Russia 2019 (6) HISTORY - Czar Report

Sorry this entry is so long! You don't need to read it all, but use as a reference. Lots of confusing research on this, so hope all is basically correct. Let me know if you find an error.

Five asides:
1 ) Definition of "boyar" is privileged class of rich landowners who served government leaders as aides and councilors.

2) Definition of Eastern and Western Europe varies. I'll define Western Europe as from Spain to the western border of Poland and a fluctuating line down to western Greece. Eastern Europe is Poland's western border to the Ural Mountains. Western Russia is its western border to the Ural mountains. Everything to the east side of the Ural Mountains including Siberia is Eastern Russia. Are you confused yet?

3) The word czar is derived from Italy's Julius Caesar (who ruled 1,500 years earlier). A czar is an autocratic, all-powerful leader, like an emperor or king. It is sometimes spelled "tzar." Scrabble accepts both spellings.

4) Depending on your source, many names below are spelled slightly differently.

5) Czars with stars (**) were most prominently talked about on this cruise. 

The fascinating history of Russia was a driving factor in wanting to visit this mysterious country. I say mysterious because "what can you believe in the news?" Why is it more difficult to get a visa compared to most countries? And what is daily life there really like?
We wished to learn more and see the actual sights where its history was made.

I had a hard time keeping timelines straight, so made a list of czars and emperors that might help clear up our scattered thoughts.

Vasili II (1425-1462)

Ivan III the Great (nicknamed Gatherer of Russian Lands) (1462–1505)
Ended dominance of the Mongols and Tartars by defeating the Golden Horde. Tripled the size of Russian lands. Renovated the Kremlin and cleaned up the shanty town of poor peasants and criminals in the area that is now Red Square.

Vasili III (1505-1533)

?

** Ivan IV the Terrible (1547–1584)
A member of Rurik House or dynasty. He brutally overpowered his rivals to become the first undisputed czar of Russia and, in the process, greatly expanded the empire by annexing territories such as Astrakhan (an area along the Volga River) and into Siberia. It is widely believed that he killed his eldest son in a rage. He also initiated a long correspondence with Queen Elizabeth I in order to build relations with England and established trade agreements. So some good things and a whole lotta bad. He died of a stroke while playing chess.

Feodor I (sometimes called Feodor the Blessed) (1584-1598)
Second son of Ivan the T. He was physically weak and possibly feeble-minded, but a pious man not interested in politics. Boris Godunov was the brother of Feodor's wife and a trusted advisor. Boris ultimately ruled Russia as a de facto regent until Feodor's death.

** Boris Godunov (1598–1605)
It is also believed that Boris assassinated Ivan the T's third son Dmitry in Uglich where Dmitry and his mother had been exiled. Because Feodor had no heirs, Boris seized the throne. He outlined the Western-thinking policies later instituted by Peter the Great. He allowed education in Western European countries and invited Western teachers into Russia. He especially courted Scandinavian territories, hoping to get easy access to the Baltic Sea. But he restricted freedom of peasants to transfer loyalty from one noble to another, confirming the idea of serfdom. Near his death by stroke, the "Time of Troubles" began...famine, civil war, and disputes with Poland and Sweden.

Feodor II (1605-1605)
After the sudden death of his father Boris, he was proclaimed czar at age 16. Although his father set up precautions, his position was immediately challenged by pretender False Dmitry I with the backing of revolutionaries. Feodor's mother tried to take control of the situation, but she and her son were arrested and strangled.

False Dmitry I (1605-1606)
It is believed the legitimate Dmitry was, in fact, assassinated in Uglich (a town we would visit). But this man claimed to be the youngest son of Ivan the T, who had escaped the assassination attempt and was the heir to the czar-hood. While in power, he restored Yuri's Day when serfs could change their noblemen and instilled more Western ways. He also married a Polish woman and tried to consolidate the Papal and Eastern Orthodox churches. That lead Prince Ivan Shuisky to conspire with the boyars and an agitated population to storm the palace. Dmitry tried to escape by jumping out of a window, but broke his leg in the fall. He was captured and executed on the spot.

Vasili IV (1606-1610 )
His father was Ivan Shuisky. He reigned, but was never formally recognized. Seems the boyars ran the show during his time.

Vladislav I (1610-1613)
At age 15, he was elected czar by the Seven Boyars in 1610. Militarily he tried to gain power, but never formally assumed the throne due to his father's attempts to convert the Russian Orthodox Church to Catholicism. In 1632 he became king of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania.

