Chapter 5 Section 4 Absolute Rulers of RUSSIA

Chapter 5, Section 4 “Absolute Rulers of RUSSIA”

CZAR: title given to a ruler of Russia BOYARS: wealthy land-owning NOBLES of Russia Ivan the Terrible (Ivan IV) Ivan took the Russian throne in 1533; he earns his notorious nickname because he ordered the executions of thousands of BOYARS (he blamed them for his wife’s death)

After Ivan’s death, Russia experienced many years of turmoil, foreign invasion and indecisiveness……they called this the “time of troubles” Eventually, an assembly of nobles agreed on a new ruler they chose MICHAEL ROMANOV to lead Russia

Peter I (1682 -1725) “PETER THE GREAT” Remember that Russia was geographically ISOLATED from the rest of Europe, so it did not experience the impact of the Renaissance. The Russian people (8 million of them peasants) seemed to be hundreds of years behind the rest of Western Europe when it came to technologies, dress and even manners……

Peter sets out to change this through a process that came to be known as “westernization” (the process of modernizing Russia, and bringing it up to the same standards as the rest of Europe) Examples of Reform (“westernization”): 1. Modernized the ARMY *rank would be based on merit & experience, NOT nobility *positions would be FULL-TIME, PAID positions *better weapons – GUNS!

2. first-ever NAVY 3. “barber king” * Peter forced the nobles (boyars) to cut off their beards

4. 1 st newspaper was created *Peter was the editor 5. The status of WOMEN was improved *they no longer had to wear veils over their faces in public *they could serve in lower-level government positions

6. A new CALENDAR was adopted *a Christian calendar was used in Western Europe, so Peter wanted his country to “be on the same page” 7. New CROPS were introduced, like the POTATO! 8. Mercantilism was implemented as Russia’s main form of ECONOMY

The Great Northern War In 1721 Russia fought a war with Sweden to gain possession of lands along the Baltic Sea. Peter’s forces defeated King Charles XII in the GREAT NORTHERN WAR.

With access to the Baltic Sea, Peter could now build his new capital city, ST. PETERSBURG….

After Peter the Great’s death in 1725, his wife – Empress Catherine - ruled until she died. Eventually Peter III came to power, but he was deemed “unfit to rule. ” His wife, also named Catherine, became Czarina – “Catherine the Great”

Catherine the Great ruled from 1762 -1796. She picked up where Peter the Great left off with his expansion efforts. Catherine secured Russia’s first real WARM WATER PORT on the Black Sea after defeating the Ottoman Turks for the territory. She called this “a window on the West. ”

Catherine is also considered to have been a “reform-minded” Czarina. She tried to end cruel forms of torture in Russia, and also tried to rid the country of remaining remnants of serfdom.

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