The position of the Russian queens was far from enviable - they spent their whole lives behind high fences in the royal palace. The only woman who received absolute power in Russia, albeit for a very short time, was Irina Fedorovna Godunova, the widow of Fedor I Ioannovich.

Fedor I Ioannovich

The future Grand Duchess was born, presumably in 1557, and already in 1564-66 ended up in the royal palace, where her brothers participated in the children's games of Tsarevich Fyodor. Godunova was a sufficiently educated woman for that time, thanks to the guardianship of her uncle Dmitry Godunov, who was the mentor of the young Fedor. When the prince was 20 years old, the search for a bride began and the choice fell on Irina Godunova, the wedding was very quiet, its date is not recorded in the annals, most likely it happened in 1577, since the princess's guardians received government posts.

Irina and Fedor treated each other with great tenderness and love, they never quarreled, Tsar Ivan greatly appreciated such a relationship, therefore it was they, and not the eldest son, who played the role of planted parents at his last wedding with Maria Naga.

Irina Godunova

In 1584, after the death of his father, Fyodor became tsar, noteworthy is the fact that for the first time a new tsarina was present at a meeting of the boyars, later she was present at almost all meetings of the Boyar Duma - previously tsarinas were not invited there.

Especially for her, the ceremony of the wedding to the kingdom was also changed - a throne was installed in one of the rooms of the palace so that not only she could see the ceremony, but also the people could contemplate the new queen.

Artist Vladislav Nagornov

In her chambers, Irina Godunova received the clergy, foreign pilgrims and boyar wives, she corresponded with the Patriarch of Alexandria and Queen Elizabeth of England, by the way, the latter even sent a midwife to help the royal couple conceive an heir. The queen was very pious, patronized church building and often went on pilgrimages with her husband.

The only thing that saddened the young spouses was the absence of children. The queen was not barren, she became pregnant several times, but she could bear only her only daughter, Princess Theodosia in 1592, but the girl did not live even two years. Despite the boyars' persuasions to send his wife to the monastery, Tsar Fyodor was very fond of his wife, and even the absence of children could not make him part from her. Perhaps it was the death of his daughter that made Fyodor think about the possibility of enthroning his wife, since it was precisely since 1594 that the spouse appears next to the king's name in official documents.

Lebedeva Tatiana Nikolaevna as Tsarina Irina Fyodorovna in the play "Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich"

In December 1697, the forty-year-old Fedor fell ill and died on January 7. Before his death, he gathered the close boyars and named his wife his heir. Even the patriarch agreed with the decision of the tsar, who, together with the boyars, swore allegiance to the new empress. The Empress, who passionately loved her husband, was not distinguished by her lust for power, she hardly wanted to remain on the throne, but her brother Boris thought otherwise. It was he who began to talk to his sister about the need to remarry, even looking for a foreign prince in order to give birth to an heir and strengthen her position on the throne, she refused.

Exactly one week after the death of her husband, the empress gathered the Boyar Duma and announced her decision to go to the monastery, but she agreed to remain ruler until a new tsar was elected. Despite the fact that she, as the legal ruler, could choose a successor for herself, she did not dare to do it on her own, entrusting the Zemsky Sobor. A few days later, Irina took monastic vows at the Novodevichy Convent, becoming nun Alexandra. The first sovereign queen died in 1603.

Since ancient times, power has belonged to men. The role of women was reduced to dynastic marriages and the birth of heirs. However, stories are known of women rulers who were not inferior in wisdom and strength to kings and shahs.

Famous female rulers in the history of the world

10 names that will not be forgotten:

Pharaoh, ruler of Egypt, who ascended the throne after the death of her husband Thutmose II. Her husband was left with an illegitimate 16-year-old son, whom the woman sent to the temple, after which he successfully ruled for 22 years. The country, devastated by the nomads, began to develop economically. The woman led the victorious campaign to Nubia.

People loved and worshiped Hatshepsut. She was called a woman with a beard. The fact is that the beliefs of the Egyptians demanded that the pharaoh be the embodiment of the god Horus, so the ruler had to wear a man's robe and stick on a beard.

Hatshepsut's only weakness was her favorite Senenmut. The architect, of course, could not marry the tsarina. As a proof of his love, the man built a tomb for himself - an exact copy of the sarcophagus of his beloved.

Another famous ruler of Egypt. The girl grew up in a family where it was customary to marry brothers and sisters and kill their own children. To take the throne, Cleopatra had to defeat the sisters, marry the brothers and subsequently poison them.

The ruler gave birth to a son, Ptolemy, from the great Caesar, so that she could rule on his behalf. She also had three children from Mark Antony.

Despite the image of the femme fatale, Cleopatra was not frivolous or depraved. Like many women rulers, she was very educated for that time, spoke 8 languages, versed in such sciences as medicine, tactics and toxicology. For 30 years, she managed to resist Rome and defend the independence of her country.

3. Sophia.

Tsarevna of Ancient Russia, elder sister of Peter I. Sister and brother were born of different mothers, but had an amazing similarity of characters. They had the same will, intelligence, ambition and stubbornness.

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The ruler of Russia was educated, personally received ambassadors, founded the Slavic-Greco-Roman academy in the capital. If Peter I had not turned out to be stronger, she would have ruled the state with pride for many years.

