Below is a complete list of all Russian tsars. For almost 400 years of the existence of this title, it was worn by completely different people - from adventurers and liberals to tyrants and conservatives.
Rurikovich
Over the years, Russia (from Rurik to Putin) has changed the political system many times. At first, the rulers carried the princely title. When, after a period of political fragmentation, a new Russian state formed around Moscow, the Kremlin owners thought about accepting the tsar’s title.
This was done under Ivan the Terrible (1547-1584). This great prince decided to marry the kingdom. And this decision was not accidental. So the Moscow monarch emphasized that he is the successor of the Byzantine emperors. It was they who granted Orthodoxy to Russia. In the XVI century, Byzantium did not exist anymore (it fell under the onslaught of the Ottomans), therefore Ivan the Terrible rightly believed that his act would have serious symbolic significance.
Historical figures such as this king had a great influence on the development of the whole country. In addition to the fact that Ivan the Terrible changed his title, he also captured the Kazan and Astrakhan khanates, beginning Russian expansion to the East.
The son of Ivan Fedor (1584-1598) was distinguished by a weak character and health. Nevertheless, under him, the state continued to develop. A patriarchate was established. The rulers of the Russian state have always paid much attention to the issue of succession to the throne. This time he got up especially sharply. Fedor had no children. When he died, the Rurik dynasty on the Moscow throne was cut short.
Time of Troubles
After the death of Fedor, Boris Godunov (1598-1605) came to power - his brother-in-law. He did not belong to a reigning family, and many considered him a usurper. Under him, because of natural disasters, a colossal famine began. Tsars and presidents of Russia have always tried to maintain calm in the provinces. Due to the tense situation, Godunov could not do this. Several peasant uprisings took place in the country.
In addition, the adventurer Grishka Otrepyev called himself one of the sons of Ivan the Terrible and began a military campaign against Moscow. He really managed to capture the capital and become king. Boris Godunov did not live up to this point - he died from health complications. His son Fedor II was captured by the associates of False Dmitry and killed.
The impostor ruled only a year, after which he was overthrown during the Moscow uprising, inspired by disgruntled Russian boyars who did not like the fact that False Dmitry surrounded himself with Catholic Poles. The Boyar Duma decided to transfer the crown to Vasily Shuisky (1606-1610). In the Time of Troubles, the rulers of Russia often changed.
Princes, tsars and presidents of Russia had to carefully guard their power. Shuisky did not restrain her and was overthrown by Polish interventionists.
First Romanovs
When in 1613 Moscow was liberated from foreign invaders, the question arose of who to make the sovereign. This text presents all the tsars of Russia in order (with portraits). Now it's time to talk about the accession to the throne of the Romanov dynasty.
The first sovereign of this kind - Michael (1613-1645) - was a very young man when he was put in charge of a huge country. Its main goal was the struggle with Poland for the lands it had captured during the Time of Troubles.
These were the biographies of the rulers and the dates of reign until the middle of the XVII century. After Michael, his son Alexei ruled (1645-1676). He annexed left-bank Ukraine and Kiev to Russia. So, after several centuries of fragmentation and Lithuanian rule, the fraternal peoples finally began to live in one country.
Alexei had many sons. The eldest of them, Fedor III (1676-1682), died at a young age. After him came the simultaneous reign of two children - Ivan and Peter.
Peter the Great
Ivan Alekseevich was unable to rule the country. Therefore, in 1689, the sole reign of Peter the Great began. He completely rebuilt the country in a European manner. Russia - from Rurik to Putin (in chronological order we consider all the rulers) - knows few examples of an era so saturated with changes.
A new army and navy appeared. For this, Peter began the war against Sweden. The Northern War lasted 21 years. During it, the Swedish army was defeated, and the kingdom agreed to cede its southern Baltic lands. In this region in 1703 was founded St. Petersburg - the new capital of Russia. Peter's successes made him think about changing the title. In 1721 he became emperor. However, this change did not cancel the royal title - in the everyday speech of the monarchs continued to call the kings.
