ABSOLUTISM IN RUSSIA
Russia under the Mongols
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In the 13th century much of Europe was conquered by the Mongols from East Asia.
The Mongols dominated Russia for 240 years. They ruled by force but allowed the Russian
princes to remain in power as long as taxes were collected for the Mongol ruler.
The Mongol rule led to the rise of Moscow as the new center of power in Russia. Kiev lost
importance.
By the end of the Mongol Empire around 1480, princes had evolved into czars (tsars) or absolute
rulers of Russia.
Ivan III “the Great” (1462-1505)
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Ivan believed that the Mongol’s power had weakened. He stopped paying taxes to them and
drove out the Mongols.
He earned the title “the Great” by building beautiful churches. He also enclosed Moscow in a
wall that became known as the Kremlin.
After the fall of the Byzantine Empire, Ivan saw himself as the defender of the Eastern Orthodox
Church. He called himself “czar” which meant “Caesar” in Russian.
Ivan IV “the Terrible” (1533-1584)
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Ivan IV became known as the terrible because of the ruthless way in which he treated his
subjects.
New social institutions of his time included:
Feudalism. Before Ivan, boyars (nobles) had control of their own land. Ivan took away the
nobles’ land at will. He gave land to nobles who helped him during wars and set up a feudal
system similar to the one used during Europe’s Middle Ages.
Serfdom. As the nobles became less free, so did the peasants. Traditionally, peasants had been
allowed to move freely. Under Ivan IV, many tried to run away to escape serving in the army
and paying taxes. Some settled in the lands of the south and east. They became known as
Cossacks. To prevent escapes, the czar made the peasants serfs. They were obligated to serve a
lord for life. This change in social status was contradictory to most of Europe where serfs had
already been given their freedom.
Peter the Great
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In 1613, the Russians crowned a new czar from the Romanov family. This family or “dynasty’
would rule Russia until 1917.
The greatest Romanov czar was Peter. He ruled from 1682 to 1725. He successfully pursued
two major policies: (1) Westernization and (2) expansionism.
Westernization. As a young man, Peter became fascinated with the culture and technology of
Western Europe. He believed that Russia could become a major military power if they
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westernized (adoption of western ideas). He introduced many reforms. He reorganized his
army according to western models and created a navy. He invited western businessmen to
Russia to teach Russians modern techniques. He also forced serfs to work in mines and
factories. Nobles were required to serve in the military or government. Peter also adopted
western fashions. Men had to cut their beards and women had to stop wearing veils. Peter
also moved the capital of Russia from Moscow to St. Petersburg – a city he built on the Baltic
Sea. He called it a “window on the world”.
Expansionism. In 1682, under Peter, Russia aggressively expanded. Russia fought several wars
and won land along the Baltic Sea (present-day Estonia and Latvia).
Catherine the Great
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Catherine II who ruled from (1762-1796) continued Russia’s expansion leading to her title “the
Great”. Her military victories gained Russia the Crimean Peninsula and other lands along the
Black Sea including Odessa, a valuable warm water port. She also gained part of Poland.
Catherine also continued Peter’s policy of westernization. She invited Western European
authors, artists, and musicians to move to Russia. She considered herself an “enlightened
despot”. Western ideas reached the nobility and middle class but serfs were still treated
ruthlessly. In 1773, Catherine crushed a revolt by the serfs.