Michael I (1613-1645)
At age 16, he was elected by the boyars as the first czar of the Romanov House. He allowed relatives of his mother and later his father to handle the daily operations. The greatest expansion in Russian history occurred during this reign, including annexing more of Siberia and clearing lands occupied by Sweden and Poland. During his time, both financial difficulties and diplomatic, commercial and cultural relations with Europe improved, Sadly, serfdom continued. Music had been outlawed by the church in 12th century. but Michael reintroduced it with Western singers and instruments. He died after fainting in church.

Alexis the Benevolent (1645-1676)
Son of Michael I, he also acceded to czar at age 16. His reign started badly, due to adult advisor Morozov who cut government salaries, added a tax on salt, developed a state monopoly on tobacco, and instituted other acts of hardship. The population rebelled, the bad influencers were eliminated, and the tide turned for the better. Later Alexis became known as the benevolent czar.

Feodor III (1676-1682)
He was the eldest surviving son of Alexis and gained the czar-ship at 15 when his father died unexpectedly. He was well-educated and versed in state matters, but disabled and half paralyzed from birth with an unknown disease, possibly scurvy. He continued making more liberal reforms and lessening severe laws. He founded the Academy of Sciences, where professors could teach anything not prohibited by the Orthodox Church.

** Ivan V (1682-1696)
Younger son of Alexis the Benevolent by his first wife. His reign was in name only as he had serious mental and physical disabilities. After compromises between feuding family members, a double throne was built for Ivan (16 years old) and Peter (10 years old) to share. There was, however, a curtain behind Peter's chair so advice could be given to him from behind. Ivan was named senior czar but, in essence, his sister (and Peters half-sister) Sofia reigned as regent for the next seven years. He died at age 27 leaving no sons, which allowed Peter to continue his reign without contenders.

** Peter the Great (1682–1725)
Born the only son of Alexis by his second wife. There is more to the story, but at age 17 Peter wished to declare his majority and take senior command of the czar-ship. Ivan's tutor persuaded him to give up his claim and to support Peter's leadership, thus terminating Sofia's regency. Over time, Ivan's involvement diminished completely and Peter became sole czar and later self-proclaimed emperor.

Peter is best known for efforts and accomplishments in bringing Russia into the "Enlightenment" era. He took an incognito 18-month tour throughout Western Europe. That resulted in the revamping or "Westernizing" of Russia's military and bureaucracy to mirror what he observed. He even required officials to shave their beards and dress in Western-style garb. Another achievement was overpowering the Swedish army in the Battle of Poltava in 1709 giving prestige to the Russian military. He annexed the huge Ukraine territory and declared all his lands to be an Empire rather than a czardom. After capturing lands on the Baltic Sea, he founded the city of St. Petersburg in 1703 as Russia's new capital. That remained until the 1917 revolution when the capital was returned to Moscow. Much more to be said about this guy, but this entry is not totally about PtG. At 52, he died of gangrene of the bladder.

** Catherine I (1724-1727)
In 1724, PtG's second wife was officially crowned empress, although she was not the actual commander for another year. Peter had no surviving male children and had not named a successor. As Catherine was very popular with the military and commoners, troops stormed the meeting where the next emperor was being decided and this bloodless coup resulted in Catherine as the next uncontested empress. She was the first woman to rule Imperial Russia and continued to embrace PtG's policies to  modernize her country. She also constructed a "modest" summer palace in the city of Pushkin. She died two years later of a stroke at age 67.

Peter II (1727-1730)
He was son of PtG's son Alexis by his first wife. PtG did not like Alexis and accused him of treason. Alexis was executed and Peter II, the grandson, was basically disowned after that. When Catherine died, it was determined the only male grandson of PtG should re-gain his inheritance and become Russia's next leader. Unfortunately, Peter II had no real interest in government and was left to his amusements while advisers handled state affairs. He died (childless) of smallpox and was buried near his murdered father Alexis.

Anna (1730-1740) 
Through much deliberation, next came Anna, daughter of PtG's half-brother and co-ruler, Ivan V. Much of her governance was continuing the actions initiated by her uncle PtG to Westernize the country. Anna also initiated elaborate architectural improvements in St. Petersburg, instituted the Cadet Corp (a young men's pre-naval academy), and resurrected the Secret Office of Investigation to punish those committing political crimes. Before her excruciating death by kidney stone, she declared grand-nephew Ivan VI as her successor. This perpetuated Ivan V's family lineage, rather than PtG's line.

Ivan VI (1740-1741)
He was two months old when he became Emperor, with his mother declared regent. Two months later, Elizabeth (daughter of PtG) declared a coup and seized the throne. Ivan and his parents were imprisoned far from the capitol for more than 20 years, when he was executed by guards during an attempt (unbeknownst to him) by other guards trying to free him .

