The traditional form of government in Russia is the monarchy. Once part of this large country was part of Kievan Rus: the main cities (Moscow, Vladimir, Veliky Novgorod, Smolensk, Ryazan) were founded by princes, descendants of the semi-legendary Rurik. Hence the first ruling dynasty is called the Rurikovich. But they bore the title of princes, the tsars of Russia appeared much later.
Period of Kievan Rus
Initially, the ruler of Kyiv was considered the Grand Duke of all Russia. The specific princes paid tribute to him, obeyed him, put up squads during the military campaign. Later, when the period of feudal fragmentation began (eleventh-fifteenth centuries), there was no single state. But all the same, it was the throne of Kyiv that was most desired by everyone, although it lost its former influence. The invasion of the Mongol-Tatar army and the creation of the Golden Horde by Batu deepened the isolation of each principality: separate countries began to form on their territory - Ukraine, Belarus and Russia. On modern Russian territory, the cities of Vladimir and Novgorod were the most influential (it did not suffer at all from the invasion of nomads).
History of the Tsars of Russia
Vladimir Prince Ivan Kalita, with the support of the great Khan Uzbek (with whom he had good relations), moved the political and ecclesiastical capital to Moscow. Over time, the Grand Dukes of Moscow united other Russian lands near their city: the Novgorod and Pskov republics became part of a single state. It was then that the tsars of Russia appeared - for the first time such a title began to be worn by Ivan the Terrible. Although there is a legend that the royal regalia were transferred to the rulers of this land much earlier. It is believed that the 1st Tsar of Russia is Vladimir Monomakh, who was crowned according to Byzantine customs.
Ivan the Terrible - the first autocrat in Russia
So, the first tsars of Russia appeared with the coming to power of Ivan the Terrible (1530–1584). He was the son of Vasily III and Elena Glinskaya. Having become the prince of Moscow very early, he began to introduce reforms, encouraged self-government at the local level. However, he abolished the Chosen Rada and began to rule personally. The reign of the monarch was very strict, and even dictatorial. The defeat of Novgorod, the excesses in Tver, Klin and Torzhok, the oprichnina, protracted wars led to a socio-political crisis. But the international influence of the new kingdom also increased, its borders expanded.
Transition of the Russian throne
With the death of Ivan the Terrible's son, Fyodor the First, the Rurik dynasty ended. The Godunov family reigned on the throne. Boris Godunov, during the life of Fyodor the First, had a great influence on the tsar (his sister IrinaFedorovna was the wife of the monarch) and actually ruled the country. But the son of Boris - Fedor II was unable to keep power in his hands. A troubled time began, and for some time the country was ruled by False Dmitry, Vasily Shuisky, the Seven Boyars and the Zemsky Council. Then the Romanovs reigned on the throne.
The great dynasty of Russian tsars - the Romanovs
The beginning of a new royal dynasty was laid by Mikhail Fedorovich, who was elected to the throne by the Zemsky Sobor. This ends the historical period called the Time of Troubles. The House of Romanovs are the descendants of the great tsar who ruled in Russia until 1917 and the overthrow of the monarchy in the country.
He looked like Mikhail Fedorovich from an old Russian noble family, who bore the surname of the Romanovs from the middle of the sixteenth century. Its ancestor is considered to be a certain Andrey Ivanovich Kobyla, whose father came to Russia either from Lithuania, or from Prussia. It is believed that he came from Novgorod. Five sons of Andrei Kobyla founded seventeen noble families. The representative of the family, Anastasia Romanovna Zakharyina, was the wife of Ivan IV the Terrible, to whom the newly-minted monarch was a great-nephew.
The Tsars of Russia from the Romanov dynasty stopped the Troubles in the country, which earned them the love and respect of the common people. Mikhail Fedorovich was young and inexperienced during his election to the throne. At first, the great old woman Martha and Patriarch Filaret helped him rule, so the Orthodox Church significantly strengthened its position. The reign of the first tsar from the Romanov dynastycharacterized by the beginning of progress. The first newspaper appeared in the country (it was published by clerks especially for the monarch), international relations were strengthened, factories (iron-smelting, iron-making and weapons) were built and operated, foreign specialists were attracted. Centralized power is being consolidated, new territories are joining Russia. The wife gave Mikhail Fedorovich ten children, one of whom inherited the throne.
From kings to emperors. Peter the Great
In the eighteenth century, Peter the Great transformed his kingdom into an empire. Therefore, in history, all the names of the tsars of Russia who ruled after him were already used with the title of emperor.
A great reformer and an outstanding politician, he did a lot for the prosperity of Russia. The board began with a fierce struggle for the throne: his father, Alexei Mikhailovich, had a very large offspring. At first, he ruled together with his brother Ivan and the regent, Princess Sophia, but their relationship did not work out. Having eliminated other contenders for the throne, Peter began to rule the state alone. Then he launched military campaigns to ensure Russia's access to the sea, built the first fleet, reorganized the army, acquiring foreign specialists. If the great tsars of Russia did not pay due attention to the education of their subjects before, then Emperor Peter the Great personally sent the nobles to study abroad, brutally suppressing dissidents. He remade his country according to the European model, as he traveled a lot and saw how people live there.
Nikolai Romanov - the last tsar
The last Russian emperor was Nicholas II. He received a good education and a very strict upbringing. His father, Alexander the Third, was demanding: from his sons, he expected not so much obedience as reason, a strong faith in God, a desire to work, he especially did not put up with denunciations of children against each other. The future ruler served in the Preobrazhensky Regiment, so he knew well what the army and military affairs were. During his reign, the country was actively developing: the economy, industry, agriculture reached their peak. The last tsar of Russia actively participated in international politics, carried out a reform in the country, reducing the term of service in the army. But he also ran his own military campaigns.
The fall of the monarchy in Russia. October Revolution
In February 1917, unrest began in Russia, in particular in the capital. The country at that time took part in the First World War. Wanting to end the contradictions at home, the emperor, while at the front, abdicated in favor of his young son, and a few days later he did the same on behalf of Tsarevich Alexei, entrusting his brother to rule. But Grand Duke Mikhail also refused such an honor: the rebellious Bolsheviks were already putting pressure on him. Upon returning to his homeland, the last tsar of Russia was arrested along with his family and sent into exile. On the night of July 17-18 of the same 1917, the royal family, along with the servants, who did not want to leave their sovereigns, was shot. All representatives of the Romanov dynasty were also destroyed,who remained in the country. Some managed to emigrate to the UK, France, America, and their descendants still live there.
Will there be a revival of the monarchy in Russia
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, many began to talk about the revival of the monarchy in Russia. On the site of the execution of the royal family - where the Ipatiev house in Yekaterinburg used to stand (the death sentence was carried out in the basement of the building), a temple was built dedicated to the memory of the innocently killed. In August 2000, the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church canonized all of them as saints, approving the Fourth of July as their memorial day. But many believers do not agree with this: voluntary renunciation of the throne is considered a sin, since priests blessed the kingdom.
In 2005, the descendants of the Russian autocrats held a council in Madrid. After that, they sent a demand to the General Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation to rehabilitate the Romanovs' house. However, they were not recognized as victims of political repression due to lack of official data. This is a criminal offense, not a political one. But representatives of the Russian imperial house do not agree with this and continue to appeal the verdict, hoping for the restoration of historical justice.
But whether modern Russia needs a monarchy is a question for the people. History will put everything in its place. In the meantime, people honor the memory of members of the royal family who were brutally shot during the Red Terror and pray for their souls.
