Events of Ivan's foreign policy 4. The foreign policy of Ivan IV the Terrible and his reign

The foreign policy of Ivan IV was carried out in three directions: in the west - the struggle for access to the Baltic Sea; in the southeast and east - the struggle with the Kazan and Astrakhan khanates and the beginning of the development of Siberia; in the south - the protection of Russian lands from the raids of the Crimean Khanate. Tatar khans made predatory raids on Russian lands. On the territories of the Kazan and Astrakhan khanates, there were thousands of Russian people in captivity, captured during the raids. The local population was brutally exploited - the Chuvash, Mari, Udmurts, Mordovians, Tatars, Bashkirs. The Volga route ran through the territories of the khanates, but the Volga could not be used by the Russian people throughout its entire length. Russian landowners were also attracted by the fertile sparsely populated lands of these regions.
First, Ivan the Terrible took diplomatic steps aimed at subjugating the Kazan Khanate, but they did not bring good luck. In 1552, the 100,000th army of the Russian Tsar besieged Kazan. It was better armed than the Tatar. The artillery of Ivan IV had 150 large cannons. Using a tunnel and barrels of gunpowder, the Russians blew up the walls of Kazan. The Kazan Khanate recognized itself defeated. The peoples of the Middle Volga region became part of the Russian state. In 1556 Ivan the Terrible conquered the Astrakhan Khanate. From this period, the entire Volga region was the territory of Russia. The free Volga trade route significantly improved the terms of trade with the East.
In the middle of the XVI century. Russia included Bashkiria, Chuvashia, Kabarda. The accession of the Kazan and Astrakhan khanates opened up new prospects, access to the basins of the great Siberian rivers became possible. As early as 1556, the Siberian Khan Yediger recognized vassal dependence on Moscow, but Khan Kuchum, who replaced him (? - c. 1598), refused to recognize the authority of Moscow (he oppressed local residents, killed the Russian ambassador).
The merchants Stroganovs, who had a letter from the tsar granting lands to the east of the Urals, with the permission of Moscow, hired a large detachment of Cossacks to fight Khan Kuchum. The leader of the detachment was the Cossack chieftain Yermak (? -1585). In 1581, Yermak's detachment defeated Kuchum's troops, and a year later occupied the capital of the Siberian Khanate, Kashlyk.
Kuchum was finally defeated in 1598, and Western Siberia was annexed to the Russian state. All-Russian laws were approved in the annexed territories. The development of Siberia by Russian industrialists, peasants and artisans began.
Russia's foreign policy actions in the West are the struggle for access to the Baltic Sea, for the Baltic lands seized by the Livonian Order. Many Baltic lands have long belonged to Novgorod Rus. The banks of the Neva River and the Gulf of Finland used to be part of the lands of Veliky Novgorod. In 1558, Russian troops moved to the West, the Livonian War began, which lasted until 1583. The rulers of the Livonian Order hindered the relations of the Russian state with Western European countries.
The Livonian War is divided into three stages: until 1561, Russian troops completed the defeat of the Livonian Order, took Narva, Tartu (Derpt), approached Tallinn (Revel) and Riga; until 1578 - the war with Livonia turned for Russia into a war against Poland, Lithuania, Sweden, Denmark. The hostilities became protracted. Russian troops fought with varying success, occupying a number of Baltic fortresses in the summer of 1577.
The situation was complicated by the weakening of the country's economy as a result of the ruin of the guardsmen. The attitude towards the Russian troops of the local population has changed as a result of military extortions.
During this period, Prince Kurbsky, one of the most prominent Russian military leaders, who also knew the military plans of Ivan the Terrible, went over to the side of the enemy. The devastating raids on the Russian lands of the Crimean Tatars made the situation more difficult.
In 1569, Poland and Lithuania united into a single state - the Commonwealth. Elected to the throne, Stefan Batory (1533-1586) went on the offensive; Since 1579, Russian troops have been fighting defensive battles. In 1579, Polotsk was taken, in 1581 - Velikie Luki, the Poles besieged Pskov. The heroic defense of Pskov began (it was headed by the governor IP Shuisky), which lasted five months. The courage of the defenders of the city prompted Stefan Batory to abandon further siege.
However, the Livonian War ended with the signing of unfavorable for Russia Yam-Zapolsky (with Poland) and Plyussky (with Sweden) truces. The Russians had to abandon the conquered lands and cities. The Baltic lands were occupied by Poland and Sweden. The war exhausted Russia's forces. The main task of gaining access to the Baltic Sea was not solved.

