All the tsars of Russia in order (with portraits): a complete list.

For almost 400 years of the existence of this title, it was worn by completely different people - from adventurers and liberals to tyrants and conservatives.

Rurikovichi

Over the years, Russia (from Rurik to Putin) has changed its political system many times. At first, the rulers had a princely title. When, after a period of political fragmentation, a new Russian state was formed around Moscow, the owners of the Kremlin thought about accepting the royal title.

This was done under Ivan the Terrible (1547-1584). This one decided to marry the kingdom. And this decision was not accidental. So the Moscow monarch emphasized that he was the successor. It was they who bestowed Orthodoxy on Russia. In the 16th century, Byzantium no longer existed (it fell under the onslaught of the Ottomans), so Ivan the Terrible rightly believed that his act would have serious symbolic significance.

Historical figures such as this king big influence for the development of the entire country. In addition to the fact that Ivan the Terrible changed his title, he also captured the Kazan and Astrakhan khanates, starting Russian expansion to the East.

Ivan's son Fedor (1584-1598) was distinguished weak character and health. Nevertheless, under him the state continued to develop. The patriarchate was established. Rulers have always paid much attention to the issue of succession to the throne. This time he stood up especially sharply. Fedor had no children. When he died, the Rurik dynasty on the Moscow throne came to an end.

Time of Troubles

After Fyodor's death, Boris Godunov (1598-1605), his brother-in-law, came to power. He did not belong to the royal family, and many considered him a usurper. With him because of natural disasters there was a huge famine. The tsars and presidents of Russia have always tried to keep calm in the provinces. Due to the tense situation, Godunov failed to do this. Several peasant uprisings took place in the country.

In addition, the adventurer Grishka Otrepiev called himself one of the sons of Ivan the Terrible and began a military campaign against Moscow. He really managed to capture the capital and become king. Boris Godunov did not live up to this moment - he died from health complications. His son Fyodor II was captured by the associates of False Dmitry and killed.

The impostor ruled for only a year, after which he was overthrown during the Moscow uprising, inspired by disgruntled Russian boyars who did not like that False Dmitry surrounded himself with Catholic Poles. decided to transfer the crown to Vasily Shuisky (1606-1610). AT Troubled times Russia's rulers changed frequently.

The princes, tsars and presidents of Russia had to carefully guard their power. Shuisky did not hold her back and was overthrown by the Polish interventionists.

First Romanovs

When in 1613 Moscow was liberated from foreign invaders, the question arose of who should be made sovereign. This text presents all the tsars of Russia in order (with portraits). Now it's time to tell about the ascension to the throne of the Romanov dynasty.

The first sovereign of this kind - Michael (1613-1645) - was just a young man when he was put to rule a vast country. His main goal was the struggle with Poland for the lands occupied by it during the Time of Troubles.

These were the biographies of the rulers and the dates of the reign until the middle of the 17th century. After Michael, his son Alexei (1645-1676) ruled. He annexed left-bank Ukraine and Kyiv to Russia. So, after several centuries of fragmentation and Lithuanian rule, the fraternal peoples finally began to live in one country.

Alexei had many sons. The eldest of them, Fedor III (1676-1682), died at a young age. After him came the simultaneous reign of two children - Ivan and Peter.

Peter the Great

Ivan Alekseevich was unable to govern the country. Therefore, in 1689, the sole reign of Peter the Great began. He completely rebuilt the country in a European manner. Russia - from Rurik to Putin (in chronological order consider all the rulers) - knows few examples of such an epoch so full of changes.

A new army and navy appeared. To do this, Peter started a war against Sweden. 21 years lasted North War. During it, the Swedish army was defeated, and the kingdom agreed to cede its southern Baltic lands. In this region, in 1703, St. Petersburg was founded - the new capital of Russia. Peter's success made him think about changing his title. In 1721 he became emperor. However, this change did not abolish the royal title - in everyday speech, monarchs continued to be called kings.

