Monarchy of Russia | |
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Former Monarchy | |
Imperial | |
Imperial Coat of arms | |
Nicholas II | |
First monarch | Rurik (as Grand Prince) |
Last monarch | Nicholas II (as Emperor) |
Style | His/Her Imperial Majesty |
Monarchy started | c.860 |
Monarchy ended | 15 March 1917 |
Current pretender | Disputed Nicholas Romanov (Nikolaevichi branch) Maria Vladimirovna (Vladimirovichi branch) |
The vast territory known today as Russia covers an area that has been known historically by various names, including Rus', Kievan Rus', the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, and the sovereigns of these many nations and throughout their histories have used likewise as wide a range of titles in their positions as chief magistrates of a country. Some of the earliest titles include Kniaz and Velikiy Kniaz, which mean "Prince" and "Great Prince" respectively but are often rendered as "Duke" and "Grand Duke" in Western literature; then the title of Tsar, meaning "Caesar", which was disputed to be the equal of either a king or emperor; finally culminating in the title of Emperor. The full title of the Russian Emperors, according to Article 59 of the 1906 Russian Constitution, was given as:
The Patriarchs of Moscow, who are the head of Russian Orthodox Church, also have acted as the leaders of Russia from time to time, usually in periods of political upheaval as during the Polish occupation and interregnum of 1610–1613.
Contents |
Monarch | Portrait | Born-Died | Ruled from | Ruled until |
---|---|---|---|---|
Rurik | ?–879 | 862 | 879 | |
Oleg of Novgorod | ?–912 | 879 | 882 |
Monarch | Portrait | Born-Died | Ruled from | Ruled until |
---|---|---|---|---|
Askold and Dir (non-Rurikids) | no image | ?–882 | 842[1][2] or 862 | 882 |
Oleg of Novgorod | ?–912 | 882 | 912 | |
Igor of Kiev | ?–945 | 913[3] | 945 | |
Olga of Kiev (regent) | ?–969 | 945 | 962 | |
Sviatoslav I | 942–972 | 962 | 972 | |
Yaropolk I | 958 (960?)–980 | 972 | 980 | |
Vladimir the Great | 958–1015 | 980 | 1015 | |
Sviatopolk the Accursed | 980–1019 | 1015 | 1019 | |
Yaroslav the Wise | 978–1054 | 1019 | 1054 | |
Iziaslav I of Kiev | no image | 1024–1078 | 1054 | 1068 |
Vseslav of Polotsk | 1039–1101 | 1068 | 1069 | |
Iziaslav I of Kiev (second time) | no image | 1024–1078 | 1069 | 1073 |
Sviatoslav II of Kiev | 1027–1076 | 1073 | 1076 | |
Iziaslav I of Kiev (third time) | no image | 1024–1078 | 1076 | 1078 |
Vsevolod I of Kiev | no image | 1030–1093 | 1078 | 1093 |
Sviatopolk II of Kiev | no image | 1050–1113 | 1093 | 1113 |
Vladimir II Monomakh | 1053–1125 | 1113 | 1125 | |
Mstislav the Great | 1076–1132 | 1125 | 1132 |
Monarch | Portrait | Birth | Marriage(s) | Became prince | Died (ceased to be prince) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Daniel | 1261 son of Alexander Nevsky |
Maria 6 children |
1283 | 4 March 1303 | |
Yuriy | 1281 son of Prince Daniel and Maria |
Konchaka (sister of Uzbeg Khan) no children |
4 March 1303 | 21 November 1325 | |
Ivan I Kalita (the Moneybag) | 1288 son of Prince Daniel and Maria |
Helena 9 children |
21 November 1325 | 31 March 1340 | |
Simeon the Proud | 7 November 1316 son of Prince Ivan I and Helena |
Anastasia of Lithuania no children Euphraxia of Smolensk no children Maria of Tver 4 sons (died young) |
31 March 1340 | 27 April 1353 | |