The results of the foreign policy of Ivan IV the Terrible - the annexed regions are highlighted in yellow

Goals and objectives

Foreign policy of Ivan IV the Terrible was aimed at strengthening the position of the state, and its main tasks are listed below briefly:

Strengthening the positions of the Russian kingdom in Europe, obtaining access to the Baltic Sea
Elimination of the threat of raids from the South and South-East (Crimean, Astrakhan, Kazan Khanates)
Expansion of influence to the East and Northeast

Main directions

East direction- the annexation of the Kazan Khanate in 1552, the Astrakhan Khanate in 1556 and Yermak's campaign in Siberia made it possible not only to secure the Russian kingdom from the devastating raids of nomadic tribes that lasted several centuries, but also significantly expanded its territory.

Western direction- The Livonian War of 1558-1583 was supposed to bring Ivan the Terrible wide opportunities for trade across the Baltic Sea, but the difficult domestic political and economic situation, as well as the solidarity of European monarchs, actually nullified all the successes of the Russian kingdom at the beginning of the conflict.

South direction- the conflict in the Crimean Khanate that lasted for several centuries was a significant problem, diverting troops and causing economic damage to the southern regions. As a result of the defeat of the Crimean army Devlet Giray in 1772, the Crimean Khanate stopped raids for the next 20 years.

Briefly about the content of the main events of Russia's foreign policy in the second half of the 16th century

Kazan campaigns (1547-1552)

Map of the Kazan campaigns of Ivan IV the Terrible

First Kazan campaign(winter 1547-1548) did not bring results - without siege artillery, the Russian army could not storm Kazan, behind the walls of which numerous defenders took refuge.

Second Kazan campaign(autumn 1549 - spring 1550) also did not bring victory, as a stronghold in the further confrontation between the Russian kingdom and the Kazan Khanate, the Sviyazhsk fortress was erected at the confluence of the Sviyaga River into the Volga.

Before the third Kazan campaign Ivan the Terrible significantly strengthened the army, increased the number of artillery. In 1551, an agreement was signed on neutrality in the conflict of the Nogai Horde.

In the summer of 1552, a 150,000-strong army equipped with 150 large and medium-sized artillery pieces advanced to Kazan. On August 23, 1552, Russian troops laid siege to Kazan in a tight ring. The taxation line reached 7 km.

Scheme of the siege of Kazan by the troops of Ivan the Terrible

After a long siege, during which the Russians practically captured the city several times, the decisive assault was scheduled for October 2. By the evening of October 2, 1552, the capital of the Volga Tatars fell. On October 11, the Russian army marched back to Moscow, leaving a garrison in Kazan headed by A. B. Gorbaty-Shuisky.

As a result of the Kazan campaigns:

The Kazan Khanate was completely destroyed,
the Middle Volga region was annexed to Russia,
prerequisites arose for the development of the Volga region by Russian settlers, further advancement to the Urals and Siberia, expansion of trade relations with the Caucasus and the countries of the East.

Astrakhan campaigns (1554 - 1556)

The first Astrakhan campaign of 1554 was committed under the command of the voivode Prince Yuri Pronsky-Shemyakin. Ivan the Terrible decided to use the request for help from the Nogai Murza Ismail to replace the pro-Crimean Khan of Astrakhan Yamgurchey. After the defeat of the main detachment of the Astrakhans, Astrakhan was taken without a fight. As a result, Khan Dervish-Ali was brought to power, promising support to Moscow.

Second Astrakhan campaign(spring 1556 - August 26, 1556) was provoked by the betrayal of Khan Dervish-Ali, who went over to the side of the Crimean Khanate and the Ottoman Empire. In a direct confrontation, the Don Cossacks defeated the Khan's army near Astrakhan, after which Astrakhan was again taken without a fight in July.

Map of the Astrakhan campaigns of Ivan IV the Terrible

As a result of the quick and relatively "bloodless" (compared to the Kazan Khanate) subjugation of the Astrakhan Khanate, the positions of the Russian kingdom in the region strengthened and the remnants of the Golden Horde Empire agreed to a vassal position:

In 1557, the Nogai Horde recognized its dependence on Russia, whose territory was located in the interfluve of the river. Bulak and Yaik, and also partially on the right (trans-Ural) bank of the Yaik.
In the autumn of 1557, without a fight, the territory of modern Bashkiria, located in the basins of the Belaya and Ufa rivers, was also included in Russia.
Since 1560, the border of Russia in the east began to pass along the river. Ural (Yaik), and in the south (southeast) - along the river. Terek.

Livonian War (1558 - 1583)

Map of the Livonian War of Ivan IV the Terrible

The war began with the attack of the Russian kingdom on Livonia in January 1558. At the first stage of the war, Russian troops achieved significant success, having conquered Narva, Dorpat and a number of other cities and castles. In 1563, Polotsk was taken, but it was not possible to develop success, since in 1564 the Russian units were defeated in the battle of Chashniki. Shortly thereafter, the oprichnina was introduced (1565-1572). In 1569, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania merged with the Kingdom of Poland into a single Commonwealth.

Following the unsuccessful siege of Reval by Russian troops (1577), the troops of the Commonwealth returned Polotsk and unsuccessfully besieged Pskov. The Swedes took Narva and unsuccessfully besieged Oreshek.

