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

Biography of Rurik

The year 862 is considered the beginning of the reign of Ruriks. These are the great princes of Novgorod, Kyiv, Vladimir, Moscow. Rurik's descendants are considered all Russian tsars until the 16th century. The last of this dynasty was called Fedor Ioannovich. Rurik became prince in 862. During his reign, feudal relations were established.

Some of the 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.

If you believe the chronicles, then you can say that princely lands received not only Rurik, but also his brothers. But many of the researchers unanimously argue that he did not have any brothers.

The annals describe very little about his aspirations to strengthen the borders of the state and build cities. positive moment during the period of time of his reign was - the ability to suppress the rebellion. Thus, he reinforced his royal authority. On the positive side, one can also say that power was centralized in Russia.

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

List of princes, rulers of Russia

• Igor
• Olga "Holy"
• Svyatoslav Igorevich
• Yaropolk I, Svyatoslavovich
• Vladimir Svyatoslavovich "Saint"
• Svyatopolk I Vladimirovich "Cursed"
• 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 Chernigov
• Rostislav Mstislavovich Smolensky
• Mstislav Izyaslavovich Vladimir-Volynsky

Who was the first Russian tsar in Russia?

Ivan IV Vasilyevich, nicknamed "Grozny", the first tsar of the State

We have all studied history school bench. But not all of us remember who the first tsar in Russia was. This high-profile title in 1547 began to belong to Ivan IV Vasilyevich. For the uneasy nature of his character, for the coolness of his temper and cruelty, he was given the nickname "Terrible." Before him, all those who ruled Russia were 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 is 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 Russia. It was 1533. In fact, his mother was considered the ruler, since the son was still small. But five years later she was gone. Becoming 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. He became distrustful, expecting a catch and betrayal everywhere and in everything.

Positive results of the board

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

Nine years after the beginning of the reign in Russia, Ivan, together with Chosen by Rada The "Code of Service" was developed. Thanks to this document, the size of the Russian army increased. This document stated that behind each feudal lord there was an obligation to send a certain number of soldiers from their land, who had both horses and weapons with them. If the landowner supplied more soldiers than necessary, then the incentive for him was a monetary reward. But if the feudal lord, for whatever reason, did not provide the number of soldiers that is necessary according to the document, then he had to pay a fine. Thanks to this document, the combat capability of the army has improved. This is important, since Ivan the Terrible pursued an active foreign policy.

Negative aspects of government

Terrible despot on the throne!

So they called the king for cruelty, torture, reprisals against objectionable people to his rule and will.

List of rulers of Russia after the reign of Ivan the Terrible

• Simeon Bekbulatovich nominally Grand Duke All Russia Fedor I Ivanovich
• Irina Fyodorovna Godunova
• Boris Fyodorovich Godunov
• Fedor II Borisovich Godunov
• False Dmitry I (presumably Grigory Otrepiev)
• Vasily IV Ivanovich Shuisky
• Mstislavsky Fedor Ivanovich
• Dmitry Timofeevich Trubetskoy
• Ivan Martynovich Zarutsky
• Prokopy 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. future king and his mother began to live in the Ipatiev Monastery.

The Poles, when they found out that they had elected a tsar, wanted to interfere in every possible way. So, this case was behind a small detachment that moved towards the monastery in order to eliminate Michael. But Ivan Susanin showed courage and a detachment of Poles died without finding right way. And they cut Ivan down.

Positive results of the board

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.

Next comes the return Novgorod region, which was captured years earlier. After the treaty was signed in 1618 with Poland, Polish troops I had to leave the Russian lands completely. However, the territories of Smolensk, Chernigov and Smolensk regions have become lost.

Prince Vladislav did not recognize the legitimacy of Mikhail Romanov's rights. He confidently said 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.

Townsmen began to be heavily taxed. It can also be noted that there is an attempt to form regular army. Foreigners took the lead. Last years The reign of Mikhail Romanov was 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 temples. It is located on the Cathedral Square of the Kremlin.

Since the time of Russia, the Assumption Cathedral has been the place where the most important state ceremonies were held. One of these ceremonies that took place there is the coronation of the tsars of Russia.

The last Russian tsar in the history of Russia

Biography

The last emperor was Nicholas II, his father was Alexander the Third. 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 marked bad events. This terrible event was Khodynki. As a result, they died great amount of people.

Positive results of the board

The reign of Nicholas is distinguished by many positive events. There was a rise in the economy. There was a significant strengthening of the agricultural sector. During this period, Russia was an exporter of agricultural products in Europe.

The introduction of a gold stable currency was also noted. The development of the industry was very intensive. Business building, growth big cities, construction railways- it's all positive influence reign of Nicholas II.

The introduction of a fixed day for workers, the provision of insurance, the implementation of excellent reforms regarding the army and navy good influence for the development of the state as a whole. Emperor Nicholas fully supported the development of science and culture. But, despite the fact that there were so many positive things that the life of the people improved, the unrest among the people did not stop.