Ivan II | 30 March 1326 son of Prince Ivan I and Helena |
Fedosia Dmitrievna of Bryansk no children Alexandra Ivanovna Velyaminova 4 children |
27 April 1353 | 13 November 1359 | |
Dmitry I of the Don | 12 October 1350 son of Prince Ivan II and Alexandra Ivanovna |
Eudoxia Dmitrievna of Nizhny Novgorod 12 children |
13 November 1359 | 19 May 1389 | |
Vasiliy I | 30 December 1371 son of Prince Dmitry I and Eudoxia Dmitrievna |
Sophia of Lithuania 9 children |
19 May 1389 | 27 February 1425 | |
Vasiliy II Tyomniy (the Blind) | 10 March 1415 son of Prince Vasiliy I and Sophia of Lithuania |
Maria Yaroslavna of Borovsk 3 children |
27 February 1425 | 27 March 1462 | |
Ivan III the Great | 22 January 1440 son of Prince Vasiliy II and Maria Yaroslavna |
Maria Borisovna of Tver one son Sophia Palaiologina 8 children |
5 April 1462 | 6 November 1505 | |
Vasiliy III | 25 March 1479 son of Prince Ivan III and Sophie Palaiologina |
Solomonia Yuryevna Saburova no children Elana Vasilyevna Glinskaya 2 sons |
6 November 1505 | 13 December 1533 | |
Ivan IV the Terrible | 25 August 1530 son of Prince Vasili III and Elena Glinskaya |
unmarried as Prince | 13 December 1533 | 28 March 1584 (title of Grand Prince replaced by Tsar on 26 January 1547) |
Monarch | Portrait | Born | Marriage(s) | Became tsar | Died (ceased to be tsar) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ivan IV the Terrible | 25 August 1530 son of Prince Vasili III and Elena Glinskaya |
Anastasia Romanovna Zakharyina-Yurieva 6 children Maria Temryukovna one son (died young) Marfa Vasilevna Sobakina Anna Alexeievna Koltovskaya Anna Vasilchikova Vasilisa Melentyeva Maria Dolgorukaya Maria Feodorovna Nagaya one son |
26 January 1547 | 28 March 1584 | |
Feodor I | 31 May 1557 | Irina Feodorovna Godunova one daughter (died young) |
28 March 1584 | 17 January 1598 |
Monarch | Portrait | Family | Born | Marriage | Became tsar | Ceased to be tsar | Died |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Boris Godunov | Godunov | c.1551 son of Feodor Ivanovich Godunov and Stepanida |
Maria Grigorievna Skuratova-Belskaya 2 children |
21 February 1598 | 13 April 1605 | ||
Feodor II | Godunov | 1589 son of Tsar Boris and Maria Grigorievna |
unmarried | 13 April 1605 | 1 June 1605 | ||
Dmitry II known as False Dmitry I |
usurper (claimed to be of the Rurik dynasty) | c. 1581 | Marina Mniszech no children |
1 June 1605 | 17 May 1606 | 27 May 1606 | |
Vasiliy IV | Shuysky (a branch of the Rurik dynasty) | 22 September 1552 | unmarried | 19 May 1606 | 27 July 1610 | 12 September 1612 | |
Dmitry III known as False Dmitry II |
usurper (claimed to be of the Rurik dynasty) | c. 1582 | Marina Mniszech one son (posthumous) |
10 July 1607 | 11 December 1610 | 21 December 1610 | |
Dmitry IV known as False Dmitry III |
usurper (claimed to be of the Rurik dynasty) | unknown | unknown | 28 March 1611 | 18 May 1612 | c. 1612 |
The Seven Boyars (the Boyar Duma), a group of the highest Russian nobles, deposed the tsar Vasily IV on 27 July [O.S. 17 July] 1610, and recognized the Polish prince Władysław IV Vasa as the new tsar on 6 September [O.S. 27 August] 1610.[4][5] The Poles entered Moscow on 21 September [O.S. 11 September] 1610:
Later, the members of the council were also:
The Deeds of the Seven Boyars had existed until the Poles were driven from Moscow on 4 November [O.S. 25 October] 1612.