The era of palace coups

Peter's death was followed by a long period of unstable power. The monarchs succeeded each other with enviable regularity, which was facilitated. As a rule, the guards or certain courtiers were at the head of these changes. During this era, Catherine I (1725-1727), Peter II (1727-1730), Anna Ioannovna (1730-1740), Ivan VI (1740-1741), Elizabeth Petrovna (1741-1761) and Peter III (1761-1762) ruled ).

The last of them was of German origin. Under the predecessor of Peter III, Elizabeth, Russia waged a victorious war against Prussia. The new monarch renounced all conquests, returned Berlin to the king and concluded a peace treaty. With this act, he signed his own death warrant. The guards organized another palace coup, after which Peter's wife Catherine II was on the throne.

Catherine II and Paul I

Catherine II (1762-1796) had a deep state mind. On the throne, she began to pursue a policy of enlightened absolutism. The Empress organized the work of the famous statutory commission, the purpose of which was to prepare a comprehensive project of reforms in Russia. She also wrote the Order. This document contained many considerations about the transformations needed for the country. The reforms were curtailed when, in the 1770s, the Volga region broke out peasant uprising under the leadership of Pugachev.

All the tsars and presidents of Russia (in chronological order, we listed all the royal persons) took care that the country looked worthy on the foreign arena. She was no exception. She led several successful military campaigns against Turkey. As a result, Crimea and other important Black Sea regions were annexed to Russia. At the end of Catherine's reign, three partitions of Poland took place. So the Russian Empire received important acquisitions in the west.

After death great empress her son Pavel I (1796-1801) came to power. This quarrelsome man was not liked by many in the St. Petersburg elite.

First half of the 19th century

In 1801 there was another and the last palace coup. A group of conspirators dealt with Pavel. His son Alexander I (1801-1825) was on the throne. His reign was Patriotic War and Napoleon's invasion. The rulers of the Russian state have not faced such a serious enemy intervention for two centuries. Despite the capture of Moscow, Bonaparte was defeated. Alexander became the most popular and famous monarch Old World. He was also called "the liberator of Europe".

Inside his country, Alexander in his youth tried to implement liberal reforms. Historical figures often change their policies as they age. So Alexander soon abandoned his ideas. He died in Taganrog in 1825 under mysterious circumstances.

At the beginning of the reign of his brother Nicholas I (1825-1855) there was an uprising of the Decembrists. Because of this, conservative orders triumphed in the country for thirty years.

Second half of the 19th century

Here are all the tsars of Russia in order, with portraits. Further, we will talk about the main reformer of the national statehood - Alexander II (1855-1881). He became the initiator of the manifesto on the liberation of the peasants. The destruction of serfdom allowed the development of the Russian market and capitalism. The country began the economic growth. The reforms also affected the judiciary, local self-government, administrative and conscription systems. The monarch tried to raise the country to its feet and learn the lessons that the lost started under Nicholas I presented him.

But Alexander's reforms were not enough for the radicals. Terrorists attempted several times on his life. In 1881 they were successful. Alexander II died from a bomb explosion. The news came as a shock to the whole world.

Because of what happened, the son of the deceased monarch Alexander III(1881-1894) forever became a hard reactionary and conservative. But he is best known as a peacemaker. During his reign, Russia did not conduct a single war.

The last king

Alexander III died in 1894. Power passed into the hands of Nicholas II (1894-1917) - his son and the last Russian monarch. By that time, the old world order with the absolute power of kings and kings had already outlived itself. Russia - from Rurik to Putin - knew a lot of upheavals, but it was under Nicholas that there were more than ever many of them.

In 1904-1905. the country experienced a humiliating war with Japan. It was followed by the first revolution. Although the unrest was suppressed, the king had to make concessions public opinion. He agreed to establish a constitutional monarchy and a parliament.

The tsars and presidents of Russia at all times faced a certain opposition within the state. Now people could elect deputies who expressed these sentiments.

