Who was the first Russian tsar in Russia? crowning king crown crowning

For the first time, the ceremony of crowning the kingdom in its entirety, according to the order of the wedding of the Byzantine emperors, was performed in 1584 during the wedding of Fedor Ivanovich to the kingdom. The main component of the ceremony was the "great" exit of the sovereign with his retinue to the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. Inside the Assumption Cathedral, from the side of the western doors, a special royal place was arranged for the metropolitan to lay the royal crown on the head of the king. At the same time, for the first time, as a coronation regalia, a Russian sovereign was assigned a power (“sovereign apple”) with a pommel in the form of a cross as a symbol of power over all the lands of the Orthodox world. The name comes from the ancient Russian "durzha" power.
Also, Metropolitan Dionisy for the first time gave the tsar a symbol of the supreme royal power - a scepter - generously decorated with gems and crowned with a symbolic coat of arms made of precious materials. After chrismation and communion in the altar, the procession of the sovereign from the Assumption to the Archangel Cathedral took place.

In September 1598, the wedding of Boris Godunov took place. The crowning of the kingdom and the chrismation of Fyodor Borisovich Godunov, who inherited the throne, were not performed because of the short duration of his reign.

The wedding to the kingdom of False Dmitry I took place in July 1605. First, in the Assumption Cathedral, he was crowned by Patriarch Ignatius and presented with a scepter and orb, then in the Archangel Cathedral, Archbishop Arseny crowned him with the Monomakh's cap.

In May 1606, despite the protest of Archbishop Hermogenes, Patriarch Ignatius anointed and crowned Marina Mniszek, who refused baptism and communion according to the Orthodox rite.

In June 1606, Metropolitan Isidor of Novgorod crowned Vasily Shuisky as king.

Due to the absence of the patriarch, the ceremony of wedding to the kingdom of Mikhail Romanov in July 1613 was performed by Metropolitan Ephraim of Kazan.

In 1645, Patriarch Joseph crowned Alexei Mikhailovich as king.

At the wedding to the kingdom in June 1676, Fyodor Alekseevich was again carefully regulated the wedding ceremony in accordance with the wedding rite of the Byzantine emperors.

In the summer of 1682, two brothers, co-rulers Ivan Alekseevich and Peter Alekseevich (later Peter I) were crowned to the kingdom. For this rite, a double silver throne was specially made; When Ivan and Peter Alekseevich were crowned king, Ivan Alekseevich received the scepter and orb from the hands of the highest church hierarch as his elder brother.

With the adoption of the title of Emperor of the All-Russian by Peter I, the wedding ceremony for the kingdom was replaced by a coronation, which led to significant changes. The imperial mantle or porphyry with the chain of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called replaced the ancient royal clothes with barmas and a gold chain, the imperial crown - the cap of Monomakh. The model for the first Russian crown made of gilded silver and precious stones was the crown of the Byzantine Empire, composed of two hemispheres, symbolizing the unity of the eastern and western parts of the Roman Empire.

After the replacement of the representation of the church in the person of the patriarch by the conciliar representation of the synod, the ceremony of crowning the kingdom also changed significantly. If earlier the leading role in the performance of the ceremony belonged to the patriarch or metropolitan, now it has passed to the crowned himself. Before Peter I, the royal regalia were assigned to the king by the highest clergyman. This person sat next to the king in the place of the devil and turned to the king with a lesson. According to the new rank, the sovereign sat on the throne not with the primordial bishop, but with the empress. He himself laid the crown on himself and himself raised it on the head of the empress.

The first coronation took place in 1724 over Catherine I, the wife of Peter I. Two altars were placed in the Dormition Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. After a solemn procession to the sound of bells and the sounds of regimental bands, the emperor elevated his wife to the throne. When the empress pronounced the Creed, and the bishop read a prayer, the emperor laid the mantle on the empress. Crowning her with a crown and handing over the power, Peter I led Catherine to the Royal Doors to perform chrismation and communion of the Holy Mysteries.

At the wedding to the kingdom of Elizabeth Petrovna in 1741, litanies (prayer petition), troparion (church hymns in honor of the holiday), proverbs (readings from the Bible) and the reading of the Gospel were first introduced into the rank. The litany included a prayer for the crowned monarch.