The war ended with the signing of Yam-Zapolsky (1582) and Plyussky (1583) truces. Russia was deprived of all the conquests made as a result of the war, as well as lands on the border with the Commonwealth and coastal Baltic cities (Koporye, Yama, Ivangorod). The territory of the former Livonian Confederation was divided between the Commonwealth, Sweden and Denmark.

As a result of the Livonian War the Livonian Order ended its existence, the war contributed to the formation of the Commonwealth, and the Russian kingdom led to economic decline.

Crimean-Turkish campaigns

Crimean-Turkish campaign against Astrakhan

In 1569, the Turkish Sultan Selim II decided to join forces with the Crimean Khanate for a joint campaign against Astrakhan - the capture of this large trading center, which is a key point of defense of the Russian kingdom in the region, was to be a preparation for laying a canal on the Volgodonsk perevoloka (a land route for moving ships ) between the Black and Caspian Seas.

Approaching Astrakhan, 20 thousand Turks and 50 thousand Crimean Tatars on September 16, 1569 began a siege. As an aid to the besieged, Ivan IV the Terrible sent 30 thousand people under the command of Vasily Serebryany, as well as Zaporizhzhya Cossacks sent by the Polish king under the leadership of Prince Mikhail Vishnevetsky.

As a result of the coordinated actions of the Astrakhan garrison, under the leadership of Peter Serebryany, as well as the Cossacks and Russian troops who came to the rescue, a crushing defeat was inflicted on the Turks and Crimeans.

In the spring of 1570, the ambassadors of Ivan the Terrible concluded a non-aggression pact in Istanbul, which restored good neighborly relations between the sultan and the tsar.

Russian-Crimean war (1571-1572)

After the capture of Kazan and Astrakhan khanates by Ivan the Terrible, Devlet I Giray swore to return them. In 1563 and 1569, together with the Turkish troops, Devlet I Giray made two unsuccessful campaigns against Astrakhan. Starting from 1567, the activity of the Crimean Khanate began to increase, campaigns were made every year. In 1570, the Crimeans, almost without rebuff, subjected the Ryazan region to terrible devastation.

In 1571, Devlet Giray undertook a campaign against Moscow. Having deceived Russian intelligence, the khan crossed the Oka near Kromy, and not at Serpukhov, where the tsarist army was waiting for him, and rushed to Moscow. Ivan left for Rostov, and the Crimeans set fire to the outskirts of the capital that were not protected by the Kremlin and Kitay-Gorod. In the correspondence that followed, the tsar agreed to cede Astrakhan to the khan, but he was not satisfied with this, demanding Kazan and 2,000 rubles, and then announced his plans to capture the entire Russian state.

In 1572, the Khan began a new campaign against Moscow, which ended with the destruction of the Crimean-Turkish army in the Battle of Molodi. The death of the elite Turkish army near Astrakhan in 1569 and the defeat of the Crimean horde near Moscow in 1572 put a limit to the Turkish-Tatar expansion in Eastern Europe.

Results and results

Conquest of the Astrakhan and Kazan Khanates.
Recognition of the vassal position of the Nogai Horde
Eastward expansion after Yermak's campaign in Siberia
The total area of the country has been doubled.
Reflection of the Crimean Khan's campaign against Moscow in 1572 - for the next 20 years, the Crimean Khanate did not disturb the Russians
The failure in the Livonian War - all the gains during the hostilities had to be returned, the protracted conflict caused serious damage to the economy.

The domestic and foreign policy of Ivan the Terrible completed the unification of the state under the rule of the tsar, which had previously been nominal. Popular uprisings during the regency of the tsar's mother, Elena Glinskaya, showed the need to strengthen statehood and centralization and power. It was on this path that Ivan the Fourth went.

Domestic policy of Ivan the Terrible

In 1547, having become an adult, the future Ivan the Terrible was married to the kingdom. And immediately after that, he began to pursue an active reform policy. The easiest way to demonstrate its essence is a table where the main dates and events that influenced the structure of the state under this king are marked.

The result of these reforms was the strengthening of royal power, a change in relations between state and local authorities, and the strengthening of military power. The state became centralized.

Foreign policy of Ivan the Terrible

To understand what was the purpose of Ivan 4's foreign policy, it is important to know that at that time the Russian state had three main tasks. This is a struggle with the Astrakhan and Kazan principalities, which threatened him from the southeast and east, as well as the Crimean Khan, who constantly threatened the southern borders. It was also important for the country to reach the Baltic Sea. The king concentrated on these main directions.

Diplomatic and military attempts to subjugate the Kazan Khanate, which he made, failed. And in 1552 Ivan the Terrible besieged Kazan with 150,000 troops. As a result, this first-class military fortress was taken by storm, and Astrakhan followed four years later. Chuvashia and a significant part of Bashkiria became part of Russia voluntarily a year later - in 1557.