And in January 1905, Russia is experiencing a revolution. This event was the event known to all under the name " Bloody Sunday". 09/17/1905 the year is coming speech about the adoption of the manifesto, which defended civil liberty. There was the formation of a parliament, which 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 happened in the war undermined the prestige of Nicholas. With the beginning of the uprising in March of the same year in Petrograd, popular uprising acquired grandiose proportions. Not wanting bloodshed to reach even greater proportions, Nicholas abdicates the throne.

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

He lived a great and tragic life. Everyone knows his name, but the real events are often hidden or distorted by ill-wishers and not very honest historians. The name of the first Russian Tsar is Ivan IV Vasilyevich (Grozny).

Since ancient times, the highest title of the ruler in Russia was considered "prince". After the unification of the Russian principalities under the rule of Kyiv highest rank ruler became the title of "Grand Duke".

The title "king" was Byzantine emperor in Constantinople. In 1453, Constantinople fell under the blows of the Turks, and shortly before that, Greek Orthodoxy concluded the Union of Florence with Catholic Rome. In this regard, the last Greek metropolitan was expelled from the Moscow cathedra, which proclaimed itself independent from Byzantium. The new metropolitans were chosen from natural hares.

Muscovite Russia, unlike Byzantium, was united, expanded and strengthened by the efforts of the great princes, including the father of Ivan IV, and then by himself. The great Moscow princes began to call themselves "sovereigns of all Russia" and gradually accustom foreign diplomats and their subjects to the idea that their state is not a backyard, but the center of a true Christian world, not subject to apostate unions. The idea of ​​Moscow as the third Rome, which is the heir of the non-Uniate Byzantium, both in politics and in faith, appears and strengthens in the mind, about the special purpose of Russia.

In addition to all of the above, the title "Grand Duke" in Europe was perceived as "prince" or "duke" and, accordingly, as a vassal or subordinate of the emperor.

The title "king" put the "sovereign of all Russia" on the same level with the only emperor at that time - the emperor of the Roman Empire, to whom all European kings nominally obeyed.

They crowned Ivan IV in 1547, at the age of 17. The boyar elite, who ruled the country at that time, hoped that the tsar would remain a puppet in their hands and an official sign of the state.

Official recognition by Europe royal title for the Moscow sovereign happened in 1561, when the eastern patriarch Joasaph confirmed him with his letter. Some states, for example, England and Sweden, recognized the title of the Russian Tsar before the Patriarch.

Truth and slander

The events of the life of the first crowned Russian Tsar for many hundreds of years were openly slanderous insinuations from enemies, traitors and those who wrote official history. One of their main postulates is that "all the undertakings of the king ended in failure." However, among the significant reforms of Ivan IV indisputable, and received further development, are:

Contrary to popular belief, Ivan the Terrible left behind more developed country than he inherited. The ruin of the country is due to another boyar turmoil that occurred after the death of the king.

Most of the "knowledge" about history people get from school textbooks, feature films, books and media, which without a twinge of conscience repeat established myths. Here are some of them about Ivan the Terrible:

far from unambiguous, as well as the time in which he lived. Power is a burden to be borne, and the better this is done, the more opposition there will be. This happened to Ivan IV when he "modernized" the country. So it is with his legacy over the centuries, when his deeds are slinged in the mud.

Tsarist power finally took shape in Russia in the middle of the 16th century, when in 1547 the Grand Duke of All Russia, Ivan Vasilyevich the Terrible, was the first to officially accept the title of tsar. On the first Russian Tsar they solemnly laid the cap of Monomakh, a sign royal power, put on golden chain and handed heavy Golden Apple, which represented Russian state. So Russia received its first tsar. He was from the dynasty of Grand Duke Rurik. Royal power was inherited by the eldest son.

Ivan the Terrible had three sons. The elder Ivan, his father's favorite, the middle Fedor, a weak and sickly young man, and the younger Dmitry, still a little boy. The throne was to be inherited by Ivan, but in royal family a tragedy happened. In November 1581, Tsar Ivan the Terrible quarreled with his eldest son and, in a fit of anger, beat him. From a terrible nervous shock and severe beatings, Tsarevich Ivan fell ill and soon died. After this tragedy, Tsar Ivan the Terrible also did not live long and died in March 1584, and in May Moscow solemnly celebrated the coronation of the new tsar. They became the middle son of Ivan the Terrible, Fedor Ioannovich. He could not govern Russia on his own, so all issues were decided by his wife's brother Boris Godunov, who became tsar after the death of Fyodor Ivanovich in 1598. Boris Godunov left the throne to his son Fyodor Godunov, who did not have to reign for long. In 1605 he ascended the throne and in the same year was killed by supporters of False Dmitry, who posed as younger son Ivan the Terrible, Tsarevich Dmitry, who died in Uglich in early childhood. False Dmitry managed to seize the Moscow throne, but he did not stay on it for a long time. Less than a year later, he, too, was killed by conspirators, headed by Prince Vasily Ivanovich Shuisky. From 1606, he became the next Russian tsar and ruled until 1610, when he and his wife were tonsured monks and imprisoned in the Joseph-Volokolamsky monastery.