** Elizabeth (of Russia) (1741–1762)
She was daughter of PtG by his second wife. In a bloodless, military-backed coup, she took power in 1741. She was involved in two European wars. Domestically, she established the University of Moscow and spent fortunes building various palaces. She also tore down Catherine I's original small summer palace and replaced it in all its glory as you see it today. We would visit Catherine's palace with its famous Amber Room on this trip. In spite of her flagrant spending, she is one of the most beloved rulers of the time. At the end of her life she suffered fainting spells and a stroke. She died unmarried and childless.

Peter III (1862-1862)
He was Elizabeth's sister Anna's orphaned child living in Germany. As Elizabeth had no children, she brought him to Russia to tutor him in the language and the ways of his future country. After Elizabeth's death, her nephew took over for six months, was arrested during a coup organized by his wife Catherine and palace guards, abdicated, and assumed murdered (although no written record). This was reportedly due to his liberal reforms and  pro-Prussian leanings.

** Catherine II, The Great (1762–1796)
In a juxtaposition, Peter III had married Catherine. She was German and had no Russian blood.She took over after the coup against her husband. While in power, she greatly expanded Russian borders, annexing Crimea, parts of Poland, lands along the Black Sea, and the Alaskan territory. She continued the policies of PtG to Westernize her country, yet tightening the serfdom system. Catherine II was the victim of many maligning sex rumors, but likely did have numerous paramours. In any case, she was most popular and her era is considered the "Golden Age of Russia." She died of a stroke at age 67, longest ruling female ever in Russia.

Paul I (1796-1801)
Officially, the only son of Peter III and Catherine II, although Catherine hinted that he was actually the offspring of one of her lovers. He initiated the laws of succession to the throne, leaving the crown only to the next male heir. These were followed until the revolutions of 1917. He was assassinated by conspirators.

Alexander I (1801–1825)
Eldest son of Paul I and his second (German) wife Sofie. Alex I ruled during the Napoleonic Era. During the first half of his reign he somewhat aligned with the French dictator, but later turned against him. In the War of 1812, Russia overcame the invasion of Napoleon. This boosted Alex I's ego and he formed a holy alliance with Austria and Prussia, reversed the idea of liberalism started by previous czars, removed foreign teaches from school, and established a more religious line of study. Although paranoid of poisoning or kidnapping, he died of a common cold.

Nicholas I (1825–1855)
Second son of Paul I and Sofie. The inklings of the Russian Revolution of 1917 probably started during the reign of Nicolas I, as he was a callous, unsympathetic ruler. He treasured the military more than anything and repelled any uprising by the common man. As a result, this drove the economy down the drain. He kept up a good facade until the Crimean War of 1853, when it became apparent that the military was undisciplined and poorly trained. It also came to light that all of Russia had only 600 miles of railroad track vs. the US's 10,000 miles at that time. But for all his conservative policies, he did not believe in serfdom. He was unable, however, to institute his more liberal policies before his death of pneumonia (although it was rumored to be suicide).

Alexander II the Liberator (1855–1881)
This Alex was son of Nicholas I. His nickname is due to the fact that he abandon the serfdom system about the same time that President Lincoln freed the slaves (1861). He also reformed the penal code, improved and expanded the university system, reversed some nobility privileges, and sold Alaska to the US. Even though he instituted some pro-active domestic policies, revolutionaries continued to pressure for more reforms. After a number of attempts, Alexander II was assassinated in 1881 with a bomb thrown under his carriage.

Alexander III the Peacemaker (1881-1894)
Son of Alexander II. He was the Emperor of Russia, King of Poland, and Grand Duke of Finland all at the same time. Although he was quite conservative (reversing earlier reforms), no wars were fought during his reign, thus the nickname "Peacemaker." He died of kidney disease.

** Nicholas II (1894–1917)
The son of Alex III and last czar of the Romanov House and of Russia. After witnessing the assassination of his grandfather Alex II (at age 13), he established extremely conservative policies. He was very religious and built more churches than were built in the previous century. This combination lead to a series of disastrous circumstances starting with the influence of deranged Russian monk Rasputin, defeat in the Russo-Japanese war of 1904-05, the 1905 uprising, and finally the two revolutions of 1917. In October, the czar and his government were ultimately overthrown by a small group of communists lead by Vladimir Lenin and Leon Trotsky. The deposed czar Nicholas, wife Alexandra, four daughters (Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia), and hemophiliac son Alexei were moved several times and finally murdered in the Ural mountain town of Ekaterinburg in July 1918.

OK, this is all more than you probably wanted to know, but these are highlights and there is a lot more interesting and intriguing info to learn. You can check further at Wikipedia.com or Britannica.com and search any of their names.


Also...

Vladmir Lenin
Ruled Soviet Russia (1917-1922) and Soviet Union (1922-19424).

Joseph Stalin (1943-1953)

The USSR reorganized and was officially renamed the Russian Federation in 1991.