List of Russian monarchs

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List of Russian rulers
)

"List of Tsars" redirects here. For other uses, see Tsar and Tsar (disambiguation). For the monarchy, see House of Romanov.

Monarchy of Russia
Imperial Coat of arms
Visualisation of Russian monarchs as a tree (1886)
Details
Style
Moscow Kremlin
AppointerHereditary
Pretender(s)
Disputed

This is a list of all reigning monarchs in the

executed with his family
in 1918.

The vast territory known today as Russia covers an area that has been ruled by various polities, including Kievan Rus',

Grand Duchy of Moscow, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, and the sovereigns of these many nations and throughout their histories have used likewise as wide a range of titles in their positions as chief magistrates of a country. Some of the earliest titles include kniaz and velikiy kniaz, which mean "prince" and "grand prince" respectively, which have sometimes been rendered as "duke" and "grand duke" in Western literature; then the title of tsar, meaning "caesar", which was disputed to be the equal of either a king or emperor; finally culminating in the title of emperor. According to Article 59 of the 1906 Russian Constitution, the Russian emperor held several dozen titles, each one representing a region which the monarch governed.[citation needed
]

Rurikids, 862–1598

See also: List of tribes and states in Belarus, Russia and Ukraine

Parts of the land that is today known as Russia was populated by various East Slavic peoples from before the 9th century. The first states to exert hegemony over the region were those of the Rus' people, a branch of Nordic Varangians who entered the region occupied by modern Russia sometime in the ninth century, and set up a series of states starting with the Rus' Khaganate c. 830. Little is known of the Rus' Khaganate beyond its existence, including the extent of its territory or any reliable list of its khagans (rulers).

Princes of Novgorod

Main article: Prince of Novgorod

Traditionally, Rus' statehood is traced to Rurik, Rus' leader of Novgorod (modern Veliky Novgorod), a different Rus' state.

NameLifespanReign startReign endNotesFamilyImage
Oleg
  • the Seer
  • Олег Вещий
855–912879882Relative of Rurik and regent of his son, Prince IgorRurikids

Grand princes of Kiev

Main article: Grand Prince of Kiev

Rurik's successor

Grand Prince of Novgorod
whose holder (often the same person) could claim hegemony.

NameLifespanReign startReign endNotesFamilyImage
Saint Vladimir I
  • the Great, the Baptist
  • Владимир Святославич (Великий)
958–101511 June 98015 July 1015Son of Sviatoslav I and Malusha
Younger brother of Yaropolk I		Rurikids
Sviatopolk I
  • the Cursed
  • Святополк Владимирович (Окаянный)
980–101915 July 1015Autumn 1016Son of Vladimir I
Overthrown by Yaroslav of Novgorod		Rurikids
Yaroslav I
  • the Wise
  • Ярослав Владимирович (Мудрый)
978–1054Autumn 101622 July 1018Son of Vladimir I and Rogneda of Polotsk
Prince of Novgorod since 1010		Rurikids
Sviatopolk I
  • the Cursed
  • Святополк Владимирович (Окаянный)
980–101914 August 101827 July 1019Restored. Fled from Kiev after defeat from Yaroslav on Alta RiverRurikids
Yaroslav I
  • the Wise
  • Ярослав Владимирович (Мудрый)
978–105427 July 101920 February 1054Restored
Co-ruler: Mstislav of Chernigov (1024–1036)		Rurikids

Feudal period

The gradual disintegration of Rus' began in the 11th century, after the death of Yaroslav the Wise. The position of the Grand Prince was weakened by the growing influence of regional clans. In 1097, the Council of Liubech formalized the feudal nature of the Rus' lands.

