Grand Duchy of Moscow

When Ivan the Terrible assumed the title of Tsar in 1547, the Grand Duchy of Muscovy began it’s transformation into the Tsardom of Russia.

Early reign of Ivan the Terrible

Ivan the Terrible’s early reign was relatively prosperous and promising. Ivan began modernizing Russia and established deeper communications with European powers.

Oprichnina

Mid-way through Ivan’s reign, he ordered his forces to massacre his opposition and he oppressed his subjects.

Oprichnina Ends

Ivan finally abandoned his Oprichnina policy in 1572 AD.

Time of Troubles

Following Ivan's death, the country soon fell into civil war. Rival boyar (noble) factions competed for power, pretender’s made false claims to the throne, and Poland and Sweden established puppet tsars.

Romanovs take power

In response to the presence of Swedish and Polish armies in Russia, the boyar and Russian people proclaimed Mikhail Romanov as tsar, leading them out of the Time of Trouble, and beginning a 300 year dynasty.

Siberian Conquests

Financed by the wealthy Stroganov merchant family, Russian conquest into Siberia began in 1581. By 1640, Russia had reached the pacific ocean and ruled Siberia from a series of forts.

Salt riot

The tsar Alexi's capable but corrupt advisor Boris Morozov taxed salt so much it led to rebellion. The revolt ended but many more would follow over the next 30 years.

Sobornoye Ulozhenie

In the wake of the salt riot, the tsar Alexi issued a new strict legal code - the Sobornoye Ulozhenie. Serfdom was thoroughly codified and power was placed firmly in the hands of the nobles.

War with Poland and Sweden

Poland had fallen into disorder by 1653, and both Russia and Sweden annexed as much territory as they could. Eventually Sweden and Russia went to war over the spoils, which gave Poland the opportunity to rebound.

Raskol

With Russia’s increased involvement in Europe, the Russian Orthodox Church was flooded with new ideas and a schism erupted between the church and the Old Believers. The church ruthlessly persecuted the Old Believers, which only furthered the division.

Feodor III

When the tsar Alexi died, his oldest son Feodor III came to power. Feodor was sickly and his reign was short but progressive. Feodor founded the first academy of higher education in Moscow and introduced meritocratic policies.

Peter the Great

Peter the Great placed a new emphasis on modernizing Russia. He toured the west and took Europe's best practices. Upon his return, he reformed the nation and the military. He led Russia against the Ottoman Empire and defeated Sweden at it’s height.

Russian Empire

After defeating Sweden in 1721, Peter the Great proclaimed the Tsardom of Russia to be the Russian Empire - indicating the start of a globally relevant empire that lasted nearly 200 years.