The figure of Tsar Ivan the Terrible (1530-1584) was and remains one of the most controversial in Russian history. The debate about the significance for Russia of his reign has not ceased to this day. This is not surprising, because his work gives rise to relate to him both as a great ruler of the country (strengthening the state, taking Kazan , etc.), and as a cruel ruler (oprichnina, etc.). Let us turn to the brightest period of his reign and consider the reforms of Ivan the Terrible and their influence on the state system of the country.
The First Zemsky Cathedral and its results
According to historians, the young king saw the purpose of these transformations for his state in strengthening the vertical of his power and centralizing the state. Initially, the reforms of Ivan the Terrible were created both by himself and by members of the Chosen Council, which included people close to the sovereign: his confessor - Archpriest Sylvester, Prince A.M. Kurbsky, Metropolitan Macarius and A.F. Adashev. The period of transformations in the Russian state was associated with the convening of the first Zemsky Sobor (to which all classes except peasants were invited) in 1549. The king himself called it the “Council of Reconciliation” between him and the boyars, as well as between the estates of the country. It was in 1550 that they adopted the new Judicial Code, corresponding to the needs of the time. It confirmed the norms for the transfer of peasants to another landowner on Yuryev’s day, the master’s power over them was strengthened (however, responsibility was imposed on him for the crimes of his workers), the right of the monasteries not to pay taxes to the treasury was eliminated, punishments were introduced for bribe-takers and deacons bribe takers.
Reforms of Feeding and Management
Reforms of Ivan the Terrible also affected the boyar feedings. The boyars were limited in their virtually neglected ownership of land, and judicial and bureaucratic bodies were established over them. The first “Sudebnik” provided for the responsibility that the boyars were held before the sovereign for their actions. At the same time, the Zemstvo reform was carried out , suggesting that certain functions of the state were given to the Zemstvo elders, who were elected by the local population. Elected people were also handed over to the police, the court, and the financial department. Thus, these local authorities replaced feeding. Emphasizing the advantages of such transformations, historians call the creation of a huge bureaucratic machine of a centralized state, which Ivan the Terrible and its reforms, a well-known minus.
Reform of military organizations
Reforms of Ivan the Terrible implied the strengthening of the role of the nobility in the life of the country. In the same 1550, one thousand nobles received land within Moscow. At the same time, a well-armed archery army was created. The tsar himself paid quite a lot of attention to this issue, monitored new technologies for the manufacture of weapons, for example, artillery, etc. In addition, many more transformations are associated with his name. This is a change in the tax system, and new land legislation, etc.
According to most scientists, these reforms of Ivan the Terrible were necessary for the country. It was they who contributed to the strengthening of the power of the Russian state in the geopolitical space of the then world.