NameLifespanReign startReign endNotesFamilyImage
Ingegerd Olofsdotter
Handed over the throne to Iziaslav I
Prince of Pereyaslavl (1054–73), Chernigov (1073–78). The first known of the Kiev princes to bear the title of "Prince of all Rus′"
Rurikids
Iziaslav I
  • Изяслав Ярославич
1024–107815 July 10773 October 1078RestoredRurikids
Vsevolod I
  • Всеволод Ярославич
1030–10933 October 107813 April 1093Retook the throne after Iziaslav's deathRurikids
Sviatopolk II
  • Святополк Изяславич
1050–111324 April 109316 April 1113Son of Iziaslav I
Prince of Novgorod (1078–88), Turov (1088–93)		Rurikids
Vladimir II
  • Monomakh ("He who fights alone")
  • Владимир Всеволодович (Мономах)
1053–112520 April 111319 May 1125Son of Vsevolod I and Anastasia of Byzantium
Prince of Smolensk (1073–78), Chernigov (1078–94), Pereyaslavl (1094–1113)		Rurikids
Mstislav I
  • the Great
  • Мстислав Владимирович (Великий)
1076–113220 May 112515 April 1132Son of Vladimir II and Gytha of Wessex
Prince of Novgorod (1088–1117), Belgorod (1117–25)		Rurikids

After Mstislav's death in 1132, the Kievan Rus' fell into recession and a rapid decline. The throne of Kiev became an object of struggle between various territorial associations of Rurikid princes.

NameLifespanReign startReign endNotesFamilyImage
Vladimir-Volynsky under the threat of Yuri's attack
Rurikids
Yuri I
  • the Long Hands
  • Юрий Владимирович (Юрий Долгорукий)
1099–1157August 1150Winter 1151RestoredRurikids
Iziaslav II
  • Изяслав Мстиславич
1097–1154Winter 115113 November 1154Restored
Co-ruler: Viacheslav		Rurikids
Viacheslav
  • Вячеслав Владимирович
1083
–
December 1154		Spring 1151December 1154Restored as Iziaslav's senior co-ruler. After Iziaslav's death Rostislav of Smolensk was proclaimed Viacheslav's new co-princeRurikids
Rostislav
  • Ростислав Мстиславич
1110–11671154January 1155Son of Mstislav I and Christina Ingesdotter of Sweden, younger brother of Iziaslav II
Left Kiev after defeat from Iziaslav of Chernigov		Rurikids
Iziaslav III
  • Изяслав Давыдович
12th centuryJanuary 11551155Grandson of Sviatoslav II via Davyd of Chernigov. Ceded the Kiev throne to Yuri the Long Hands
Prince of Chernigov (1151–57)		Rurikids
Yuri I
  • the Long Hands
  • Юрий Владимирович (Юрий Долгорукий)
1099–115720 March 115515 May 1157RestoredRurikids
Iziaslav III
  • Изяслав Давыдович
12th century19 May 1157December 1158Restored. Defeated by Mstislav of VolhyniaRurikids
Mstislav II
  • Мстислав Изяславич
1125–117022 December 1158Spring 1159Son of Iziaslav II. Сeded the throne to RostislavRurikids
Rostislav
  • Ростислав Мстиславич
1110–116712 April 11598 February 1161Restored. Overthrown by Iziaslav and fled to BelgorodRurikids
Iziaslav III
  • Изяслав Давыдович
12th century12 February 11616 March 1161Restored. Mortally wounded after failed siege of BelgorodRurikids
Rostislav
  • Ростислав Мстиславич
1110–1167March 116114 March 1167RestoredRurikids
Mstislav II
  • Мстислав Изяславич
1125–117019 May 116712 March 1169RestoredRurikids

In March 1169, a coalition of native princes led by the Grand Prince of

Principality of Muscovy; the Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia in the south-west; and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
to the north.

Grand Princes of Vladimir

Main article: Grand Prince of Vladimir

By the 12th century, the Grand Duchy of Vladimir became the dominant principality in Northwest Rus, adding its name to those of Novgorod and Kiev, culminating with the rule of Alexander Nevsky. In 1169 Prince Andrey I of Vladimir sacked the city of Kiev and took over the title of the grand prince to claim primacy in Rus'.[citation needed]

NameLifespanReign startReign endNotesFamilyImage
Konstantin
  • of Rostov
    Константин Всеволодович
1186–1218Spring 12162 February 1218Son of Vsevolod III and Maria Shvarnovna
Elder brother of Yuri II		Rurikids
Yuri II
  • Юрий Всеволодович
1189–1238February 12184 March 1238RestoredRurikids

Kievan Rus' finally disintegrated under the pressure of the

yarlyk (a special edict of Golden Horde khan).[citation needed
]