Thus, the eastern direction was completely taken under the hand of the king.

Oprichnina

Having decided to strengthen his personal power, Ivan the Terrible introduced the oprichnina. He used the popular faith, left the capital and waited to be called back to the throne. And when this happened, he demanded to give him unlimited power and establish a guardsman. Russia was divided into oprichnina and zemshchina, that is, the most important lands where the noble oprichniki settled with the army, and the lands that these nobles and soldiers support.

The guardsmen were devoted only to the tsar, and as a sign of this devotion they wore a dog's head on their saddles. They became the hands with which the tsar executed, tortured and exiled boyars who were objectionable to him. Brutal purges awaited such Russian cities as Novgorod and Moscow. However, brute force did not help: despite the weakening of the boyar class, political contradictions within the country only intensified.

Rice. 3. Oprichnik.

In addition, the oprichnina army was effective only for fighting people objectionable to the tsar: when the Tatars raided Moscow in 1571, they failed to cope with the task of defending the capital. As a result, already in 1572, the oprichnina was abolished.

Consequences of the reign of Ivan the Terrible

Despite the fact that both the foreign and domestic policies of Ivan the Fourth were not always balanced and effective, the textbook for the 7th grade puts him on a par with such great Russian tsars as Ivan Kalita and Dmitry Donskoy for good reason. The results of his reign were nevertheless largely positive: centralized power was established in the state, and its borders expanded. At the same time, it was Ivan the Terrible who, in the last years of his reign, created the ground for a period of unrest.

He became the Grand Duke at the age of three (in 1533), ruled until 1584, and in 1547 he became the first king of all.

Kazan campaigns

The constant threat and raids from the Kazan Khanate forced the young tsar to undertake three campaigns on his lands: in 1547-48, in 1549-50. and in 1552

The first two were unsuccessful, but as a result of the second Kazan was taken, the protégé of the Russian Tsar Alexander Shuisky was brought to power in it, and an episcopal chair headed by the archbishop was established.

Astrakhan campaigns

In order to seize control of the lower reaches of the Volga from him, Russian troops twice marched on the Astrakhan Khanate. Both times Astrakhan was taken without a fight, but only as a result of the second campaign (1556) was the khanate completely subdued.

Crimean campaigns

The Crimean Khanate regularly raided Russian lands, and in 1558 and 1559. Ivan IV sent his troops to the Crimea. He managed to defeat the Crimean army and ruin Gezelev. And, although in 1571 the Crimean Khan was able to capture and burn, the very next year the Russian army defeated the Crimean army under its capital.

War with Sweden

The reason for the war was Sweden's dissatisfaction with the fact that Russia stopped using transit through Swedish lands for trade with England. It continued from 1554 to 1557. As a result, a forty-year truce was concluded on the terms of Russia.

Livonian War

It began in 1558 due to the fact that the Russian tsar decided to secure access to the Baltic, bypassing the Hansa and Livonia. At first, Russian troops were successful, but after Poland entered the war, and its army not only recaptured most of the Livonian cities, but also invaded Russian lands, in 1582 the Yam-Zapolsky peace, unfavorable for Moscow Russia, was concluded, which brought to naught all the successes of Russia in. Relations with England after one of the English courts found a way to the lands of Moscow Russia, the Russian tsar hastened to establish trade relations with England, transferring the rights to trade to the London "Moscow Company" and sending his embassy to London in 1556.

Results

Muscovite Rus under Ivan IV became a strong independent state with powerful defense lines and extensive international ties.

Foreign policy objectives:

In the east: the struggle with the Kazan, Astrakhan and Crimean khanates, the mastery of the Volga trade route;

In the west: access to the Baltic Sea through the lands of the Livonian Order.

Eastern direction of foreign policy.

Liquidation of the Kazan Khanate in 1552 Causes:

1. A coalition of the Kazan, Astrakhan and Crimean khanates, vassals of the Ottoman (Turkish) Empire, was formed against Russia.

2. Russia sought to seize the Volga trade route and the fertile ("podraisky") lands of the Volga region.

3. The desire to free the peoples of the Volga region from Kazan dependence - the Mari, Mordovians, Chuvashs.

Initially, Moscow tried to solve the problem through diplomacy, placing its protege on the Kazan throne Shigalea (Shah Ali). However, this ended in failure. Then the conquest of Kazan was proclaimed a crusade against the "infidel infidels." Under the direction of a deacon Ivan Vyrodkov a wooden fortress was built near Uglich and floated down the Volga. In 1551, 30 km. from Kazan at the confluence of the Volga river. Sviyaga 50 thousand warriors erected a fortress Sviyazhsk with 18 towers. It became a Russian stronghold.