She was called the virgin queen, since she swore that, despite her many admirers and the presence of a favorite, Robert Dudley, she remains pure before the Lord.

The ruler was born of Anne Boleyn, who was executed by her husband Henry VIII (officially - for treason, in reality - for the inability to give her husband a male heir). Before taking the English throne, Elizabeth visited exile and the Tower.

The time of her reign is not just called the golden age. England flourished. Under Elizabeth, the Spanish Armada, considered invincible, was defeated.

Daughter and heiress of the Duke of Aquitaine. At the age of 15, she was married to Louis VII. Despite the fact that she did not love her husband, the marriage lasted 20 years. During this time, Eleanor gave birth to two daughters and, together with her husband, participated in the Crusade.

When her marriage to Louis VII was annulled, she entered into a marriage alliance with Henry II. From this union, seven children appeared.

The ruler was distinguished by exorbitant jealousy, amorousness, self-will, and decisiveness. It was because of excessive jealousy that Heinrich locked her in the tower. Then Eleanor raised her sons against him.

Women rulers often died at the hands of opponents, but Eleanor lived for 80 years. Until her last day, she actively participated in the political life of Europe.

6. Elizaveta Petrovna.

The ruler of Russia, daughter of Catherine I and Peter I. She was distinguished by her kindness and carelessness. She loved dancing and did not dream of the throne. No one considered Elizabeth to be a serious force in politics. However, the princess, having led the revolt of the guardsmen and having received their support, at the age of 31, became one of the ruling women in the history of Russia.

She surrounded herself with smart ministers, waged victorious wars, and developed the economy. Thanks to her, the death penalty was abolished.

Elizabeth was in an unequal marriage with Razumovsky, who idolized his wife.

Daughter of Jawaharlal Nehru, an associate of Mahatma Gandhi. Her family ties were not connected with the Mahatma himself. Not only the girl, but also her family participated in the struggle for the liberation of India, the destruction of caste differences and the destruction of patriarchy.

Despite the prejudices that are still strong in India, Indira married Feroz Gandhi, who professed Zoroastrianism. The price for this marriage was imprisonment. The birth of sons did not become an obstacle to Indira's political life.

After becoming prime minister in 1964, she held power for 20 years. During this time, the country's dependence on imports was eliminated, factories, schools, factories were built. The death of the ruler came at the hands of political opponents.

The daughter of a carpenter and a wet nurse, who grew up in a poor family. Of the eight children that her parents had, only three survived. The rest died from disease and hunger.

After emigrating to America, the girl paid for her studies by teaching English to newly arrived immigrants. She married an accountant who developed the ideas of Zionism. In 1921 she moved with her husband to Palestine.

Golda soon became one of the leaders of the labor movement. She managed to collect 50 million dollars for the European state, which was recently proclaimed. She negotiated with the leader of Jordan, traveled as an ambassador to the USSR. Despite the fact that Golda did not come out and a noble and wealthy family, like many women rulers, she nevertheless became the fourth Israeli prime minister.

Although the woman did not recognize cosmetics and fashion trends in clothes, she never had a shortage of fans.

Margaret planned to devote her life to chemistry, and politics was just a hobby for her. However, she first became a member of the Conservative Party, then met her future husband Dennis Thatcher, gave birth to twins, received a law degree and soon entered Parliament. In 1970 she became a minister and in 1979 - a prime minister.

The "Iron Lady" was disliked by many for her toughness and radicalism. At the same time, one cannot but pay tribute to her merits. Thanks to Margaret, children from poor families were given the opportunity to learn. She contributed to the development of production and the country's economy.

Thatcher became the only prime minister of the state to whom a monument was erected during his lifetime.

The first woman to officially become president. She held the presidency of Iceland 4 times and surrendered it voluntarily.

Initially, Vigdis's interests were in theater and French, politics did not bother her. In 1975, she initiated a strike, in connection with which all women refused to do any work. In this way, the strike has demonstrated what backbreaking work falls on the female half of the population. In 1980, Finnbogadottir was elected president.

After leaving politics, she turned to the treatment of spinal injuries and organized the Association for the Study of Spinal Cord Injuries.

The rule of women in Muslim states

It is widely believed that a Muslim woman is absolutely dependent on her spouse and can only do her homework. Nevertheless, in the history of Islam, there are women rulers who really ruled and made fateful decisions. Some of them:

When the Avar Khan Umakhan died, his son-in-law took the throne, who also died soon after. After that, power passed to Bahu-Bike. The queen's son was considered too simple-minded, so no one objected to the power of Umakhan's daughter.

The ruler ruled the state wisely. If I wanted to express my opinion at the meeting, I always began the speech with the words "As I said ...". That is, she created the appearance that her decision was made on the basis of the man's words.

Bahu-Bike was able to improve relations with Moscow and successfully wage war against jihadists for a long time. However, the jihadists managed to deceive her, as a result of which her sons were killed, and the queen herself was beheaded.

The girl was raised as a boy, in connection with which she was called an Amazon. The father chose his daughter as heiress, since the son, for whom he was preparing the throne, died, and the mental abilities of the remaining sons of the Sultan did not please.