After the deposition of Tsar Basil in Russia, the period of interregnum continued for three years. The boyars thought and wondered who to offer the royal crown to, sorted out one candidate after another, and this continued until 1613, when Mikhail Romanov became king. This was the first Russian tsar from the Romanov dynasty, whose representatives ruled in Russia until 1917, when last king from the same dynasty, Nicholas II abdicated and was shot.

Mikhail Romanov was the son of Patriarch Philaret and Xenia Ivanovna Shestova, who were tonsured into a monastery in 1601 by order of Boris Godunov. After the death of Mikhail Fedorovich in 1645, his son Alexei Mikhailovich became king. He had many children, among whom later the struggle for the royal throne flared up. At first, after the death of his father Alexei Mikhailovich, his son Fyodor Alekseevich was the king, and when he died in 1682, two kings, 16-year-old John V Alekseevich and his brother, ten-year-old Peter, were on the throne at once. They had different mothers. Due to the infancy of the children, besides, the eldest Ivan, as historians write, was weak-minded, Russia was ruled by their elder sister Sophia, John's sister. In 1696, after the death of his brother Ivan, Peter I began to reign alone, imprisoning Sophia in a monastery.

Subsequently, Peter I took the title of emperor.

The first of the great princes who ruled in Russia, which had already united, 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 write in various governmental acts not by Ivan, but by John, as was accepted by the church book rules: “John, by the grace of God, sovereign of all Russia,” and assigns himself the title of autocrat - this is how the title of the Byzantine emperor sounded in Slavonic. By that time, Byzantium was captured by Turkey, imperial house fell, and Ivan III began to consider himself the successor of the Byzantine emperor. He marries the niece of the last Byzantine emperor, Constantine Palaiologos, Sophia Palaiologos, who was considered the heiress of the fallen imperial house. Having married Grand Duke John III, she seemed to share her inheritance rights with him.

With the advent of Princess Sophia in the Kremlin, the whole routine of the life of the Grand Duke's court and even the appearance of Moscow change. With the arrival of his bride, Ivan III also ceased to like the atmosphere in which his ancestors lived, and the Byzantine craftsmen and artists who arrived with Sophia began to build and paint churches, build stone chambers. True, our ancestors believed that it was harmful to live in stone houses, so they themselves continued to live in wooden houses, and only lavish receptions were held in stone mansions.

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

But it is one thing to call yourself a king, and another thing to actually be one. Until the middle of the 15th century Ancient Russia In addition to the Byzantine emperors, the khans of the Golden Horde were also called kings. The Grand Dukes for several centuries were subordinate to Tatar khans and were forced to pay tribute to them, so the Grand Duke could become king only after he ceased to be a tributary of the Khan. But in this respect, too, 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, the double-headed eagle, appeared on the seals with which Ivan III sealed political treaties and other important political documents.

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

The first Russian tsar, who was officially called that all over the world, was the grandson of Ivan III, Ivan IV Vasilyevich the Terrible in 1547.

Tsar - the main title of the monarchs of the Kingdom of Russia from 1547 to 1721. The first tsar was Ivan IV the Terrible, and last Peter I Great

Informally, this title has been used sporadically by the rulers of Russia since the 11th century and systematically since the time of Ivan III. Vasily III, who succeeded Ivan III, was content with the old title of "Grand Duke". His son Ivan IV the Terrible, upon reaching adulthood, was crowned as Tsar of All Russia, thus establishing his prestige in the eyes of his subjects as a sovereign ruler and heir to the Byzantine emperors. In 1721, Peter the Great adopted the emperor as the main title, unofficially and semi-officially the title "tsar" continued to be used until the overthrow of the monarchy in February-March 1917. In addition, the title was included in the official full title as the title of the owner of the former Kazan, Astrakhan and Siberian khanates and then Poland.

Sources: wikii.ru, otvetina.narod.ru, otvet.mail.ru, rusich.moy.su, knowledge.allbest.ru

In his seventeenth year of life, on December 13, 1546, Ivan announced to the Metropolitan that he wanted to marry. The next day, the metropolitan served a prayer service in the Assumption Cathedral, invited all the boyars, even disgraced ones, to him, and went with everyone to the Grand Duke. Ivan told Macarius: “At first I thought to marry in foreign countries with some king or tsar; But then I abandoned this thought, I don’t want to marry 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 in morals, then there will be a bad life between us; therefore I want to marry in my state, whom God will bless according to your blessing. Metropolitan and boyars, says the chronicler; they wept with joy, seeing that the sovereign was so young, and meanwhile he did not consult with anyone.

But young Ivan immediately surprised them with yet another speech. “With the blessing of the metropolitan father and from your boyar council, I want to look for ancestral ranks before my marriage, as our forefathers, tsars and great princes, and our relative Vladimir Vsevolodovich Monomakh, sat down on the kingdom and on the great reign; and I also want to fulfill this rank to the kingdom, to sit 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. January 16, 1547 was committed royal wedding similar to the wedding of Dmitry the grandson under Ivan III. Anastasia, the daughter of the late roundabout 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, goodness, not to mention beauty, combined with a solid mind.