Monarch | Portrait | Born | Marriage | Became tsar | Ceased to be tsar | Died |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vladislaus | 9 June 1595, Łobzów, near Kraków, Poland | Cecilia Renata of Austria no children Marie Louise Gonzaga no children |
6 September 1610. However, the official condition for Vladislaus to ascend the Russian throne was his conversion to Russian Orthodoxy which was never fulfilled. Vladislaus neither came to Moscow, nor has he ever been crowned as the Russian Tsar | 4 November 1612 (deposed) 14 June 1634 (resigned his claim) |
20 May 1648 |
(In opposition to the Poles and Władysław IV Vasa):
Monarch | Portrait | Birth | Marriages | Tsar from | Tsar until | Death |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Michael | 12 July 1596 Moscow son of Feodor Nikitich Romanov and Kseniya Ioannovna Shestova |
Maria Vladimirovna Dolgorukova 1624 one stillborn child Eudoxia Lukyanovna Streshneva 5 February 1626 ten children |
26 July 1613 | 14 July 1645 | 14 July 1645 Moscow aged 49 |
|
Alexis I | 9 May 1629 Moscow son of Tsar Michael I and Eudoxia Lukyanova Streshneva |
Maria Ilyinichna Miloslavskaya 17 January 1648 13 children Natalia Kirillovna Naryshkina 1 February 1671 3 children |
14 July 1645 | 29 January 1676 | 29 January 1676 Moscow aged 46 |
|
Feodor III | 9 June 1661 Moscow son of Tsar Alexis I and Maria Ilyinichna Miloslavskaya |
Agaphia Simeonovna Grushevskaya 28 July 1680 one son Marfa Matveievna Apraksina 24 February 1682 no children |
29 January 1676 | 7 May 1682 | 7 May 1682 Moscow aged 20 |
|
Ivan V jointly with Peter I |
6 September 1666 Moscow son of Tsar Alexis I and Maria Ilyinichina Miloslavskaya |
Praskovia Feodorovna Saltykova 1684 5 daughters |
2 June 1682 | 8 February 1696 | 8 February 1696 aged 29 |
|
Peter I the Great jointly with Ivan V 1682–1696 |
9 June 1672 Moscow son of Tsar Alexis I and Natalia Kirillovna Naryshkina |
Eudoxia Feodorovna Lopukhina 1689 3 children Marta Helena Skowrońska 1707 9 children |
7 May 1682 | 2 November 1721 | 8 February 1725 aged 52 |
(Also Grand Princes of Finland from 1809 until 1917; and Kings of Poland from 1815 until 1916)
The monarchs listed below reigned with absolute power until 1905, and then with executive and administrative powers from 1905–1917.
Monarch | Portrait | Birth | Marriages | Emperor from | Emperor until | Death |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Peter I the Great, Father of the Fatherland | 9 June 1672 Moscow son of Tsar Alexei and Natalia Kirillovna Naryshkina |
Eudoxia Feodorovna Lopukhina 1689 3 children Marta Helena Skowrońska 1707 9 children |
1682 | 8 February 1725 | 8 February 1725 aged 52 |
|
Catherine I | 15 April 1684 Ringen (Rõngu), Duchy of Livonia daughter of Samuel Skowroński and Elisabeth Moritz |
Peter I of Russia 1707 9 children |
8 February 1725 | 17 May 1727 | 17 May 1727 Saint Petersburg aged 43 |
|
Peter II | 23 October 1715 Saint Petersburg son of Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich and Princess Charlotte Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel |
unmarried | 18 May 1727 | 30 January 1730 | 30 January 1730 Moscow aged 14 |
|
Anna | 7 February 1693 Moscow daughter of Tsar Ivan V and Praskovia Feodorovna Saltykova |
Frederick Wilhelm, Duke of Courland November 1710 no children |
13 February 1730 | 28 October 1740 | 28 October 1740 aged 47 |
|
Ivan VI | 23 August 1740 Saint Petersburg son of Duke Anthony Ulrich of Brunswick and Grand Duchess Anna Leopoldovna of Russia |