However, Razia did not like to know. Repeated attempts were made on her. As a result of one of the assassination attempts, the ruler was killed. The country began to be shaken by civil strife and attacks by the Mongols, as a result of which the sultanate fell.

The Sultana was remembered as a skillful diplomat, capable of turning any circumstances to his advantage. She had an amazing talent for influencing the people.

The wife of the Sultan of Egypt as-Salih and the mother of his heir. After the death of her husband, she for a long time created the appearance that the ruler was alive. This continued until she put her stepson Turanshah on the throne. However, the new sultan declared war on his stepmother, in which he lost. Power was in the hands of Shajar.

Women rulers often provoked discontent. This case was no exception. This state of affairs did not suit the people, so the sultana was forced to marry Mamluk Aybek. This marriage was a power struggle in which the man lost.

After Aybek's death, Shajar invited several Mamluk leaders to become her husband. However, the Mamluks decided to execute the Sultana. Most likely she was strangled.

The most brutal rulers in the world

Ruthlessness is not always characteristic of men. Below are 5 female personalities whose names are associated with cruelty:

The ruler of Russia, "famous" for her revenge for the murder of her husband. The Drevlyans, who killed the prince, sent matchmakers to his widow, whom she ordered to bury alive together with their boat. Then she invited the best representatives of the enemy people, invited them to rest in the bathhouse and burned them alive. After that, she arrived at the place where her husband died, to perform the ceremony and killed 5 thousand drunken Drevlyans.

The princess ended her revenge by burning the enemy's city. After the victory, she asked for tribute 3 sparrows and 3 pigeons from each house of the Drevlyans. After leaving the city, she tied sulfur to each bird and released the birds, which, of course, returned to their owners. The city caught fire.

2. Mary I Tudor (Bloody Mary).

The day of the death of this woman became a holiday for the British. An ardent Catholic, she destroyed Protestants. One of her favorite pastimes was genital mutilation, which was fed to victims. When entertainment bored the queen, she burned the exhausted Protestants.

During the reign of Bloody Mary, 300 priests were burned, 3,000 were stripped of their posts. People fled in panic outside the country. England was shaken by the most violent uprisings.

The woman managed to turn from a lower-level concubine into an empress. At the age of 16, she, without disdaining anything, made her way into the emperor's bedroom and gave birth to an heir. Her influence on the ruler became enormous. She secretly took part in governing the state. Despite the emperor's wife, Qi Xi became the main one in the harem.

After the death of her husband, she, like many female rulers, became a regent. Her policies were characterized by aggression, intolerance and cruelty. It was rumored that every night the Empress had a new lover, whom she ordered to kill in the morning.

Ci Xi's rule over China lasted 50 years.

She was called the Queen Inquisitor. In total, she gave the “go-ahead” to the burning of 10,000 people. 100,000 people were tortured on her orders.

Isabella believed that she devoted her life to the fight against heresy and all her actions are performed in the name of faith.

5. Daria Saltykova.

She ruled only her estate, but there are so many atrocities behind her that it would be wrong not to mention them. The landowner tortured dozens of people to death with her own hands.

A woman was widowed at the age of 26. 600 peasants passed into her possession. After the death of her husband, she began to experience uncontrollable attacks of aggression. She took out her anger in public, leaving naked in the cold, burning her hair, beating with whips.

Thanks to the generous donations from the landowner, the authorities did not react in any way to the complaints of the peasants. The case was set in motion when Catherine II ascended the throne. It was established that 138 serfs had died through the fault of Saltykova.

The landowner was imprisoned in a monastery. The cell in which she was held was not exposed to light, and she was not allowed to talk to anyone for the rest of her days.

Although power has been considered a male prerogative for thousands of years, history knows many great women whose wise policies have led states to prosperity and well-being. The female rulers displayed extraordinary intelligence, strength and determination, surpassing the men in power in many ways.

You may be interested in the video "Women Rulers"

Women rulers have influenced the course of world history no less than men. They intrigued, seized power, changed the map of the world. It was thanks to the support of Isabella of Castile that America was discovered.

1. Catherine II

Under Catherine II, Russia significantly expanded its territory, entrenched itself on the Black Sea, Crimea became Russian. After the three Polish partitions, Russia also "grew" with western lands. A German on the Russian throne, Catherine maintained close contacts with Europe and corresponded with the smartest people of her time.

2. Cleopatra

Cleopatra was the last independent ruler of Egypt before the Roman conquest by Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. She is still one of the most demanded images in art. All because of the image of the femme fatale, which she undoubtedly was. From Caesar Cleopatra bore a son, from Anthony two sons and a daughter.

3. Victoria

Queen Victoria of England was called “the grandmother of Europe” by her contemporaries because of her connections with the royal families of Europe. Victoria's reign radically changed both the British and the whole world. The Victorian era is about inventions, technological revolution, gentlemen.
Despite the image of the quiet "family monarch", in matters of politics, Victoria was firm. So, she believed that the colonial policy of England is exclusively good. In justification of the Anglo-Boer and Anglo-Afghan wars, she said "It is not in our custom to annex countries if we are not obliged and forced to do so."