NameLifespanReign startReign endNotesFamilyImage
Yaroslav II
  • Ярослав Всеволодович
1191–1246123830 September 1246Son of Vsevolod III and Maria Shvarnovna
Younger brother of Yuri II and Konstantin of Rostov
Also Grand Prince of Kiev in 1236–38 and since 1243		Rurikids
Sviatoslav III
  • Святослав Всеволодович
1196
–
3 February 1252		12461248Son of Vsevolod III and Maria Shvarnovna
Younger brother of Yuri II, Konstantin of Rostov and Yaroslav II		Rurikids
Mikhail
  • Khorobrit (the Brave)
  • Михаил Ярославич (Хоробрит)
1229
–
15 January 1248		124815 January 1248Son of Yaroslav IIRurikids
Sviatoslav III
  • Святослав Всеволодович
1196
–
3 February 1252		12481249RestoredRurikids
Andrey II
  • Андрей Ярославич
1222–1264December 124924 July 1252Son of Yaroslav II
Elder brother of Mikhail Khorobrit		Rurikids
Saint Alexander
  • Nevsky
  • Александр Ярославич (Невский)
1221–1263125214 November 1263Son of Yaroslav II and Rostislava Mstislavna, daughter of Kievan Rus' Prince Mstislav Mstislavich the Bold
Elder brother of Mikhail Khorobrit and Andrey II
Prince of Novgorod three times, Grand Prince of Kiev since 1249		Rurikids

Alexander Nevsky was the last prince to reign directly from Vladimir. After his death, Northeastern Rus′ fell apart into a dozen principalities. The territory of the Grand Duchy of Vladimir proper was received by the Horde to one of the appanage princes, who performed the enthronement ceremony in Vladimir, but remained to live and reign in his own principality. By the end of the century, only three cities – Moscow, Tver, and Nizhny Novgorod – still contended for the title of Grand Prince of Vladimir.

NameLifespanReign startReign endNotesFamilyImage
Ivan I
  • Kalita (the Moneybag)
  • of Moscow
    Иван Данилович (Иван Калита)
1288–1340132831 March 1340Grandson of Alexander Nevsky
Son of Daniel of Moscow
Younger brother of Yuri III
Co-ruler: Alexander of Suzdal (until 1331)		Rurikids
Simeon
  • the Proud
  • of Moscow
    Симеон Иванович (Симеон Гордый)
7 September 1317
–
27 April 1353		1 October 134027 April 1353Son of Ivan I and HelenaRurikids
Ivan II
  • the Fair
  • of Moscow
    Иван Иванович (Иван Красный)
30 March 1326
–
13 November 1359		25 March 135413 November 1359Son of Ivan I and Helena
Younger brother of Simeon		Rurikids
Dmitry
  • of Suzdal
    Дмитрий Константинович
1322
–
5 July 1383		22 June 1360December 1362Son of Konstantin Vasilyevich of SuzdalRurikids
Saint Dmitry
  • Donskoy
  • of Moscow
    Дмитрий Иванович (Дмитрий Донской)
12 October 1350
–
19 May 1389		January 136319 May 1389Son of Ivan II and Alexandra Velyaminova
Prince of Moscow since 1359		Rurikids

After Dmitry the throne of Vladimir was succeeded only by princes of Moscow.[citation needed]

Grand Princes of Moscow

See also: Sovereign of all Russia
This section is an excerpt from Prince of Moscow § List of princes.[edit]
NameLifespanReign startReign endNotesFamilyImage
Daniilovichi

Tsars of Russia

Main article:
Sovereign, Tsar and Grand Prince of all Russia

Ivan the Terrible assumed the title Tsar of all Rus' in 1547, whereby the Tsardom of Russia (apart from its constituent principalities) was established.