unmarried | 28 October 1740 | 6 December 1741 | 16 July 1764 Shlisselburg (murdered) aged 23 |
|
Elizabeth | 29 December 1709 Kolomenskoye daughter of Emperor Peter I and Empress Catherine I |
Alexey Razumovsky 1742 no children |
6 December 1741 | 5 January 1762 | 5 January 1762 aged 52 |
|
Peter III | 21 February 1728 Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein son of Charles Frederick, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp and Grand Duchess Anna Petrovna |
Princess Sophie Friederike Auguste of Anhalt-Zerbst 16 August 1745 one son |
5 January 1762 | 9 July 1762 | 17 July 1762 (murdered) Ropsha aged 34 |
|
Catherine II the Great, the Wise, Mother of the Fatherland | 2 May 1729 Stettin, Kingdom of Prussia, Holy Roman Empire daughter of Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst and Princess Johanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp |
Peter III of Russia 16 August 1745 one son |
9 July 1762 | 6 November 1796 | 6 November 1796 Saint Petersburg aged 67 |
|
Paul I | 1 October 1754 Saint Petersburg son of Emperor Peter III and Empress Catherine II |
Princess Wilhelmina Louisa of Hesse-Darmstadt 29 September 1773 one stillborn daughter Princess Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg 26 September 1776 ten children |
17 November 1796 | 11 March 1801 | 11 March 1801 (assassinated) Saint Michael's Castle, Saint Petersburg aged 46 |
|
Alexander I the Blessed | 23 December 1777 Saint Petersburg son of Emperor Paul I and Maria Feodorovna (Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg) |
Princess Louise of Baden 28 September 1793 2 daughters |
24 March 1801 | 1 December 1825 | 1 December 1825 Taganrog aged 47 |
|
Constantine I (disputed) | 27 April 1779 Tsarskoye Selo son of Emperor Paul I and Maria Feodorovna (Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg) |
Princess Juliane of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld 26 February no children |
1 December 1825 | 26 December 1825 | 27 June 1831 Vitebsk aged 52 |
|
Nicholas I the Unforgettable | 6 July 1796 Gatchina son of Emperor Paul I and Maria Feodorovna (Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg) |
Princess Charlotte of Prussia 13 July 1817 7 children |
26 December 1825 | 2 March 1855 | 2 March 1855 Saint Petersburg aged 58 |
|
Alexander II the Liberator | 29 April 1818 Moscow son of Emperor Nicholas I and Alexandra Feodorovna (Charlotte of Prussia) |
Princess Marie of Hesse and by Rhine 16 April 1841 8 children |
2 March 1855 | 13 March 1881 | 13 March 1881 (assassinated) Saint Petersburg aged 62 |
|
Alexander III the Peace-Maker | 10 March 1845 Saint Petersburg son of Emperor Alexander II and Maria Alexandrovna (Marie of Hesse) |
Princess Dagmar of Denmark 9 November 1866 6 children |
13 March 1881 | 1 November 1894 | 1 November 1894 Livadiya, Crimea aged 49 |
|
Nicholas II | 6 May 1868 Tsarskoye Selo son of Emperor Alexander III and Maria Feodorovna (Dagmar of Denmark) |
Princess Alix of Hesse and by Rhine 26 November 1894 5 children |
1 November 1894 | 15 March 1917 | 17 July 1918 (executed) Yekaterinburg, Russian SFSR aged 50 |
|
Michael II (disputed) | 22 November 1878 Tsarskoye Selo son of Emperor Alexander III and Maria Feodorovna (Dagmar of Denmark) |
Natalia Brassova 15 October 1911 one son (born before his parents' marriage) |
15 March 1917 | 16 March 1917 | 12 June 1918 (murdered) Perm, Russian SFSR aged 39 |
See List of leaders of Russia for the continuation of leadership.
See Line of succession to the Russian throne
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