The era of palace coups
The death of Peter was followed by a long period of instability of power. The monarchs succeeded each other with enviable regularity, which was facilitated by the palace coups. As a rule, these changes were led by the guard or certain courtiers. In this era, Catherine I (1725-1727), Peter II (1727-1730), Anna Ioannovna (1730-1740), Ivan VI (1740-1741), Elizaveta Petrovna (1741-1761) and Peter III (1761-1762) ruled )
The last of them was of German descent. Under the predecessor of Peter III, Elizabeth, Russia waged a victorious war against Prussia. The new monarch abandoned all conquests, returned Berlin to the king and concluded a peace treaty. With this act, he signed himself a death sentence. The Guard organized another palace coup, after which the wife of Peter Catherine II appeared on the throne.
Catherine II and Paul I
Catherine II (1762-1796) had a deep state mind. On the throne, she began to pursue a policy of enlightened absolutism. The empress organized the work of the famous laid commission, the purpose of which was to prepare a comprehensive reform project in Russia. She also wrote The Order. This document contained many considerations about the necessary transformations for the country. Reforms were curtailed when a peasant uprising led by Pugachev broke out in the Volga region in the 1770s.
All the tsars and presidents of Russia (in chronological order we listed all the royal persons) took care that the country looked worthy in the external arena. Catherine was no exception . She conducted several successful military campaigns against Turkey. As a result, Crimea and other important Black Sea regions were annexed to Russia. At the end of the reign of Catherine, there were three divisions of Poland. So the Russian Empire received important acquisitions in the west.
After the death of the great empress, her son Paul I (1796-1801) came to power. This quarrelsome man did not like many in the Petersburg elite.
First half of the 19th century
In 1801, the next and last palace revolution took place. A group of conspirators cracked down on Paul. On the throne was his son Alexander I (1801-1825). His reign was in World War II and the invasion of Napoleon. For two centuries, the rulers of the Russian state have not encountered such serious enemy intervention. Despite the capture of Moscow, Bonaparte was defeated. Alexander became the most popular and famous monarch of the Old World. He was also called the "liberator of Europe."
Inside his country, Alexander in his youth tried to implement liberal reforms. Historical figures often change their policies with age. So Alexander soon abandoned his ideas. He died in Taganrog in 1825 under mysterious circumstances.
At the beginning of the reign of his brother Nicholas I (1825-1855), the Decembrists revolted. Because of this, for thirty years, conservative orders have triumphed in the country.
The second half of the XIX century
Here are all the tsars of Russia in order, with portraits. Next, we will talk about the main reformer of national statehood - Alexander II (1855-1881). He initiated the manifesto on the liberation of the peasants. The abolition of serfdom allowed the Russian market and capitalism to develop. The country began economic growth. Reforms also affected the judiciary, local government, administrative and draft systems. The monarch tried to raise the country to its feet and learn the lessons that the lost Crimean War, which began under Nicholas I, taught him.
But the radicals had few reforms of Alexander. Terrorists attempted his life several times. In 1881, they succeeded. Alexander II died from a bomb explosion. The news was a shock to the whole world.
Because of what happened, the son of the deceased monarch Alexander III (1881-1894) forever became a tough reactionary and conservative. But most of all he is known as a peacemaker. During his reign, Russia did not conduct a single war.
The last king
In 1894, Alexander III passed away. Power passed into the hands of Nicholas II (1894-1917) - his son and the last Russian monarch. By that time, the old world order with the absolute power of kings and kings had already outlived itself. Russia - from Rurik to Putin - knew many shocks, but it was under Nicholas that they happened more than ever.
In 1904-1905 the country survived a humiliating war with Japan. The first revolution followed. Although the unrest was suppressed, the king had to make concessions to public opinion. He agreed to establish a constitutional monarchy and parliament.
Tsars and presidents of Russia at all times faced with certain opposition within the state. Now people could elect deputies who expressed these moods.
In 1914, the First World War began. No one then suspected that it would end with the fall of several empires at once, including the Russian Empire. In February 1917, the February Revolution broke out, and the last king had to abdicate. Nicholas II, along with his family, was shot by the Bolsheviks in the basement of the Ipatiev House in Yekaterinburg.