4. Elizabeth I

Even Ivan the Terrible wooed the English Queen Elizabeth, but the matter did not come to a wedding. Nobody got it. The Queen went down in history as the "Virgin Queen". She herself repeated more than once that she was married “to England”. Her marriage would have changed the balance of power in Europe, and she knew about it, keeping the balance. Even by her death, Elizabeth benefited England - by declaring the heir to the Scottish King James VI, she united the two states. Scotland finally became dependent on England.

5. Elizabeth II

Elizabeth II is often called a woman of "soft heart and iron character." During the war years, she herself enrolled in the self-defense units and became the only queen who completed military service. She is today the longest reigning monarch in British history.

6. Jane Gray

Jane Gray can be called the most legendary English queen. She is called "the queen of nine days" - she ruled for so long. But, despite such a short period of reign, Jane Gray remained in history. For the Protestants persecuted by Mary, Jane was a martyr, the first victim of the English counter-reformation. Under Queen Elizabeth, Jane's story became firmly established in the circle of spiritual reading, "high" secular literature and folk tradition.

7. Evgeniya Montiho

Legislative of European fashions, the French queen Eugenie not only went to secular receptions, but also influenced politics. During the absence of her husband, she actually performed the duties of the regent. A zealous Catholic, she adhered to Ultramontan beliefs, did not approve of the Risorgimento and the weakening of papal power. It is believed that it was Eugene who influenced her husband's decision to get involved in the Mexican adventure. She also became the indirect culprit of the Franco-Prussian War.

8. Catherine de Medici

The main trendsetter of the French court, Catherine de Medici went down in history as the "Black Queen", poisoner, child killer and instigator of St. Bartholomew's Night. Despite the terrible reputation of Catherine, she was very naive in political matters. As historians say, Catherine de Medici was not a ruler, but a woman on the throne. Her main weapon was dynastic marriages, none of which, however, was successful.

9. Isabella of Castile

The year 1492 can be called “the year of Isabella of Castile”. This year, three epoch-making events happened at once, in which the queen was personally involved: the capture of Granada, which marked the end of the Reconquista, the patronage of Columbus and his discovery of America, as well as the expulsion of Jews and Moors from Spain.

10. Marie Antoinette

Marie Antoinette married the future king when she was 14 years old. During her reign, she became an example of a "thoughtless" monarch who spends state money on his own entertainment. It is she who is credited with the phrase "If they have no bread, let them eat cakes!" Nevertheless, during the capture of the Tuileries palace by the revolutionaries, she remained calm.

11. Anna Yaroslavovna

Anna Yaroslavovna, daughter of Yaroslav the Wise, was the French queen. It is believed that it was she who brought the Reims Gospel to France, on which French kings have sworn allegiance since the 16th century, mistaking the Cyrillic alphabet for "the letter of angels".

12. Mary Tudor

Mary Tudor was an English princess and a French queen, however, only 3 months. The marriage with Louis XII was supposed to be a confirmation of the peace treaty between France and England, but the king, who was 34 years older than the bride, soon died, and Mary achieved a marriage with the Duke of Suffolk, from whom she gave birth to 4 children. Mary was hostile to Anne Boleyn, which became the reason for Elizabeth I's coldness towards all the descendants of Mary Tudor.

13. Queen Anne

Queen Anne was the first monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain, which included Scotland and Ireland. She supported the Tories in parliament, took part in the struggle for the Spanish inheritance, and thanks to her efforts, the Utrecht Peace was signed.

14. Wu Zetian

Wu Zetian ruled over China for forty years, from 665 until his death. She took the male title of "Emperor" (Huangdi) and was formally the only woman in China's four-thousand-year history to hold the supreme title.
The period of her reign was marked by the widespread expansion of China, in particular the invasion of Central Asia and Korea. At the same time, culture began to develop rapidly in the country, the religions of Taoism and Buddhism came under the patronage of the state.

15. Margaret Thatcher

Of course, Margaret Thatcher was not a monarch, but this "iron lady" we could not help but include in our rating. She held a pro-American position, lobbied for the deployment of American missiles on the territory of Great Britain and Europe, actively increased the nuclear potential of Great Britain, and unleashed the Falklands War. In words, she has repeatedly stated that she is interested in ending the Cold War, but in fact only exacerbated the situation.

16.Anne Boleyn

Anne Boleyn was a femme fatale. She, no less, forced the English king to sever relations with the Pope and become the head of a new, Anglican Church. The king declared his past marriage to Catherine of Aragon invalid. So Anne Boleyn achieved her goal - she became the wife of Henry VIII and Queen of England.

17. Queen Margot

On the night of the wedding of Margaret and Henry of Navarre, the Bartholomew Massacre broke out. For many years she determined both the development of events in the royal family and the relationship of the spouses. Even after her divorce from Henry IV, Queen Margot remained a member of the royal family with the title of Queen, and as the last Valois was perceived as the only legitimate heir to the royal house.

20. Queen Ming

Queen Ming was, according to contemporaries, a talented diplomat and tactician. She secretly ruled the country for 20 years instead of her husband, skillfully maintaining the balance in the country at the time of its "opening" to the West, preventing new allies from depriving Korea of ​​independence. Queen Ming changed the course of politics from "pro-Japanese" to "pro-Russian", which became the reason for her death at the hands of Japanese mercenaries.

