The period preceding the reign of Ivan IV was not easy politically and economically. The disparate principalities were at enmity with each other. Neighboring states - Lithuania, Germany, Poland - sought to take over the Moscow principality. Civil strife and Tatar-Mongol raids did not allow Russia to exist and develop peacefully.
Tsar Ivan the Terrible was the first Tsar of Orthodox Russia. The wedding of Ivan the Terrible to the kingdom took place in the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin, with a huge gathering of people. What is this person? How will Russia govern in a rather difficult time?
Wedding ceremony
The wedding of Ivan the Terrible to the kingdom promised a change for the better. The ceremony took place on January 16, 1547, subject to the Byzantine script existing at that time. Such attributes as Monomakh's hat, the cross of the life-giving tree, the royal rod and other church items were used. The wedding ceremony was marked by pomp and grandeur. The boyars present, the nobility and church servants were dressed in expensive attire frombrocade, gold and precious stones.
The ringing of church bells, general rejoicing - all this was a big, colorful holiday. The crowning of the kingdom of Ivan the Terrible determined his high title, and Russia was equated with the Roman Empire. Moscow became the reigning city, and the Russian land became the Russian kingdom. The young Moscow prince was anointed with myrrh, which, according to the religious concept, meant "chosen by God." The church had a certain interest in all this: to achieve priority in government and further strengthen Orthodoxy.
The wedding of Ivan the Terrible
These events were not approved by the Catholic rulers. They considered Ivan IV an impostor, and his wedding - an unheard of audacity. The period in which Ivan the Terrible had to reign was very difficult. Six months after the wedding, fires began that destroyed tens of thousands of houses, property, livestock, and food supplies. This is all that is necessary for life. And the worst thing is that more than one thousand people died in the fire. The grief that befell the people led to discontent and despair. Riots, uprisings, turmoil began. The wedding of Ivan the Terrible to the kingdom turned out to be a difficult test for him.
It was necessary to solve important tasks: to strengthen the "judgment and truth" and further expand Orthodox Russia. The Grand Duke of Moscow, Ivan III, dreamed of this, having laid the coreRussian state. However, there were many obstacles in the way. Each principality gravitated toward independence. Boyars fought among themselves for power. The princes aspired to power and greatness.
Government methods
According to historians, as a result of secret murders, Ivan IV was left an orphan at the age of eight. He considered himself neglected, offended and accumulated anger against humanity. Growing up, he acquired cruelty, for which over time he began to be called Grozny. The crowning of Ivan the Terrible to the kingdom (1547) is the beginning of a period of cruelty, violence in Russia by the Grand Duke, who received the title of Emperor. An example is the complaint of 70 Pskov residents about the excesses of the governor - Prince Pronsky. For this, the king subjected the complainants to severe torture. This entailed the permissiveness of local rulers. Feeling impunity, they continued their rampage.
Permissiveness and its consequences did not make us wait long for retribution: the bloody terror began. This caused confusion, popular unrest in Moscow and other cities. To suppress discontent, cruel measures were used: terrible executions, in which the king himself took part.
The positive side of kingship
And the coronation of Ivan the Terrible to the kingdom is noted by historians as a positive achievement for the Russian state. Among the transformations is the restriction of localism (code of service), which obliges not only serfs to serve, but also the landowners themselves. The reform of local government provided for the replacement of the power of governors withelected bodies. This greatly curtailed abuse. Much attention was paid to the construction business. Old stone structures for various purposes were updated and new ones appeared.
In 1560, the most beautiful St. Basil's Cathedral appeared in Moscow, pleasing to the eye even today. The coronation of Ivan the Terrible to the kingdom led to significant changes in foreign policy.
Foreign policy
As a result of the strengthening of paramilitary forces, the borders of the Russian state have been expanded. In 1556, Kazan was finally conquered and annexed to the Muscovite state. In the same year, the Astrakhan Khanate was also conquered. On June 30, 1572, a decisive battle took place near Moscow, as a result of which the Tatars were defeated and fled, leaving the famous commander Divey-Murza in captivity. The Tatar yoke was finished forever. The wedding of Ivan the Terrible to the kingdom, the century of his reign are defined as a time of significant change.
In the history of Orthodox Russia, the turning point of the last years of the reign of Ivan the Terrible was the death of his son. Historians note that the king killed his son in a fit of anger, inflicting a wound on his temple with a staff. Recovering from what had happened, Grozny realized that he had destroyed the future of his dynasty. The younger son Fedor was in poor he alth: he could not lead the country. The loss of an heir due to his own cruelty finally undermined the he alth of the king. The worn-out organism could not stand the nervous shock, after three yearsafter the death of his son, March 18, 1584, Ivan the Terrible died.
A bright personality in Russia
After the death of the king, a monastic rite of tonsure was performed on him, giving him the name Jonah. The crowning of Ivan the Terrible to the kingdom can be briefly described as a bright, but at the same time a dark spot in the history of Great Orthodox Russia. The psychological shock received at a very young age and the burden of fame, power, responsibility that fell on him determined his personal actions and state decisions.
For history, the coronation of Ivan the Terrible to the kingdom (year 1547) was the beginning of a significant era in the formation of the Russian state. Thanks to his first tsar, his reign, the Russian Empire appeared, which exists and develops to this day.