THE START WAS GOOD

The coming of age of Ivan IV was marked important event. The head of state assumed the title of king.

The people of the Middle Ages represented the world political system in a strict hierarchy. According to Byzantine doctrine, the center of the universe was Byzantium, which adopted the legacy of the Roman Empire. Russia got acquainted with the Byzantine doctrine during Kyiv princes. They remembered her in Moscow times. In the XIV century. Moscow grand dukes were sometimes titled stolniks of the Byzantine "king". Of course, this rank was devoid of any political meaning at that time.

The terrible Tatar pogrom and the establishment of the power of the Golden Horde included Russia in a new political system for her - the empire of the great Mongolian khans who ruled half the world. The Russian princes, who now received the parental table from the hands of the Golden Horde khans, transferred the title of "king" to the Tatar rulers.

The princes of Moscow have long called themselves "the great princes of all Russia", but only Ivan III managed to finally throw off the Tatar yoke and become an absolutely independent sovereign from a prince-handler. When the sovereign crowned Dmitry's grandson with the cap of Monomakh and bestowed on his son Vasily the title of Grand Duke of Novgorod, three Grand Dukes appeared in Moscow at once. To emphasize his seniority, Ivan III began to call himself "autocrat". The title was simple translation the title of "autochthon", which was worn by the eldest of the Byzantine emperors.

The fall of the Golden Horde and the collapse Byzantine Empire in 1453 they put an end to it as completely real addiction Russia from the Tatars, and the old ideas of Russians regarding supreme power Greek "kings". The situation in Eastern Europe underwent radical changes after the weak, fragmented Rus, dependent on the Tatars, appeared as a united Russian state. Russian political consciousness reflected the changes that had taken place in new doctrines, the most famous of which was the theory of "Moscow - the third Rome." According to this theory, the Moscow princes acted as direct successors of the rulers of the "second Rome" - the Byzantine Empire.

Already the grandfather of the Terrible called himself "the king of all Russia." True, he refrained from officially accepting this title, not counting on the fact that neighboring states would recognize him for him (Ivan III used it only in relations with Livonian Order and some German princes).

The boyars were not immediately informed about the coronation of the 16-year-old grandson of Ivan III foreign countries. Only two years later, the Polish ambassadors in Moscow learned that Ivan IV "was crowned king" following the example of his progenitor Monomakh, and that he "took no one else's" name. After hearing this extremely important statement, the ambassadors immediately demanded that they be presented with written evidence. But the cunning boyars refused, fearing that the Poles, having received a written answer, would be able to consider objections, and then it would be difficult to argue with them. The messengers sent to Poland tried to explain the meaning of the Moscow changes in such a way as not to arouse the displeasure of the Polish court. Now, they said, our sovereign alone owns the Russian land, which is why the metropolitan crowned him with the Monomakh crown. In the eyes of the Muscovites, the coronation thus symbolized the beginning of Ivan's autocratic rule in the fourteenth year of his reign.

Ivan was crowned on January 16, 1547. After a solemn divine service in the Dormition Cathedral in the Kremlin, Metropolitan Macarius placed on his head the Cap of Monomakh, a symbol of royal power. The first Moscow princes in their wills invariably blessed their heirs with a “golden cap” - the crown of their Moscow estate. The Grand Duke's crown did not appear in their spiritual books. It was controlled by the all-powerful Horde. When Russia put an end to the heavy Tatar yoke, overlords powerful nation continued to decorate their head with their great-grandfather's "golden cap", but now they called it Monomakh's cap. The inquisitive Austrian Herberstein saw the cap on Vasily III. It was embroidered with pearls and elegantly decorated with gold plaques that trembled with any movement of the Grand Duke. As you can see, the hat was tailored according to the Tatar pattern. But after the fall of the Horde, oriental cut went out of fashion. There was such a legend about the origin of Monomakh's cap. When Monomakh made a victorious campaign against Constantinople, his grandfather Emperor Konstantin (in fact, long dead) gave his grandson the purple from his head in order to buy peace from him. From Monomakh, the imperial regalia passed to the Moscow sovereigns.

The official chronicles portrayed the matter as if a 16-year-old youth, on his own initiative, decided to be crowned with the Monomakh's cap and take the royal title. The metropolitan and the boyars, having learned about the intention of the sovereign, wept for joy, and everything was decided. In fact, the coronation initiative did not belong to Ivan, but to those people who ruled in his name.

Having started the coronation, the king's relatives achieved major benefits for themselves. The tsar's grandmother Anna and her children received extensive land holdings as specific principality. Prince Mikhail was declared a groom on the day of his coronation, and his brother Prince Yuri became a boyar.

One can hardly agree with the opinion that the coronation of Ivan IV and the executions that preceded it put an end to boyar rule. In reality, there was only a change of boyar groups at the helm of power. A short period of Glinsky domination began.

