-
Apr 5, 1462
Ivan the Great
Ivan III Vasilyevich (22 January 1440-27 October 1505), was one of the longest-reigning Russian rulers in history. He ruled from 5 April 1462 to 27 October 1505, he was known as Ivan the Great, and was a Grand Prince of Moscow. Because he tripled the territory of his state he is referred to as the "gatherer of the Russian lands.” He also ended the control of the Golden Horde, renovated the Moscow Kremlin, and laid the foundations of the Russian state. -
Jan 1, 1533
Ivan the Terrible
Ivan IV Vasilyevich (25 August 1530 – 28 March 1584), also known as Ivan the Terrible, was Grand Prince of Moscow from 1533 until his death. His long rule saw the downfall of the Khanates of Kazan, Astrakhan, and Siberia, changing Russia into a multiethnic state covering almost one billion acres, about 1,562,500 sq mi. Ivan accomplished numerous changes in the advance from a medieval state to an empire and emerging regional power, and became the first ruler to be crowned as Tsar of All Russia. -
Michael Romanov
Michael Romanov was born on July 18, 1596 and he died on July 13, 1645. He was elected Sovereign of All Russia in Moscow's Red Square by the Assembly of the Land on February 21, 1613, at the age of 16, and consecrated Czar on July 11, 1613, in the Dormition Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. During his reign, he established a unified Russian state, ended internal conflicts and resumed relations with foreign states. He also made various early reforms, particularly in the Russian army. -
Peter the Great
Peter the Great was born in 1672 and he died in 1725. He was tsar of Russia from 1682 to 1725. Peter the Great is credited with dragging Russia out of the medieval times to such an extent that by his death in 1725, Russia was considered a leading eastern European state. He unified government, restructured the army, created a navy and increased the subjugation and subjection of the peasants. His domestic policy allowed him to execute an aggressive foreign policy. -
Catherine the Great
Catherine II, also known as Catherine the Great, was the most renowned and the longest-ruling female leader of Russia, reigning from 9 July 1762 until her death on 17 November 1796. She came to power following the assassination of her husband, Peter III. Russia was strengthened under her rule, growing larger and stronger than ever and becoming recognized as one of the great powers of Europe. -
Alexander II
Alexander II (29 April 1818–13 March 1881), also known as Alexander the Liberator was the Emperor of the Russian Empire from 3 March 1855 until his assassination in 1881. He was also the King of Poland and the Grand Duke of Finland. Alexander II succeeded to the throne upon the death of his father in 1855. In 1867 he sold Alaska to the United States for $7 million after recognizing the great difficulty of defending it against Great Britain or the former British colony of Canada. -
Nicholas II
Nicholas II (18 May 1868 – 17 July 1918) was the last Emperor of Russia. Nicholas II ruled from 1894 until his abdication on 15 March 1917. Under his rule, Russia was defeated in the Russo-Japanese War, including the almost total annihilation of the Russian fleet at the Battle of Tsushima. As head of state, he approved the Russian mobilization of August 1914, which marked the beginning of Russia's involvement in World War I, a war in which 3.3 million Russians were killed. -
Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Lenin (22 April 1870 – 21 January 1924) was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and communist politician who led the October Revolution of 1917. As leader of the Bolsheviks, he headed the Soviet state during its initial years (1917–1924), as it fought to establish control of Russia in the Russian Civil War and worked to create a socialist economic system. -
Alexander Kerensky
Alexander Kerensky (4 May 1881 – 11 June 1970) was a major political leader before and during the Russian Revolutions of 1917. Kerensky served as the second Prime Minister of the Russian Provisional Government until Vladimir Lenin was elected by the All-Russian Congress of Soviets following the October Revolution. He died in exile. -
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin (18 December 1878 – 5 March 1953) Joseph Stalin was the dictator of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. His rule is infamous for his use of police terror and the frequent mass murders of his own people. He also helped industrialize Russia through his many five year plans. -
Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Khrushchev (April 15 1894 – September 11, 1971) was responsible for the partial de-Stalinization of the Soviet Union. He also led Russia through the Cold War and with that the Cuban Missile Crisis. He was the leader of Russia from September 14, 1953 – October 14, 1964. -
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev, born 2 March 1931, was the leader of the Soviet Union (USSR) from 1985 until its collapse in December of 1991. Gorbachev helped reform Russia through his perestroika (restructuring) and glasnost (openness). He released thousands of political prisoners. He removed Russia from European countries as well as Afghanistan, which resulted in many anti-communist wars in Europe. -
Boris Yeltsin
Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin (February 1931 – 23 April 2007) was the first President of the Russian Federation, serving from 1991 to 1999. He played a key role in bringing a measure of democracy to Russia but failed to deliver on the promise of prosperity. His years in power saw many Russians fall into poverty and some become rich, often through the corrupt privatization of state assets. -
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin, born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician who served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when president Boris Yeltsin resigned. Putin is credited with bringing political stability. During Putin's presidency, the Russian economy grew for nine straight years, seeing GDP increase by 72% in PPP. -
Dmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Medvedev, born 14 September 1965 is the third President of the Russian Federation since 7 May 2008. He forced Georgia to peace, slowed down NATO’s eastward expansion and prevented the CIS countries from being drawn into that process. He started building a Russian version of Silicon Valley, encouraged the modernization of the national economy. -
Vladimir the Great
Vladimir the Great, grand prince of Kiev, lived from 956-1015. He ruled over Russia from 980 to 1015. During his rule he extended the Russian domains so his territories were more toward Poland. Later in life promoted peace. He also advanced the Christianization of Russia; he himself was baptized in 988.
