Ivan 4 took the title of king at the age of seventeen (in 1547, in January). This event was of great political importance. From that moment, the power of the Moscow sovereign was strengthened so much that the authority of the ruler ruled out any attempts by immigrants from aristocratic clans to approach the top of the state. This title placed the head of the state on a par with the emperors of Byzantium and the khans of the Horde.
By the end of the 1540s, the encirclement of Tsar Ivan 4 was formed from close people. This circle became known as the “Chosen Council”. The domestic and foreign policies of Ivan 4, the activities of the government were aimed mainly at strengthening centralized power, expansion, as well as protecting the borders of the country.
The main task in the south was to prevent the invasion of the Crimean Tatars. To do this, the Tula serif line (defensive line) was erected. In 1559, a campaign was undertaken on the Crimea, which ended in failure for Russia. However, in 1572, in the summer, the Tatars were stopped. Prince Vorotynsky managed to destroy the army of Crimeans.
The foreign policy of Ivan the Terrible in the eastern direction was marked by quite large successes. As a result of the campaigns, by the beginning of the 1550s, two large Tatar powers, formed after the collapse of the Horde, joined Russia: the Kazan Khanate was conquered in 1552, and the Astrakhan Khanate in 1556. As a result, the borders of the Moscow state expanded to the borders of Asia. In the early 1580s, Russia also crossed these lines: the Cossack army with Ermak led an expedition to Siberia. As a result of this campaign, the Siberian Khan Kuchum was defeated , and his lands were annexed to Russia. From this moment, the development of Siberian lands began.
The foreign policy of Ivan the Terrible after the acquisition of the Volga territories changed direction. Now the western lands were of interest to the state. The objective of the outbreak of the Livonian War was to gain access to the Baltic Sea. At the beginning of the war, luck was on the side of Russia. The Livonian Order in 1561 finally collapsed. It should be noted that the conquest of Russian troops contradicted the interests of Sweden, Denmark and Poland. The territories of the disintegrated Order passed to these countries. As a result, Russia was forced to fight not with one, but with three powerful powers. Thus, in the years 1563-64, the troops of Ivan 4 suffered a series of failures.
Meanwhile, fearing the strengthening of the Moscow state, Lithuania and Poland are united in the Commonwealth.
Russia was defeated in the Livonian War. In 1582, a truce was signed. In accordance with it, the former border was maintained between Poland and Russia. The following year, peace was concluded with Sweden. Thus, the foreign policy of Ivan the Terrible in the western direction did not lead to the desired expansion of borders. Moreover, Russia was forced to cede some territories (Koporye, Yam, Ivangorod).
It should be noted that the foreign policy of Ivan the Terrible was not limited to military action alone. From the middle of the 16th century, Russia began to strengthen its authority in the world, to establish relations with Denmark, Italian cities, and the German Empire. The ambassadors of India and Iran came to Russia.
Ivan 4 attaches great importance to the development of relations with England. Since 1555, the Moscow Company began operating in this country, which had the right to conduct trade in Russia without paying duties. Trade was carried out through Arkhangelsk, built as a seaport for fairs with the British, which opened the whole Russian north for trade operations.
Thus, the results of Ivan the Terrible’s foreign policy were expressed not only in the expansion of the state’s territory, but also in the establishment of friendly relations with various large countries of the world.