Ivan The Terrible Influence On Russia

Russia is the largest country on Earth in terms of surface area. Russia has a history that suffered a split identity. Due to the diverse ethnic population that was spread across a vast area of land, Russia continuously suffered ethnic conflicts, armed wars, and political unrest. Therefore, being a sovereign nation or to find the national unity was always a struggle. Starting from 1237 for over two centuries, the Mongol Empire controlled the Russian principalities. The Mongol invaders became known as Tatars or the Golden Horde, and their emperor Batu Khan regarded himself as the suzerain over the Russian princes. Emperor Khan permitted the Russian princes to rule their own territory and claim the wealth of their own territory, as long as they
return an annual tax tribute to the grand empire. However, in 1480, the Muscovite prince Ivan III the Great, who ruled the Grand Duchy of Moscow, refused to pay the customary tax tribute to the Mongol Empire. Yet, the Mongol emperor did not declare war against Ivan the Great as Khan was aware of Ivan’s superior military power. Khan continued to send his representatives to remind Ivan of his tax bills past due, yet Ivan simply ignored. After suffering four years of ignorance from Ivan, in 1480, the emperor Khan lost his patience and sent his armies to Moscow. The Golden Horde army marched across Moscow, yet without firing a shot or engaging in conflict. This significant event became known as the "Non-battle of the Ugra". Because of his heroic triumph as an independent ruler, Ivan the Great is still celebrated as a hero in Russian history. His grandson, Ivan IV (1547-1584) also known as "Ivan the Terrible" continued the legacy of his grandfather’s dynasty and conquered most of the Russian lands annexing the present-day Kazan and Astrakhan.
Once Ivan conquered Astrakhan, the Volga River became wholly Russian. In 1581, Siberia fell under the Russian Empire. However, it is important to note that Ivan himself did not acquire Siberia. It was a great triumph for Cossacks, who occupied east Ukraine. After having organized an army that outnumbered the Mongol presence in Russia, Ivan IV defeated the Mongol army and became the first Tsar of Russia in 1547, ending Tsar dominance in Russia. He created a stable and a powerful Russian state that lasted over four centuries. It was during his regime that emski sobor (land assembly) was founded in
1549. In 1584, Ivan IV’s son Fedor I succeeded on the throne. Ivan chose Irina, the sister of Boris Godunov to be Fedor’s bride. Boris was assigned to act as a guardian to Fedor. Boris, who is a descent of the Golden Horde, ruled under Fedor and recovered the towns lost to Sweden in 1583. He also strengthened the Russian presence in Siberia. Following the death of Fedor I, the land assembly elected Boris as the Tsar of Russia in 1603. However, with Boris coming to power as the first non-Rurik Tsar of Russia (being a descent of the Golden Horde), there was rising opposition to Boris among the Rurik boyars (noblemen). Later this situation led the neighbors: Poland and Switzerland, to interfere in the Russian affairs and turn in their advantage. Between 1604-1613, there were a few noblemen who attempted to impose military powers to claim the throne such as Dimitri (1603) and Cossacks (1607). The period between 1605 to 1613 saw a series of multiple attacks to claim the throne and therefore, is known as the “time of troubles” in Russian history. Finally, in 1613, after a series of factions within the territory, Russians agreed on a national candidate for the throne. The agreement resulted in Michael Romanov, the great-nephew of Anastasia (wife of Ivan IV), being elected as Tsar by the zemski sobor. His Romanov Dynasty ruled the Russian territory until the 1917 revolution. Romanov Tsars played a vital role in expanding the Russian territory to the east. After the death of Michael, his son Alexis became the Tsar and ruled the country until 1665. Upon his death in 1676, zemski sobor proclaimed Peter – the bright child of Alexis, as the Tsar. Peter became known as Peter the Great due to some of his accomplishments during his regime. He reconstituted the government structure and subordinated the Orthodox Church. On August 8th, 1700, when Russia’s access to Baltic Sea was blocked by Sweden, Peter declared war against Sweden. After the twenty-one yearlong “Northern War” as it was called, Russia conquered the southern coast of the Gulf of Finland. In 1721, a peace agreement was signed between Russia and Sweden, but the convention gave Peter all he had hoped for – the south and the eastern Baltic region. In 1703, Peter the Great founded the city of his dreams - St. Petersburg and proclaimed it the capital of Russia. In 1724, Peter also founded the Russian Academy of Sciences. Upon his death, his second wife, Catherine, a Lithuanian peasant captured in the Northern War, survived Peter on the throne. From then on three more females: German Princess Anna (1730-1740), Elizabeth (1741-1762), and Catherine the Great (1762 -1796) ruled the Russian territory. In 1755, the Moscow State University was founded. Catherine the Great annexed Lithuania in 1772 and Crimean Peninsula in 1783, strengthening the Russian presence in the Black Sea. In 1805, Catherine left the throne to her grandson, Alexander I.