At the coronation of Catherine II in September 1762, she, the first of the reigning persons, put on the crown with her own hands, and after anointing through the Royal Doors of the iconostasis of the temple, she went to the altar to the throne and communed the Holy Mysteries according to the royal rank.

Pavel Petrovich, the first of the Russian tsars, was crowned in 1797 together with his wife. Upon completion of the ceremony, the monarch, having taken his place on the throne and laid the regalia on the pillows, took off his crown and, touching it to the brow of the kneeling empress, put it on himself. Then he placed on his wife a smaller crown, the chain of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called and the imperial purple.

During the coronation of Nicholas I in 1826, he was presented with a kissing cross, which was on Peter I during the Battle of Poltava and saved him from death. Thus, the church emphasized the heroic spirit of the emperor, manifested during the Decembrist uprising in 1825.

Coronation Alexander III in May 1883 attracted over half a million people.

Celebrations on the occasion of the coronation of the last Russian Emperor Nicholas II in May 1896 were overshadowed by the tragedy on the Khodynka field in Moscow: two thousand people died in a stampede for free gifts.

The material was prepared on the basis of information from open sources

For the first time, the ceremony of crowning the kingdom in its entirety, according to the order of the wedding of the Byzantine emperors, was performed in 1584 during the wedding of Fedor Ivanovich to the kingdom. The main component of the ceremony was the "great" exit of the sovereign with his retinue to the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. Inside the Assumption Cathedral, from the side of the western doors, a special royal place was arranged for the metropolitan to lay the royal crown on the head of the king. At the same time, for the first time, as a coronation regalia, a Russian sovereign was assigned a power (“sovereign apple”) with a pommel in the form of a cross as a symbol of power over all the lands of the Orthodox world. The name comes from the ancient Russian "durzha" power.
Also, Metropolitan Dionisy for the first time gave the tsar a symbol of the supreme royal power - a scepter - generously decorated with gems and crowned with a symbolic coat of arms made of precious materials. After chrismation and communion in the altar, the procession of the sovereign from the Assumption to the Archangel Cathedral took place.

In September 1598, the wedding of Boris Godunov took place. The crowning of the kingdom and the chrismation of Fyodor Borisovich Godunov, who inherited the throne, were not performed because of the short duration of his reign.

The wedding to the kingdom of False Dmitry I took place in July 1605. First, in the Assumption Cathedral, he was crowned by Patriarch Ignatius and presented with a scepter and orb, then in the Archangel Cathedral, Archbishop Arseny crowned him with the Monomakh's cap.

In May 1606, despite the protest of Archbishop Hermogenes, Patriarch Ignatius anointed and crowned Marina Mniszek, who refused baptism and communion according to the Orthodox rite.

In June 1606, Metropolitan Isidor of Novgorod crowned Vasily Shuisky as king.

Due to the absence of the patriarch, the ceremony of wedding to the kingdom of Mikhail Romanov in July 1613 was performed by Metropolitan Ephraim of Kazan.

In 1645, Patriarch Joseph crowned Alexei Mikhailovich as king.

At the wedding to the kingdom in June 1676, Fyodor Alekseevich was again carefully regulated the wedding ceremony in accordance with the wedding rite of the Byzantine emperors.

In the summer of 1682, two brothers, co-rulers Ivan Alekseevich and Peter Alekseevich (later Peter I) were crowned to the kingdom. For this rite, a double silver throne was specially made; When Ivan and Peter Alekseevich were crowned king, Ivan Alekseevich received the scepter and orb from the hands of the highest church hierarch as his elder brother.

With the adoption of the title of Emperor of the All-Russian by Peter I, the wedding ceremony for the kingdom was replaced by a coronation, which led to significant changes. The imperial mantle or porphyry with the chain of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called replaced the ancient royal clothes with barmas and a gold chain, the imperial crown - the cap of Monomakh. The model for the first Russian crown made of gilded silver and precious stones was the crown of the Byzantine Empire, composed of two hemispheres, symbolizing the unity of the eastern and western parts of the Roman Empire.

