Ivan
Ivan, the name of several Russian rulers. Ivan I, Ivan III, and Ivan IV were the most notable.
(1301–1341), called Ivan Kalita (“Moneybags”), ruled the Russian principality of Muscovy as grand prince, 1328–41. He made Muscovy one of the leading Russian principalities.
Shortly after Ivan became grand prince, the Tatar khan, who was the nominal ruler of Russia, appointed him to collect tribute from the khan's Russian lands. Ivan used the profits gained from this position to enlarge Muscovy's holdings by purchasing neighboring land. He also persuaded the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church to move the seat of that church from Vladimir to Moscow, making this city the spiritual center of Russia.
(1440–1505), called “the Great,” ruled Muscovy, 1462–1505. Ivan created a unified Russian state by incorporating several Russian principalities into Muscovy. He further enlarged his domain by seizing territory from Lithuania and Poland. By the end of his reign Muscovy, also known as Muscovite Russia, had more than tripled in size. Ivan also succeeded in achieving independence from the Tatar khan, ending more than 200 years of Tatar rule in Russian lands.
(1530–1584), called “the Terrible,” was grand prince of Muscovy, 1533–84, and czar, 1547–84. Ivan was noted for extending Russia's borders to the Ural Mountains and the Caspian Sea, for beginning the conquest of Siberia, and for his oppression of the boyars (nobles).
During 1533–47 Muscovite Russia was governed by a succession of corrupt regencies. In 1547 Ivan assumed power and became the first Russian ruler to be crowned czar. For the next 13 years he ruled Russia well. Also during this time Ivan increased Russia's territory; Kazan was conquered in 1552, Astrakhan in 1556. In 1558 Ivan's armies invaded Livonia and established a foothold on the Baltic coast. Later in his reign, however, Russia lost that territory to Poland and Sweden.
In 1560 Ivan's wife, Anastasia Romanov, died. Ivan soon became mentally unstable. He believed that she had been poisoned by boyars and began to oppress all those whom he suspected of opposing him. During 1565–72 Ivan seized the property of many boyars to create a personal domain known as the Oprichnina. By 1572 the Oprichnina occupied more than a third of Muscovite Russia. Within the Oprichnina Ivan used a personal army to ruthlessly persecute his enemies, real or suspected. In 1581, during a fit of rage, Ivan killed his oldest son. By the end of Ivan's reign Muscovite Russia was on the brink of collapse.