The ancient Russian chronicle collection of the XII century "The Tale of Bygone Years" introduces us to a very interesting event that happened in 862. It was in this year that the Varangian Rurik was invited by the Slavic tribes to reign in Novgorod.

This event became fundamental in the countdown of the beginning of the statehood of the Eastern Slavs and received the conditional name "The vocation of the Varangians". It is with Rurik that the countdown of the rulers of the Russian lands begins. Our history is very rich. It is filled with both heroic and tragic events, and they are all inextricably linked with specific personalities that history has arranged in chronological order.

Princes of Novgorod (862-882)

Novgorod princes of the Dokievian period. The state of Rurik - this is how one can conditionally call the emerging Old Russian state. According to the "Tale of Bygone Years", this time is associated with the vocation of the Varangians and the transfer of the capital to the city of Kiev.

Princes of Kiev (882-1263)

We refer to the princes of Kiev as the rulers of the Old Russian state and the Kiev principality. From the end of the 9th to the beginning of the 13th century, the Kiev throne was considered the most prestigious, and it was occupied by the most authoritative princes (usually from the Rurik dynasty), who were recognized by the rest of the princes in the order of succession to the throne. At the end of the 12th century, this tradition began to weaken, influential princes did not occupy the Kiev throne personally, but sent their henchmen to it.

Ruler	Years of reign	Note
Yaropolk Svyatoslavich
Svyatopolk Vladimirovich	1015-1016; 1018-1019
Izyaslav Yaroslavich
Vseslav Bryachislavich
Izyaslav Yaroslavich
Svyatoslav Yaroslavich
Vsevolod Yaroslavich
Izyaslav Yaroslavich
Vsevolod Yaroslavich
Svyatopolk Izyaslavich
Mstislav Vladimirovich the Great
Yaropolk Vladimirovich
Vyacheslav Vladimirovich
Vsevolod Olgovich
Igor Olgovich	August 1146
Izyaslav Mstislavich
Yuri Vladimirovich Dolgoruky
Vyacheslav Vladimirovich	August 1150
Izyaslav Mstislavich	August 1150
	August 1150 - early 1151
Izyaslav Mstislavich
Vyacheslav Vladimirovich		co-ruler
Rostislav Mstislavich	December 1154
Izyaslav Davydovich
Izyaslav Davydovich
Mstislav Izyaslavich
Rostislav Mstislavich
Izyaslav Davydovich
Rostislav Mstislavich
Vladimir Mstislavich	March - May 1167
Mstislav Izyaslavich
Gleb Yurievich
Mstislav Izyaslavich
Gleb Yurievich
Mikhalko Yurievich
Roman Rostislavich
Yaropolk Rostislavich		co-ruler
Rurik Rostislavich
Yaroslav Izyaslavich
Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich	January 1174
Yaroslav Izyaslavich	January - 2nd half 1174
Roman Rostislavich
Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich
Rurik Rostislavich	late August 1180 - summer 1181
Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich
Rurik Rostislavich	summer 1194 - autumn 1201
Ingvar Yaroslavich
Rurik Rostislavich
Rostislav Rurikovich	winter 1204 - summer 1205
Rurik Rostislavich
Vsevolod Svyatoslavich Chermny	August - September 1206
Rurik Rostislavich	September 1206 - Spring 1207
Vsevolod Svyatoslavich Chermny	spring - October 1207
Rurik Rostislavich	October 1207 - 1210
Vsevolod Svyatoslavich Chermny	1210 - summer 1212
Ingvar Yaroslavich
Mstislav Romanovich
Vladimir Rurikovich
Izyaslav Mstislavich	June - end 1235
Vladimir Rurikovich	late 1235-1236
Yaroslav Vsevolodovich	1236 - 1st half 1238
Vladimir Rurikovich
Mikhail Vsevolodovich
Rostislav Mstislavich
Daniil Romanovich
Mikhail Vsevolodovich
Yaroslav Vsevolodovich

Vladimir Grand Dukes (1157-1425)

The Vladimir Grand Dukes are the rulers of North-Eastern Russia. The period of their reign begins with the separation of the Rostov-Suzdal principality from Kiev in 1132 and ends in 1389, after the Vladimir principality became part of the Moscow one. In 1169, Andrei Bogolyubsky captured Kiev and was proclaimed the Grand Duke, but did not go to Kiev to reign. Since that time, Vladimir received the grand-ducal status and turned into one of the most influential centers of the Russian lands. After the start of the Mongol invasion, the Vladimir princes are recognized in the Horde as the oldest in Russia, and Vladimir becomes the nominal capital of the Russian lands.

