The most popular ruler in the world. The great rulers of the world - a list, history and interesting facts. Augustus Caesar in Rome
Perhaps, in childhood, each of us dreamed of becoming a king. But history knows many cases when children, due to certain circumstances, became rulers. But not everyone managed to survive the burden of power and palace intrigues painlessly. This review presents the child monarchs who influenced the course of history.
Ivan groznyj 
Tsar of All Rus' Ivan IV the Terrible became ruler at the age of 3 after the death of his father Vasily III. When the boy was 8 years old, his mother also died. In fact, the country was ruled by the "Seven Boyars" - a council of trustees, consisting of representatives of the aristocracy. The boyars were supposed to take care of Ivan IV, but in reality it turned out completely different.
The boyars did not reckon with the boy at all. Moreover, they mocked him and his brother Yuri: they kept him in poverty, isolated him from society, and killed his friends. The future king grew up in an atmosphere of palace intrigues, lies, he was embittered, distrustful, prone to torturing animals. The reign of Ivan the Terrible was good example what happens to a person if he is raised in hatred.
Oyo is the youngest reigning king in Africa 
King of Uganda Oyo.
King Oyo of Uganda is considered to be the youngest reigning monarch to date. He was crowned at the age of 3 in 1995. For the ceremony, the future monarch was given a miniature throne. During the coronation, he played with toys, and then took off the crown and crawled onto his mother's knees. Oyo is still on the throne. His policy is called one of the most liberal among African countries.
Queen Isabella II of Spain 
Queen Isabella II of Spain, who ruled from 1833-1868.
Isabella II ascended the Spanish throne at the age of 3 in 1833. She was not lucky in only one thing - she was born a girl. The fact is that her father Ferdinand VII had no children for a long time, but he was not going to give the throne to his brother Charles either. Therefore, when the queen finally became pregnant, the monarch issued a decree according to which the born child, regardless of gender, would become the ruler of Spain.
The country was divided into two camps: some supported the female monarch, while others leaned towards the rebellious Charles (the king's brother). The civil war began. The clashes led to Spain becoming a constitutional monarchy. After the 35-year reign of Isabella II, a revolution broke out in the country, because of which the queen was overthrown. She fled to France, where she spent the rest of her days.
Pu Yi - the last Chinese emperor 
Pu Yi took the Chinese throne at the age of two, in 1908. But in 1911, an armed uprising broke out in the country, aimed at eliminating the monarchical power. The Republic of China was born. A year later, Pu Yi was removed from the throne. Nevertheless, he remained to live in the Forbidden City - the historical residence of the Chinese emperors. Here, the boy was treated with respect, corresponding to his origin and title. On walks he was followed by a procession of servants who carried tea, treats and medicines. They continued to educate him, instilling the qualities necessary for the monarch. For this, only the best were invited: scientists, academicians, former politicians.
English language Pu Yi was taught by the Scot Reginald Johnston, he also became the best friend of the young emperor. The European mentor also taught Pu Yi how to ride a bike, play tennis and golf, and wear glasses. After Johnston's stories about the Western world, the emperor often called himself by the name of Henry.
In 1917, during the uprising of the military, Pu Yi again became emperor, but not for long, only for two weeks. In 1924, upon reaching the age of majority, Pu Yi was deprived of his special status, titles and expelled from China. Further political games made Henry Pu Yi dependent on Japan, and in 1932 he was made head of the newly formed state of Manchukuo. After the victory of the USSR in the war with Japan, the emperor was captured and then handed over to the authorities of communist China. He was "re-educated" in one of the special camps, and then the former emperor lived out his years working in the botanical garden and library.
Tutankhamun 
Tutankhamun became pharaoh ancient egypt a ten-year-old child (c. 1332 BC). He reigned for only nine years and became famous only after his death. The reasons for the death of the young pharaoh are highly controversial: poisoning, falling from a chariot, or severe malaria. In any case, his tomb, found in 1922, was the greatest archaeological discovery of the 19th century, and Pharaoh Tutankhamen was the most famous of all child rulers in history.
Queen Christina of Sweden 
Christina of Sweden - Queen of Sweden from 1632 to 1654
Queen Christina was declared the ruler of Sweden at the age of 6, immediately after the death of her father King Gustav II Adolf in 1632. The girl received an excellent education: she studied seven languages at once, was interested in the works of outstanding philosophers, and made progress in the sciences.
