Russian+Empire

** __The Russian Empire__ **

 * === The Russian empire was formed between 1450 and 1750. First, between 1450-1480, the Russians focused mainly on fighting off the Tatar (Mongol) rule. After this, Russia began to conquer new land and expand the new empire steadily. ===

__**Russia and the Mongols**__

 * ===After the Mongol invasion of Russia in the 1200s, the Russian peoples were fractured and weakened—several cities were burnt to the ground (Vladimir among them), and only the tiny Novgorod Republic managed to escape the Mongol occupation. As a result of the harsh invasion, the cities in Russia took a terrible blow and were almost destroyed. Older cities did not recover from the destruction, and newer cities like Moscow and Tver soon began to dominate Russia. With the defeat of the Mongol armies in 1380 and the slow degradation of Mongol rule, Russia began to assert its own independence.===
 * ===In the mind of the Russian population, the Mongols (or Tartars, as they were increasingly referred to) were the greatest cause of their suffering and misery, and the Mongol minorities left in Russia suffered accordingly. It is widely accepted that the Mongol yoke contributed to Russia’s exclusion from the Renaissance and their backwardness in the early 1700s.===

__** Russia After Mongol Rule **__

 * ===In 1380, when the Mongols were defeated by the Grand Prince of Moscow, Dmitry Donskoy, Moscow’s leadership in Russia was firmly based, and was well-established to become a leading power in Europe. However, it was during the rule of Ivan IV that Moscow came to become an empire, dominating all of Russia and its rulers declaring themselves Tsars (named after the Roman “Cæsar”. Ivan was an autocrat in every sense of the word; he subjected the other rulers to his command and took utter control of his state.===
 * ===Increasingly, Russia began to take more and more land, expanding east and settling Cossacks, while pushing slowly against the Polish in the West. This resulted in one of the largest land empires in history, second only to that of the Mongols. Unfortunately, the Russian tsars tended to be even crueler than their predecessors, and their rule was resented.===
 * ===In the 1600s, after a long period of weak tsars, a national assembly elected Mikhail Romanov to the throne. The Romanov dynasty would be the last in Russia, and would ensure its conquest of Poland, the East, Finland, and the steppes of Central Asia. With the ascent of Peter the Great, the autocracy was secure, and Russia made its move into European politics. Russia was remodeled on that of France and Spain, and the old Duma was replaced by a specially-appointed council of state.===
 * ===After Peter died, a few inept rulers came into power, followed by Catherine the Great, who brought the Enlightenment into Russia (at least, in theory) and greatly contributed to Russian culture and science. However, as the tsarist autocracy burdened the commoners heavily, a spirit of revolution was increasingly found in Russia as the centuries passed. Russia was the conservative anchor in a Europe that was considered (by the Russians, at least) to be too revolutionary.===

**__ Influential Leaders in Russia __**

 * ==Peter I: (Peter the Great):==
 * Lived from 1672-1725, and ruled from 1682-1725. Peter was very focused on modernizing, or “westernizing” Russia. In this mindset, Peter reformed the Russian army, with the structure the solders were trained, to the battle techniques they carried out. Peter was very well known for his great cruelty towards any and all challenge to his way of ruler ship. He quickly suppressed all rebellions of his new policies, sometimes by even personally executing the perpetrators. While reforming the nation’s army, Peter also wanted to strengthen the naval force, and to do this he needed to have claim on more waters than just the White Sea. He soon set out to gain the Black sea from the Ottoman Empire. Knowing fully well he could not take on the Ottoman Empire on his own, he traveled to Europe on his own in disguise, as he often did, with a group of men called “The Great Embassy” to ask of help from the European Monarchy, whom of which did not want to help Peter. Peter continued to travel around Europe and meet with kings, vice-admirals, Tsar advisors, painters, inventors and even the Royal Naval fleet. Peter’s want of modernizing Russia increased while he was visiting his European friends. Peter’s efforts to improve the economy, were focused on building the metallurgical and mining industries He did increase the countries economy over time, even with out urbanizing or developing a commercial class. Peter even made a point to provide better education to the Russian nobility. He also improved the conditions of the upper class women of the country. He was indeed more intent on expanding the economic development than the commercial development. The peasants of Russia, however, did not like the Westernization reforms of Peter. The wanted to focus on the well being f their country and not try to be like their Brother’s to the West

The Great Northern War-
== Lasted from 1700-1721, between the Swedish and the Russian. Peter declared war on Sweden in attempt to gain control of the Baltic Sea. King Charles XII ruled Sweden at the time. Russia was in no way prepared for a war with Sweden. The first attempt to size the Baltic Sea was disastrous, at the Battle of Narva in 1700. After a string of winning, and loosing battles between the two countries, finally the Treaty of Nystal was signed, ending the Great Northern War. Russia gained Ingria, Estonia, Livonia, and a large portion of Karelia. In return Russia pays two million Riksclaler (Russian currency) and surrendered most of Finland. During the war, Peter the Great got married for the second time to a Mrs. Martha Skavronskaya, christened Catherine. With both of his wives, Peter had a total of fourteen children. Only three of which lived past childhood. His eldest son Alexie was suspected of treason against the Emperor. Alexie was tried and confessed under torture during questioning, and sentenced to death. This execution would only be carried out with Peter’s signature of authorization. Peter could not sign off and Alexie died in prison due to injuries received from torture. Peter I was known for and by many things, but he was a great innovator and truly projected his country in to the modernized world.== Ivan the Terrible ruled Russia for a considerable amount of time;from about 1547-1584. He married Anastasia Romanov in 1547, but Anastasia would then die in 1560. Ivan IV was devestated by his wife's death, and often blamed other people for her death. While he would remarry, he never recovered from Anastasia's death. Ivan IV was known as a tyrant, due to his absoulute brutal rule. He was nicknamed Ivan the Terrible due to his ordering the deaths of many boyars (Russian nobles) that he suspected of conspiracy. Ivan was considered an autocrat, as he took complete and total control of the state. His expansion policy focused mainly on central Asia. Ivan enlisted peasants to migrate to the areas that had been expanded to, most often the ones in the south. These peasants, or cossacks, would settle the new lands and create settlements. This was Russia's equivalent of the western frontier. During Ivan the Terrible's reign, trading contacts were established between Russian and British merchants. Westerners were soon establishing posts in many parts of Russia, such a Moscow. Ivan died without a heir, which led to power struggles between boyars and also opened the gate to attacks from Poland and Sweden. However, a member of the Romanov family was selected as tsar in 1613.
 * __ Ivan IV (Ivan the Terrible) __**

__ WORK CITED: __ Stearns, Peter N. //World Civilizations; The Global Experience, Third Edition//. New York: Pearson Longman, 2006. Print.

"Internet History Sourcebooks." //FORDHAM.EDU//. Web. 17 Apr. 2012.

"World Civilizations, AP* Edition." Web. 17 Apr. 2012.