A List of Czars

The Ruriks (czars of Russia)

Ivan IV, the Terrible –Ruled: 1533-1584

Born 25 August 1530, first ruler to claim the title of “czar”, clashed with Russian nobles over divine right of kings, gained fame for his military exploits against the Tatars, and later for his brutality. Died 28 March 1584.

Feodor I – Ruled: 1584-1598

Born 31 May 1557, son of Ivan the Terrible and Anastasia Romanova, also known as Feodor the Bellringer or Blessed for his religious piety. Abdicated the throne to his brother-in-law, died 16 or 17 January, 1598.

Boris Godunov – Ruled: 1598-1605

Born circa 1551, was the first non-Rurikid czar, of Tatar descent, rule validated by marriage. Ruled during Russo-Swedish War, but established friendly relations with Scandinavians. Died 23 April 1605.

Feodor II – Ruled: 1605

Born ca. 1589, was the illegitimate grandson of Ivan the Terrible, ruled Russia during the Time of Troubles for under 1 ½ months; murdered by agents of alleged Dimitri I (Dimitri II, the False). Died 20 June 1605, at the age of 16.

Dimitri II, the False – Ruled:1605-1606

Born 1581, claimed to be youngest son of Ivan the Terrible, was one of three imposters. Rumors circulated he was actually illegitimate son of the Polish king, hence his diplomatic skills and fluency in both Russian and Polish, but this was never confirmed. Died 17 May 1606.

Vasili IV Sjujsky – Ruled: 1606-1610

Born 22 September 1552. Began rule upon murder of Dimitri the False, restored the line of Rurik as czar. Was overthrown by Polish invaders, died 12 September 1612.

In Polish possession – Ruled by Poles: 1610-1613

The House of Romanov

Mikhail III – Ruled: 1613-1645

Born 12 July 1596, unanimously elected as czar of Russia at age 17, claimed throne as a Romanov (descendent of Ivan the Terrible’s wife), very popular czar, ruling for 32 years. Died on his birthday, 1645.

Alexei Mikhailovich – Ruled: 1645-1676

Born 9 May 1629, took throne at age 16. Had a pacifistic foreign policy, but was a skilled diplomat: secured peace with Poland, avoided war with Ottoman Turks. Domestic policy dealt with corruption among nobles and government officials successfully. Died 29 January 1676.

Feodor III – Ruled: 1676-1682

Born 9 June 1661, born disabled by mystery disease (some speculate scurvy). Physically disabled, but renowned for his intellect: top Slavic monk was his tutor, knew Polish and Latin. Founded Academy of Sciences at Zaikonospassky Monastery. Died 7 May 1682, at 20, and his death caused the Moscow Uprising of 1682.

Ivan V – Ruled: 1682-1696

Born 27 August 1666, was the elder son of Feodor III, was seriously disabled. Did not want to be czar, but was persuaded and became joint-czar (or “dvoetsarstvenniki”) with Peter I. Died 8 February 1696, senile, paralytic and almost blind.

Peter I, the Great – Ruled: 1682-1725

Born 9 June 1672. Was double-czar with his older brother until Ivan’s death. Had a mind for shipbuilding and naval affairs since childhood, built St. Petersburg for access to Gulf of Finland and Baltic Sea. Also had many successful military exploits. Known as a great reformer of Russia; solely responsible for construction and prominence of St. Petersburg. Died 8 February 1725, supposedly after rescuing drowning troops.

Catherine I – Ruled: 1725-1727

Born 15 April 1684, was a Lithuanian orphaned in childhood, adopted by a Protestant minister, and married a Swedish dragoon. When Peter I ousted Swedes, Catherine captured as prisoner of war, and sold to Russian prince. Peter met her, and became enthralled, and divorced his czarina to marry her. When Peter died, Catherine took the throne, but was supposedly was mostly a puppet ruler to her supporters. Died 17 May 1727, two years after Peter I.

Peter II – Ruled: 1727-1730

Born 23 October 1715, largely ignored by grandfather Peter I and Catherine I. Was crowned emperor shortly before Catherine I’s death, but only reigned 3 years before dying of smallpox. Died 29 January 1730.