After the replacement of the representation of the church in the person of the patriarch by the conciliar representation of the synod, the ceremony of crowning the kingdom also changed significantly. If earlier the leading role in the performance of the ceremony belonged to the patriarch or metropolitan, now it has passed to the crowned himself. Before Peter I, the royal regalia were assigned to the king by the highest clergyman. This person sat next to the king in the place of the devil and turned to the king with a lesson. According to the new rank, the sovereign sat on the throne not with the primordial bishop, but with the empress. He himself laid the crown on himself and himself raised it on the head of the empress.

The first coronation took place in 1724 over Catherine I, the wife of Peter I. Two altars were placed in the Dormition Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. After a solemn procession to the sound of bells and the sounds of regimental bands, the emperor elevated his wife to the throne. When the empress pronounced the Creed, and the bishop read a prayer, the emperor laid the mantle on the empress. Crowning her with a crown and handing over the power, Peter I led Catherine to the Royal Doors to perform chrismation and communion of the Holy Mysteries.

At the wedding to the kingdom of Elizabeth Petrovna in 1741, litanies (prayer petition), troparion (church hymns in honor of the holiday), proverbs (readings from the Bible) and the reading of the Gospel were first introduced into the rank. The litany included a prayer for the crowned monarch.

At the coronation of Catherine II in September 1762, she, the first of the reigning persons, put on the crown with her own hands, and after anointing through the Royal Doors of the iconostasis of the temple, she went to the altar to the throne and communed the Holy Mysteries according to the royal rank.

Pavel Petrovich, the first of the Russian tsars, was crowned in 1797 together with his wife. Upon completion of the ceremony, the monarch, having taken his place on the throne and laid the regalia on the pillows, took off his crown and, touching it to the brow of the kneeling empress, put it on himself. Then he placed on his wife a smaller crown, the chain of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called and the imperial purple.

During the coronation of Nicholas I in 1826, he was presented with a kissing cross, which was on Peter I during the Battle of Poltava and saved him from death. Thus, the church emphasized the heroic spirit of the emperor, manifested during the Decembrist uprising in 1825.

The coronation of Alexander III in May 1883 attracted over half a million people.

Celebrations on the occasion of the coronation of the last Russian Emperor Nicholas II in May 1896 were overshadowed by the tragedy on the Khodynka field in Moscow: two thousand people died in a stampede for free gifts.

The material was prepared on the basis of information from open sources

Crowning the kingdom

Crowning the kingdom solemn, sacral in nature, the acceptance by the monarch of the symbols of his power. The state act of crowning the kingdom declared the territorial integrity of the Russian state, the political sovereignty and unity of the Russian nation, which was guaranteed by the autocratic power of the tsar. This act regulated in detail the rite of the Crowning of the kingdom (the initial rite of placing on the great reign), feature which was a combination of secular and spiritual rites. The latter consisted in the sacrament of chrismation, the extraordinary gift of the Holy Spirit, communicated only to prophets, apostles and sovereigns. This rite affirmed the sacredness of the person of the sovereign (“anointed of God”) as the earthly vicar of God, who has divine attributes: a throne (throne) and a staff. "Planting on the table" was in Russia a ritual ceremony of accepting the grand duke's power and was performed in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. Among the most ancient attributes of the sovereign's "rank" is a "golden hat" with a fur trim (its appearance is associated with the influence of Turkic traditions, where such a headdress served as a symbol of vassalage). As the Muscovite state was liberated from dependence on the part of the Golden Horde, the grand ducal cap lost its former status; It received its name "Monomakhov's hereditary golden cap" under Ivan IV the Terrible. In the rank of putting on a great reign, the grand ducal barmas and the “golden great” belt also appeared, under Grand Duke Vasily I, the so-called life-giving cross was attached to them, on which Russian sovereigns gave a kiss of the cross at the Wedding to the kingdom.