In 1914 the First World War. No one then suspected that it would end with the fall of several empires at once, including the Russian one. In 1917, the February Revolution broke out, and the last tsar had to abdicate. Nicholas II, together with his family, was shot by the Bolsheviks in the basement of the Ipatiev House in Yekaterinburg.

I continue a series of posts about titles and their history. Today I will tell you about kings.

Tsar- one of the titles of the monarch. The first ruler to take this title was the Bulgarian prince Simeon I in the 10th century. Subsequently, the title of tsar was used by the monarchs of Bulgaria and Serbia, as well as in the Russian state, and then in the Empire.

Artist Shishkin Andrey. Tsar Ivan the Terrible

The first to wear the title of tsar in 1547 was Ivan IV Vasilievich, known as the Terrible. But since 1721, the Emperor of All Russia became the main title in Russia, after Peter I was declared the "Emperor of All Russia". At the same time, the word tsar continued to be used everywhere, especially in the West in relation to the Russian monarch, and, in addition, continued to be included in his full title, as component.

Artist Gottfried Kneller. Portrait of 26-year-old Peter I.

Now I will not be distracted by the history of the full title of Russian monarchs, I do not want to make the record heavier, but I will definitely write about it later. Now I’ll just say that the title was both large (full) and small (short), which, for example, Ivan IV sounded like this: Ivan, by the grace of God, ruler of all Rus', Grand Duke Volodimersky, Moscow, Novgorodsky and others.

I will also say that the title was applied to the Russian monarchs white king. The Russian tsars were called so, starting with Ivan the Terrible, by the Eastern peoples, as well as by the Kuban Cossacks.

There is an assumption that this name comes from the fact that the Russian tsars wore a white klobuk, as opposed to the Persian shahs, who wore red caps and therefore were called "kizil-bash". But there is another suggestion that this name was given to the Russian tsars as free, independent, sovereigns who did not pay tribute to anyone, according to the concept that the Eastern peoples attached to the word "white".

It must be said that the image of the "white tsar" is one of the sacred images of Russian folk spiritual poetry - in particular, it is contained in famous monument Russian literature "Pigeon Book" (a collection of Eastern Slavic folk spiritual poems of the late XV - early XVI century, in the questions and answers of which information is given about the origin of the world, people, estates, geographical information, natural science, and others.):

"We have a White Tsar - a Tsar over Tsars.
Why is the White king king over kings?
And he keeps the baptized faith,
Faith baptized, devout,
stands for the Christian faith,
For the house of the Blessed Virgin Mary, -
Therefore, the White king is king over kings ... "

According to the studies of B. A. Uspensky, the first fixation of the name "white tsar" as the name of the Moscow sovereign in a written source is in the "Tale" of Simeon Suzdalets (1447-1448), where this phrase is applied to Vasily the Dark. He is spoken of as "Blessed and Christ-loving and pious truly Orthodox Grand Duke Vasily Vasilyevich, White Tsar of All Russia". But we will talk about this next time.

The territory that is under the control of the king is called the kingdom.

In the Slavic book culture, many rulers of the past are called kings, primarily those mentioned in the Bible, who in reality did not have such a title.

It is believed that the very word "king" comes from the Latin Caesar, i.e. caesar or Caesar. Caesar - an obligatory part of the title of the emperors of the time of the Roman state and later - the Western Roman Empire and the Eastern Roman Empire, derived from the name of Julius Caesar and thus reflecting the continuity of the power of the emperors from him. Interestingly, among the Romans themselves, the title of Caesar did not correspond to the concept of the king, which the Romans called rex. Julius Caesar himself never aspired to the title of rex, mindful of the sad fate of the last of the seven Roman kings (in Latin it sounded like Reges Romae, and in English - kings of Rome).

The Latin Caesar was borrowed as the title of the supreme ruler by the neighboring peoples of the Romans - for example, the Gothic kaisar, and then the German Keiser (Kaiser), the Bulgarian and Serbian "king", the Russian "caesar", "caesar" and actually "king".