Anna Ivanova – Ruled: 1730-1740

Born 28 January 1693. Daughter of Ivan V, but was neglected and ignored by her mother. Was elected czarina upon death of Peter II, began ruthless reign, using newly resurrected security police to suppress political enemies. Spent her last years on the throne attempting to solidify czarship of her niece’s son (Ivan VI) against her cousin (Elizabeth). Died 17 October 1740.

Ivan VI – Ruled: 1740-1741

Born 12 August 1740, never technically ruled. Was crowned czar as an infant, but was overthrown by Elizabeth within a year. Spent the next 20 years in solitary confinement, until murdered by his jailors during an escape attempt, 5 July 1764.

Elizabeth – Ruled: 1741-1762

Born 29 January 1709, was daughter of Peter I. Led the country through two wars successfully and expanded Russia to nearly 4 million acres. Also supported creation of the University of Moscow and Imperial Academy of the Arts. Died 5 January 1762.

The House of Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov

Peter III – Ruled: 1762

Born 21 Feb 1728 in Kiel, Germany. Grandson of Peter I, was noted for his mean disposition and revolting looks, also for groveling to Prussians, whom he adored. Acted more like a German prince than Russian czar, and surrounded himself with Prussians instead of Russians. Was overthrown and murdered in coup d’etat by his wife, 6 months after taking the throne., died 17 July 1762.

Catherine II, the Great – Ruled: 1762-1796

Born 2 May 1729, took the throne after overthrowing her husband. Noted for her sexuality, and for her forthrightness. Threw herself entirely into ‘becoming Russian’, as she was born in Germany, became extremely popular with Russian people. Was tutored by Voltaire, and was taught to have contempt for the political system. She died 17 November 1796, amid apoplexy and hysteria.

Paul I – Ruled: 1796-1801

Born 1 October 1754, speculated who his father was: some claim Peter III, Catherine II claimed it was her favorite lover. Since Paul didn’t resemble Peter, his illegitimacy wasn’t questioned. Was a people’s czar, noted for his laws against nobles; eventually was assassinated for said laws.

Alexander I – Ruled: 1801-1825

Born 23 December 1777. Ruled Russia for Napoleonic Wars, and became know as war hero. Instituted very liberal reforms for first half of his reign, but revoked many of them in the latter half of his reign. Died under suspicious circumstances 1 December 1825.

Nicholas I – Ruled: 1825-1855

Born 25 June 1796, took throne after his brother Alexander I. Reign started poorly, as a 3 week deliberation period about who would take the throne caused anarchy and sparked a failed Decembrist coup. Died 18 Feb 1855.

Alexander II – Ruled: 1855-1881

Born 17 April 1818. Known for emancipation of serfs, causing strife among nobles. Was also King of Poland and Grand Duke of Finland, in addition to czar. Four separate assassination attempts were made on him, finally succeeding on 13 Mar 1881.

Alexander III – Ruled: 1881-1894

Born 10 March 1845. Attempted to unite Russia with one religion and language, banning the use of all language other than Russian, and restricting Judaism and other religions. Same organization that assassinated his father planned to kill him too, but plot was uncovered and conspirators were hanged. However, the Imperial Train was derailed sometime later, and he died from injuries related to the crash on 1 November 1894.

Nicholas II – Ruled: 1894-1917

Born 18 May 1868, was a military hero, but strict czar regarding domestic policies. Abdicated the throne in 1917 during the Bolshevik Revolution, and was held under house arrest until his murder at the hand of the Communists on 17 July 1918.

References

Retrieved 19 February 2012 from http://www.fortunecity.com/victorian/hornton/890/LLL.html

Retrieved 24 February 2012 from http://www.nndb.com/people/222/000092943/

Czar Wars: The Empire Strikes Back

The age of the czars was what many consider the golden age of Russia. With great leaders like Peter the Great, Catherine the Great, and the Romanov Dynasty, “Mother Russia” grew and expanded by leaps and bounds under these great leaders. But how did this period of prosperity get started? This essay will look at the beginnings of the Romanov Dynasty, with Michael Romanov, and the beginnings of czardom itself with Ivan IV. What are the similarities between these two leaders, and what did they do right? Or perhaps more importantly, what did they do wrong, and did they learn from their mistakes?