In the eyes of the king himself, the change of title was important milestone. Recalling those days, the king wrote that he himself undertook to build his kingdom and "by God's grace, the beginning was good." Crowned with the royal title, Ivan IV appeared before his subjects in the role of the successor of the Roman Caesars and God's anointed on earth.

BY GOD'S MERCY, KING

His Holiness Emperor Maximalian, due to many motives, especially at the insistence of the ambassadors of the Moscow Sovereign, gave him next title: "To the Most Serene and powerful Sovereign, Tsar John Vasilyevich, Ruler of all Russia, Grand Duke of Vladimir, Moscow, Novgorod, Sovereign of Pskov, Smolensk and Tver, Tsar of Kazan and Astrakhan, only friend and our brother."

But he himself usually uses the following title in his letters sent to foreign sovereigns; this title all his subjects must keep in mind in the most careful way, like daily prayers: “ by the grace of God, Sovereign, Tsar and Grand Duke Ivan Vasilyevich of All Russia, Vladimir, Moscow, Novgorod, Tsar of Kazan, Tsar of Astrakhan, Sovereign 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 Siberian and northern lands, 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 composition, is very aptly translated by the word Samoderzetz, so to speak, who alone holds control. The motto of the Grand Duke John Vasilyevich was: "I am subject to no one, but only to Christ, the Son of God."

STAIRS WITH GOLDEN STEPS

Unlike Byzantium, in Russia a rule was established according to which it is the representative of an exceptional family, whose very origin is associated with secret destinies all over the world (the Rurikovichs were perceived as the last and only legitimate monarchical dynasty, the ancestor of which, Augustus, lived at the time of the incarnation and ruled in that era when “the Lord wrote himself into the Roman authorities”, that is, he was entered in the population census as a Roman subject). Since that time, the history of the indestructible Roman kingdom begins, which changed its place of residence several times, Muscovite Russia becomes its last receptacle on the eve of the Last Judgment. It is the sovereigns of this kingdom that will become those who spiritually prepare their people for " end times when the people of Russia, the New Israel, will be able to become citizens of Heavenly Jerusalem. This is evidenced, in particular, by the most important monument of the historical narrative of the Grozny era, the Book of Powers, which emphasized the soul-saving mission of the Moscow kingdom and its rulers: the history of the Rurik family was likened there to a staircase with golden steps (“golden degrees”) leading to heaven. “According to it, the dawn to God is not hindered, having established it for yourself and for those who are according to them.”

Therefore, Tsar Ivan said in 1577: "God gives power, he wants it." This refers to the widespread Old Russian writing a reminiscence from the book of the prophet Daniel, who warned King Belshazzar about inevitable retribution. But Grozny cited these words to substantiate the idea inheritance rights Moscow sovereigns, as evidenced by the context of the Second Epistle of Ivan IV to A.M. Kurbsky. The tsar accuses Archpriest Sylvester and other "enemies" of the throne of attempting to usurp power and notes that only born rulers can have the fullness of the God-given "autocracy".

GROZNY ABOUT TSAR AUTHORITY

How could you not understand this, that the ruler should neither be atrocious, nor silently humble himself? The apostle said: “Be merciful to some, distinguishing them, but save others with fear, pulling them out of the fire.” Do you see that the apostle commands to save by fear? Even in the days of the most pious kings, there are many cases cruelest punishments. Do you, in your insane mind, believe that a king should always act the same, regardless of time and circumstances? Should robbers and thieves not be executed? But the cunning plans of these criminals are even more dangerous! Then all the kingdoms will fall apart from disorder and internecine strife. What should the ruler do, how not to disassemble the disagreements of his subjects?<...>

Is it “against reason” - to conform to circumstances and time? Remember the greatest of kings, Constantine: how he, for the sake of the kingdom, killed his son, born to him! And Prince Fyodor Rostislavich, your ancestor, how much blood he shed in Smolensk during Easter! But they are counted among the saints.<...>For kings should always be prudent: 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; but if you do evil, be afraid, for the king does not carry a sword in vain - to frighten the evildoers and encourage the virtuous. If you are good and righteous, then why, seeing how a fire flared up in the royal council, did not extinguish it, but kindled it even more? Where you should have destroyed the villainous plan with reasonable advice, there you sowed more tares. And the prophetic word came true on you: “You have kindled a fire and walk in the flame of your fire, which you kindled on yourselves.” Are you not like Judas the traitor? Just as he, for the sake of money, was furious with the lord of all and gave him 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 accumulated anger at us. So you kept the kiss of the cross to wish us well in everything without any cunning? What can be meaner than your insidious intent? As the wise one said: “There is no head worse than the head of a snake,” and there is no anger worse than yours.<...>

Do you really see pious beauty where the kingdom is in the hands of an ignorant priest and villainous traitors, and the king obeys them? And this, in your opinion, is “against reason and a leper conscience”, when the ignoramus is forced to remain silent, the villains are repulsed and the king appointed by God reigns? You will not find anywhere that the kingdom led by the priests is not ruined. 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 doom fall on your head!<...>

Is it really a light when the priest and crafty slaves rule, while the tsar is a tsar only in name and honor, and in power is not at all better than a slave? And is it really darkness - when the king rules and owns the kingdom, and the slaves carry out orders? Why, then, is he called an autocrat, if he himself does not govern?<...>

400 years ago the Romanov dynasty ascended Russian throne. Against the backdrop of this memorable date discussions flare up about how the royal power has influenced our past and whether it has a place in our future. But for these discussions to make sense, you need to understand how the rulers of Russia got the royal title and what role the Church played in this.

