The division of the country into zemstvo and oprichnina was due to a deep domestic crisis. The prerequisites for this have been brewing for several years since the accession of the eldest son Vasily III. The reforms of Ivan the Terrible, in short, were very harsh and led to social instability, a dynastic crisis.
Course of events
In early December 1564, Ivan IV left the capital. The tsar had previously left Moscow. But this time the procession was mysterious. The monarch brought with him the treasury, icons, library, symbols of power. A month later, he announced his abdication in favor of Ivan, the eldest son. The monarch explained his decision to the constant betrayals of the boyars, the clergymen of the church.
After the tsar’s message was read, the situation in Moscow sharply intensified. Thousands of people approached the Kremlin, demanding the return of Grozny. The Boyar Duma was forced to make concessions. The tsar at that time was in the Alexander settlement. It was there that a delegation led by Archbishop Pimen arrived. The ambassadors convinced the king to return. The brutal reforms of Ivan the Terrible began on January 5, 1565 . Briefly, all the transformations can be described in one word - terror.
State demarcation
Zemshchina and the oprichnina under Ivan the Terrible are two parts of a single territory. The latter belonged to the exclusive jurisdiction of the sovereign. The oprichnina included the best lands strategically and economically. In the territory under the jurisdiction of the king, an army of its own was created, its own thought. All income from the land went to the treasury. Oprichniki implemented the policy of Grozny - collected taxes, monitored the order. In another part of the state, there was also a thought and an army.
King's policy
Zemstvo and oprichnina were necessary to strengthen the monarchy. In the territory under the control of the king, mass executions began. They dealt with all the traitors. Prominent military leaders and prominent figures were in disgrace. There is evidence that a conspiracy against Grozny was brewing in the zemstvo. According to sources, the English Queen Elizabeth I and the Russian Tsar exchanged messages in which they indicated their readiness to provide each other with political asylum in case of overthrow from the throne.
Historians say that repression was generally erratic. Grozny was known for his prejudices, harsh character, suspiciousness. The executions themselves were carried out by his "army". The most famous oprichnik was Malyuta Skuratov. He was an extremely cruel man who enjoyed his own execution of sentences. On the whole, it can be said that the Zemstvo and the oprichnina allowed the establishment of tsarist power and the destruction of all infidels.
Formation Features
Separating the oprichnina, Grozny first created a detachment of a thousand people. Subsequently, its number reached 6 thousand. Service people were divided into two categories. Zemshchina and the oprichnina, meanwhile, did not exist separately. On the territory controlled by the king, a special detachment formed by him was operating. However, service people constantly reported to Grozny about the affairs that were conducted in the Zemstvo. The king was always aware of all the events. There were special people in the detachment who performed "special assignments."
As noted by ac. Platonov, the government ordered everyone to act together. Zemstvo and the oprichnina had to unite and, with the participation of the tsar, solve important state issues.
Separation value
The establishment of the oprichnina led to the fact that the land tenure of large feudal lords was quickly destroyed. The boyars and princes were pushed to the outskirts of the state, where wars were constantly waged. The division of the country was the first attempt to resolve the contradiction of the system. The new policy of the king crushed the tenure of noble people in the form in which it existed since ancient times. Through forced and systematic change of territories, the old relations of the princes with patrimonial estates were destroyed. As a result, suspicious people were either eliminated or scattered around the country.
Effects
The main purpose of the division of the country was the destruction of the remnants of feudal fragmentation. The policy of the king was aimed at suppressing boyar-princely independence. Klyuchevsky, formulating the general result of the oprichnina and zemstvoschina, indicated the following: the contemporaries of Grozny realized that, removing sedition, the tsar introduced anarchy.
As a result, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth managed to push back the Russian army on the western borders. The Livonian war ended with the insignificant achievements of Russia. The Swedes managed to capture Koporye, Narva and other counties. In 1571, the Crimean Tatars burned Moscow. This event was the result of the low combat efficiency of the militia officers. In their territory, in the struggle with their people, they were brave and fearless. But when it came to protecting the state, they could not show any outstanding skills. It is worth noting that in most cases, border protection was carried out by the army of the zemstvo. Another consequence of the demarcation of the territory was even greater enslavement of the peasantry.