In 1552, the 150,000-strong army of Ivan IV with 150 guns laid siege to Kazan. The 30,000-strong garrison of Kazan stubbornly resisted for 6 weeks. The Russians at the walls of Kazan built mobile assault towers - "tours" ( walk-city). 2 October 1552 G. under the guidance of a foreign master Thoughts powder charges were blown up in the mines and a hole was made in the wall. Bridges were thrown from the "tours". Russian regiments led by governors rushed into the gap Alexander Gorbaty-Shuisky and Andrey Kurbsky. In the words of the chronicler, “the sovereign’s military people ... in the city beat the Tatars through the streets, husbands and wives in the yards, and others are dragged out of the pits and from the mizgits (mosques) and from the chambers, and cutting them without mercy and razed to the last nakedness.” (This was the usual behavior of the troops in the Middle Ages). After a stubborn battle, Kazan fell. Hana Yadigara-Magmeta (Yediger-Mohammed) were taken prisoner, forced to accept Orthodoxy under the name of "Tsar Simeon Kasaevich". He took possession of the city of Zvenigorod and participated in the wars of Russia in the West. The surviving warriors were executed, women and children were turned into slaves. The remnants of the surviving population were evicted from the city and besieged yasakom(tribute). The Kazan Khanate ceased to exist. Kazan became the Russian administrative center. The Orthodox Church began the Christianization of the population. Orthodox churches were built on the site of the destroyed mosques. In honor of the victory over Kazan in Moscow in 1555-1560. St. Basil's Cathedral was erected.

Liquidation of the Astrakhan Khanate in 1556 Astrakhan Khan fled to the Crimea, Astrakhan surrendered. In 1557, Chuvashia and Bashkiria voluntarily became part of Russia. The Great Nogai Horde and Kabarda in the North Caucasus recognized themselves as vassals of Russia.

The value of joining the Volga region :

1. Russia secured its borders from raids from the east.

2. Thousands of Russian slaves were released from captivity.

3. Russia received the fertile (“podraisky”) lands of the Volga region.

4. Russia took possession of the Volga and Kama trade routes, eastern markets opened up before her.

5. New cities were built - military and trade strongholds: Samara, Saratov, Tsaritsyn, Cheboksary, Ufa, etc.

6. Russia has gradually turned from a defending side into an actively expanding power. With the annexation of the Volga and Ural regions, Russia began to turn into Eurasian power, the influence of the traditions of Asia increased in it.

Fight against the Crimean Khanate . The liquidation of the Kazan and Astrakhan khanates by Ivan IV led to a sharp aggravation of Russian-Crimean relations. The vassals of Ottoman Turkey, the Crimean Tatars, often attacked Russian lands, ravaged villages and cities, and took the inhabitants into slavery. To protect against aggression were built notch features- many kilometers of defensive lines, consisting of notched(barriers made of fallen trees), ramparts, palisades, ditches and observation posts - watchmen and villages. The first line of defense was along the river. Oka from Nizhny Novgorod through Serpukhov, Tula to Kozelsk. The second - from the city of Alatyr along the river. Sure through Orel, Novgorod-Seversky, Putivl. The third line was built after the death of Ivan the Terrible through the cities of Kromy, Yelets, Kursk, Voronezh, Belgorod.

In 1571, at the head of an army of 40 thousand horsemen, the Crimean Khan Devlet Giray, having dispersed the oprichnina army, burned Moscow, for which he received the nickname Takht Algan("took the throne"). Frightened, Ivan IV fled north to the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery. During the raid on Muscovy, several hundred thousand Russians died and 50 thousand were taken prisoner. Devlet Giray demanded Kazan and Astrakhan. Ivan IV undertook, following the example of Poland, to pay tribute to the Crimea every year. The payment of "commemoration" to the Crimea continued until the end. 17th century and finally stopped only in the reign of Peter I.

Battle of Molodi 1572 The following year, the 120,000-strong Crimean-Turkish army again moved to Moscow. Near the village Young(south of Moscow, now the Chekhov district of the Moscow region) the 60,000-strong army of the governor blocked his path Mikhail Vorotynsky. The battle lasted several days, many Crimean commanders were killed, including the son and grandson of the khan. The Crimeans retreated. The victory in the Battle of Molodin saved Moscow and stopped the Crimean-Turkish aggression. The Crimean Khanate lost some of its power and was forced to abandon its claims to the Volga region - Kazan and Astrakhan. The victorious hero M. Vorotynsky was soon accused of plotting against the tsar and in 1573 died in a dungeon from torture.

The conquest of Siberia. Campaign of Yermak 1581 – 1585 Causes:

1. Russia was attracted by the natural resources of Siberia.

2. Tatars attacked the Siberian possessions of merchants Stroganovs.

The Siberian Khanate, a “splinter” of the Golden Horde hostile to Russia, occupied the territories of Western Siberia along the banks of the river. Ob, Irtysh, Tobol. The industrialists, the Stroganov brothers, received from the tsar a letter of ownership of land along the river. Kame and Chusovoy. They were engaged in salt mining (the city of Sol-Kamskaya), iron smelting, and fur trade. Siberian Khan Yediger in 1555 he recognized vassal dependence on Moscow, but his successor Khan Kuchum(†1598) tore up this agreement. A native of Bukhara, an ardent Muslim Kuchum forcibly introduced Islam into Siberia. The raids of the Siberian Tatars on the possessions of the Stroganovs became more frequent.