According to M. Vasmer, the word caesar came to Proto-Slavic through the Gothic kaisar, or directly from the Latin caesar. In Proto-Slavonic it sounded like cěsarъ, then shortened to tssar, and then tsar (analogues of such an abbreviation are known in Germanic titles, for example, Swedish kung and English king from kuning). The exact dating of these changes is difficult because this word was usually written under the title (tsr or tssr, which does not indicate the real pronunciation). In modern Ukrainian, Belarusian, Bulgarian, Macedonian and Serbian languages ​​- "king". In written monuments, this Slavic word has been known since 917, the time of the Bulgarian Tsar Simeon. He was the first ruler to take the title "king". The first inscription with the word "king" is the Preslav epitaph on the grave of Chergubyl Mostich.

Initially, the word was used by the Slavs to refer to the Roman and Byzantine emperors. By the way, the Slavic name of the Byzantine capital came from here - Tsesargrad, Tsargrad. With the development of bookishness, this term also began to denote the ancient rulers known from historical and church literature, for example, the rulers of Israel and Judea: King David, King Solomon (thus translating the Greek word βασιλεύς). The word "caesar" was also used to refer to the German emperor. After the Mongol-Tatar invasion of Rus', the royal title began to be attached to the rulers of the Golden Horde, and after its collapse - to the rulers of all Tatar khanates.

As I wrote above, among the Slavic countries, the title of king was worn by the rulers of Bulgaria, though intermittently: in 893-1014, 1185-1396, 1908-1946 and Serbia in 1346-1371.

The bookish tradition of calling ancient rulers tsars has been preserved in Russian, as well as in some other Slavic languages to the present day. In the Russian word usage of the 19th century, especially common people, this word sometimes denoted the monarch in general. Informally, this term as an honorary definition (in the form of a Caesar, and then a Tsar) was used by the rulers of Rus' since the 11th century and systematically since the time of Ivan III, mainly in diplomatic relations. His grandson Ivan IV, who is Terrible, upon reaching the age of majority, was crowned as the Tsar of All Rus'. Thus, the term tsar from an honorific definition turned into an official royal title, and the state, according to the royal title, began to be called the Russian kingdom.

When Peter I in 1721 adopted as the main title emperor unofficially and semi-officially the title tsar continued to be used until February Revolution in February-March 1917. In the national anthem, the word Tsar, if it referred to the Russian monarch, was supposed to be written with capital letter. In addition, the title tsar was included in the official full title (sovereign title) of the All-Russian Emperors, and more than once.

Queen- the royal person or the wife of the king.

The sons of a king or queen were called princes, and daughters - princesses. In addition, the title "tsarevich" was given to some descendants of independent Tatar khans, for example, the descendants of Kuchum, the khan of Siberia, had the title "princes of Siberia".

In Russia, the heir to the throne bore the title crown prince and it sounded like this: Heir Tsesarevich. Informally, it was shortened to "Heir" or "Tsesarevich". And it was written with a capital letter.

Tsesarevna- The wife of the Tsarevich. This title was also applied to the daughters of Peter I Anna, Elizabeth and Natalya after their father accepted the title of emperor. But that's a slightly different story...

Eight prophets and seers at once speak with one voice about the inevitability of Russia's return to the monarchy. These are St. Basil the Blessed, Vasily Nemchin, Seraphim of Sarov, monk Abel, Theophan of Poltava, Lavrenitiy of Chernigov, monk John, monk Agafangel. But only one of them names the time of this event. The annals record the words of St. Basil the Blessed: « A whole century Russia will live without the Tsar, and the rulers will destroy many churches. Then they will be restored, but only the people will undertake to serve not God, but gold.” Thus, the restoration of the monarchy falls somewhere in 2017.

Prophecies of the Monk Abel the Seer about the future King.