The royal title is not only verbal expression very high degree power, but also complex philosophy. For Russia, this philosophy was created mainly by the Russian Church. She, in turn, inherited the rich heritage of the Greek churches, whose fate flowed on the lands of the Byzantine Empire. The royal title was officially assigned to the rulers of Moscow in the 16th century. But no one, not a single person thought at that time: "We created the royal power." No, no, our sovereigns themselves, and their nobles, and church hierarchs adhered to a completely different way of thinking: “The royal power has passed to us from Constantinople. We are the heirs."

Symbols of royal power: Monomakh's hat and orb

ancient prophecies

In the second half of the 15th century, events took place that were stunning both for the Russian Church, and for all the “bookish” people of our fatherland, and for the political elite of Russia.

Firstly, the pious Greeks were “dishonored”! They agreed with the papacy on a union in exchange for military aid against the Turks. Metropolitan Isidore, a Greek who came to the Moscow cathedra, an active supporter of the union, tried to change the religious life of Russia, found himself under arrest, and then barely took his feet out of the country.

Secondly, the Russian Church became autocephalous, that is, independent of Byzantium. Greek metropolitans were no longer called here, they began to appoint the heads of the Russian Church conciliarly, from their own bishops.

Thirdly, in 1453, Constantinople fell, which seemed to be the unshakable center of the Orthodox-glorious civilization.

And all this - for some one and a half decades. And then, before early XVI century, sovereign Ivan III turned crumbly specific Russia in Moscow state- huge, strong, unprecedented in its structure. In 1480, the country finally freed itself from the Horde's claims to power over it.

After the fall of Constantinople in Moscow, albeit not immediately, they remembered the mysterious predictions that had long been attributed to two great people - Methodius, Bishop of Patara, as well as the Byzantine emperor Leo VI the Wise, philosopher and legislator. The first one died martyrdom in the 4th century, the second reigned at the end of the 9th - beginning of the 10th century. Tradition put gloomy prophecies into their mouths. Christianity, "pious Israel", shortly before the arrival of the Antichrist, will be defeated in the fight against the "kind of Ishmael." The tribes of the Ishmaelites will prevail and take over the land of the Christians. Then lawlessness will reign. However, later a certain pious king will appear who will defeat the Ishmaelites, and the faith of Christ will shine again.
FROM special attention our scribes peered into the words, where the future triumph was attributed not to someone, but to the “Russian family”.

After 1453, Moscow church intellectuals gradually came to the conclusion: Constantinople fell - part of the ancient prophecies came true; but the second part will also come true: “The Russian family with allies (participants) ... will defeat all of Ishmael and the seven-hill [city] will accept him with his former laws and reign in him.” This means that someday Moscow will come with its Orthodox regiments to the Turks, break them, liberate Constantinople from the "Ismailites".

From the slow but inevitable realization of some high role of Moscow in the crippled, bleeding world of Eastern Christianity, from the fascination with exciting revelations of a thousand years ago, a whole “fan” of ideas was born explaining the meaning of the existence of the newborn power and its capital city. Not in vain - they thought at that time - the dear forest savage Moscow turned out to be in the role of a sovereign mistress! It was not in vain that she emerged from under the yoke of the Gentiles just at the moment when other Orthodox peoples fell into it!

Traditions about the familyMoscow sovereigns

When Moscow turned out to be the capital of a united Russia, its sovereigns began to look at main city their power, and on themselves in a completely different way. Ivan III styled himself "sovereign of all Russia", which was not previously found in the fragmented Russian lands. Under him, magnificent Byzantine rituals were introduced into palace use: together with Sophia Palaiologos, they came to the Moscow State noble people who remembered the sunset Roman splendor and taught it to the subjects of Ivan III. The Grand Duke started a seal with a crowned double-headed eagle and a horseman striking a snake.

At the turn of the 15th and 16th centuries, the “Tale of the Princes of Vladimir” appeared - praise and justification for the autocratic rule of the great princes of Moscow. The "Tale" entered the Russian chronicles and gained great popularity in the Muscovite state. In it, the history of the Moscow princely house is connected with the Roman emperor Augustus: a certain legendary relative of Augustus, Prus, was sent to rule northern lands Empires - on the banks of the Vistula. Later, a descendant of Prus, Rurik, was invited by the Novgorodians to reign, and from him he already went ruling family princes of the Russian land. Consequently, the Moscow Rurikovichs, the same Ivan III and his son Vasily III, are distant descendants of the Roman emperors, and their power is consecrated ancient tradition succession to the throne.

