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The First Russian State

The first Russian state was founded in Eastern Europe in 862 by Rurik (born 830 - died 879), who became the ruler of Novgorod. Rus' is an archaic term for Varangians, or Vikings. Novgorod was one of the first major cities of the original amalgamation of immigrants from Scandinavia, namely, Slavic tribes. His successor was Prince Oleg, known as Oleg the Wise. Prince Oleg (born 845 - died 912) was a Varangian prince who is believed to have ruled Novgorod and the lands inhabited by the Rus' tribes during the late 9th and early 10th centuries. In 882, Prince Oleg of Novgorod invaded and captured a region named Kiev; thereafter, Oleg unified the Northern and Southern lands of the Eastern Slavs under one authority. Henceforth, Prince Oleg proclaimed Kiev as the capital of Kievan Rus'. However, there are still debates amongst scholars about the precise timeline of Prince Oleg's supposed governance of those territories. The state of Kievan Rus' adopted Christianity from the Byzantine Empire in 988, and from then the amalgamation of Byzantine and Slavic cultures was forever integrated, which defined the Orthodox Slavic culture for the next 1,000 years. Moscow was founded in 1147 and eventually became the home to many of the Rus' tribes of people. Over the ensuing decades, Moscow's population and economy increased, while its inhabitants steadily became wealthier. However, between 1237 and 1240, the Mongolians invaded and captured that region and subsequently ruled Kievan Rus' from 1240 to 1480.

The Mongolian Reign (1237 - 1480)

Batu Khan (born 1205- died 1255) was the senior Mongolian commander who launched a full-scale invasion across Kievan Rus' between 1237 and 1240, which was part of a wider invasion against Europe. Batu Khan was the son of Jochi Khan, who was the eldest son of Genghis Khan. The Mongolian forces under the command of Batu Khan eventually defeated the region of Kievan Rus', and as a result, many of the Kievan Rus population were slaughtered, and cities such as Ryazan, Kolomna, Moscow, Vladimir, and Kiev were destroyed. The only major cities that had escaped destruction were Novgorod and Pskov, after which the Mongolian feudal lords ruled large parts of Kievan Rus' from the 13th century to about 1480. Mongolian rule of the Kievan Rus' regions became known as vassals of the Golden Horde. The Mongolians had permitted certain regions within Kievan Rus', the privilege of self-government, but in return for this privilege, the Mongolian rulers demanded regular payments from Kievan Rus. The Golden Horde was a mixture of Turks and Mongols, also known as the Kipchak Khanate, or the Ulus of Jochi Khan, a supreme commander, who was the eldest son of Genghis Khan. The term 'Ulus' refers to the socio-political and military structure of the Turkish and Mongolian people who ruled Kievan Rus' in that era. Batu Khan (son of Jochi Khan) was the Mongol ruler who founded the Golden Horde. After the 13th century, Moscow began to achieve economic and political success, and in addition, Moscow had invested heavily in building a powerful army. Finally, in 1380, the Rus' army became powerful enough to launch an attack against the Mongolian forces who held them captive. Many battles took place over the ensuing decades, and in 1480, the Rus army led by Ivan III finally defeated the Mongolian forces (Grand Stand at the Ugra River) to reclaim lost regions. And by the 15th century, Moscow had united all the territories it had reclaimed. Henceforth, Moscow became the centre of the unification of all the Rus' regions, also known as the territories of 'The Grand Duchy of Moscow'.

Ivan IV (1530 - 1584) 'Ivan The Terrible'

Ivan IV Vasilyevich (born 1530 - died 1584), better known as 'Ivan the Terrible', became Grand Prince of Moscow in 1533 after his father died. When Ivan IV was 16 years old, he wisely appointed a group of reformist nobles as his council, who then became known as the 'Chosen Council'. After which, Ivan ordered his new council of nobles to ordain him with the title of Tsar (Emperor) of Rus' in January 1547. From that date, the Tsardom of Rus', also known as the 'Tsardom of Muscovy, prevailed until the Russian Revolution in 1917. Shortly after Ivan's inauguration, he married Anastasia Romanova, who was his first wife and the daughter of the Romanov family (aristocrats). Henceforth, the Romanov dynasty ruled Russia for the next 300 years. Ivan's reign proved to be one of the most eventful in the history of Russian monarchs. During his infamous rule, Ivan IV acquired countless enemies both within and beyond his kingdom. He had a reputation for swiftly and ruthlessly suppressing people's revolts within his realm. He had also prevailed over a series of famines and plagues that haunted his Kingdom, and he invaded other nations in an attempt to capture more land and attain greater power. Ivan the Terrible ruled as his pseudonym implied, in a dictatorial, ruthless, and tyrannical manner. Indeed, he became infamous for his murderous fits of rage and paranoid behaviour, which evoked rumours about his mental decline. According to historical documents, on one occasion, Ivan IV became involved in an altercation with his eldest son, Ivan Ivanovich, which ended tragically when Ivan became so enraged that he brutally slayed his eldest son and his eldest son's unborn child. Ivan IV's tenure became known as a reign of terror due to his numerous brutal acts of violence against unfortunate victims. Nevertheless, Ivan the Terrible was credited with enacting several laws, which were widely considered beneficial to the Russian Empire. He created the Zemsky Sobor (assembly of the realm), the first Russian parliament, which was comprised of Nobles, the Orthodox clergy, the holy synod (council of the church), the high bureaucracy (non-elected governing officials), and representatives of the 'commoners' which included merchants and townspeople.