And the Great Prince will rise in exile from your kind, standing for the sons of his people. This will be the Chosen One of God, and his blessing is on his head. It will be one and understandable to everyone, the very Russian heart will smell it. His appearance will be sovereign and bright, and no one will say: “The king is here or there,” but everyone: “This is he.” The will of the people will submit to the mercy of God, and he himself will confirm his vocation ... His name is thrice destined for Russian history.

Two namesakes were already on the Throne, but not the Tsar's. The heroes served one (Alexander Nevsky), the second will be born on one day, and they will honor him on another (Alexander Suvorov). He will sit on Tsarsky as the third. So it is clear what the name of the future Tsar will be. We wait. All the elders are inclined towards the restoration of the monarchy and the arrival of the Tsar in the year 17-18, so that St. Basil the Blessed Russia is told to live 100 years without the Tsar.

And also on the Czestochowa Icon Mother of God on the cheek is the letter A, denoting the first letter of the name of the future Tsar.

It is said about the coming Tsar-Victors, who will rise from the Romanov clan in end times(i.e. already). Everyone recognizes this King by his very appearance, because the Lord will win the hearts of people towards his chosen one. “The Russian heart itself teaches him” - the Russian heart! This does not mean that everyone will submit to him from one of his appearances. The Tsar will have enemies and many. But these words mean that the Russian Orthodox heart will immediately see its Tsar in him, and many will stand for the Tsar not for life, but for death.

FUTURE TSAR OF Rus', WHO IS HE?

Vladimir I Svyatoslavich (other Russian. Volodimer Svyatoslavich, c. 960 - July 15, 1015) - Kyiv Grand Duke at which the baptism of Rus' took place. Vladimir became Prince of Novgorod in 970 and seized the throne of Kyiv in 978. In 988 chose Christianity as state religion Kievan Rus. received at baptism Christian name Basil. Also known as Vladimir the Holy, Vladimir the Baptist (in church history) and Vladimir the Red Sun (in epics). Glorified among the saints as equal to the apostles. Vanga called the patronymic of the future king: "Vladimirovich." (Successor of the case of Prince Vladimir.).

Phenomenon Rev. Seraphim of Sarovsky (2002): “What I say tell everyone! The war will begin immediately after my holiday. As soon as the people subside from Diveevo, it will start right away! But I'm not in Diveevo: I'm in Moscow. In Diveevo, having risen in Sarov, I will come alive together with the Tsar. The wedding of the Tsar will be in the Assumption Cathedral of Vladimir.

Saint Theophan of Poltava, 1930: “The Monarchy, autocratic power will be restored in Russia. The Lord has chosen the future King. This will be a man of fiery faith, a brilliant mind and an iron will. First of all, he will restore order in the Orthodox Church, removing all untrue, heretical and lukewarm bishops. And many, very many, with few exceptions, almost all will be eliminated, and new, true, unshakable bishops will take their place ... Something that no one expects will happen. Russia will rise from the dead, and the whole world will be surprised. Orthodoxy in it (Russia) will be reborn and triumph. But the Orthodoxy that was before will no longer be. God Himself will put a strong King on the Throne.

Is it really possible that in 2017-2018 the Tsar will come, Russia will be reborn again as an autocratic Orthodox empire?

The well-known prophecies of Russian saints (St. Theophan (Bystrov), St. Theophan of Poltava, St. Lawrence of Chernigov, St. Seraphim of Sarov and many, many others) give an affirmative answer to this question. With slight differences in details, but in unity, in fact, these prophecies tell us that sooner or later something will happen in our country that no one expects. Russia will be transformed by nationwide repentance, will rise from the dead and, together with all the Slavic peoples and lands, will form a mighty Kingdom. He will be nourished by the Orthodox Tsar, God's Anointed One, a man of fiery faith, a brilliant mind and an iron will, whom even the Antichrist will be afraid of.

