his

• Russia's development


  • Different from Western and Central European states
  • Part of the Mongolian Golden Horde from the 13th century, which froze its development
• Russians released from Mongolian supremacy

  1480
• Russia at the time of release from Mongolian supremacy

  • Undeveloped area
  • Obsolete agriculture
  • Without economic potential of medieval towns and bourgeoisie
  • Weak central government
  • Strong position of Russian nobility - the Boyars
• Principality of Moscow


  The mightiest principality that headed the anti-Mongolian revolt
• Unification of Russia


  1. Ivan III defeated the Mongols and got rid of the dependence on them

  2. Moscow became the centre of unification

  3. Ivan IV subdued White Russia, Little Russia, Smolensk, and other territories
• Ivan IV the Terrible


  • Most distinguished and educated Russian rulers
  • Cruel and ferocious
  • Dearly pious, but impulsive, frantic, suspicious
  • Fear of treachery even turned to his next of kin
• Ivan IV crowned as the first Tsar in Russian history

  1547
• Oprichnina


  1. Territorial subdivision to be managed entirely at the discretion of the tsar

  2. Policed by the oprichniki, who became a kind of secret police and caused the destruction of the wealthiest boyar families
• Samoderzavie


  Form of absolutism, more resembling autocracy or oriental despotism
• Expansion under Ivan IV

  1. Annexed Kazan and Astrakhan Khanate, gaining control of the whole length of the Volga River and access to the Caspian Sea

  2. Expansion to the east, beyond the Ural Mountains into Siberia
• Ivan IV beat his pregnant daughter-in-law for wearing immodest clothing, which may have caused an abortion
• Ivan IV died while playing chess with his advisor Bogdan Belsky in 1584
• Ivan IV's remains were examined and discovered to contain very high amounts of mercury, indicating a high probability that he was poisoned
• When the last tsar of the house of Riurik died in 1598, the throne was disputed between magnates and Polish interventionists until 1613, when Michael Romanov ascended the throne
• Peter I the Great


  • One of the rulers who dragged traditional society into modernity
  • Carried out a pilgrimage to the Netherlands and England to learn the western culture and new technologies, especially in shipbuilding
  • Goal was to make Russia into a superpower, which required modernization and access to the sea
  • Carried out military reforms
• Territorial achievement of Peter I the Great

  1. Annexed several territories eastwards

  2. Seized much of the Caspian coast from Persia

  3. In the Great Northern War (1700 - 1721), annexed the Baltic coast and defeated Swedish King Charles XII at the Battle of Poltava in 1709
• Reforms of Peter I the Great

  1. Built St. Petersburg as a gateway to the west and the capital of Russia for two centuries

  2. Welcomed foreign experts and used them to set up schools to teach technical skills

  3. Brought science to Russia by foundation of the Academy of Sciences

  4. Ordered courtiers to wear western clothes and forced them to cut back their long beards

  5. Divided Russia into 12 guberniia, further divided into smaller districts

  6. Introduced a new currency, the silver rubel
• The vast majority of the Russians remained illiterate and in the same conditions like before
• Catherine II the Great

  • German married Tsar Peter III
  • Took power after a conspiracy deposed her husband
  • Expanded the Russian Empire, improved its administration, and underwent a further policy of Westernization
  • Annexed Crimea and gained access to the Black Sea
  • Took part in the third partition of Poland and took the major part of Lithuania, Belarus, and Ukraine
  • Founded schools, patronized the arts and sciences, and supported the development of industry
• By 1796, when Catherine died, Russia's international position had really been impressive, and the country was able to play an important role in the international relations
• Russia was part of the Mongolian Golden Horde


  13th century
• Russians released from Mongolian supremacy

  1480
• Russia entered the Modern Times as an undeveloped area with an obsolete agriculture, without an economic potential of medieval towns and bourgeoisie, with a weak central government, and with a strong position of Russian nobility - the Boyars
• The mightiest principality that headed the anti-Mongolian revolt was the Principality of Moscow
• After Ivan III defeated the Mongols and got rid of the dependence on them, Moscow became the centre of unification
• By Ivan IV's accession, White Russia, Little Russia, Smolensk, and other territories had been subdued
• Ivan IV the Terrible


  One of the most distinguished and educated Russian rulers, although more famous for his cruelty and ferocity
• Ivan IV was crowned as the first Tsar in Russian history, in his attempts to be an absolute ruler over entire Russia and its population
• Oprichnina


  1. Territorial subdivision to be managed entirely at the discretion of the tsar

  2. Policed by the oprichniki, who became a kind of secret police and caused the destruction of the wealthiest boyar families
• The oprichnina was some two thirds of the country, while the boyars' land diminished
• The oprichnina has been viewed as a tool against the boyars who opposed the absolutist drive of the Tsar
• Samoderzavie


  A form of absolutism more resembling autocracy or oriental despotism
• During Ivan IV's reign, Russia expanded its control over the Volga River and access to the Caspian Sea, and began expansion into Siberia
• Ivan IV had a troubled family life, beating his pregnant daughter-in-law and getting into a fatal argument with his son
• There is suspicion that Ivan IV was poisoned, with his advisors Belsky and Godunov as potential culprits
• After the last tsar of the house of Riurik died in 1598, the throne was disputed until 1613 when Michael Romanov ascended the throne, founding a new dynasty
• Peter I the Great

  One of the most memorable tsars of Russia, who dragged traditional society into modernity
• Peter I carried out a pilgrimage to the Netherlands and England to learn western culture and new technologies, especially in shipbuilding, with the goal of making Russia into a superpower
• Peter I's territorial achievements included annexing several eastern territories and seizing much of the Caspian coast from Persia
• In the Great Northern War, Peter I defeated the Swedes, annexing the Baltic coast and ending Sweden's days as a Baltic great power