Ivan IV the Terrible

Ivan IV was crowned Tsar of All Russia at the Dormition Cathedral in Moscow, adopting the title of tsar (Caesar). This marked the formal transformation of the Grand Principality of Moscow into the Tsardom of Russia.

Ivan IV led a campaign that captured the city of Kazan after a long siege. The annexation of the Kazan Khanate opened the Volga River to Russian expansion and marked the beginning of Russian imperialism in the east.

Ivan IV invaded Livonia (modern Latvia and Estonia) to gain access to the Baltic Sea. The war lasted 25 years and involved Poland-Lithuania, Sweden, and Denmark. It ended in Russian defeat with the Treaty of Yam-Zapolsky in 1582.

Ivan IV divided Russia into the oprichnina (his personal domain) and the zemshchina (the rest). He created a separate administration and a corps of oprichniki who carried out mass executions, land confiscations, and terror against the boyars.

Ivan IV led the oprichniki in a punitive expedition against Novgorod, suspecting the city of plotting to defect to Lithuania. Thousands were executed, and the city was looted and destroyed, ending its economic and political power.

Ivan IV struck his eldest son and heir, Tsarevich Ivan Ivanovich, with a pointed staff during an argument, causing fatal injuries. This left the throne to the mentally weak Fyodor I, leading to the end of the Rurikid dynasty.