After the reign of Basil Shuisky was a question of strengthening the united Russian state.It was necessary for it to make some decisive action - to put an end to decentralization, to the end to form a national unit and to expand the territory of the country.Vasily III put only the beginning of this process, and to solve the problems left his son Ivan, who at the time of his father's death was only three years.
In 1546, the future Ivan IV reached the fifteenth (occurred in this age of majority), and the power of mother entirely passed to him.In 1547 he took the title of king.The coronation was held in the Assumption Cathedral.In the same year there was a series of fires and popular uprising, which proved that in society there is a confrontation of the boyars and the people.Ivan IV began to strengthen the fight against Boyar power, bringing the people from other classes.Circle approximate called "Selected Rada", which included such persons as Andrei Kurbsky, Metropolitan Macarius and the priest Sylvester, Alex Adashev.They carried out the following reforms which have glorified the reign of Ivan:
1. In 1550 he was issued a so-called Code of Law - a set of laws that strengthened the royal power.
2. In the army appeared Strelets troops.
3. finance system was reformed.
4. The local and central administration abolished the feeding and introduced a system of orders.
5. There was a reformed church.
changes have led to the fact that in a short time in the state has grown significantly the power of authority.Selected Rada and its system of government proved to be most effective.All decisions taken in the 50s of the century, were aimed at centralizing power of the king.Despite the fact that the elected parliament and its positive impact on the reform of the state and consolidated royal power, in 1560 it was disbanded.The reasons for this were several.King stopped trusting his entourage to people, especially when suspected treason after fleeing to Poland Andrei Kurbsky.Also, differences of opinion grew in foreign and domestic policy.
In 1565, Ivan IV established a new sovereign's inheritance - oprichnina, which included economic development of territories.Here, the king formed his government bodies - a thought, a courtyard, orders, and oprichnina army, which later turned into an instrument of political terror.Selected Rada and oprichnina were given punitive functions, but only if the first punished the boyars, the oprichnina had authority over all estates.As a result of the domination of the oprichnina in the state government established the despotic regime of Ivan IV.In those grim years the king was given the nickname "Terrible."
reign of terror, however, was less effective than the Selected Rada and its policies.As a result, the king canceled oprichnina in 1572.After that occurred in the country's political and economic crises of the 70s-80s.In addition, there has been a ruin of farms that are the backbone of the economy - they did an emphasis Selected Rada.Oprichnina largely led to a general crisis of power and advance the Time of Troubles.