In 1581, the Stroganovs at their own expense equipped an expedition of Cossacks from 600 to 1,000 people, led by an experienced 50-year-old chieftain Ermak Timofeevich(Yermolay Alenin). Yermak's detachment moved to plows(boats) and was well armed with squeakers and cannons. The Tatars were mainly armed with spears and bows. Yermak occupied the capital of the Khanate, the city of Qashlyk-Isker, or Siberia(near the modern city of Tobolsk). Kuchum put up fierce resistance and Yermak found himself in a difficult position. In 1584, a government detachment arrived to help Yermak. In 1585, Yermak died in an ambush on the river. Irtysh. His campaign marked the beginning of the Russian colonization of Siberia. In 1585 the Russians founded prison(fortress) Tyumen, in 1587 - Tobolsk, which became the Russian center of Siberia. The development of Siberian natural resources began. The local population was overlaid with yasak. In 1598 the governor Voeikov defeated Kuchum's army and captured his sons and eight wives. "Kuchum's children" and their wives were sent to Moscow and graciously received by Tsar Boris Godunov. Kuchum fled to the Nogai steppes and was killed there around 1598.

Western direction of Russia's foreign policy.

Livonian War (1558–1583). Causes wars:

1. Russia's desire to go to the Baltic, get seaports and trade directly with Europe.

2. Acquisition of new economically developed lands.

Cause for war: Delay by the Livonian Order of 123 Western specialists invited to serve in Russia and non-payment of tribute by the Livonian Order for the city of Yuryev (Derpt, or Tartu) over the past 50 years.

In the 1550s, there was an opportune moment for an attack. Livonia weakened, did not have a single government and consisted of three independent structures - the Livonian Order, the Catholic Church and self-governing cities. The king was a supporter of the war for the Baltic. His advisers from the Chosen Rada, in particular A. Adashev, advocated a war with the Crimea and access to the Black Sea. The point of view of Ivan IV prevailed.

The first stage of the Livonian War (1558–1561) Russian troops took Narva, Dorpat, Marienburg, advanced on Revel (Tallinn, or Kolyvan). In 1560 the Order was crushed. Residence of the Master of the Order - castle fellin was taken, and the Master of Landmeister himself wilhelm background Furstenberg was captured and exiled to the city of Lyubim near Yaroslavl, where he lived the rest of his life. The order ceased to exist. Now Russia is faced with three powers - Poland, Denmark and Sweden, who have claimed the rights to the Livonian lands. The war dragged on.

Second stage of the Livonian War (1561–1578) . The betrayal of Andrei Kurbsky. In 1563, the tsar personally led a 60,000-strong army to the city of Polotsk and took it. Ivan concluded a truce, began negotiations with the Poles about marrying the sister of Sigismund-August - Catherine. Negotiations failed, the war resumed. In 1564 the Russians were defeated by the Lithuanians near Polotsk, Orsha and on the river. Ole. Ivan IV suspected everyone of treason and unleashed terror.

Governor Prince Andrey Kurbsky had a secret correspondence with the Polish-Lithuanian king and had long been plotting to escape. In 1564, he fled to Lithuania, where he lived until his death in 1583. In his letters to Ivan the Terrible, Kurbsky accused the “fierce autocrat” of tyranny, blood drinking and senseless executions: “Why, tsar, governor, given to you by God to fight enemies betrayed to various executions? “You closed the Russian kingdom, as if in a hellish stronghold”; committed "the devastation of the earth with your Khemushniks" ("Kromeshniks" - guardsmen). Kurbsky advocated a limited monarchy, his political ideal was the activity of the Chosen Rada. To govern the state, in his opinion, it is necessary to involve "wise advisers" and "people of the people." In response letters filled with profanity addressed to Kurbsky, Ivan IV proclaimed: “Russian autocrats from the beginning themselves own their kingdoms, and not the boyars and nobles. And I am free to pay my lackeys, but they are free to execute ... ". The king believed that he was God's chosen one, his autocratic power should not be limited by any laws. The highest court is the monarch himself, and all subjects are serfs, whose life the sovereign could control autocratically.

AT 1569 in Lublin, Poland and Lithuania concluded LYupancake union and united in the state Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth(Polish Rzeczpospolita - republic) - gentry(noble) republic, where the king was chosen by the nobility - nobility. In 1576, a protege of Turkey, a talented commander, a 43-year-old Transylvanian governor, was elected king of the Commonwealth Sté fan Bató riy (1533–1586).