NameLifespanReign startReign endNotesFamilyImage
Ivan IV
  • the Terrible
  • Иван Васильевич (Иван Грозный)
25 August 1530
–
28 March 1584		26 January 154728 March 1584Son of Vasily III and Elena Glinskaya
"Grand Prince": Simeon Bekbulatovich (1575–1576)		Rurikids
Feodor I
  • the Blessed
  • Фёдор Иванович (Фёдор Блаженный)
31 May 1557
–
17 January 1598		28 March 158417 January 1598Son of Ivan IV and Anastasia Zakharyina-YuryevaRurikids

Time of Troubles, 1598–1613

In 1581, Ivan the Terrible killed his firstborn son and heir apparent

Rurik dynasty and the start of a succession crisis called the Time of Troubles. The first non-Rurikid tsar was Feodor's brother-in-law and regent, the influent boyar Boris Godunov, elected by the Zemsky Sobor (feudal parliament
).

Tsars of Russia

NameLifespanReign startReign endNotesFamilyImage
Maria Grigorievna Skuratova-Belskaya
Murdered
Godunov

Devastated by famine, rule under Boris descended into anarchy. There followed a series of impostors, known as the

Michael Romanov
to the throne in February 1613.

Tsars of Russia

NameLifespanReign startReign endNotesFamilyImage
False Dmitry I
  • Лжедмитрий I
1581
–
17 May 1606		20 June 160517 May 1606Claiming to be son of Ivan IV, he was the only impostor to actually sit on the throne of a major power. Backed by Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Murdered.Rurikids
(claimed)
Vasily IV
  • Василий Иванович Шуйский
22 September 1552
–
12 September 1612		19 May 160617 July 1610Orchestrated a conspiracy against False Dmitry, proclaimed Tsar by the nobles. Deposed and sent to Poland
Pretender: False Dmitry II (since June 1607)		Shuysky
Vladislav
  • Владислав Жигимонтович
9 June 1595
–
20 May 1648		6 September 1610November 1612
(resigned his claim in 1634)		King of Poland until 1632
Son of Sigismund III Vasa and Anne of Austria
Elected by the Seven Boyars, never assumed the throne
Pretenders: False Dmitry II (until 21 December 1610), False Dmitry III (July 1611 – May 1612)		Vasa

Romanovs, 1613–1917

Tsars of Russia

Main article:
Sovereign, Tsar and Grand Prince of all Russia

The

Philaret (died 1633) initially held the real power. However, Michael's descendants would rule Russia, first as Tsars and later as Emperors, until the Russian Revolution of 1917. Peter the Great (reigned 1682–1725), a grandson of Michael Romanov, reorganized the Russian state along more Western lines, establishing the Russian Empire
in 1721.

NameLifespanReign startReign endNotesFamilyImage
Alexis
  • the Quietest
  • Алексей Михайлович (Алексей Тишайший)
9 May 1629
–
29 January 1676		12 July 164529 January 1676Son of Michael and Eudoxia StreshnevaRomanov
Feodor III
  • Фёдор III Алексеевич
9 June 1661
–
7 May 1682		29 January 16767 May 1682Son of Alexis and Maria MiloslavskayaRomanov
Ivan V
  • Иван V Алексеевич
6 September 1666
–
8 February 1696		7 May 16828 February 1696Son of Alexis and Maria Miloslavskaya
Younger brother of Feodor III and Sophia
Elder half-brother of Peter I
Co-ruler: Peter I
Regent: princess Sophia (8 June 1682 – 17 September 1689)		Romanov
Peter I
  • Пётр I Алексеевич
9 June 1672
–
8 February 1725		7 May 16822 November 1721Son of Alexis and Natalya Naryshkina
Younger half-brother of Feodor III
Co-ruler: Ivan V (7 May 1682 – 8 February 1696)
Regent: tsaritsa dowager Natalia (7 May – 2 June 1682), princess Sophia (8 June 1682 – 17 September 1689)		Romanov

Emperors of Russia

(Also

Grand Princes of Finland from 1809 until 1917; and Kings of Poland
from 1815 until 1917)

Main article:
Emperor of all the Russias

The

Holstein-Gottorp before arriving in Russia to assume the Imperial title. He and his German wife Sophia changed their name to Romanov upon inheriting the throne. Peter was ill-liked, and he was assassinated within six months of assuming the throne, in a coup orchestrated by his wife, who became Empress in her own right and ruled as Catherine the Great (both Peter and Catherine were descended from the House of Rurik). Following the confused successions of the descendants of Peter the Great, Catherine's son Paul I established clear succession laws which governed the rules of primogeniture
over the Imperial throne until the fall of the Empire in 1917.