The ceremony of the Crowning of the kingdom was first introduced by Ivan III, who considered himself the successor of the Byzantine emperors; On February 4, 1489, Ivan III crowned his grandson Dmitry to the “great reign of Vladimir and Moscow and Novgorod”, placing on him barm and Monomakh's cap. The wedding was accompanied by a magnificent feast at the Grand Duke. The wedding to the kingdom of Ivan IV the Terrible took place on January 16, 1547, according to the order of the wedding of Dmitry. In the doctrine of the divine origin of royal power officially enshrined under Ivan IV, the monarch was called the hereditary sovereign from his "ancestors", the successor of an ancient dynasty dating back to the Roman and Byzantine "cesars". The succession of the Byzantine crown by the Russian sovereign was finally confirmed by a conciliar charter of the clergy of the Eastern Orthodox Church, sent with the blessing of the Patriarch of Constantinople to Tsar Ivan IV in 1561, together with the book of the royal wedding of the Byzantine emperors. In the conciliar ("affirmative") charter of 1561, the rank of tsar in Russia was approved, and the entire order of the sacred action ("the rite of crowning the kingdom") was set out. For the first time, the ceremony of the Crowning of the kingdom in its entirety, according to the order of the wedding of the Byzantine emperors, was performed on May 31, 1584 at the Crowning of the kingdom of Fyodor Ivanovich. The main component of the ceremony was the “great” exit of the sovereign with his retinue to the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin (for the “great” exits during the wedding, the Golden, later Red Porch of the Faceted Chamber was intended). Inside the Cathedral of the Assumption, a special royal place (the "chamber of 12 steps") was arranged on the side of the western doors for Metropolitan Dionysius to lay the royal crown on the head of the king. At the same time, for the first time, as a coronation regalia, a Russian sovereign was assigned a power (“sovereign apple”) with a pommel in the form of a cross as a symbol of power over all the lands of the Orthodox world. After chrismation and communion in the altar, the procession of the sovereign from the Assumption to the Archangel Cathedral took place. The crowning of the kingdom was accompanied by a military festival on the Maiden's Field. On September 3, 1598, the Crowning of Boris Godunov took place (the ceremony was performed by Patriarch Job). The crowning of the kingdom and the chrismation of Fyodor Borisovich Godunov, who inherited the throne, were not performed due to the short duration of his reign. The wedding to the kingdom of False Dmitry I took place on July 22, 1605 (first, in the Assumption Cathedral, he was crowned by Patriarch Ignatius and presented with a scepter and orb, then in the Archangel Cathedral, Archbishop Arseny crowned him with Monomakh's cap). On May 8, 1606, Patriarch Ignatius, in spite of the protest of Archbishop Hermogenes, anointed and crowned Marina Mnishek, who refused baptism and communion. On June 1, 1606, Metropolitan Isidor of Novgorod crowned Vasily Ivanovich Shuisky as king. Due to the absence of the patriarch, the ceremony of the wedding ceremony for the kingdom of Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov (July 11, 1613) was performed by Metropolitan Ephraim of Kazan. On September 28, 1645, Patriarch Joseph crowned Alexei Mikhailovich, for whom new regalia were made in Constantinople: in 1658 the golden scepter of the “second outfit”, in 1662 orb, in 1665 “tiara” (barmas). At the Crowning of the kingdom (June 16, 1676) of Fyodor Alekseevich, the wedding ceremony was again carefully regulated in accordance with the wedding rite of the Byzantine emperors. On June 25, 1682, the wedding of two co-ruler brothers Ivan Alekseevich and Peter Alekseevich took place. For this rite, a double silver throne was specially made, for Pyotr Alekseevich, the so-called Monomakh's hat of the "second outfit" was made according to the model of the Monomakh's hat.

With the adoption of the title of "Emperor of All Russia" by Peter I, the wedding ceremony was replaced by a coronation, which led to significant changes both in the church ceremony and in the composition of the regalia.

O.G. Ulyanov.


Moscow. Encyclopedic reference book. - M.: Great Russian Encyclopedia. 1992 .