Simplicity real? Yes. Incredible? Yes. But exactly the same simplicity, exactly the same improbability, which many dynasties of Europe bowed to. The Scandinavians derived their royal family from the pagan gods! Compared to them, our Russian Prus is a model of modesty and sanity. In those days, kinship from Augustus was an ideologically strong construction. Albeit brazenly, defiantly fabulous.

Further, according to the "Tale", the Byzantine emperor Constantine IX sent the Grand Duke Kyiv Vladimir Monomakh received royal regalia: a diadem, a crown, a golden chain, a carnelian box (cup?) of Emperor Augustus himself, a “cross of the Life-Giving Tree” and a “royal frame” (barmas). From this the conclusion was drawn: “To such a talent, not from man, but God’s ineffable destinies, translating and translating the glory of the Greek kingdom to the Russian Tsar. Then, in Kyiv, he was crowned with that royal crown in the holy great cathedral and apostolic church from the most holy Neophyte, Metropolitan of Ephesus ... And henceforth the divinely crowned tsar was crowned in the Russian kingdom. In the years when Kievan Rus was at the hand of Prince Vladimir, Byzantium was ruled by Alexei I Komnenos, and Konstantin Monomakh died in the middle of the 11th century. Yes, and our princes did not wear the royal title in pre-Mongolian times. Therefore, the whole legend of the Byzantine gift is now being questioned.

Now, of course, it is impossible to determine exactly what kind of regalia Vladimir Monomakh received, and whether this actually happened. And it's not that important.

Another thing is more important: the Moscow historiosophist of the 16th century threw the “bridge of royalty” from the 12th century into the present. Then the ruler of Russia already had the royal title? Perfect! Consequently, it is appropriate for the current sovereigns of Russia to renew the royal title. Idea kingdom, kingship, slowly but surely took root in Russian soil. Moscow began to try on the crown of the royal city long before it became "Porphyry-bearing" in reality.

(On the picture - Ivan III. Engraving by A. Teve from the book "Cosmography". 1575 Seal of Ivan III. 1504)

Mirrors of Moscow

Grand ducal games with genealogy were much inferior in courage, scope and depth to what church intellectuals expressed. Sovereigns acquired an official historical legend about his own dynasty. They had enough.

The learned Josephite monks (followers of the Monk Joseph of Volotsky) were the first to understand that Muscovite Russia was no longer the backyard of the Christian world. From now on, she should perceive herself differently.

The ideas of the wise scribes who lived under Ivan the Great and his son Vasily resemble mirrors. Young Moscow, not yet fully aware of its beauty, its greatness, looked capriciously from one to the other, and still could not decide where it looked better. In the first, it looked like the “Third Rome”, in the second, like the “House of the Most Pure”, marked by the special patronage of the Virgin, in the third, like “new Jerusalem”.

The most famous "mirror" in which Moscow then looked was born from several lines.

In 1492, Paschalia was recalculated for a new, eighth thousand years of Orthodox chronology from the Creation of the world. In the explanation of Metropolitan Zosima to this important business it was said about the Grand Duke Ivan III as the new Tsar Konstantin, ruling in the new Konstantinov city - Moscow ...

Here is the first spark.

A great flame flared up in the correspondence of the Elder of the Pskov Eleazarov Monastery Philotheus with Tsar Vasily III and the deacon Misyur Munekhin. Philotheus expressed the concept of Moscow as the "Third Rome".

Philotheus regarded Moscow as the center of world Christianity, the only place where it was preserved in its pure, uncomplicated form. Two of its former centers - Rome and Constantinople ("Second Rome") fell due to apostasy. Philotheus wrote: "... all the Christian kingdoms came to an end and converged in the single kingdom of our sovereign according to the prophetic books, that is, the Roman kingdom, since two Romes fell, and the third stands, and there will be no fourth."

In other words, the “Roman Kingdom” is indestructible, it simply moved to the east and now Russia is the new Roman Empire. Basil III Philotheus calls the king "the Christians of all under heaven." In this new purity, Russia will have to rise when its sovereigns “arrange” the country, establishing a just, merciful government based on Christian commandments.

But most of all, Filofey is not worried about the rights of the Moscow rulers to political primacy in the universe of Christianity, but about preserving the faith in an uncorrupted form, in saving the last focus of true Christianity. His "indestructible Roman kingdom" is more of a spiritual entity than a state in the usual sense of the word. The role of the Moscow sovereign in this context is, first of all, the role of the guardian of the faith. Will they cope with such a difficult task? Filofey, therefore, does not sing solemn hymns to the young state at all, he is full of anxiety: such a responsibility has fallen on Moscow!

The idea of ​​Moscow as the Third Rome did not immediately receive wide recognition. Only since mid-sixteenth centuries, they begin to perceive it as something deeply related to the Moscow state system.

Crowning the kingdom

In January 1547, Ivan Vasilyevich was married to the kingdom.