In 1570, Ivan IV created a vassal puppet “Kingdom of Livonia”. The king made a Danish prince his king Magnus, marrying him to his 13-year-old niece Maria, daughter of the executed Vladimir Staritsky. The last major success of the Russian troops was the capture of the Polish part of Livonia in 1577.

Ivan IV and Elizabeth I Tudor. Ivan the Terrible was looking for rapprochement with England and hoped for the supply of English weapons. The king made a marriage proposal to the English Queen Elizabeth I and even planned to emigrate to England. Elizabeth told the next applicant that she decided to remain a virgin, because she was engaged to her nation. Ivan IV flew into a rage, canceled benefits for English merchants and expelled them from Russia. In a letter to Elizabeth in 1570, the tsar openly insulted the queen, calling her a “vulgar girl” (that is, an ordinary commoner). Ivan IV wrote: “And we hoped that you were the empress in your state and ruled by yourself ... Even if you have people who rule past you, and not only people, but also merchant men ... And you stay in your girlish rank, like there is a vulgar girl ".

Third stage of the Livonian War (1579–1583) Stefan Bathory, in alliance with the Swedes, retook Polotsk in 1579, in 1581–1582. laid siege to Pskov. Defenders of Pskov, led by the prince Ivan Shuisky for 5 months of the siege, 31 assaults were repelled. Thanks to the feat of Pskov, the Poles were stopped. In 1582, in Zapolsky Pit, Russia and the Commonwealth signed Yam-Zapolsky truce while maintaining the old borders. In 1583 by Plus Truce with Sweden, Russia lost the fortresses of Yam, Koporye, Ivangorod, Korela (Kexholm, now Priozersk, Leningrad Region), retaining part of the Baltic coast with the mouth of the Neva.

Reasons for Russia's defeat in the Livonian War .

1. Incorrect assessment by Ivan IV of the balance of power in the Baltic states.

2. The diversion of troops to repel the Crimean raids.

3. The backwardness of the Russian economy, not capable of many years of war.

4. The weakening of Russia due to the oprichnina terror of Ivan IV.

Oprichnina1565–1572

Oprichnina – a special order of government, a system of repressive measures aimed at weakening the boyars, who were in opposition to Ivan IV.

Reasons for oprichnina. 1. Ivan IV sought to subdue the boyars, to strengthen autocratic power.

3. Features of the character and psyche of the king. Ivan IV, a manic-suspicious man, suspected everyone of treason.

4. Death in 1560 of the tsar's beloved wife, Anastasia. Ivan IV suspected Adashev and Sylvester that they "killed" the queen. (Studies of her remains in 2000 showed the presence of mercury).

5. Betrayal and flight to Lithuania Andrey Kurbsky.

6. Disagreements on foreign policy issues. Ivan IV advocated a war with Livonia, and the Chosen Rada - for the fight against the Crimea.

7. Different ideas about the ways of centralization of the state. The elected council offered the path of gradual transformations, Ivan IV sought to speed up the processes of centralization, to immediately achieve unlimited power. This led the king to terror.

Fall of the Chosen One. Ivan IV suspected members of the Chosen Rada of treason in connection with the events of 1533, when, during an illness, the tsar, thinking he was dying, appointed his newborn son as heir Dmitry. Many boyars (except for Vorotynsky and Viskovaty) did not want to swear allegiance to the baby "diaper". Adashev and Sylvester intended after the death of the king to enthrone his cousin - Vladimir Andreevich Staritsky. Ivan IV considered their actions a betrayal. The king recovered, but the little heir drowned in the river. Sheksna during a pilgrimage to the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery. The nanny, leaving the boat, dropped him into the water. The next son, Ivan, became the heir. The tsar accused the boyars: “like Herod, they wanted to destroy the infant, to deprive him of this light by death.”

Adashev was accused of treason, exiled to Livonia, and in 1561 died in prison (possibly committed suicide). Macarius died in 1563, Sylvester asked the king to let him go to rest in the Kirillo-Belozersky monastery, where he died in 1566 as a simple monk under the name Spiridon. Kurbsky fled to Lithuania in 1564, Viskovaty was executed in 1670, Vorotynsky died of torture in 1573.

The beginning of the oprichnina. At the end of 1564, after another quarrel with the boyars, Ivan IV took the treasury and left for his residence - Alexandrovskaya(to Alexandrov) settlement(now the city of Aleksandrov, Vladimir region). In January 1565, Ivan IV sent two letters to Moscow. In the first - addressed to the boyars - he, not wanting to "endure their treacherous deeds", announced his decision to leave the throne. The second letter informed ordinary townspeople that the king "has no anger at them and disgrace ... no." Ivan, trying to push ordinary people against the boyars, achieved his goal. Ordinary people demanded that the boyars persuade the tsar to return to the throne, threatening that otherwise the “state villains and traitors” would themselves be “consumed”. A delegation of boyars and clergy went to Alexandrov Sloboda. This is what the king needed. After much persuasion, Ivan IV agreed to return to the throne under two conditions:

1. The tsar received unlimited power, the right to execute anyone without consulting the Boyar Duma (although he had such a right before).

