origin of royal power was realized, closely linking royal and spiritual interests.

The need for the Grand Duke Ivan Vasilyevich to accept the royal title was caused not only by the desire of the Church to maintain its dominion over the Russian lands, but, above all, by the constant internecine bloody skirmishes between the largest aristocratic families, which led to the decline of law and order.

Only thanks to the Church and some Russian aristocrats, the young Ivan IV was chosen for the great goal - to end the era of lawlessness. For this, a great idea was devised and implemented - to exalt the ruler high above all the nobility, elevating him to the royal rank, and marrying a representative of the ancient family Anastasia Zakharyina-Yuryeva.

Having become king and having received a new status, Ivan IV acquired not only the role of the head of the family, but also the sovereign of the Orthodox world, towering over the Russian aristocratic clans.

Thanks to the Russian “priesthood” and the royal title, the Russian tsar successfully carries out a series of reforms, as a result of which order reigns in the country, and the young Muscovite state is recognized in Europe.

Who would be the first Russian tsar?

To the question " Who was the first Russian Tsar? There are two possible answers. First of all, do not forget about the period when Russia was ruled by the Grand Duke Ivan III the Great from the Rurik dynasty. It was under his rule that the disparate Russian lands were united into a single state. He was the first in various state acts and diplomatic letters to be called not Ivan, but John, and appropriated the title of autocrat. After the fall of the Byzantine Empire, John III considered himself the successor of the Byzantine emperors, having become related to the niece of the last emperor of Byzantium, Constantine. According to the right of inheritance, the Grand Duke shared with his wife the autocratic Byzantine heritage and began to introduce in his Kremlin Byzantine palace rituals, court etiquette and splendor that reigned in the collapsed empire. Everything has undergone changes, including the appearance of Moscow, the Kremlin, palace life and even the behavior of the Grand Duke himself, which has become more majestic and solemn.

Despite such innovations, Ivan III did not officially call himself the "Tsar of All Russia". Until the middle of the 15th century, only Byzantine emperors and the Golden Horde khans were called tsars in Ancient Russia, in whose subordination were Russian lands for several hundred years, paying tribute to the Tatars. One could become a tsar only when the Russian princes got rid of the khanate, which happened in the 16th century, when the Tatar yoke came to an end.

By the end of the 15th century, Ivan III began to seal important political documents with a seal, on one side of which a double-headed eagle was depicted - the emblem of the Byzantine imperial house.

However, despite all his efforts, it was not John III who became the first Russian tsar. Who would be the first Russian tsar? The official wedding to the kingdom took place in 1547 and the first Russian tsar was John IV the Terrible. After him, all the rulers began to wear the royal title, which was inherited through the male line. The noble title of "Grand Duke/Princess" was automatically assigned to all royal heirs at birth, as the title of "prince".

Therefore, the first official Russian tsar recognized by European royal houses was the grandson of Ivan III, Ivan IV the Terrible.

Origin of the word "king"

Tsar of All Russia - this title was worn by Russian monarchs in the period 1547-1721. The first Russian tsar was Ivan IV the Terrible (from the Rurik dynasty), the last was Peter I the Great (Romanov dynasty). The latter subsequently changed the royal title to that of emperor.

It is believed that the word "king" comes from the Roman "Caesar" (Latin - "Caesar") or "Caesar" - this title was worn by Roman emperors during the Roman Empire. The word "Caesar" comes from the name of the Roman emperor Julius Caesar, from whom all Roman emperors subsequently received their power. Despite such a connection between the two words "king" and "Caesar", Julius Caesar himself did not seek to call himself a king, remembering the sad fate of the last seven kings of Ancient Rome.

• The word "Caesar" was borrowed from the Romans by their neighbors (Goths, Germans, Balkans and Russians) and so called their supreme rulers.
• In the Old Slavonic lexicon, the word "Caesar" came from the Goths and gradually abbreviated to "king".
• In writing, for the first time the word "king" is mentioned since 917 - such a title was worn by the Bulgarian king Simeon, who was the first to take this title.

In addition to this version, there is another version of the origin of the word "tsar", which is given by one of the representatives of Russian literature of the 17th century. Sumarokov. He writes that the words "Tsar" and "Caesar" do not mean "King", as many Europeans thought, but "Monarch", and the word "king" comes from the word "father, from which the word Otsar" is made.

On the other hand, the outstanding Russian historian N.M. Karamzin also does not agree with the Roman origin of the word "king", not considering it an abbreviation for "Caesar". He claims that the “king” is of more ancient origin, not Latin, but Eastern, referring to such names of Assyrian and Babylonian kings as Nabonassar, Falassar, etc.

In ancient Russian history, the informal title of tsar was used starting from the 11th century. The systematic use of the royal title, mainly in diplomatic documents, occurs during the reign of Ivan III. Who was the first Russian Tsar? Despite the fact that the heir of Ivan III, Vasily III, was content with the title of Grand Duke, his son, the grandson of Ivan III, Ivan IV the Terrible, having reached adulthood, was officially crowned (1547) and subsequently began to bear the title "Tsar of All Russia".

With the adoption of the imperial title by Peter I, the title "tsar" became semi-official and "went" in use until the overthrow of the monarchy in 1917.

And Elena Glinskaya was born the long-awaited heir John, who in 1547 became the first Russian tsar to be officially crowned on the throne.

The era of Ivan IV became the peak of the development of the Moscow principality, which won a higher status of the kingdom through military and diplomatic means.

After the death of his father, three-year-old Ivan remained in the care of his mother, who died in 1538, when he was less than 8 years old. Ivan grew up in an atmosphere of palace coups, the struggle for power of the boyar families at war with each other. The murders, intrigues and violence that surrounded him contributed to the development of suspicion, revenge and cruelty in him. Already in his youth, the tsar's favorite idea was the idea of ​​unlimited autocratic power. In 1545 Ivan came of age and became a full-fledged ruler, and in 1547 he was married to the kingdom.

Thanks to the transformation of Muscovy into a kingdom and the establishment of the autocratic principle of power, the centralization policy pursued by the Moscow ruling house for centuries received a logical conclusion. Over the course of several decades, a number of internal reforms were carried out (order, judicial, zemstvo, military, church, etc.), the Kazan (1547–1552) and Astrakhan (1556) khanates were conquered, a number of Russian territories on the western borders were returned, penetration into Siberia began , Russia's positions in the international arena have strengthened, etc.

However, the well-being of the kingdom was largely undermined by the devastating and unsuccessful for Russia Livonian War (1558-1583) and the oprichnina that began in 1565.

Tsar Ivan IV Vasilyevich was one of the most educated people of his time, possessed a phenomenal memory, and was an erudite in theology. He entered the history of Russian literature as an outstanding author of numerous letters (in particular, to A. M. Kurbsky, V. G. Gryazny). The Tsar wrote the music and text of the service for the feast of Our Lady of Vladimir, the canon to the Archangel Michael. He probably had a great influence on the compilation of a number of literary monuments of the middle XVI in. (Chronicles; "The Sovereign Genealogy", 1555; "The Sovereign's Rank", 1556); played an important role in the organization of printing. On his initiative, the construction of St. Basil's Cathedral on Red Square in Moscow was also carried out, and the murals of the Faceted Chamber were created.

In Russian historiography, the activities of Ivan IV received a conflicting assessment: pre-revolutionary historians negatively characterized the tsar, while Soviet historians emphasized the positive aspects of his activities. In the second half of the XX century. a deeper and more concrete study of the domestic and foreign policy of Ivan IV began.