NameLifespanReign startReign endNotesFamilyImage
Murdered by the Bolsheviks
Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov

Pretenders after Nicholas II

Further information:
Restoration of the Russian monarchy
NameLifespanReign startReign endNotesFamilyImage
Nikolai Nikolaevich
  • Николай Николаевич
6 November 1856
–
5 January 1929		8 August 192225 October 1922Grandson of Nicholas I
Proclaimed Emperor of Russia by the Zemsky Sobor of the Provisional Priamurye Government while being in exile
His nominal rule came to an end when the areas controlled by the Provisional Priamurye Government were overrun by the communists		Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov
Kirill Vladimirovich
"Cyril I"
  • Кирилл Владимирович
30 September 1876
–
12 October 1938		31 August 192412 October 1938Grandson of Alexander II
Claimed the title Emperor of All the Russias while in exile[5]
Recognised by a congress of legitimists delegates in Paris in 1926[6]		Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov

The rights of Kirill Vladimirovich and his heirs to the imperial throne of Russia have been repeatedly questioned following his marriage with Princess Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. The principles laid down by Paul I in the Act of Succession 1797 turned out to be not completely flawlessly formulated, and, as a result, the interpretation of these is not always obvious, and Russia now has no indisputable contender for the throne. Moreover, for more than a hundred years the throne itself has ceased to exist. Nevertheless, when in 1915 Nicholas II, before the lack of successible Grand-Dukes, allowed them to retain their personal rights, as it had happened in practice with Alexander II after his second and morganatic marriage, Kirill Vladimirovich's issue was never deemed to be considered morganatic, nor were they demoted from Grand-Dukes to mere Princes.

Timeline of monarchs

Feodor IIvan the TerribleVasili IIIIvan III the GreatDmitry ShemyakaVasily the SquintYury of ZvenigorodVasily II the DarkVasily IDmitry DonskoyDmitry of SuzdalIvan II of MoscowSimeon the ProudIvan KalitaAlexander of TverDmitry of TverYury of MoscowMichael of TverAndrey of GorodetsDmitry of PereslavlVasily of KostromaYaroslav IIIAlexander NevskyAndrey IIMikhail KhorobritSviatoslav III of VladimirYaroslav II of VladimirKonstantin of RostovYuri IIVsevolod the Big NestYaropolk IIIMikhail of VladimirAndrey BogolyubskyIziaslav IIIRostislav IYuri DolgorukiyIziaslav IIIgor IIVsevolod IIViacheslav I of KievYaropolk IIMstislav IVladimir MonomakhSviatopolk IIVsevolod ISviatoslav IIVseslav of PolotskIziaslav IYaroslav the WiseSviatopolk I of KievVladimir the GreatYaropolk ISviatoslav IOlga of KievIgor IOleg of NovgorodRurik
Nicholas II of RussiaAlexander III of RussiaAlexander II of RussiaNicholas I of RussiaAlexander I of RussiaPaul I of RussiaCatherine II the GreatPeter III of RussiaElizabeth PetrovnaIvan VI of RussiaAnna IoanovnaPeter II of RussiaCatherine I of RussiaPeter I of RussiaIvan V of RussiaFeodor III of RussiaAlexis of RussiaMichael RomanovWładysław IV VasaFalse Dmitry IIVasily ShuyskyFalse Dmitry IFeodor IIBoris Godunov

See also

References

  1. ^ Glenn E. Curtis (1996). "Kievan Rus' and Mongol Periods". Russia: A Country Study. Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
  2. ^ a b Martin 2007, p. 222.
  3. ^ Montefiore, Simon S. (2016) The Romanovs, 1613–1918 London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, pp. 619–621
  4. ^ "The Abdication of Nicholas II: 100 Years Later". The Russian Legitimist. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  5. ^ Almanach de Gotha (182nd ed.). Almanach de Gotha. 1998. p. 214.
  6. ^ Shain, Yossi The Frontier of Loyalty: Political Exiles in the Age of the Nation-State University of Michigan Press (2005) p.69.

Sources

External links
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