The coming Tsar will be chosen and installed by God Himself, he will first of all restore order in the Orthodox Church, removing all untrue, heretical and lukewarm bishops. And many, very many, with few exceptions, almost all of them will be eliminated, and new, true, unshakable bishops will take their place...

Prot. Nikolay Gurianov. In 1997, a woman asked the priest: “Father Nikolai, who will be after Yeltsin? What are we waiting for?" “Afterwards there will be a military man,” answered Batyushka. - And what will happen next? the woman asked again. - After will be the Tsar Orthodox! Father Nicholas said.

Clairvoyant Vanga predicted in 1996: “New person under the sign of the New Teaching will appear in Russia, and he will rule Russia all his life ... The new teaching will come from Russia - this is the most ancient and truest teaching - it will spread throughout the world and the day will come when all religions in the world will disappear and they will be replaced by this new philosophy Fire Bible. Socialism will return to Russia in new form, in Russia there will be large collective and cooperative agriculture, and the former will be restored again Soviet Union, but the union is already new. Russia will grow stronger and grow, no one can stop Russia, there is no such force that could break Russia. Russia will sweep away everything in its path, and not only survive, but also become the sole undivided “mistress of the world”, and even America in the 2030s will recognize the complete superiority of Russia. Russia will again become a strong and powerful real empire, and will again be called by the old ancient name Rus."

In March 1917, Emperor Nicholas II, under the pressure of circumstances, abdicated in favor of his younger brother, Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich, and notified him of this by telegram, where he already addressed him as His Imperial Majesty Michael the Second.

But the Grand Duke postponed the succession to the throne. Legally, the acts of Nicholas II and the Grand Duke are controversial, but most historians come to the conclusion that the process of transferring power was in the legal field of the legislation in force at that time.

After the act of the Grand Duke, Nicholas II rewrote the abdication in favor of the legitimate heir to the throne, the fourteen-year-old Tsarevich Alexei Nikolayevich. And although the will of the emperor was not even conveyed to the people, Alexei can be considered the last autocrat of Russia de jure.

The last autocrat, but not the king

Among the titles of Nicholas II was not the title of the Tsar of Russia. In addition to the title of Emperor and Autocrat of All Russia and a number of others, he was the Tsar of Kazan, the Tsar of Astrakhan, the Tsar of Poland, the Tsar of Siberia, the Tsar of Chersonese Tauride, the Tsar of Georgia.

The term "king" comes from the name of the Roman ruler Caesar (), which in turn goes back to Caius Julius Caesar.

The name of Nicholas II as tsar had a semi-official informal character. So between Nicholas II, the Grand Duke and the Tsarevich, only the status can be considered last emperor Russia.

Who was the last king

The first autocrat to receive the title of tsar was the son of the Grand Duke of Moscow Basil III and Elena Glinskaya, who went down in history under the name of Ivan the Terrible. He was crowned king in 1547 under the title "Great Sovereign, by the grace of God the Tsar and Grand Duke of All Rus', etc." The Russian state of that period was officially called the Russian kingdom and existed under this name until 1721.

In 1721, Peter I took the title of emperor, and the Russian kingdom became Russian Empire. But Peter was not the last king. Peter was one of the last tsars, as he was crowned king together with his half-brother Ivan Alekseevich Romanov.

In 1682, both brothers were crowned king in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, and Ivan was married as the elder tsar under the name of John V Alekseevich with the original Cap of Monomakh and in full royal attire. As a politician, economist, statesman John V did not show himself in any way, and did not make the slightest effort to do so. Some historiographers are generally inclined to recognize him as mentally handicapped.

Nevertheless, he managed to give birth to five children in 12 years of marriage with Praskovya Fedorovna Saltykova, one of the daughters later became the empress, known as Anna Ioannovna.