The beginning of the independent reign of Christina of Sweden was marked by brilliant successes in foreign policy but the internal state of affairs of the country was disastrous. The queen was very fond of luxury, which ruined the country's treasury. It came as a shock to everyone when Christina of Sweden renounced the throne and went to Rome to convert to Catholicism. She became one of three women buried in St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican.
Henry VI 
King Henry VI of England. OK. 1540
Henry VI became king of England at the age of eight months, after the death of his father. And the next year, in 1422, his grandfather, King Charles VI of France, died. The little monarch was under the influence of the regent, the Duke of Bedford. The native mother of the king did not enjoy authority among the aristocracy and therefore was removed from raising her son. The reign of the monarch fell on the final period of the Hundred Years War, which ended in heavy losses for England. Henry VI lived an eventful life, in the future he had to fight in the civil War of the Scarlet and White Roses and die in captivity at the age of 50.
John I - the king who ruled for only 5 days 
John I - King of France from November 15, 1316 to November 20, 1316
John I became king of France and Navarre immediately after his birth in 1316, because. his father, the king, died before the birth of an heir. The baby lived only five days, for which he received the name John I the Posthumous. There were many rumors throughout the country. Some said that the little monarch was poisoned by his uncle, while others believed that the child was stolen to save, and a corpse was planted instead. Subsequently, impostors appeared several times in France, posing as the surviving John I.
King Sobuza II 
King Sobuza II is the ruler of Swaziland.
King Sobuza II became the ruler of Swaziland (paramount chief) at four months old, and left this post when he died at the age of 82. This is the longest documented reign in the history of mankind. Most of the time, Sobuza, also known as Nkhotfotjeni, played only a demonstrative role. It wasn't until 1968 that Swaziland gained independence from Britain. Sobuza II, having won the elections, dissolved the parliament, canceled the constitution, banned all political parties, trade unions and public organizations. Now the actions of the monarch are evaluated ambiguously. He helped Swaziland become independent, "raised" the economy, but he himself seized power. The king had over 70 wives, 210 children and at least a thousand grandchildren.
The fact that some leaders of states made unforgivable mistakes is known to many from history textbooks. Sometimes one careless word can cost the sovereign the respect of an entire people. However, there are those whose name is remembered with reverence every time they talk about the great rulers of the world. They also made mistakes, but there are certain character traits that set them apart from the crowd. Why, having taken the throne for several years, some perpetuate their name as wise ruler, and others for decades cannot achieve such results? Let's look at examples.
One of the world's greatest rulers is the cautious reformer Octavian Augustus. Being a close relative of Gaius Julius Caesar, he knew perfectly well what consequences abrupt changes in the state could entail, and therefore acted cautiously. Octavian understood that the republic had outlived itself, and the people were not ready to accept the king. Therefore, he began to fight, but to do it with wisdom: in order to annex territories to Rome, you need a reliable army in the country itself. The military reform led to new victories, and the territories that fell under the rule of Octavian had to be held.
It was at this moment that accounting was born - a special service that then made sure that issues were resolved in an orderly manner and certified in documents. Gradually, the Roman Republic turned into an empire, and privileges were given to the annexed territories, after which they no longer felt enslaved.
Genghis Khan
Nemchin, who calls himself a prophet, mentions the Great Potter - the ruler of the world, whose power will bring happiness to everyone. About the same was said about Genghis Khan when he was born. The newborn firmly held a blood clot in his hands, and this already promised great bloodshed and victory for the future ruler, as experts claimed to his parents. The childhood of little Temujin (as he was named at birth) was not cloudless: his father was poisoned, and his family was expelled from their own home. Constantly hungry, they were forced to wander from leader to leader. Early hardened in battles and recognizing betrayal, Temujin was able to choose his friends and with their help become a great leader.
After the proclamation of Genghis Khan as the Great Khan, the peoples were united and stopped fighting among themselves for power. Khan mixed them together and put his people in power, which completely ruled out an uprising. In addition, a law on helping one's neighbor was issued. Treachery and cowardice, accompanying each other in battle, were recognized as absolute evil, and loyalty and courage, respectively, were recognized as good. The result is the largest empire in the history of mankind on the continent.