He joined the third coalition against the French conqueror Napoleon. In 1812, Napoleon defeated the Russian army, yet the Russians took advantage of harsh winters in Moscow and guided the Napoleon and his army into an area in the Duchy of Moscow, where food and other resources were scarce. When the time was right, Russians attacked Napoleon and defeated his army. This event became known as the “The retreat of the Grand Army from Moscow” and has been a classic military example of invading force suffering disaster and devastation. Upon the death of Alexander I, there was no direct heir to the throne. His younger brother Nicholas I succeeded on the throne in 1825 and ruled Russia until 1855. He continued the legacy of his brother Alexander I and under his regime in 1853, Russia acquired a part of Ottoman Empire – Moldovia and
Wallachia. Nicholas, I was survived by his son Alexander II. The treaty of Paris which was signed during his reign resulted in Russia losing some of its power in the Black Sea. Later in 1859, Russia conquered the Caucasus and captured Shamil, the leader of the northern Caucasian region. In 1861, the progressive movement of industrialization led to the foundation of a revolutionary working class. Between the period of 1864-1865, Kazakh and Central Asian Muslim states were acquired. Alexander II was assassinated in 1881 in a bomb blast, ending the great era of reform in the history of Russia. Alexander is remembered for his reformation of Russia in terms of law, justice, and governance. His assassination gave a series of intense political conflicts and unrest in Russia. In such a time of crisis, Alexander III succeeded on the throne in 1881 and ruled until his death in 1894. Alexander III was survived by Nicholas II. In 1897, Carl Marx founded the Russian Social Democratic Party (RSDS). In 900, Lenin founded his controversial newspaper – “Iskra”, meaning “the spark”. In 1903, RSDS split into two separate parties: the Bolsheviks (“majorities”) were led by Lenin and the Mensheviks (“minorities”) were led by Julius Martov. In 1904, Russian expansion led to a war with Japan, however; the war only lasted for few months. On October 09th, 1905, a pastor named Father Gapon organized a peaceful to present a petition to the Tsar, Nicholas II. Nevertheless, the troops who saw it as a threat to the regime and opened a fire that resulted in approximately 200 deaths and 800 wounded, which became known as the Bloody Sunday massacre. This day marks the beginning of the first revolution in Russia. Over the next few months, hundreds and thousands of laborers went on strike. In response to the heightened political unrest within the territory, one of the senior advisors of the Tsar, Sergei Witte issued a manifesto to Nicholas II on October the 30th 1905. October Manifesto, Russian “Oktyabrsky Manifest” as it became known, is a statement that promised to grant the civil liberties: freedom of conscience, speech, assembly, and association. It also proposed to elect a parliament (Duma). Duma was recognized as the lawmaker and enforcement of Russia. With extreme hesitation, Nicholas II signed the October Manifesto, ending the supreme autocracy of Tsar. Nicholas II became the last Tsar of Russian Empire.