The period preceding the reign of Ivan IV, according to the political and economic situation was not easy. Disparate principalities were at enmity with each other. Neighboring states - Lithuania, Germany, Poland - sought to seize the Moscow principality. The civil strife and the Tatar-Mongol raids did not allow Russia to quietly exist and develop.
Tsar Ivan the Terrible was the first king 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 kind of person is this? How will rule Russia 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 scenario existing at that time. Attributes were used, such as the Monomakh hat, the cross of the life-giving tree, the royal rod, and other church objects. The wedding ceremony was marked by splendor and grandeur. The present boyars, nobles and church servants were dressed in expensive attire made of brocade, gold and precious stones.
The ringing of church bells, the general glee - all this was a great, colorful celebration. A wedding to the kingdom of Ivan the Terrible determined him a high title, and Russia was equated with the Roman Empire. Moscow became the reigning city, and the Russian land - the Russian kingdom. The young Moscow prince was anointed with myrrh, which religiously meant "chosen by God." The church in all this had a certain interest: to achieve priority in government and the further strengthening of Orthodoxy.
Wedding on the kingdom of Ivan the Terrible
Catholic rulers did not approve of these events. They considered Ivan IV an impostor, and his wedding was an unprecedented insolence. The period in which Grozny had to reign proved to be very difficult. Six months after the wedding, fires broke out, which 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 not one thousand people died in the fire. The grief that befell led the people to discontent and despair. Riots, uprisings, unrest began. The wedding of Ivan the Terrible to the kingdom turned into a difficult test for him.
It was necessary to solve important tasks: to strengthen the "court and truth" and to further expand Orthodox Russia. The Grand Duke of Moscow, Ivan III, also dreamed about this, laying the core of the Russian state. However, there were many obstacles in the way. Each principality gravitated to independence. The boyars fought among themselves for power. Princes sought power and greatness.
Board Methods
According to historians, as a result of secret killings, Ivan IV at the age of eight remained an orphan. He considered himself abandoned, offended and accumulated anger against humanity. Growing up, acquired cruelty, for which, over time, became known as the Terrible. The wedding of Ivan the Terrible to the kingdom (1547) is the beginning of a period of cruelty and violence in Russia by the Grand Duke, who received the title of Emperor. An example is the complaint of 70 Pskovites about the atrocities 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 to commit atrocities.
Permissiveness and its consequences did not keep waiting for reckoning: bloody terror began. This caused confusion, popular unrest in Moscow and other cities. Cruel measures were used to suppress the discontent: terrible executions, in which the king himself took part.
The positive side of the reign
And the historians noted the wedding of Ivan the Terrible to the kingdom with positive achievements for the Russian state. Among the transformations is the restriction of localism (a code of service), obliging to serve not only serfs, but also the landowners themselves. The reform of local government provided for the replacement of the power of governors with elected bodies. This significantly limited abuse. Much attention was paid to the construction business. Old and new stone buildings for various purposes were updated.
In 1560, the most beautiful St. Basil’s Cathedral appeared in Moscow , which pleases the eye today. The wedding 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 were expanded. In 1556, it was finally conquered and annexed to the Moscow state of Kazan. In the same year, the Astrakhan Khanate was 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-Murzu captive. The Tatar yoke was over forever. The wedding of Ivan the Terrible to the kingdom, the age of his reign, is 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 his staff. Recovering from what happened, Grozny realized that he had destroyed the future of his dynasty. The youngest son Fedor was in poor health: he could not lead the country. The loss of an heir due to his own cruelty completely undermined the health of the king. The worn-out organism could not stand the nervous shock, three years after the death of his son, on March 18, 1584, Ivan the Terrible died.
Bright personality in Russia
After the king’s death, a monastic rite of tonsure was performed over him, giving him the name Jonah. The wedding of Ivan the Terrible to the kingdom can be briefly described as a bright, but at the same time dark spot in the history of Great Orthodox Russia. The psychological shock received at a very young age and the burden of fame, power, and responsibility that fell upon him determined his personal actions and government decisions.
For history, the wedding 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 rule, the Russian Empire appeared, which exists and develops to this day.