What revolution can do without a charismatic leader with the gift of persuasion? The name of Cromwell is included in the list of the great rulers of the world, although he himself was not even considered a king (Lord Protector of England). The poor young man lived the ordinary life of a landowner and had ardent Protestant views on life and politics. During civil war revealed his military talent: with each victory, Oliver sought more and more privileges. As a result, he eliminated the last contender for power - Charles I.
During his protectorate, Jamaica, Ireland and Scottish lands were annexed to England. Peace treaties were concluded with Denmark, France, Sweden, the Netherlands and Portugal. The victory over Holland brought Great Britain naval dominance. In addition, Cromwell brought order to Parliament, and this cost a lot of effort.
It is perhaps logical that Stalin is included in the list of the greatest rulers in the history of the world, but it is interesting what shaped him into such a strong personality. Initially, the mother of the leader of the peoples wanted him to become a priest, and was very upset when this did not happen. In the theological seminary, he became acquainted with the ideas of Marxism and imbued with them. At the age of 15, he began to promote this idea to the railway workers and at the same time was fond of poetry. All subjects were given to him easily, but Stalin was expelled from the last course. The official version is failure to appear for exams, but most likely because of the ideas of Marxism.
He published his first political article in the newspaper Borba and joined the Bolsheviks. With the advent of Stalin to power, repressions, deportations of peoples and control over all aspects of the life of ordinary citizens became more frequent. Despite this, for a long time there was a cult of personality, where the merits of Joseph Stalin were valued above all else.
Napoleon I
An example of hard work and perseverance is Napoleon Bonaparte - he is among the top great rulers of the world, which is well deserved. From childhood, he showed a talent for military affairs, especially for artillery. During the training, his ability to mathematical sciences was very useful. The family had large debts, and Napoleon sent half of his salary to his mother. There was not enough money, and therefore there was a time when he ate once a day. A young officer distinguished himself during the French Revolution: he focused not on saving the lives of the rebels, but on the result.
Quickly climbing the ladder of military ranks, Napoleon became a divisional general. Realizing that the army was in a deplorable state, he started a war with officers who contributed to the theft of military revenues. Already being an emperor, he treated the soldiers fairly and distributed all the spoils of war among the military. Having competently planned the Italian company, he created a powerful empire.
Peter I
Another magnificent example of a great ruler of the world is Peter I. Having made a long journey to the West of Europe at the beginning of his reign, he realized how weak the Russian Empire was in some matters. And therefore, Peter perfectly understood what his country needed: the annexation of the territories of the Baltic, high-quality and large-scale shipbuilding, the opening of schools and universities (in particular, the Academy of Sciences) and the celebration of the New Year on January 1. The latter was required in order for the reckoning to coincide with Western European, because due to the onset of the next calendar year in the fall, it was difficult to coordinate years with Europe.
In addition, it is interesting that, being quite young, he did not receive sufficient education and wrote with errors until the end of his life. In the village of Preobrazhensky, where he lived for a long time, he became interested in military affairs. Peter studied all the sciences that could help in any way in the war and created two "amusing" regiments. Initially, they served for the games of the prince, but later played an important role during his reign.
Another example of a famous person who created an empire from peoples who, in principle, did not have related views, is Alexander the Great, who was one of the great rulers of the world. He was not only talented person, but also prudent: Alexander took into account the experience of past rulers and drew conclusions from this. At the beginning of his reign, he had to face the uprising of the Thracians, which was later successfully suppressed. Then the young man faced a war with Darius, a powerful and experienced king who had a reputation as a man with a difficult character. Nevertheless, during the three years of his reign, Alexander subjugated almost the entire territory of Central Asia.
The young man managed to create a powerful Macedonian empire, which, however, collapsed after his death due to the lack of a competent ruler. The emperor died, having lived only 33 years of his life, but this did not prevent people from using the name of Alexander the Great in political propaganda, mythology, religions and culture.