2. The country was divided into Oprichnina(personal property of the king) and Zemshchina.

Zemshchina was ruled by the Boyar Duma and the government headed by Ivan Viskovaty. A huge tax of 100 thousand rubles was imposed on the Zemshchina to establish an oprichnina army.

Oprichnina (from the word " besides"-" except ", the so-called special specific land ownership) became a powerful military punitive machine in the hands of the king. Oprichnina headed Malyuta Skuratov(Grigory Skuratov-Belsky) († 1573) and Vasily Gryaznoy(Filthy). An “oprichny court” and a 5,000-strong oprichny army were created, organized like a monastic brotherhood. The "abbot" was considered the king himself. The guardsmen wore black monastic robes, a dog's head and a broom were attached to the saddle as a sign of readiness to gnaw and sweep treason. The tsar, like the guardsmen, wore monastic robes and black cockle(pointed hood). Ivan considered the guardsmen to be a righteous force fulfilling the will of the tsar and God.

Oprichny terror. Returning to Moscow, Ivan IV unleashed the oprichnina terror. He executed two Shuiskys, Khovrins and other boyars "for relations with Kurbsky." The tsar evicted the boyars from the Oprichnina to the Zemshchina. More than 100 boyar families were evicted to Kazan with land confiscation. In 1569 Ivan the Terrible forced his cousin Vladimir Andreevich Staritsky take poison with his wife and daughter. Metropolitan who opposed the oprichnina Philip (Kolychev, 1507–1569) was exiled to Tver Otroch Monastery. From the monastery, Philip sent accusatory letters to the tsar (“Filkin’s letters,” as Ivan the Terrible called them contemptuously). Philip was strangled in the monastery by Malyuta Skuratov. In 1566, at the Zemsky Sobor, the boyar I. Fedorov and his supporters accused the king of being insane. They were killed. All famous Russian commanders were executed, including heroes of the capture of Kazan - Alexander Gorbaty-Shuisky and Ivan Vyrodkov.

Winter 1569–1570 Ivan the Terrible made a trip to Novgorod, accusing the Novgorodians of treason and the intention to retreat to Lithuania. Along the way, the guardsmen defeated the cities of Klin, Tver, Torzhok. Repressions in Novgorod lasted 40 days. People were drowned in Volkhov, several hundred a day. Entire families were destroyed "under the root" - the head of the family, his wife and children were tied together with ropes and drowned in the hole. Of the 30 thousand Novgorodians, from 3 to 10 thousand died (according to other sources - from 10 to 15 thousand). Thousands of carts with stolen property accompanied the king. Reprisals befell Narva, Ivan-gorod, Pskov.

In 1670, in Moscow, Ivan the Terrible staged a fierce execution of 300 people, including a member of the Chosen Rada Ivan Viskovaty. The tsar, Malyuta Skuratov and other guardsmen stabbed people with lances and flogged their heads. Oprichniki got a taste of violence, sought out enemies, denounced the innocent in order to take possession of their property. They began to report on each other, to fight for a place of honor near the king, for land and privileges. By order of the king, a prominent guardsman was stabbed to death by his son Alexey Basmanov, princes killed A. Vyazemsky, M. Cherkassky and others. In 1573, Malyuta Skuratov died in battle in Livonia.

It is wrong to assume that the oprichnina terror was directed only against the boyars. Many ordinary people died. There was no fundamental difference in the level of nobility between Oprichnina and Zemshchina. Many prominent boyars served in Oprichnina. According to A. Yurganova, deeply religious and fanatical Ivan the Terrible was convinced of the divine origin of his power. Ivan IV built the Oprichny Palace in Moscow with bizarre architecture modeled on the biblical City of God, New Jerusalem. Believing that he was the executor of God's will on the eve of the Last Judgment, the king believed that God's righteous punishment of sinners with a painful death leads to the salvation of their souls, hellish torments have a "healing character". Oprichny executions were for the king a kind of purgatory before the Last Judgment.

One cannot think that the events that took place in Russia were something special. throughout Europe in the 16th century. the centralization of states was accompanied by cruel executions. In Spain, for example, the Catholic Inquisition was rampant and King Philip II enjoyed watching people burn at the stake. King Charles IX of France personally participated in the massacre of Protestants on St. Bartholomew's Night in 1572. Swedish King Eric XIV shed no less blood than Ivan the Terrible. Queen Elizabeth of England executed the legitimate heir to the throne, Mary Stuart and her supporters. It is curious that during the correspondence, Queen Elizabeth and Ivan IV promised to provide each other with political asylum if they had to flee their country.