Synonyms:

See what "Wedding to the kingdom" is in other dictionaries:

    Coronation, accession, accession to the throne, accession to the throne, coronation, enthronement Dictionary of Russian synonyms. crowning the kingdom n., number of synonyms: 6 enthronement ... Synonym dictionary

    WEDDING TO THE KINGDOM- (coronation rite) the solemn presentation of the symbols of his power to the Tsar, accompanied by the Sacrament of Confirmation and other church rites ... Legal Encyclopedia

    The Red Gate, through which the coronation procession traditionally followed. Crowning the kingdom, the coronation ceremony of Russian monarchs, known since the time of Ivan III, the conductor of the idea of ​​\u200b\u200bpra ... Wikipedia

    A solemn ceremony that arose originally in the East, from here it passed to Byzantium and from the latter was borrowed by Russia. The first more accurate information about the V. of sovereigns does not go back more than half of the 5th century. According to the description of Byzantine historians, V. ... ... encyclopedic Dictionary F. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron

    - (rite of coronation), the solemn presentation of the symbols of his power to the Tsar, accompanied by the Sacrament of Confirmation and other church rites. The rite of coronation of Orthodox monarchs has been known since ancient times. The first literary mention of him came ... ... Russian history

    WEDDING TO THE KINGDOM- see Art. Tsar … Orthodox Encyclopedia

    It took place in 1605. Unlike all other coronation ceremonies in the Moscow Kingdom, the order of the coronation of False Dmitry I was threefold: Patriarch Ignatius laid the traditional Monomakh's cap and barmas in the Assumption Cathedral, then he also laid ... ... Wikipedia

    The Christian rite of laying a crown (crown) on the heads of believers when they enter into a church marriage, as well as at the coronation of monarchs (crowning a kingdom) ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

    I; cf. to Get married (1 2 digits). ◁ Wedding, oh, oh (2 characters). B. rite. In th dress. In th candles. * * * wedding 1) the Christian rite of placing a crown (crown) on the heads of those entering into a church marriage. 2) Solemn, having a sacred character ... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

    Wedding- church. marriage ceremony. It is named so because crowns (crowns) are held over the heads of the spouses. In the rite of V., in the very fact of crowning the young, purely ecclesiastics intersected. and Russian folklore ritual traditions. Folklore character are many. signs,… … Russian humanitarian encyclopedic dictionary

Books

  • The wedding of Russian sovereigns to the kingdom, from Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich to Emperor Alexander III,. The book was published in memory of the coronation of Emperor Alexander III and his wife Maria Feodorovna. The description of this event is prefaced historical sketch weddings to the kingdom of Russian sovereigns, who ...

The first Russian Tsar Ivan IV was born in August 1530 and was the heir to the Great Moscow Prince Vladimir III. Vladimir himself came from the Rurik dynasty, their Moscow branch. Ivan's mother, Elena, was a Lithuanian princess from the Glinsky family, originating from the temnik of the Golden Horde, the cruel and cunning Mamai.

When the future tsar was only three years old, Prince Vladimir died, and five years later his mother, Elena Glinskaya, also died. The boy was left a complete orphan and was given to the upbringing of guardians - the boyars, between whom there was a constant struggle for influence on the fragile soul of the child.

The atmosphere of intrigue, meanness and deceit in which Ivan grew up had a strong influence on the development of his character and largely shaped the further policy of government.

It was not for nothing that Ivan IV subsequently received the terrifying nickname the Terrible or the Bloody Tsar. The reign of Ivan the Terrible was truly bloody and cruel. He was a despotic, tough ruler, who in all his decisions was guided solely by his own interests, achieving his goal at any cost.

The fact that already at the age of 13 Ivan rebelled against the boyars and ordered Andrei Shuisky to be torn to pieces by dogs can serve as confirmation of the strong will and authority of the future ruler of Russia. In the future, Grozny confirmed his nickname more than once, ruthlessly eliminating rivals, arranging demonstrative executions and not having leniency even towards close people.

At the same time, Ivan the Terrible was remembered by contemporaries not only for his stormy and quick-tempered disposition, quick to reprisal. It was one of the most educated people that time. He wrote music, compiled numerous literary "messages", contributed to the emergence of book publishing, and he himself owned one of the best libraries in Europe, had a deep knowledge of theology and had a phenomenal memory.

