Russian Czar Increase Power
Russian was unlike western Europe
Several factors separated Russia from western Europe
Under Mongol rule Russia was cut off from the West: the Renaissance, Protestant Reformation, Age of Exploration, and Scientific Revolution all were movements that prompted individualism, economic expansion, and rationalism
Eastern Orthodox Christianity not Roman Catholic or Protestant Christian like the West
Russians viewed western Christians as heretics and therefore avoided them
And the Church was subordinate to the Czar who answered to God alone and none other
Cyrillic alphabet was not a Latin rooted alphabet which made it more difficult to communicate with western Europe
The antiquated system of Serfdom lasted in Russia until the mid 1800’s, meaning that Russia lagged behind Europe with regard to progressing toward a more modern world syste
Geography separated Russia from a warm water seaport
The strong kingdoms of Sweden and Poland blocked Russia from warm water ports of the Baltic Sea
All of Russia’s seaports were frozen half of the year limiting foreign commerce and trade
So Russia held no warm water sea port and had to wage wars to gain one
Ivan IV also called “Ivan the Terrible”
His reign began at the age 3
Landowners or Russian nobles, called boyars fought to control young Iva
At 16, he seized all power and became Russia’s most powerful czar “caesar”
He married the remarkable Anastasia from an renown boyar family
The years 1547-1560 of his reign were known as the “good years”
And not Terrible
A“Bad Period” (where he became known as Ivan the Terrible), began shortly after Anastasia died in 1560
He accused the boyars of poisoning his wife and turned against them
He built a secret police force
to hunt and execute the boyars and their families whom he felt threatened him
His police wore black and rode black horses
Thousands died, Ivan seized Boyar estates and gave them to a new class of boyars who remained loyal to him
In 1581, he unintentionally killed his eldest son in a domestic dispute (his only heir) – It was a national disaster
Ivan died 3 years After his son’s death
Ivan’s weak heir
Ivan’s weaker son inherited the throne
He was physically and mentally incapable of ruling
He died without an heir, Russia experienced a period of turmoil
Known as the - Time of Troubles
Boyars struggled for power, and heirs of czars died under mysterious conditions
Peter the Great
As a child in 1698 Peter I became czar of Russia
Peter believed Russia’s future depended on having a warm-water port or ports
so they could begin to compete with the more modern European nations in the west.
Peter began to Westernize Russia
The “Grand Embassy”
Peter traveled to Western Europe under disguise with 55 Boyars
Pretending to be an ordinary worker
He studied and learned the ways of western Europe
Hired as an ordinary ship carpenter in the Dutch Netherlands
there he worked 4 months
carefully concealing his identity
He visited England and Austria
Peter ruled with Absolute Power
Peter became an absolute ruler
and forced change upon his state
Brought the Russian Orthodox Church under his control
as he was the sole ruler of the Church
Like Ivan IV, he reduced the power of the boyars
He promoted men form the lower class to positions of esteem
The lower classes became loyal subjects to him alone
Westernizing Russia - The status of women & Russian Culture
Women wore veils in public
At social gatherings Peter demanded that women attend without veils
Russians were encouraged to give up traditional clothing
And adopt western dress
To negate Mongol influence a hefty “Beard Tax” was enforced
Parents were no longer allowed to marry off their sons & daughters
The young couple had to agree to the marriage
Newspapers & Westernization
Peter started Russia’s first newspaper and edited its first issue himself
Believed education was critical to Russian progress
Introduced potatoes which became a staple in the Russian diet
Russia’s war with Sweden (1700-1721)
Peter hired European officers to drill his troops
and raised taxes to support a large army
Peter won his campaign against Sweden in 1721
Peter gained territory on the Baltic Sea.
The Treaty of Nystad ceded the Baltic shores to Russia in 1721
Built the city of St. Petersburg a project that began in 1703
moved the capital from Moscow to St. Petersburg
1703 Peter began building a new city on Swedish lands occupied by Russian troops
It was a swampy site and most unhealthy
It seemed the ideal spot for Peter to build his capital as ships could sail down the Neva River to the Baltic Sea
Peter named the city St. Petersburg, after his patron saint.
Every summer, the army forced thousands of serfs to leave home and work at St. Petersburg.
25,000 to 100,000 people died from diseases
When St. Petersburg was established in 1712,
Peter ordered many Russian nobles to leave the comforts of Moscow and settle in his new capital.