Ruler	Years of reign	Note
Mikhalko Yurievich
Yaropolk Rostislavich
Mikhalko Yurievich
Yuri Vsevolodovich
Konstantin Vsevolodovich
Yuri Vsevolodovich
Yaroslav Vsevolodovich
Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich	1246 - early 1248
Mikhail Yaroslavovich Hororrit	early 1248 - winter 1248/1249
Andrey Yaroslavovich
Yaroslav Yaroslavovich Tverskoy
Vasily Yaroslavovich Kostromskoy
Dmitry Alexandrovich Pereyaslavsky	December 1283 - 1293
Andrey Alexandrovich Gorodetsky
Mikhail Yaroslavovich Tverskoy
Yuri Danilovich
Dmitry Mikhailovich Groznye Ochi (Tverskoy)
Alexander Mikhailovich Tverskoy
Alexander Vasilievich Suzdalsky
		co-ruler
Semyon Ivanovich Proud
Ivan II Ivanovich Red
Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy	early January - spring 1363
Dmitry Konstantinovich Suzdal-Nizhny Novgorod
Vasily Dmitrievich

Moscow princes and grand dukes (1263-1547)

During the period of feudal fragmentation, the Moscow princes were increasingly at the head of the troops. They managed to get out of conflicts with other countries and neighbors, seeking a positive solution to their own political issues. The Moscow princes changed history: they overthrew the Mongol yoke, returned the state to its former greatness.

Ruler	Years of reign	Note
	nominally 1263, actually from 1272 (no later than 1282) - 1303
Yuri Danilovich
Semyon Ivanovich Proud
Ivan II Ivanovich Red
Vasily II Vasilievich Dark
Yuri Dmitrievich	spring - summer 1433
Vasily II Vasilievich Dark
Yuri Dmitrievich Zvenigorodsky
Vasily Yurievich Kosoy
Vasily II Vasilievich Dark
Dmitry Yurievich Shemyaka
Vasily II Vasilievich Dark
Dmitry Yurievich Shemyaka
Vasily II Vasilievich Dark
		co-ruler Basil II
Ivan Ivanovich Young		co-ruler
Dmitry Ivanovich Vnuk		co-ruler
		co-ruler of Ivan III

Russian tsars

Rurikovich

In 1547, the sovereign of All Russia and Grand Duke of Moscow Ivan IV Vasilyevich the Terrible was crowned tsar and took the full title “Great Sovereign, by God's grace, the Tsar and Grand Duke of All Russia, Vladimir, Moscow, Novgorod, Pskov, Ryazan, Tver, Yugorsk, Perm, Vyattsky, Bulgarian and others "; subsequently, with the expansion of the borders of the Russian state, the title was added to "Tsar of Kazan, Tsar of Astrakhan, Tsar of Siberia", "and the sovereign of all Northern countries."

Godunovs

The Godunovs are an ancient Russian noble family that, after the death of Fyodor I Ivanovich, became the Russian royal dynasty (1598-1605).

Time of Troubles

At the very beginning of the 17th century, the country was struck by a deep spiritual, economic, social, political and foreign policy crisis. It coincided with a dynastic crisis and the struggle of boyar groups for power. All this put the country on the brink of disaster. The impetus for the beginning of the Troubles was the suppression of the royal dynasty of Rurik after the death of Fyodor I Ioannovich and the not very clear policy of the new royal dynasty of the Godunovs.

Romanovs

The Romanovs are a Russian boyar family. In 1613, a Zemsky Sobor was held in Moscow to elect a new tsar. The total number of electors exceeded 800, representing 58 cities. The election of Mikhail Romanov to the kingdom put an end to the Troubles and gave rise to the Romanov dynasty.

Ruler	Years of reign	Note
Mikhail Fedorovich
Patriarch Filaret		Co-ruler Mikhail Fedorovich from 1619 to 1633 with the title "Great Sovereign"
Fedor III Alekseevich
Ivan V Alekseevich		He ruled until 1696 together with his brother
		Until 1696 he ruled together with his brother Ivan V

Russian emperors (1721-1917)

The title of the All-Russian Emperor was adopted by Peter I on October 22 (November 2), 1721. This adoption took place at the request of the Senate after the victory in the Northern War. The title lasted until the February Revolution of 1917.

Ruler	Years of reign	Note
Peter the Great
Catherine I
Anna Ioannovna
Elizaveta Petrovna
Catherine II the Great
Alexander I
Nicholas I
Alexander II
Alexander III
Nicholas II

Provisional Government (1917)

In February 1917, the February Revolution took place. As a result, on March 2, 1917, Emperor Nicholas II abdicated the Russian throne. Power was in the hands of the Provisional Government.

After the October Revolution of 1917, the Provisional Government was overthrown, the Bolsheviks came to power, who began to build a new state.

Formal leaders of these people can be considered only because the post of General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Committee of the RCP (b) - VKP (b) - CPSU after the death of V.I.Lenin was actually the most important public office.