Adolf Gitler
How can you not mention the famous dictator who became the central figure in World War II? Adolf Hitler is included in the 100 great rulers of the world, because he unleashed the greatest war of the twentieth century and thereby changed history forever. In order to instill the ideology of fascism in people who are not evil by nature, caution, foresight, charisma and patience are needed. Such actions, although they are a crime against humanity, but the fact that he was able to instill this idea in an entire nation is an unprecedented result. Who knows what Europe would be like if World War II didn't exist.
There are still a large number of great rulers of the world, which would be worth not only mentioning, but thoroughly studying. At the same time, it is worth paying special attention not only to their merits, but also to the nature, life situations that they had to face. And also everything that could teach each person to do the right thing.
Throughout human history, many evil and infamous leaders have fought for power. While many politicians wanted to improve the lives of the people, others pursued only their own interests.
Their selfish goals led to gross abuses of power that resulted in the death of many people. We present to your attention the 25 most brutal dictators in the history of mankind.
1. Herod the Great
Herod the Great is the same Herod mentioned in the Bible. He slaughtered many male children when he learned that the messiah was born into the world - Jesus Christ, who was named king. Herod could not stand the competition, so he ordered the babies to be killed, but Jesus was not among them.
The ancient historian Josephus recorded his other sinful deeds, including the murder of his three sons, his favorite of 10 wives, the drowning of a priest, the murder of his legitimate mother, and, as the legend says, many Jewish leaders.
When the Roman emperor Nero came to power after the death of his stepfather, he gradually orchestrated the carnage. First, he killed his mother, Agrippina the Younger, and then he killed two of his wives. Finally, he decided to burn the whole of Great Rome just to watch it burn and then rebuild it. After things calmed down, he blamed the fire on the Christians and they were persecuted, tortured and killed. In the end, he committed suicide.
3. Saddam Hussein
Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein ruled the country with an iron fist. During his reign, he deliberately invaded Iran and Kuwait. By the time Saddam became president, Iraq was a booming country with one of the highest living standards in the Middle East. But the two wars that the new leader provoked brought the Iraqi economy into a state of acute crisis and decline. By his order, all his friends, enemies and relatives were killed. He gave orders to kill and rape the children of his competitors. In 1982, he murdered 182 Shia civilians. On October 19, 2005, the trial of former president Iraq. Especially for him, the death penalty was reintroduced in the country.
4. Pope Alexander VI
The Vatican papacy showed us long ago that some popes are very evil and cruel rulers, but the most evil of them was Alexander VI (Rodrigo Borgia). He was not a devout Catholic, but only a secular pope who used power to achieve his goals.
In his youth, he did not constrain himself with vows of chastity and celibacy. He had many mistresses. And with one of them, the rich Roman woman Vanozza dei Cattanei, he was in touch for many years and had four children from her, the most famous of which are Cesare Borgia and Lucrezia - ambitious, unprincipled, power-hungry and voluptuous young people. By the way, the Pope cohabited with his beautiful daughter Lucretia and, according to rumors, it was he who was the father of her son.
He staged orgies and confiscated money from the rich to finance his riotous lifestyle. On August 18, 1503, the Pope died in terrible agony from poison.
5. Muammar Gaddafi
Muammar Gaddafi did everything he could while he was the political leader of Libya. He liquidated all political opposition, declaring it illegal. Banned entrepreneurship and freedom of speech. All books that did not suit him were burned. Despite the huge economic potential of Libya, many economic experts have recognized the decline of the country, as Gaddafi squandered most of the funds. His reign is considered one of the most brutal and totalitarian eras in North African history.
Muammar Gaddafi was killed on October 20, 2011 near the city of Sirte. His convoy, while trying to leave the city, came under attack from NATO aircraft.
6. Fidel Castro
Before the reign of Fidel Castro, Cuba was a prosperous country with a rich economy, but as soon as Castro overthrew Fulgencio Batista in 1959, all this collapsed under the yoke of despotic communist rule. Over 500 political opponents were shot in two years. According to experts, during the 50 years of Fidel Castro's rule, thousands of people were executed. Newspapers were not printed at that time. Priests, homosexuals and other people objectionable to the new government served time in camps. Freedom of speech has been abolished. The people had no rights. 90% of people lived below the poverty line.