Moscow sovereigns from the XIV century bore the title of "Grand Dukes of Moscow." However, in diplomatic correspondence, even under Ivan III, they began to use the title "tsar", equating it with the imperial one. Thus, in the whole of Europe, in the opinion of our monarchs, only German Emperor, and even, perhaps, the Turkish Sultan. But it's one thing to use such high title in diplomatic etiquette and quite another - to officially accept it. This step was a serious reform, since it raised the Moscow sovereign above all his western neighbors.

The ceremony of showering Tsar Ivan IV with gold coins after the crowning of the kingdom. Miniature. 16th century

Ivan the Terrible. Illustration from Big state book. 1672

Furthermore, " book people At that time, they understood: before their eyes, the transfer of the Byzantine political heritage to Russia was taking place. A new “restraint” appears in Moscow, whose place for a century, after the fall of Constantinople, was empty. Politics was combined with Christian mysticism - "holding", or "katechon", prevents the final fall of the world into the abyss, to complete corruption and departure from the Commandments. If there is none, then either a new one must appear, or Last Judgment approaching, and with it the end of the old world. Thus, a heavy burden fell on the shoulders of the young man.

Behind this transformation, one can see the wisdom of Metropolitan Macarius, who crowned the young monarch, and the sharp mind of the princes Glinsky - Ivan IV's relatives by mother.

The wedding ceremony was held with great pomp in the Kremlin's Assumption Cathedral. A few days later, the sovereign went on a pilgrimage to the Trinity-Sergius Monastery.

royal status European countries not immediately recognized. Yes, and confirmation of it from the Patriarch Joasaph of Constantinople came only in 1561.

Mysticism and politics

In addition to Christian mysticism, in addition to the historiosophical ideas generated by the environment of learned monasticism, there were much more prosaic circumstances that made it necessary to accept the royal title.

First of all, the country with great difficulty got out of the turmoil caused by the minority of the ruler. The largest aristocratic "parties" reigned supreme for many years, fighting each other, arranging bloody internecine skirmishes. Law and order have come to nothing. Ivan IV was allowed very little access to state affairs. Yes, and he himself was distinguished by a dissolute character: cruel entertainment interested him more than questions of big politics. The Church and those of the aristocrats who would like to end the era of lawlessness have chosen for this perfect way. First, they raised the young ruler high above the level of the nobility, elevating him to the top royal rank. Secondly, they married him to Anastasia, a representative of the ancient boyar family of the Zakharyins-Yuryevs: here is the tsar and faithful allies, and a cure for debauchery!

It cannot be said that the wedding and the crowning of the kingdom instantly corrected the character of Ivan IV. But they contributed to it. Until then, the sovereign was a young man living close to power - without a firm understanding of who he is in relation to his own aristocracy, according to what models his life should be built, that it will play the role of immutable laws, and what is destined for the fate of the marginals in the fields biographies. The adoption of the royal title and marriage led to the fact that he was embedded in social mechanism Russian civilization. Ivan Vasilyevich actually acquired a real full-fledged role for life - the role of the head of his own family, in the long term - the secular head of everything Orthodox world.

Icon "Moscow - Third Rome". 2011

Seal of Ivan the Terrible. 1583

Such an elevation imposes significant restrictions on the monarch - on his way of life and even on his way of thinking. For several years, the young sovereign brought repentance to the Church for his previous sins and "grew" into his great role. In the mid-1550s, Ivan Vasilyevich looked like a person who ideally matched her.

The country at that time was ruled in a complicated and colorful way. Each region had its own administrative and legal customs. The "church region", scattered throughout the state, was governed by special laws and rules. The serving nobility received income from cities and regions for “feeding”, where its representatives took turns, on a comparatively short term occupied managerial positions. These incomes were distributed unevenly, depending on the strength and weakness of the aristocratic parties that were able to promote their people to feed. The law has been shaken. central administration did not keep up with the ever-increasing wave of tasks that arose on a colossal territory. After all, the size of the country increased several times compared to the territory that Ivan III received!

The country needed reform. And after the wedding of the sovereign, a period favorable for reformation begins.

At the helm of power are all the same aristocratic clans, but among them there is no dominant party. In other words, the most powerful people of Russia came to reconciliation, they agreed among themselves on more or less uniform distribution authorities. The sovereign was no longer a boy who was easy to push around, now he could play the role of an arbitrator and influence the political course in the direction he desired.

A formal reconciliation between the monarch and his ill-wishers takes place in 1549: the king publicly exonerates them of their previous abuses. A man stands on the metropolitan pulpit state mind, great mercy and extensive knowledge - St. Macarius. As you can see, he managed to direct the frantic energy of the young king in a good direction and not let it splash violently, destructively.

In the 1550s, reforms come one after another, the country comes out of them transformed.

However, this might not have happened if in 1547 the young ruler of Moscow had not accepted the royal crown. And the wedding could not have happened if our Church had not prepared the spiritual ground for it. The truth is that the Russian "priesthood" nurtured and set the Russian "tsardom" on its feet.