Kamenev Lev Borisovich		Chairman of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee
Sverdlov Yakov Mikhailovich		Chairman of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee
Vladimirsky Mikhail Fedorovich		And about. Chairman of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee
Kalinin Mikhail Ivanovich		Chairman of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, from 12/30/1922 - Chairman of the USSR Central Executive Committee, from 01/17/1938 -
Shvernik Nikolay Mikhailovich		Chairman of the Presidium of the USSR Armed Forces
Voroshilov Kliment Efremovich		Chairman of the Presidium of the USSR Armed Forces
Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev		Chairman of the Presidium of the USSR Armed Forces
Mikoyan Anastas Ivanovich		Chairman of the Presidium of the USSR Armed Forces
Podgorny Nikolay Viktorovich		Chairman of the Presidium of the USSR Armed Forces
Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev
Vasily Kuznetsov
Andropov Yuri Vladimirovich		Chairman of the Presidium of the USSR Armed Forces, at the same time General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee
Vasily Kuznetsov		And about. Chairman of the Presidium of the USSR Armed Forces
Chernenko Konstantin Ustinovich		Chairman of the Presidium of the USSR Armed Forces, at the same time General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee
Vasily Kuznetsov		And about. Chairman of the Presidium of the USSR Armed Forces
Gromyko Andrey Andreevich		Chairman of the Presidium of the USSR Armed Forces
Gorbachev Mikhail Sergeevich		Chairman of the Presidium of the USSR Armed Forces, at the same time General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee

General Secretaries of the Central Committee of the RCP (b), VKP (b), CPSU (1922-1991)

Khrushchev Nikita Sergeevich		First Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee
Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev		Until 04/08/1966 - First Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee, from 04/08/1966 - General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee
Andropov Yuri Vladimirovich
Chernenko Konstantin Ustinovich
Gorbachev Mikhail Sergeevich

President of the USSR (1990-1991)

The post of President of the Soviet Union was introduced on March 15, 1990 by the Congress of People's Deputies of the USSR with the introduction of appropriate amendments to the Constitution of the USSR.

Presidents of the Russian Federation (1991-2018)

The post of President of the RSFSR was established on April 24, 1991 on the basis of the results of an all-Russian referendum.

The reign of the Romanov dynasty began with the demonstrative execution of a three-year-old child and ended with the execution of an entire family.

Between these atrocities lay centuries full of wild and unbridled pictures. Conspiracies, torture, murder, treason, lust and orgies - remember the known facts and be surprised at what you did not know.

Mikhail Fedorovich (from 1613 to 1645)

The first of the Romanovs was crowned king at the age of 16, and at that time he could barely read. The next year, according to his decree, the three-year-old son of Marina Mnishek was hanged in Moscow - allegedly the grandson and heir of Ivan the Terrible, to whom individual cities managed to swear allegiance. This was after a difficult Time of Troubles, and fear of new possible impostors forced to eliminate the competitor publicly.

Alexey Mikhailovich (1645-1676)

The father of the future Emperor Peter the Great was a religious maniac, sometimes he prayed for six hours in a row and dealt with those who missed the church service: without asking about the reasons, he ordered them to be thrown into the icy river.

Peter I (1682-1725)

Lifetime portrait of 44-year-old Peter, artist Antoine Pen

The history describes many terrible scenes when Peter showed himself violent, inhumanly cruel and inadequate to the point of madness. Here are just a few facts.

Shooting executions. The 26-year-old Peter personally chopped off heads in front of a huge crowd and forced each of his retinue to take up the ax (except that the foreigners refused, justifying themselves by the fact that they were afraid to incur the hatred of the Russians). The mass executions actually turned into a grandiose show: the crowd was poured vodka for free and it roared with delight, expressing loyalty and love to the dashing sovereign. In a drunken stupor, the tsar immediately invited everyone to join the executioners, and many agreed.

"The Morning of the Strelets' Execution", Vasily Surikov

Death of Tsarevich Alexei. In sharp conflict with his eldest son, Peter forced him to abdicate and began to zealously investigate his misdeeds, for which he specially created the Secret Chancellery. 28-year-old Alexei was sentenced to death for treason and after the sentence he was tortured in prison: in the presence of his father, he received 25 blows with a whip. According to some reports, he died from this. And Peter the next day was having a noisy feast, with an orchestra and fireworks, on the occasion of the anniversary of the Battle of Poltava.

"Peter I interrogates Tsarevich Alexei in Peterhof", Nikolai Ge

The execution of the mistress. The next year, Peter sent his former mistress, one of the most beautiful ladies-in-waiting at court, Maria Hamilton (Gamontova), to the chopping block, learning that she twice provoked miscarriages, and strangled the third baby. Although at that time she was already living with another, the king, apparently, suspected that the children could be from him, and was enraged by such "murder". At the execution, he behaved strangely: he raised the severed head of Mary, kissed and calmly began to read a lecture on anatomy to the people, showing the organs affected by the ax, after which he again kissed the dead lips, threw his head into the mud and left.

Maria Hamilton before execution ", Pavel Svedomsky

Anna Ioannovna (1730-1740)

The niece of Peter I, like himself, was a great hunter for entertainment with the participation of dwarfs and "fools" - court jesters. If many of them were really distinguished by their wit, then the inventions of the empress herself, which brought her into stormy merriment, were rather obscene.

Once, for example, one of her favorites, the Italian violinist Pietro Miro, nicknamed Pedrillo (Petrillo, Petrushka), joked about trying to ridicule his ugly wife, saying that his "goat" was pregnant and would soon bring "kids". Anna Ioannovna immediately had the idea to put him to bed together with a real goat, dressed for laughter in a peignoir, and force the whole courtyard to present them gifts. Pedrillo, who pleased his mistress, only this day enriched himself by several thousand rubles.