7. Caligula
Gaius Julius Caesar or Caligula, whose name has become synonymous with cruelty, madness and evil, is known throughout the world. He declared himself God, slept with his sisters, had many wives, which he was very proud of, and did many other immoral things. Caesar was spending money on luxurious things while his own people were starving. Caligula terrorized ancient Rome with his unbridled madness, talked to the moon and tried to appoint his horse as a consul. The biggest evil he did was to give the order to saw innocent people in half during one of his sumptuous feasts.
8. King John
King John the Landless is considered one of the worst kings in British history. He is best known for being first landless and then a king without a kingdom. Sensual, lazy, lustful, cruel, treacherous, immoral - this is his portrait.
When his enemies came to him, John threw them into the castle and starved them to death. In order to build a huge army and navy, he taxed England heavily, took land from the nobles and imprisoned them, and tortured the Jews until they paid him the right amount. The king died of a terrible fever.
9. Empress Wu Zetian
Wu Zetian is one of the few female leaders in ancient history and history in general. Her life is very remarkable. Becoming the emperor's concubine at the age of 13, she eventually became empress herself. After the death of the emperor, the heir to the throne, realized that he could not do without the faithful Wu Zetian and introduced her to his harem, which became a sensation for that time. Some time passed, and in 655 Gaozong officially recognized Wu Zetian as his wife. This meant that now it was she who was the main wife.
She was a mean schemer. On her orders, they killed, for example, uncle her spouse. Anyone who dared to go against her was immediately killed. At the end of her life, she was overthrown from the throne. She was treated better than she herself had dealt with her enemies, and was allowed to die a natural death.
10. Maximilian Robespierre
Architect french revolution and the author of The Reign of Terror, Maximilian Robespierre, constantly spoke of the overthrow of the tsar and the revolt against the aristocracy. Elected to the Committee of General Salvation, Robespierre unleashed a bloody terror, which was marked by many arrests, the murder of 300,000 alleged enemies, of which 17,000 were executed by guillotine. Soon the Convention decided to prosecute Robespierre and his supporters. They tried to organize resistance in the Paris City Hall, but were captured by troops loyal to the Convention, and executed a day later.
11. Go Amin
General Idi Amin overthrew the chosen one official Milton Obote and declared himself President of Uganda in 1971. He imposed a brutal regime on the country that lasted eight years, expelled 70,000 Asians, slaughtered 300,000 civilians, and ultimately brought the country to economic ruin. He was overthrown in 1979 but never answered for his crimes. Idi Amin died in Saudi Arabia on 16 August 2003 at the age of 75.
12. Timur
Born in 1336, Timur, known to many as Tamerlane, became a tyrant and bloodthirsty conqueror of Asia in the Middle East. He was able to conquer some corners of Russia and even occupied Moscow, led an uprising in Persia, being several thousand kilometers away. He did all this by destroying cities, exterminating the population and building towers from their corpses. In India or Baghdad, wherever he was, everything was accompanied by massacres, destruction and thousands of people killed.
Genghis Khan was a ruthless Mongol warlord who was successful in his conquests. He ruled one of the largest empires in history. But, of course, he paid a high price for this. He was responsible for the deaths of 40 million people. His battles reduced the world's population by 11%!
14. Vlad Tepes
Vlad Tepes is better known by another name - Count Dracula. He notoriously became famous for his sadistic torture of enemies and civilians, among which the most terrible is the piercing of the anus. Dracula impaled living people. Once he invited a lot of vagabonds to the palace, locked them in the palace and set them on fire. He also nailed caps to the heads of the Turkish ambassadors, which they refused to take off in front of him.
The grandson of Ivan the Great, Ivan the Terrible brought Rus' to Unity, but during his reign he received the nickname Grozny for the many reforms and terrors carried out. From childhood, Ivan had a bad temper, he really liked torturing animals. After becoming king, he carried out a series of peaceful political reforms. But when his wife died, he fell into a deep depression, and then the era of the Great Terror began. He seized land, created a police force to fight dissent. Many nobles were blamed for the death of his wife. He beat his pregnant daughter, killed his son in a fit of rage, and blinded the architect of St. Basil's Cathedral.
Attila - the great leader of the Huns, who highly valued gold. All his raids were accompanied by robberies, destruction and rape. Desiring absolute power, he killed his own brother Bled. One of the great invasions of his army is the city of Naisus. It was so terrible that for many years the corpses blocked the road to the flow of the Danube River. Once Attila stabbed deserters through the rectum and ate two of his own sons.