The king died in 1584 at the age of only 54 years. According to some sources, in last years The life of Ivan IV was paralyzed, the cause of which was a disease of the spine.

The year of the wedding to the kingdom of the first Russian tsar

The most important result of the reign of Ivan the Terrible is the introduction of sole rule and the adoption of the royal title. The concept of the very first kings is associated with Byzantine culture and comes from the Roman "Caesar".

Note! In the history of Russia, Ivan the Terrible is the first to be named tsar. Until 1547, all Russian rulers were called princes.

When Ivan was 17 years old, he was officially introduced into the status of autocrat, although he nominally played the role of ruler of the state from the age of three, after the death of his father, Prince Vladimir III.

The year of the wedding is 1547, the date is January 25. The procedure was carried out in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin.

During this solemn action, the symbols of royal power were entrusted to the young prince:

  • Cross of the Life-Giving Tree.
  • Barma is a sacred garment that covers the shoulders, inlaid with precious stones and painted with drawings on religious themes.
  • Monomakh's cap is a symbol of autocracy and the main regalia of Russian princes, decorated with gold and jewels.

Thereafter future king accepted the "anointing" and became the recognized ruler of all Russia.

What gave the state the proclamation of royal power?

Entry into power by Ivan the Terrible was carried out in violation of generally accepted norms. The ceremony of "crowning the kingdom" was performed by the Russian Metropolitan Macarius, while according to the established canons, the Pope of Rome or the Patriarch of Constantinople should have done this.

This was the reason that the legitimacy of the title was denied by other states for several years. But already in 1561, Patriarch Joseph of Constantinople signed a Council Charter confirming the correctness of the new status of the monarch.

The royal title radically changed the position of the state in diplomatic relations:

  • He equated the authority of Ivan the Terrible with the most significant figure in the political arena of those years - the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.
  • Countries Western Europe unconditionally recognized the growing influence of Russia as a developing and strong world power.

Note! The Polish-Lithuanian state for a long time refused to accept the legitimacy of the coronation and, during the 16th century, did not recognize the title of autocrat.

The results of the reign of Ivan the Terrible

It should be noted that it was during the reign of Ivan the Terrible in Russia that an unprecedented rise was felt in many areas.

The changes that took place over the almost forty-year period of the reign of Ivan IV, in many respects strengthened the role of the Russian state at the international level, and innovative changes were made in the internal course of the country:

  1. Thanks to the policy of centralized power pursued by Ivan the Terrible, a strong and effective authority appeared, which made it possible to strengthen the internal positions of the state and raise international prestige.
  2. The territory of the Moscow State expanded - the Astrakhan and Kazan Khanates were annexed.
  3. Thanks to Yermak's campaign, the development of Siberian lands began.
  4. Publishing has developed.

In addition, a large number of reforms were carried out in the Russian kingdom:

  • In 1550, changes were made to the Sudebnik, the main collection of laws of that period. They eliminated the privileges of the princes and expanded the rights of the state judiciary.
  • Amendments have been made to the taxation system.
  • The number and combat effectiveness of the Russian army increased.
  • The influence of the monasteries was weakened and their funding reduced.
  • A monetary reform was carried out, the result of which was the creation of a unified payment system of the state.

Note! After financial transformations, new chased forms came into use, on which a horseman with a spear was depicted. It was these coins that the people got the name "penny", which we use to this day.

Wives and children of Ivan the Terrible

The first wife of Ivan IV was Anastasia Romanovna Zakharyina-Yuryeva, the wedding with which took place a month after the coronation of the tsar - on February 13, 1547. This marriage was long, it lasted more than 13 years, until the death of Anastasia.

After that, the Russian Tsar repeatedly started a new family, among other things, having numerous illegal connections.

The fate of the other wives with whom Ivan the Terrible lived between these three marriages was tragic:

  • Martha Sobakina - died two weeks after the wedding.
  • Anna Koltovskaya - forcibly exiled to a monastery.
  • Anna Vasilchikova was tonsured a nun against her will.
  • Vasilisa Melentyeva - concubine, fate unknown.

