Russia's Czars

Ivan the Terrible

1584

Ivan the Terrible was the first and most famous Czar of Russia. He was known for his brutal methods of dealing with others, such as beating his son to death with his own wooden scepter. However, he was much more than that, and he accomplished many things for Russia. For example, when negotiating with England it was him who opened up trade routes, and it was him who annexed many Russian territories, such as Siberia and Astrakhan. He was definitely one of the most important Russians to have lived.

Boris Godunov

1605

Boris Godunov was Ivan the Terrible's bodyguard, and it was him who seized the throne after Ivan's death. Boris attempted to westernize Russia by allowing nobles to seek education in other countries and negotiating trade deals with Scandinavian countries. However, he also introduced the idea of peasants being noble to only one noble, and facing death if they betrayed him. He died leaving behind a Russia on the brink of civil war, cementing his place as one of the most famous Russians in history.

Michael I

1645

Michael the First was the first Romanov, a dynasty that would last for hundreds of years until the end of the czardom and the rise of communism. Michael himself didn't do very much, and was mostly a footnote save for his claim to fame. The only real important thing that he accomplished was his peace treaty with Sweden and Poland.

Peter the Great

1725

Peter the Great is famous for many things, but perhaps his most well known accomplishment was his relentless drive to westernize Russia, a drive that led to the loss of many lives. He required his Officers to shave their beards and act as western courts did. He also went on his Grand Embassy, large excursion to courts across Europe where he remained anonymous.

Elizabeth of Russia

1762

Elizabeth of Russia was one of the most powerful and influential women in history, She rose to power in a bloodless coup, the first in Russian history. During her reign she involved Russia in the seven years war and the wars of the Austrian succession. She never executed a single person under her reign, and founded the university of Moscow. She was also known for her extravagant flavor, spending most of the Russian treasury on palaces and other such luxuries.

Catherine the Great

1796

Catherine the Great was arguably the most important person in Europe for a long period of time after she seized the throne from her husband Peter the third. During her rule Russia experienced a time of great prosperity, with the annexation of the Crimea, Alaska, and territories along the black sea. She was known for her continuation of westernizing Russia, which went against her exploitation of the serfs, revoking their right to petition the imperial court.

Alexander I

1825

Alexander the First ruled during the era of Napoleon, a time where the normal foreign policy was uprooted and bent to the Frenchman's will. At the beginning of his rule Alexander was an indecisive ruler, but he got over it after Napoleon's failed invasion f Russia. Seeing this, Alexander turned to God, thanking him for stopping Napoleon where no others could. He became obsessed with religion, and quickly became paranoid of being assassinated or poisoned. He died in 1825 of natural causes.

Nicholas I

1855

Nicholas I was the epitome of everything that communism would later grow to hate. He was a cruel ruler, flexing his power over his people like a vice, and he valued the military over all else, eventually running the Russian economy into the ground thanks to his spending on the army. When the Crimean War broke out, however, it detailed just how unprepared he was seeing as Russia had less than 600 miles of railroad tracks across the entire country. After his defeat he died of natural causes

Alexander II

1881

Alexander II was one of the most progressive Russian rulers of all. It was he who finally freed the Serfs from their cruel bondage, at the same time Lincoln freed the slaves. He also opened many universities, encouraged foreign policies, and stripped the nobles of some of their power. However, it was not all good, ans he rushed a rebellious Poland by annexing them. However much he accomplished, it was too little, too late in the eyes of some, and he was assassinated in 1881.

Nicholas II

1917

Nicholas II was one of the most despised men in Russian history by some, and it is not without reason. After all this man nearly drove Russia into the ground with his unfair treatment of workers, influence of the unhinged Russian monk Rasputin, defeat in the Russo-Japanese War, the 1905 Revolution, which saw the creation of Russia's first-ever democratic body, the Dumas, and the Communist Revolution, which spelled the end for the Russian ruling class, and the rise of communism.

The Territorial expansion of the Russian empire

2018

Here is the picture of The Territorial expansion of the Russian empire