17. Kim Jong Il
Kim Jong Il is one of the most "successful" dictators along with Joseph Stalin. When he came to power in 1994, he was left with an impoverished North Korea with a starving population. Instead of helping his people, he spent all his money on building the world's fifth largest military base, while millions of people were starving to death. He deceived the United States by not giving them his nuclear developments. According to him, he has created a unique nuclear weapon and is terrorizing South Korea with threats. Kim Jong Il supported the American bombing of Vietnam, where many South Korean officials were killed and civilians were massacred.
18. Vladimir Ilyich Lenin
Lenin was the first leader of revolutionary Soviet Russia, adhering to the ideology of overthrowing the monarchy and turning Russia into a totalitarian state. His Red Terror - a set of punitive measures against class social groups - is known throughout the world. Among the social groups there were many repressed peasants, industrial workers, priests who opposed the Bolshevik government. In the first months of terror, 15,000 people died, many priests and monks were crucified.
Leopold II, King of the Belgians, was nicknamed the Butcher of the Congo. His army captured the Congo Basin and terrorized the local population. He himself had never been to the Congo, but on his orders 20 million people were killed there. He often showed his military the hands of the rebellious workers. The period of his reign was marked by the devastation of the state treasury. King Leopold II died at the age of 75.
Pol Pot, the leader of the Khmer Rouge movement, is put on a par with Hitler. During his reign in Cambodia, which is less than four years, more than 3,500,000 people were killed. His policy was as follows: the path to happy life lies through the rejection of modern Western values, the destruction of cities that carry a pernicious infection, and the re-education of their inhabitants. This ideology marked the beginning of the creation of concentration camps, the destruction of the local population in the regions and their actual eviction.
21. Mao Zedong
The head of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, Mao Zedong, took over China with the help of the Soviet army, founding the PRC, and until his death was its leader. He carried out many land reforms, which were accompanied by the theft of large land plots landowners through violence and terror. Critics always came across his path, but he quickly cracked down on dissent. His so-called big jump forward” led to a famine of the population from 1959 to 1961, which killed 40 million people.
22. Osama Bin Laden
Osama bin Laden is one of the most notorious terrorists in human history. He was the leader of the al-Qaeda terrorist group, which carried out a number of attacks on the United States. These included the 1998 bombing of the US embassy in Kenya, where 300 civilians were killed, and the September 11 air attacks on the World Trade Center in America, which killed 3,000 civilians. Many of his orders were carried out by suicide bombers.
23. Emperor Hirohito
Emperor Hirohito was one of the bloodiest rulers in Japanese history. His most important crime against humanity is the massacre in Nanjing, which took place in the second Sino-Japanese war, where thousands of people were killed and raped. In the same place, the emperor's troops carried out monstrous experiments on people, as a result of which more than 300,000 people died. The emperor, despite his power, never stopped the bloody lawlessness of his troops.
24. Joseph Stalin
Another controversial figure in history is Joseph Stalin. During his reign, all large land plots were under his control. Millions of farmers who refused to give up their plots were simply killed, which led to a great famine throughout Russia. During the era of his totalitarian regime, a secret police flourished, calling on citizens to spy on each other. As a result of this policy, millions of people were killed or sent to the Gulag. More than 20,000,000 people were killed as a result of his brutal tyrannical rule.
25. Adolf Hitler
Hitler is the most famous, evil and destructive leader in human history. His speeches full of anger and hatred, his senseless invasion of European and African countries, the genocide of millions of Jews, his murder and torture, rape and execution of people in concentration camps, plus countless other known and unknown atrocities, make Hitler the most cruel ruler of all times and peoples. . In all, historians attribute the deaths of the Nazi regime to more than 11,000,000 people.
There have been many rulers in the history of Russia, but not all of them can be called successful. Those who could, expanded the territory of the state, won wars, developed culture and production in the country, and strengthened international ties.
Yaroslav the Wise
Yaroslav the Wise, son of Saint Vladimir, was one of the first truly effective rulers in Russian history. He founded the city-fortress Yuryev in the Baltic, Yaroslavl in the Volga region, Yuryev Russian, Yaroslavl in the Carpathian region and Novgorod-Seversky.