Fyodor I Ioannovich, who ascended the throne after the death of his father, was the last of the dynasty of Moscow tsars - Rurikovich. After that, in 1613, Mikhail Fedorovich from the Romanov family became the Russian Tsar.

Disputes about the identity of the first Russian tsar have been going on for the next five centuries after his reign. At the end of the 20th century, the question of canonizing his image was even raised.

But Orthodox Church opposed this idea, considering the figure of Ivan the Terrible too controversial and odious, which became an obstacle to conferring a holy rank on him.

Useful video

January 16, 1547 464 years ago

In the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, he is crowned king Grand Duke John Vasilievich.

Ivan IV the Terrible

The ancient Byzantine kingdom with its divinely crowned emperors has always been a model for the Orthodox countries, but it fell under the blows of the infidels. Moscow, in the eyes of the Russian Orthodox people, was to become the heiress of Tsargrad - Constantinople. The triumph of autocracy personified the triumph of the Orthodox faith.

The rite of the solemn wedding ceremony was compiled by Metropolitan Macarius. The Metropolitan laid on John the signs of royal dignity - the cross of the Life-Giving Tree, barmas and the cap of Monomakh; Ivan Vasilievich was anointed with chrism, and then the metropolitan blessed the tsar.


The royal title of John was recognized by Constantinople. The Patriarch of Constantinople informed Ivan the Terrible that “his royal name is commemorated in the Cathedral Church on all Sundays, as the names of former Byzantine Tsars; this is commanded to be done in all dioceses, where there are only metropolitans and bishops”, “and about your blessed wedding to the kingdom from St. Metropolitan of All Russia, our brother and comrade-in-arms, has been accepted by us for the good and worthy of your kingdom.”

The royal title allowed the Russian sovereign to take a significantly different position in diplomatic relations with Western Europe.

The previously adopted grand ducal title was translated into European languages ​​​​as "prince" or even " Grand Duke". The title "king" in the aristocratic hierarchy was on a par with the title "king".

N.M. Karamzin. History of Russian Goverment. T.8, ch.3

Since that time, the Russian Monarchs have begun not only in relations with other Powers, but also within the State, in all affairs and papers, to be called Tsars, retaining the title of Grand Dukes, consecrated by antiquity; and the scribes of Moscow announced to the people that with this the prophecy of the Apocalypse about the sixth Kingdom, which is Russian, was fulfilled. Although the title does not give natural power, it affects the imagination of people, and the biblical name of the Tsar, reminiscent of the Assyrian, Egyptian, Jewish, and finally, Orthodox Greek crowned crowns, exalted the dignity of their Sovereigns in the eyes of the Russians. "They reconciled," say the Chroniclers, "our enemies, the unfaithful Kings and the impious Kings: John stood at the first degree of power between them!" It is noteworthy that Patriarch Joasaph of Constantinople, as a sign of his zeal for the Crown-bearer of Russia, in 1561 approved him in the rank of Tsar by a conciliar charter, saying in it: “Not only the tradition of reliable people, but the chronicles themselves testify that the current Ruler of Moscow comes from the unforgettable Empress Anna, sister of the Emperor Porphyrogenitus, and that the Metropolitan of Ephesus, authorized for this purpose by the Council of the Byzantine Clergy, crowned the Russian Grand Duke Vladimir to the Kingdom. This charter was signed by thirty-six Metropolitans and Bishops of Greece.

The first Russian Tsar went down in history as a very controversial personality.

He carried out zemstvo, church and a number of other reforms, created orders - unified governing bodies. Under him, the Sudebnik was compiled - a set of Russian laws. He composed church hymns "stichera" and music, played chess well. Ivan IV conquered the Kazan and Astrakhan khanates, subjugated the Chuvash and Cheremis. During his reign, trade with England began.

After the introduction of the oprichnina, Ivan IV began to be called the Terrible.

During the years of his reign, the territory of Russia has almost doubled - up to 5.4 million square meters. km, slightly more than the rest of Europe. The country has become a huge power with high international prestige. However, as a result of the oprichnina, long and unsuccessful wars, the state came to ruin, which caused a deep state-political and economic crisis in the late 16th - early 17th centuries.

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