The rulers of large and small countries, endowed with power inaccessible to the common people, have always been interesting to this very people. And not only modern, but also long ago become part of history. Why do some get power and privileges, while others, figuratively speaking, a shack and hopelessness? How did powerful kings and emperors come to power, how did they become famous in a responsible position, what did they do for the inhabitants of their country? These and other similar questions often worry the minds of not only historians, but also ordinary people. So who are the king and emperor? What are the differences between these titles and do they have similarities?

King and emperor: definitions of terms

Emperor - head of the empire, uniting several previously independent countries that were conquered.

So is there a difference between these titles and what does it consist of?

The king governs a single state, which is inhabited by representatives of one predominant people. Such a sovereign state is called kingdom. On the territory of the kingdom, the coexistence of several peoples is possible if one of them occupies a dominant position, and the rest are numerically inferior to it (national minorities). All (or the absolute majority) of the inhabitants of the kingdom speak the same language, which is recognized as the state language. The king also knows this language perfectly.

The empire has a more complex structure. Usually such a state consists of several previously independent countries that were conquered by the emperor or his ancestor. Moreover, territorially parts of such a country can be at a considerable distance from each other. The huge size of the empire and its complex structure, as well as the fact that its territory is inhabited many individual peoples, makes possible the equal coexistence of several languages, many of which may be unfamiliar to the emperor.

It is difficult for one person, no matter how gifted he may be, to keep track of the vast territory of such a state as an empire. Therefore, the emperor appoints his trusted vassals to the positions of rulers of certain parts of the state (provinces, kingdoms, and so on). Such rulers may be called governors, procurators, kings, princes... And other similar titles. The name here does not reflect the essence of the powers of the “first person” of a part of the empire. As kings and kings, such rulers remain vassals of the emperor. The emperor entrusts the management of the outlying territories of his vast state to especially responsible, capable and trustworthy subordinates.

The title of king is hereditary. What does it mean? Everything is quite simple: after the death of the current monarch, the title passes to his next of kin. Most often, this is the eldest son (or daughter, if provided by the laws of the kingdom). If there is no son or daughter, the brother, nephew or uncle of the deceased sovereign can take over the title. And so on along the "chain" of family ties.

Almost anyone can become an emperor. It's not even really a joke. In order to have the rights to such a title, it is necessary “only” to seize power (even if by deceit and - or a military coup, and after a while conquer a couple or three neighboring states). One of the brightest historical examples is Napoleon Bonaparte, the son of ... a doctor. Lacking not only the rights to the throne, but even a hint of them, this talented politician was able to seize power and turn a small kingdom into a huge empire. And after that - obviously - to call himself emperor.

Traditionally, the title "emperor" was worn by heads of state. Western Europe. That's probably why, famous Russian tsar, and later - the first emperor, decided to change his title. This was done mainly in order to emphasize the desire of Russia to integrate into Europe, to know its secrets and adopt traditions, to become part of it. The transformation of Peter the Great from tsar to emperor was also intended to emphasize the increased weight Russian state on the world stage.

He was the first tsar in Rus'. Before I became the first Russian emperor, Peter the Great was the last Russian tsar. All the rulers of Russia after Peter the Great called themselves emperors. The last Russian emperor was the infamous Nicholas II.

The term "king" is originally Slavic. It was also used mainly in Slavic countries. Even the emperors of Rome and Byzantium were called kings. Today, for the ears of native Russian speakers, the word “tsar” is familiar as a designation for a monarch, the ruler of a country, regardless of its size and structure. For example, heroes are called kings biblical stories, rulers of antiquity Solomon and David.

Results

Tsar - the title of the ruler, common to the Slavic states. In Rus', monarchs were officially called so until the middle of the 18th century. The title of emperor is more familiar to Western Europeans. So called the ruler of several united by conquering lands or states. The lands that the emperor or his ancestors seized by force and made part of their country were called colonies.

A state ruled by a king is called a kingdom. The country at the head of which is the emperor, respectively, is called an empire. The title of king in most cases was passed down through blood relatives. Any person who managed to come to power and conquer neighboring lands (Napoleon, Hitler) could proclaim himself an emperor.