During the years of his reign, Yaroslav stopped the Pecheneg raids on Rus', defeating them in 1038 near the walls of Kyiv, in honor of which the Hagia Sophia was founded. Artists from Constantinople were called in to paint the temple.
In an effort to strengthen international relations, Yaroslav used dynastic marriages, gave his daughter Princess Anna Yaroslavna in marriage to the French King Henry I.
Yaroslav the Wise actively built the first Russian monasteries, founded the first large school, allocated large funds for translations and correspondence of books, published the Church Charter and the Russian Truth. In 1051, having gathered the bishops, he himself appointed Hilarion as metropolitan, for the first time without the participation of the Patriarch of Constantinople. Hilarion became the first Russian metropolitan.
Ivan III
Ivan III can be confidently called one of the most successful rulers in the history of Russia. It was he who managed to gather around Moscow the scattered principalities of northeastern Rus'. During his lifetime, the Yaroslavl and Rostov principalities, Vyatka, Great Perm, Tver, Novgorod and other lands became part of a single state.
Ivan III was the first of the Russian princes to take the title "Sovereign of All Rus'", and introduced the term "Russia" into use. He also became the liberator of Rus' from the yoke. Standing on the Ugra River, which happened in 1480, marked the final victory of Rus' in the struggle for its independence.
Adopted in 1497, the Sudebnik of Ivan III laid the legal foundations for overcoming feudal fragmentation. The Sudebnik had a progressive character for its time: at the end of the 15th century, not every European country could boast of uniform legislation.
The unification of the country required a new state ideology and its foundations appeared: Ivan III approved the double-headed eagle used in state symbols Byzantium and the Holy Roman Empire.
During the life of Ivan III, the main part of the architectural ensemble of the Kremlin, which we can observe today, was created. The Russian Tsar invited Italian architects for this. Under Ivan III, about 25 churches were built in Moscow alone.
Ivan groznyj
Ivan the Terrible is an autocrat whose reign still has very different, often opposite, assessments, but at the same time his effectiveness as a ruler is difficult to dispute.
He successfully fought against the successors of the Golden Horde, annexed the Kazan and Astrakhan kingdoms to Russia, significantly expanded the territory of the state to the east, subjugating the Great Nogai Horde and the Siberian Khan Edigei. However, the Livonian War ended with the loss of part of the land, without solving its main task - access to the Baltic Sea.
Under Grozny, diplomacy developed, Anglo-Russian contacts were established. Ivan IV was one of the most educated people of his time, possessed a phenomenal memory and erudition, wrote numerous epistles himself, was the author of music and the text of the service of the feast of Our Lady of Vladimir, the canon to the Archangel Michael, developed book printing in Moscow, and supported the chroniclers.
Peter I
Peter's coming to power radically changed the vector of Russia's development. The tsar “cut a window to Europe”, fought a lot and successfully, fought against the clergy, reformed the army, education and the tax system, created the first fleet in Russia, changed the tradition of chronology, and carried out a regional reform.
Peter personally met with Leibniz and Newton, was an honorary member of the Paris Academy of Sciences. By order of Peter I, books, instruments, weapons were purchased abroad, foreign craftsmen and scientists were invited to Russia.
During the reign of the emperor, Russia gained a foothold on the shores of the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov, received access to the Baltic Sea. After the Persian campaign, the western coast of the Caspian Sea with the cities of Derbent and Baku moved to Russia.
Under Peter I, outdated forms of diplomatic relations and etiquette were abolished, and permanent diplomatic missions and consulates abroad were established.
Numerous expeditions, including to Central Asia, to Far East and to Siberia made it possible to begin a systematic study of the geography of the country and develop cartography.
Catherine II
The main German on the Russian throne, Catherine II was one of the most effective Russian rulers. Under Catherine II, Russia finally gained a foothold on the Black Sea, the lands were annexed, which received the name Novorossia: the Northern Black Sea region, Crimea, and the Kuban region. Catherine took Eastern Georgia under Russian citizenship and returned the Western Russian lands torn away by the Poles.