Ivan Vasilyevich IV, son of Ivan III or Ivan the Great, was the first Russian ruler to claim the title “czar” – meaning “cesar” – after breaking completely out from the Mongol horde and marrying into the Byzantine Empire. He grew up without really having parents, as his father and mother died when he was 3 and 7, respectively. Because of this, his childhood was a brutal place, and he grew up with a proverbial chip on his shoulder, especially towards the aristocracy of the day, who manipulated the young Ivan and used his power to their own ends. Because of this hatred, he single-handedly brought down the various aristocrats that used him, throwing them to the dogs – literally, in fact. After he solidified his power, he assumed the moniker of Czar, something his father and grandfather coveted, but never claimed. That same year, he married a beautiful Anastasia Zakharina-Koshkina, heiress of the ancient but noble family known as the Romanovs.

Ivan surrounded himself with men solely focused on the future of Russia, and completely loyal to him. These men, true and the best of the Muscovites, played crucial roles throughout Ivan’s reign, and in what many consider the greatest achievement of his reign, the capture of Kazan. Even though the siege of the last Mongol stronghold in Russia was long and costly, but the ironclad will of Ivan the Terrible held his army together for six weeks, and finally broke the back of the Tatars, and the fortress was finally taken with one final assault. Ivan was a great tactician, and when he was urged to pursue the Mongols and crush the Crimean khanate as he had done with Kazan and Astrakhan’s khanates, he chose to wait, realizing the sheer impossibility of this, considering the distance to the khanate, and the forces of the Grand Turk guarding it. (Smith, 2011) Instead, he turned to making Russia the envy of Europe, by promoting the migration of craftsmen, artisans, and other various guildsmen into the blossoming land of the Muscovites.

However, this was also the beginning of his downfall, as he became increasingly paranoid and fearful of even his closest advisors. After the death of his wife and several other close family members died, a hatred grew in Ivan that gave him fits of terrible rage, culminating eventually in the slaying of his daughter-in-law and unborn grandson, and then his own flesh-and-blood son. He exiled his advisors and friends, and let doubt & fear gnaw at him until the day he died.

The next czar this paper will cover is Czar Michael, or Mikhail Feodorovich Romanov, first of the Romanov family. This distant descendent of Ivan the Terrible’s wife, Czar Mikhail was the first to formally use the surname Romanov, and was the first Czar to be chosen by a vote. He was elected unanimously, and after locating the young new Czar and his mother at a monastery – and convincing her that her adolescent son was fit to rule in Moscow – Mikhail set about to restore the Muscovy and rid the capitol of Russia from the thieves and invaders that had take up residence there. But it wasn’t all strong-arming his enemies into submission: using diplomacy, Mikhail managed to have both Sweden and Poland remove their troops by the Peace of Stolbova and the Truce of Deulina. (“Tsar Michael,” 2012) The Truce, signed with Poland, also allowed Mikhail’s father to be returned to Russia from exile, where he assumed the role of Czar for the few years before his death. Noted as gentle (for a Russian), and quite pious ruler, he – like his ancestor Ivan IV – relied heavily on his advisors, whom he hand-selected and were honest and very capable men. Russia had a surprising time of peace under Mikhail, with the only the only true blemish on his reign was his failure to marry his daughter to the prince of Denmark.

These two czars, both of them pioneers of their time, were so very similar, yet extremely different. Both started their rule from a young age, and both had victories that drove foreigners out of the Motherland. However, it is the latter half of their reigns that these two patriarchs differ: Ivan allowed his past to consume him, and drive him to madness, ultimately destroying his family line, whereas Mikhail learned from his childhood in hiding, and became a better and stronger ruler because of it. He may not be as remembered or even celebrated as Ivan the Terrible, but in this writer’s opinion, Czar Mikhail Feodorovich Romanov was the ideal leader of the Muscovy of Russia.

References

Smith, Maria. (2011). Ivan the Terrible. NNDB (Notable Names Database). Retrieved 4 February 2012 from http://www.nndb.com/people/933/000092657/

 (2012). Tsar Michael. NNDB (Notable Names Database). Retrieved 5 February 2012 from http://www.nndb.com/people/594/000107273

 (2001). Ivan IV "The Terrible". Russian Information Network. Retrieved from http://russia.rin.ru/guides_e/3117.html