Peter I (1772 - 1725) 'Peter The Great'

Peter I (born 1672 - died 1725), commonly known as Peter the Great, reigned jointly with his half-brother Ivan V as the Tsar of Russia between 1682 and 1696 and was officially declared Emperor in 1721 by the Russian Senate, at which time, Peter I renamed Moscow as the 'Russian Empire', then ruled as Emperor of Russia until his death, in 1725. Peter the Great was a Russian leader who harboured high expansionist ambitions, and he was remarkably successful in his war campaigns against other nations. He achieved military victories over great rivals such as the Ottoman Empire and Sweden, which resulted in the capture of new lands and the expansion of Russian territory. Peter the Great was made famous for being the first Russian monarch to successfully build a powerful Russian navy, and he was also the founder of St. Petersburg on 27 May 1703, which became the capital of Russia until 1918, after which the capital was returned to Moscow. Peter the Great was praised and admired for spearheading a cultural, political, and economic revolution in Russia. He orchestrated major reforms on trade, education, culture and foreign policy, said to be based on Western ideologies, and transformed Russia into an affluent nation, the success of which had changed the Russian Empire into a major European force from that moment in history.

Catherine II (1729 - 1796) 'Catherine The Great'

Catherine II (born 1729 - died 1796), also known as Catherine the Great, was a German princess who married Peter III (also of German birth) in 1762. At the time of their marriage, Peter III (grandson of Peter the Great) was heir apparent to the Russian throne. However, Peter III proved to be a weak leader, while Catherine II had a reputation for being a shrewd, calculating, and ruthless opportunist. In 1762, Catherine successfully orchestrated the overthrow of her husband by way of a coup d'etat to eventually become Queen regnant of Russia. Catherine II was said to be a scholar and a passionate supporter of the 'Age of Enlightenment', which was an intellectual and philosophical movement, and she was also famous for patronising the Arts, science, and other educational establishments. Catherine II contributed to the resurgence of the Russian nobility, founded the Charter to the Gentry in 1785, which was a charter for the rights, freedoms, and privileges of the noble Russian gentry. She extended political control over the Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth, legislated for greater control over Russian churches and monasteries, and introduced new laws for serfdom (peasants owned by landlords), which forced serfs to labour longer hours for their owners. This controversial law, introduced by Catherine II, was despised by the 'peasants', who eventually revolted in a major uprising in 1773. She achieved two victories in two wars against the declining Ottoman Empire, namely, between 1768 to 1774, and 1787 to 1792. Catherine ordered the annexation of Crimea in 1783, which gave the Russian navy control over the Black Sea. It is important to mention that although Cathrine II was praised for many of her deeds, some of her laws were unpopular to parts of the Russian population. Nonetheless, she is celebrated in Russia because during her reign, ultimately, old Russia experienced long periods of economic growth and prosperity.

Nicholas II (1868 - 1918)

Nicholas II (born 1868 - died July 1918), was the last Emperor of Russia. The Empire of Japan was at war with the Empire of Russia between 1904 and 1905. The feud was over disputed territories due to a clash of their expansionist ambitions, which ultimately resulted in Russia suffering a humiliating defeat. In addition, there was growing domestic unrest festering within many parts of Russia, due to widespread poverty across the nation. Great sections of the Russian population expressed extreme discontentment towards Nicholas II (Tsar) and his parliament. The Russian government's economic policies had failed disastrously, resulting in chronic poverty throughout Russia, this event eventually initiated the Russian Revolution which began during the first World War, starting with the 'February Revolution' also known as the 'February Bourgeois Democratic Revolution' also known as 'The March Revolution' which had taken place in 'Petrograd' now known as Saint Petersburg, between 8 February and 16 March, 1917. The end of the Russian Empire and its ruling Romanov dynasty occurred on 15 March 1917, with the abdication of Nicholas II. His execution occurred on 17 July 1918, and he was the last Tsar of Russia. Communism evolved in Russia as a consequence of the 'October Revolution' also known as the 'Great October Socialist Revolution' which occurred on 25 October 1917. This was the second revolution in Russia, and it was instigated by the Bolshevik party, which in turn contributed to the Russian Civil War (1917 - 1922). The Bolsheviks (founded in 1912) were a radical far-left party and revolutionary Marxist faction established by Vladimir Lenin and Alexander Bogdanov, they separated from the Menshevik faction of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP), which was a socialist political party founded in 1898. In 1922, Soviet Russia, along with Soviet Ukraine, Soviet Belarus, and Transcaucasian (SFSR), signed the treaty for the creation of the USSR (United Soviet Socialist Republic).