Under Catherine II, the population of Russia increased significantly, hundreds of new cities were built, the treasury quadrupled, industry and Agriculture– Russia for the first time began to export bread.
During the reign of the empress, paper money was introduced for the first time in Russia, a clear territorial division of the empire was carried out, a system of secondary education was created, an observatory, a physics office, an anatomical theater, a botanical garden, instrumental workshops, a printing house, a library, and an archive were founded. In 1783, the Russian Academy was founded, which became one of the leading scientific bases in Europe.
Alexander I
Alexander I - Emperor, under which Russia defeated the Napoleonic coalition. During the reign of Alexander I, the territory of the Russian Empire expanded significantly: Eastern and Western Georgia, Mingrelia, Imeretia, Guria, Finland, Bessarabia, most of Poland (which formed the Kingdom of Poland) passed into Russian citizenship.
With domestic policy, Alexander the First was not going smoothly (“Arakcheevshchina”, police measures against the opposition), but Alexander I carried out a number of reforms: merchants, philistines and state-owned settlers were given the right to buy uninhabited lands, ministries and a cabinet of ministers were established, a decree was issued about free cultivators, who created the category of personally free peasants.
Alexander II
Alexander II went down in history as the "Liberator". Under him, serfdom was abolished. Alexander II reorganized the army, reduced the term military service he abolished corporal punishment. Alexander II established the State Bank, carried out financial, monetary, police and university reforms.
During the reign of the emperor, the Polish uprising was suppressed, the Caucasian War ended. According to the Aigun and Beijing treaties with the Chinese Empire, Russia annexed the Amur and Ussuri regions in 1858-1860. In 1867-1873, the territory of Russia increased due to the conquest of the Turkestan Territory and the Ferghana Valley and the voluntary entry into the vassal rights of the Emirate of Bukhara and the Khiva Khanate.
What Alexander II still cannot be forgiven for is the sale of Alaska.
Alexander III
Russia spent almost its entire history in wars. There were no wars only during the reign of Alexander III.
He was called "the most Russian tsar", "Peacemaker". Sergei Witte spoke of him this way: "Emperor Alexander III, having received Russia at the confluence of the most unfavorable political conditions, deeply raised the international prestige of Russia without shedding a drop of Russian blood."
The merits of Alexander III in foreign policy were noted by France, which named the main bridge over the Seine in Paris in honor of Alexander III. Even the Emperor of Germany Wilhelm II said after the death of Alexander III: "This, indeed, was the autocratic Emperor."
In domestic politics, the activities of the emperor were also successful. A real technical revolution took place in Russia, the economy stabilized, industry developed by leaps and bounds. In 1891, Russia began building the Great Siberian Railway.
Joseph Stalin
The era of Stalin's rule was ambiguous, but it is difficult to deny that he "took over the country with a plow, and left it with a nuclear bomb." Do not forget that it was under Stalin that the USSR won the Great Patriotic war. Let's remember the numbers.
During the reign of Joseph Stalin, the population of the USSR increased from 136.8 million people in 1920 to 208.8 million in 1959. Under Stalin, the country's population became literate. According to the 1879 census, the population of the Russian Empire was 79% illiterate, by 1932 the literacy of the population had risen to 89.1%.
The total volume of industrial production per capita for 1913-1950 in the USSR increased 4 times. The growth in agricultural production by 1938 was + 45% compared to 1913 and + 100% compared to 1920.
By the end of Stalin's rule in 1953, the gold reserves had grown 6.5 times and reached 2,050 tons.
Nikita Khrushchev
Despite all the ambiguity of internal (the return of the Crimea) and external ( cold war) Khrushchev's policy, it was during his reign that the USSR became the world's first space power.
After Nikita Khrushchev's report at the 20th Congress of the CPSU, the country breathed more freely, a period of relative democracy began, in which citizens were not afraid to go to jail for telling a political anecdote.
During this period, there was an upsurge in Soviet culture, from which the ideological shackles were removed. The country discovered the genre of "street poetry", the poets Robert Rozhdestvensky, Andrei Voznesensky, Yevgeny Yevtushenko, Bella Akhmadulina were known by the whole country.
During the years of Khrushchev's rule, International Youth Festivals were held, Soviet people gained access to the world of imports and foreign fashion. In general, breathing in the country has become easier.