"Jesters at the court of Empress Anna Ioannovna", Valery Jacobi (Pedrillo on the left, depicted with a violin, in the center of the picture in a yellow caftan jumps above all the famous jester Balakirev)

The Empress generally adored all sorts of obscenities, especially gossip and stories of a pornographic nature. Knowing this, specially selected girls were sent to the court, capable of conducting such conversations and inventing more and more new stories with juicy details.

Elizaveta Petrovna (1741-1762)

Since childhood, the daughter of Peter I was reputed to be a beauty, and all she did was to have fun and take care of her own appearance, remaining almost uneducated. She never read, and even in adulthood did not know that Great Britain is an island.

Most of all, Elizabeth was interested in masquerades and especially the so-called "metamorphoses", where all the ladies had to appear in men's outfits, and men - in women's. Moreover, the empress was convinced that her court rivals had ugly legs and that in men's leggings everyone but her exhibited themselves to ridicule.

One of the successful rivals, the lady of state Natalia Lopukhina, who was considered a beauty, Elizabeth "graciously" saved from the death penalty, ordering instead to whip her with a whip, rip out her tongue and exile to Siberia. Officially, Lopukhina was arrested and tortured in the case of a political conspiracy, but unofficially, it was the empress's revenge for the repulsed gentlemen and ridicule in her youth.

Natalya Fedorovna Lopukhina, engraving by Lavrenty Seryakov

Finally, Elizabeth doomed to a terrible existence the legal heir to the throne, appointed before her death by Anna Ioannovna. Emperor Ivan VI was only one and a half years old when Peter's daughter staged a coup and secretly ordered him to be thrown into prison, forever separating him from his parents and protecting him from human communication. The "famous prisoner", as he was called after the strictest prohibition to mention his name, was stabbed to death by guards at the age of 23, already under Catherine II.

Catherine II (1762-1796)

33-year-old Catherine overthrew and arrested her own husband and second cousin Peter III, relations with whom did not work out from the very beginning. They were married when she was 16 and he was 17. According to one of the versions, he was almost infantile to dementia and for 9 years avoided marital debt, allegedly not knowing what to do in bed with a woman. According to another version (and Catherine admitted this in her biographical notes), he did not like her and did not try to get closer. At the same time, he openly started mistresses and even intended to marry one, but died under unexplained circumstances 10 days after his deposition.

Coronation portrait of Emperor Peter III, Lucas Konrad Pfanzelt

Meanwhile, the unhappy marriage made Catherine herself the greatest mistress on the Russian throne. She gave birth to her first child, the future Emperor Paul I, only in the 10th year after the wedding, which gave rise to rumors that he was not from Peter, although he looks like him outwardly. The empress had two more children from different lovers, and she gave birth to one in complete secrecy from her husband - in order to distract the emperor and take him away from the palace, her faithful valet set a fire in her own house.

Contemporary painting "The Triumph of Catherine", Vasily Nesterenko (on the right hand of the Empress, her famous favorite, Prince Grigory Potemkin)

The "depraved empress" started her last favorite at the age of 60: he was the 21-year-old nobleman Platon Zubov, whom she indescribably enriched and who, five years after her death, participated in the murder of her son Paul I.

Platon Aleksandrovich Zubov, artist Ivan Eggink

Alexander I (1801-1825)

Catherine's 23-year-old grandson came to power as a result of a conspiracy against his own father: he was convinced that if Paul was not overthrown, he would destroy the empire. At the same time, Alexander did not allow murder, but the performers - officers flushed with champagne - decided otherwise: in the middle of the night they inflicted a powerful blow on the emperor's temple with a gold snuffbox and strangled him with a scarf. Alexander, learning about the death of his father, sobbed, and then one of the main conspirators said in French: "Stop being childish, go to reign!"

Alexander II (1855-1881)

Having ascended the throne, Alexander, who had previously lived in a happy marriage with many children, began to have favorites, from whom, according to rumors, he had illegitimate children. And at the age of 48, he began to secretly meet with the 18-year-old princess Katya Dolgorukova, who years later became his second wife.

Their extensive erotic correspondence has survived, perhaps the most frank on behalf of the head of state: “Waiting for our meeting, I again tremble all over. I represent your pearl in the shell ”; “We possessed each other the way you wanted. But I must confess to you: I will not rest until I see your charms again ... "

Drawing of the emperor: nude Ekaterina Dolgorukova

Nicholas II (1894-1917)

The most terrible secret was and remains the death of the family of the last Russian emperor.

For many years after the shooting in the basement without trial or investigation, the Soviet authorities lied to the whole world that only Nikolai was killed, and his wife, four daughters and son are safe and sound and “transported to a safe place where nothing threatens them”. This gave rise to popular rumors about the allegedly escaped princesses and Tsarevich Alexei and contributed to the emergence of a huge army of impostor adventurers.

In 2015, at the insistence of the Church, the investigation into the death of the royal family began "from scratch." A new genetic examination confirmed the authenticity of the remains of Nicholas II, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna and three Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana and Anastasia, found near Yekaterinburg in 1991 and buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral.

Faces of Nicholas II and Princess Anastasia reconstructed from the remains

Then they began to compare with the genetic materials of Alexei and Maria, found in 2007. The timing of their burial depends on the willingness of the Church to recognize the remains.

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